title: Happy Holidays
author: Jae Kayelle
email: bcunningham@sk.sympatico.ca
distribution: please ask first
rating: NC 17
subject: m/m slash of a sexual nature. If you object to this
sort of thing, don't read it. If you read it and still
object, don't tell me about it. You have been warned!
disclaimer: 20th Century Fox owns all Buffy things that Joss
Whedon doesn't. I do not own any of the characters or even
this story.
author's note: This is Ann's Christmas present and she very
generously offered to share it.
Early on December 25th, Giles, still wide awake, looked
outside, seeing that the unexpected snowfall of the night
before still lingered. The greenness of the yard behind his
apartment complex showed in places under its blanket of
white. Touching the windowpane he noted the coolness of the
glass. In fact, his breath caused it to fog up a bit.
Smiling to himself, he thought briefly of winters in
England where snow was not such an anomaly and, in fact, a
white Christmas was practically a necessity for people to
enjoy themselves properly. Not that he had enjoyed the
holiday for many years and, since moving to California, he
had virtually ignored it. He and Buffy and the Slayerettes
exchanged gifts but that was about the extent of it and,
quite frankly, that was fine with him. It wasn't Christmas
that he missed but, rather, winter. And now here it was.
Hurrying to take advantage of this phenomenom, he
pulled on his warmest overcoat, dug a pair of gloves out of
a drawer and went out to walk in the snow.
When he opened the door, however, there was a surprise
waiting for him. A snow covered bundle fell in at his feet.
Giles jumped back, startled until he realized what it was.
Or, rather, who.
"Xander!"
The young man groaned as he tumbled across the doorway
of Giles' apartment. Huddled in a sleeping bag with the
hood of a light jacket pulled up over his head, Xander
looked like he was half frozen. Snow dusted his thick dark
eyelashes and the ends of the hair that peeked out from
under his hood. His nose and cheeks were rosy red. Giles
couldn't see any evidence of frostbite so he reasoned that
Xander hadn't been out there all night. Of course, it
wasn't that cold out -- just a few degrees below freezing.
Crouching down beside Xander, Giles helped him get
loose of the sleeping bag. The boy got painfully to his
feet; his legs were cramped from the limited space inside
his cocoon.
"Thanks, Giles." Xander stood there shivering, rubbing
his gloveless hands together.
"Come inside and warm up." Giles ushered him through
the door then gathered the items Xander had left lying on
the doorstep. There was a bag of chips, half a candy cane
and a plastic grocery bag with a box wrapped, and taped, in
newspaper. Giles brought them inside as well and shut the
door.
Placing Xander's things on the coffee table he looked
at his visitor. "What were you doing sitting out there?"
"Sleeping," was the sheepish reply.
"Why? Don't you have a home to go to?"
Something like shame or guilt flickered through
Xander's eyes and then it was gone. But Giles had seen
enough to be disturbed by it. He decided to keep quiet
about it for now.
"Go sit down and I'll make you a hot drink. Here," he
pulled a throw off the back of the couch and handed it to
Xander who sat there with it in his hands just staring at
it. Giles went into the kitchen to plug in the kettle and
returned to the living room. Seeing Xander shivering as he
held the blanket, Giles gently pulled it from the boy's lax
hands and drew it around his hunched shoulders.
He sat down beside him.
"Xander," he said softly. "Talk to me."
As if someone had thrown a switch, Xander brightened
and became more animated.
"Talk? What about? I'm fine."
"No, you're not. Tell me what's wrong."
Xander's big brown eyes lifted and studied Giles for a
moment. Apparently deciding to confide in the Watcher, he
said, "Christmas sucks."
"It's not exactly my favourite time of year either but
I wouldn't say it...sucks."
"It does at my house. Every Christmas Eve, my uncle
and aunts come over and they and my parents start drinking
and it doesn't stop until they pass out. It gets pretty
rowdy. I take my sleeping bag out in the yard and camp
out."
"It's not exactly safe to be outside all night in
Sunnydale," Giles pointed out.
"It's better than staying inside the house." Xander
fell silent again. Just when Giles thought the boy wasn't
going to say anymore Xander said, "Anyway, when it got cold
and started to snow I realized I couldn't stay outside all
night so I came here."
"How long were you out there?"
"A few hours. Maybe. I don't know..."
"Why didn't you knock?"
"Thought you might be sleeping."
"That's never stopped you before."
Xander shrugged. "I felt funny about it this time. I
mean, I was running away from home -- sorta. Buffy ran away
and when she came back you weren't exactly leaping around
the room shouting with glee and joy."
"It was a bit different with Buffy but I was pleased to
see her."
"Could have fooled me."
"I suppose I did."
Xander looked up at that remark. "Yeah?"
Giles smiled. "Yeah."
The kettle started to whistle. Giles returned to the
kitchen. When he came back with two mugs of hot chocolate,
handing one to Xander who gratefully wrapped his cold hands
around it, he asked, "Do they...hurt you when they
get...rowdy?"
"My relatives? Nah. Oh, maybe Aunt Sally gets a bit
friendly and kind of touchy-feely but other than the fights
that break out and the screaming and the crying before they
all make up and drink up, it's not so bad. I would just
rather not have to be there when it happens." He sipped his
hot chocolate and fell silent again.
Giles sat back in his chair, holding his own drink,
thinking.
"You can come here whenever it gets rough," he finally
said.
Xander's head lifted from his bent shoulders. "Yeah?"
"I'll get another key made. You may keep it and use it
as you need it."
"Thanks, Giles." Xander spoke softly and Giles was
sure he saw tears glisten in the teen's eyes. Swallowing
past the lump in his own throat, he finished his chocolate
and set the mug down.
"I was going out for a walk in the snow. Want to come
with me?"
Xander's nose wrinkled. "I don't know... What's so
great about it? It's cold, wet and white. Boring."
"Oh? Boring, you say?" Giles grabbed his mug, stood
up taking Xander's mug from him and went to the kitchen with
both. When he came back out he said, "I have a coat and
gloves you can borrow."
"Giles..."
But Giles wasn't listening. Within moments he had
Xander bundled up warmly and out the door.
#
Two hours later, Xander had opened up about his
family's obnoxious behaviour towards him and each other and
had worked past his resentment and anger. He put it behind
him as Giles showed him the pleasures of playing in the
snow.
A fistful of snow landing on the back of Xander's neck
started it. The boy spun around in shock, shivering as some
of the cold stuff trickled down his back.
"Giles!"
"What's the matter? Can't handle a snowball?" The
Watcher taunted.
Xander bent, scooped up some snow, packed it together
into a ball like a pro and let it fly.
It hit Giles square in the face. His grin vanished to
be replaced by an expression that could only be described as
vengeful.
The frozen missiles flew fast and furious. Most of
them hitting their marks, some zinging high and wide.
Finally, gasping for breath, Giles called a halt to the war.
"Truce!" he yelled, laughing.
Another snowball smacked him in the side of the head.
"I called a truce. White flag!"
"Not until the last man is standing," Xander yelled
back.
"If that's how you want it..." Giles scooped a double
handful and threw it up into Xander's face, temporarily
blinding him. While Xander sputtered, Giles rushed forward
and tackled the teen, knocking him to the ground.
They landed in a tangled heap. Trying to sort out his
arms and legs from Xander's, Giles raised up on his elbows
and looked down. Underneath him, Xander stopped struggling
and gazed up into the Watcher's eyes. Lifting a hand to
brush the snow away from Xander's eyes, Giles allowed his
fingers to linger on the boy's cheek, staring into those big
chocolatey eyes. Then he realized what he was doing.
Xander stopped him before he could pull away.
"'S'okay," he whispered, his own hand on Giles'
shoulder.
Giles lay half on top of Xander, his right leg between
both of the boy's. He realized he was getting hard, his
erection pressing against Xander's hip buffered by the
thickness of his coat. Their faces were inches apart,
Xander's full lips so close to his own.
Abruptly, he climbed off and got to his feet, reaching
down to help Xander off the ground.
Xander hung onto Giles' arm longer than necessary.
When they stepped apart they both turned to head back to
Giles' apartment. They walked in silence for a while.
"Xander, I apologize for what happened just now."
Giles couldn't look at his companion.
"Don't." The teen's voice was hoarse. "I kinda hoped
that maybe we could...you know, some day."
Giles met Xander's eyes. After a moment he smiled
gently. "Come on. Let's go home."
#
By the time they returned to the apartment, Giles
wanted so badly to take Xander into his arms and do things
to him that were wild and loving all at the same time and
would get him arrested just for thinking about them. His
passion, which was painfully aroused, urged him to throw
away caution and common sense. Yet he resisted.
Removing his outerwear he turned to take the coat from
Xander and found himself with an armful of eager, turned-on
teen. Xander kissed him soundly. He was a good kisser.
How could he not be? All that practicing with Cordelia --
for certain a demanding mistress. The last of his reserves
melting away under the assault, Giles kissed him back,
opening his mouth to allow entrance to Xander's tongue. In
turn, he violated the young man's mouth, delving deeply
until he drew back, rasping Xander's bottom lip between his
teeth and then releasing him.
They stared at one another, both breathing heavily. An
unspoken thought passed between them and then they were
attacking one another with mouths and hands. Xander's shirt
came off over his head, and Giles' shirt was hanging from
his shoulders, his braces dangling from his waist.
They moved in a kind of awkward slow dance across the
living room. Xander fell backwards suddenly, reaching out
for support and taking Giles down with him. They tumbled
together onto the couch landing with a rush of expelled air,
laughing at the absurdity of the situation but not stopping
in their frenzied need to consummate their lust. Giles
shifted so that he was lying on top of Xander again,
pressing him into the cushions with the weight of his body.
He dragged his leg over Xander's straddling him at the hips
and levered himself upright.
Xander reached up to pull him back down. Giles batted
his hands away. And then his fingers were busy undoing the
fastener of Xander's jeans, sliding the zipper open.
Impatient, Xander wriggled out of the jeans as quickly as he
could and Giles dragged the briefs down after them. In no
time at all, all of their clothing lay scattered on the
floor next to the couch and they were back in each other's
arms.
Skin glided against skin, smooth and rough at the same
time. Giles covered Xander's mouth with his own in a deep,
searching kiss, breaking it off to nip and suck at the
younger man's chin and then his throat. Xander's hands
stroked the length of Giles' torso, skimming over his ribs
to come to a rest on the flesh of his buttocks where he
squeezed a gentle rhythm. Taking the hint, Giles began to
rock back and forth, dragging his erect penis over Xander's
belly enjoying the sensation even more as Xander's cock
rubbed against his abdomen. The friction quickly became
unbearable and soon they both shot their seed, pooling it
between them.
Lifting his head, Giles regarded his new lover with
satisfaction.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Uh huh." Xander sounded a bit breathless but he
smiled back.
"Would you like to go upstairs so we can do it
properly?"
"There's more?"
Giles laughed and stood, pulling Xander up after him.
#
In the bedroom with the dim winter sunlight providing
the only illumination, they loved each other -- thoroughly,
with care, with desire, with fierceness.
Hands stroked firm flesh, mouths suckled, and bodies
moved to an ancient rhythm. Soft cries were muffled against
skin. Panting voices made urgent demands. Grunts of
exertion turned into rapturous cries.
Shuddering, chasing Xander's intense climax, Giles came
with a shout and they collapsed together on the bed. Sweat-
slicked, exhausted, and thoroughly sated, they wound
themselves around each other, pulled a blanket up and fell
soundly asleep.
#
Xander awoke, sleepily dragging his hands over his
face. Giles sat Indian style beside him on the bed, wearing
a bathrobe that gaped open to show the sprinkling of hair on
his chest.
Xander smiled, reaching out to run his fingers over
that hair.
"Hi."
"Merry Christmas," Giles replied.
"Yeah," Xander said quietly. "It sure is. First time
in a long time." He struggled into a sitting position,
modestly draping the sheets over his lap. "I brought you a
present."
"Yes." Giles' green eyes were fastened on Xander,
twinkling with good humour and a certain amount of
seriousness. "You certainly did."
Laughing, Xander said, "I meant a wrapped gift."
"I know," Giles grinned at him. "I have one for you,
too."
"Can we open them now?" Xander's innate playfulness
reasserted itself. Getting out of bed he put on the robe
Giles offered him.
They went downstairs, each finding fresh hope and
contentment, to take care of the second best part of this
particular Christmas.
~end~