Thanks go to Charles for the beta and to Saone for the
painless transition
to the Darkside.

*****

"You're going to ruin your appetite."

"That's impossible."

"Stop it."

"No. It tastes good."

"Xander." Graham glared at the wayward hand creeping
back over to the plate
of chicken and slapped it with the basting brush like
it was a fly. "It'll
be done in a minute. Just wait."

"Hey!" Xander protested, licking barbecue sauce off
the back of his hand.
"Careful where you swing that."

Graham grinned and gave Xander a sidelong glance.
"Oh?" he asked, waving
the sauce-laden brush around wildly.

Sauce splattered everywhere, landing on Xander's face,
his shirt, his hair.
Xander narrowed his eyes. "You're gonna get it now.
Just you wait."

Graham chuckled softly and removed the last of the
food from the grill.
Riley had declared that Memorial Day just wasn't the
same without a
barbecue, and since Graham was the only person who
could cook over an open
flame
without setting himself, anyone else, or various
properties ablaze in the
process, he'd been invited to join the Scooby
gathering. Truth be told,
Graham was enjoying himself. He secretly liked to
cook, plus he was able to
see Xander in the daylight. Their previous rendezvous
had been a rush of
fast kisses and a race to see who could undress who
first. It was nice
being able to just spend time with his boyfriend, even
if no one else knew
they were an item.

Graham set the serving tray on the patio table and
stepped back as the gang
hoarded around it like cattle at feed time. He smiled
as they loaded up
plates and ate while talking about various topics. He
sat at the end of the
table with his own plate, giving up on following the
free-flowing
conversation, and smiled when Xander claimed the chair
next to him.

Xander's eyes glinted with mischief as he smiled at
Graham. He'd cleaned
his face, but his shirt was hopelessly stained.
Graham could see the wheels
turning as a plot for revenge developed. Gulping,
Graham ducked his head
and concentrated on his plate.

He looked up after a moment and studied Xander's
profile as he chatted with
his friends. His eyelashes were hopelessly long, and
his brown eyes
expressed his amusement. Xander stuck his thumb in
his mouth to lick off
barbecue sauce, and pulled it out slowly. He licked
his lips with a swipe
of his quick tongue, and resumed eating with his
fingers.

Graham sighed softly and shifted uncomfortably in his
seat. Xander glanced
at him with a smile, and Graham quickly returned his
attention to his plate.
Sneaking a look back up, he noticed Xander staring at
them, and they both
looked quickly away.

Too soon, the meal ended and Buffy and Riley and
Willow gathered up plates
and dishes to cart back inside. "You cooked," Buffy
told Graham when he
offered to help clean up.

"What's your excuse?" Graham asked Xander, who hadn't
moved from the table.

"I was the Official Taster," Xander said
matter-of-factly as he rose and
walked over to where Graham stood studying a bush.
"Very important duty.
Gotta make sure the food is tasty."

Graham chuckled and turned around. "You've got," he
motioned to Xander's
face. "Barbecue sauce."

Xander wiped at his cheek. "Where?"

"Other cheek," Graham said, and reached out to wipe
the sauce off. "Here."

Xander grabbed Graham's hand, and pulled him closer.
"You know," he said
softly. "It's customary in some cultures to kiss the
cook."

"Is that so?" Graham looked over Xander's shoulder to
make sure they were
alone.

"Yup."

"Are you going to kiss me?" Graham looked down at
Xander, an amused smile
tugging at his lips.

"Thought about it," Xander replied. "Decided it
sounded like a pretty good
idea."

Xander leaned up and kissed Graham quickly on the
cheek. At Graham's quiet
chuckle, Xander kissed the other cheek before he
kissed the Marine squarely
on the lips. As Xander pulled away, Graham grabbed
the front of Xander's
shirt and pulled him forward for another kiss.

Xander melted into the kiss, his body fitting against
Graham's perfectly.
Xander's hands slid up Graham's arms and reacquainted
themselves with the
Marine's broad shoulders. So strong, so steady, which
was good, because
Xander's knees were turning to jelly.

Graham's questing tongue pushed past Xander's lips as
his own wandering
hands began a tutelage of Xander's hair. So soft, so
thick, unburdened with
extraneous chemicals and the goop Riley applied
religiously every morning.
Xander leaned heavily against Graham and pulled away
to gasp for air.

"We should stop," Graham said, his voice husky. "Or
go someplace more
private."

"I like door number two," Xander agreed, steadying
himself.

"Dorm's not far," Graham suggested, still playing with
a lock of Xander's
hair. "I've got my car."

"Great, let's go." The started moving in the general
direction of the car
when Xander stopped. "Go on," he suggested. "I'll
just be a minute. Gotta
tell the guys we're leaving."

Xander made a quick excuse to the gang and rushed back
to Graham's car.
Passing the cooling grill, he snagged the bottle of
barbecue sauce. He
hopped into the passenger seat and smiled wickedly at
Graham.

"What's that for?" Graham asked, nodding to the
bottle, as he shifted into
gear and sped towards the his dorm.

"The secret's in the sauce," Xander grinned brightly.

"It'll stain my sheets." Graham frowned as he pulled
into a parking space.

"I know," Xander replied as they raced each other
inside and up the stairs.
"Revenge is sweet."