In the Dark - Part Two


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He entered the bedroom quietly. Expecting Giles to be asleep already, he was startled to hear his voice coming through the darkness.

"Did you have a nice evening?"

"Gah! Giles! I thought you were asleep."

"No, not yet. So did you enjoy your evening with Spike?" There was an unidentifiable edge to Giles’ voice.

"Oh, er, no, I wasn’t in the mood for the movie, and Spike was being Spike-like so I left." Giles reached over and flicked his bedside lamp on. There was an awkward pause. Xander stood stock still in the middle of the floor, unwilling to get undressed in what felt like the glare of the bedside lamp and Giles’ calm regard. Giles too was uncomfortable, thinking about his conversation with Willow and the turmoil of his subsequent thoughts lying awake in the dark.

"Xander? Are you coming to bed?"

"Oh, er, yes, sorry." Xander started to strip off his clothing in jerky movements while Giles took the opportunity to appreciate the view of a body it seemed he never got to see these days, simply experience briefly in the dark. Xander quickly pulled a pair of pyjama bottoms from a drawer and, with his back to Giles, took off his boxers and put the bottoms on. He slid into bed and, fighting the urge to curl up with his back to Giles, turned to face him.

"So, patrol was OK tonight?"

"Liz sprained her ankle but I’m sure she will have recovered by the morning."

"Good."

"How was your evening?"

"Er, fine. Same old, same old."

"Willow said you were sitting on the porch in the dark. She seemed rather concerned."

"I’m fine. I was just enjoying the peace and quiet."

"I was surprised to hear you went to Spike’s, I thought you were planning on an early night. It is shopping day tomorrow, isn’t it?

"Yes, it is shopping day. Er, Spike seemed a bit in need of someone so I volunteered a video and the pleasure of my company."

"How nice for Spike." The edge that time was considerably harder. "So why did you come home? You must surely be used to Spike by now."

"Well, he was being a pain and I decided I wasn’t in a be-nice-to-souled-vampires frame of mind."

"I thought the two of you were close."

"Close?! Me and Spike?! I don’t stake him and he doesn’t bite me, that’s about it. We save each other from the sea of oestrogen, I suppose it makes him a friend."

"Ah, I wasn’t aware I was full of oestrogen, but . . ."

"What?! No, you’re not, of course, but . . . You want to hang out with Spike, be my guest!"

"No, I have no desire to ’hang out’ with Spike *what*so*ever*."

The tone of Giles’ voice was as harsh as Xander had ever heard it.

"Look, I know souled vamps aren’t a good subject with you, they aren’t exactly at the top of my list either, but . . . what’s wrong?"

"Funny, apparently that’s what I need to be asking you. Willow . . ."

"Oh, good grief. Willow is having a total mom day. She kept on asking me what was wrong earlier and now she’s infected you, too? She probably set Spike on me as well. No wonder he was bugging me. I think she’s the one person he’s actually scared of."

"Actually I had determined for myself that something was not right with you, Willow simply brought it to the forefront of my mind."

"What do you mean, you had determined for yourself? What do you mean not right? I’m fine, I’m tired of saying it, and I swear I’m getting a t-shirt printed, but *I* *am* *fine*."

Suddenly Giles decided he was tired of all the waltzing around the subject. Maybe quick and clean would hurt less in the long run than this drawn out ache. He sat up in bed, his back to Xander.

"Xander, do you want to be here anymore?"

"What?! Here, where? Here in this town, here in this house, here in this bed? What?"

"Well, all of them, but specifically, here, in this bed, with me."

Xander was stunned. Never in a million years had he expected this question. He couldn’t decide what was behind it. Did it mean Giles had finally grown tired of him and wanted him to leave? What would he do if Giles didn’t want him there any more? He stared at Giles’ back.

"Er. Yes. Yes, of course I want to be here. What’s going on? Do you want me to leave? You‘re tired of me?"

"No! No, I don’t want you to go, but I do want you to be happy and you don’t seem to be." He paused. "You didn’t seem altogether certain of your answer. If you want to be somewhere else, with someone else, I won’t stand in your way. I may not be altogether happy about it, but . . . "

"What?! Giles, what is this? Someone else? Who?!"

"I thought you might be growing closer to someone who suited your tastes better, more than I am prepared to."

"What?! Tastes?! I have ‘tastes’?! And who? What? Why?" He paused. "OK, time out. Giles, what are you talking about? And could you please turn round and look at me, this conversation isn’t any easier when I’m trying to have it with your back."

Giles reluctantly turned round and rested against the head-board of the bed, his eyes firmly fixed in front of him, not wanting to turn completely and look at Xander.

"OK, thank you. Now to repeat my previous question - what on earth are you talking about, Giles?"

Giles took a deep breath

"You have not seemed happy for some time, you share less and less of yourself with me, you spend all your time with . . . other people. It has all led me to wonder if you want to be here."

Now was the time to make a decision, thought Xander. He had to decide right now if he wanted to carry on living like he had been the last few months or if he wanted, well, whatever would come from this discussion. He couldn’t think where Giles was going with this. Was he trying to dump Xander? Why would he want to get rid of his willing bed partner? Did he really think Xander was interested in someone else? Who?

Giles looked . . . old . . . in the lamplight and that decided Xander. If this situation was hurting Giles as well then something had to be done. Xander could stand his own suffering, but the last thing he wanted was for Giles to be hurting.

"I want to be here for as long as you want me to be here, for as long as you’re *happy* for me to be here. So you tell me, do you want me here? Because you aren’t exactly all happiness and light either, you know."

"Well, it’s rather a circular situation. I want you to be here as long as you are happy to be here, but you do not seem to be happy at all these days."

"You want me here and I want to be here. So everything’s fine and dandy, isn‘t it?"

"No, I don’t think it is."

"But . . . "

"Yes, I want you here, but you aren’t happy here."

"Yes, I am."

"No, Xander, you’re not. You put a good face on it, true, but you aren’t happy. And I want to know why."

"It’s nothing, I promise. I’ll get over it."

"But what is it that you‘ll ‘get over‘? I’m your lover, your boyfriend." Here Giles made a face at the juvenile word. "I wish you’d talk to me. But you don’t, you just fuck me."

"Giles!" exclaimed Xander, shocked at both the word and the sentiment behind it. "I do not *fuck* you!"

"Well, what else would you call it? You barely let me touch you, you don’t let me please you, there’s no exchange of pleasure or affection. It’s just bodies together. So what else is it but fucking?"

"*I* don’t let you? . . . You think that’s what *I* want?!"

"*Yes* I think that’s what you want - you never let anything else happen. Are you saying it’s not what you want?"

"I want whatever makes you happy . . . You really think our sex-life is my choice? That I like being your blow-up doll?"

"*My* *WHAT*?!"

"Your blow-up doll. Your fucktoy. Your whore . . . " Xander, having started, couldn’t stop; letting out all the poison which had been building up in him for months.

"STOP!" Giles swung round to face Xander, grabbed him by the upper arms and stared into his face.

Xander stopped, chest heaving with the impact of the released emotions, and stared into the concerned face in front of him.

"Xander, what on earth is going on? What do you think has been happening in this relationship? I do not, and would never, think of you like that. *Never*." Giles let go of Xander, looking at him in confusion.

"Well, what do you think of me as, then?" Xander sounded weary, resigned. "You said our sex-life isn’t about exchange of pleasure; do you think I don’t know that? You haven’t cared for the last three months, so why do you care now?"

"I have always cared. But you made it impossible . . . I didn’t see . . . I assumed that you preferred such a . . . submissive role."

"You thought I liked being used. That the fact you couldn’t be bothered to make sure I, you know, actually got any pleasure, didn’t bug me at all. You honestly thought that about me." Xander’s voice was flat and lifeless. He wondered if there had ever been anything between Giles and himself, any understanding at all.

"What else was I meant to think, Xander? You barely ever let me touch you at all. I thought you preferred to be taken rather than take. I thought my touch was in some way repulsive to you. I *am* ‘bothered‘ as you put it, that you do not always seem to gain pleasure from our sex life, but you have given me little choice but to accept it."

Giles was determined to make himself clear. If they were to salvage even their former friendship from this, never mind their relationship, he had to be clear and honest.

"I thought you liked to submit, to be the passive partner. You have always seemed to submerge yourself in your lovers. To submit to who they wanted you to be. I never understood it, or liked it, when you did so, and I hoped, during the first months of our relationship, that I had been mistaken. Or that the situation would be different with me. You are so important to me. I never wanted to treat you . . . I wanted to do whatever would make you happy. I still do."

"You thought this was some sort of Dom and sub thing? And that this was what I wanted and was used to? Okaaaay, I’m getting scary mental pictures here. Er, why did you think that?"

"Well, of your past relationships that I am aware of, neither Cordelia nor Anya could be regarded as peaceful or passive women, and when you add Faith to the equation too . . . "

"You thought that because my previous girlfriends were tactless and bossy, and occasionally psychotic, that this spilled over into my sex-life. That we played mistress of pain every night and, oh God, I’m getting vamp-Willow flashbacks now. That’s a fairly big assumption to make y’know, Giles."

"True, but . . . well, as you know, getting Anya to stop talking was often difficult and she chose to share the most inappropriate information at times, and once . . ."

Xander turned bright red.

"OK! No need to say any more! Please!"

"Yes, well, anyway, there you have it."

There was a short, awkward, pause.

Then Xander spoke, quietly, "I’m important to you? Really?"

Giles turned to look at him in astonishment. "Yes, of course you’re important to me, in many ways you are *the* most important thing to me. I wasn’t aware that that would be a surprise to you."

"Well, we’ve know each other for years, been through apocalypses and death and Dawn’s hormones, I just didn’t, you know, know that I personally was important to you."

"You didn’t . . . Xander, sometimes words fail me. You, Xander Harris, are important to me, you are my lover, my friend, and my helpmeet."

"But, but I’m just me, with one eye, and full of stupid and inappropriately timed jokes."

"Xander, your eyesight, or lack of it, is not a facet in my feelings for you, except for a fair amount of admiration in your handling of it. Yes, you make jokes, some of them silly, some of them could be timed better. But you are much more than that and you know it."

"Am I? Do I? ‘Cause all I see is someone who was only useful for carpentry even when I had both eyes. Now . . . well, I’m a really good den mother." Xander smiled wryly.

"Den mother?" Giles was not familiar with the term. "No, never mind. Xander, your worth is not in your physical skills; or your mental ones for that matter, although those are greater than you think; your worth is in who you are at the heart of you. You are a good man who cares about people and cares *for* people. I don’t know how to define it any more clearly than that." Giles decided it was time to lay himself completely open. "And I love you, am in love with you."

Xander thought his heart was going to explode with joy and his head with confusion.

"You *love* me?!" He stared at Giles, and started to smile, to grin with delight. "Giles! But, but, you never said, never even hinted . . ."

"Well, no, I didn’t like to, I didn’t know if you would welcome it . . . "

"Of course I’d welcome it, I do welcome it, I love you too, you twit!"

Giles grinned. "Twit? You’ve been listening to me too much, you know! You love me? In love with me love me?" He swept Xander into a hug, holding him as close as he could.

Xander returned the embrace, still confused, but happy.

"Giles. Giles, I love you, but I need to breathe."

"What? Oh, yes, sorry."

Giles loosened his hold on Xander and leant back against the headboard, keeping hold of his hand and just looking at him as if he was frightened to take his eyes away in case he disappeared. They smiled at each other, just glad to be there, but gradually the mood turned serious again.

"Giles, why didn’t you say any of this earlier?"

"Ah, yes, well, I didn’t think you wanted to know, remember? When we came to be together we didn’t talk about, well, anything. And I wasn’t sure there was anything to talk about, on your part at any rate. Then as things progressed I didn't want to challenge the status quo, to make you think about what was happening between us and maybe scare you off by making you realise the relationship. And then when things got so bad, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. It was cowardly, but I didn't want to lose you any sooner than necessary."

"Oh, Giles, you’d never lose me unless you wanted to."

Giles smiled at him, then turned serious again. "But I didn't know that, did I? I thought you were going to . . . well, never mind, it doesn’t seem to be an issue now."

"No, what? What did you think I was going to do? Is this back to you thinking I wanted to be with someone else? Who?!"

"Oh dear. Well, yes, I evidently wasn't thinking clearly. And I was obviously wrong. Could we leave it at that? Please?" Giles looked rather shamefaced at Xander, but Xander realised that, declarations of love aside, they needed to clear the air completely between them to be certain that they came out of tonight with a strong foundation to their relationship.

"No, I think we need to talk. We didn’t about getting together, we didn’t talk about love. I think we need to talk about, well, everything really. I don’t want us to go back to how we were, that was hell. And both you and I know from hell. So . . . ?"

Giles sighed in agreement and resignation. "Spike. I thought you might be getting involved with Spike." He looked at Xander, embarrassed.

Xander looked poleaxed.

"Spike!? Sp. . .you thought I . . . with Spike?! What the . . . *Spike*?! You are aware that you’re insane, right? Giles? You thought that I, Xander Harris, the man who hated Angel with all my heart even before he started killing people I cared about, would be interested in Spike, the most irritating vampire undead? I mean, even the thought of touching him . . .urgh, the occasional kink I may have, but necrophilia’s never been one of them." Xander looked at Giles with wonder and worry.

"Yes, well, I thought you liked your partners to be dominant, remember, and vampiric sexual desires and habits are . . ."

Xander interrupted him, "Er, can I stress how very much I *don’t* want to know about vampy sex, especially, you know, with the whole 'Spike boffed my friend and then my fiancee' thing, even if she wasn’t my fiancee by then. Still urgh."

"Fair enough. However, that was my reasoning, faulty as it was."

"You seemed to have reasoned a lot from the whole ‘Xander likes to play bottom boy’ thing, haven’t you?" Xander looked at Giles with curiosity. "Just for information’s sake, how exactly did you get to the whole ‘bottom boy’ thing?"

"Oh! Well, erm, we never talked about past experience or desires, but the first time we . . . you, erm, offered . . . mentioned . . . "

"I said you weren’t to worry ‘cause it wouldn’t be the first time for me. Yes, and?"

"Well, you made it evident that being on the receiving end, as it were, would not be new to you, nor unwelcome. And you never mentioned reciprocating . . ."

Xander interrupted, "Neither did you. It wasn’t just me here you know, I never asked because you never offered and I didn’t want to rock the boat. Don’t ever think I didn’t want you like that, I just didn’t know if it was allowed or not."

Giles interrupted, "Allowed? There’s no ‘allowed’ or ‘forbidden’ in our relationship, Xander. Or at least, there shouldn’t be."

"So . . . have you . . . do you . . .erm . . . could we . . . "

Giles smiled gently. "I think we are going to have to explore all the wonderful ways in which we can be together, don’t you? But to answer the questions I assume you were trying to ask; yes, we can. We can do anything you want. And yes, I have in the past, and while it wasn’t always a wholly pleasant experience, it is something I would like to share with you."

"*Not* a pleasant experience? I don’t want to bring up bad memories for you, I mean, as long as we don’t go back to how the past few months have been I don’t mind not . . ."

"Oh, no, not that bad an experience, just, well, erm, how much do you want to know about my past, Xander? We’ve always steered clear of discussing past experience and lovers."

"And look where that got us. Provided you’re not about to reveal something between you and Principal Snyder, then I want to know."

Giles gave Xander a disapproving and slightly horrified look. "What a disgusting thought, Xander, really!" He smiled briefly. "No, simply that the bulk of my past experience with men was during my rebellious phase and as such was not so much about love, or even like, but rather power and struggle. Erm, a fight would sometimes turn into passion, and passion into a fight also, a struggle to be top dog, even in bed. While physically I enjoyed the results of losing as much as those of winning, I always saw it as a, well, not exactly humiliation, but, definitely I had *lost* in my fight."

"Okaaay, and the prize for most messed up relationship definitely goes to you. At least of the two of us."

"Well, yes, I know that it isn’t so really. And I did have other, more reasonable experiences afterwards with no feeling of losing or submission. That was why I said ‘not *always* a pleasant experience’. I did and do enjoy bottoming as well as topping."

"Y’know, I hate those terms. They sound so . . . well, Dom and sub, I suppose. Humiliating. Giving and receiving is much better. Like with presents, both are good. Giving and getting, both bring joy, in this case, joy in each other. I like to give, I like to receive. I just plain like!" Xander grinned.

Giles smiled back. "And you are quite welcome to do both! So, anything else we need to talk about? We love each other, you aren’t going to leave me for Spike," Xander pulled a face, "we both need to be thumped for not having this conversation three months ago . . . "

"Six," interjected Xander, "we should have talked at the start of the relationship."

"Six months ago," smiled Giles in agreement. "So, any other subjects for discussion?"

"Weeell," drawled Xander, moving closer to Giles. "I rather think the only other things I want to know, it would be much more fun finding out practically."

"Oh?" smiled Giles, a fire lighting in his eyes, "and those things would be . . . ?"

Xander moved quickly and straddled Giles, leaning his head so that his breath brushed past Giles’ cheek.

"Well, if it’s quite alright with you, I’d really like to know what it feels like to be buried balls deep inside you with your legs wrapped around my waist and your hand jacking yourself off while I watch . . . That sound like a good idea to you?"

Giles’ heart-rate skyrocketed and a slow burn started through his body as he answered, not in words, but in the rapid movement of his arms to capture Xander against him, pressing their bodies as close together as he could get them. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, tongues tangling and exploring each other’s mouths as if it were their first time. Xander started a slow rocking movement against Giles’ body, creating just enough friction through their night-attire to tease and not enough to satisfy.

Giles tore his mouth from Xander’s. "Xander," he panted, "clothes."

Xander smiled, continuing the rocking motion. "Clothes, Giles?" he questioned with a teasing smile. "Yes, we’re wearing clothes, I’m aware of that."

"So am I! And I don’t want to be! Clothes, off, now!" said Giles, desperately thrusting upwards in an attempt to increase the friction of their bodies against each other.

"Wow, I reduced Giles to single syllables! I gotta tell Willow. Well, actually, no, maybe not."

"Xander, I love you, but if you don’t stop talking about Willow while we’re trying to make love, and if you don’t take your clothes off, I won’t be responsible for the consequences."

"Ooooh, scary!" said Xander. "Ok, I’ll be good." And he rolled onto his back to remove his pyjama trousers.

Giles moved to strip off his t-shirt and boxer shorts. "I’m sure you’ll not only be good, you’ll be great, and that’s why I want to be naked."

Xander went to push Giles onto his back so he could start to touch and kiss him, but Giles stopped him, moving so that Xander was lying down instead. "No you don’t, you always get to touch. It’s my time to explore properly now, to remember just how you like to be touched and to see if I can drive you as crazy as you always drive me."

"Who am I to argue with that?" smiled Xander. "But you do know that it doesn’t have to be one or the other? We can both play, y’know."

"Oh, I know, and we will. But right now I want to be selfish and rediscover your body."

"Soooo not arguing with you," panted Xander as Giles started his exploration, "though I’m not sure how long I’ll last. It has been waaay too long for me."

Giles smiled, "I’ll be sure to stop in time, I want to feel you inside me. I’ll just play for a while first."

And he bent his head down to Xander’s neck, nipping and licking a path downwards to explore his collarbone as his hands stroked Xander’s chest, tracing the faint trail of hair that ran to his navel. He tugged lightly at the strands on the way down, and revelled in Xander’s whimpers as his mouth ventured further down until it encountered a tight, brown nipple. Here he licked and sucked one nipple while his fingers were busy with the other. His other hand stroked, flat-palmed, down Xander’s side, revelling in the soft, smooth skin it touched.

Giles leant back, propping his head on his right hand to survey his handiwork, a flushed and panting Xander laid out before him. His left hand continued its seemingly soothing, stroking movement down Xander’s side, gradually moving across to explore the hair below his navel.

Xander made as if to reach out for Giles and Giles stilled his hand. "Uh uh, my time, remember?" Xander dropped his hands back to the bedclothes, clenching and unclenching his fists in the covers. "OK, but I am going to get my revenge."

"That’s fine by me," said Giles with an anticipatory smile. He trailed his fingers downwards through the hair, exploring the coarser curls which grew around Xander’s cock. Xander was hard and red, and Giles wrapped his hand around him, relishing the contrasts of soft and hard, and the heat which filled his fist.

Xander thrust upwards, panting, and Giles took his hand away.

"Bastard," moaned Xander.

Giles ignored him, instead lightly trailing his index finger up the underside of Xander’s cock. He found and followed the circumcision scar with interest. "I have never understood the American habit of cutting, but I can’t argue with the results, not in this case."

"Oh, I don’t know," said Xander, reaching the end of his patience and moving his hand to grasp Giles’ cock. "I kinda like the extra to play with." And as he spoke he pushed himself upwards, kissing Giles fiercely and forcing him onto his back, slowly jacking Giles as he moved over him.

"We can torment each other another time, right now I just wanna be inside you."

Giles answered without words, spreading his legs and reaching an arm to the bedside drawer to extract the lube.

Xander smiled a vaguely predatory smile. "Oh, yes, we’re gonna need that, but right now, I’m going to get a head start the old-fashioned way." And he moved down the bed, making sure to rub against Giles as he went, until his head was level with Giles’ cock. Taking a lick up the underside, he pushed Giles’ legs further apart and lowered his mouth to explore the taste of his inner thighs. His hands framed Giles’ balls, the thumbs pushing further back, moving across the sensitive strip of skin behind and slowly pulling his cheeks apart.

"Xander?" Giles’ head shot up from the pillow to look wildly in Xander’s direction. "What are you . . . oohhhhh." Giles’ voice subsided into a pleasured groan as Xander’s tongue followed his thumbs behind his balls and between his cheeks to lick the tightly furled muscle there.

"Oh, my!" moaned Giles as he moved his legs further apart, resting his feet on the bed, knees bent, and pushing his hips upwards towards the hot tongue which was licking him altogether too gently.

Xander grinned as he tasted his lover’s musk, and he reached with one hand for the bottle of lube which lay forgotten by Giles’ side. Warming some of the clear gel between his fingers, he removed his tongue and used one finger to gently circle, then push inside, his lover’s opening.

Giles’ head lifted then thumped back down onto the pillow as the sensations washed over him.

"Oh, Xander, just . . . more . . . please."

Xander carefully added a second finger beside the first and, moving them in and out, started the gradual scissoring necessary to stretch his lover open. At Giles’ increasingly insistent demands he knelt up and, staring at Giles’ face to check his reaction, carefully added a third finger. The heartfelt groan of pleasure convinced him that he wasn’t moving too fast.

After a few more thrusts against three fingers Giles’ eyes opened and he stared into Xander’s face. "Xander, for crying out loud, get up here and get inside me. Now!"

Xander grinned, "And I was worried you didn’t like this . . . Well, if you’re *sure* . . ."

Giles glared as well as he could under the circumstances. "Trust me, I’m sure!"

Removing his fingers, Xander stroked the remaining lube over himself and moved back up the bed. Supporting himself with one bent arm beside Giles’ head, he used his other hand to position himself at Giles' entrance. As he stared into Giles’ eyes he slowly pushed inside, giving Giles time to stretch and adjust as he went.

Once he was fully seated inside, Giles wrapped his legs around Xander’s waist. They took a long look at each other, for the first time each letting the other see the love within. Then, gently at first, Xander started to move.

Slowly, the small movements became larger, and Xander kept adjusting position, looking for any reaction to tell him when he was hitting Giles’ prostate.

"Ohh, God, Xander." Giles tightened around him, and Xander smiled and carried on moving the way that had produced such a wonderful reaction.

He leant closer to Giles’ ear, and whispered, "Hey, still got half of my wish to go."

Giles attempted to focus on him. "Huh? What?"

Xander smiled, finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on speech with the tight heat clenching around him. "I want your hand wrapped around your cock, remember, jacking yourself off for me."

With these words Giles thrust wildly upwards, and his hand came up between their bodies to grasp and squeeze himself in time to Xander’s thrusts.

"Not . . . sure . . . it’s necessary," he panted. "Going to come soon."

"Good," groaned Xander, "wanna see that happen, feel you ‘round me, squeezing me as you come."

That was enough for Giles. With a few more thrusts he spasmed against Xander and came, coating his fist and their chests.

For Xander, the sensations of Giles coming around him and on him sent him over the edge. He thrust wildly into the slick channel, dropping his body down to rest his weight solidly on Giles, until he too exploded, filling Giles with heat.

There was silence in the room, broken only by the harsh pants of two men trying to get their breathing back under control. Eventually they calmed down, Giles moved his legs back down onto the bed, and Xander withdrew and flopped to his side to cuddle against Giles.

"Need to get the towel," he commented wearily.

"Sod the towel," said Giles, wrapping his arms around Xander. "We’ll cope with the clean up tomorrow. Right now, I just want to go to sleep with you in my arms."

"’K," replied Xander’s sleepy voice. "You OK?"

"I’m fine. We’re doing that again. Soon. And what was it you said? ‘Tormenting each other‘? That too."

"’K, remind me to put lube on the shopping list, then."

"Well, as we’re shopping with Willow, maybe not, but we’ll work something out."

"’K, tired now."

"Goodnight, Xander."

"’Night. Giles? I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Good. Sleep now."

Giles looked at the beautiful man in his arms and was very glad he’d exchanged the fool's paradise for the real thing.

End