//Pure, perfect happiness…good thing I’m not cursed…// were Spike’s last coherent thoughts as he lowered himself into his mortal. The heat suffusing his body and Xander’s moans were just about driving him crazy.

His vision was still dim and blurry, but he still tried to maintain eye contact as he thrust slowly. This was their official first time as two consenting adults--or rather as a century-old undead demon and his bipolar human at least.

“Please…” Xander groaned as they drowned in each other’s kiss.

One hand slid up the human’s side as though confirming that this was really happening. He raised his head and the brunette swooped in to nibble on his neck.  

The pace increased, as did their volume. Soon they were crying out, heedless of who might hear. Spike felt blunt teeth bite down on his neck and he was lost. He felt the body beneath his stiffen as the human came. Xander bit *hard* and the vampire climaxed suddenly, the orgasm ripped from him.  Still panting, he gazed at his lover in surprise.

“That was bloody brilliant!” he said, dazed, questioning.

“Just seemed like a good idea at the time…” Xander mumbled, sounding half asleep in his satisfaction.

 `*^~--.;'.--~^*`*^~--.;'.--~^*`

 Clean up required getting half-dressed and then sneaking through the house to the shower. Xander was reminded of their first shower together as they crept across the kitchen, ready to bolt at any moment.

They reached the upstairs hall without incident, but Xander suddenly wished his super hearing hadn’t been switched on. The sounds of passion coming from Buffy’s room sent him fleeing to the bathroom and fumbling for the fan switch to mask the noise.

Spike followed, very entertained, and commented, “Bloody place is becoming a brothel…”

“Shhh! I’m trying to rewire those sounds in my head…they’re building a raft, they’re building a raft...” Xander peeled off his now filthy pants and helped Spike out of his. “How do you stand vampire hearing? I’d die if I had to hear that every day…”

The blonde smirked at him as they stepped into the shower. “Vampire, luv. I’m already dead.”

They both chuckled and basked in the warm jet of water, but Xander suddenly perked up. His hearing boost had gone away and as he wondered what power or sense would be amplified next.

There was no telling what he’d pull out of the Vamp-Bond-Bag-of-Tricks. The other day, Xander spent two hours adjusting to the pheromones that he suddenly smelled. The emotions were flying at him from every direction and he’d ended up on the roof, as far from anyone as he could get. When that power faded, he was left with uncanny coordination able to flip and balance with ease.

The human’s thought process faltered as he noticed something. The vampire’s skin was paler than before. The veins beneath were a little more noticeable; the circles under his eyes had grown darker. Spike’s movements were getting a bit jerky as he rubbed soap on himself.

Then he collapsed.

The human caught and held him in an instant. As he struggled for balance in the slippery shower, Xander thanked the gods. This time luck had drawn him super strength from the bag of tricks.

BLISS TOOK HOLD 39