Chapter 16: The Sweet Tradition
The cafeteria was fully packed with starving teenagers. They patiently lined up for their turn and once in a while peered at the displayed food in the steel counter. Buffy and the gang sat in their regular spot, chatting and laughing while shoving the tedious cafeteria food into their empty stomaches. Willow and Buffy poked and played around with their food. Xander did not really care about what kinds of ingredients had been put into the meal as long as he was well fed. Spike kept snatching Buffy's fries and eventually she pushed her plate to him.
"OOH…I want to propose a toast," Willow chimed in. The rest turned to look at the perky redhead in interest. "Since tomorrow is Buffy's birthday, I want to propose a toast. May tomorrow be Buffy's perfect day for once." She lifted her can of soda up and the rest soon joined her.
"Cheers!" They called out in unison.
Everyone knew that in the last three years, Buffy always had a disaster birthday. She thought she might be cursed. Three years ago, she went to get a hair cut before her party. Alas, her hair was entirely ruined by the new and inexperienced hairdresser. She had cried the whole day and wished that she did not have to attend her own party. The gang managed to persuade her in the end, after complementing her new look until their mouths foamed.
Then, two years earlier and just two hours before her party, Scott Hope, who was Buffy's boyfriend at the moment, broke up with her because of his coming out. Spike was absolutely furious at her ex. He did not have anything against homosexuality. But the way Scott broke the news on Buffy's birthday made Spike's blood boil with anger. Despite Buffy's protest of confronting her ex, Spike left Scott with purple bruises on his left eye and jaw.
Last year's birthday was possibly as much her fault when she unintentionally left a solution boiling above a burner for too long and caused the chemistry lab to explode. She ended up cleaning the entire lab and three days detention, much to Snyder's amusement.
"So Buffy, what do you wish most for a present this year?" Willow brought Buffy out of her reminiscence.
She startled slightly then answered nonchalantly, "Oh. Um, I wish I could get my own car this year."
Everyone who was drinking their sodas choked on her respond. "Hey!" Buffy pouted, feeling hurt by her friends' reactions.
Spike, after recovering from his cough, finally spoke, "Luv, you don't even have a driving license yet".
"So I'm going to get one. It's that simple" She shrugged casually.
The gang chuckled in unison. Xander rolled his eyes heavenward, "Oh let's pray for the driver constructor, my brother." Willow giggled while Spike chuckled again. Buffy frowned and kicked Xander's shin under table. "Owww! You know, for such a little girl like you, you've really got some power in you." Xander scolded, rubbing his now sore shin.
Buffy snorted unladylike, then retorted, "and for such a so-called best friend like you, you really know how to make a friend feel better."
"M'afraid I have to disagree with you, pet. Remember when I tried to teach you drive illegally last year, you almost ran my car right through your neighbour's living room. We were fortunate enough that ol' lady didn't give you a hard time...or sue you even." Spike chuckled again as he reminisced the memory when Buffy's old neighbour fainted in shock before she could yap at her. And by the time she recovered, all damages were fixed and she didn't remember anything that happened beforehand, thanked to her senility.
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She smiled broadly at his sleeping state. He hardly ever slept lying on his back. His face was so innocent and childlike. The way his head turned somewhat facing her, his eyes shut tightly and his lips pouted slightly, made him incredibly cute. Her smile grew wider as an insane idea came to mind. She always thought his eyelashes were illegally long and thick. She had been itching to curl and enhance those lashes. Quietly, she open her bag to find her cosmetic purse. Finding brown mascara, she unscrewed its tip while suppressing her giggles. She carefully and slowly brought the brush to his eyelids and applied it on each eyelash.
'Oh this is gonna be fun. Spike is sooo going to be pissed off.' Buffy puckered her lips tightly, struggling over her laughter. As she finished fastening the mascara's cap, out of the blue, Spike grabbed her right arm with one hand and her waist with the other. In a swift motion, he laid her on the mattress and him on top of her. Buffy shrieked at the sudden movement, never seeing it coming.
"You know what they say, NEVER trust a sleeping figure. You never know what they're really doing." He smirked down at her, his hands gripping her wrists and pinning them above her head.
"You pretended to be sleep, didn't you?!? You jerk!" Buffy accused him in a high-pitched voice.
"Well, I was until y-" Spike cut his sentence off with a groan and eyes rolling back as she wiggled her thighs under him, struggling to be free. He instantly weighed his own thighs on top of hers to keep her still. "Oh come on Spike, lemme go! Or I'll-"
"Or you'll what, luv? Lick me to death?" He smirked again, knowing that this time she couldn't escape from his grasp.
Buffy lay still, staring dumbfounded at him as she contemplated his statement. 'I was gonna go with kicking your crotch, but licking you to death sounds much, much better...hmm...Spike popsicle...' For a long moment, she imagined herself licking at a Spike-shaped ice cream fully from bottom to top. Flickering her tongue up and down, devouring its sweetness and coolness…hmm…'Arrghh…what the hell am I thinking?!?'
"Stop it!" She snapped herself out of her haze almost too harshly. Spike immediately loosened his grip, afraid if he might have hurt her.
"Stop what, Buff?" His blue orbs searched for frightened eyes in her. Buffy finally realized that she had said the word aloud.
"Uhh…n-nothing. Sorry, I-I was talking to myself." She looked down, unable to meet his gaze.
He cocked his head to one side, watching her flushing face for a while. His lips began to curve into a trademark grin. "Were you just thinking of me, pet?"
She rolled her eyes overdramatically. "Oh please. Don't flatter yourself…Wait, as a matter of fact I was. You know why? Because right now, your eyelashes really go with the brown mascara I've applied." She giggled at his widened eyes. The brown liquid had not dried when he open his eyes for the first time, causing it to blotch on his lower eye lines.
"You're going to pay for this, Summers!" He growled, eyes narrowing into slits, menacing down at her.
"Oh really? What are you gonna do?" She challenged in a mocking tone. An evil smirk formed across his features.
"Oh I'll think of something. No need to worry, luv."
"Uh-oh. I-I don't like that sound at all. Y-You're not going to make me do something unbelievably ridiculous, are you?" Her hazel eyes filled with alarm.
"Well, you'll just have to wait and see." He singsong as he neared his face towards hers. His cocky smirk was gone when he realized they were only inches away. He could hear her breaths turn into pants, mirroring his own.
Buffy's eyes were wide open, her heart pounding uncontrollably. His face was too close, in spite of her comfort. His eyes were hooded, filled with lust and his hot breath tickled her face, sending tingles throughout her body.
Spike stared at her slightly open mouth, then back to her eyes, searching for anticipation in them. He brought his face closer to hers, slowly but steadily.
She panicked in horror but at the same time waited with intensity. With a mere inch away from each other's lips, both of them froze. A knock was heard from the front door. They kept eyeing each other as they pondered their next actions.
'Go away, go away, go away!' Spike mutely chanted his annoyance. To his dismay, the knock got louder and more frequent. A yell from a young man's lips soon followed.
"Spike!! You there? Come on, we're gonna be late."
Spike sighed in disappointment. "Bollocks!" He muttered. In a flash, he jumped from the bed and strode crossly towards the front door.
Buffy let out the breath that she did not realize she'd been holding on. Her heart still pounded furiously but the beat was now slowing down. She quickly stood up, grabbed her bag and left his house after saying brief goodbyes to both men.
Xander watched her retreating form with a frown. "Boy is she in a hurry." Then he looked back at his best friend, tilting his head to one side and squinting his eyes. "Are you wearing mascara?"
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"I'm going to bed now. Night, mum!" Buffy kissed her mother's cheek.
"Night, honey. I love you." Joyce looked up from her reading and smiled. The petite blond shouted "I love you" back over her shoulder, ascending the stairs.
Buffy stared at her bedroom's window. "Would he come tonight?" She asked no one in particular. "Maybe…maybe not." She answered herself. Sighing, she unlocked her window and lifted it open a little. She subsequently switched the light off and slipped under her comforter.
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The neighbourhood was quiet and dimly lit, only a few dogs' barks could be heard. A black clad figure was moving cautiously. He glanced around the area before standing at the ladder that lay against the wall. Slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder attentively, he started climbing the ladder as inaudibly as possible. Once he reached the top of it, he lifted the slightly open window and dropped the bag carefully on the floor. He hopped inside. Almost stumbling over discarded items on the carpet, he muttered curses. "Bloody hell!"
Since the room was nearly pitch black, he had to feel every object he found, fishing the contents of the bag out one by one. Occasionally he glanced at the sleeping form in the bed with the aid of moonlight, hoping he hadn't woken her. Once he prepared everything, he stalked around the bed and kneeled in front of the sleeping figure. The alarm clock read exactly 12.00 A.M.
"Wake up, Goldilocks! I've got something for you," Spike whispered softly, hoping to awaken her and not to wake Joyce up from the other room at the same time. Buffy stirred at the low voice, she squinted her eyes as soon as she was greeted by a bright light from a candle. She blinked once, twice, in attempt to adjust to the blaze in her dark room.
"Hey…you came." She flashed him a lazy smile, rubbing her eyes from drowsiness before she raised her upper body with the support of her elbows. Then she fully sat up.
"Course I came. You know we've been doing this for years." He smirked and gave a wink. Standing, he moved to sit on the bed, facing her while presenting the black-forest tart with a 4-inch diameter.
White soft cream embroidered the top edge of the cake with four fresh cherries planted firmly in equal distance on it. Shaved dark chocolate was arranged delicately on the top and a single lit candle with pink swirls coating the white wax stood straight in the middle of the chocolate cake. More tiny chocolate pieces decorated and covered the outer side of the tart with the help of identical cream, causing Buffy to drool when she observed the whole cake.
"Ooh…black forest! I love black forest…" She exclaimed excitedly, her face lit up and enhanced by the bright glow. Spike grinned from ear to ear at her childlike reaction.
"I know, pet. You told me on your last birthday." He stated. She smiled cheerfully at him, then looked back at the mouth-wateringly tartlet.
Spike and Buffy had made a birthday routine ever since her twelfth birthday. He would come at midnight by climbing over her window, which was intentionally unlocked and opened slightly by Buffy. He'd also bring a small cake, enough for the two of them to eat, two plastic forks, a candle and of course, a birthday present. The funny thing was, nobody knew about this. Not even Xander or Willow. And not even Joyce, the only person who lived under the same roof with Buffy and whose room was only on the other side of the hall.
"Well, come on. Close your pretty hazel eyes and make a wish." He urged her while still holding the cake with his two hands. Buffy obeyed him and closed her eyes for a long minute. Spike watched her intently. She looked so beautiful at that moment, even though her hair was tousled. Her face glowed vibrantly and she looked absolutely like an angel. He smiled to himself.
Buffy opened her eyes and saw him staring at her. She ducked her head slightly, suddenly feeling shy. Then she blew the candle out softly and the room once again went pitch-black. She reached for her nightstand and searched for a bedside light switch. The room beamed brighter than before. Buffy found Spike with his eyes still fixed on her. A soft pink blush began creeping across her cheeks.
"The cake looks delicious. D-do you bring forks with you? I-I can't wait to try it." She piped up nervously. Spike finally snapped out of his haze and set the cake down on the nightstand.
"Yeah, sure. Give me a sec." He stood up, strolled towards his bag that was near the window, and brought it to her. Digging inside it, he searched for the forks and the gift he had prepared for her. He grinned widely when he pulled out a medium square, velvet box. "Happy birthday, Buffy," said Spike as he stuck the box out to her. Buffy open the box curiously. Her eyes widened when she saw the content of it. She looked back at him, agape.
"Spike, this is beautiful." She stared down again at the silver necklace that was set charmingly in a circle. It was simple, which was why Buffy liked it. A flower-shaped pendant was filled with five white gems, each on every petal and an additional similar stone added on the centre of the flower. She traced the silver chain with the tip of her index finger, then onto the pendant lovingly.
"I know it's nothing compared to your grandmother's bracelet…" His voice trailed off.
"No, it's as beautiful as my grandma's bracelet. And I love it. Thank you." She leaned forward to give a tight hug. Spike, accepting her embrace, ran his hand down smoothly on her golden locks.
"Your welcome." He inhaled her vanilla scent and exhaled his response. As she pulled back, Spike cupped her cheek still and caressed his thumb over the soft skin, his eyes bore into hers. Buffy's hazel eyes stretched wider, searching for anticipation in his. Strangely, he came to his senses in a brief moment and pulled back from her. He grabbed the box and took the necklace, holding it in the air as he said, "C'mere. Let me see if this necklace is worthy enough to be around your lovely neck." He gestured her to lean forward again. Buffy blushed at his statement but complied anyway. After he unlatched the hook, he also bent over her and encircled the jewellery around her neck. The scent of her filled his nostrils stronger as his nose was only an inch away from the crook of her neck. He was concentrating his hardest in completing the task but it was quite impossible with the display of her ivory flesh, just begging to be nipped on.
Buffy, on the other hand, tried to steady her heart beat and breathe normally. She stared blankly at the empty space but sometimes stole a glance at him. Spike took much longer hooking the clasp than he intended to, much to her dismay. It was obviously uncomfortable. A similar yet bizarre commotion washed over her when she felt his warm breath brush teasingly against her neck.
After two or three more tries, Spike finally succeeded. He pulled back from her almost too abruptly. Buffy mumbled her 'thank you' again while she brushed her thumb over the pendant. He only nodded, his gaze fell on the abandoned cake on the nightstand.
"Aren't you going to try that, luv? I know you've been eyeing the cake ever since you laid your eyes on it." He joked, a smirk creeping over his features. Buffy glared playfully at him. She took the tart and a fork that Spike handed to her.
"Wait…" She put the cake back on the nightstand and bent over to reach for something under her bed. She smiled proudly when she placed a wooden bed tray between them. Spike barely managed not to arch his scarred brow.
"You keep a bed tray under your bed? Now tell me, why have I never known that?"
She rolled her eyes. "Nooo…I don't keep a bed tray under my bed. Cordy and I used it for playing cards the other day but I forgot to return it." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. She retook the cake and set it on the tray.
For fifteen minutes, the situation went back to normal. They chitchatted in a best friend manner while eating the black forest, laughed softly at each other's jokes and attempted to keep their voices down as to not awake the older Summers—at least until Buffy shushed him and stretched her small hand out to his face. She wiped delicately a tint of white cream on the corner of his mouth with her middle finger. Then she brought her finger to her own mouth and sucked the cream, devouring it in a slow motion. Her tongue tasted the exotic flavour of dairy mixed with a hint of tobacco. It was striking to her.
Spike only stared at her astonished. He stifled his groan when she sucked her own middle finger while her eyes were fixed on him. Unconsciously he swallowed hard, his tight jeans felt tighter at her action. He shifted his position as to adjust the tightness of his denim.
"Right, uhh…where were we?" He broke his gaze off of her, looking at anything else but her.
"You were saying that you went to a soccer game with Xander this afternoon." Buffy dabbed a small amount of the cream from the tart and sucked her finger again, her eyes were still fixed on him innocently. Spike's gaze fell back on her. He suppressed the grunt in his chest while he shifted his position again.
"Yeah…'course. Well, those stupid blokes kept running around after this halfback whom they believed to be the best shooter." He rolled his eyes and shook his head disbelievingly. Buffy chuckled softly, then continued eating as she intently listened to him.
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"I better go, pet. It's almost 2 already." He grabbed his bag, slung it over his shoulder and stood up. The petite blond descended the bed and followed him, heading towards the window. He pushed it upward enough for him to slip in. He leaned over, skidded across the window then landed one boot on the second top step of the ladder and the other on the third.
Buffy looked down to him from the other side of the window. "Thank you, Spike. For everything." She smiled genuinely. Spike gave a similar smile back to her.
"Anytime, pet." He winked at her before he leaned forwards and kissed her cheek. His feet started climbing down the ladder while his lips were still in contact with her cheek, rubbing down the skin and brushing lightly against her lips.
The slight touch on her lips held enough power to send tingles all over her body. Hazel eyes locked on dark blue eyes. Spike kept sliding down but his eyes remained set on hers. Once he attained the ground, he turned around and stomped away from her house, hands shoved inside his duster pockets. 'Gotta get away from here, mate. Or else God knows what I'll do,' His mind warned him as he attempted to compose himself.
The petite blond still stared down at the black clad figure. Her hands gripped the base of the window. One of them slowly reached for her lips and touched gently on the spot where Spike's had vaguely swept over.
to be continued
(A/N: Okay, I'll let you know a lil' secret here. I've been posting this story up to this chap in Spuffyarchives.com as some of you have probably known it if you look at my bio. That's why the chaps were posted every day or so. Now, I have to apologize firsthand coz I won't be able to update it every day or so since RL always gets in the way. The best I can do is probably updating it every week or two, and it also depends on how fast my beta send the chaps back to me. And I've just realized being a student of Computer Science and French studies with a lot of readings and coding to do is NOT easy. So please be patient with me, okay =) )