It's a Living
 
Author: Lilithangel
 
Email: abchainey@xtra.co.nz
 
Website: www.livejournal.com/users/lilithbint
 
Fandom: AtS
 
Characters: Spike/Angel
 
Rating/Warnings: PG13 for nudity
 
Genre: Fruitless Fun Fluffiness
 
Summary: For the tamingthemuse prompt Abacus and inspired by the art challenge at darker_spike and because it is Luba's birthday.
 
Angel overhears something that suggests Spike is up to something.  What he is up to changes everything between them.
 
* * * * *
 
Angel made it a policy to avoid listening to staff conversations but the two women in the corridor outside his office were making it very difficult.  He was ready to call Harmony to chase them away when some of what they were saying caught his attention.  It wasn't eavesdropping when he didn't want to listen in anyway.
 
"He was naked?"
 
"Completely."
 
"Oh... my... god... and is he?"
 
"God yeah, he's gorgeous.  Like a Greek statue or something."
 
"And you're allowed to do anything?"
 
"Well not anything but who cares.  You get him for an hour.  I tell you I wore my fingers to the bone when I was finally able to move."
 
The conversation stopped abruptly and then Angel's door was flung open to allow Spike to stride in.  Angel caught one glimpse of the two gossipers staring at Spike and blushing before they hurried off.
 
The conversation whirled around in Angel's head all day coupled with the strange looks he saw several of the staff giving Spike.  Dozens of scenarios crowded through his mind each more absurd than the last until Angel convinced himself he had imagined the whole thing.
 
That didn't stop him from finding out which office the women worked in so he could search their desks that night when everyone had gone.  He didn't know what he was expecting to find but he couldn't drag his eyes away from what was there.
 
It was not one of the scenarios he had conjured up it was more than he could ever have imagined.  Knowing Spike was doing this struck a long buried chord in Angel and he knew he had to be there next time.
 
 
 
Spike entered the room where he got ready each week and quickly stripped off.  He had never minded being naked although the novelty was beginning to wear off.  He was just grateful that the setting did nothing for his cock so he didn't have to worry about getting aroused in the session.
 
When he walked into the next room it was strangely silent.  Normally there would be a gaggle of women and a few men waiting for him but the easels were empty except for one.
 
The door shut behind him and Spike spun around to confront Angel leaning against it.
 
"What the bleeding hell are you doing here?"
 
"Getting some practice." Angel held up the pencil in his hand.
 
Spike could feel the challenge in Angel's words so he stepped onto the small dais in the centre of the room.  "How do you want me?"
 
Angel moved slowly over to Spike and positioned him into a pose leaning against the pedestal arms resting behind him and groin thrust out.  Spike forced himself to relax under Angel's hands determined to bluff Angel out.
 
Angel went behind his easel and examined Spike critically.  For the first time since he took the job Spike felt naked.  Life modelling had seemed like easy money at the time.  Staying still had proved harder than he had realised and he had shrunk with embarrassment when Susie from Accounts joined the class.
 
But in the end it was easy money which was not to be sneered at now that the soul stopped him from his usual habits.  He was surprised that Susie hadn't made a big deal about it at work but aside from the occasional giggle from the typing pool it seemed that she had kept it quiet.  She hadn't really even hit on him after that first night saying something about not upsetting the boss which led Spike to assume she had a jealous partner.
 
Most of the class were happy to buy him a drink afterwards as well and he did take up the occasional offer of a bed for the night when the thought of his dingy hovel got too much.
 
Now under Angel's gaze he felt exposed more than ever but fought the urge to shift nervously.  Angel was trying to humiliate him and he wasn't going to give the ponce the satisfaction.
 
 
 
Angel didn't know what had possessed him to bribe the community college to cancel the art class and arrange for him to be the only student.  He had told himself it was to get one over on Spike at last humiliate him and leave.
 
It had been a long time since he had seen Spike any less than completely dressed but even those long ago memories told him that not only was the girl from Accounts a really bad artist but she completely missed the essential Spike.
 
As soon as Spike had walked into the room completely at ease in his nakedness Angel had felt an itching in his fingers.  The itching had him shut the door behind them and show Spike his pencil.  The itching got worse as he positioned Spike in a classical pose and only eased when he put charcoal to paper.
 
After a few minutes silence Angel had to ask.  "What possessed you to take this as a job?"
 
"Defender of the people doesn't pay well, bloke's got to eat you know." Spike replied without turning.
 
"Life modelling?" Angel conveniently ignored the defender of the people claim.
 
"Don't mind the cold, don't mind getting my kit off."
 
Angel concentrated on the curve of Spike's hip to avoid questioning why he was so fixated on Spike posing.
 
"So you don't mind all those people staring at your body?"
 
"Not really staring at me are they?  I'm just a bunch of body parts to them.  Bloody attractive parts mind you."
 
Angel smudged in the shadows on Spike's jaw painfully aware of just how attractive Spike's parts were.  "I need you to not talk now," he said to cover his shock at the thought.
 
"You were the one asking the damn questions," Spike muttered and then he shut up.
 
One thing about the posing it left a lot of time for thinking so Spike played his favourite game.  'Why the hell do you stay?'  He would stack up the reasons on an imaginary abacus like the one he played with as a child.  Dark wood and copper with smooth glass beads in amber and jet.
 
Fred was one shiny amber bead on the staying ledger.  The pretty scientist had thought he was worth saving and always had a smile for him.  Tentative friendships with Wesley and Charles were forming and worth one jet bead for someone to drink with.  Occasionally there was the feeling of doing something right, saving people even when he didn't really know if they deserved to be saved but it was another bead on the ledger.
 
Against staying the beads flowed easier.  Tatty apartment with a lousy TV.  The slow grinding down of his soul when he was alone reminding him of every bad thing he had done.  He coped with it but just wished that occasionally he could believe it was all worth it.  The crushing evil he could feel at Wolfram & Hart.  He wanted to drag his new friends out save them from their delusions, but he knew they wouldn't leave.
 
Then there was Angel.  Beads bounced from side to side when it came to Angel.  Forcing Angel to see his success was a big shiny bead, letting the other vampire know that a soul was nothing special.  The glorious pleasure of the fight could tip the balance in favour of staying on a good day.  On a bad day after the unrelenting hatred poured over him the bead slid over and told him he should leave while he still had his pride intact.
 
A bead had gone to the leave ledger when Angel had appeared at the Art College obviously hell bent on making a fool out of him.  Another one was sliding over when Angel insisted on him posing.  Then there was something in the way Angel was looking at him that made him stop the bead.  Something warmer than normal and more like the gazes he received in bars and from the artists normally in class.
 
 
 
Angel got lost in the act of drawing.  While he was always conscious that this was Spike he was sketching he also managed to forget everything except the lines and shadows that took shape under his hands.  Until that is he reached the dusky coloured shaft nestled in dark blond curls.  Angel's hand stuttered on the paper and he quickly turned his attention to the strong lean legs posed as if Spike was ready to leap away at the slightest provocation.
 
"Time's up," Spike said suddenly.
 
"What?"

"Only get paid for the hour.  Times up." Spike released his arms and stretched to remove the kinks.
 
"But I haven't finished," Angel protested.
 
"Come back next week then." Spike headed casually for the door.
 
"Wait, I'll pay extra," Angel said hurriedly.
 
"There's another class after this one," Spike replied.
 
"Private session then," Angel spoke before he realised what he was saying.
 
"Don't do private sessions," Spike said, "I'm a life model not a whore."
 
"I just meant that if you need the money." Angel still couldn't believe Spike was posing for a living.
 
"Told you I'm not a whore," Spike said, angry that Angel would even suggest it but not surprised.  Angel's opinion of him was loudly and often repeated to whoever was listening.
 
"I never suggested you were," Angel said annoyed by Spike's assumption.
 
"Right." Spike snorted.
 
"Spike, I'd really like to finish this and it would be easier to do at my penthouse."
 
"Fine."
 
"Fine?"
 
"Do I have to repeat myself? Fine, when do you want me?  I expect twice the fee I get here.  Or you can forget it," Spike added at Angel's splutter.
 
"Fine, tomorrow night then?"
 
"Tomorrow night."
 
 
 
Spike stayed away from the office the next day causing Angel to suspect he had changed his mind.  The blond appeared as everyone was preparing to leave and got comfortable in Angel's office.
 
When everyone had left Angel led the way silently up to the penthouse.  The furniture in the lounge had been pushed back and a dais and pedestal similar to class placed in the centre.
 
Spike looked around suspiciously, half expecting Angel to have arranged for the rest of the team to leap out and laugh at him.  Angel fussed with his paper and easel nervously unsure if Spike was just going to pick a fight with him and leave.
 
After a couple of embarrassed moments Spike shrugged and started to shed his clothes.  Angel's mouth went dry as Spike's form was revealed.  The last time Spike had already been naked but this time it was like a private strip tease without the tease.
 
Spike draped across the pedestal uncomfortably aware of Angel's attention.  He knew it was stupid, every time Angel ignored him he would cause trouble to get that attention but now that he had Angel's undivided concentration he wasn't sure he wanted it.
 
Angel turned to the picture that had been obsessing him all day.  He had attempted to work on it when he had returned home but found that while he had thought Spike's image was burned into his memory he was unwilling to risk getting it wrong.
 
Still nothing had been said between them and Spike continued his game of 'why the hell do you stay?'  This, whatever the hell it was, with Angel felt strangely nice.  No arguments, no blood spilt just the intensity of Angel's full attention.  It was almost enough to slid another amber bead onto the stay ledger, if he could believe it would last.
 
Suddenly intensely aware of that attention Spike found to his horror that he was getting turned on by it.  It had never happened before.  The combination of the group attention in class and a lack of concern about his naked state kept things relaxed.  Suddenly it was as if he could feel every stroke of Angel's hand on his body.  Every time Angel used his thumb to smudge the charcoal Spike's dick twitched.
 
Angel had left working on Spike's crotch until he had no choice but to focus his eyes there.  To his horror he found that he couldn't tear his gaze away and his hand seemed to be capable of drawing with him looking at the paper.  Angel didn't want to think about how his thumb lingered on the shading or how carefully he studied the thatch of hair above the shaft or the soft sacs hanging under the slowly stiffening shaft.
 
Neither could deny what was happening but neither was willing to make eye contact and confirm it.  Angel's pants were getting progressively tighter as his thumb stroked across the pencil lines of Spike's shaft as it filled with blood.
 
"I should go," Spike said breaking the spell between them.
 
"No!" Angel said before he could stop himself, "I... I haven't finished."
 
"Think it's better if you did," Spike said breaking pose.
 
Realising what his thumb was doing Angel snatched it away from the picture.
 
Curious now Spike moved around the easel before Angel could protest and stared in amazement at what Angel had drawn.
 
"Do you really see me like that?"
 
Angel focussed on his drawing and nodded.
 
The picture showed strength of features with hints of vulnerability around the eyes which made Spike look at once innocent and aware of the harshness of life.  It was far more than Spike had ever expected to see and he looked at Angel in silence.
 
Locked into Spike's gaze Angel couldn't resist moving closer to the naked man and reaching out tentatively to caress the high strong cheekbones.  "I always saw it and refused to acknowledge it.  Now I can't."
 
Spike pressed briefly into the caress and then pulled back.  "I should go," he said again.
 
"No, please stay," Angel said, "have a drink."
 
Spike looked down at his still half aroused state, "feeling a tad naked here."
 
"Was that from me watching you?" Angel asked curiously.
 
"Never happened before so I guess so," Spike admitted.
 
Angel grinned foolishly and headed for the bar pulling his own shirt off as he went.  "Don't want you to feel exposed."
 
"Not helping," Spike said as he watched Angel's chest appear.
 
Angel leant over and picked up Spike's jeans tossing them to the blond, "then we'll be the same."
 
Spike closed his eyes as Angel's backside was outlined briefly cursing how much his cock seemed to be interested in the sight.
 
Angel poured two glasses of whiskey and turned in time to see Spike's cock tucked away into denim and discovered that dressing was just as erotic as undressing, at least when it was Spike.
 
"What now?" Spike asked as they settled on the leather sofa.
 
"I'd like to finish my drawing and maybe look at an oil... if you were willing to pose.  It might take some time to complete and I'd need quite a few sessions with you."
 
"It'll cost you," Spike said slowly.
 
"Maybe we could negotiate."
 
"What are you prepared to offer?"  Somehow they had moved closer on the sofa.
 
"I was thinking maybe room and board and if you worked for us officially hence earning a wage I wouldn't have to rip the eyeballs out of everyone in that Art Class."
 
"You what?"
 
"I said that bit out loud didn't I?"
 
"Yes you did."
 
"Fuck."
 
"Yeah about that..."  Their faces were as close as they normally were during their regular arguments.
 
"About what?" Angel licked his lips nervously.
 
"Fucking.  You wanna?"
 
"Hell yeah."
 
And they did.  To the point that every picture Angel painted had a sloe-eyed contented Spike draped across every surface in the penthouse and the entire building learnt not to walk into Angel's office when the door was closed.
 
_