It's A Spell
Xander stepped into Willow's room and closed the door behind him. Willow was sitting cross-legged on her bed waiting for him. "Okay, *what* happened?" She asked, her tone curious but concerned.Xander groaned and began pacing back and forth across the room. Abruptly, he paused, "It started when you brought Andrew back here... you know, when you caught him at the butcher's?"
Willow nodded, "Yeah, I remember," she smiled proudly, "I pushed him up against the wall in the alley, and he was all 'please don't flay me'," Xander frowned at Willow, and she stopped smiling. She cleared her throat and continued calmly, "Go on," she said.
"Well, remember, Anya and I... tied him up?" Xander said, starting to pace again.
"Yeah," Willow said, regarding Xander curiously.
Xander sighed and collapsed onto the bed beside Willow with his legs hanging over the side. He covered his face with his hands. "He was so..." Xander removed his hands from his face and folded them behind his head. "Wills, he was so pale... like- like milk, and he kept pouting and looking up at me with those big eyes..."
Willow lay back beside him, "So, you're saying... you thought he was cute?"
Xander sighed, "I don't know," he said, "Is that what I'm saying?"
Willow shrugged, "I think that's what you're saying," she said. "So then what? ...You said something about the bathroom?" She raised her eyebrows, waiting.
Xander blushed, "Oh, right..." He rolled over onto his stomach, and propped his head up on his hands, "Well, I kept hearing what Andrew was saying... wrong... and it got me all flustered..."
"You were listening to Andrew talking?" Willow asked, confused, "Why was he talking in the bathroom?"
Xander shook his head, "Uh, no, this was before the bathroom." Willow nodded in understanding and Xander continued, "We were talking in the living room, and I kept hearing him wrong."
Willow frowned, "Like what?"
"Like... he'd say something like 'would you miss me', and I'd hear, 'would you kiss me'," Xander looked up at Willow, who was smiling at him knowingly. "What?" he asked.
"Xan," she said, "you have a *crush* on him!"
"What?" Xander sat up, "No, I..." he scratched his head, "Do I?"
Willow rolled her eyes, "Come on! I know guys are a *little* slow when it comes to emotions," she teased, "but you think he's cute, you're imagining him saying *naughty* things to you... I mean, practically all that's left is for you to start thinking about him when you... you know..." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Xander blushed and fidgeted, "Well, I never got to tell you what happened in the bathroom..."
Willow smacked his shoulder playfully, "Xander!" Xander grinned sheepishly. Willow continued teasingly, "And after that you went downstairs for some snuggles?"
Xander frowned, "Well, no," he conceded. "Actually, I was thinking about... um..." he fidgeted, "Maybe... tying him up again."
Willow's eyes widened, "Um, okay... Xan, I'm startin' to think that you might have a crush on *restraints*..." she said. Xander opened his mouth to say something, but Willow cut him off, "But I'm gonna just keep pretending that I don't know that about you, kay?"
Xander frowned and looked at his friend carefully, "Are you weirded out by this? I mean, the me liking Andrew?" he asked, "Because I think *I'm* a little weirded out."
Willow sighed, "Well, Xan, I have to admit that this isn't a conversation I envisioned having with you... you know, *ever*."
Xander shrugged, "Yeah, me neither." He lay back down, "I *really* never thought about it before now... I know that's probably a little hard to believe."
Willow lay down beside him, resting her head on Xander's arm. "No, I understand," she said, "I never really thought about it either... until..."
"Tara?" Xander offered. Willow smiled sadly and gave an almost imperceptible nod. "But Tara was special," Xander said, "Andrew's... well, Andrew."
"You don't think Andrew's special?" Willow asked.
"Well he does know more about *everything* science fiction related than *I* do..." Xander said.
"Well, that's special," Willow said, "Isn't it?"
"Actually," Xander conceded, "I'd say it's really more *annoying* than special."
Willow nodded, silently agreeing, "But there's got to be something..." she narrowed her eyes, "Xander, this isn't just about... you know, that thing that I'm pretending I don't know about you... is it?"
Xander chuckled, "No," he said. "Well, I mean, it was at first... or at least I thought it was..." He sighed, "But then..."
"Hm?" Willow prompted, "*But then* what?" she teased.
"But then he fell asleep and curled up next to me..." Xander trailed off.
Willow poked him playfully, "Hey, I thought you said you were asleep when the snuggles happened."
"Well, I was," Xander said defensively, "For most of it." Willow propped her head up and looked at him expectantly. "We were watching the movie, and he fell asleep," Xander explained, "I was watching him sleep for a while, and he was so... so peaceful, and..." he shrugged, "And beautiful."
Willow smiled, "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Xander went on, "But he had his head all crunched over to one side- ," Xander demonstrated the uncomfortable position, "-and I didn't want him to wake up with a kink in his neck, so I shuffled closer to move him..." Xander paused, letting the image of what had happened play over in his mind, ~My hand reaching out and touching Andrew's neck; the skin soft and smooth like butter. He sighs in his sleep as I trace a line from jaw to collar bone. His mouth pulling into that damned pout, even in his sleep, when I pulled my hand away... And then he was curling into my side, knitting our bodies together like puzzle pieces. A perfect fit, a perfect match~.
Willow stared at him, waiting. "And then what?" she smiled, "Instead of waking him up you decided to take him as your snuggle-buddy?"
Xander roused from his reverie, and chuckled. "Well, he kind of just curled up beside me... and it was comfy," Xander grinned sheepishly, "So I just fell asleep."
"I knew it looked comfy," Willow sighed triumphantly. She patted Xander's shoulder, "Your first gay crush..." she cooed, "I'm so proud."
Xander snorted, "I don't know if having a crush on *Andrew* is anything to be proud about," he said.
"Aw, Xan," Willow said softly, "It's okay if you think he's special... sure he's a little strange... and annoying... and he did used to be evil-," Xander raised his eyebrows. Willow frowned. "My point is," she continued, "That despite all that, he's special... *to you*."
Xander sighed, "But why?" he asked, "I don't understand what-," abruptly, he sat up, "Oh!" he exclaimed, "It's a spell!" Xander nodded, "Yeah... yeah, it's some sort of... gay love spell gone terribly wrong..." He frowned down at Willow, who was regarding him with amusement. "Okay," he conceded, "It's not a spell." He flopped back down onto the bed and sighed, "But I've been straight for... *all my life*. It's just a little hard to believe... that, well, all of a sudden I'm not."
Willow smiled at him, completely understanding, "I know," she said, "Everything feels all mixed up, right?" she asked, "Like all of a sudden you're this different person... and- and even though it feels *right*, it still doesn't make any sense."
Xander nodded in agreement, "Yeah, and- and I keep thinking... what about Anya?" he frowned, "I mean, I *was* in love with her, wasn't I? That wasn't a lie, was it?"
"No, of course it wasn't a lie," Willow said soothingly, "I was in love with Oz... And you." She sat up beside Xander, and put her arm around his broad shoulders to comfort him, "What I feel *now* doesn't change how I felt *then*."
Xander sighed, "You're pretty smart," he said, leaning in and placing a friendly kiss on the top of Willow's head. "Did you figure this all out by yourself?" he asked.
"Are you kidding?" Willow asked incredulously, "I'm still figuring stuff out." She smiled sadly again, "Tara helped a lot. She always knew what to say, and it always made sense." Her smile broadened, "Well, it made sense to *me* at least," she conceded.
Xander closed his eyes suddenly, and took a deep breath, "Oh..." he said.
"What?" Willow asked curiously.
"I think I figured it out," he said, "Why I... like Andrew." Willow raised her eyebrows expectantly. "It has to do with the Ferengi rules of acquisition," he explained.
Willow cocked her head to the side, confused, "Oh?" she said.
"It's kinda complicated," Xander said.
"Well, that's okay," Willow nodded and smiled, "As long as it makes sense to *you*," she said.
"It does," Xander shrugged, "Well, I mean it's starting to... and that's good, right?"
"Right," Willow agreed, "Very good in fact." She grinned playfully, "So now what?" she teased, "Are ya gonna tie him up and make him your full time snuggle-buddy?" Xander quirked an eyebrow, and Willow blushed, "Oh," she said, embarrassed, "I didn't mean... let's pretend I didn't mention tying him up, okay?"
Xander chuckled, "Sure Wills," he said, "Can we pretend you didn't say *snuggle-buddy* too?"
"Uh-uh," she laughed, "You two all snugly on the couch? That was just too cute for words."
Xander groaned, "Well if it was *so* cute, why didn't you take a picture?"
Willow bit her lip, trying not to laugh, "Anya wouldn't let us," she conceded.
Xander flopped onto his back again, and covered his face with his hands, "Is it possible to *actually* die of embarrassment?" he demanded.
Willow smiled and patted his shoulder reassuringly, "Maybe on the Hell Mouth," she conceded.
Xander whimpered.