RockStarPeach

Okay, we're coming up on the close here.  Should be 12 chapters when it's finished.  Spike starts to have a bad day here, but I feel like he's handling himself pretty well.  The other two of course continue to be complete morons!

Oh, and... just a note... There's no reason for anyone to get naked before they read this chapter.  Uh, not than anyone would... ;)

And the super lovely and talented angelstoy made me another beautiful banner for this story.  Thank you again, honey.  So much!!!




Title:  Helping Hand

Pairing:  Lindsey/Wes, Spike/Wes

Rating:  Adult

Summary:  College roommates Lindsey and Wes have to work together to help Lindsey with Wrestling practice.  Then Spike shows up and Wesley gets distracted...

Previous Parts

 

Part 10

 

Wesley finally gave up on sleep at about five o’clock in the morning.  The restlessness he was feeling was driving him to get out of bed and do something, so he sat down at his desk and turned on his computer, hoping to maybe get a little bit of work done.

 

He felt horrible.  His behind kind of hurt from having it filled up with dick the past two nights, he was exhausted from not having slept at all last night, and not very much the night before, and he thought he might be getting a cold.  Time to double up on the Echinacea.

 

But what was really eating at him wasn’t any of the physical problems he was suffering, as much as the knowledge that he had indeed made a huge mistake.  He had known he was making a mistake at the time, of course; told himself not to do it, because he knew he’d feel just like this afterwards, but he’d hoped that the imprint of Lindsey’s teeth would have at least faded from his shoulder by the time the remorse started to kick in.

 

He had been surprised when Lindsey had wrapped a lazy arm around him and fallen asleep last night, because that was way more intimate a gesture, for Wesley anyway, than he thought his roommate was comfortable with.  And it gave Wesley the message, loud and clear, that Lindsey was even more detached from the sex than he’d thought, if he could sleep naked in someone’s arms and claim that it meant nothing.

 

He hadn’t wanted to let himself hope that Lindsey had changed his mind about them, and indulging in that fantasy by actually sleeping together was more than Wesley could handle.

 

And even if Lindsey did suddenly decide he wanted more, Wesley wasn’t sure he wanted to give it to him anymore.  Of course he still cared for him and didn’t imagine he was doing a terribly good job hiding it.  Either that, or Lindsey was psychic, because he sure didn’t seem to have too much trouble picking up on it.

 

But Wesley also cared for Spike, more than he thought possible after such a short time, and he wasn’t willing to give that up.

 

And oh, God, Spike.  Wesley didn’t think it was possible to feel worse than he did about what he’d done. 

 

Wesley wasn’t completely oblivious; he knew Spike was a bit of an ass.  But underneath that he’d been gentle and caring and sweet, made Wesley feel special, trusted him, and how did Wesley repay that kindness?  By remaining hung up someone he couldn’t have and acting on the temptations Lindsey offered at the drop of a hat, that’s how.  Well, no longer.

 

Wesley was finished with Lindsey.  For good.  He didn’t want to have to give up the friendship that they might be able to develop, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to be strong around him when they were alone, dressing, sleeping, showering.  At least Lindsey’s big meet was that day, so there would be no more cozy little wrestling sessions between just the two of them, and that would make things much easier.

 

He allowed himself a brief glance over his shoulder at his roommate, still sleeping contentedly, naked limbs sticking out from under the thin sheet, a tiny little half smile on his lips as he dreamt, and Wesley sighed.  Sure, this wasn’t going to be a problem at all.

 

***

 

Lindsey smiled in his state of half-sleep as he felt the first tickles of wakefulness in his happily fuzzy mind, and tried to fight them off by reaching out for Wesley to pull him back down into a warm, comfortable state of oblivion, but when his hands came up empty, full consciousness came rudely crashing down on him.

 

He opened his eyes and let them adjust to the new state with a slight frown as he saw that Wesley was not in his bed, snuggled up next to him, where he’d last been seen.  He rolled over so that he was no longer facing the wall to check Wesley’s side of the room, and smiled as he saw him sitting at his desk, tapping away at his keyboard. 

 

He’d probably gotten up early to get started on some school work.  Lindsey knew he was starting to get it for his roommate, bad, when he thought that was cute.

 

“Good morning, Wes,” Lindsey rasped in the sexiest tone he could muster, voice rough from sleep and all the exertion of yesterday.  Maybe he could tempt Wesley back into bed for another round of the most amazing sex he had ever experienced before he had to get up and get ready for his meet.

 

“Yes, good morning, Lindsey,” Wesley answered, cool and clipped, as if the words were an inconvenience to him.  He didn’t turn around and smile, he didn’t hide his embarrassed grin and blush, he didn’t even stop typing.  Lindsey was all but ignored.

 

His brows narrowed in confusion at Wesley’s impersonal behaviour, but he shook his head as if to clear it, and tried again.  “You’re up early.  Sure you don’t wanna come back to bed and get a little more… sleep, before we start the day?”

 

Wesley knew exactly what Lindsey meant by ‘sleep’, and it irked him that Lindsey was so completely crass as to suggest something like that now.  Last night was different; they were both worked up from the close contact wrestling afforded, and from the argument, and they’d fallen into it.  But now?  First thing in the morning, when Lindsey was sure to just remind him again after they were finished how it was ‘just sex’ and Wesley shouldn’t bother getting attached?  Wesley could not believe it.

 

“Thank you, no,” Wesley answered shortly, again not bothering to give Lindsey the benefit of eye contact.  “I’m feeling quite well rested.”

 

What the hell was going on?  Lindsey thought they had an incredibly amazing night, wanted to have an equally amazing morning, wanted to talk to Wes about how he might be ready for more between them, but Wes was acting like he didn’t want anything to do with him.

 

Wanting to give it one more shot before he gave up and went about his own morning business he got up out of bed, tossing his covers carelessly to the side, and padded, naked, across the floor to Wesley.  “That’s even better,” he said, placing both of his hands on Wesley’s shoulders and leaning in so that he was speaking directly into Wesley’s ear.  “Because for what I actually had in mind, you’ll need your energy.”

 

Wesley jerked away from the kiss Lindsey attempted to place on the side of his neck, and the other man removed both his hands, leaving Wesley with at least a fighting chance of not giving in and following him straight back to bed.  “Quite sure.  Now if you don’t mind, I’m a bit busy here.”

 

Lindsey stood up straight behind Wesley, perplexed by his complete change of attitude since last night, and wondered what could have happened for Wes to treat him like an irritation this morning, when last night he had practically begged for it.  Maybe he was just having a bad day.

 

In any case, Lindsey really couldn’t get into it now.  He needed to keep his mind on his game, so he’d play nice for now, maybe talk to Wesley later, work things out then. 

 

“Sure, okay,” he answered, a bit uncertainly.  “But later on, we need - ” he started, and then he was interrupted by the telephone ringing.  Shit.  He’d at least wanted to let Wesley know that he wanted to talk about them at some point before he took off for the day.

 

“Hello?” he barked into the mouthpiece, irritation evident, after he’d dug the phone out from under the pile of papers on his desk.  His expression turned dark as he listened to Spike ask to speak to Wes, his voice turned deadly as he tossed the phone to Wes saying, “It’s your boyfriend.”

 

He snatched up his towel and soap from their place on the dresser and left the room to shower, not wanting to subject himself to the conversation that was about to happen.  He might have slammed the door on his way out, but he was too frustrated to notice.

 

***

 

Wesley stared between Lindsey and the phone dumbly for a moment, desperately wanting to speak with Spike, and equally desperate not to, because the guilt he was feeling was so severe that he was sure it would come across easily in his voice.

 

But Lindsey gave him a cold stare and left the room, and he was given no option but to answer the call or hang up on Spike, and the latter would just seem way too suspicious.

 

“Hello?” he spoke tentatively, and waited for the soft, dreamy tones of Spike’s voice to calm him.

 

“Wes,” Spike greeted, soft and silky and Wesley felt guiltier and more relaxed at once.  “Didn’t wake you, did I?”  It was only half eight, and while he knew Wesley was an early riser he also knew he’d probably been up late the previous night.  Now it was a matter of finding out what he’d been up to.

 

“No, no,” he answered hastily.  “I’ve been up for hours.  Getting some work done, actually.  I’m glad you called.  I could do with a small break.”  He smiled as he spoke, finding that it was true; he was very glad to hear from Spike.

 

Wesley seemed a bit off, but for the most part normal.  Was probably just distracted at being interrupted in his studies.  “So,” he tried for casual, but knew he was far off the mark.  “How’d last night go?  Did you manage to give Lindsey what he needed?”  And okay, he might have been able to phrase that a bit less suggestively, but he needed to hear how Wes reacted to it.

 

Wesley froze, grateful that Spike wasn’t there to see him open and close his mouth like a guppy, and blink repeatedly, trying to get his vocal chords to resonate properly.  “I… yes, we… that is, he… I helped him practice,” he started, nervous and hoping his shaking voice wouldn’t be audible.  “He was able to do much more than ever before.  I can tell he’s been working at it, since he seems to have gotten quite good, and I’m fairly certain he should be able to win his meet today.  I’m rather proud of him.”

 

Wesley’s tone had gone from uneasy to excited in just a couple of short sentences, and his answer hadn’t been any less evocative than Spike’s question.  He wasn’t exactly sure how to take that, but the guilt in Wesley’s voice was clear throughout, and he was pretty sure what that meant.

 

“Been practising, has he?  With all those other beefy studs on the team?” Spike asked, snide and defensive.  “What does he need you for, then?”  He realised after he spoke how Wesley would take that, and cursed himself for letting his jealousy get the better of him.

 

What the hell did Spike mean by that?  That Wesley wasn’t good enough when Lindsey had all those other guys to choose from?  Wait, no, he couldn’t be saying that, because that would mean that he was talking about sex, and that would mean that he thought Wesley and Lindsey had… No.  Wesley needed to change the subject.

 

“He doesn’t.  Not anymore.”  If Spike noticed the slight regret that coloured Wesley’s words, he kept his mouth shut about it.  “The meet is today, I’ve done all I can to help him, and he no longer needs me.”

 

There was silence as Wesley thought about how much he’d miss it, but he recovered quickly, thinking of how he’d now be able to dedicate more of his attention to Spike.  “And I couldn’t be happier,” he said, more brightly than perhaps he was truly feeling.  “I was happy to help him out when he needed it, he’s a friend after all, but I’m glad to have all the more time to lavish attention on you now.”  He finished off with a flirty note in his voice.

 

That was good at least.  Wes still wanted him.  But he was hesitant to get even further invested, emotionally, in this thing with him if Spike couldn’t be sure that he wasn’t going back to Lindsey anymore.  “Looking forward to it, love.”  Spike told him.

 

“So, tonight,” Wesley said, reminding them both about the rescheduled date.  “Shall I come by your place?  Perhaps we can… watch a film?”

 

Spike grinned in spite of himself, and felt a surge of emotion well up for this man.  “That’d be great, Wes.  I’d like that.”

 

“Good,” Wesley agreed, feeling relieved and hopeful.  “I’ll stop by the video store on my way.  Pick up something with a lot of violence and sex.  Something right up your alley.”

 

Spike snorted as Wesley accurately described his taste in movies, and said, “and some foul language, if you can manage it.”

 

“Of course.  That goes without saying.”  Wesley was almost laughing by that point, pleased that he and Spike still seemed to be alright, despite his weighing remorse over what he’d done.  “I’ll see you tonight then,” he finished, intending to get off the phone and back to his work.

 

“Sure, love.  Tonight,” Spike answered, but before either of them hung up, Spike stopped them with a quick, “Hey, Wes?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“You and Lindsey and all this practising you’ve been doing… That really is all done now, right?”  He felt like just jumping out the window and putting himself out of his misery, humiliated by the pleading that he knew had been infused into the question, and hoping that Wesley had only registered its seeming innocence.

 

“Yes, Spike,” Wesley answered, not exactly knowing what questing he was answering, but it didn’t matter.  It was the same, no matter what Spike was thinking.  He and Lindsey were done.  “That’s over now.”

 

***

 

When Lindsey came back from the shower Wesley was no longer on the phone.  He had no idea what they’d talked about, let himself briefly imagine that Wesley had dumped Spike and was planning to take up fucking Lindsey on a daily basis, but knew he was probably getting ahead of himself.  They hadn’t even had a chance to talk yet.

 

“Going out tonight?” he asked twenty minutes later, when he was dressed and on his way out the door.

 

“Yes,” Wesley answered, still not bothering to look up from his computer.  He hadn’t gotten any actual work done all morning, but he’d done a good job of pretending.  “I’m going to Spike’s place, to make up for cancelling on him last night.”

 

It kind of hurt Lindsey to hear about that, but he wasn’t all that surprised.  Wesley was still under the impression that he meant nothing to Lindsey, and he was clinging to someone who made him feel important, even if that other person was rude and dense and a complete pain in the ass.  Lindsey wasn’t worried.  They’d talk before tonight rolled around, and things would be on track to working out.

 

“Alright, well, I’m outta here,” Lindsey said, sliding into his jacket and grabbing his bag.

 

“Yes, see you later,” Wesley answered sharply, and Lindsey lost his cool slightly.

 

“Damnit, Wes, look at me!” he demanded, and the other man stopped typing and turned slowly in his swivel chair to comply.

 

Big unblinking eyes looked up at him, challenging and plaintive, and Lindsey crumbled a little.  He held out a hand and Wesley stared at it, not wanting to get pulled into whatever this was that Lindsey was playing at now, so Lindsey reached further.

He grabbed hold of Wesley’s arm and pulled him up to stand right in front of him and then stood there, like an idiot, because he had no idea what to say or do next.

 

“Look,” he finally managed.  “I…” he wanted to say that he was sorry if he’d caused any sort of trouble or pain, wanted to say that he wanted Wes to leave Spike and wanted to say that he wanted Wes to wait for him until he was ready for exactly what Wesley wanted, but he didn’t have time. 

 

Instead he said, “I have my meet today.  Are you coming?”

“Of course I am,” Wesley answered without hesitation.  No matter what fucked up kinds of mind games Lindsey had decided he was going to play recently, this meet was the reason behind them all, and it was important.  To both of them.  Wesley would be there to cheer on his roommate, and then he’d go to his boyfriend’s place and enjoy their evening together.

 

No problem.

 

***

 

So they’d fucked.  Spike knew he really shouldn’t be as mad as he was, because it wasn’t as if he hadn’t had sex last night, but knowing that didn’t stop the anger.  He felt a little justified in his actions, not much, but a little, because he never would have called Xander in the first place if Wes hadn’t cancelled on him to be with Lindsey.  Really, it was Wesley’s fault that he’d been weak, and selfish and had used, yet again, the person who still loved him against all better judgement.

 

No, he knew it wasn’t really Wesley’s fault.  Wasn’t his fault at all, in any kind of bizarro world, but he was hurting.  Well, Wes still wanted to see him, so at least that was good, because Spike really didn’t want to give him up, but he wasn’t convinced that Lindsey was as out of the picture as Wesley claimed.  He’d need to make sure before he let himself fall any harder because he wasn’t going to settle for being the second choice and wasn’t going to put up with his lover fucking around.  He was worth more than that.  And so was Xander.

 

He put the phone down on the coffee table and walked back into the bedroom, picking up Xander’s pants from the hallway floor where they had landed the previous night after they’d been dragged off Xander’s trembling legs by Spike before he’d sucked him so hard, Xander thought his brains had come out through his cock.

 

Spike paused in the doorway, watching Xander, holding the jeans at his side.  He wasn’t asleep; Spike could see the uneven pattern in his breathing, so he’d probably heard his phone call to Wes.  That wasn’t going to help matters.

 

Eventually Xander gave in and rolled over, facing Spike at the door to the bedroom, and propped himself up on his elbows, not saying anything, just looking at Spike, wondering what to do now. 

 

Spike tossed his pants at him, landing them over Xander’s bent knee and said, “Get dressed.  Time for you to go,” before walking back to the living room and leaving him to it.

 

Asshole, Xander thought as he did as Spike instructed, walking out to meet Spike in the front room once he was dressed.  Why the hell did he let Spike use him like this?  He shouldn’t, he knew.  He should tell him to fuck off, in no uncertain terms, tell him that if he wanted his ass, he had to give up his new little boyfriend, who wasn’t exactly being true himself if what Xander had overheard was accurate, but he knew he wouldn’t.

 

If he asked Spike to choose, Xander knew he wouldn’t be the one, so he never did.  He always said ‘choose me’, but he didn’t offer an ‘or else’ because he knew it would be an empty threat.  He also knew that if it wasn’t this Wesley guy it would be some other guy, so he wasn’t letting himself get too excited about Spike’s new relationship troubles.

 

Xander slipped his shoes on, ignoring Spike, sitting on the couch, tossing the television remote around in his hand, staring at the black screen.  He kept on ignoring him while he shoved his arms into his jacket, and ignored him when he opened the door, but then he paused and turned around, looked straight at Spike, half angry, half pleading.

 

“So, what?  You’ll call me next time your little boyfriend is fucking someone else?”  He knew that wasn’t really a fair thing to say, but he couldn’t help it.

 

Spike didn’t let himself react to that the way he wanted to.  He took a deep breath and said, calmly.  “No.  No, I’m not going to be calling you anymore.  This… is done.”

 

Xander had heard that before, so he didn’t exactly believe it was true this time, but the fear of losing Spike for good was strong, and panic started to take over.  “What?  No.  No, Spike,” Xander pleaded, stepping back into the apartment and closing the door.  “You don’t mean that.  You know you don’t.  You can’t just… it can’t be over.”

 

Xander looked near tears, and Spike closed his eyes, sighed, and scooted forward so that he was sitting on the edge of the cushion.  “Xander, come here,” he instructed, and Xander did, sat down next to him and Spike turned so that their knees were just touching, and he took Xander’s hand in his own, resting them on Xander’s leg.

 

“What we’re doing isn’t fair.  To either of us.  It has to end.”  He spoke evenly, and looked into Xander’s eyes, and figured that if he could get through this speech without breaking down, he might be able to convince himself that it didn’t hurt as much as it did.

 

Xander clenched Spike’s hand tightly in his, and spoke in a shaky voice, rough breathing that came from being on the verge of tears breaking up his words.  “But, I love you.  And... You love me.  I know you do.”

 

“I do,” Spike answered, not trying to deny it, because it would have been impossible.  “But you hurt me.  And I know you’re sorry about that, so don’t go telling me again how bad you feel and how you’ll never do it again, because it doesn’t matter.”

 

Spike let go of Xander’s hand and placed his own on the back of Xander’s neck, cupping solidly, and rubbing his fingers in soothing circles over short, dark hair.  “Something broke, Xan, and I wish it hadn’t, but we can’t fix it.  We’ve tried, and it’s only ended up making it worse.  We need to let go.”

 

Xander let a few tears fall then, wet and salty on his face, and shook his head.  “No, we don’t.  Can’t you see how hard this is already?  How hard to you think it’ll be when we can’t even see each other at all?”

 

Spike reached up his other hand then, wiping the tears from Xander’s cheeks with the soft pad of his thumb.  “Yeah, it is going to hurt, but it can’t be any worse than this.  And eventually it’ll hurt less.  God, Xan, this isn’t easy for me either, but we can’t do this anymore.”

 

“Then let’s not do this anymore.  Take me back.  For good.  For real.  We can make it work this time,” Xander begged, but knew ultimately that Spike was right.  “I love you,” he said again, and tried not to cry any more.

 

“I love you too,” Spike answered after he’d seen the sad acceptance in Xander’s eyes, and leaned in to brush his lips against Xander’s for what he hoped would be the last time.

 

He smiled, crookedly, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.  “And hey, I know you can’t get enough of my hot bod, but before you know it you’ll have replaced me with somebody just about as smart, and half as charming and nowhere near as good in bed.”

 

Xander let out a slobbery chuckle at Spike’s sorry attempt to diffuse the situation with something resembling humour.  “Yeah, I won’t have any trouble at all.”

 

Spike handed him a tissue from the box on the table and Xander dabbed at his eyes and blew his nose, balling the tissue up in his hand afterward.  “Guess I should go,” he said, once he’d collected himself a little, and Spike kissed him on the head and stood up, saying, “Yeah.  Guess so.”

 

Spike walked him to the door, and Xander offered him a sad smile as he once again opened it and started to step through.

 

“Xan,” Spike said, and he turned around again.  “I’m sorry.”

 

“Me too, Spike,” he said, and finally worked up the courage to leave Spike’s apartment for good, and close the door behind him.

 

***

 

Spike had been restless and fidgety all morning, feeling guilty over how he’d treated Xander and guilty over how he’d ended it and feeling guiltier still for wanting to take back everything he’d said and call him up one more time.  He knew he wouldn’t though, and the knowledge that he would really never be with Xander again, never hear his goofy laugh at his own stupid jokes or feel his breath in his ear as he panted out his orgasm against Spike’s body, was difficult to accept.

 

Thinking about Wesley wasn’t doing anything to calm him down either, because as soon as thought about Wes he thought about Lindsey and he couldn’t help but wonder exactly what was going on between them, because they were obviously attracted to one another, they had obviously been fucking, he didn’t know if it was really over like Wesley said.

 

And now that he’d thought about Lindsey, he remembered that he had that big meet today, and he knew that Wes would probably be there.  They were supposed to get together that night, but it couldn’t hurt for him to show up to cheer the team on, show some school spirit, have a visit with Wes and see just how much all that practice was paying off.

 

***

 

Wesley was sitting in the bleachers, not at the back where he usually sat so that he could avoid the rest of the spectators, but just a couple of rows from the front, where he had a very good view of all the action.

 

The competition had started at three o’clock, but Wesley had learned form previous events that Lindsey’s division didn’t wrestle until at least an hour after the start.  He’d gotten there on time anyway, months back learning that he had an appreciation for the sport, and he wanted to watch some of the others before it was Lindsey’s turn.

 

Sure, some of that appreciation came from watching sweaty, barely dressed men paw at each other, but some of it was genuine.  He had been watching for almost half an hour, cheering on the members of their school team and squirming in his seat ever so slightly whenever his dick took notice of something that it found particularly exciting, when he noticed someone sit down next to him.

 

He turned, intending to give a polite ‘hello’ and get back to watching but he started when he realised it was Spike.

 

“Spike?  What are you doing here?” he asked, surprised because they weren’t supposed to see each other until later that night and because he didn’t really figure a school wrestling meet to be something Spike would enjoy.

 

He was also still feeling more than a bit guilty, and being so close to Spike after what had happened last night was making him jumpy.  Especially knowing that he was here to watch Lindsey parade around in a skimpy little uniform and get up close and personal with some fairly attractive men.

 

“Thought I’d check out the show,” Spike said casually, stretching his legs out in front of him as much as he could in the crapped stands.  “Show my support for the team.  Why, is that a problem?”  He looked at Wesley innocently, sensing his discomfort and curious to see if Wesley would admit to it.

 

“Not at all,” he answered, trying to relax.  There was no reason it should be.  “Of course.  I’m glad you’re here,” he finished with a smile, and he really was.  But for some reason he wasn’t at all sure that Lindsey would be glad, if he noticed.

 

For the first little while they sat still and stiff next to each other, watching the boys on the mat with little comment between them, but eventually some of the awkwardness started to pass, and they were having a pretty good time.

 

Spike held Wesley’s hand, pointed out some of the competitors that he thought were particularly fuckable, and Wesley laughed, embarrassed, but quietly agreed. 

 

Spike had never been into wrestling, but after watching for a while he couldn’t think why that was.  It was the perfect sport.  And he couldn’t help thinking that a lot of these moves could carry over into the bedroom.

 

Of one move, that looked particularly tricky, but could be done if the one on the bottom was flexible enough, and could be a lot of fun if both were naked, Spike leaned in close to Wesley, and spoke seductively into his ear, “That looks like fun, pet.  We should try it sometime.”

 

Either Wesley was too distracted to get Spike’s actual meaning or he was too distracted to bother censoring himself, because he only shook his head once and said, “No, I’ve tried that one with Lindsey, and it’s not as much fun as it looks.”

 

Spike wasn’t sure exactly what Wesley meant by that, but decided to pull back from Wesley and fold his arms over his chest, sulking.  “Maybe that’s cause he’s not doing it right,” he said petulantly, and eyed Wesley from the side, looking for a response.

 

“Spike!”  Wesley said, shocked, and turned to look at him, mouth open wide.  He was about to get defensive, to remind Spike that it wasn’t like that, but he knew he’d be lying, because he had to admit that it was like that, or had been anyway. 

 

“Shhhhh,” Spike interrupted him, eyes still on the gym floor.  “Your honey’s about to get his arse kicked.”

 

Wes didn’t know whether to be more upset about Spike calling Lindsey his ‘honey’, when really if anyone was, it was Spike, or about Spike implying that Lindsey was going to lose.  Either way, he decided the conversation could wait until later, because Wesley wanted to be able to give Lindsey his full attention for the next few minutes.

 

***

 

Lindsey got up from the side mat where he was doing some preliminary stretches and mentally preparing for his big moment when he heard his name called, announcing that he was up next.

 

He slapped Angel and Graham and a couple of the other guys on the hand before he walked over to take his place on the competition area, and looked up into the stands to find Wesley, needing to know that he was there and cheering him on.

 

It didn’t take long to spot him; he was sitting a lot closer than he usually was, and Lindsey was happy for that, but he felt a bitterness well up in him when he spotted that Wesley was sitting next to Spike.  Wesley had brought Spike with him to the meet. 

 

He shouldn’t feel so betrayed by that, knew that he hadn’t gotten around to telling Wesley about how he really felt, knew that Wesley liked the bastard and if Wesley was betraying anyone, it was Spike, by what he had been doing with Lindsey, but he couldn’t help how the sight of them together on his day made him feel.

 

And he suspected that his own negative reaction might have been part of the reason that Spike was there in the first place.

 

Fine.  If Spike wanted to tag along to see the show, he’d give him a show.  His eyes focused on Wes, blocking out everything and everyone else in the room.  They narrowed and glazed slightly as he let himself remember every single dirty, amazing little act they had indulged in, and he knew the memories and the lust were coming through loud and clear when Wesley’s eyes fluttered in response, and his chest puffed up, full, like he was taking a very deep, indulgent breath.

 

Score one for him, and he smirked as Spike watched Wesley’s reaction and then shot an icy cold stare at Lindsey.  Lindsey only raised an eyebrow at him, as if asking him what he thought he was going to do about it and when the countdown started, he shot one more quick glance at Wesley, winked, and then the whistle blew.

 

It didn’t take long, this particular match.  Everything seemed to go by quickly, he didn’t have much time to savour any one particular move, and it was reminiscent of a couple of days ago with Wes.  They each had the advantage at one point or another, and each broke out of that situation, emerging more determined than seconds before.

 

And it didn’t matter whether Lindsey was being forced down on his knees, held from behind with his arms twisted at his back, and seemingly completely at his competitor’s mercy, or if he had the other guy face down on the ground, sitting on top of him with an arm wrapped around his shoulder to try to keep him in place; he sought out Wesley every time.

 

On his knees or forcing someone to submit beneath him, it was all just a dance; Lindsey finally got that, and he had Wes to thank.  And as he went from the position of authority to submission during this one particular dance, he never forgot who his true partner was, and managed to lock eyes with Wesley at every single pause in the action, let the other man know just how much he was enjoying himself, and just how much more fun he’d be having if Wesley was on the mat with him.

 

And it might have taken a little longer than was strictly necessary to take advantage of his recently re-discovered skills, but he wanted to wait until he had a decent view of Wesley before he jumped on top of his opponent and pinned his arms above his head, the other man’s back to the floor, one of his knees bent up to keep his leg in place.

 

He listened to the referee start the count, felt the man under him wriggle in protest, and again looked up to lock eyes with Wes.  He could see Spike to his side, eyes narrowed as he glared at Lindsey, but he ignored him and concentrated only on Wesley, letting all his desire and appreciation show, and he allowed himself a fond smile when Wesley responded to his crude flirting with a slow blink and a nervous bite of his lower lip as he squirmed slightly.

 

Before he could come back from the sinful seduction that was Wesley’s eyes, he heard the ref count ‘ten’, and remained where he was for a few seconds longer, not quite believing what had just happened.  He’d won.

 

Holy shit!  He’d won!

 

He pushed up off the floor, waited for the other man to rise and shook his hand good-naturedly, then looked once again up at Wesley, and they shared a quick, ecstatic smile before he went off to meet the rest of his team for hugs and slaps and pats on the back, because he’d won.  And he wasn’t going anywhere.

 

***

 

Spike would have had to have been a lot stupider than people gave him credit for not to notice what was going on between Wesley and Lindsey.  He had wanted to get up and leave halfway through Lindsey’s match, but knew that would have been childish, so he stuck it out.

 

When it was over and Wesley and Lindsey had shared one final eyefuck and Wes had turned to him all smiles and looking for someone to share his happiness with, Spike couldn’t deny him, even though it tore at his insides.

 

He smiled and hugged Wesley and told him he was happy for his roommate and they sat down to watch the others still left to compete.  But inside, Spike hadn’t gotten over it.  If Wes would go as far as to fuck Lindsey using nothing but his body language while they were in a room full of people, how far would they go when they were alone?  And how long was Spike willing to put up with it?

 

No, he couldn’t put up with it.  He wasn’t willing to be that guy.  He had seen all he needed to, their little performance, and now he knew that Wesley belonged to Lindsey, even if he was loaning out his body.  Spike was done.  He got up to leave, even before the meet was over, not wanting to sit there anymore, and put up with being Lindsey’s alternate. 

 

“Where are you going?” he heard Wesley ask, as his arm was touched by Wesley’s gentle fingers as he stood.

 

“Home, pet,” he said, equally gently, not wanting his jealously to dominate the situation.  “I’ve got things need doing.”

 

“Alright,” Wesley responded with a slight frown, obviously not understanding Spike’s distance, but Spike ignored his confusion and graced Wesley with nothing but a distracted, “See you later,” as he hauled himself out of the bench row and made his getaway. 

 

***

 

Wesley was slightly perturbed by the exit that Spike had made, cold and distant, not even bothering to kiss him goodbye, and Wesley wasn’t sure exactly what was going on with Spike.  He’d done his best to make Spike feel welcome, really had felt like he was welcome, everywhere that Wesley ever was, but something had obviously put Spike off.

 

Oh well, he’d have plenty of time to make it up to him later that night.  And Spike deserved the very best of making up, even if Wes didn’t know exactly what he’d done wrong.

 

***

 

Wesley had stayed to watch most of the rest of the meet, but when it was clear that their team was going to win, and there were only a few more matches left to go, Wesley dismissed himself and headed home.

 

He stopped by the caf on his way back, picked up a couple of fajita wraps, and once he got to his room ate them, showered and dressed in record time.  He was still pretty keen to get to Spike’s place before any more animosity had the chance to brew.  

 

He had just finished dressing in the pair of jeans that Spike said hugged his behind in just the right places, and spraying on the cologne that Spike loved to sniff in every little crevice, and he was just about throw on the hoodie that Lindsey had used to manhandle him last night and leave, when Lindsey came crashing through the door, all smiles and laughter and ruckus. 

 

“Wes!” he said, through a gigantic grin, and caught his roommate in a bear hug.  “Did you see me today?  I fuckin’ kicked ass!”

 

Wesley was a bit taken aback at first, but soon succumbed to Lindsey’s contagious good mood.  “I did.  Congratulations, Lindsey.  I’m so happy for you,” he said as he hugged Lindsey back, hands patting on very appropriate places like the small of his back and the space between his shoulders.

 

“God, I just can’t believe it!” Lindsey exclaimed, jubilantly, as he pulled back and tossed his bag full of gym supplies into the corner by the laundry basket.  “I won.  And it’s all thanks to you.”

 

Wesley looked down at his feet at Lindsey’s praise, not thinking he deserved it, and not willing to accept it if he did.  “No, it’s because of you, Lindsey.  You worked for it, and you got it.  You should be proud of yourself.”

 

 “Fuck, I am.  Don’t get me wrong,” Lindsey said as he picked up the supplies he needed for the shower he was planning.  He looked at Wesley and considered, but he thought it might be in bad taste to ask the other man to join him.  And he was in way too good of a mood to risk a possible argument.

 

“But you know there’s no way I could have done it without you.”  He finished up his scavenging standing in front of Wesley, topless, with his towel over his shoulder and his bag of toiletries in his hand.  “So… thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome, Lindsey,” Wesley answered with a smile.  “Truly.  But I still maintain you did most of the work.”

 

Lindsey looked down at the floor for a fraction of a second before his eyes shot back up to Wesley’s, and he responded with a devilish look and the appropriate amount of cheek, “Not from where I’m standing.”

 

Wesley couldn’t hide his blush, and he would have loved to tell Lindsey just exactly where he stick comments like that, but the aforementioned good mood prevented it.  He smiled, big and goofy, and wasn’t able to prevent his feet from shuffling and his mouth from saying, “Yes, well, you were hardly complaining.”

 

“No, I sure wasn’t,” Lindsey agreed, and nodded towards the door.  “I’m heading out with the team tonight.  You know… ring in the victory.”  Wesley’s smile grew broader and more wholesome at the declaration, and Lindsey grew more hopeful. 

 

“Wanna come with?  Nothing special, just out for a few beers.  Everyone else has a-” he cut himself off before he could say ‘date’, knowing neither of them wanted to go there, and Lindsey really didn’t want to go there in front of his friends, but he still wanted Wes to come along.  “Anyway, it should be a good time.”

 

Wesley heard what Lindsey wasn’t saying and it only served to strengthen his resolve.  If Lindsey couldn’t admit to what they shared in front of anyone but the two of them, and maybe Spike if he was feeling territorial, then Wesley had more important things to do with his time.

 

“Thanks, no,” Wesley said, friendly but firmly.  “I’ve got a date, like I said.”

 

Fuck, that was right.  Spike.  Lindsey found himself really wanting to give Wesley a good shove, bang his head into the wall, maybe knock some sense into him.  Kiss him hard, turn him around and fuck away all thoughts of Spike for good, but now probably wasn’t the right time.

 

“Right, well,” he said, losing some of his earlier joy.  “Have fun.”

 

Wesley nodded and turned to the door but before he could reach the handle he was stopped by Lindsey’s firm grasp on his forearm as he was wrenched around to face the other man.

 

Wesley looked at him in question, but before he was able to put any words to that question his lips were being covered by Lindsey’s.  He tried to push his roommate back, but his arms had snaked around him and were holding them tightly together and Wesley couldn’t really put any force behind it.

 

Lindsey had thought, up until about a second and a half ago that he wouldn’t do this now, but watching Wesley about to walk out the door to meet someone else, looking as goddamned sexy as he did, had pushed him into action before he was able to think better of it.

 

He felt Wesley try to break free and only held him tighter, pushed their lips together more incessantly, and soon he felt the other man relax, open his mouth the smallest fraction so that Lindsey’s questing tongue could push in, and it wasn’t long after that that Wesley was participating fully, tongue wrapping around Lindsey’s as their bodies undulated. 

 

He hadn’t meant to give in, not even for a moment, but Lindsey felt so bloody good against him, and when they were this close, bodies pressed together and hot breath shared as they panted out their excitement, Wesley didn’t ever stand a chance.

 

Soon though, he felt Lindsey’s semi-hard cock pressing against his own groin as the other man gently, almost imperceptibly rocked against him, and when his own prick started to respond some sense started to come back to him.  He tore his head away from Lindsey’s, not able to get far, obviously, since he still being held, but at least he was able to break his lips free.

 

“What the fuck are you doing?” he panted into Lindsey’s ear, voice breathless and shaky from arousal.

 

“Thought that was pretty obvious,” Lindsey answered, trying to find Wesley’s lips again with his own.

 

Wesley tilted his head even further away and twisted his body, suddenly, violently and used Lindsey’s slow reaction time due to surprise and lust to escape his grip.  “God, Lindsey what is wrong with you?” he asked angrily once he’d taken a step back to put some space between them.

 

“If you’re just looking for a convenient body there are plenty of others out there.  This one is spoken for; leave me alone.”  And with that Wesley pulled the door open and left to go see Spike.