"Wolf-man to Nighthawk." Static crackled over the walkie-talkie, but Oz's voice was clear enough to be understood. "Two vamps heading your way. We're in pursuit."

"Ten-four, Wolf-man. Nighthawk out," Xander said into his radio. He turned to Cordelia. "Are you ready for some girl-on-vamp action?"

"Did he say two vamps?" she asked.

"We'll be okay with Willow and Oz. Four of us can take out two vamps."

"Right, because we've been doing so well fighting just the one." Cordelia pulled a stake out of her pocket. "How's that ankle? Still sprained?"

"I'm fine." Xander stood up a bit taller and shifted his stake from hand to hand. His eyes scanned the area for movement. "If anything goes wrong, you just stay behind me, okay?"

"Don't worry. I'm sure your cologne will repel them if they get close enough."

He looked back at her.

"What's wrong with my cologne?"

"Here's a tip. You shouldn't choose your scent because it's on the clearance table."

"Hey, I'll have you know that it was very expensive cologne before it was on sale, and I -"

"Oz!" Willow's cry echoed through the cemetery.

Xander and Cordelia ran toward the sounds of a scuffle. Rounding a mausoleum, they saw a vampire tossing Willow into the side of a crypt. Oz was nowhere to be seen.

Stake in hand, Xander joined the fray, leaping at the second vampire and trying to draw him away from Willow, who was holding her head and struggling to stand.

"Make sure she's okay," he yelled to Cordelia. "I've got this one!"

The vampire, however, had other ideas. It picked him up and hurled him away from his friends. Xander saw Cordelia pick up Willow's crossbow, and then he landed heavily on the ground.

Wait, not the ground. He had landed, in fact, on two squirming bodies behind a stone sepulcher. One was snarling, and the other wasn't saying anything, so he was pretty sure that he had found the other vampire and Oz.

Gasping for the breath that had been knocked out of him, Xander plunged his stake through the vamp's back and into its heart. All three of them paused, and then the vampire burst into dust.

Xander fell heavily on top of Oz and wheezed for air.

"Thanks, man," Oz said, brushing dust off of Xander's shirt. "That was a close one."

"You okay?"

"Yeah." He gave a slight smile

Then Oz shifted, and Xander was suddenly aware of two things. First off, he was still lying on top of his friend. Secondly, Oz was sporting wood of the non-stake variety. Oz moved again, and Xander felt his body responding.

"Uh...," he said, his limbs all moving at once but in such different directions that he didn't actually go anywhere. "So you're okay, which is great, and I'll be getting up now. No, not getting up, getting off on you. Of you. Getting off of you."

"Xander," Oz said quietly, putting a hand on his arm.

Xander stopped flailing and looked at him.

Oz's smile widened infinitesimally, and then he hooked his hand around Xander's neck and pulled him down. Their lips met, and Xander opened his mouth to protest or maybe to squeak with surprise, but Oz's grip was firm and his lips were determined. They kissed, not deeply but intently, which sparked off some unexpected but not unwelcome friction between certain unquestionably eager areas of their bodies.

Then Oz's lips moved away and his body stilled, though his fingers still played with the hair at the nape of Xander's neck.

"What was that?" Xander asked hoarsely, his mind feeling sluggish but his body tingling in a way that it shouldn't just from being this close to another guy.

Oz shrugged.

"A thank you," he said.

"Xander? Did you get knocked out again?" Cordelia's voice came from far too close by.

Xander was able to get his body to work toward a common goal this time, and he rolled off of Oz and scrambled to his feet.

"Oz, are you okay?" Willow asked, coming around the corner. "I was so worried when that vamp started pulling you away!"

"I'm fine," Oz said, standing and brushing off the vampire dust. "Xander saved me."

"Thanks, Xander!" Willow said. She gave her friend a quick hug and then began to lead Oz away. "You should've seen Cordy with the crossbow. It only took her two shots, but she..."

"You okay?" Cordelia asked as they trailed behind the couple.

"Yeah. You?" He was trying to get his brain around what had happened, but every time he looked at Oz all he could think about were his firm lips and firm... other things.

"I'm fine, though my manicure is ruined." Frowning, she inspected her nails. "You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay. You're just being awfully quiet." Cordelia shrugged. "I guess Oz has been rubbing off on you."

Xander choked, his eyes swimming with tears, until Cordelia pounded him on the back.

~end~