Research Session
                                 by Cathryn

TITLE: "Research Session"
AUTHOR: Cathryn (SpikeDchs@aol.com)
DISTRIBUTION: Love's Bitch, Belynda's Slash Archive, Xander and Deadboy.
Otherwise, please ask.
RATING: R - adult themes and all that good stuff.
SUMMARY: Giles cross-examines Xander over some mysterious injuries.
COUPLE: Xander/Angelus, sorta . . . just read it.
NOTES: This story takes place the morning after "Late." Also, it's
potentially offensive to some people. Like most of my stuff. You know the
drill.
DEDICATED: To Michelle and WillowSlay, 'cause I was so mean about torturing
them . . . and it's not over yet, luvs . . .
DISCLAIMER: It's all joss. Except, of course, for Bradley Chalkers, who
belongs to Louis Sachar. And if you don't get the reference, feel free to
ask. =)

Giles glanced up absently as Xander walked into the library, then took a
startled second look as two things registered simultaneously. First, Xander
was walking with an awkward, stilted step. Second, his lower lip looked
somehow swollen - bitten?

"Xander?" he asked. "Are you all right?"

"What?" Xander slid carefully into a chair, wincing as his ass came in
contact with the seat. Something about his pained expression nipped at
Giles's memory, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Are you all right?" he repeated, sitting down across from the teen. Xander
gave him an annoyed look and replied with false patience,

"Giles. I'm fine. I told you that already."

"Yes, well, your assurances were less than." Giles took the opportunity to
get a good look at Xander's lip - it *was* bitten. "What happened to your
lip?" Xander's response sounded glib and rehearsed - which, in point of
fact, it was.

"I slipped, fell on my butt, and almost bit my lip off."

Giles raised an eyebrow. "I see."

Xander shifted position on the chair, trying to get as far from sitting on
his butt as he possibly could. "Ask my mom if you don't believe me," he
retorted, annoyed with himself for falling back on such a Bradley Chalkers
tactic.

"Xander," Giles said gently, "if whatever is going on is causing you
physical injury, perhaps it would be best for you to at least talk about
it."

"*Giles*," Xander said, biting out each word, his voice dangerously low, "I
already told you. I slipped. *Back* *off.*"

Giles who had been leaning forward, sat back to give Xander a little bit of
mental breathing space. He didn't want to push the boy, but he had gone
from seriously concerned to genuinely worried.

Xander shifted some more in his chair as the pain began to spread itself
out once more, then started to stand, only to discover that maybe that
wasn't such a hot idea. Although his mind had been busy being angry with
Giles, his body had been happily remembering the source of his pain.
Needless to say, the part that had been doing the most remembering was his
now-erect cock. Annoyance level sufficiently increased, Xander swore under
his breath and sat back down.

Not, of course, before Giles caught a glimpse of his little problem. The
memory suddenly snapped into place: Xander's posture reminded him of his
own after a particularly - ahem - vigorous session with Ethan.

"Who is it?" he asked before he had even realized he was going to speak.
Xander looked at him sharply, then tried to put on an innocent face.

"Who's who?" he asked, trying for casually interested but not quite making
it.

A game. Lovely. Giles was not in the mood. He replied evenly, a hint of
Ripper leaking out,

"Who is it who is fucking you so hard you can scarcely sit down?"

Xander blinked at him, shocked by both Giles's abrupt revelation and the
language coming from the staid librarian's mouth. Giles stared back at him
coolly, waiting.

Eventually, the faculties of speech returned to Xander - somewhat - and he
began to babble,

"It - I, um . . . No one. That, um, th- that you would know." Oh, yeah.
*Nice* cover!

Giles wanted to press further, but a student walked into the library. Giles
suppressed a sigh and stood, saying,

"May I help you?"

"Yeah, uh, I have this project - oh, hey, Xander."

"Hey, Lar." Sighing, Xander mentally took evaluated the situation, decided
it was safe to stand, and did so. Giles said quickly,

Xander, I expect to see you here this evening, at eight. I, uh, need some
help in the library." Seeing Xander prepare to object, he continued, "And
if you do not arrive promptly, it's a double Saturday detention." If he
couldn't get further information from the boy, at least he could buy him
time to heal a little.

Larry shot Xander a sympathetic, that's-harsh-man look. Xander responded
with a what-can-you-do eyeroll and stalked as best he could out of the
library without answering Giles.

Larry watched Xander's stiff movements curiously, then turned back to the
librarian, who was also watching Xander's departure with an expression that
defied classification. < "Help in the library", huh? > Larry speculated. <
I just bet. >

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