29
LINEAR MOVES
by
Yindagger
Notes
1. Rising Position
Grief should be ugly.
It should pull all the beauty out of people and leave them withered and ugly and
deflated. That’s what it did to Giles. It made him old. It made Anya brittle and
cold and unreachable. It made Willow and Tara drawn and hollow. It made Dawn
small and faded.
But it made Spike beautiful. It softened his hard lines
and made dead eyes alive with pain. Grief made him shine, and it made me want to
soak it up like the heat from a raging bonfire, made me want to stand too close
and get burned.
2. Slanting Fly
The only time I miss Anya is
when I go to bed. Most nights I sleep on the sofa, because the big, soft empty
bed is too much to face. I don’t want to be alone. I don’t want a stranger there
with me. That thought doesn’t appeal. I tell myself that there’s no one I want
there. I lie. When I close my eyes, hands beneath the blanket, there’s a face I
see – all sharp angles and burning blue eyes. After, I clean up and then I lie
to myself some more.
3. Four Essential Actions: Ward Off
“Hey,
Harris – you want to grab a beer? Maybe shoot a game of pool?”
The
question catches me off guard and I gawk, my mouth gaping like a fish when it
sucks in a big face full of not-water. My mind’s eye sees the bobbing of his
Adam’s apple when he drinks, his long fingers wrapped around the glossy,
two-toned wood of a pool cue, a lean hip snapping forward to propel the winning
shot. I shrug it off, take a breath, turn my head away and shake
it.
“With you?” I ask scornfully. And instantly regret it.
4.
Four Essential Actions: Roll Back
“Spike, I…”
“Never mind, forget
it.”
He’s gone and I’m an ass. His eyes, oh God, his eyes. Pain renewed,
narrowed and focused and shot at me for a tiny second before it was shuttered
away inside. Some of it must have hit me, because I can feel it burrowing into
my chest and constricting my ribs. I suck in a breath and let it out with a
noise halfway between a grunt and a sigh.
He can’t have gotten far. I
throw my book carelessly onto the table and rise. Rushing out the door, I nearly
trip over him.
5. Four Essential Actions: Press
“Watch
yourself.”
Wow. See my scorn and raise me a bunch of anger. My hand falls
onto his shoulder and he flicks it away in a gesture equal parts economy and
distaste.
“I’m a dick.”
The shocked surprise on his face is worth
the price of the admission.
“Agreed. What’s your point?”
“That was
it.”
“Oh.”
I hesitate. Take a breath. Let it out.
“Sorry.
I… fuck. I’m just… sorry, OK?”
He just looks at me, his eyes a
wall.
“You wanna get that beer?”
He stares at me, and I’d actually
forgotten how crappy he can make me feel.
“No.”
6. Four
Essential Actions: Push
I deserved that. Funny part was, he didn’t even
look mad, just resigned – like he was following a script. Like he was doing what
was supposed to come next. I’ll give him credit where due – he knows how to make
an exit. One terse word, and economical spin on his heel and he stalked off with
his duster flapping like some shiny, blond British vulture in a snit. Big Bad my
ass.
He’ll be back. He can’t help it. Since Buffy died none of us are
very good at being alone. We may sit in silence, each lost in thought, but we
can’t stay apart for long. So he’ll be back.
7. Single Whip
He
came in with Dawn, on her way back from Janice’s. They were laughing in that
subdued way we laugh now. We don’t shriek with it, we don’t howl. We chuckle,
sometimes a guffaw breaks through, but it always stops with a bitten lip or a
hand over a mouth – and those things come with eyes that dart around
apologetically and count faces and always come up with a number that equals one
too few. There must have been something in my look, because Dawnie slides onto
my lap and pets my hair for a minute. It feels good.
8. Raise the
Hand, Lower the Hand
I can’t help but lean into her touch. Her fingers
are warm and her bony ass digs into my thighs when she shifts. She pulls my head
down onto her shoulder and it’s everything I can do to not cry. I bang my head
lightly on the point of bone, then turn my face into her neck and bite
playfully. She hugs me and laughs softly, sadly.
The girls are getting
ready to go. Dawn joins them. Anya’s gone, Giles has returned to book and
Scotch. It’s late. I look at Spike.
“Beer?”
He nods. We leave in
silence.
9. White Crane Spreads Its Wings
Luckily, we get
attacked on the way to the Bronze. It breaks the tension – staking a pair of
fledges. It gives us something to talk about; something that doesn’t make us
lapse into pensive silence and study our shoes.
By the time we enter the
bar, we’re arguing over who should pay and why. I pay, because I want
to.
“Thanks,” he says.
“For the beer?”
A pause. A look.
“That, too.”
We play pool and he wins. I lose gracefully – buying rounds
and racking ‘em up.
“You’re getting better.”
“You
think?”
He looks at me, smiling slowly. “I do.”
10. Brush The
Knee
Passing behind me at the pool table, he touches my shoulder lightly.
I close my eyes. When I open them, he’s leaning over the table in a position
calculated to make my head explode. The line of his back, the stark relief of
his tricep against his tight t-shirt, the angle of his knee, braced against the
mahogany of the table – none of it could be accidental. This is something else.
This is seduction.
If it’s for me, I’ll take it.
He makes the
shot and looks at me over his shoulder, still draped across the
felt.
“Gorgeous.”
11. Hands Play the Guitar
“It’s not so
hard; you can make shots like that.”
Both of us know I wasn’t talking
about the shot.
“Show me?” I’m all big eyes and innocence, and he plays
along, standing up and pulling me in front of him. He holds the cue in front of
me and I take it. His hands are dry and cool, positioning mine. He nudges me
with a hip, and for a second I don’t move, prolonging the contact.
His
hands walk mine through the shot, his body telegraphing the weight shift with
gentle pressure. I press back against him, holding my breath.
12. Step
Deflect, Step Punch
After a moment of stillness, of warmth, contact,
comfort – he steps back. He picks up his beer and drains it, then gestures with
the empty bottle as he heads to the bar.
I realize that I’m holding myself up
with one hand on the edge of the pool table. When exactly did my knees decide
that supporting me was too much trouble?
I straighten up and get in two
deep breaths before he’s back with fresh beers for both of
us.
“Thanks.”
Our eyes meet, and his are guarded and
cool.
“One more game?” I ask.
“Nah. I’ll walk you home, though, if
you want.”
13. As if Sealed, As if Closed
The walk to my
apartment is uneventful. It’s also almost unbearably awkward. We both keep our
heads down and our hands in our pockets. We stop under the streetlight outside
my building.
“Thanks for walking me home.”
He blows out a plume of
cigarette smoke. “Wouldn’t do for you to get hurt.”
“I didn’t know you
cared.” It comes out harsher than intended, and he blinks at me before his eyes
narrow.
“Lost enough, haven’t we?”
“Yeah. Too much.” I hope my
smile is apology enough.
“I’m off, then.” He shrugs, turns to
go.
“Hang on a sec.”
14. Crosshands
Posture
“What?”
He leans on the wall and crosses his arms over his
chest. His chin is tilted up at an aggressive angle.
“You were flirting
with me at the Bronze.” It isn’t a question.
His eyes flash, and he opens
his mouth to speak. I cut him off, glancing up from under my lashes,
coyly.
“Why’d you stop?” It works. He’s dumbstruck. Score!
He
looks down, then meets my eyes, and there’s heat and power in the space between
us.
“Anya?” he says.
“That’s so over.” I pause.
“Buffy?”
“Still dead, mate.” His voice is sad.
“So?” A
question.
“So.”
15. Embrace the Tiger, Return to the
Mountain
I don’t know how I got here; if I stepped or was pulled, if I
went to him or we met in the middle. I don’t know if my arms curled around him
first or if his mouth brushed mine first. But ‘here’ is glorious. It’s warm and
cool, safe and dangerous, soft and hard, comforting and exciting.
My
vision is filled with porcelain white and supernova blue and inky black for a
long second until my eyes drift shut and I sink into the kiss. His fingers are
feather-light on my jaw, my neck. I smile into his mouth.
16. Hammer
Under the Elbow
I wasn’t scared as we stumbled up the stairs and into the
apartment. I wasn’t scared when he pushed me down onto the sofa and fell atop
me, lips and tongue and teeth and fingertips wandering all over my face and
chest.
I wasn’t scared when I returned the kisses and touches, when I
licked his neck and gasped his name, when I felt him shudder against me as my
nails dragged down the back of his shirt.
He said my name. Quietly,
desperately. His eyes met mine, and the need there was raw and naked.
And
then I got scared.
17. Repulse the Monkey
“Xander?”
The
concern in his voice made my chest hurt, made it impossible for me to hold his
gaze. He sighed and petted my hair and I thought fleetingly of Dawn.
It’s
awkward, breaking a clinch. Hands have to come out from under clothing, limbs
sealed together must be pulled apart, sweat and spit must be wiped away with
embarrassed fingers as bodies separate and move to neutral positions on the sofa
– side by side, looking at anything else.
“I’ll go.”
“Spike… It’s
not…” I flap my hands uselessly.
“Yeah, Xan – it is.”
He never
looks back as he walks away.
18. Hands Wave the Clouds
Hottest.
Thing. Ever. And I screwed it up royally.
I got scared. He looked at me
with those… those fucking Victorian china doll eyes, and my heart wanted to
break open and wrap him up and fall head over heels in love with a 120 year old
undead serial killer. So, yeah – I got scared.
The last person I felt
that way about was Buffy. I can’t go there again. I can’t. I won’t. It hurts too
much and I’ve got more hurt than I can stand right now.
I wish I wasn’t
so stupid.
I wish he hadn’t left.
19. Low Single
Whip
The next day at the Box, I drag Dawn onto my lap, and she
automatically pulls me close. This time I allow the tears to fall. She
misunderstands and I let her. I need the words too badly.
“It’ll be OK,”
she murmurs, and I want to believe it’s true.
A handkerchief appears and
I know it’s from Giles, but when I wipe my face and look up, he’s nowhere in
sight. The shop is conspicuously empty. Dawn takes my hand and leads me a few
doors down to the ice cream shop. She orders. I pay. She lets me.
20.
Golden Cock Stands on One Leg
I’m driving by the Bronze when I see him.
All I really see is a flash of pale hair and black leather under the
streetlight, but I know it’s him.
I park the car and go inside. I get a
beer and slink over to the pool tables. He’s not there. I walk up to the balcony
and search the Saturday night crowd.
The band is playing something that
makes the floor thrum. Spotlights crawl over the crowd and I wait for the flash
of platinum.
I don’t have to wait long. He’s dancing. With a petite girl
with blonde hair.
21. Separate the Foot
They move together. His
jeans-clad thigh is pressed between hers, her slim, bare arms loop around his
neck. She’s looking at him, but he’s scanning the room restlessly. His divided
attention doesn’t affect his ability to dance at all, hips and shoulders
effortlessly keep the beat.
She unbuttons his red shirt and slips a hand
inside, curving it around his ribs. He slides a hand from her hip to her ass and
pulls her hard against him. But he never looks into her face. She whispers in
his ear. He nods and leads her off the dance floor.
22. Separate the
Heel
By the time I make it down the stairs, they’ve reached their table
and Spike has downed his drink. He looks at the girl and she throws a handful of
bills onto the table. He grabs her hand and pulls he along in his wake, not
noticing when she stumbles a little on her too-high heels.
There’s a
crush of people at the door, and the girl takes the opportunity to seal her
front against Spike’s back. I can guess where her hands have gone from the way
he throws his head back, eyes clenched shut. They push through the
crowd.
23. Plant the Hammer
I follow them into the alley. I
can’t help it. I’m not angry, because I know how this ends. I don’t know how to
get there, but I know exactly where I’m going.
His back is against the
brick wall and she’s wrapped in his arms. She’s crushed between his spread legs.
They’re kissing and the look on his face is akin to pain. They look amazing in
the filtered moonlight and shadow - hands roaming, mouths locked.
His
mouth moves to her neck and I shudder, seeing another time, another place –
where he’s an animal and she’s dinner.
24. Fair Lady Works the
Shuttles
He sees me then, or senses me and looks up from her neck. His
eyes are an eerie combination of blue and gold and suddenly, for just a second,
I understand the forces that war in him. He holds my eyes with his and stands as
still as a statue.
I step closer and realize that my hand has risen from
my side, reaching toward them.
“What do you want, Harris?” he
snarls.
I don’t stop to think; I just speak - and my voice is full of
strength and conviction that I’m not sure I feel.
“You,” I
say.
25. Face the Seven Stars
He whispers something in the
girl’s ear, and whatever it is, it makes her leave with only a scorching glance
for the two of us. My hand is still up, reaching and I drop
it.
“Me.”
I nod, not trusting my voice.
“You’re sure? Not
gonna chicken out on me this time?” There’s no humor in his voice – he is cold,
watching.
I nod again, his eyes narrow.
“Say it,” he says, and his
tone is slippery and dark. He tilts his head to the side, slips his hands into
his pockets. Waits.
“Want you.” I say.
His eyes
close.
26. Move Back and Ride the Tiger
He storms past me, out
of the mouth of the alley. I’m standing there like an idiot when he turns and
pins me with a look.
“Well?”
I take a step forward, and then
another and another. He walks to my car and waits, leaning indolently, but I can
see the tension in his shoulders.
I press my body against his. Neither
of us moves to hold the other; we just stand in the dark, bodies together, my
jaw resting against his hair. I breathe harshly. He does not.
“Get in the
car,” I say, and feel his small smile.
27. Turn the Body, Hang the
Lotus
It begins simply, with an aborted attempt at small talk that turns
into a fiery kiss. Clothing is peeled off and flung carelessly away. There are
no words, just soft sounds and airy moans and both of us are breathing
now.
I don’t know what I’m doing, but he does, and I cry out when he
touches me inside. He shushes me and turns the cry of surprise into something
entirely different with his sure touch and demanding kisses.
I’m lost in
the feel of his skin on mine; barely noticing that he’s holding back, not
looking at me, tense.
28. Bend the Bo, Shoot the Tiger
He tries
to turn me onto my stomach with an impatient hand at my hip.
“No. This
way.”
He shrugs and avoids my eyes, then returns to readying me. I try to
keep my eyes open, but the sensations are too much.
I want to
see.
I want the china doll eyes – the hurt, the fear, the lust, and
whatever else is in there. Will he give me that?
He’s right there, hands
shaking, ready.
I open my eyes. His are closed, a deep furrow between
them.
“Look at me.”
He shakes his head no.
“Yes.”
He
does.
I fall.
29. Closing Bow
He’s lying there with his
back to me, and I want nothing more than to run my hand down that taut, cool
flesh, but I don’t know if I’m allowed.
Fuck
it.
“Spike.”
He doesn’t move, but his shoulders stiffen.
“Yeah?”
“Can I…” My hand is hovering.
“Yeah.”
I draw my
fingertips down the long trough of his spine. He moves infinitesimally toward
the touch.
I rub the flat of my hand over his hip and slide closer. My
chest brushes his back and my hand settles over his navel. He relaxes into the
embrace and curls his fingers over mine.
49
CIRCULAR MOVES
