Is It Hot in Here?

For: kskitten
Rating: R
Request: Spike teaching Buffy how to cook, NC-17!

Response: Set just after 'Gone' in Season 6. As requested, Spike delivers cooking lessons.



“What’s that smell, Slayer?”

Spike senses serious tension in the air, along with a strange burnt smell. Buffy answers with a sigh.

Spike closes the kitchen door behind him and lounges against the kitchen counter.

Buffy is leaning over, peering into the oven and trying desperately to ignore Spike. And the way that shirt brings out the blue in his eyes. She grimaces and lets the oven door slam closed.

“It was supposed to be a nice healthy dinner for me and Dawn. Instead, it’s charcoal. I guess I did something wrong...” She pushes a hand through her already messy hair.

Spike’s expression softens as he looks at his tense Slayer. He pushes away from the counter and goes toward the refrigerator, slinging the door open. Buffy watches as Spike starts dumping all kinds of vegetables on the counter.

“Um, there’s blood on the bottom shelf, Spike...”

Bending over, Spike rummages further and finally grins in satisfaction as he pulls a package of ground beef out and slaps it down. “Not looking for blood, love. Looking for dinner.”

He heads to the pantry, returning with a package of spaghetti and a can of tomatoes.

“Let’s start simple. Spaghetti with meat sauce and a salad. Sound good?”

Entire face scrunched in confusion, Buffy nods. Spike whips off his leather duster and tosses it on a kitchen chair. Buffy feels her whole body tighten as he starts to roll up the sleeves on his button-down shirt. She loves watching the muscles rippling in his forearms more than she should. He puts a saucepan full of water over a high flame. Grabbing the cutting board and knife Buffy had out, he starts chopping an onion.

“You’re cooking for us?” Her voice is quiet, full of something undefinable.

“No, love, I’m teaching you. Come here.” Spike’s tone is kind, any teasing gone for the moment. Buffy bites her lip, tears welling suddenly.

When she doesn’t move, Spike glances up. “It’s the onions, pet. It gets easier.” After a few seconds of chopping, he notices she still hasn’t moved.

“Right. Um. Onions.” Buffy wipes her eyes with the back of her hand and comes over to stand next to him. “My, uh, mother never did get a chance to teach me to cook, you know.” Her tone is casual. Spike realizes it wasn’t the onions at all. “What should I do?”

Spike decides not to push her. “Pour a little olive oil in the pan, Slayer. Put it on medium low.”

“Medium or Low?” She squints at the options on the dial.

“Medium low.”

“Huh?”

Spike chuckles and turns around, putting his hand over hers on the dial and turning it to the low end of medium. The warmth of her skin beneath his draws his eyes to meet hers. She answers, voice very soft, eye contact constant. “Oh.”

Buffy moves her hand out from under Spike’s, but doesn’t move away from him. In fact, she moves closer, until she bumps against his chest lightly. His mouth turns up in a slight grin at the glint in Buffy’s eyes. All of a sudden, the heat in the kitchen has nothing to do with the stove. Her hands start to undo the buttons of his shirt quickly.

“Right here, pet?”

“Mm-hmm.” She focuses on her task as her head bobs yes. He doesn’t argue.

“At least I can see you today.” Spike leans down, lips on her neck in an instant. He murmurs into her skin, “Where’s the Bit?”

“Not home for an hour.” Buffy moans quietly as she gets Spike’s shirt open and runs her hands over the ripples of his abs. In the space of twenty seconds, both of them are mostly naked and pressed against the island. Spike hoists Buffy easily to sit on the counter and makes short work of the rest of her clothes. He drags his tongue from her navel, up her breastbone and around to the side of her neck as Buffy locks her legs around his back, squirming in delight.

Spike hears a noise and glances behind him. “Water’s boiling.”

“It can wait.” Buffy pulls Spike’s face to hers. “You’re still going to teach me, though, right?”

“Absolutely, pet. In fact, let me show you an old trick right now.” His grin is completely wicked as he starts to lower his head down her body, tongue curled.

In the next second, Buffy gasps, fingers clutching the counter. The cooking lesson can definitely wait.