Sibling Rivalry
Rated TEEN
Written for Redrayne717
Angel could have beaten his head against a brick wall as he listened to the familiar fight.
"Bloody hell, I'm going to rip you limb from limb."
"Just try, blondie bear," Xander sing-songed the hated nickname.
"Don't go there," Spike snapped back, his yellowed eyes shining in the dark.
"Oooo, scary monster. Oh, wait, I can do that too," Xander smirked and then flashed into his own game face and staring back in challenge.
"Ya really are a retard if you think you're winnin' this one."
"You may think I'm one but I'm really one. Wait. That came out wrong," Xander stumbled over the words. "You're one. You're really one, as in a retard, even though that's not a very nice thing to say."
Spike would have answered but he was too busy laughing so hard that his breath came in strangled snorts, and he nearly toppled backwards off the arm of the chair where he perched with the game controller in hand.
"If you two don't stop fighting, I'm going to--" Angel left his threat hanging in the air as he stood in the doorway to the game room wearing just his pajama bottoms and a fierce scowl.
"As the boy would say, chill out, Peaches," Spike smirked as he sat up and hit the unpause button while Xander was temporarily distracted by the sight of curving sire muscles and a strong sire chest. Angel looked down at the boy and felt that surge of possessiveness and power from his demon even as his soul felt something closer to love. A series of musical beeps announced that the game had a winner.
"Hell, yes!" Spike crowed as his pixilated warrior completed his threat by pulling the limbs off Xander's troll.
"Hey no fair! That so does not count."
"Bloody hell, we're demons--fair isn't in our vocabulary."
"It is in mine, and that... that is so not fair!" Xander snarled as he stood up and stepped right into Spike's personal space so that he could glower down at the blond who now sprawled across the arm and over the back of the overstuffed red chair.
"Cry me a soddin' river," Spike growled.
"Did I not just tell you to stop fighting?" Angel demanded stepping into the room with his own eyes beginning to swirl with yellow. Since Xander was closest, Angel's fingers wrapped around the back of his youngest childe's neck, pulling him away.
"Angel!" Xander cried out even as his body followed without protest, his hand coming up to rest on the small of Angel's back as Angel moved him into a headlock. "It's Spike's fault!"
"I don't care whose fault it is or who started it. I'm ending it, and I'm ending it right now." Angel turned toward the door, dragging his youngest childe, although Xander's slowness came from clumsy feet rather than reluctance. "Coming Spike?" Angel asked at the door. For a brief moment Spike remained sprawled, watching with yellow eyes and a stunned expression.
"Yeah, better 'n playing this rot, anyway," Spike said casually as he pushed himself up and went to follow.
"Oh, boyo. If you aren't sure, it's been too long," Angel said as he gave his older childe a prurient look.
Spike just snorted. "Feelin' a bit sure of yourself, aren't you?" he asked as he glided by on his way down the hall to Angel's bedroom. For one second, Angel felt cold rage wash through him, until he recognized the sashay of Spike's rolling gait, the invitation in the hips. Then he smiled.
"Xander," Angel said softly, "Spike and I may get a little rough, but I don't want you to think I would ever hurt him." Angel let his youngest up, and Xander stood, his hair ruffled from being manhandled and his eyes still flashing with sparks of yellow. "I don't want you to think I would hurt you."
Angel recognized that sudden closed expression, the one that made Angelus want to beat the insecurities out of Xander and that made Angel want to beat the people who put the insecurities in his childe in the first place. He sighed at seeing that expression again after so many years.
"What thought is running through that brain of yours, boy?" Angel demanded, and Xander's eyes slid off to the side, exploring the pattern on the wallpaper.
"I just." Xander stopped.
"Childe, say it," Angel demanded in his strongest voice.
"I wish I was good enough to fight with," Xander blurted, and then blushed. Angel hadn't realized a vampire could blush before he met Xander. He reached up and cupped Xander's chin, pulling his head up so Angel could look straight into the now-brown eyes.
"My soul... it sometimes means I don't see things. I forget you don't have a soul," Angel said as he looked into eyes that now stared at his chin, refusing to meet his gaze. "I didn't think you would want to fight; I forgot you're a demon," Angel admitted, and now Xander glanced up.
"You don't think I'm..." Xander stopped.
"I think you're a strong vampire, a worthy childe who would make a dangerous enemy," Angel answered the unspoken question, and Xander's eyes flashed yellow. Angel felt a stab of guilt at that expression. If he let his demon, and Xander's demon, have their way, he would have to suffer the guilt of seeing Xander's skin bruised and torn, the younger vampire lying half-drained and helpless, but if he didn't, he risked his childe's self esteem. Xander brought joy into his life and taught him to avoid insanity, but Angel never had to fear perfect happiness.
"Go on then, boy, get in that room," Angel ordered as he released Xander's face and slapped his hip. Xander flashed him a smile with more than a little fang before he hurried down the hall to the bedroom door where Spike had already disappeared. Angel watched him go and collected his thoughts for a moment before following after. It was time to show his boys who was in charge in this hotel. And despite that little nagging twinge of guilt, Angel intended to enjoy the lesson.