Open Doors - 4 - Guy Code

Title: Open Doors – Part 4 –Guy Code
Author: Xanfan
Fandom: Buffy/NCIS crossover
Rating: Potentially R/Mature
Pairing: eventually Tony/Xander
Summary: SLASH - When some doors slam shut, others open. Two men with a history of being pushed
aside learn that it’s the small moments that can change everything.
Spoilers: up to Boxed In, season 3 of NCIS, All of Buffy, post Chosen
Warnings: Slash M/M
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective
owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way
associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is
intended.
_____________________________________

Tony walked into the bar more than a week after he had given Xander a ride home. He was just coming
off a long case and he hadn’t been in since that night. He was a little disconcerted to realize just how
much he had missed seeing Xander in that time. He also chose to ignore the little thrill he got when the
bartender in question raised his head and gave a huge grin when he caught sight of Tony.

“Hey man, I thought I’d scared you off,” Xander said when Tony reached him. It was said with good
natured humor, but Tony could tell the other man had been worried when he hadn’t come back right
away.

“Nah, I just had a bitch of a case and a bastard of a boss. We worked it ‘til we solved it; didn’t really even
have time to sleep, much less come visit my favorite bartender,” Tony replied with a grin. His grin got
wider when Xander ducked his head with a blush.

“How are the girls? Terrorizing Angel, I hope?” Tony teased.

Xander grinned mischievously. “As a matter of fact, I managed to finally teach Mischa, the three-year-
old, to ask Angel how he gets his hair to stand straight up like that. Wish I could have gotten a picture of
his face, it was priceless.”

Tony laughed out loud at the image that formed in his head. The one time he had met the man Xander
lived and worked with, Tony had privately marveled over the gravity defying coif Angel sported. Tony
had to admit that he himself had often styled his hair in messy spikes, but he’d never managed the
height and sheer verticalness that Xander’s friend had.

“Tell me the truth. Angel? Gunn? You’re not running a boarding school for girls, it’s really a home for
wayward failed porn stars and strippers, right?” Tony asked.

The bartender’s one eye widened comically before he bent double, laughing hysterically. “Oh man, I
can’t wait to tell Angel you said that. I’d buy a digital camera just to capture his expression,” Xander
gasped as soon as he could catch a breath.

“What about Gunn? Aren’t you gonna tell him?” Tony asked.

Xander snorted indelicately at that. “Me, tell a guy who grew up on the streets of L.A. that his name
makes him sound like a stripper? Not even Spike is that brave or stupid. I’ll leave that to you.”

Tony’s mind boggled at that. “Spike?!? You’ve got to be kidding me! That clinches it. That place has to
be a half-way house for poorly-named ex-rentboys.”

Xander could only giggle at that. Tony was unable to hold back his own very manly giggle. “I can’t tell
you how much I needed that.”

“Me too,” Xander agreed.

After a few moments of silence, while they both calmed down a little, Xander asked quietly, “It was bad,
huh?”

Tony looked at him and saw understanding and compassion in his friend’s kind face. “Yeah, it really
was.”

“I’m sorry. I’m off in a few. You want to go get a bite to eat and not talk about it?” Xander asked with a
slightly goofy grin at the end.

“You’re not gonna make me talk about it?” Tony asked with a relieved smile.

“A) We’re guys, we don’t talk about feelings and stuff. B) You’re not ready to talk, that’ll be at least
another day or so. Lucky for you, I’ll be around in a day or so,” the other man said confidently.

“Won’t we still be guys in a day or so? It’ll still be against the guy code to talk about it then, won’t it?”
Tony asked.

Xander smiled. “Yes. We will still be guys then, barring any freakiness, knock on wood. Luckily the
statute of limitations on manly stoicism will have run out at that point. You’re Mr. Law Enforcement, you
should know this already,” Xander said with almost convincing earnestness.

Tony just rolled his eyes at the Xander-logic. For some odd reason, he was pretty sure he hadn’t just
coined the phrase. Tony had a feeling Xander had used his own peculiar reasoning to bowl people over
for their own good before.

“You’re a strange, strange man, Xander Harris,” Tony stated.

The strange man in question just beamed proudly. “I know, isn’t it great?”

“It really kinda is,” Tony admitted.

“Oi, whelp, you ready yet?” a brash Cockney voice said from behind Tony.

Xander looked up and rolled his eye at whoever was over Tony’s shoulder “I’ve got a few more minutes
left in my shift and I’ve made other arrangements for dinner and to get home, Spike.”

Tony couldn’t help himself, he had to get a look at this Spike person Xander had briefly mentioned
earlier. When he turned around, he couldn’t help but say the first words that came to mind at the sight of
the man. “So was the 70’s era punk rocker thing a part of your stage act, or is it just a personal fashion
statement?”

He heard Xander choking behind him, but Tony couldn’t help but stare in morbid fascination at the figure
in front of him. Bleached blond hair, laser sharp cheek bones, and icy blue eyes somehow fit with the
red t-shirt, black jeans, doc martens and battered duster. What capped it all off for Tony was the
chipped, black nail-polished fingertips grasping a burning cigarette.

“The bloody wankers stole the look from me, ya ponce. Who the hell are you, anyway?” Spike said
indignantly.

“So, have you noticed none of the ‘wankers’ are still wearing the look now?” Tony asked facetiously, not
believing the claim for a moment. After all, the man couldn’t be more than thirty, unless the bleach
covered up some serious gray and the guy had a kick ass plastic surgeon.

“He’s my ‘other arrangements,’ Spike,” Xander supplied helpfully.

“Wait, what did you mean by ‘part of the stage act’?” Spike demanded, turning his glare on Xander when
Tony didn’t immediately answer.

Tony had turned around and caught Xander’s eye, at which point they’d both burst out laughing.

“You really don’t want to know, but I’ll tell you later,” Xander advised.

The bleached-wonder, as Tony labeled him in his head, just glared at them both suspiciously. After a
moment, the rest of what Xander had said registered and Tony turned back around just in time to watch
a wicked smirk spread across the pale face.

“So, Xander’s made himself a date with the pretty boy, has he?” Spike drawled.

Xander and Tony blushed in unison.

Part 5

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