Title: The Test (Part three continued from Sleeping Together)
Author: Whiskey Meteor
Rating: PG-13
Summary: How will Xander react to waking up in bed with Andrew?
Disclaimer: Everything BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon.
Notes: Alternate ending to "Hell's Bells". After Xander walks out on his wedding he does not come back. As far as we know, the old man really was Xander from the future.
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It was morning, and Xander began waking in increments. He was first conscious of his legs, bent at the knees and hanging over the edge of the bed. Bed...? he thought, Right, motel room beside the bar... Xander soon became aware of an extra set of legs, loosely tangled with his. The extra set of legs was attached to a body, which was encircled by Xander's arms. Xander swallowed and cracked an eye open to peer at the body beside him on the bed. Andrew was staring back at him, eyes narrowed uncertainly. Xander yelped in surprise, and leapt off the bed away from the other man.
"Sorry," Andrew whined, "I wasn't sure if you were awake yet." Watching Xander carefully, Andrew drew himself up to sit cross-legged on the bed, "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, "You were pretty drunk last night."
Xander frowned, "Thanks, I remember," he snarked. Andrew pouted, and Xander sighed, "Sorry for snapping," he offered, "I'm just a little..." Xander trailed off, unable to find the words for exactly what he was.
Andrew cocked his head to the side, "Weirded out by waking up with your arms around me?" he ventured.
"Yeah," Xander agreed, nodding his head, "Pretty much." He raised a hand apologetically, "No offense," he offered.
"None taken," Andrew shrugged. "Don't worry," he added, "Nothing happened."
Xander frowned, "Of course nothing happened," he said slowly, "Why would something have happened?"
Andrew quirked an eyebrow, "Well, you were pretty drunk."
Xander put his hands on his hips, "I may have been *pretty drunk*," he retorted, "But I also happen to be *pretty straight*."
Andrew looked down and picked at a piece of fluff on his pant leg, "Sure," he said.
"Whoa," Xander shook his hands in the air defensively, "What's *that* supposed to mean?"
"Oh... nothing," Andrew said, looking back up at Xander innocently.
Xander narrowed his eyes, "What?" he demanded.
Andrew sighed in defeat, "Just something you said about Warren kinda made me wonder," he shrugged.
"What, because I said he was a bastard for using you?" Xander asked incredulously, "That makes me concerned, not gay."
"Not that," Andrew retorted, "You said that if you were Warren, you would have kissed me." Andrew fidgeted guiltily, It's not really a lie, he thought, That's what he would have said... if he hadn't passed out.
"I never said that," Xander insisted, shaking his head slowly. If he pressed himself, Xander could vaguely remember *wanting* to kiss Andrew, but he was certain that he wouldn't have voiced the desire.
"Yes you did," Andrew said adamantly. Xander pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. Andrew sighed, "Well you would have," he gave in, "But you passed out before you could."
Xander nodded, "Right, sorry. I forgot that you know me so well that you can read my mind," he said sarcastically.
Andrew crossed his arms over his chest petulantly, "I know you better than you think I do, Xander Harris."
Hesitating, Xander cocked his head to the side, "How do you know my last name?" he asked.
"Oh, uh..." Andrew gulped, "You told me last night."
After a moment, Xander shrugged, apparently convinced. He sighed and sat down on the floor, "Well if you know me so well," he said, looking up at Andrew, "Then you'll know that I was completely in love with Anya and walking out on that wedding was the biggest mistake of my life."
Andrew cocked his head to the side thoughtfully, "Then why did you do it?"
"Because," Xander sighed in exasperation, "If I married her we wouldn't have been happy."
Andrew shrugged, "If marrying her would've ultimately made both of you unhappy, then I don't think that leaving was such a bad idea."
Xander closed his eyes, "But I'm in love with her," he insisted.
"Are you sure?" Andrew asked. Xander opened his eyes to peer back up at Andrew. "It's obvious that you love her," Andrew went on, "Maybe you're just not *in* love with her." Xander frowned and shook his head uncertainly. Sighing, Andrew repositioned himself so that he was lying on his stomach on the bed with his head propped up in his hands, "Have you thought about *why* you wouldn't be happy if you and Anya got married?" he asked.
Taking a breath, Xander shuffled over to lean back against the wall. He had thought about it- frequently and at length, and not only after he'd had the visit from his future self. It was a nagging question at the back of his head that Xander couldn't seem to answer. He looked up at Andrew questioningly, Maybe he's on to something, Xander thought to himself reluctantly, Maybe I wouldn't be happy if I married Anya because I'm-, he shook his head, "No," he said firmly, "I'm not gay. And I didn't want to kiss you." They were both silent for a moment, Andrew taken aback, and Xander deep in thought, massaging his temples. At length, he let out a strangled noise and looked back up at Andrew, who was waiting curiously, "How can you be so sure that you're gay?" he demanded, "You've never even kissed another guy."
Andrew met Xander's stare evenly, "You've never kissed another guy either," he said, "How can you be so sure you're *not* gay?"
Xander opened his mouth to speak, paused, and closed it again. Andrew had a point. "Andrew?" Xander asked hesitantly. Andrew cocked his head to the side, waiting. Xander sighed, trying not to think about what he was going to ask next, "I think we should conduct a little test."
"What kind of test?" Andrew asked suspiciously.
"Well," Xander said, setting himself up onto his knees, "It would be relatively simple." He crawled forward until he was positioned in front of Andrew, and sat back down so that their heads were level.
Andrew gulped, "Xander," he asked anxiously, "What are you gonna-," But before he could finish his question, Xander had ducked forward and pressed their mouths together. It was short and sweet, simply a chaste meeting of lips, tentative and fleeting. Still, as Xander broke the contact and pulled back, Andrew was left breathless. Thank god Warren never kissed me, he thought, If he had, I could never have left.
Sitting back, Xander opened his eyes to peer at the other man. Andrew was flushed, and somehow he looked almost content. Xander could still feel a pleasant tingle where his lips had touched Andrew's, and it left him entirely unsure how he should feel about what had just happened. Part of him felt uncomfortable about having kissed a man. Part of him felt bad for having taken advantage of Andrew. Part of him felt guilty for kissing someone other than Anya, regardless of gender. The rest of him had abandoned feelings and was urging Xander to get back up on the bed with the other man and-
"So?" Andrew asked, interrupting Xander's thoughts.
"So?" Xander repeated, pulling himself back to his senses, "Still sure you're gay?"
Andrew nodded, "Yeah," he confirmed, "But then I was sure before." He cocked his head to the side and tried not to think about how much he wanted Xander to kiss him again.
"How did you know?" Xander asked curiously.
"Well... falling in love with a man was a pretty good indication," Andrew shrugged dismissively, "So what about you?" he asked hopefully, "Still sure you're straight?"
Xander looked down at the floor. He wasn't really sure about anything any more. "I'm kinda hungry," he said, and looked back up at Andrew, "You wanna go get some breakfast?"
Andrew frowned, he couldn't help but be disappointed that after the kiss Xander hadn't proclaimed himself gay, leapt onto the bed, and had his way with him. Andrew could work enough magic to summon demons, but he conceded that he couldn't turn a straight man gay. Xander had just been drunk, and Andrew had just been imagining things- seeing and hearing what he wanted-
"And, no," Xander said, cutting off Andrew's train of thought, and pulling himself up off the floor.
Crawling off the bed, Andrew crossed his arms over his chest, "No what?" he asked curiously.
Xander turned and headed for the door, "No, I'm not still sure that I'm straight."
Andrew tripped over his own feet, and landed face first on the floor. As the room went fuzzy and then dark around him, the last thing that Andrew saw was Xander kneeling down beside him, his lips drawn into a thin worried frown. In the split second before he lost consciousness, Andrew's heart felt warm and safe- like someone was giving it a long overdue hug- and he decided that when he came to, he'd tell Xander *everything*.
The end
To be continued...