“So do you think you’ll hook up with Angel tonight?” Anya asked expectantly as she and Buffy walked up the driveway of Cordelia’s house.
Buffy shrugged, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Maybe, if I’m in the mood.” She giggled. “He is pretty hot.”
“Oh yeah,” Anya agreed. “With the muscles and the dark, brooding stare.” She shot Buffy a mischievous wink. “I’ll bet he’s a demon in the sack.”
Laughing at her friend’s outrageousness, Buffy rolled her eyes. “Anya, is that all you ever think about?”
“What can I say,” Anya replied good-naturedly. “I’m a sexual being with a penchant for bluntness.”
Opening the door to the house, Buffy’s next words were nearly lost in the cacophony spilling from the party inside. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
As they entered the crowded front room, Buffy looked around quickly to see who had arrived so far. Given that this was the end-of-year party, it was tradition that the whole class be invited. Buffy loved these parties most of all because they offered a variety of people, rather than the same friends she hung out with everyday.
“Searching for someone in particular?” Anya asked suddenly, eying her suspiciously.
Shaking her head, Buffy laughed off the question. “No, of course not.”
“Not even tall, dark and handsome?”
If took Buffy a moment to realise that Anya was talking about Angel, but she quickly decided to just go with that. “Okay, you caught me. I was just wondering if he was here yet, that’s all.”
“I knew it,” Anya said smugly, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at her.
Feeling bad for deceiving her best friend, Buffy told Anya she was going to get a drink and dove into the crowd. It wasn’t that she was actually hiding anything from Anya, she just didn’t want to seem too eager about seeing him of all people.
Entering the kitchen a few minutes later, Buffy felt the corners of her mouth tug upward in a small smile as she saw who was currently dolling out the alcohol.
“Bleach-boy,” she greeted him.
Turning at her words, Spike Giles grinned cheerfully. “Well if it isn’t Goldilocks.” They shared a quick but enthusiastic hug. “I wondered if I’d see you here tonight.”
“The end-of-year?” she asked, aghast at his uncertainty. “As if I’d miss it. You never know who you’ll meet here.”
Chuckling, Spike turned his back to her for a moment. Then, with a few quick flicks of his wrists, he presented her with a plastic cup, filled to the brim with god only knew what.
“And this is?” she questioned suspiciously.
“A little something to help you unwind after a long, hard school year.” When she hesitated, he asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong, Summers? Don’t you trust me?”
“That’s depends,” she replied cheekily. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
Without hesitation, Spike answered in the affirmative. “Absolutely.”
She laughed, but still accepted the concoction and took a long sip. Surprisingly, it was very tasty. “I declare the verdict to be yum,” Buffy announced with a formal tone. “But,” she added, “you’d better be willing to hold my hair back if this ends in tragedy.”
He grinned broadly. “It’s a deal.”
**********
Buffy and Spike weren’t friends. Nor were they enemies. They were just…acquaintances. Yes, acquaintances, she thought as she sipped her drink.
At school they rarely even spoke, except for the occasional casual greeting in the hallway. They ran with different crowds. She was part of the popular crowd. He was part of the grunge crowd, which listened to bad punk music and didn’t give a shit what the popular crowd were up to. They never should have crossed paths in any meaningful way. That’s where the ‘even the nerds are welcome’ end-of-year party came in.
That first year they’d bumped into each other over a bowl of Doritos and got to talking about the eminent value of salsa dip to the world. Since that night they’d been on each other radar, even if only peripherally. No one realised they were fr–acquaintances. But whenever her eyes happened to meet his across the crowded expanse of the cafeteria, she couldn’t help but flash him a smile. He always smiled back, with the addition of the sexiest wink she’d ever seen.
And so it had been for them for the past three years. Barely sharing a conversation in their day-to-day lives. But whenever they found each other at a party, they laughed and flirted like long lost soul mates. They didn’t know each other well, but…it was enough to say that Buffy would accept a drink from him without having watched him make it. She wouldn’t do that with any other male in a 50-mile radius.
“Okay people, it’s game time!” Larry’s voice infiltrated the rooms of the house with authority. As captain of the football team he was capable of commanding attention in a way that few others in the school were. Tonight, he was king.
Buffy fidgeted nervously as she wrote her name on a slip of paper and put it into the bowl that was being passed around, along with all the other girls. And, as with every other girl in the room, she was praying to whatever gods watch over stupid teenagers that she wouldn’t have to do anything too embarrassing.
Once the girls’ and guys’ bowls reached him, Larry pulled out the first guy’s name. “Xander Harris!” he called loudly. The crowd cheered as Xander stepped forward, looking terrified and nervous at the same time. He wasn’t particularly popular, but he wasn’t bright enough to be claimed by the geek crowd either, so he never got adored or picked on – making him unused to this sort of attention.
“Anya Jenkins,” Larry called next, signalling Anya to join him and Xander in the middle of the circle.
“Oh crap,” Anya muttered under her breath. “Here goes.” She stepped confidently into the centre.
Holding up a hand, Larry waiting until a hush fell over the crowd before pulling a squeeze bottle of chocolate sauce out of a small bag at his feet. “Okay Xan-man,” he said to Xander, “you have to eat this whole bottle of chocolate sauce.”
Xander nodded reluctantly, “Okay.”
“What do I do?” Anya asked expectantly.
Larry twisted the top of the bottle and immediately doused her with the sticky substance. “Wear the sauce,” Larry announced with a maniacal laugh.
Eyes widening comically, Xander grabbed Anya’s hand and pulled her quickly through the laughing crowd, with Larry calling after them, “Just remember, Xander: Don’t bite!”
Buffy had known Xander most of her life, and knew that Anya was in safe hands. Xander was more likely to get her straight to a bathroom where she could clean up, then to a bedroom. Shaking her head in amusement, Buffy turned back to the festivities.
She stopped laughing immediately when she saw Larry staring directly at her, with a small piece of paper in his hand. He crooked a finger at her. “Come on Buffy. Don’t be shy.”
Damn, Buffy thought apprehensively. Swallowing heavily, she stepped forward; ready to meet her fate.
“Okay people. We all know the very sweet and totally delectable Buffy Summers.” The crowd cheered and Buffy gave them a little wave. She noticed Spike standing at the side of the room, leaning against a doorway with a quirky smirk on his lips. Suddenly feeling naked beneath his gaze, she dropped her eyes to the floor, almost missing Larry’s next words. “What do you say we corrupt this young innocent?”
The room went wild with enthusiasm, even as Buffy’s eyes widened in alarm. She knew that she had a reputation for being a bit hands-off, but she didn’t think she was in need of corruption. Heck, she was just as corrupt as the rest of them. Wasn’t she?
Oh no, she thought with growing horror. What the hell is Larry planning to do to me? Grabbing her by the wrist, Larry made a great show of backing up to the edge of the room, coming to a stop in front of a closet door. Turning, he opened the door a crack and stuck his head through. When he reappeared, he looked very pleased with himself. His gaze swept over the crowd, who were waiting with bated breath for his next pronouncement. “It’s looking very cozy in there!”
Everyone hooted, already knowing where this was heading. Buffy began to relax a little, knowing that as long as she wasn’t put in the closet with a complete neanderthal she’d be okay. Besides, after three years of self-defence classes, she could easily kick the crap out of anyone that tried to touch her if she didn’t want to be touched. Cramped closet or not.
Stepping forward, Larry lifted his arms to the sky and asked imperiously, “Which among you would like to keep Buffy company for Seven Minutes in Heaven?!”
Several hands shot up in the air and Buffy found herself giggling behind her hand, blushing profusely at the apparent eagerness of some of the guys to disappear into a dark space with her. She glanced at Spike and noticed his hand wasn’t raised. It didn’t need to be; the heat flashing in his eyes, as his gaze wandered over her, was enough to make her heart thump a little faster in her chest.
Looking back and forth between the two supposed strangers, Larry made his decision. Hushing the crowd once again, he yelled, “Let’s hear it for Spike Giles, people!”
The roar from the crowd was deafening. No one would have guessed that Larry would pick such an unlikely pair for this particular game. Buffy, meanwhile, was caught in the grips of panic. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t possibly be about to enter a small, dark space with Spike. They were acquaintances. Nothing more. It was so nice and safe and uncomplicated and oh hell he was walking toward her. Or stalking would probably be a better word.
Without a sound, he took her hand in his, completely ignoring the din surrounding them. Tugging her gently, he entered the dimness of the closet, pulling her in after him. Larry swung the door closed and they could hear the muffled cheers from the crowd. A moment later, Larry began picking a new name out of the guy’s bowl and they were, momentarily, forgotten.
The closet was indeed cozy, as Larry had said. It was also pitch black. Buffy could feel the brush of coat sleeves against her right shoulder and the solidness of the door just to her left. “I’m really sorry about this,” she said softly, embarrassed that Spike had been forced into this situation with her.
“Are you?” he asked. Buffy could feel his breath on her ear and she shivered pleasantly.
Feeling bold in the darkness, she admitted, “Not really.” Damn innocence, she thought. This time I’m going to follow my libido.
Spike chuckled. It was a deep, sexy sound. “Neither am I.”
She realised he hadn’t let go of her hand, when his fingers began to trail lazily up her arm. “You know Buffy...if you’d like we can just talk for a while.” His fingertips traced her collarbone and she felt her nipples harden in response.
“Oh,” she sighed, hoping her disappointment wasn’t too obvious. “That’s…that’s good to know.”
The hand that had been making her tremble, with its whisper-soft caresses, suddenly curled around the back of her neck, the thumb sliding under her chin to tilt her head back slightly. “What would you like to talk about?” he murmured huskily.
He was so close she could almost taste him. Unconsciously, Buffy licked her lips, and he groaned as her tongue brushed briefly against his mouth. Wracking her brain for anything she could say that wouldn’t end in her looking like an airhead, she stammered, “W-Where did you learn to mix drinks like that?”
She could feel him smile as he pressed a lingering kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Got an uncle that runs a pub.” He continued to rain kisses along her jaw, till he reached the sensitive skin behind her ear. There he licked and sucked lightly until she was gasping in pleasure. “He taught me a few things.”
Buffy arms curled up around his back and she instinctively moved toward him; seeking more of the pleasure she knew he could give. The length of his body touched her and she melted against him.
He pulled back to brush her mouth with his lips in a light caress. His hands stroked her back soothingly, finally coming to rest just below her waist. She wished they would move lower.
“Maybe you could teach me something later,” she murmured, tilting her head to the side in anticipation of his kiss.
He made a vague sound of agreement before their mouths finally joined. His kiss was languid, but exquisitely thorough. Buffy moaned softly as she opened to him, relishing the feel of his tongue gliding sensuously along hers.
When they parted, they were both breathing heavily. Buffy clutched him to her, partly to keep herself upright, partly because she couldn’t bear to lose contact with him.
“Buffy,” he gasped roughly. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to touch you like this?”
Smiling softly, she replied, “Every minute of every day.”
He stilled at her words and she knew, despite the dark, that his face was full of surprise. “You to, huh?”
She nodded, before remembering he couldn’t see her. “Yes,” she said quietly. Then she leaned forward, pressing a lingering kiss to the bare skin at the base of his neck. He moaned, pulling her closer as he tilted his head back in invitation. Slowly, she licked and kissed her way up his throat, moving to the side to nibble his earlobe. “Spike,” she whispered, feeling every bit as naughty as she sounded. “Touch me.”
His groan was cut off by the rising noise of the crowd as the door suddenly began to open in front of them. Cursing violently, Spike jerked away from her. Buffy couldn’t blame him; she had no wish to have half the class witness the intimacy of their embrace either.
Stepping free of the closet, Buffy squinted at the brightness of the lights.
“So Buffy, how was heaven?” Larry asked loudly, obviously expecting a crowd-pleasing answer.
Glancing behind her, she found the closet empty and realised Spike must have slipped out while she was still adjusting to the glare. Looking at all the expectant faces around her, she smiled enigmatically. “It was…enlightening.” The crowd whooped in appreciation and Buffy made quick work of escaping before they had time to ask any more questions.
She practically scurried to the nearest bathroom. Staring at herself in the mirror she saw how flushed she was; saw the way her chest heaved in exhilaration. She had no idea what had happened in that closest, but she knew she wished they’d had longer than seven minutes. Taking deep breaths to calm down, Buffy fingered her hair back into place and reapplied her lip-gloss. Then, taking a deep breath, she re-entered the party.
“Oh my God, Buffy!” Anya exclaimed, jumping on her as soon as she exited the bathroom. “Is it true you were just in a closet with Spike Giles?”
“Umm…actually yes,” she stammered, amazed at how quickly the news had spread.
“Damn, that boy is sex on legs. How was it?”
Not quite sure how to answer that one, Buffy tried for a neat side step. “What about you? What happened with Xander?”
Latching onto the new topic with gusto, Anya gushed, “I had no idea Xander had such a talented tongue.”
Buffy’s eyes fairly popped out of her head. “You mean he actually licked you clean?!”
“No, of course not.” Anya screwed up her face at the notion. “He stood guard while I took a shower and sponged the chocolate out of my clothes.”
Glancing down, Buffy noticed that Anya’s clothes were a little on the damp side. “Good thing you didn’t wear white,” she commented.
“No kidding.”
Smiling, Buffy got back to the point. “Now about Xander’s tongue...”
“Oh yeah.” Anya continued her tale as they worked their way into the living room. “He was so sweet that I just had to kiss him. And it was un-freakin-believable.”
Laughing at her friend’s excitement, Buffy asked, “So I take it you’ll be spending the remainder of the evening with him?”
“Surprisingly, it looks that way,” Anya said with a satisfied smile. “Speaking of which, there he is. I’m just going to wander over and maybe have my way with him.”
“Okay,” Buffy smiled happily. “Have fun.”
Looking around she saw Angel in the next room, chatting with his friends. She was surprised at her sudden lack of interest in him. Just then, she saw a flash of blonde out of the corner of her eye and, glancing that way, she found Spike lurking in a nearby doorway. He cocked his head, gesturing for her to join him and she felt a delicious fluttering in the pit of her stomach. Oh that’s right, she joked to herself. That’s why Angel suddenly holds no appeal.
She approached Spike with a warm smile. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” he replied, moving toward her until their bodies almost touched. “I thought you might like that lesson, now that we aren’t in the spotlight.”
Momentarily baffled by his closeness and the rather divine smell of his after-shave, Buffy asked, “Lesson?”
Spike smirked. “Mixing drinks, love.”
”Oh, yes. Of course,” Buffy babbled, once her brain had caught up.
When Spike’s hand captured hers, entwining their fingers, her heart lurched in her chest. He led her into the kitchen where several people were mingling. “Okay,” he declared, pretending to push up his sleeves, which was completely unnecessary considering he was wearing a faded Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds t-shirt. “Tonight I will teach you to make a Fire Engine. It’s simple; but the available ingredients leaves something to be desired.”
“You mean there’s more to life than beer?” Buffy asked with feigned innocence.
Spike laughed as he collected what he needed from around the kitchen. “Watch and learn, little girl.”
Feeling playful, Buffy stepped closer so that her breasts were just brushing his arm and looked up at him with doe-like eyes. “I’m not that little.”
Stopping what he was doing, Spike stared at her, lust burning in his eyes. Leaning down he caught her bottom lip between his teeth and tugged on it, swiping his tongue across it briefly. Buffy gasped, opening her mouth further in blatant invitation. “Minx,” he murmured, before turning back to the task at hand.
Buffy almost mewled in disappointment, but didn’t move away. “So, what do I do first, bleach-boy?”
He handed her a shot glass and two plastic cups. “You want one shot of vodka in each cup, then fill them almost to the top with lemonade.”
Doing as instructed, Buffy almost spilled Vodka all over herself when Spike’s hand slid teasingly around her waist, coming to rest low on her hip. “Careful,” he spoke quietly in her ear. “You don’t want to get wet.”
It’s a little late for that, Buffy snorted to herself. “What now?” she asked when she was done.
He handed her a bottle of red cordial and she looked at him doubtfully. “You’re kidding, right?”
Spike shrugged. “It’s supposed to be Grenadine, but red cordial isn’t a bad substitute.” He grabbed a spoon from a nearby drawer. “Just a dash. Too much and it ends up tasting like cough syrup.”
“You’re the boss.” Buffy opened the bottle and added a small amount to each cup. Spike stirred the contents and then handed her one, taking the other for himself.
“Here’s to the end of the school year,” she toasted cheerfully, before taking a sip.
Spike watched her closely as he drank. “What do you think?”
Looking up, Buffy found herself gazing longingly at those full lips and purred, “Tastier than I ever would have imagined.”
Chuckling, Spike stepped closer. “I was talking about the drink, love,” he said quietly.
Smiling, in what she hoped was a seductive manner, Buffy replied, “The drink’s good also.”
Groaning quietly, Spike closed his eyes, allowing his head to drop forward onto Buffy’s shoulder. “Are you trying to drive me crazy?”
Unable to stop herself, Buffy trailed a lone finger down his cheek, tracing one razor sharp cheekbone. “Maybe just a little.”
Turning his head a little to the side, Spike whispered, “It’s working.”
Buffy shivered at the feel of his warm breath on her throat. Picking up her cup she drained the last of her drink in one long gulp.
Straightening, Spike moved to place a hand on either side of her, leaning on the kitchen counter to effectively trap her in the circle of his arms. “Tell me you’re going to be around this summer.”
“I’m going to be around this summer,” she agreed with a nod. “You?”
He smiled mischievously. “I was thinking of doing some sort of road trip. See some of the countryside. But I changed my mind.”
“Oh really,” she replied, with a smile. “And just when did you change your mind?”
“Right about the time Larry closed that closet door.”
Buffy giggled. “Yes. I think that closet is totally to blame for complicating our relationship.”
“Not complicating,” Spike argued, shaking his head. “Progressing.”
“Progressing,” Buffy repeated, as if testing the word on her tongue. “I like that.”
Spike smiled, moving a little closer. “I like you.”
Buffy caught her bottom lip between her teeth to keep from whooping with joy. “I like you, too,” she admitted softly, gazing up into his blue eyes.
Just before he caught her mouth in a searing kiss, Spike murmured, “That works out nicely then.”
**********
Standing at the kitchen door, Angel looked through the throng of people to spy the couple kissing against the counter in the corner of the room. Damn, he thought with a sigh, I was so sure I had a chance with her tonight. Shrugging his shoulders, Angel turned away. I wonder if Harmony is still available.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Yes, as mentioned in the summary, this is my ode to the highly immature and horny teenager that’s still trapped inside me. It’s a standalone – there will be no sequel. If you hate it...well that's probably fair. But hey, I still had fun writing it.
Yes, I realise there are many different recipes for a Fire Engine, but this is how I drank it when I first started going to clubs at the age of 18.
Those who remember Michael J. Fox’s movie Teen Wolf will recognise this party.
Anyone who can think of a better title for this story will receive a cyber-cookie.
Please review. It makes me happy!
Yes, I realise there are many different recipes for a Fire Engine, but this is how I drank it when I first started going to clubs at the age of 18.
Those who remember Michael J. Fox’s movie Teen Wolf will recognise this party.
Anyone who can think of a better title for this story will receive a cyber-cookie.
Please review. It makes me happy!