“I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” – The Ramones (*)
“The Future Freaks me Out” – Motion City Soundtrack (**)
“Friday I’m in Love” – The Cure (***)
Chapter 14
Spike looked over at her. She had her back turned to him and was yelling vehemently at somebody over the phone. Strangely enough, he could have sworn that he had almost heard a smile in her voice as she told whoever it was off and decided that it was just another special Buffy-quirk.
He was discovering a lot of those special quirks, actually. Like, for one, she seemed to have a persistent need to always be moving her hands and wiggling her fingers. They were constantly waving around in the air or drawing invisible figures on different surfaces, the table, his palms. Or whenever she was concentrating on something serious, she would look away, squint her eyes a little bit, and nibble her bottom lip. His favorite one was the way she wrinkled up her nose for a split second whenever he said something strange; it seemed to always be followed by a bright smile and an arched eyebrow.
Looking at her now, a grin had lit up her entire face and she was still shouting and he wondered what was up. He saw her stare at her phone with a happy smile on her face then slide it into her back pocket.
When she started walking towards him, he stood up straight to meet her. He couldn’t help but smile with her as she got nearer. Something in her eyes told him that she wasn’t ready to reveal whatever it was that had transpired in that phone call that had left her so giddy, so he decided not to press.
“So, what now?” Spike asked her, turning on his heel to walk down Mott Street next to her. He didn’t know where they were headed for but the list of things he wanted to do with her and see with her was ever-growing and there was no way they could finish everything in an entire year, much less one night.
“Well,” Buffy started, seemingly running her mind through her own little list, “We could go to SoHo.”
Spike cocked his head and blinked at her. “Catch the crazy scene?” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to do. SoHo would be crowded. There would be people that they both knew and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to share her. Was it selfish to just want to keep her to himself? Just for a little while?
“It has it’s possibilities,” Buffy shrugged.
“That it has,” Spike agreed. SoHo definitely offered possibilities. But was that necessarily a good thing? “Do you want to go?”
Buffy shook her head and did that thing she did with her nose. Spike watched, fascinated.
“Not particularly,” She said. He was infinitely relieved.
“Yeah, me neither,” He agreed and they smiled. She reached out for his hand and he gave it to her almost immediately. There was something about holding her hand that was so special. Spike had never been a hand holder before. It all seemed so… unnecessary. But with Buffy, it came naturally like a lot of other things. It was something so simple and for him, it meant so much.
“We could go to Chinatown,” Buffy suggested, “Are you hungry?”
“Not really. Are you?”
“No,” She admitted, sighing. “It’s like there’s so many places we can go, but none of them… really appeal.”
“Yeah, love,” He nodded, “I know what you mean.”
“What about Central Park? We can ride the horse buggies! And look at the… trees.”
Spike thought about it for a moment, “We can.”
She walked closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. He turned to look at her just as she was trying to stifle a yawn. She’s so bloody adorable, he smiled fondly and impulsively pressed a light kiss to the crown of her head.
Her hand slipped into his back pocket and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders so she could snuggle against him better.
“Or we can…” she yawned again, this time not even bothering to hide it, “We can call it a night and make plans for tomorrow.”
Spike broke out into a grin. She wants to see me tomorrow! He squeezed her lightly. “Oooh, Buffy,” he drew out, teasingly.
“Huh? What?” her head tilted up to look him in the eyes. There was a comfortable, tired smile on her lips and Spike was tempted to kiss her right there in the middle of the sidewalk.
“Are you asking me out on a date?” he stressed the word ‘date’ and laughed when she furrowed her brow.
“What? No!” she denied, pulling away slightly. Spike just chuckled and released his hold on her shoulders.
“Well, in that case,” he held up his watch-less wrist to his eyes and squinted as if trying to read the time, “I’m busy every day for the next year. I have that appointment and then that other appointment. Busy bloke like me can’t catch a bloody break!”
Buffy smacked him and moved his arm so that it was around her body again. He didn’t put up a fight as she nestled into his side.
“Come on,” she gave him that little half-smile that he loved so much.
He shook his head, “I’m afraid you’ll have to call my secretary, love…”
“Okay, okay,” Buffy sighed and pouted a little. “Yes, I’m asking you out.”
Spike’s grin grew even wider and his eyes sparkled in triumph. “Thought so,” he said, smugly.
“Tricky,” she sighed and closed her eyes, letting Spike lead her down the sidewalk.
“You just can’t resist my charm.”
“Uh huh. Charm,” she popped one eye open and stuck her tongue out at him. “You have just about as much charm as my dog.”
“And I bet you absolutely love your doggy,” he teased. She opened both eyes and punched his side, lightly.
“Oy!” He protested, “That’s it!”
Without warning, he pulled her up against him and pressed his lips to hers, roughly. That seemed to wake her up a bit and she widened her eyes before closing them, kissing him back just as hungrily.
Their tongues met with a newfound zest and Spike found himself pushing her against a nearby wall as the passion in their kiss mounted. Making out with her always seemed like an adventure, he thought fleetingly before getting lost in her sweet mouth.
She let out a catlike mewl as she wrapped her arms around his neck and stretched up until every inch of his body was pressed intimately against hers. After what seemed like forever yet no time at all, their kisses slowed down to sweet nibbles and licks and they eventually pulled apart for a few seconds before inevitably going back for a little bit more.
“Mmm,” she breathed against his lips as he kissed her upper lip, then her bottom lip, then explored the area between her upper lip and front teeth, finding her frenulum and caressing it with his tongue. “Oh yeah…” she sucked his tongue into her mouth and let her own tongue dance with his for a few moments “ - I’m definitely - ” she gently kissed the side of his mouth “ – dating you.”
“Good,” he said, pulling away and pressing his forehead to hers, breathing heavily. He brought a hand to the side of cheek and stroked it gently, lovingly. “Because I was about to embarrass the hell out of myself and serenade you with my sloppy rendition of ‘I wanna be your Boyfriend’”
“The Ramones?” She asked, pulling him closer so her nose slid a little past his and softly kissed his cheek.
“Yeah,” his hands crept inside the jacket - his jacket – that she was wearing and found it’s way under her shirt, feeling the hot skin underneath. Her taut stomach flexed at his touch and he could feel the shivers rising up under his fingers as he drew light circles on her flesh.
“Oh, I wanna hear!” She grinned, taking his hands out from her shirt and wrapping them around her waist.
“Another time, love,” he teased and she pouted.
“Please?” She looked at him with those big eyes, jutting her lip out further. He took her lower lip into his mouth and sucked on it lightly before relenting.
“Alright,” he said in a low voice and kissed the side of her cheek before moving his lips to her left ear and sang, “Hey, little girl / I wanna be your boyfriend / Sweet little girl… (*)”
She shuddered and kissed his neck, making him freeze and close his eyes. “Can’t sing with you doing that, kitten,” he breathed slowly and hissed when he felt her warm, wet tongue lick a line up his neck. She mewed into his ear like the cat she was and he quivered when he felt her hot breath tickle his skin.
“Sing later,” she whispered and kissed the curve between his chin and his neck. It was a sweet spot and he felt himself about to lose control in her touch.
After a few more minutes of frenzied kisses, he finally pulled away and asked, hotly, “My place?”
“Yeah,” she said, yanking him back to her by the collar of his shirt, “That sounds nice.”
He smiled against her lips and closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her. He hadn’t planned to ask her to go home with him. In fact, he wasn’t exactly sure if it was such a good idea, considering the complete mess his room was. But now that she had agreed and her tongue was in his mouth again, nothing mattered anymore and all he could register was the blissfully giddy, happy song that was exploding in his mind like July 4th fireworks.
(**)
I’m on fire
and now I think I’m ready
to bust a move
Check it out I’m rockin’ steady
To the beat in my head that goes oh oh oh oh
I know that she’s the only one
I’d rather waste our time together
Yeah cause we can get down
………………
………………
………………
There was something about his mouth that made it so addictive. Buffy just couldn’t stop kissing him. They would walk down the street for a few minutes, simply talking and laughing, and all of a sudden, she would feel the need to tip-toe up and kiss him on the cheek. Every single time she did that, he would grab her by the waist and pull her up against his hard body violently and her heart rate would accelerate as she anticipated the feeling of his warm mouth on hers and his long, talented tongue dancing with her own.
It made walking very difficult. Finally, when she noticed the sign with the colored circles and numbers, she sighed and reluctantly pulled away, determined to actually make it across the street and down the steps to New York’s grungiest, yet most efficient form of transportation. The subway.
Spike took her hand and stayed a safe distance away from her as they illegally jaywalked across the street. However, the second they made it to the other sidewalk, all bets were off and he shoved her backwards until she felt her back being pressed against the traffic light pole.
Smiling mischievously, he closed the distance between them and slowly moved in to kiss her. This time his kiss was languid and sweet, making her smile softly.
“I can’t help myself around you,” he said into her lips and kissed her again. She tenderly touched his face and crossed her wrists loosely behind his neck
“I don’t mind,” she told him when he pulled back to kiss her cheek. He grinned at her and just held her to him right there against the rigid metal pole. Buffy sighed softly, playing with his shirt tag, then running her hands up and down the back of his neck, scratching gently at the bristly short hair at its nape.
“You know,” Spike said after a short while, “That jacket looks better on you than it does on me.”
“Of course I know,” she teased him and he chuckled. “It’s mine for good now. I’ll buy you another one.”
“Oh, really?” he raised his eyebrows, amused. Buffy absently brought her hands to his chest, tracing a small heart over his heart and spelling out her name in the center.
She nodded, half-serious, “How about a nice leather duster…”
“Oy!” he pretended to glare at her, “You’re not trying to turn me into your poofter of an ex-boyfriend, are you? Because if you are, then you can just march your bloody ass back to…”
“Oh, please,” she cut him off with a laugh, “Like I want another Angel.”
“Better not,” he tried to pout and she kissed him lightly. When she pulled back, he was smiling. “Gotta admit, love. The duster does have flair.”
“Yep,” she agreed, happily.
She turned to look at the unwelcoming Subway sign over what seemed like ominous stairs to the deep underground and frowned.
“I don’t have enough money …” she said, remembering how she had given the taxi cab a twenty-dollar tip, then used whatever change she had to buy nourishment at The Espresso Pump.
“Don’t worry, pet,” he backed up, letting her step away from the traffic pole. “I have a Metrocard.”
They walked to the subway stop and down the stairs into the well-lit, empty station. Spike stuck a hand in Buffy’s jacket and pulled out a tattered wallet.
Buffy couldn’t believe that she was still here, ready to go home with him, whatever that meant. As she followed him towards the turnstiles, she thought about everything that had happened through the night. They had been thrust into that sudden, torrid kiss that inevitably sent them back for more, hauled Faith off into Oz’s truck, danced at Caritas, kicked Angel’s butt, faced the wrath of Drusilla, almost never saw each other again, crashed into each other at The Espresso Pump, danced in the rain, and now… here she was, ready to follow him wherever he decided to go.
What had happened to her? She wasn’t so sure, but whatever it was, she couldn’t stop smiling.
I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you
It's Friday I'm in love
She looked down at her watch; it was already after 3am. Three hours of Saturday had passed, but to her, it still felt like Friday. She couldn’t wait for Saturday to officially start and in Buffy-world, that was sometime after nine in the morning. She also couldn’t wait for the day after that, the week following, the month later… she couldn’t wait for her entire life to begin again. With him.
Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday Wednesday break my heart
Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday I'm in love
Spike slid his Metrocard through the slot and easily walked through the barrier to the other side, then turned and handed her the card, a beam making his face glow and softening his angular features. She held her breath and slid it through, walked forward, then made a little ‘eep’ sound when she collided with the bar.
Furrowing her brow, she took a step backwards and read the screen by the swiper. Insufficient fare, the machine insisted and she tried again, just in case. From the other side, Spike was beginning to look worried and leaned across the bars to try to read the screen.
“No more rides left,” Buffy told him, biting her bottom lip.
Spike looked around the station, quickly. “It’s empty,” he evaluated and held a hand out to her. “Jump over.”
Buffy stared at his hand. People did this all the time, jumping over the barrier when it was as early in the morning as it was right now. It was no big deal. Nobody cared, nobody would get hurt. It was common. She did it herself more times than she could count. But for some reason, she paused as she looked at the hand he was offering her.
“Come on,” he said, again.
There was just something about jumping over the turnstile to go home with him that made her stop to think. If she did this, then this would be it. She would have broken a law for him. And for some reason, it marked a significant turning point.
Should she jump? It was like leaping across a river or an ocean. It was significant. Like jumping the figurative fence of life and crossing over to the other side. Scary. Daring. Could she do it?
A low rumbling shook the station, telling them both that a train was on it’s way. Spike turned his head slightly when he heard the sound, then quickly snapped his attention back to her.
“Come on, Buffy,” he urged her, “Take my hand.”
His voice was getting louder and more frantic. Buffy looked at his urgent face and took a deep breath. This was it.
Saturday wait
And Sunday always comes too late
But Friday never hesitate...
The train pulled into the station just as she put her hand in his. He smiled and she smiled back.
One.
Two.
Three.
Jump.
The End.
AN: The last subway scene was also inspired by the book. I was going to do something simpler, but the significance of the subway and the turnstile was too much to pass up.
Millions of thanks to my readers… you guys are more than awesome. Your reviews really helped me get a feel for what you guys felt about this story and helped me write it more quickly than I had planned to.
Thanks to all the artists and bands I listed for writing fabulous songs that relate to virtually everything.
And most of all, thanks to Rachel Cohn and David Levithlan for writing Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist which was the source of much inspiration.
It’s been fun and I’m really sad to see this story end. I really loved writing this.
I do have a sequel planned out. It takes place six months into their relationship and isn’t meant to be very long. Not more than 5-6 chapters. But I don’t think I’ll have enough time to get that up until … a lot later. I want to work on my other W.I.P’s. After writing this, my Spike-shaped muse kicked back into business and I finally have the next few chapters of “At your Doorstep”, “Queen of the Damned”, and “Stronger” mapped out. So, look for those updates within the next month or so… depending on how applications and schoolwork goes.
I thought it would be nice if I compiled all the songs I used for this story into one big list. It’s a pretty good collection for a mix and most of the songs are available through LimeWire if you don’t have a problem with downloading music…
I absolutely adore most of these songs. There are just one or two that are in there solely because they go with the story. For example, the Bloodhound Gang (one of the almost-sex scene songs) does absolutely nothing for me.
It’s a pretty wide variety and I hope you guys enjoy it.
Feeling awkward around each other in Mrs. D, the Desoto. Even the classic artists are pushing for them to fall in love!
Elvis Presley - “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
Dean Martin - “That’s Amore.”
Frank Sinatra - “Dancing Cheek to Cheek.”
The Beatles - “Got to Get You Into My Life.”
OZ & WILLOW to the rescue!
Green Day - “Chump”
A song in Spike’s break-up CD he made after Drusilla dumped him. That bitch.
Three Days Grace - “I Hate Everything About You.”
Welcome to Caritas, where the transvestites, transsexuals, and the trans-demonic individuals thrive…
Musical, Cats! - “Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats”
Musical, Cats! - “Memory”
Power’s in the Pistol is a band made up by yours truly. But they play a few covers …
Shiny Toy Guns - “You are the One”
Snow Patrol - “Hands Open” (They don’t actually play this, but I was thinking about this song as I was writing part of this scene, so I think it fits pretty well.)
Things get a little steamy…
Ludacris - “What’s your Fantasy”
The Bloodhound Gang - “The Bad Touch”
Nickelback - “Animal”
And then they decide to take it slow…
John Legend - “Take it Slow”
Walking down 42nd / Time Square
Stevie Wonder - “I just called to Say I Love You”
The Beatles - “I just wanna hold your hand”
Death Cab for Cutie - “I will follow you into the Dark”
Drusilla pops up.
Say Anything - “A Walk Through Hell”
Godsmack - “I Fucking Hate You”
They’re separated and lost without each other
Buffy hears: Coheed and Cambria - “Wake up”
Spike hears: Umbrellas - “The City Lights”
Spike runs back to her
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - “Damn Regret”
The Bravery - “Hot Pursuit”
Buffy waits for him
The Doors - “Love me Two Times”
They start to realize that they really really like each other.
Spike hears (but he denies it): HelloGoodbye - “If You Wanna, I Might”
Buffy hears: Augustana - “More than a Love Song”
Buffy learns to free herself.
Lost Prophets - “Rooftops”
The Last Chapter
The Cure - “Friday I’m in Love”
Motion City Soundtrack - “The Future Freaks me Out”
The Ramones - “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”