Spike arrived home just as the sun crested the horizon. He stood in the lobby for a long moment, watching the sunrise. As the beams of light drew closer to his feet, he withdrew to the apartment. Spike sighed as he ran from one of his favorite sights.

He stopped suddenly on the stairs. “Fuck! Forgot my damn fags!” He stomped up the rest of the flight and strode towards the apartment.

Xander glanced up from his seat at the bar as Spike came into the apartment. “Hey fangless, you look good.”

“Feel good, Whelp. Guess it was the blood you got me. Been too long since I had any human.” Xander nodded and went back to reading the paper as he slurped his coffee.

Spike grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee and a touch of cold pig’s blood. He walked behind Xander to the living room, pausing as he glanced over the other man’s shoulder.

He moved closer as an article caught his eye. Xander glanced up at the man behind him, and then returned to his reading. When Anya walked in, she found Spike standing behind Xander with one hand on Xander’s shoulder and one foot propped on the younger man’s chair. They were both leaning forward, intently reading the newspaper that was laid out on the bar in front of Xander. Both men raised their mugs to their mouths when Xander turned the page.

Anya snorted at the domestic image before her, causing both men to jump. “Shit, Ahn! You scared the crap outta me!” Xander grabbed a handful of napkins and began to dab at the coffee that now decorated his shirt.

Spike snarled in her direction before swallowing the last of his coffee/blood concoction and tossing the mug into the sink. He ignored Anya’s pointed look and stalked into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

He poked his head back out. “You still got that envelope I gave you?”

“Yes, Spike. Don’t worry.” Spike’s door slammed shut once again as Anya walked further into the kitchen.

Xander stood and wrapped his arms around Anya. “Hey, sweetie. How’s my girl?” He leaned in for a kiss and attempted a quick grope. Anya knocked his hands away and reached for the coffee pot and a mug. Xander looked down at his hands, confused.

“I have to get to the Magic Box. I told Giles that I would work a full eight hours today, even though we’re leaving at three.” Anya peered at Xander over the top of her mug.

“You’re leaving today? I thought that the show wasn’t until Saturday night!” Xander whined.

“Yes, Xander, today. I’ve told you that several times.” Anya sipped at her coffee as she mentally reviewed everything that she had packed. Xander looked around the room, still confused, and wondered if he were dreaming. Anya refuse sex? He tried to clear his head when she began speaking again.

“Now, while I’m gone, you will need to be sure that you keep the apartment clean and orderly. I do not want to return to dirty dishes and floors. Also, you need to look at the ceiling fan in Spike’s bedroom; it is making an irritating noise. Please try not to kill each other while I’m gone. We will be home on Sunday afternoon.” Anya picked up her purse and her suitcase, giving a quick kiss to Xander, who stood there open-mouthed.

*****

When Anya passed by Mrs. Sanderson’s apartment, she paused and looked up the stairs. She knocked gently on the door before opening it and walking in.

“Is it done?” Baggins looked up at her and meowed gently, ending his cry with a growl.

“Good. I’ll be back Sunday. You have the number where I’ll be if you need anything before then.” Anya closed the door behind her and ran down the stairs. She was already late for work.

*****

Spike strode out of his room clad only in his form fitting black jeans and headed towards the bathroom. The blond glanced into the living room as he passed before stopping and taking a few steps back into the doorway. He glanced questioningly at the boy that was standing in the middle of the living room with his mouth open.

“Oi, Whelp!” When he received no response, he walked over to Xander, his bare feet silent on the wooden floor. He touched the other man’s arm.

“Hey, donut boy.” Xander flinched and looked at Spike.

“She’s gone.” Spike nodded his head at the obviously unbalanced man.

“Yeah, she’s gone. Went to work didn’t she?” Spike prompted Xander to talk with a slight nudge to his chest.

“No, gone, gone. She won’t be back until Sunday.” Xander looked at Spike in confusion. “Did you know that they were leaving today?”

“Yep. ‘S all the bints have been bloody talking about all week.” Spike snorted at Xander and stalked to the bathroom to shower.

Xander looked around the living room and wondered what was happening with Anya. It had been over a week since they last made love and all of his attempts had been cut off before he even got a chance to make it to the pass. Last night at the Magic Box had been the first time in weeks that she had touched him first, and then she had come home and gone to sleep.

He wandered over to the couch and sat down, silently thanking the carpentry gods for screwing up the shipment and giving him the rest of the week off without touching his vacation time. He stretched his feet out on the table and scratched his stomach as he contemplated his girlfriend’s strange change in attitude. He heard the shower start and the variation in the water’s sound as Spike stepped into the stream.

“Oi! Whelp!”

Xander looked towards the doorway and hollered back. “What?”

“There’s no soap or shampoo in here!”

Xander sighed and heaved himself off of the couch, stretching and moving his hand up to scratch his chest as he wandered towards the bathroom. He yelled through the door to Spike, “Anya just bought some last week!”

“No shit! I’m telling you there is no soap or shampoo in here! She musta taken it all with her!”

“You have got to be joking, we had at least four different brands of everything imaginable in there!” Xander popped the lock on the bathroom door with the screwdriver he had stored over the doorjamb for that purpose and walked into the steamy room.

“Did you look under the cabinet?” He glanced over at the shower stall, quickly looking away as Spike stood on his toes to look over the top of the door at him, his dick pressing against the clouded glass.

“No. I was in the bloody shower, wasn’t I?” Xander rolled his eyes as he squatted down and began digging under the sink, pointedly ignoring the erection that had suddenly appeared in his sleep pants.

I am NOT lusting after the evil undead, I am NOT lusting after the evil undead… Xander spared a glance over his shoulder, his mouth filling with saliva as he took in the sight behind the glass.

Spike stood under the spray of water, his hands running through his hair as he arched his back, allowing water to cover his entire body. His cock was semi-erect and jutted out slightly in front of his hips as he raised his hands over his head and stretched.

Spike turned and once again pressed against the glass, flipping his wet curls out of his eyes. “Find anythin’ yet?”

Xander continued to dig through the cabinet. “Aha!”

“Aha, what?” Spike pushed up higher on his toes, trying to see what Xander had found.

“Remember that stuff that Mrs. Sanderson gave me a couple of months ago?”

Spike groaned. “Please, no. Tell me there is something else under there!” Xander smiled evilly and handed the heavy bottle to the blond.

“Here ya go, Fangless!” Xander turned and walked stiffly out of the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

“What kind of vampire uses rose scented soap?” Spike muttered as he poured the pale gel into his hand. He closed his eyes, taking in the captivating aroma. When he opened his eyes, Spike was standing in a garden full of rosebushes of every color. He saw a young woman in a formal gown dancing down the path, a kitten at her heels.

He jerked, returning suddenly to the bathroom. He frowned at the soap in his hands and began washing himself quickly. “Don’t know what the hell that was… Damned Whelp and his damned soap…”

Spike’s thoughts turned to Xander and he allowed his left hand to drift down and cup his balls. Who cared if the boy was straight? No harm on getting off to images of him. “Xander…” he muttered as he began to stroke. His mind filled with images of the dark haired man. The vampire’s fangs descended and he imagined biting into that strong neck and feeling the warmth of Xander’s blood filling his mouth. He gasped and ran his fingers over the head of his cock, wishing it was the boy that was touching him.

Spike continued to stroke himself, yelling almost silently in his completion. He soaped himself back up, then rinsed off and stepped out of the shower to dry. As he pulled his towel off the rack, a familiar smell filled his senses.

“Xander.” He inhaled deeply, following the heavy scent of arousal down to where the younger man had been digging through the cabinet. Spike smirked and wrapped his towel around his waist. He leaned over and tossed his jeans over his shoulder and wandered towards his room, whistling jauntily.

*****

“I am NOT lusting after the evil undead!!” Xander scowled at his reflection in the mirror over Anya’s dressing table.

Xander glanced down at his dick, noting with pride the size of the bulge it made in his flannel pants. He then growled at it, trying to convince himself that his erection was not the result of seeing Spike naked.

He threw himself face down on his bed chanting quietly under his breath, “Not for the evil undead, not for the evil undead, not for the evil undead…” After several minutes, he fell into a light sleep.

*****

When Xander woke up later that afternoon, he was feeling better. He had dreamt of rose gardens and kittens for some strange reason and, when he woke, he could still smell the delicate blooms.

Xander got out of bed and stretched, brushing his fingertips against the ceiling of his bedroom. He pulled off his ragged, coffee-stained t-shirt and reached into his dresser to grab some boxers. The brunette looked through the clothes in his closet, disgusted, not for the first time, in his own taste. How he wished he could afford decent clothing. He dug around the back and pulled out a steel gray t-shirt and a pair of clean jeans.

Yawning, Xander stumbled into the bathroom, staring a hole in the familiar wall as he emptied his bladder. Flushing the toilet, he turned to the shower and started the hot water. He stripped and tossed his clothes into the hamper before stepping under the spray.

Xander luxuriated under the steaming water. He stood still for several minutes before reaching for the rose soap. He wrinkled his nose at it, but poured some onto his bathing sponge anyway. The scent reminded him of his dream. It was so vivid!

He suddenly remembered what happened the last time he was in this bathroom and his erection returned with a vengeance. Not a good thing when your girlfriend is an ex-demon. Xander once again allowed his thoughts to drift where they wanted as he gently stroked himself.

Orgasming to the thought of burying his cock in Spike’s ass, he quickly rinsed off and climbed out of the shower to dress. Xander tried not to analyze his thoughts too carefully.

He happily admitted that Spike was attractive. He had no problem with that. He did have a problem with the way his body reacted to the other man. Well, not really, Xander actually felt ok with the whole thing, which really bothered him. Xander shook off his thoughts and finished dressing. He combed his wet hair and padded barefoot into the kitchen to find a snack.

Xander carried his plate of cold chicken and potato chips, precariously balanced on two coke cans, into the living room. He held an open beer in his other hand. Plopping onto the couch next to Spike, he offered the blond one of the cokes.

“What in the hell is that? Gimme the beer.” Spike swiped the bottle out of Xander’s hand and returned to watching the television.

“What are you watching?” Xander took a bite of his chicken and a swig of coke.

“Iron Chef.” Spike drained the bottle and set it on the floor next to Xander.

“Cool,” Xander muttered through a mouthful of chips. He tried not to think about how sexy Spike looked in his jeans and a t-shirt, his hair dried into loose curls.

An episode of Iron Chef, two episodes of Good Eats, an hour long investigative report on the dangers of fruit flies and halfway through an episode of American Chopper later, Spike began to complain.

“’M hungry. Feed me.” He shoved Xander, inadvertently pushing him off of the couch and onto the long forgotten and often kicked beer bottle.

“Shit!” Xander jumped up off of the now broken bottle, lifting his shirt and pulling his pants down slightly, twisting to see where he had cut his hip.

“Oh, man! That hurt!” Xander winced.

Spike leaned forward and tried to pry a small glass chip out of the cut, causing Xander to jump. “Sorry about that, Xander. Let’s go in the bathroom, I’ll help you clean it.” Both men walked into the bathroom and Xander dropped his jeans to the floor before standing next to the sink. He pulled out the alcohol and handed it to the vampire. He dragged the edge of his boxers down, exposing the wound.

“This might hurt a bit.” Spike poured the alcohol over a cotton ball and began dabbing at the wound, trying to see if there were any more glass shards.

“What do you mean, ‘might hurt’? That fucking burns, you asshole!” Spike finished cleaning the cut, noting that the bleeding had stopped.

“Doesn’t need a bandage. You’re ok.”

Xander frowned at Spike as he pulled his pants back up.

“I’ll go clean up the glass. Want some pizza? My treat.” Spike’s obvious apology was quickly accepted.

“Sure, I’ll be out in a minute. Gotta pee anyway.”

“Alright.” Spike leaned over and tenderly kissed Xander before walking out of the bathroom.

*****

Spike and Xander stood silently on opposite sides of the bathroom door, before commenting in unison.

“What the…?”

Spike ran out the door and pounded down the stairs into the apartment lobby. He paced through the room, glaring at the sun-dappled floor, wishing he had remembered to stop for cigarettes last night.

Xander stood in the bathroom, rubbing his lips gently and thinking about what just happened.

Mrs. Sanderson sat, rocking, holding Baggins and humming contentedly to herself.

*****

“Hey, Spike?” Spike turned and looked through the lobby towards the stairwell that held a very nervous Xander.

“Yeah?”

Xander looked down at his still bare feet and quietly asked, “How come your chip didn’t fire when you pushed me off the couch or when you cleaned the glass out of my butt?” Spike looked at Xander in shock.

“I have no fucking idea.” Spike rushed past Xander and up the stairs to the apartment. When Xander arrived moments later, he found Spike digging through an old chest in his bedroom.

“What are you looking for?” Xander sounded fearful.

“Chains, rope… Whatever I can find,” was the garbled response.

Xander backed out of the room asking, “Why?”

Spike looked up and into Xander’s eyes. “There is something wrong with my chip. I know that you’ll feel better if I’m tied up before you go get the Watcher and drag him over here to do… whatever.” Spike’s matter-of-fact answer chilled Xander to the bone.

“Spike, you think we’re going to stake you?” Xander walked back into the room and dragged the vampire to his feet.

“That thing has been frying your brain for over three weeks now. I know you thought I didn’t know how bad it was, but I did! I’ve been racking my brain and wearing out my welcome in computer geek chat rooms on the internet trying to find a way to reprogram that frickin’ thing or kill it altogether.”

Spike looked deeply into Xander’s warm brown eyes. “You’re not afraid of me, then?”

Xander swallowed convulsively then answered. “I’m terrified of you right now, Spike! But I’m glad that your chip isn’t hurting you anymore…”

Spike bent his elbows and placed his hands over Xander’s larger ones. “I would never hurt you.” He leaned in and kissed Xander full on the mouth. He barely brushed the other man’s lips, lightly tasting the essence of Xander with the tip of his tongue before pulling away.

Xander stood in the same position, hands on Spike’s shoulders, eyes closed, as he relived that softest of caresses.

With his eyes still closed, Xander commented, “Wonder what happened…”

Spike released Xander’s hands and stepped back out of the other man’s semi-embrace. “I don’t know, I’m sorry, Xand…”

Xander interrupted Spike’s apology. “Not that, Fangless. I mean, what happened to the chip?”

Spike sat on the edge of his bed, thoughtful. “I don’t know. I started feeling better last night.”

“Where did you go after we got back from the Magic Shop?” Xander sat beside the vampire, carefully keeping his hands to himself.

“I was jacked up from the human blood you got me and needed smokes. Went out and saw a fledge. Chased him a bit, finally staked him, was close to the Slayer’s so I went to see Joyce. Had hot chocolate, talked a bit, came home. Forgot my smokes.” Spike summarized his evening for the other man. He patted his pockets, searching for the non-existent cigarettes.

Xander thought for a moment before commenting. “Well, the chip still worked after the blood, remember? It went off when we got out of the car. Then we came in and you went back ou…” Xander thoughts continued without his mouth.

“Mrs. Sanderson.” They spoke at the same time. Suddenly there was a flurry of activity as both men searched for socks and shoes.

They ran into each other at the front door, ricocheting back and landing on their butts. Xander’s eyes widened. “Oh shit. That didn’t hurt you.”

Spike lunged off the floor and dragged a stammering Xander to his feet, pulling him towards the stairs and down to their mystifying neighbor’s apartment.

Spike pounded on the door several times before the soft voice answered. “Come in, boys!”

They walked into Mrs. Sanderson’s sitting room to find her filtering three cups of tea. She gestured to the couch opposite her, encouraging the men to sit.

“How was the rose soap? It’s about time you put it to use; I can smell it on you, you realize.” Both Xander and Spike stared at Mrs. Sanderson as if uncomprehending.

“Did it soothe you? I made that expressly for you two, to help relieve certain stressors that were interfering…”

“What did you do to my chip?” Spike rudely interrupted the woman.

“Chip? I don’t really like potatoes…” Xander glared at Spike trying to relay a message with just his eyes.

“’M not talking about potatoes, you... The chip in my head! You touched me last night and now my soddin’ chip doesn’t work.” Spike tapped his skull fiercely and stared hard at Mrs. Sanderson as she glanced down at the feline twisting around her ankles.

“Language, my dear. A chip you say? Oh, my, I didn’t realize. My Baggins noted that your balance was off, even for a vampire, so I was just trying to restore you. I had no idea that someone had intentionally damaged you!” Spike and Xander stared openmouthed as Mrs. Sanderson took a sip of her tea.

“Ah… Quite good. Now boys, please focus on what is important. Did the soap that I gave you help with your needless inhibitions?” She smiled warmly at Xander and Spike before adding, “Close your mouths, dears.”

Xander managed to snap his mouth shut at her request and looked sideways at Spike. “You knew he was a vampire?” he asked.

“Well, of course! You don’t get to be my age and not know the truth about the things that go bump in the night.” Baggins hopped into Xander’s lap and began to purr. Xander stroked him absently.

“William, I did ask you to close your mouth, there’s a dear.” Mrs. Sanderson sipped at her tea once again and nodded towards the cups still sitting on the table.

Spike picked up his cup and drank down his tea in one gulp. “Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Sanderson.” He got up off the couch and walked dazedly to the door.

Xander nudged the cat off of his legs and rose. “Thanks, Mrs. Sanderson. We’ll try to stop back by when we’ve… um, we’ll stop back by later.” He pushed the vampire from in front of the door so that he could open it, looked back at his hostess and smiled, then ushered the stunned vamp out the door and back up to the apartment.

THE TRIANGLE 7