"I know where that coat came from - Buffy told me once. It's just -"
"It's mine, is all you need to know, Harris." Xander shook his head and they walked on a few more feet and then Spike sighed heavily - did a half-turn and put his arm out, making Xander come to a stop. "Look. Not trying to fight with you, all right? Just wanted to - to say thanks."
Xander blinked at him, baffled. "Thanks? For what? I didn't do anything for you."
"Course you did. Came upstairs, didn't you? Knocked that Star for a loop - pissed her off so bad she stole my car and left town."
"Stole your car?" Xander felt a lurch down in his stomach but Spike was grinning so it couldn't be too bad.
"Just a leased one. Doesn't matter - stole the name I leased it with, didn't I?" Spike turned around and started walking again and after a minute Xander stumbled back into motion and followed him. "So I thought I'd take you for a steak or something. Whatever you like, since you shared your dinner with me and all."
"You want to...well, I didn't actually share...you stole -? Angel said you have a soul now!"
"Oh, bloody hell!" Spike stopped dead, spinning around and getting right up in Xander's face and Xander took a hasty step back. "Why've you been talkin' to that wanker?"
"Listen Spike, you were acting weird. And you didn't try to kill me. And nobody ever knew what happened with you and - and I saw one of Angel's cards on your floor, so -"
"So you called him. Christ." Spike lit a cigarette - smoked furiously for a moment, glaring at Xander who started to scowl back. "Right. Fine. Let's go."
"Go where?"
"Someplace we can sit and I can tell you the real bloody story, not whatever nonsense Angelus fed you." Spike seemed determined - pissed off and totally serious and Xander stood there and contemplated his inner cop. Inner cop said he was probably safe but sit with his back to the wall and know where all the exits were.
"Okay. We'll go."
"Brilliant," Spike muttered - turned around and started walking back the way they had come.
"Where are we going? The bus stop -"
"I don't ride sodding buses, Harris. Got my bike right around the corner, here. " Spike grinned when he glanced over and saw Xander's expression. "You trust me, don't you Harris?"
Xander sighed heavily and pushed his hands down deep into his pockets. "Oh, yeah. I trust you, all right."
By the time they got to whatever place Spike had chosen - he had his eyes closed for most of the trip - Xander was feeling faintly sea-sick. He wobbled gratefully off the big, black bike and leaned against the nearest wall, taking deep breaths and trying to rub some feeling back into his hands.
"Gonna live?" Spike asked, and Xander opened his eyes - noticed with a guilty sort of flush that the front of Spike's shirt - some sort of button-up - was wrinkled and possibly sweaty from Xander's desperately grasping hands.
"Uh. Yes. I think. Sorry about your shirt. I don't do well on things that move so - fast."
"Only way to ride," Spike said - grinned and grabbed Xander's arm and hauled him down the sidewalk.
Loved that. Especially the sweaty-palmed death-grip on Spike =D
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"It's mine, is all you need to know, Harris." Xander shook his head and they walked on a few more feet and then Spike sighed heavily - did a half-turn and put his arm out, making Xander come to a stop. "Look. Not trying to fight with you, all right? Just wanted to - to say thanks."
Xander blinked at him, baffled. "Thanks? For what? I didn't do anything for you."
"Course you did. Came upstairs, didn't you? Knocked that Star for a loop - pissed her off so bad she stole my car and left town."
"Stole your car?" Xander felt a lurch down in his stomach but Spike was grinning so it couldn't be too bad.
"Just a leased one. Doesn't matter - stole the name I leased it with, didn't I?" Spike turned around and started walking again and after a minute Xander stumbled back into motion and followed him. "So I thought I'd take you for a steak or something. Whatever you like, since you shared your dinner with me and all."
"You want to...well, I didn't actually share...you stole -? Angel said you have a soul now!"
"Oh, bloody hell!" Spike stopped dead, spinning around and getting right up in Xander's face and Xander took a hasty step back. "Why've you been talkin' to that wanker?"
"Listen Spike, you were acting weird. And you didn't try to kill me. And nobody ever knew what happened with you and - and I saw one of Angel's cards on your floor, so -"
"So you called him. Christ." Spike lit a cigarette - smoked furiously for a moment, glaring at Xander who started to scowl back. "Right. Fine. Let's go."
"Go where?"
"Someplace we can sit and I can tell you the real bloody story, not whatever nonsense Angelus fed you." Spike seemed determined - pissed off and totally serious and Xander stood there and contemplated his inner cop. Inner cop said he was probably safe but sit with his back to the wall and know where all the exits were.
"Okay. We'll go."
"Brilliant," Spike muttered - turned around and started walking back the way they had come.
"Where are we going? The bus stop -"
"I don't ride sodding buses, Harris. Got my bike right around the corner, here. " Spike grinned when he glanced over and saw Xander's expression. "You trust me, don't you Harris?"
Xander sighed heavily and pushed his hands down deep into his pockets. "Oh, yeah. I trust you, all right."
By the time they got to whatever place Spike had chosen - he had his eyes closed for most of the trip - Xander was feeling faintly sea-sick. He wobbled gratefully off the big, black bike and leaned against the nearest wall, taking deep breaths and trying to rub some feeling back into his hands.
"Gonna live?" Spike asked, and Xander opened his eyes - noticed with a guilty sort of flush that the front of Spike's shirt - some sort of button-up - was wrinkled and possibly sweaty from Xander's desperately grasping hands.
"Uh. Yes. I think. Sorry about your shirt. I don't do well on things that move so - fast."
"Only way to ride," Spike said - grinned and grabbed Xander's arm and hauled him down the sidewalk.
Loved that. Especially the sweaty-palmed death-grip on Spike =D