darkhavens: text icon: 15 m/m pairings in dk purple, with paler txt darkhavens and even paler txt multifandom ho. (x mortal flesh - mini gif [literati])
[personal profile] darkhavens
Author: darkhavens
Title: Protected 1/1
Pairing: Spike/Xander of Buffy
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1036
Feedback/Concrit: darkhavens @ slashverse.com
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. No harm, no foul, no money made.
Summary: Xander has protection.
Notes: Written for [livejournal.com profile] txrabbit for her birthday, 2005. If you study the demons, sweetie, you might find one named after you (kinda). ;)



Protected

For thirty years the boy had been warming his bed, and for thirty years he'd been stealing the damn pillows every night. Spike screwed his right elbow into the mattress and dropped his chin onto his upturned palm. Thirty years, and Xander still looked young enough to card, at least in the stricter clubs and bars.

Xander's chest rose and fell rhythmically as he slept on, unaware of just how closely he was being studied.

Spike reached out his left hand and traced the first glyph - blood red whorls, slightly raised, a thank you gift from a very grateful Karnisch demon and his clan. Good deal, that. Rescue one clutch of demon eggs from a Slayer-sponsored stomping, and get his boy protection against weapons made of iron.

That had been when they'd hatched The Plan.

They'd talked of binding spells before, of tying Xander's life to Spike's, but Xander balked at sacrificing someone else's soul for his. They'd tracked down tales of amulets, and rings, and, once, a pair of horns, but everything was losable, or breakable, or naff. And then the Karnisch offered them the glyph of iron protection - not a whole solution, but an interesting start, and after that they'd hit the books in earnest.

Spike's attention moved to the next mark on the list - a rough, black patch of skin the size and shape of his left thumb. Decorating Xander's Adam's apple, it has caused some pain, but Xander hadn't flinched away, not once. Its counterpoints were hidden in the hair behind Spike's ears - two black circles made when Xander's fingertips had touched his skin.

The Gagarog told Xander it was simply for protection -focus on the mark and think of Spike and he would always hear. While Xander washed the ritualistic soot marks from his skin, the Gagarog told Spike about the dots. The marks were used on mated pairs - the dominant got ear spots. The 'lesser', or the female, got the mark upon her throat, only to be used in times of trouble. The spots allowed the male of the pair to listen in - the left for speech, the right for surface thoughts, but most knew not to use them. Even demon ignorance was bliss, apparently.

Xander often tortured Spike with thoughts of having kinky sex, but always when the time was inappropriate. He'd watch Spike's eyes glaze over as his tongue curled up and round, and once he had his favourite demon panting he would stop.

Spike had used the left dot very sparingly throughout the years, mostly just when Xander had agreed. The right spot he had toyed with only once or twice while insecure - the rush of 'loveSpikemine, crazy vampire, ooh chocolate' always served to make him feel a prat.

The third mark, well, a line of them, ran the length of Xan's left arm - encircling his wrist and winding up to crown his shoulder, then sweeping down to curl beneath his nipple and around his heart. These were minute Kanji symbols, etched by demon hands - tiny little guys the size of hamsters.

Spike had never been to Japan and Xander wanted to see the world, so they'd picked that country as the starting point of their world tour. They'd hopped the islands, stopping for a day or two when interest struck, and then they'd climbed Mount Fuji to the top and found the Ji.

Xander, with his usual knack for being a demon magnet, had reached the summit, sat down for a drink and a bite to eat, and almost managed to flatten half of the resident population. Two dozen tiny figures had poured out from between his feet as he sat, oblivious, on their sacred temple, well, their rock.

Three hours and a tattered phrase book later they had reached a bargain - near-eternal life in return for passage to the nearest city. Passage, it was understood, for every member of their race, including generations of their dead - in all, a hundred. So Xander used his spoon to disinter the tiny graveyard, muttering about the twisted ironies of life.

They spent a couple of weeks in Fujiyoshida City, helping the Ji to settle in before they made repayment. The work had taken twelve long hours - of trying not to wriggle - while the hands and feet of seven Lilliputian demons stroked his skin. But finally the Kanji had been etched with dark inks made of earth, and then they'd led him to the public gardens. Now all he had to do was place his hand wrist-deep in natural earth, focus on the life force of the planet and repeat a prayer. The Ji promised it was just a thank you to their ancestors, and made him say it several dozen times until it stuck.

Xander rolled onto his side and opened bleary eyes, taking in Spike's fondest smile and the hand still on his heart.

"You've been thinking about carrying a hundred demon hamsters down a mountainside again, haven't you?"

Spike grinned and curled his tongue.

"Was just thinking how pretty you looked, all covered in glyphs and runes and moving artwork and the like." As one their gazes moved to check the slowly pulsing palm-sized swirling storm of greens and blues and greys above his solar plexus. "So, still in there then?"

"Yes, Spike, my soul is still firmly anchored, thanks for asking. You know it would take more than death or turning to move it on. The Raseki know their stuff; it's never shown a touch of pink. I'm just as human now as I was before, I'm just more."

Spike leaned in and stole a short sharp kiss, all tongues and teeth, then pulled back and smiled wickedly.

"So, which one's your favourite, luv, out of all these marks? You've got, what, thirty-six different bits of demon art on you?"

"You know, you ask that every single week, more than once, and I know you only do it 'cause you love to hear the answer." Xander's hand moved up to touch the bite mark near his collarbone. One finger stroked the tiny tattooed spike between the scars.

"This mark, Spike, always and forever. And now we have the celebratory sex, yes?"

Page 2 of 2 << [1] [2] >>

on 2005-08-01 05:45 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] wilde-moon.livejournal.com
Very sweet.

on 2005-08-02 05:57 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] darkhavens.livejournal.com
Thanks. :D

on 2005-08-01 08:21 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] tistoo.livejournal.com
Absolutely adorable. *grins* In the best possible sense.

Demon hamsters. *giggles* Love it.

Xander sat on their temple! *heeheehee*

Only him!

Wonderful! Just... wonderful! *happy sigh*

~Tis

on 2005-08-02 05:58 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] darkhavens.livejournal.com
Thanks!

And yes, Xander does have the knack for finding demons wherever he goes, and always in the worst possible circumstances. :D

on 2005-08-01 12:13 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] ponders-life.livejournal.com
I really liked the visual imagery in this, meaning both the descriptions of the marks on Xander's body (I think I'm developing a tattoo kink) and the explanation of how they got there.

"You've been thinking about carrying a hundred demon hamsters down a mountainside again, haven't you?"

Loved that -- they know each other so well!

on 2005-08-02 06:01 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] darkhavens.livejournal.com
Thanks!

I always had a bit of a tattoo kink, but fanfic has now completely warped me when it comes to tattoos and piercings. *g*

on 2005-08-01 01:25 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] ryuze.livejournal.com
That was a very nice stand alone. really liked the story of the ji, and how xan knew what spike was thinking about.

on 2005-08-02 06:02 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] darkhavens.livejournal.com
Thanks. :D

on 2005-08-01 05:05 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] mofetash.livejournal.com
I dont read short stuff very often, but I am glad i stopped to read this one, very nice!

on 2005-08-02 06:02 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] darkhavens.livejournal.com
I'm glad you stopped to read too. Thanks!

on 2005-08-01 05:54 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] outsideth3box.livejournal.com
Wow, now that was an idea I have never seen before, how very cool!

Love your imagination, luv, ::mwah!::

on 2005-08-02 06:04 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] darkhavens.livejournal.com
Thank you, darlin'! *smooch*

I've seen binding tattoos used, and Lindsay had his beautiful protective artwork in Angel, but I haven't seen anyone do a piece-by-piece story like this. :D

on 2005-08-01 06:20 pm (UTC)
Posted by (Anonymous)
"You know, you ask that every single week, more than once, and I know you only do it 'cause you love to hear the answer." Xander's hand moved up to touch the bite mark near his collarbone. One finger stroked the tiny tattooed spike between the scars.

"This mark, Spike, always and forever. And now we have the celebratory sex, yes?"

*laughs* I loved this. The stories that went with the marks were fantastic. The image of Xander digging up a cemetary with a spoon had me in hysterics.

And Hippo Birdies TxRabbit!

Kat Coll

on 2005-08-02 06:06 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] darkhavens.livejournal.com
Thanks!

I'm so glad someone got the humour of the spoon. I had this mental vision of Xander sitting on the floor, carefully disinterring an entire demon graveyard with a dessert spoon while Spike figured out the logistics of getting them all down the mountainside without killing/dropping/squooshing any of them. *g*

on 2005-08-02 01:02 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] savoytruffle.livejournal.com
gotta love a protective and obsessive spike. very much in his character.

on 2005-08-02 06:09 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] darkhavens.livejournal.com
Thanks!

I love protective, obsessive Spike, and not only when I write him. ;)

Icon snap! *g*

(And yes, I did indeed delete the previous comment just so I could change icons.)

on 2005-08-02 08:04 pm (UTC)

on 2005-10-11 03:18 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] fanbot.livejournal.com
I don't know how I missed this one! It's wonderful!

on 2005-10-13 08:01 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] darkhavens.livejournal.com
Thanks! I wrote it on the spur of the moment with no clue where it was going until it got there. And now I have a new 'verse! *g*

on 2005-10-12 05:37 am (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] batmanvinnie.livejournal.com
"And now we have the celebratory sex, yes?"
So good.

on 2005-10-13 08:02 pm (UTC)
Posted by [identity profile] darkhavens.livejournal.com
Thanks!

Xander knows the routine - Spike pets the tattoos, asks the question, gets the answer and then they have the celebratory sex. Routine can be goooooooood. *g*
Page 2 of 2 << [1] [2] >>

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