Title: United, Bound, Pack: Finding a Place [Buffy]
Title: United, Bound, Pack: Finding a Place
Word Count: 10,402
Challenge: polybigbang
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: The Pack: Xander/Kyle/Rhonda/Tor/Heidi, Kyle/Rhonda and Xander/Tor
Summary: They’re friends now. No one at school gets it but they are. And sometimes that means hanging out together. Doing homework in the back hard, going to the big match to support Tor and the team and everything else. But at the same time they’re more then friends, they’re Pack but between the dog piles, empathic link and hair petting they really haven’t even started to figure out what that really means. But they’re starting to.
Author's Notes: I’d love to just thank reena_jenkinsfor the wonderful art work. It really is just the coolest.
***
***
“I can’t believe he’s not going to be with us tonight.”
“Stupid boys. And we were going to work on the talent show too,” Willow complained as she walked beside Buffy, flipping through one of her school books as they walked the halls of Sunnydale high school.
“We’ll make it a girl’s night,” Buffy offered to her best friend, seeing how sad Xander’s bailing on them was making her.
“A girl’s night?” Willow asked looking up from her book, her frown lessening.
“Yeah we can share makeup tips between vampires and planning out our act. It’ll be great,” Buffy said confidently as the two entered the library.
“Okay cool,” Willow answered, smiling for real. “And this way we’ll get to pick out what we’re reading.”
“Very true. So tell me, Xander follows wrestling but just how into it does he get? Should I expect this every spring? Does he go all football crazy in the fall, like the rest of his half of the population? Because if he does we should make girls’ night a regular thing,” Buffy asked as she dropped her books onto the library table while Willow did the same.
“All three of us hate football and Larry. And Xander isn’t like all the other guys, he’s Xander,” Willow rushed to answer; making it clear Xander wasn’t like the other guys around school. “It really was just the cheerleaders really. They both always got very into the cheerleading.”
“So it is just wrestling then? Cool, I can deal with just one sport,” Buffy settled into the chair with a content look.
“Wrestling? Xander doesn’t like wrestling. Well he and Jesse used to watch the WWF but..” Willow said confused as she looked at her new friend.
“He said he was going to watch the ‘big meet’ tonight so I sorta guessed he enjoyed wrestling because I can’t see why anyone else would want to watch two men grappling on the ground in skin tight clothing their hands going everywhere…” Buffy slowly trailed off, imagining the scene in her mind. “Well maybe.”
“Oh, Buffy there you are.”
“Giles!” Buffy said with a start, jumping as she spun toward the library stacks where she spotted her Watcher, loading down with books as usual.
“Is something wrong?” Giles asked worried as made his way down the steps, off loading the books at the main table.
“Ah-“ Buffy hesitated, not waiting to talk about wrestling with Giles, at all.
“No, we were just talking about a new computer program; you know for Ms. Calendar and didn’t hear you. It’s really it’s just a great program, you should try it,” Willow said over excited as she nodded her head rapidly. Her wide eyes glued to the Watcher.
“A computer program?” Giles asked Buffy, raising an eyebrow over his glasses as he looked at the blond.
“It’s really nifty,” Buffy said sarcastically.
“I see. Try not to let the computer program distract you when you patrol later,” Giles told her before heading into his office, “And until sundown we can work on going through these books, see if we can find out anything more about what may have taken that poor girls heart. I’ll just grab some more books,” he added before vanishing into his office.
“That was almost mortifying, but now I want to go to the big meet. I think it’s going to be more fun then taking out a bunch of vamps to stupid to get out of town,” Buffy complained before adding another complaint, “And a computer program?”
“It would distract me,” Willow said with a frown at Buffy’s look, “computers are great. And anyways I’m sure Xander’s not going to watch wrestling meet for the, to well,” Willow said pointing her hand at Buffy trying to find the right word.
“Hot guys, spandex,” Buffy supplied.
“Right, I mean wrong, he’s not going for that, maybe he and Jesse used to go? They did stuff without me sometimes,” Willow said looking sad as she said her other best friend’s name again.
“Maybe they have cheerleaders at the ‘big meets’,” Buffy offered, giving her friend an encouraging smile, “we can drop by and find out later.”
“Oh, if Cordelia’s there can you let the Vampire chase her before you stake it?” Willow asked, her face brightening up.
“Maybe, I might be distracted,” Buffy suggested, grinning, until she saw the stack Giles was carrying.
***
***
“You had to deal with a demonic robot?”
Xander had to admit it did sound rather ridiculous. But then he’d accepted that much of his life seemed ridiculous.
Like where he was right now. Six month, heck six weeks, ago if anyone had told him he’d been in Tor’s back yard working on his art homework with the wrestler’s head resting on him while the man did his reading for civics as Heidi took a nap on his other side, using his leg as pillow. Yeah, ridiculous didn’t even begin to cover it before he add in the demon in a robot, and on that note. “It was more like a demon in a robot then a demonic robot.”
“There’s a difference?”
Tor did have a good question…but the robot wasn’t a demon, it was just controlled by one, that was different right? He might have to ask G-man about that, “Probably. I hope I never have to find out really,” Once was more then enough.
“Why didn’t you call us? We could’ve helped,” The tone in Tor’s voice make it very clear that Tor wasn’t happy about not getting to help, and even without the group’s link Xander wouldn’t have missed it.
Not that the link helped him respond to it. Damn why hadn’t he… “It happened so fast. I mean once we knew it wasn’t just normal weirdness but a demon Wills was missing and we were scrabbling,” but damn if he had though of asking for their help maybe they could have gotten to Willow’s place faster then he and Buffy had…maybe. No, stop, she’s safe Xander, it’s over.
Xander was so in his thought he missed Tor’s comment, what had the other teen said? “Hu?”
“He said next time call,” came Heidi’s voice from near Xander’s feet with the answer.
And really Xander got it. He didn’t like being left out either. “If there is anything you guys can do, then I will.”
“Xander-“ And Tor’s tone or glare wasn’t going to change his mind…well other then piss him off. He barely tolerated Kyle’s questions and he didn’t stand the glares. No way was he going to put up with it from Tor.
He felt the familiar feeling of responding to a challenge rising up along with the growl within moment. Xander didn’t fight it, which never worked anyways, but directed it. And with in the space of a few heartbeats Tor’s head went from resting on his hip to being pressed into the ground by Xander’s leg, now on the blonds’ neck, “I decide if I call, got it,” Xander growled deep in his throat. Pushing his leg a bit harder when Tor brought up his hands to try and push Xander’s leg off.
Tor stop at the growl and Xander could feel him swallowing hard, felt the brief shot of panic being replaced by another feeling through their link, a feeling he couldn’t quite place. He had no problem figuring out that Heidi’s feeling was amusement though.
But she had her head ducked and was keeping any outward signs to herself so he ignored it and returned his gaze to Tor.
Who was looking properly admonish…and very very sad. Damn Kyle never looked that way when he and Xander did whatever it was this was.
Repressing a sign Xander slide his leg away from Tor’s throat while scooted closer until Tor was laying between his legs, head on his lap. “I get you want to help but I’m not going to put you guys in danger just because I can,” Xander explained, running a couple fingers through Tor’s hair, looking directly down at Tor who held his eyes just long enough for Xander to know he had his full attention before looking away, “But when I do need you guys I will call. Got it.”
After he finished Tor nodded. And in feeling the solid presser of Tor’s head rubbing against his- against him- that when Xander realized just where he had put the jock. And like any sixteen year old he reacted to the presser because really, presser there, warmth there. Of course it was going to react. He was a red-blooded American.
It was the reaction of his other head that make Xander pause. He didn’t want to push Tor away like he would if it had been Larry or Jon or almost anyone else, he didn’t care one way or the other and that was…weird was all Xander could think as he simply laid there.
Tor wasn’t reacting like he expected the jock to react either. Xander watched as Tor took a deep breathe and seemed to settle into him as Tor exhaled. Just as they always seem to whenever they gathered around him. And as always, he relaxed a bit in turn.
It felt right to relax there, it was even better when Heidi moved closer to resume sleeping on his leg, only she wasn’t napping, she was looking through his art homework. Not that she could tell when he had been drawing, he wasn’t even sure what some of them were, and he had made them, so he didn’t feel to bed when she started turning the papers every which way trying to make since of them.
“Yeah, art is so not something I’m good at. I’m only going to pass this year because Mr. Koh is a hippy and sees something in everything. I have no idea what I’m going to do for the other class I have to take,” Xander complained watching Heidi flip through the pages before stopping at one of the odder ones…had he meant for that to be a table or a cat, he couldn’t remember.
“What’s this one?” Heidi asked tilting the paper more toward him.
Cat or table, which was it…wait was that the, “that’s an outdoor booth. Like the ones they set up on club day I meant to try and add people under it but I totally forgot.” Man was he glad Heidi asked about that one. Mr. Koh wanted people in at least two of the drawing.
“Really?”
Xander let out a sign at the uncertainty clear in her voice. “Yeah, an artist I’m not,” not that he needed to point it out he though, letting the paper in his hands drop back onto the stack with the others.
“Take wood shop,” Heidi said, flipping the photo upside down, or maybe right side up, Xander wasn’t sure, he’s forgotten to put his name on that one.
But why wood shop, “I don’t need just any elective I need an art credit,” he pointed out, picking up one of the sheets that Heidi hadn’t picked up. This one was a house…yes it was a house.
“Woodworking one and two count as art,” Tor filled in from beneath Xander.
Xander frowned and looked back down at Tor when he felt stubble against his free hand, realizing that he had been slowly stroking the side of Tor’s head while he’d been talking with Heidi. “Woodshop?” he really needed to stop doing whatever he wanted with Tor and Kyle, and Rhonda and Heidi for that matter, one of these times they weren’t going to just take it.
“Yeah, it’s what we’re taking now and we’ll be taking it again in the fall. It’s mixed grades like gym so we can even have another class together.”
And if the tone of his voice or the link hadn’t been enough for Xander to get how excited Tor was at the idea the grin on his lips and the hope in his eyes would have made it clear. And heck if nothing else maybe he could use the time to make stakes…wait.
“You guys are in a shop class and you still couldn’t make wooden stakes?” Really?
“They didn’t go over how to make stakes, no idea why.” At least Heidi as a sense of humor, but still.
He was going to have to talk to Kyle about some shop class homework, “You guys can start using that time to practice your stake making. We’re going out again this weekend right?”
“Yes!”
“Sure.”
Xander shook his head, glancing over at Heidi. She was still far to invested in killing every vampire around, no matter the cost…was that what he sounded like to Buffy and Giles? Wills was right, extremes were bad, Tor’s shrugged agreement was far more reassuring. And he was fairly sure that Kyle was off at ten and Rhonda had the day shift-
Looking up from Heidi, Xander glanced around the yard, empty save for them, “What’s taking Kyle and Rhonda so long? They’re meeting us here before you head off to meet up with the team, that was the plan,” did he forget something, had there been a change and he’s forgotten it…
“Nope, that’s still the plan. They are running late...”
Angling his head Xander read Tor’s watch as the other teen brought it up to check the time, just after four and he knew that Tor had to head out before five to meet up with the rest of the wrestling team for the bus ride to the Highschool up in Rivertin. Which didn’t give the other two a lot of time to show up. “Rhonda had to drop by work, think they put her to work?” he hoped not, she had the wheels for the rest of them.
“Nay, it’s probably her brother going over the rules for using his car, again. Not like she hasn’t heard them a few dozen times.” Tor complained with a sigh. “They’ll be here.
The confidence and faith in Tor’s voice made Xander smile. Tor’s trust in the others seemed limitless…just like he and Jessie…only he’d failed his friend. Sometimes he really did understand Heidi.
Leaning back Xander hit the grass and stared up at the blue sky, spring clouds drifting by.
“What’s wrong?”
Letting out another sigh Xander looking toward Heidi, thinking about saying nothing but with the link he knew that was a waste of time. “Nothing’s wrong Heidi. Something just reminded me of…” He still hadn’t been able to say his best friend’s name to his other best friend but with them-it was somehow easier.”… of Jessie.” Maybe he could say it to Willow one day…maybe.
“Oh.” Heidi soft voice was almost lost over the sound of her shuffling as she pulled herself in closer. Resting into his side. Being there. Just like Tor was.
The other man didn’t say anything. Resting into Xander’s leg he sent the only message he could. He, they, were there. It was all any of them could do and they all knew it. But it made him feel content so it was all good. Closing his eyes, reaching out a hand he run it through Heidi’s hair, letting himself relax. Feeling Tor and Heidi relax as well.
“So, are the rumors true, are you going to be in the talent show?”
The growl that wanted out at Tor’s question was the best response that Xander could think of so he let it out. Load and clear he was sure it made his feeling very apparent.
“So that’s a yes then…sorry.” Heidi’s comment didn’t make Xander desire to growl any less as he kept staring up at the sky.
“I hate Snyder.” He added, throwing in a second growl to make sure they understood just how much he hated the man.
“Got ya.”
Tor’s was the last voice before the three became quite again. Ignoring any thoughts about the show Xander focused on how nice it felt to lay there and relax with his friend.
And when the other two did show up a few minutes later they joined in without saying a word, just piling on.
Xander felt good once the other two had joined them, listening to them all recapping their days to each other-school, checking in with the rents, and not much else- confirming their plans for the night-driving to the game, Tor with the team, the rest of them with Rhonda in her brother’s car, watch Tor win and then do whatever- just hanging out. Life was good some days.
It was a shame breaking the pile up ten minutes later to head to the game.
***
***
Fighting back a grin Rhonda watched as Kyle and Xander both glared at each other in the seats behind her and Heidi, glancing away only long enough to see that Heidi wasn’t bothering to even try and hide her smirk at the boy’s antics.
Not that she blamed her. Watching the two teens do their ‘growl off’, which Kyle always seemed to lose so she wasn’t sure why he kept trying, she wanted to laugh too. She also didn’t get pissed and she didn’t know why she wasn’t madder about it.
That first time she saw bruises on Kyle she wanted to kill Xander for putting them there. If Kyle hadn’t held her she would have really tried it. She had been seeing nothing but red. Knowing what she knew about Xander now she realized she probability would have lost, but she would have tried. So she didn’t get why he kept going at it if he always gave in at the end.
But their posturing had given Heidi time to slip into the passenger seat and fasten her seat belt. And seeing the looks on Xander and Kyle’s face when they realized that Heidi had beaten them to it had made her laugh as she started the car. Stopping herself only when their glares turned toward her. But it was their own damn fault for being so caught up in their dumb guy stuff, it wasn’t like Heidi had even been sneaky, which made it all the harder not to laugh when she looked into the rear view mirror at Xander behind her or Kyle on the other side of the car.
Still glaring at each other.
Letting the snicker out she merged her brother’s car into traffic, heading northwest toward Rivertin. She hoped all the traffic didn’t make them late.
“How often does Tor, the team, have away games? Do you guys always go to them or just the big ones?”
Rhonda glanced back toward Xander, meeting his eyes for a second in the mirror before looking away and toward Kyle who she knew would answer the questions.
“As long as they aren’t overnight trips for the Team we almost always go. The only times we don’t is when either Rhonda or I have to work. Or no one will let us use wheels. But we’re at every home game, show up late or leave early, whatever we have to do to be their for Tor,” Kyle explained. And Rhonda smiled, the pride clear in her boyfriend’s voice.
She knew sometimes he was more proud of Tor’s wins then Tor, or their friend’s father, was -Mr. Hauer only came to the final matches-and Kyle loved telling everyone how well Tor was doing if they gave him an opening.
Just like he was doing to Xander…because Xander didn’t know.
Because three weeks ago they wouldn’t have been caught dead talking to Xander unless they were mocking or bullying him…and now she was driving him to Tor’s match. Man her life had changed since the zoo trip. And really if her brother had known even half of what the trip would do to her there is no way he would have signed her permission slip.
Well Monte didn’t mind that she was eating more meat and her brother had been thrilled when she agreed to eat it medium rare and not ‘burnt’ like she used to. It tasted better that way now.
But what she and Kyle had been getting up to…and damn she needed to stop thinking about that, “Heidi, did you finish that science lab worksheet?”
“Yeah, Tor and I finished it this afternoon, you and Kyle can look at it after the match if you need.” Heidi answered, calling out loud enough for Kyle to hear her from the back.
“Thanks, I have no idea how Winn thinks anyone’s going to have time to do it tonight with the match. I mean it’s his team. You’d think he’d give them, and us, a break,” Kyle ranted in return, leaning forward between the seats.
Rhonda glanced toward Kyle out of the corner of her eye. Not that she needed to, she could feel his hand on her shoulder, his breathe right there on her neck. Damn this was not helping her keep it under control.
“Isn’t he the one that Tor complains doesn’t give jocks a free pass?” Xander asked, leaning forward as well, his head resting on Kyle’s shoulder. Putting a bit more space between her and Kyle.
Which was good. They had been getting a lot closer to each other then….before. She’s always like Kyle, and she knew he liked her but they’d never gone beyond kisses. Okay so she’d gone down on him a one or twice and he’d done the same on her that one time but they were not ready for anything that needed condoms.
But a couple of nights ago…she was so glad she knew where her brother kept his stash because if not she wasn’t sure if Kyle would have cared enough to stop because she knew she didn’t. And god if that hadn’t been a great night.
“Rhonda? Rhonda!”
“What? Fuck that’s my ear,” Rhonda yelled, snapping out of her thoughts, trying to figure out which of the others had been calling her name…but all three were looking at her so that wasn’t helpful, “What?” she asked again.
Rhonda glared at them, repeating herself when the three only glanced back and forth between themselves rather then answering.
“You were getting a bit,” Xander stopped, looking toward the other two who where looking to him, “distracted,” he added as he looked back at her.
She could see the discomfort on the sophomore’s face, and even feel it though their weird link, she could feel it from Heidi too, her friend also felt a bit amused. Kyle just felt lusty-they felt fuck fuck fuck.
Her whole face felt like it was on fire. She could not believe she’d forgotten…damn Xander knew what he’d been talking about when he said there were downsides to their link, fuck fuck, she was never going to live this down.
“Hey, it’s cool. It’s going to happen to all of us. It’s cool-“ Kyle said, trying to reassure her but it was falling, badly, because his lust was still there.
“Tell us about the sales at the mall, I was sure I heard Cordy saying something about a huge sale that was going to force her to stop wearing some of her favorite clothe because everyone will have them,” Xander asked, shoving himself further forward, and pulling Kyle back.
Rhonda knew it was only a few inches but between that and the change of topic. She could kiss Xander if he wasn’t…she couldn’t actually think of a reason not to kiss him other then it would change the topic right back to what she didn’t want to think about…she was going to have to think about that later…but now sales.
She could talk about the mall and its sales and people all day. Or at least for the fifty minute drive to Rivertin no problem. So she talked.
Long after Kyle had fallen back against the seat, rolling his eyes at the stories of the crazy shoppers she’s had or heard about. Until well past the point where Xander was every trying to stay interested, his boredom had start coming through their link loud and clear within five minutes but he kept smiling and talking along for almost half the ride. That was effort. But finally he and Kyle started talking about other stuff in the back.
Which she didn’t mind. She still had Heidi. By the time they pulled off the highway Heidi was leaning on her shoulder as they talked. Comparing fashion notes and even quizzing each other for the science test coming up the following week.
Yeah she loved her friends, even her new one, playing rough with her boyfriend and all, she added catching sight of the two guys in the back seat. She couldn’t believe Xander was bopping Kyle on the top of his head, or that Kyle just took it with only a huff.
She loved them but she really didn’t understand all the changes between them. Not by a long shot.
***
***
Kyle’s hair was silky.
He wondered if it was natural or if Kyle used something. Xander ruffled Kyle’s hair again before running his hand through his own hair to compare, his felt a lot rougher. He didn’t like that as much.
“Xander?”
It wasn’t until Kyle said his name that Xander realized what he was doing…he was running his hands through another guy’s hair. He was enjoying running his hand through another guy’s hair.
And he couldn’t bring himself to care or even think about it. He liked running his hand through Kyle’s hair and Kyle wasn’t stopping him so he was going to keep doing it. “Yes Kyle my Kyle?” And where did that come from. One of these days he was going to have to think about some of this stuff. But not today.
“Nothing, I guess.”
Watching Kyle’s face slowly morph into a content smile, matching the feeling Xander felt from him, as the older teen leaned into him, giving him a better angle. Yeah clearly Kyle, who had a girlfriend he was sleeping with-A thought which really shouldn’t make him as proud as it does-didn’t mind him playing with his hair and really he was playing with Kyle’s hair…like he had with Tor earlier.
What was it with him and hair today? It was suppose to be his first time watching wrestling, not messing around with a guy and really he could have thought about that in a better way, were they almost at the school already?
Xander looked out the car windows, not removing his hands, trying to see how far they were from the school. But not knowing Rivertin very well, or at all…had he even been to Rivertin before…well that no wonder it wasn’t very easy to tell just where the heck they were.
Then he saw the sign for the Rivertin High, home of the Miners.
The Miners? They’re mascot was men that dug around in the dirt…well having a pig wasn’t much better…heck they both loved playing in the dirt, no wonder they were ‘rivals.’
What had Rhonda said, “Hu?” he asked, looking toward the driver seat.
“Oh, nothing, just commenting on how cute you two looked,” Rhonda answered matter of facty. Which seemed to set Heidi off on a giggle fit.
And if Xander hadn’t been able to feel the friendly vibe coming from them he might have cared more but…they were happy, Kyle was happy. It felt good. All that was missing was Tor and even he didn’t seem too displeased. He was clearly having fun with his team. “Good,” All was good. “Now lets go watch us a game.” He said as Rhonda parked the car.
Xander paused as he climbed out of the backseat. Something felt different, off. It wasn’t until a few steps later that he placed it. Kyle felt uneasy. He was still content but uneasy too. And how the heck did he pull that off.
“I’m going to check on Tor and the team. I’ll meet you in the stands. Cool?” Kyle asked just as Xander was about to ask his own question.
Kyle had half stepped away from the group and toward the back of the parking lot where the Team busses where but he hadn’t moved any further. He was waiting for permission Xander realized, he wanted to say no, ask what was wrong, only now didn’t seem like the right time.
“Cool. I’ll keep these lovely ladies company until you get back,” he told his friend, feeling a small hint of relief from Kyle and curiosity from the others. Yeah, the empathic link was being useful. “Wish Tor luck for us.”
Watching Kyle walk away Xander reviewed what had happened, what had changed from the car ride to being at the school, nothing, he couldn’t think of anything. “Well, come on girls, let find us some seats.” Draping his arms over their shoulders.
The three of them walked through the high school’s main doors, mixing with the slow, but steady, trickle heading down the main halls toward the gymnasium. Then Xander smelled something, something warm, buttery and…salty? What was that smell, “What is that smell?” He asked looking around, fighting the urge to sniff the air but he could almost place it. It he just got a better smell…but he really didn’t want to look like a freak going around smelling random things.
Clearly Heidi didn’t have any problem looking the freak. Xander ran his hand across his face, shaking it as he watched her, he wanted to say something but…really he wanted to do the same thing so he couldn’t really blame her. But still “So what is it,” because he really wanted to know.
“I think it’s the pretzels, I had forgotten they always sold pretzels here,” Heidi told him. And he could see how much her eyes were lighting up, clearly she liked these pretzels. And given how good they smelled he could see why.
“We need to get some, we always do,” Rhonda said to which Xander nodded in agreement. He liked that idea, he could almost taste their salty goodness just from the smell alone. He needed to eat some, like right away.
Which wasn’t going to happen, darn they weren’t the only ones with that idea, “Everyone has the same idea I guess,” there must have been a couple dozen people in the line, it was going to take them forever to get through it.
Xander looked over toward the line heading into the gym itself, with it’s limited number of good seats if it was anything like their own Sunnyhell gym, “We need to grab seats in the gym too…do you guys normally come earlier?” how do they normally deal with this…or do they not care where they sit.
“Normally this is where we split up, Kyle normally grabs the snacks and we grab the bleachers,” Rhonda explained as she took looked toward the line to get into the match getting longer and longer. “But he’s not here-“
But he was Xander decided, “I am, you girls get the seats, for all four of us. And I’ll get us some yummy nummy pretzels and pop,” he ordered before heading off for the line to bring food to his pack.
And where had that thought come from, whatever he didn’t have time to deal with it. He had pretzels to buy.
Pretzels which looked even better then they smelled. Salt crusted and lightly tanned. They alone were going to make this meet worth while. And they had butter. He wanted one.
He really wanted one. And he really didn’t want to have to wait for these slow pokes that were taking forever and not getting anywhere and fuck. Xander took a breath, ignoring the warm salty goodness and forced himself to relax. To let go of the urge, almost a need, to shove everyone out of line and just take the pretzels.
Damn was it hard.
But eight minutes later he had his arms full trying to juggle the half dozen pretzels, with cheese sauces and extra salt, and while the vender may have looked a little pail but he still had all of his arms so Xander was going to call it a win.
Now he needed to find the others before he ate them all himself. Maybe it was a good thing his hands were completely full. He really wanted to bite into that soft and buttery smelling-no, he had to stop thinking about them. He needed to find the others. Yes that was what he needed to think about, now where was the gym door.
When he walked into the gym Xander stopped and stared.
Xander had never even seen real wrestling--and after the drive long rant from Kyle and the mix of hurt and offended look he’d gotten from Tor earlier he now knew that ‘Pro Wrestling’ on TV wasn’t real--in his entire life, so he wasn’t sure what to expect when he agreed to go to the match between Sunnydale and Rivertin.
There were people everywhere.
Not just on the bleachers or the sidelines but walking across the floors, even a few walking on the giant mat in the center of the large gym. Just how was he support to understand what was going on in this mess. Let alone watch Tor. He needed help.
And lucky he wasn’t alone, “Rhonda, Heidi,” he call out, trying to spot the two girls in the crowd. But nothing. How the hell was he going to find them in all this. You’d need to be ten feet tall or psyche…or just have a empathic link, Xander reminded himself.
Taking a deep breathe he focused on Rhonda and Heidi. He’d felt the two girls before, he’d felt all of them, at the ridge, the hospital, around school. But it had never been deliberate before.
Half shutting his eyes Xander thought about the dull ever present pull that’s been in the back of his mind since the zoo trip. Mostly ignored he’s listened to it. Felt it. Felt it as four threads. Alike yet each was distinct. Each felt different, leading off in two different directions.
Two ran off to his right. Intertwined he could feel them together, Rhonda and Heidi? Opening his eyes and looking toward the pull he spotted the far side of the gym and doors marked boys locker-room. So not the girls then.
Another breathe and Xander tried again. Focusing on the twin pulls to his left he followed the pull with his gaze until he saw the source. Right there on the wooden bleachers ringing the gymnasium, Rhonda and Heidi sitting and waiting.
He hadn’t really expected that to work. Maybe he did need to stop putting off dealing with all the new weird stuff. Some of it might be useful after all. But now wasn’t the time, it was game time.
Xander wasted no time jumping up the bleachers to join them, snuggling to sit between the blond and raven haired teens. “So where are the cheerleaders?” he asked, getting the most important question out of the way first as he held out the pretzel and pop tray.
“They don’t have cheerleaders for wrestling meets,” Rhonda told him with her normal biting sarcasm while taking some of the pretzels and one of the pop off his hands. But by now Xander was good enough at reading her to know that what seems like her rude sarcastic ‘I wish you’d die’ voice was really her you’re my friend but in public I can’t say anything nice tone.
“What? How can they do that? Don’t they know guys come to these things? How do they expect to get a larger audience without cheerleaders?,” although they don’t seem to be hurting for people even without Cheerleaders…what was wrong with all these people, “What do you think football would be without cheerleaders? I’ll tell you what football would be. A sport that no one watches, that’s what it would be,” Xander lamented, looking around and seeing there were in fact no cheerleaders uniforms and only a couple of girls he vaguely thought might be cheerleaders, but out of uniform he really wasn’t sure… he couldn’t quite place what their faces looked like.
“Some people like the sport itself you know,” Heidi commented with a smile that reminded him a lot of shark week while shifting the box of goodies to her lap. Xander let out a breath, glad he knew it was really just meant as an amused smile.
But her comment still puzzled Xander, “But…but cheerleaders. Kyle will back me up…where is Kyle? Shouldn’t he be here by now? He’s taking forever?” Xander added, scanning the gym for his wayward pack member but unable to spot him in the filling arena, and trying the other trick with the girls sitting right next to him seemed unwise, at least until he’s had a chance to work on it and make sure he wasn’t going to mess up somehow.
“I’m not sure what’s taking him so long. He normally waits to talk with Tor until after the match. He must have really wanted to talk to him. Maybe it’s about his job. That’s where I picked him up.”
Xander just nodded to Rhonda’s answer. “They still talking about letting him take the night shift over the summer?”
He knew Kyle wanted it, twice as many hours and without school the late nights wouldn’t be a problem but his bosses had been going back and forth about waiting the extra month for school to let out before Kyle could take it or just filling the job right away with someone over 18. Xander knew that the fact they were even thinking about it said a lot about how they viewed Kyle.
“Nothing yet, that would be the part of the reason he’d needed to get picked up there. He wanted to grab his check and the big boss was still around,” Rhonda explained.
“There’s Tor, so Kyle should be somewhere.”
Both Rhonda and Xander quickly looked where Heidi was pointing and spotting Tor and the rest of the Sunndydale Team coming out of the lockerroom and making their way over to one of the bank of chairs set up on the gym floor itself, that was when Xander noticed the rather large banner which read Sunnydale High School and had a razorback on it.
He had to swallow hard at the image of the mascot to keep himself from losing the few bites of the pretzels---hell his lunch was more then willing to join in--just like he had for the last month and a half whenever he saw it.
So he looked away from it and back toward Tor and his Teammates. Xander couldn’t say he ever gave the wrestling team much though before, they didn’t seem to have as many bullies as the football team. Sure they had Tor but he didn’t hang out with other wrestlers intent on making the lives of lowerclassmen miserable, he did that with his other non-sport playing friends; So Xander was kind of looking forward to the matches and hoping that it wasn’t just Tor that won. “So just how good of a team do we have anyways?” he added, not waiting to get his hopes up without reason.
“Tor says we won’t make State but there are a couple of guys that might place at the district level this year,” Heidi voice was hopeful and earnest so Xander felt good letting some hope creep into his own.
“One of them being Tor?” He had yet to see Tor wrestle but he was on the team and he looked big enough, so he couldn’t be that bad.
“Tor doesn’t think so but then he never thinks he’s that great but he always does really well. He’s one of the best on the team,” Rhonda’s voice made Xander want to smile, she was having a hard time keeping her fondness for Tor from overtaking her bite, she must be slipping. Or maybe they were always like that which each other; he hadn’t really carried on any real conversations with them before…well before.
“Cool. This should be fun then, but be ready to explain stuff to me,” Xander told them, being honest about his level of knowledge, which was almost nothing beyond one guy pins the other to the ground, floor, mat?
“Sure whatever Xan, but it’s really not hard.”
It was still weird hearing the friendly amusement in Rhonda’s voice aimed at him, but it was nice, and growing on him.
The whole thing felt nice, just sitting with his friends watching his other friend, yes it felt good…only one small thing was missing, “Just what is taking Kyle so long? It doesn’t feel right without him here.” he asked then stated, looking between the other three, Tor even looked up and nodded, which somehow he knew was aimed at him and the other two, knowing they wanted Kyle there as well.
“He’s got to be here somewhere. What is taking him so long-Kyle!”
Xander smiled at the greeting Rhonda gave the other teen…some of the soft-core he’d snuck during the last Stars preview weekend last less action then those two.
It was all he could do not to laugh as one of the mega phones blared to life, filling the room with a loud tone alerting everyone that the match was about to start and making Rhonda and Kyle jump a good half foot in the air.
He had to hide his half smile as the ambient noise quieting as everyone, like he and his pack, focused on one of the Coaches that start talking, explaining what they already knew, hell if he knew it after a single car ride with Kyle then everyone knew the rules, could they just get on with it so he could see them and maybe really understand them? Anytime soon?
He just wanted to roll his eyes at it all, remember just why he didn’t normally bother with games. Then Heidi leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder and he didn’t care anymore, feeling Rhonda lean into Kyle while sliding closer to him and Hiedi. Yeah that was better.
Not that the match became all that much more interesting. The first hour was rather boring as the freshmen teams faced each other. Heck even when the varsity team did their thing it wasn’t all that entertaining, not until Tor stood up.
He was watching then. In fact then Tor and the other wrestler started going at each other Xander stopped seeing anything else. He wanted nothing more then to march down there and rip the jock off his Tor, Xander so wasn’t going to inspect that stray thought to closely after all the hair and…stuff, earlier that afternoon, but he wanted to pull that jock apart himself for daring to touch Tor.
And given how tense Rhonda, Kyle and Heidi felt around him all of the sudden, he clearly wasn’t the only one thinking that. If Tor hadn’t picked the guy up and slammed him into the ground, and kept him there, Xander wasn’t sure just what he would have done, but Tor did keep the guy on the ground, Tor even looked up at the three of them the moment the ref declared the match. And when their eyes met…
***
***
“We’re so going to grind up those Miners. Turn them into coal dust,” whooped out one of the wrestler. Followed moments later by a round of yeahs that filled the visitors locker-room, including Tor’s own.
He always loved match nights. The energy, the thrill of it all pumped him up. Made him want to jump and shout. Amped up, ready to tackle the mat with everything he had. And he knew he had a lot.
But tonight. Tonight he felt it all and more. He was more pumped, more amped, just more everything. He almost felt like his singlet wasn’t going to be able to hold him. And Tor knew why too. Xander was going to be watching. Fuck, he knew he shouldn’t care that much. It wasn’t like Kyle, Rhonda and Heidi didn’t come to most of his matches. They were always watching and he didn’t get that keyed up.
But they weren’t Xander, fuck he was crushing hard. How the hell was he going to-
“They do know it they only have gold and clay mines around here right? Do they even mine coal in California?”
Kyle?! “Kyle,” what is he doing here? How did he “What are you doing here and who let you in the locker-room?”
“You really think you’re teammates wouldn’t be scared of a fight but they really are a bunch of pussies. You’re really going to have to carry them if you want to win Tor.” Kyle answered, sliding onto the bench next to Tor.
“They aren’t pussies Ky. They just don’t want to waste their energy on you when we have a match in less then twenty minutes,” Tor said back defending his teammate. Kyle maybe his friend but so were they. But at the same time…if he had to choose Tor knew who’d he pick.
And Kyle hadn’t answered his other question, “what’s up? Why aren’t you with the others?” had Kyle ever come to see him in the locker-room before a match before? After matches sure, that was how he meet up with them, but before? Tor couldn’t remember if he ever had.
And now his bud wasn’t answering, what the hell happened, “Are the others here? Did they have to bail?” Okay, so it was just Kyle. He could deal. Rhonda had had to drop out because of work or her brother before. It sucked but it happens sometimes, and Heidi’s family didn’t always like her going out of town on school nights. It wasn’t a problem often but it did happen.
But fuck that meant Xander wouldn’t-“
“They’re here. I rode up here with them.”
They were here, cool, good, “cool…so? What the fuck?” then what the hell is going on with Kyle.
“Rhonda drove so I rode up in the back…with Xander,” Kyle answered.
Why was Kyle turning red, and since when wouldn’t Kyle look him in the eyes. Kyle and Xander had that whole dominance glare off thing but he was low man on the totem-pole and he damn well knew it. Kyle should be “Ky?”
When Kyle didn’t answer right away Tor glanced around him at all his teammates milling around, slowly changing and joking. It wasn’t the most private place, “No one should be in the last row,” picking up his slippers, head gear and the rest of his stuff he lead Kyle toward the back of the locker-room. “What happened,” he asked, once he was sure they were alone.
“He kept running his hand through my hair, wrapping strands of it around his fingers; just I don’t know, just playing with it.”
He who? Wait, does he mean Xander? Fuck Kyle’s luck…but his friend didn’t look luck. He watched Kyle. His friend was bouncing his knee, wringing his hands, when they weren’t running over his face or through his hair. Kyle was off, way off.
“You told him to stop and he didn’t?” Fuck the whole zoo thing may have changed things but damn. Xander may be cool in all but that was a line. Fuck, he did not want to have to try and put the beat down on Xander. Tor didn’t know of he could but fuck he’s go down trying. No one messed with his friends.
“What no, chill out Tor, no. He didn’t so there is no need for you to get all- but thanks. Even with how you feel…thanks. I mean it Tor.” Kyle was telling him standing between him and the doors to the gym, palms pushing against his chest to keep him back…wait. They were both standing, when did that happen? And what was half the locker-room looking toward them.
Okay they’re looking away, so Kyle...what else had Kyle said…how I feel?
“How I feel?” fuck fuck fuck, he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know. They can’t know, they just think they know. It’s okay they don’t know, they can’t know, Tor repeated to himself. He knew it wasn’t true but he just….he couldn’t deal with it.
Tor watched as Kyle, let out a breath and dropped back down to the bench, “yeah Tor. I don’t feel the same way. But when he was playing with my hair. I didn’t care. Rhonda was right there but resting on his chest. His arms around him…fuck. I’m not that way but when it’s Xander…”
“We never used to be so hanzy before,” and they hadn’t been. Sure he and Kyle got physical when they played ball and Rhonda was always under Kyle’s arm and Heidi his but it wasn’t anything like the full on dog piles they’ve been doing the last few weeks. He liked the change. He felt good, connected. “It’s going to get some getting used to.”
“It’s not just…I’m just not used to a guy holding me and…it’s just weird.”
“I kind of liked it this afternoon,” He had. Laying their between Xander’s legs, relaxing and not worrying or caring about anything. It had felt so nice.
And why was Kyle grinning at him, “I’m sure you did like it Tor.”…when were they going to stop just…Coach, thank god.
“Just what do you think you’re doing Hauer. You should be getting dressed not gossiping like a women after church. Get your ass moving. And you. Your not on my team so get your ass out of my locker-room-“
Tor smirked a bit as he watched Coach work up a rant while he chased Kyle out. He loved watching Coach at work. As long as it was aimed at someone else anyways. Having a rant aimed at him and the other guys, that wasn’t so much fun.
What was that? He felt like someone was watching him. Tor looked around but the Coach was chewing out the assistant coach that had been manning the door and let Kyle in anyways. All the others guys where either chatting among themselves or finishing getting dressed. None of them were looking his way but….he felt something. Someone had been-
“We go out in five Hauer, and I don’t care if your dressed or not. My star wrestler will be leading the team so get the lead out.”
Fuck! Coach, Tor jumped and spun toward the man. His heart felt like it was in his throat. How had he not noticed the man right behind him. It wasn’t like Coach was quite. “Got it Coach,” he said without thinking, grabbing at his pile and gear, rushing to finish putting it on. Damn his talk with Kyle must have taken longer then he thought it had. Fuck he had to hurry.
He had barely adjusted the last of his gear when Coach started marching them out of the locker-room and into the gym. And it was more then half full of family, students and other spectators but his eyes were only looking for a handful of others. He just couldn’t spot them. Then walking and searching the crowd at the same time rarely worked well.
It was easier to search once he took his seat, first chair. He had fucking earned it. Did Xander know he was captain? He wasn’t sure if he had told him. Kyle would have. Kyle bragged about him almost as much as his father. And he definitely came to more games then his dad. But where was he in the crowd? He blocked out the other team’s coach explain the game as he scanned the bleachers. He couldn’t spot-wait, there was Heidi, and Rhonda and Xander too.
They were here and they were watching, they all came to watch him. And Kyle was around somewhere too. They were all here for him. Xander looked his way and their eyes connected. He knew the other teen was there for him, not the team. Him. He nodded, letting his smile show. He was going to have a great night. He couldn’t want until the newbies were done so he could get out there and show Xander what he was made of.
And then it was time. Finally the last of the junior varsity finished and it was on him to start off varsity right.
Tor marched into the match and looked the other wrestler in the eye. The other guy was big but his opponent wasn’t any bigger then him. And the Miner didn’t have Xander and the others routing for him. He was going down.
He had never felt so strong before. Yeah sure he had slammed a couple of guys before. He fucking loved the sound of another body hitting the mat and it’s not like he’s a small guy but it always left him winded and a bit weak armed for a minute but not this time. This time he was still pumped and amped.
He felt like he could do it again and again and looking at the bleachers and seeing Xander and the others, damn he wanted to just to show them all he could do. Show them all what he was made of. That he had the muscles and power to protect and fight for him-them, for them. Protect and fight for him.
So he did, not just with body slams, but he didn’t let a single opponent get anywhere close to penning him, the only one that was even a challenge wimped out fast after a single growl; it wasn’t even much of one. Nothing like the growls that Xander and Kyle always traded but the guy just freaked and stropped thinking his moves through. He had the wimp penned almost immediate after that. Penned to the mat just like he’d done to them all.
He felt so alive, he wanted to take them all down. Not just the varsity but the freshmen runts, fuck, even the coaches. He wanted to take them all down. Hell, he’d do them all at once even. He knew he could.
But then it was over, last of his opponents-captain and supposable best guy from the Rivertin’s team- as on the mat. Penned and unmoving under him. The refs and Coach were calling it a win for Sunnydale.
He felt the whole team around him. The crush of their bodies, the bro slapping and high fiving pumped him up. He felt great.
But it wasn’t them he wanted. His eyes sought out his friends. Catching Heidi’s eyes, spotting Kyle clapping, and whopping to cheer him on. Seeing Xander nod and mouthing good work while Rhonda ginned. All of them jumbled together.
That told Tor he did good. And fuck yeah, he was going to party like it was new years the moment he returned to his place at their side.
***
***
“You know your coach will kill you if he sees you with that thing.”
“After how I just performed today I’d like to see him try.”
Xander smiled as he stepped through the doorway, leaving the gym and it’s mass of students, parents and other onlookers behind to rejoining the others in the basketball court tucked behind the school where it was just the five of them now that the other handful of students that had the same idea had been easily scared off. He might not like that his new friends were bullies but their skills did have uses. And he was happy to trade the loud shouting of celebrations for the more imamate sound of Kyle and Tor’s banter.
He watched as the pair tossed around and played with the ball they had liberated from somewhere. It was little more then passing it around and dribbling a bit really. They were far more focused on their trash talk which moved from Tor’s cigar to Kyle’s styled hair, over styled to Tor but not Rhonda Xander noticed when she jumped to its defense, before turning into generic trash talk.
All of which Xander stopped without even trying, “So who needs a drink?” he suggested. Holding up the pair of pop bottles he had gotten as Heidi held up the cups she was carrying. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know if she had ask for them or just…liberated them.
“And pretzels, man you rule,” Xander had to just shake his head at Tor as he watched the jock zero in on the bag tucked under his arm.
Grabbing it with eyes that almost seemed to glow with lust, open it and shove almost a third of the soft pretzels into his mouth before Xander had even realized the bag was no longer wedged between his arm and side.
Xander frowned as it vanished into Tor’s mouth. Somehow without any of it falling to the ground nor being taken out. It just kept going in deeper and deeper down his throat and wow he so didn’t need to be thinking about how deep Tor’s throat was, Snacks, right snacks. He was going to have to work hard to keep up with Tor and be the snacker of the group. But he still couldn’t help but be impressed by the move his wrestler had as he finished off the rest of the pretzel, swallowing it without any noticeable stops to breathe. Tor’s mouth was just amazing.
“Don’t be such a hog Tor, leave some for the rest of us.”
“Yeah, before Xander shows you how he takes someone down.”
He looked over at Rhonda then Kyle, rising an eyebrow at the second half of Kyle’s comment. After seeing Tor in action, there was no way he could take him in a real fight….but Xander had one of those new guts feelings he may be starting to trust telling him to not care to much. Telling him that Tor wouldn’t fight him like Kyle. And if it did get physical Tor wouldn’t be giving it his all like he had on the mat.
Tor was his and knew it so he didn’t need to worry…Xander blinked at the thought. Tor was his and wow it felt normal to think that. Rhonda was his…nope that still felt weird. Whatever, he’d add it to the list of things to think about later. Right now Tor was looking all looking sheepish as the wrestler held out the, bag of pretzels toward the others. It only looked Half empty, yeah he had some catching up to do in the snacking department.
“I had the munches.”
Xander had to let out a sigh at that. He understood getting the munches and it wasn’t like Tor hadn’t worked hard during the match. And he’d done great. They need more munches and the snacks at the gym just weren’t going to cut it…snacks weren’t going to cut it. He might not get or understand all the jock sports stuff but he knew Tor needed protein, meat, not sugar filled goodies. Well maybe he needed both, they needed a full meal, “Who’s up for grabbing a bit once we’re back in the Dale?
Why did he even bother to ask, he thought as he saw Tor’s face light up, as did Kyle and Heidi’s. Even Rhonda looked interested yes this was the perfect plan. Now to just think of a place.
***
Xander was stuffed.
Having friends on a winning team had its advantages. Or maybe it had to be the one that single handedly did most of the winning. Which ever it was, getting all those free burgers. And Tor…wow, just wow. Tor put them away. Xander wasn’t sure if his friend was every going to stop eating them. How many did he eat, 10, 15 more? He ate at least as many as the rest of them put together. “How many did you eat?” Lying there hand resting on his stomach Tor looked as full as he felt.
“12? 13?” Tor answered, never opening his eyes but snuggling into Xander’s leg. Watching him Xander smiled, wanting nothing more then to ruffles his friend’s hair. So he did.
Yeah that was a lot, but after all those matches, “You earned them. You looked great out there, didn’t he guys?” glancing over at the other three piled with them on Tor’s bed.
“Yeah, you smashed them Tor.”
“You were on fire man.
Xander smiled at the congrads his guy was getting. Tor had looked cool out there. I was glad he’d gone. And maybe, for the first time since it happened, surrounded by his new friend, connected with them, he was glad he’d gone on the Zoo trip.
***
***
Dear god wouldn’t it just end. Maybe they should have let that creature cut off his head. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with this maladroit mess.
And dear lord Xander’s new tormentive friends have arrived. Oh joy. At least they waited until near the end. Giles pulled off his glasses, polishing them again, for what he knew had to be at least the eight time in the last hour and a quarter.
But of course that rude little tyrant wasn’t here to deal with the hecklers once they started. No he was going to have to deal with them…but why haven’t they started doing anything yet?
And they hadn’t. Giles watched as they sat in the back…using only three seats and not four like they should but frankly if that was the worse they did he wasn’t going to bother with them. And it seemed like it was. They were whispering among themselves, clearly laughing at the performers but doing so only among themselves as was half the auditorium.
If they did not plan to disrupt things then why had they troubled themselves to come…and what are they doing now Giles thought to himself as they all sat up straighter, their whispers trailing off as they focused on the stage. A new act was started but he couldn’t fathom-Of course. Watching Buffy, Xander and Willow step out onto the stage it all came together. They had clearly come to watch their new friend.
Why they were friends wasn’t nearly so clear. If Xander was to be believed the link, the bond, between the five of them was still active and as strong as the days after the possession. Yet all his research indicated it shouldn’t be…just what was happening between the five of them…and was it a threat to Buffy.
He was going to have to get out his books…if this infernal night ever ended.
***The End***
Word Count: 10,402
Challenge: polybigbang
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: The Pack: Xander/Kyle/Rhonda/Tor/Heidi, Kyle/Rhonda and Xander/Tor
Summary: They’re friends now. No one at school gets it but they are. And sometimes that means hanging out together. Doing homework in the back hard, going to the big match to support Tor and the team and everything else. But at the same time they’re more then friends, they’re Pack but between the dog piles, empathic link and hair petting they really haven’t even started to figure out what that really means. But they’re starting to.
Author's Notes: I’d love to just thank reena_jenkinsfor the wonderful art work. It really is just the coolest.
***
***
“I can’t believe he’s not going to be with us tonight.”
“Stupid boys. And we were going to work on the talent show too,” Willow complained as she walked beside Buffy, flipping through one of her school books as they walked the halls of Sunnydale high school.
“We’ll make it a girl’s night,” Buffy offered to her best friend, seeing how sad Xander’s bailing on them was making her.
“A girl’s night?” Willow asked looking up from her book, her frown lessening.
“Yeah we can share makeup tips between vampires and planning out our act. It’ll be great,” Buffy said confidently as the two entered the library.
“Okay cool,” Willow answered, smiling for real. “And this way we’ll get to pick out what we’re reading.”
“Very true. So tell me, Xander follows wrestling but just how into it does he get? Should I expect this every spring? Does he go all football crazy in the fall, like the rest of his half of the population? Because if he does we should make girls’ night a regular thing,” Buffy asked as she dropped her books onto the library table while Willow did the same.
“All three of us hate football and Larry. And Xander isn’t like all the other guys, he’s Xander,” Willow rushed to answer; making it clear Xander wasn’t like the other guys around school. “It really was just the cheerleaders really. They both always got very into the cheerleading.”
“So it is just wrestling then? Cool, I can deal with just one sport,” Buffy settled into the chair with a content look.
“Wrestling? Xander doesn’t like wrestling. Well he and Jesse used to watch the WWF but..” Willow said confused as she looked at her new friend.
“He said he was going to watch the ‘big meet’ tonight so I sorta guessed he enjoyed wrestling because I can’t see why anyone else would want to watch two men grappling on the ground in skin tight clothing their hands going everywhere…” Buffy slowly trailed off, imagining the scene in her mind. “Well maybe.”
“Oh, Buffy there you are.”
“Giles!” Buffy said with a start, jumping as she spun toward the library stacks where she spotted her Watcher, loading down with books as usual.
“Is something wrong?” Giles asked worried as made his way down the steps, off loading the books at the main table.
“Ah-“ Buffy hesitated, not waiting to talk about wrestling with Giles, at all.
“No, we were just talking about a new computer program; you know for Ms. Calendar and didn’t hear you. It’s really it’s just a great program, you should try it,” Willow said over excited as she nodded her head rapidly. Her wide eyes glued to the Watcher.
“A computer program?” Giles asked Buffy, raising an eyebrow over his glasses as he looked at the blond.
“It’s really nifty,” Buffy said sarcastically.
“I see. Try not to let the computer program distract you when you patrol later,” Giles told her before heading into his office, “And until sundown we can work on going through these books, see if we can find out anything more about what may have taken that poor girls heart. I’ll just grab some more books,” he added before vanishing into his office.
“That was almost mortifying, but now I want to go to the big meet. I think it’s going to be more fun then taking out a bunch of vamps to stupid to get out of town,” Buffy complained before adding another complaint, “And a computer program?”
“It would distract me,” Willow said with a frown at Buffy’s look, “computers are great. And anyways I’m sure Xander’s not going to watch wrestling meet for the, to well,” Willow said pointing her hand at Buffy trying to find the right word.
“Hot guys, spandex,” Buffy supplied.
“Right, I mean wrong, he’s not going for that, maybe he and Jesse used to go? They did stuff without me sometimes,” Willow said looking sad as she said her other best friend’s name again.
“Maybe they have cheerleaders at the ‘big meets’,” Buffy offered, giving her friend an encouraging smile, “we can drop by and find out later.”
“Oh, if Cordelia’s there can you let the Vampire chase her before you stake it?” Willow asked, her face brightening up.
“Maybe, I might be distracted,” Buffy suggested, grinning, until she saw the stack Giles was carrying.
***
***
“You had to deal with a demonic robot?”
Xander had to admit it did sound rather ridiculous. But then he’d accepted that much of his life seemed ridiculous.
Like where he was right now. Six month, heck six weeks, ago if anyone had told him he’d been in Tor’s back yard working on his art homework with the wrestler’s head resting on him while the man did his reading for civics as Heidi took a nap on his other side, using his leg as pillow. Yeah, ridiculous didn’t even begin to cover it before he add in the demon in a robot, and on that note. “It was more like a demon in a robot then a demonic robot.”
“There’s a difference?”
Tor did have a good question…but the robot wasn’t a demon, it was just controlled by one, that was different right? He might have to ask G-man about that, “Probably. I hope I never have to find out really,” Once was more then enough.
“Why didn’t you call us? We could’ve helped,” The tone in Tor’s voice make it very clear that Tor wasn’t happy about not getting to help, and even without the group’s link Xander wouldn’t have missed it.
Not that the link helped him respond to it. Damn why hadn’t he… “It happened so fast. I mean once we knew it wasn’t just normal weirdness but a demon Wills was missing and we were scrabbling,” but damn if he had though of asking for their help maybe they could have gotten to Willow’s place faster then he and Buffy had…maybe. No, stop, she’s safe Xander, it’s over.
Xander was so in his thought he missed Tor’s comment, what had the other teen said? “Hu?”
“He said next time call,” came Heidi’s voice from near Xander’s feet with the answer.
And really Xander got it. He didn’t like being left out either. “If there is anything you guys can do, then I will.”
“Xander-“ And Tor’s tone or glare wasn’t going to change his mind…well other then piss him off. He barely tolerated Kyle’s questions and he didn’t stand the glares. No way was he going to put up with it from Tor.
He felt the familiar feeling of responding to a challenge rising up along with the growl within moment. Xander didn’t fight it, which never worked anyways, but directed it. And with in the space of a few heartbeats Tor’s head went from resting on his hip to being pressed into the ground by Xander’s leg, now on the blonds’ neck, “I decide if I call, got it,” Xander growled deep in his throat. Pushing his leg a bit harder when Tor brought up his hands to try and push Xander’s leg off.
Tor stop at the growl and Xander could feel him swallowing hard, felt the brief shot of panic being replaced by another feeling through their link, a feeling he couldn’t quite place. He had no problem figuring out that Heidi’s feeling was amusement though.
But she had her head ducked and was keeping any outward signs to herself so he ignored it and returned his gaze to Tor.
Who was looking properly admonish…and very very sad. Damn Kyle never looked that way when he and Xander did whatever it was this was.
Repressing a sign Xander slide his leg away from Tor’s throat while scooted closer until Tor was laying between his legs, head on his lap. “I get you want to help but I’m not going to put you guys in danger just because I can,” Xander explained, running a couple fingers through Tor’s hair, looking directly down at Tor who held his eyes just long enough for Xander to know he had his full attention before looking away, “But when I do need you guys I will call. Got it.”
After he finished Tor nodded. And in feeling the solid presser of Tor’s head rubbing against his- against him- that when Xander realized just where he had put the jock. And like any sixteen year old he reacted to the presser because really, presser there, warmth there. Of course it was going to react. He was a red-blooded American.
It was the reaction of his other head that make Xander pause. He didn’t want to push Tor away like he would if it had been Larry or Jon or almost anyone else, he didn’t care one way or the other and that was…weird was all Xander could think as he simply laid there.
Tor wasn’t reacting like he expected the jock to react either. Xander watched as Tor took a deep breathe and seemed to settle into him as Tor exhaled. Just as they always seem to whenever they gathered around him. And as always, he relaxed a bit in turn.
It felt right to relax there, it was even better when Heidi moved closer to resume sleeping on his leg, only she wasn’t napping, she was looking through his art homework. Not that she could tell when he had been drawing, he wasn’t even sure what some of them were, and he had made them, so he didn’t feel to bed when she started turning the papers every which way trying to make since of them.
“Yeah, art is so not something I’m good at. I’m only going to pass this year because Mr. Koh is a hippy and sees something in everything. I have no idea what I’m going to do for the other class I have to take,” Xander complained watching Heidi flip through the pages before stopping at one of the odder ones…had he meant for that to be a table or a cat, he couldn’t remember.
“What’s this one?” Heidi asked tilting the paper more toward him.
Cat or table, which was it…wait was that the, “that’s an outdoor booth. Like the ones they set up on club day I meant to try and add people under it but I totally forgot.” Man was he glad Heidi asked about that one. Mr. Koh wanted people in at least two of the drawing.
“Really?”
Xander let out a sign at the uncertainty clear in her voice. “Yeah, an artist I’m not,” not that he needed to point it out he though, letting the paper in his hands drop back onto the stack with the others.
“Take wood shop,” Heidi said, flipping the photo upside down, or maybe right side up, Xander wasn’t sure, he’s forgotten to put his name on that one.
But why wood shop, “I don’t need just any elective I need an art credit,” he pointed out, picking up one of the sheets that Heidi hadn’t picked up. This one was a house…yes it was a house.
“Woodworking one and two count as art,” Tor filled in from beneath Xander.
Xander frowned and looked back down at Tor when he felt stubble against his free hand, realizing that he had been slowly stroking the side of Tor’s head while he’d been talking with Heidi. “Woodshop?” he really needed to stop doing whatever he wanted with Tor and Kyle, and Rhonda and Heidi for that matter, one of these times they weren’t going to just take it.
“Yeah, it’s what we’re taking now and we’ll be taking it again in the fall. It’s mixed grades like gym so we can even have another class together.”
And if the tone of his voice or the link hadn’t been enough for Xander to get how excited Tor was at the idea the grin on his lips and the hope in his eyes would have made it clear. And heck if nothing else maybe he could use the time to make stakes…wait.
“You guys are in a shop class and you still couldn’t make wooden stakes?” Really?
“They didn’t go over how to make stakes, no idea why.” At least Heidi as a sense of humor, but still.
He was going to have to talk to Kyle about some shop class homework, “You guys can start using that time to practice your stake making. We’re going out again this weekend right?”
“Yes!”
“Sure.”
Xander shook his head, glancing over at Heidi. She was still far to invested in killing every vampire around, no matter the cost…was that what he sounded like to Buffy and Giles? Wills was right, extremes were bad, Tor’s shrugged agreement was far more reassuring. And he was fairly sure that Kyle was off at ten and Rhonda had the day shift-
Looking up from Heidi, Xander glanced around the yard, empty save for them, “What’s taking Kyle and Rhonda so long? They’re meeting us here before you head off to meet up with the team, that was the plan,” did he forget something, had there been a change and he’s forgotten it…
“Nope, that’s still the plan. They are running late...”
Angling his head Xander read Tor’s watch as the other teen brought it up to check the time, just after four and he knew that Tor had to head out before five to meet up with the rest of the wrestling team for the bus ride to the Highschool up in Rivertin. Which didn’t give the other two a lot of time to show up. “Rhonda had to drop by work, think they put her to work?” he hoped not, she had the wheels for the rest of them.
“Nay, it’s probably her brother going over the rules for using his car, again. Not like she hasn’t heard them a few dozen times.” Tor complained with a sigh. “They’ll be here.
The confidence and faith in Tor’s voice made Xander smile. Tor’s trust in the others seemed limitless…just like he and Jessie…only he’d failed his friend. Sometimes he really did understand Heidi.
Leaning back Xander hit the grass and stared up at the blue sky, spring clouds drifting by.
“What’s wrong?”
Letting out another sigh Xander looking toward Heidi, thinking about saying nothing but with the link he knew that was a waste of time. “Nothing’s wrong Heidi. Something just reminded me of…” He still hadn’t been able to say his best friend’s name to his other best friend but with them-it was somehow easier.”… of Jessie.” Maybe he could say it to Willow one day…maybe.
“Oh.” Heidi soft voice was almost lost over the sound of her shuffling as she pulled herself in closer. Resting into his side. Being there. Just like Tor was.
The other man didn’t say anything. Resting into Xander’s leg he sent the only message he could. He, they, were there. It was all any of them could do and they all knew it. But it made him feel content so it was all good. Closing his eyes, reaching out a hand he run it through Heidi’s hair, letting himself relax. Feeling Tor and Heidi relax as well.
“So, are the rumors true, are you going to be in the talent show?”
The growl that wanted out at Tor’s question was the best response that Xander could think of so he let it out. Load and clear he was sure it made his feeling very apparent.
“So that’s a yes then…sorry.” Heidi’s comment didn’t make Xander desire to growl any less as he kept staring up at the sky.
“I hate Snyder.” He added, throwing in a second growl to make sure they understood just how much he hated the man.
“Got ya.”
Tor’s was the last voice before the three became quite again. Ignoring any thoughts about the show Xander focused on how nice it felt to lay there and relax with his friend.
And when the other two did show up a few minutes later they joined in without saying a word, just piling on.
Xander felt good once the other two had joined them, listening to them all recapping their days to each other-school, checking in with the rents, and not much else- confirming their plans for the night-driving to the game, Tor with the team, the rest of them with Rhonda in her brother’s car, watch Tor win and then do whatever- just hanging out. Life was good some days.
It was a shame breaking the pile up ten minutes later to head to the game.
***
***
Fighting back a grin Rhonda watched as Kyle and Xander both glared at each other in the seats behind her and Heidi, glancing away only long enough to see that Heidi wasn’t bothering to even try and hide her smirk at the boy’s antics.
Not that she blamed her. Watching the two teens do their ‘growl off’, which Kyle always seemed to lose so she wasn’t sure why he kept trying, she wanted to laugh too. She also didn’t get pissed and she didn’t know why she wasn’t madder about it.
That first time she saw bruises on Kyle she wanted to kill Xander for putting them there. If Kyle hadn’t held her she would have really tried it. She had been seeing nothing but red. Knowing what she knew about Xander now she realized she probability would have lost, but she would have tried. So she didn’t get why he kept going at it if he always gave in at the end.
But their posturing had given Heidi time to slip into the passenger seat and fasten her seat belt. And seeing the looks on Xander and Kyle’s face when they realized that Heidi had beaten them to it had made her laugh as she started the car. Stopping herself only when their glares turned toward her. But it was their own damn fault for being so caught up in their dumb guy stuff, it wasn’t like Heidi had even been sneaky, which made it all the harder not to laugh when she looked into the rear view mirror at Xander behind her or Kyle on the other side of the car.
Still glaring at each other.
Letting the snicker out she merged her brother’s car into traffic, heading northwest toward Rivertin. She hoped all the traffic didn’t make them late.
“How often does Tor, the team, have away games? Do you guys always go to them or just the big ones?”
Rhonda glanced back toward Xander, meeting his eyes for a second in the mirror before looking away and toward Kyle who she knew would answer the questions.
“As long as they aren’t overnight trips for the Team we almost always go. The only times we don’t is when either Rhonda or I have to work. Or no one will let us use wheels. But we’re at every home game, show up late or leave early, whatever we have to do to be their for Tor,” Kyle explained. And Rhonda smiled, the pride clear in her boyfriend’s voice.
She knew sometimes he was more proud of Tor’s wins then Tor, or their friend’s father, was -Mr. Hauer only came to the final matches-and Kyle loved telling everyone how well Tor was doing if they gave him an opening.
Just like he was doing to Xander…because Xander didn’t know.
Because three weeks ago they wouldn’t have been caught dead talking to Xander unless they were mocking or bullying him…and now she was driving him to Tor’s match. Man her life had changed since the zoo trip. And really if her brother had known even half of what the trip would do to her there is no way he would have signed her permission slip.
Well Monte didn’t mind that she was eating more meat and her brother had been thrilled when she agreed to eat it medium rare and not ‘burnt’ like she used to. It tasted better that way now.
But what she and Kyle had been getting up to…and damn she needed to stop thinking about that, “Heidi, did you finish that science lab worksheet?”
“Yeah, Tor and I finished it this afternoon, you and Kyle can look at it after the match if you need.” Heidi answered, calling out loud enough for Kyle to hear her from the back.
“Thanks, I have no idea how Winn thinks anyone’s going to have time to do it tonight with the match. I mean it’s his team. You’d think he’d give them, and us, a break,” Kyle ranted in return, leaning forward between the seats.
Rhonda glanced toward Kyle out of the corner of her eye. Not that she needed to, she could feel his hand on her shoulder, his breathe right there on her neck. Damn this was not helping her keep it under control.
“Isn’t he the one that Tor complains doesn’t give jocks a free pass?” Xander asked, leaning forward as well, his head resting on Kyle’s shoulder. Putting a bit more space between her and Kyle.
Which was good. They had been getting a lot closer to each other then….before. She’s always like Kyle, and she knew he liked her but they’d never gone beyond kisses. Okay so she’d gone down on him a one or twice and he’d done the same on her that one time but they were not ready for anything that needed condoms.
But a couple of nights ago…she was so glad she knew where her brother kept his stash because if not she wasn’t sure if Kyle would have cared enough to stop because she knew she didn’t. And god if that hadn’t been a great night.
“Rhonda? Rhonda!”
“What? Fuck that’s my ear,” Rhonda yelled, snapping out of her thoughts, trying to figure out which of the others had been calling her name…but all three were looking at her so that wasn’t helpful, “What?” she asked again.
Rhonda glared at them, repeating herself when the three only glanced back and forth between themselves rather then answering.
“You were getting a bit,” Xander stopped, looking toward the other two who where looking to him, “distracted,” he added as he looked back at her.
She could see the discomfort on the sophomore’s face, and even feel it though their weird link, she could feel it from Heidi too, her friend also felt a bit amused. Kyle just felt lusty-they felt fuck fuck fuck.
Her whole face felt like it was on fire. She could not believe she’d forgotten…damn Xander knew what he’d been talking about when he said there were downsides to their link, fuck fuck, she was never going to live this down.
“Hey, it’s cool. It’s going to happen to all of us. It’s cool-“ Kyle said, trying to reassure her but it was falling, badly, because his lust was still there.
“Tell us about the sales at the mall, I was sure I heard Cordy saying something about a huge sale that was going to force her to stop wearing some of her favorite clothe because everyone will have them,” Xander asked, shoving himself further forward, and pulling Kyle back.
Rhonda knew it was only a few inches but between that and the change of topic. She could kiss Xander if he wasn’t…she couldn’t actually think of a reason not to kiss him other then it would change the topic right back to what she didn’t want to think about…she was going to have to think about that later…but now sales.
She could talk about the mall and its sales and people all day. Or at least for the fifty minute drive to Rivertin no problem. So she talked.
Long after Kyle had fallen back against the seat, rolling his eyes at the stories of the crazy shoppers she’s had or heard about. Until well past the point where Xander was every trying to stay interested, his boredom had start coming through their link loud and clear within five minutes but he kept smiling and talking along for almost half the ride. That was effort. But finally he and Kyle started talking about other stuff in the back.
Which she didn’t mind. She still had Heidi. By the time they pulled off the highway Heidi was leaning on her shoulder as they talked. Comparing fashion notes and even quizzing each other for the science test coming up the following week.
Yeah she loved her friends, even her new one, playing rough with her boyfriend and all, she added catching sight of the two guys in the back seat. She couldn’t believe Xander was bopping Kyle on the top of his head, or that Kyle just took it with only a huff.
She loved them but she really didn’t understand all the changes between them. Not by a long shot.
***
***
Kyle’s hair was silky.
He wondered if it was natural or if Kyle used something. Xander ruffled Kyle’s hair again before running his hand through his own hair to compare, his felt a lot rougher. He didn’t like that as much.
“Xander?”
It wasn’t until Kyle said his name that Xander realized what he was doing…he was running his hands through another guy’s hair. He was enjoying running his hand through another guy’s hair.
And he couldn’t bring himself to care or even think about it. He liked running his hand through Kyle’s hair and Kyle wasn’t stopping him so he was going to keep doing it. “Yes Kyle my Kyle?” And where did that come from. One of these days he was going to have to think about some of this stuff. But not today.
“Nothing, I guess.”
Watching Kyle’s face slowly morph into a content smile, matching the feeling Xander felt from him, as the older teen leaned into him, giving him a better angle. Yeah clearly Kyle, who had a girlfriend he was sleeping with-A thought which really shouldn’t make him as proud as it does-didn’t mind him playing with his hair and really he was playing with Kyle’s hair…like he had with Tor earlier.
What was it with him and hair today? It was suppose to be his first time watching wrestling, not messing around with a guy and really he could have thought about that in a better way, were they almost at the school already?
Xander looked out the car windows, not removing his hands, trying to see how far they were from the school. But not knowing Rivertin very well, or at all…had he even been to Rivertin before…well that no wonder it wasn’t very easy to tell just where the heck they were.
Then he saw the sign for the Rivertin High, home of the Miners.
The Miners? They’re mascot was men that dug around in the dirt…well having a pig wasn’t much better…heck they both loved playing in the dirt, no wonder they were ‘rivals.’
What had Rhonda said, “Hu?” he asked, looking toward the driver seat.
“Oh, nothing, just commenting on how cute you two looked,” Rhonda answered matter of facty. Which seemed to set Heidi off on a giggle fit.
And if Xander hadn’t been able to feel the friendly vibe coming from them he might have cared more but…they were happy, Kyle was happy. It felt good. All that was missing was Tor and even he didn’t seem too displeased. He was clearly having fun with his team. “Good,” All was good. “Now lets go watch us a game.” He said as Rhonda parked the car.
Xander paused as he climbed out of the backseat. Something felt different, off. It wasn’t until a few steps later that he placed it. Kyle felt uneasy. He was still content but uneasy too. And how the heck did he pull that off.
“I’m going to check on Tor and the team. I’ll meet you in the stands. Cool?” Kyle asked just as Xander was about to ask his own question.
Kyle had half stepped away from the group and toward the back of the parking lot where the Team busses where but he hadn’t moved any further. He was waiting for permission Xander realized, he wanted to say no, ask what was wrong, only now didn’t seem like the right time.
“Cool. I’ll keep these lovely ladies company until you get back,” he told his friend, feeling a small hint of relief from Kyle and curiosity from the others. Yeah, the empathic link was being useful. “Wish Tor luck for us.”
Watching Kyle walk away Xander reviewed what had happened, what had changed from the car ride to being at the school, nothing, he couldn’t think of anything. “Well, come on girls, let find us some seats.” Draping his arms over their shoulders.
The three of them walked through the high school’s main doors, mixing with the slow, but steady, trickle heading down the main halls toward the gymnasium. Then Xander smelled something, something warm, buttery and…salty? What was that smell, “What is that smell?” He asked looking around, fighting the urge to sniff the air but he could almost place it. It he just got a better smell…but he really didn’t want to look like a freak going around smelling random things.
Clearly Heidi didn’t have any problem looking the freak. Xander ran his hand across his face, shaking it as he watched her, he wanted to say something but…really he wanted to do the same thing so he couldn’t really blame her. But still “So what is it,” because he really wanted to know.
“I think it’s the pretzels, I had forgotten they always sold pretzels here,” Heidi told him. And he could see how much her eyes were lighting up, clearly she liked these pretzels. And given how good they smelled he could see why.
“We need to get some, we always do,” Rhonda said to which Xander nodded in agreement. He liked that idea, he could almost taste their salty goodness just from the smell alone. He needed to eat some, like right away.
Which wasn’t going to happen, darn they weren’t the only ones with that idea, “Everyone has the same idea I guess,” there must have been a couple dozen people in the line, it was going to take them forever to get through it.
Xander looked over toward the line heading into the gym itself, with it’s limited number of good seats if it was anything like their own Sunnyhell gym, “We need to grab seats in the gym too…do you guys normally come earlier?” how do they normally deal with this…or do they not care where they sit.
“Normally this is where we split up, Kyle normally grabs the snacks and we grab the bleachers,” Rhonda explained as she took looked toward the line to get into the match getting longer and longer. “But he’s not here-“
But he was Xander decided, “I am, you girls get the seats, for all four of us. And I’ll get us some yummy nummy pretzels and pop,” he ordered before heading off for the line to bring food to his pack.
And where had that thought come from, whatever he didn’t have time to deal with it. He had pretzels to buy.
Pretzels which looked even better then they smelled. Salt crusted and lightly tanned. They alone were going to make this meet worth while. And they had butter. He wanted one.
He really wanted one. And he really didn’t want to have to wait for these slow pokes that were taking forever and not getting anywhere and fuck. Xander took a breath, ignoring the warm salty goodness and forced himself to relax. To let go of the urge, almost a need, to shove everyone out of line and just take the pretzels.
Damn was it hard.
But eight minutes later he had his arms full trying to juggle the half dozen pretzels, with cheese sauces and extra salt, and while the vender may have looked a little pail but he still had all of his arms so Xander was going to call it a win.
Now he needed to find the others before he ate them all himself. Maybe it was a good thing his hands were completely full. He really wanted to bite into that soft and buttery smelling-no, he had to stop thinking about them. He needed to find the others. Yes that was what he needed to think about, now where was the gym door.
When he walked into the gym Xander stopped and stared.
Xander had never even seen real wrestling--and after the drive long rant from Kyle and the mix of hurt and offended look he’d gotten from Tor earlier he now knew that ‘Pro Wrestling’ on TV wasn’t real--in his entire life, so he wasn’t sure what to expect when he agreed to go to the match between Sunnydale and Rivertin.
There were people everywhere.
Not just on the bleachers or the sidelines but walking across the floors, even a few walking on the giant mat in the center of the large gym. Just how was he support to understand what was going on in this mess. Let alone watch Tor. He needed help.
And lucky he wasn’t alone, “Rhonda, Heidi,” he call out, trying to spot the two girls in the crowd. But nothing. How the hell was he going to find them in all this. You’d need to be ten feet tall or psyche…or just have a empathic link, Xander reminded himself.
Taking a deep breathe he focused on Rhonda and Heidi. He’d felt the two girls before, he’d felt all of them, at the ridge, the hospital, around school. But it had never been deliberate before.
Half shutting his eyes Xander thought about the dull ever present pull that’s been in the back of his mind since the zoo trip. Mostly ignored he’s listened to it. Felt it. Felt it as four threads. Alike yet each was distinct. Each felt different, leading off in two different directions.
Two ran off to his right. Intertwined he could feel them together, Rhonda and Heidi? Opening his eyes and looking toward the pull he spotted the far side of the gym and doors marked boys locker-room. So not the girls then.
Another breathe and Xander tried again. Focusing on the twin pulls to his left he followed the pull with his gaze until he saw the source. Right there on the wooden bleachers ringing the gymnasium, Rhonda and Heidi sitting and waiting.
He hadn’t really expected that to work. Maybe he did need to stop putting off dealing with all the new weird stuff. Some of it might be useful after all. But now wasn’t the time, it was game time.
Xander wasted no time jumping up the bleachers to join them, snuggling to sit between the blond and raven haired teens. “So where are the cheerleaders?” he asked, getting the most important question out of the way first as he held out the pretzel and pop tray.
“They don’t have cheerleaders for wrestling meets,” Rhonda told him with her normal biting sarcasm while taking some of the pretzels and one of the pop off his hands. But by now Xander was good enough at reading her to know that what seems like her rude sarcastic ‘I wish you’d die’ voice was really her you’re my friend but in public I can’t say anything nice tone.
“What? How can they do that? Don’t they know guys come to these things? How do they expect to get a larger audience without cheerleaders?,” although they don’t seem to be hurting for people even without Cheerleaders…what was wrong with all these people, “What do you think football would be without cheerleaders? I’ll tell you what football would be. A sport that no one watches, that’s what it would be,” Xander lamented, looking around and seeing there were in fact no cheerleaders uniforms and only a couple of girls he vaguely thought might be cheerleaders, but out of uniform he really wasn’t sure… he couldn’t quite place what their faces looked like.
“Some people like the sport itself you know,” Heidi commented with a smile that reminded him a lot of shark week while shifting the box of goodies to her lap. Xander let out a breath, glad he knew it was really just meant as an amused smile.
But her comment still puzzled Xander, “But…but cheerleaders. Kyle will back me up…where is Kyle? Shouldn’t he be here by now? He’s taking forever?” Xander added, scanning the gym for his wayward pack member but unable to spot him in the filling arena, and trying the other trick with the girls sitting right next to him seemed unwise, at least until he’s had a chance to work on it and make sure he wasn’t going to mess up somehow.
“I’m not sure what’s taking him so long. He normally waits to talk with Tor until after the match. He must have really wanted to talk to him. Maybe it’s about his job. That’s where I picked him up.”
Xander just nodded to Rhonda’s answer. “They still talking about letting him take the night shift over the summer?”
He knew Kyle wanted it, twice as many hours and without school the late nights wouldn’t be a problem but his bosses had been going back and forth about waiting the extra month for school to let out before Kyle could take it or just filling the job right away with someone over 18. Xander knew that the fact they were even thinking about it said a lot about how they viewed Kyle.
“Nothing yet, that would be the part of the reason he’d needed to get picked up there. He wanted to grab his check and the big boss was still around,” Rhonda explained.
“There’s Tor, so Kyle should be somewhere.”
Both Rhonda and Xander quickly looked where Heidi was pointing and spotting Tor and the rest of the Sunndydale Team coming out of the lockerroom and making their way over to one of the bank of chairs set up on the gym floor itself, that was when Xander noticed the rather large banner which read Sunnydale High School and had a razorback on it.
He had to swallow hard at the image of the mascot to keep himself from losing the few bites of the pretzels---hell his lunch was more then willing to join in--just like he had for the last month and a half whenever he saw it.
So he looked away from it and back toward Tor and his Teammates. Xander couldn’t say he ever gave the wrestling team much though before, they didn’t seem to have as many bullies as the football team. Sure they had Tor but he didn’t hang out with other wrestlers intent on making the lives of lowerclassmen miserable, he did that with his other non-sport playing friends; So Xander was kind of looking forward to the matches and hoping that it wasn’t just Tor that won. “So just how good of a team do we have anyways?” he added, not waiting to get his hopes up without reason.
“Tor says we won’t make State but there are a couple of guys that might place at the district level this year,” Heidi voice was hopeful and earnest so Xander felt good letting some hope creep into his own.
“One of them being Tor?” He had yet to see Tor wrestle but he was on the team and he looked big enough, so he couldn’t be that bad.
“Tor doesn’t think so but then he never thinks he’s that great but he always does really well. He’s one of the best on the team,” Rhonda’s voice made Xander want to smile, she was having a hard time keeping her fondness for Tor from overtaking her bite, she must be slipping. Or maybe they were always like that which each other; he hadn’t really carried on any real conversations with them before…well before.
“Cool. This should be fun then, but be ready to explain stuff to me,” Xander told them, being honest about his level of knowledge, which was almost nothing beyond one guy pins the other to the ground, floor, mat?
“Sure whatever Xan, but it’s really not hard.”
It was still weird hearing the friendly amusement in Rhonda’s voice aimed at him, but it was nice, and growing on him.
The whole thing felt nice, just sitting with his friends watching his other friend, yes it felt good…only one small thing was missing, “Just what is taking Kyle so long? It doesn’t feel right without him here.” he asked then stated, looking between the other three, Tor even looked up and nodded, which somehow he knew was aimed at him and the other two, knowing they wanted Kyle there as well.
“He’s got to be here somewhere. What is taking him so long-Kyle!”
Xander smiled at the greeting Rhonda gave the other teen…some of the soft-core he’d snuck during the last Stars preview weekend last less action then those two.
It was all he could do not to laugh as one of the mega phones blared to life, filling the room with a loud tone alerting everyone that the match was about to start and making Rhonda and Kyle jump a good half foot in the air.
He had to hide his half smile as the ambient noise quieting as everyone, like he and his pack, focused on one of the Coaches that start talking, explaining what they already knew, hell if he knew it after a single car ride with Kyle then everyone knew the rules, could they just get on with it so he could see them and maybe really understand them? Anytime soon?
He just wanted to roll his eyes at it all, remember just why he didn’t normally bother with games. Then Heidi leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder and he didn’t care anymore, feeling Rhonda lean into Kyle while sliding closer to him and Hiedi. Yeah that was better.
Not that the match became all that much more interesting. The first hour was rather boring as the freshmen teams faced each other. Heck even when the varsity team did their thing it wasn’t all that entertaining, not until Tor stood up.
He was watching then. In fact then Tor and the other wrestler started going at each other Xander stopped seeing anything else. He wanted nothing more then to march down there and rip the jock off his Tor, Xander so wasn’t going to inspect that stray thought to closely after all the hair and…stuff, earlier that afternoon, but he wanted to pull that jock apart himself for daring to touch Tor.
And given how tense Rhonda, Kyle and Heidi felt around him all of the sudden, he clearly wasn’t the only one thinking that. If Tor hadn’t picked the guy up and slammed him into the ground, and kept him there, Xander wasn’t sure just what he would have done, but Tor did keep the guy on the ground, Tor even looked up at the three of them the moment the ref declared the match. And when their eyes met…
***
***
“We’re so going to grind up those Miners. Turn them into coal dust,” whooped out one of the wrestler. Followed moments later by a round of yeahs that filled the visitors locker-room, including Tor’s own.
He always loved match nights. The energy, the thrill of it all pumped him up. Made him want to jump and shout. Amped up, ready to tackle the mat with everything he had. And he knew he had a lot.
But tonight. Tonight he felt it all and more. He was more pumped, more amped, just more everything. He almost felt like his singlet wasn’t going to be able to hold him. And Tor knew why too. Xander was going to be watching. Fuck, he knew he shouldn’t care that much. It wasn’t like Kyle, Rhonda and Heidi didn’t come to most of his matches. They were always watching and he didn’t get that keyed up.
But they weren’t Xander, fuck he was crushing hard. How the hell was he going to-
“They do know it they only have gold and clay mines around here right? Do they even mine coal in California?”
Kyle?! “Kyle,” what is he doing here? How did he “What are you doing here and who let you in the locker-room?”
“You really think you’re teammates wouldn’t be scared of a fight but they really are a bunch of pussies. You’re really going to have to carry them if you want to win Tor.” Kyle answered, sliding onto the bench next to Tor.
“They aren’t pussies Ky. They just don’t want to waste their energy on you when we have a match in less then twenty minutes,” Tor said back defending his teammate. Kyle maybe his friend but so were they. But at the same time…if he had to choose Tor knew who’d he pick.
And Kyle hadn’t answered his other question, “what’s up? Why aren’t you with the others?” had Kyle ever come to see him in the locker-room before a match before? After matches sure, that was how he meet up with them, but before? Tor couldn’t remember if he ever had.
And now his bud wasn’t answering, what the hell happened, “Are the others here? Did they have to bail?” Okay, so it was just Kyle. He could deal. Rhonda had had to drop out because of work or her brother before. It sucked but it happens sometimes, and Heidi’s family didn’t always like her going out of town on school nights. It wasn’t a problem often but it did happen.
But fuck that meant Xander wouldn’t-“
“They’re here. I rode up here with them.”
They were here, cool, good, “cool…so? What the fuck?” then what the hell is going on with Kyle.
“Rhonda drove so I rode up in the back…with Xander,” Kyle answered.
Why was Kyle turning red, and since when wouldn’t Kyle look him in the eyes. Kyle and Xander had that whole dominance glare off thing but he was low man on the totem-pole and he damn well knew it. Kyle should be “Ky?”
When Kyle didn’t answer right away Tor glanced around him at all his teammates milling around, slowly changing and joking. It wasn’t the most private place, “No one should be in the last row,” picking up his slippers, head gear and the rest of his stuff he lead Kyle toward the back of the locker-room. “What happened,” he asked, once he was sure they were alone.
“He kept running his hand through my hair, wrapping strands of it around his fingers; just I don’t know, just playing with it.”
He who? Wait, does he mean Xander? Fuck Kyle’s luck…but his friend didn’t look luck. He watched Kyle. His friend was bouncing his knee, wringing his hands, when they weren’t running over his face or through his hair. Kyle was off, way off.
“You told him to stop and he didn’t?” Fuck the whole zoo thing may have changed things but damn. Xander may be cool in all but that was a line. Fuck, he did not want to have to try and put the beat down on Xander. Tor didn’t know of he could but fuck he’s go down trying. No one messed with his friends.
“What no, chill out Tor, no. He didn’t so there is no need for you to get all- but thanks. Even with how you feel…thanks. I mean it Tor.” Kyle was telling him standing between him and the doors to the gym, palms pushing against his chest to keep him back…wait. They were both standing, when did that happen? And what was half the locker-room looking toward them.
Okay they’re looking away, so Kyle...what else had Kyle said…how I feel?
“How I feel?” fuck fuck fuck, he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know. They can’t know, they just think they know. It’s okay they don’t know, they can’t know, Tor repeated to himself. He knew it wasn’t true but he just….he couldn’t deal with it.
Tor watched as Kyle, let out a breath and dropped back down to the bench, “yeah Tor. I don’t feel the same way. But when he was playing with my hair. I didn’t care. Rhonda was right there but resting on his chest. His arms around him…fuck. I’m not that way but when it’s Xander…”
“We never used to be so hanzy before,” and they hadn’t been. Sure he and Kyle got physical when they played ball and Rhonda was always under Kyle’s arm and Heidi his but it wasn’t anything like the full on dog piles they’ve been doing the last few weeks. He liked the change. He felt good, connected. “It’s going to get some getting used to.”
“It’s not just…I’m just not used to a guy holding me and…it’s just weird.”
“I kind of liked it this afternoon,” He had. Laying their between Xander’s legs, relaxing and not worrying or caring about anything. It had felt so nice.
And why was Kyle grinning at him, “I’m sure you did like it Tor.”…when were they going to stop just…Coach, thank god.
“Just what do you think you’re doing Hauer. You should be getting dressed not gossiping like a women after church. Get your ass moving. And you. Your not on my team so get your ass out of my locker-room-“
Tor smirked a bit as he watched Coach work up a rant while he chased Kyle out. He loved watching Coach at work. As long as it was aimed at someone else anyways. Having a rant aimed at him and the other guys, that wasn’t so much fun.
What was that? He felt like someone was watching him. Tor looked around but the Coach was chewing out the assistant coach that had been manning the door and let Kyle in anyways. All the others guys where either chatting among themselves or finishing getting dressed. None of them were looking his way but….he felt something. Someone had been-
“We go out in five Hauer, and I don’t care if your dressed or not. My star wrestler will be leading the team so get the lead out.”
Fuck! Coach, Tor jumped and spun toward the man. His heart felt like it was in his throat. How had he not noticed the man right behind him. It wasn’t like Coach was quite. “Got it Coach,” he said without thinking, grabbing at his pile and gear, rushing to finish putting it on. Damn his talk with Kyle must have taken longer then he thought it had. Fuck he had to hurry.
He had barely adjusted the last of his gear when Coach started marching them out of the locker-room and into the gym. And it was more then half full of family, students and other spectators but his eyes were only looking for a handful of others. He just couldn’t spot them. Then walking and searching the crowd at the same time rarely worked well.
It was easier to search once he took his seat, first chair. He had fucking earned it. Did Xander know he was captain? He wasn’t sure if he had told him. Kyle would have. Kyle bragged about him almost as much as his father. And he definitely came to more games then his dad. But where was he in the crowd? He blocked out the other team’s coach explain the game as he scanned the bleachers. He couldn’t spot-wait, there was Heidi, and Rhonda and Xander too.
They were here and they were watching, they all came to watch him. And Kyle was around somewhere too. They were all here for him. Xander looked his way and their eyes connected. He knew the other teen was there for him, not the team. Him. He nodded, letting his smile show. He was going to have a great night. He couldn’t want until the newbies were done so he could get out there and show Xander what he was made of.
And then it was time. Finally the last of the junior varsity finished and it was on him to start off varsity right.
Tor marched into the match and looked the other wrestler in the eye. The other guy was big but his opponent wasn’t any bigger then him. And the Miner didn’t have Xander and the others routing for him. He was going down.
He had never felt so strong before. Yeah sure he had slammed a couple of guys before. He fucking loved the sound of another body hitting the mat and it’s not like he’s a small guy but it always left him winded and a bit weak armed for a minute but not this time. This time he was still pumped and amped.
He felt like he could do it again and again and looking at the bleachers and seeing Xander and the others, damn he wanted to just to show them all he could do. Show them all what he was made of. That he had the muscles and power to protect and fight for him-them, for them. Protect and fight for him.
So he did, not just with body slams, but he didn’t let a single opponent get anywhere close to penning him, the only one that was even a challenge wimped out fast after a single growl; it wasn’t even much of one. Nothing like the growls that Xander and Kyle always traded but the guy just freaked and stropped thinking his moves through. He had the wimp penned almost immediate after that. Penned to the mat just like he’d done to them all.
He felt so alive, he wanted to take them all down. Not just the varsity but the freshmen runts, fuck, even the coaches. He wanted to take them all down. Hell, he’d do them all at once even. He knew he could.
But then it was over, last of his opponents-captain and supposable best guy from the Rivertin’s team- as on the mat. Penned and unmoving under him. The refs and Coach were calling it a win for Sunnydale.
He felt the whole team around him. The crush of their bodies, the bro slapping and high fiving pumped him up. He felt great.
But it wasn’t them he wanted. His eyes sought out his friends. Catching Heidi’s eyes, spotting Kyle clapping, and whopping to cheer him on. Seeing Xander nod and mouthing good work while Rhonda ginned. All of them jumbled together.
That told Tor he did good. And fuck yeah, he was going to party like it was new years the moment he returned to his place at their side.
***
***
“You know your coach will kill you if he sees you with that thing.”
“After how I just performed today I’d like to see him try.”
Xander smiled as he stepped through the doorway, leaving the gym and it’s mass of students, parents and other onlookers behind to rejoining the others in the basketball court tucked behind the school where it was just the five of them now that the other handful of students that had the same idea had been easily scared off. He might not like that his new friends were bullies but their skills did have uses. And he was happy to trade the loud shouting of celebrations for the more imamate sound of Kyle and Tor’s banter.
He watched as the pair tossed around and played with the ball they had liberated from somewhere. It was little more then passing it around and dribbling a bit really. They were far more focused on their trash talk which moved from Tor’s cigar to Kyle’s styled hair, over styled to Tor but not Rhonda Xander noticed when she jumped to its defense, before turning into generic trash talk.
All of which Xander stopped without even trying, “So who needs a drink?” he suggested. Holding up the pair of pop bottles he had gotten as Heidi held up the cups she was carrying. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know if she had ask for them or just…liberated them.
“And pretzels, man you rule,” Xander had to just shake his head at Tor as he watched the jock zero in on the bag tucked under his arm.
Grabbing it with eyes that almost seemed to glow with lust, open it and shove almost a third of the soft pretzels into his mouth before Xander had even realized the bag was no longer wedged between his arm and side.
Xander frowned as it vanished into Tor’s mouth. Somehow without any of it falling to the ground nor being taken out. It just kept going in deeper and deeper down his throat and wow he so didn’t need to be thinking about how deep Tor’s throat was, Snacks, right snacks. He was going to have to work hard to keep up with Tor and be the snacker of the group. But he still couldn’t help but be impressed by the move his wrestler had as he finished off the rest of the pretzel, swallowing it without any noticeable stops to breathe. Tor’s mouth was just amazing.
“Don’t be such a hog Tor, leave some for the rest of us.”
“Yeah, before Xander shows you how he takes someone down.”
He looked over at Rhonda then Kyle, rising an eyebrow at the second half of Kyle’s comment. After seeing Tor in action, there was no way he could take him in a real fight….but Xander had one of those new guts feelings he may be starting to trust telling him to not care to much. Telling him that Tor wouldn’t fight him like Kyle. And if it did get physical Tor wouldn’t be giving it his all like he had on the mat.
Tor was his and knew it so he didn’t need to worry…Xander blinked at the thought. Tor was his and wow it felt normal to think that. Rhonda was his…nope that still felt weird. Whatever, he’d add it to the list of things to think about later. Right now Tor was looking all looking sheepish as the wrestler held out the, bag of pretzels toward the others. It only looked Half empty, yeah he had some catching up to do in the snacking department.
“I had the munches.”
Xander had to let out a sigh at that. He understood getting the munches and it wasn’t like Tor hadn’t worked hard during the match. And he’d done great. They need more munches and the snacks at the gym just weren’t going to cut it…snacks weren’t going to cut it. He might not get or understand all the jock sports stuff but he knew Tor needed protein, meat, not sugar filled goodies. Well maybe he needed both, they needed a full meal, “Who’s up for grabbing a bit once we’re back in the Dale?
Why did he even bother to ask, he thought as he saw Tor’s face light up, as did Kyle and Heidi’s. Even Rhonda looked interested yes this was the perfect plan. Now to just think of a place.
***
Xander was stuffed.
Having friends on a winning team had its advantages. Or maybe it had to be the one that single handedly did most of the winning. Which ever it was, getting all those free burgers. And Tor…wow, just wow. Tor put them away. Xander wasn’t sure if his friend was every going to stop eating them. How many did he eat, 10, 15 more? He ate at least as many as the rest of them put together. “How many did you eat?” Lying there hand resting on his stomach Tor looked as full as he felt.
“12? 13?” Tor answered, never opening his eyes but snuggling into Xander’s leg. Watching him Xander smiled, wanting nothing more then to ruffles his friend’s hair. So he did.
Yeah that was a lot, but after all those matches, “You earned them. You looked great out there, didn’t he guys?” glancing over at the other three piled with them on Tor’s bed.
“Yeah, you smashed them Tor.”
“You were on fire man.
Xander smiled at the congrads his guy was getting. Tor had looked cool out there. I was glad he’d gone. And maybe, for the first time since it happened, surrounded by his new friend, connected with them, he was glad he’d gone on the Zoo trip.
***
***
Dear god wouldn’t it just end. Maybe they should have let that creature cut off his head. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with this maladroit mess.
And dear lord Xander’s new tormentive friends have arrived. Oh joy. At least they waited until near the end. Giles pulled off his glasses, polishing them again, for what he knew had to be at least the eight time in the last hour and a quarter.
But of course that rude little tyrant wasn’t here to deal with the hecklers once they started. No he was going to have to deal with them…but why haven’t they started doing anything yet?
And they hadn’t. Giles watched as they sat in the back…using only three seats and not four like they should but frankly if that was the worse they did he wasn’t going to bother with them. And it seemed like it was. They were whispering among themselves, clearly laughing at the performers but doing so only among themselves as was half the auditorium.
If they did not plan to disrupt things then why had they troubled themselves to come…and what are they doing now Giles thought to himself as they all sat up straighter, their whispers trailing off as they focused on the stage. A new act was started but he couldn’t fathom-Of course. Watching Buffy, Xander and Willow step out onto the stage it all came together. They had clearly come to watch their new friend.
Why they were friends wasn’t nearly so clear. If Xander was to be believed the link, the bond, between the five of them was still active and as strong as the days after the possession. Yet all his research indicated it shouldn’t be…just what was happening between the five of them…and was it a threat to Buffy.
He was going to have to get out his books…if this infernal night ever ended.
***The End***