"Are you ready?" Xander called. He set the bowls on the coffee table and collapsed onto the couch. "I've got the ice cream, and the movie's in."

"Be right there," Spike replied from the bedroom.

"Hurry up. It's melting. In about two minutes, you'll be eating ice cream soup with whipped cream instead of a hot fudge sundae."

"One more second." The last word was muffled by a loud crash.

"You okay? I hope you didn't pull down the top shelf in the closet again, because it's way too hot to have to dig you out from under my winter clothes."

"I'm fine. Stay there. I'm just looking for the..." There was another crash. "Oh, hell!"

"You sure you're okay in there?" Xander set down the remote and scooted forward on the couch, poised to get up to lend a hand.

"Yes. Just can't find the bloody extension cord."

Xander rubbed his eyes and sank back into the cushions. It was way too hot to have to try to figure out the mysteries of Spike's brain.

"Do I want to know why you need the extension cord? We're just watching a movie and having ice cream. I didn't realize that it required extra electricity."

"How else am I supposed to plug in the electric blanket?" Spike asked, appearing in the doorway. He was wearing a pair of Xander's sweatpants and a heavy sweater. His feet, normally bare when he was at home, were covered by thick socks, and he had tucked the electric blanket, which had been stored in the closet for months, under one arm.

Xander looked down at his own outfit of cutoffs and sleeveless t-shirt and then back over at Spike.

"I know that you aren't all body heat enabled, Spike, but we're having a heat wave. It's almost a hundred degrees outside. Even with the air conditioning it's at least eighty-five in here. How can you be cold?"

"'M not." Spike hugged the blanket to his chest.

"Okay..." Xander waited for the explanation that he half-hoped half-dreaded would be forthcoming.

"Look, we're going to be watching Ice Age, right?"

"Uh huh."

"So it's going to be full of glaciers and snow, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So I'll get sympathy chills."

He looked so serious about that statement that Xander couldn't help but laugh. Spike glared at him.

"Sympathy chills?" Xander asked, still snickering.

"What? I do. I watch a show about a cold place and I get cold."

"Your imagination is way too good, which isn't always a bad thing, but..."

"Sod off. It happens," Spike said. His glare intensified.

"Okay, I believe you, but I really don't think you need the electric blanket in July. Put it down and back away slowly."

"I can use it without plugging it in. Won't bother you."

"You won't need it. Come and have your ice cream. If you get cold, you can curl up with me. I'll keep you warm."

'Thought it was too hot for that. You've been complaining about the heat for days."

"It's never too hot for you," Xander said, smiling.

"Then I'm sure as hell not going to say no." Spike dropped the blanket to the floor and stripped off his sweater before joining Xander on the couch.

"Besides, I can think of more than one way to warm you up," Xander said.

Spike licked the ice cream off of the back of his spoon.

"And I can think of a few ways to cool you down." He grinned and ran his chilled tongue across Xander's bare shoulder.

"My heat for your cold?"

"Seems a fair trade." Spike had another spoonful of ice cream and licked his lips.

"We may have to watch this movie more than once."

~end~