“Another drink?” Spike’s voice snapped Xander out of his musings. “My round.”
“Ah, yeah, sure.”
“Same again?” Spike indicated the empty beer glass on the table.
“No, just a Coke thanks.”
Xander saw Spike’s eyebrow twitch in question, and did he know how that looked? “One beer is plenty for me. I didn’t have the world’s best role model. More of a warning warning danger Will Robinson thing. It’s a conversation for another time.”
Spike just shrugged, “Whatever suits. Table’s free, how about you rack up a game while I buy?” He wandered off to the bar leaving Xander to set up the balls. Thomas greeted him with a smile and a hand shake.
“And here’s my door-bitch. What’ll it be?”
“Oi! I ain’t your door-bitch, I’m the unpaid muscle.” Spike flipped his favourite two fingers. “My usual and a coke for the boy.”
“What brings you round tonight?” Tom asked while he poured the drinks.
“The lad got in a bit of a row with his friend. Just helping him get his mind off things.”
“Course. How very unselfish of you oh evil master. And the goo-goo eyes you been makin’ at him when he’s not lookin’?”
“I do not make goo-goo eyes. I might have had a bit of a perve but so what? Look at him Tom.” Spike took a moment to appreciate Xander as he happily set up the pool table.
Tom chuckled, a low rumbling sound from deep in his solid chest. “I have been mate. And so’s that Hokard demon over there.” Tom pointed an empty glass at a smallish blue-tinged figure at a far table. The demon was nursing a large flamboyant cocktail and had its eyes glued to an oblivious Xander. “Something about your boy there Spike.”
“Yes there is.”
Tom placed the drinks on the bar, waving away Spike’s money and added, “You take care of him, now.”
“That’s my plan. Cheers for the drinks.” Spike kept an eye on the Hokard as he wound his way back to Xander.
At the pool table Spike found Xander in mid conversation with what appeared to be a young human man but was in fact, going by Spike’s senses, another demon. Spike felt a surge of anger and possessiveness and quickly tamped it down before Xander picked up on it. He was trying to give the boy an easygoing night out. Xander didn’t need to be dealing with Spike’s demon-driven issues.
“Oh, Spike, this is Bilarl, Bill. We just got to talking about the workmanship of this table. It’s really something,” Xander was running his hands admiringly along the worn wooden edges.
At Spike’s pointed look the demon excused himself and continued on to the bar.