Title: Five Men Xander Kissed Before (and the one he's kissing right now)
Author: soft_princess
Website: Fly With Me
Date: June 15, 2008
Word count: 1,000

Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Multiple; Xander/Larry, Xander/OC, Xander/Riley, Xander/Spike, Xander/Andrew, Xander/Giles
Rating: FRT
Disclaimer: Joss owns. I don't.
Spoilers/setting: everything up to and including Chosen.
Summary: Xander's an expert at making mistakes.

Note: Written (barely under the wire in some part of the world) for my second day at spring_with_xan. Drabbles/ficlets of varying length.

Thanks to mireille719 for the encouragement and cheerleading.

1. The night before the big day

Larry's lips are strong, like the rest of his body. He has both hands on Xander's shoulders, holding him against the wall, like he's afraid Xander's going to bolt; which Xander would have at any moment before Larry kissed him.

Now, not so much with the bolting. More with the responding.

Actually, freaking out's looking like a good option. But only after, when they're done with the kissing.

"Gotta go!" Xander tries to squirm his way out of Larry's grip, but the hands remain in place, and Larry doesn't let go.

"Tomorrow's Graduation," Larry says. "Come on, live a little."



2. Stuck in the kitchen of hell

"There's more coming," Zach says just when Xander's putting down his towel.

He groans. God, he's tired. "You have got--"

Zach--he's the cute one with the pierced eyebrow--gives Xander a smile, and puts down his tray. "Yeah, I'm kidding."

Xander has no idea what happens in the next two seconds. He blinks and... Zach's got a hand behind Xander's neck and he's kissing him. Full on, tongue licking at Xander's lips, kissing.

Xander bites back the little moan that's threatening to escape, and pushes Zach off. "Wha-?"

"Sorry, man," Zach says, running a hand through his spiky hair. "I just thought--yeah, never mind."

Xander watches Zach walk away, and brings his fingers to his lips. "You didn't think wrong," he whispered.



3. Guys in uniform are just too hard to resist

Riley's in full on gear when Xander finds him. They're supposed to be patrolling together, but instead, Riley looks like he's going to war or, or something. Which, okay, not exactly untrue, but... "You sure you need to be that prepared?"

Riley gives him a look that clearly means "if I have to explain this to you, you really are an idiot," but doesn't answer the question. He shows Xander his gun instead, and starts declining its pedigree.

Xander shouldn't be finding this hot at all.

But he fights the urge to squirm anyway.

He claims total insanity when he finds himself, twenty minutes later, atop a panting Riley, lips inches apart. There was a demon, Xander fell. That's all.

At least, that's what Xander would say, if Riley wasn't reaching up and pulling Xander down again. This time, their lips crush together. They don't have any excuse at all.



4. Mistakes are his middle name by now, so what's one more?

He has no idea what he's doing. There are bad ideas, and then there's this. It's a whole other level of wrong.

Xander's just a little drunk, and so is Spike; they're both a little lonely and a lot tired. And Spike does have well defined muscles, and the pecs to make any man--gay man, mind--or girl drool until their pillow is soaked in the morning.

Not that it happened to Xander or anything.

Spike's lips are... not quite cold, more like room temperature. Even a little warm, but Xander suspects that's the coffee, and not anything related to body temperature. His hands on Spike's arms confirm this, because those aren't the slightest bit warm. It should freak him out more than it does.

Xander blames the alcohol. Drinking is such a bad idea.

The kiss is desperate, filled with something that feels a little like loss but more like want. Not that Xander wants Spike or anything, but he wants... touch. Something like it.

It still doesn't make this any less wrong.



5. Yellow school buses are not as much fun as they seem to be

They're about three hours south of Cleveland when Xander, exhausted to the point of wondering if his name really is Xander, leans his head against the back of his seat and finds Andrew watching him.

Xander doesn't feel the usual anger rise up. He doesn't feel anything.

Everyone else on the bus looks like they're sleeping, so Xander doesn't argue when Andrew sits next to him. He leans his head against Andrew's shoulder instead; much more comfortable than the battered old green seat.

Andrew's arm fumbles across his shoulders before he finally settles. "I'm sorry," he whispers against Xander's hair. "I hadn't meant--"

"Shut up," Xander replies feebly. He wishes he had the strength to tell Andrew that he isn't angry at him for that; he's angry at Andrew because he wanted to die. He thought dying was the best option, and Xander wants to yell at him, shake him, get him out of his funk and give him back some will to--something. Live, laugh, be happy to be alive.

Xander turns his head instead--it's all he has the strength to do--and kisses him. It's probably stupid, but there are worse mistakes to make. Xander would know.



6. And now for the big finish

In a long string of mistakes--kissing guys he had no interest in, and pushing away the ones he did--Xander thinks this is probably the biggest.

Larry died. Zach quit. Riley acted like nothing happened. Spike... was Spike. And Andrew, well, at least he's moved on by now.

This, though, this is something else.

This is warm lips against his, a hand on his neck, fingers playing with the hair at the back of his skull, a nose knocking his own, glasses brushing against his eyepatch. It's everything they weren't.

When Giles' tongue slips past Xander's unsuspecting lips, Xander lets it, doesn't push Giles away. He doesn't bite back the moan.

Giles' fingers tighten their hold momentarily, and loosen when Giles starts to pull away. "Xander--"

"No talking," Xander whispers, following Giles' lips. "More kissing."

There's a smile on Giles' lips when they brush Xander's again, he can feel it, taste it. He wants it to last. Xander put his own hands on Giles' body; one on a hip, the other sliding around to rest on Giles' shoulderblade. Nothing, no one, ever felt like this, like Xander's hands belonged on their bodies, like he belonged at all.

When Giles pulls back this time, Xander's ready for him. "You have a bed upstairs, right? Cause I'm thinking the couch won't do for me tonight."

Giles' smile stretches to reach his eyes, and okay, maybe not so much of a mistake this time. Maybe it's not a mistake at all.