Fic: Holiday Out
Okay, it's finally midnight here, so I'm done waiting and tweaking on this story. For good or ill, here's a little angstless Giles/Ethan action.

Title: Holiday Out
Author: rayne_y_daze
Pairing: Giles/Ethan
Rating: Mild PG
Summary: Giles sneaks away on holiday.
Word Count: 4220
A/N: Written for the slashysummerfun Angstless-athon; song cue was "Celebrate Summer" by T-Rex.
A/N2: AU - in fact, this puts the "A" in AU. Eyghon still happened, but Giles and Ethan dealt with it together. Giles returned to his calling as a watcher, but kept Ethan in his life, so none of Ethan's mischief occured. Ethan has basically taken Olivia's place as Giles' occasional orgasm friend, but Giles won't tell the kiddies about him...
A/N3: This takes place sometime after Graduation Day.
A/N4: Is it just me, or does angst-less require more A/N's?
Disclaimer: If they were mine, they'd have more fun.
Warnings: Well, it's slash, but we knew that. :-) Mild references to drug use.

Also, here, there be schmoop. If Harlequin® has gay subdivision, I think I've found my calling.


Holiday Out

“When are you coming back?”

“I’ll be gone at least a few days, Buffy. Remember, I won’t be reachable during this conference – we’ll be strictly sequestered until a new Council Historian is selected.”

With a pout, Buffy nudged one of Giles’ bags with the toe of one over-priced sandal. “Okay, but I expect cool British gift-age when you get back. Do they have cool British gifts? Or is it all tweed and scones?”

Barely concealing an eye roll, Giles bent to pick up his bags. “I’m sure I’ll find something suitably un-stuffy for you. Now take care, and I’ll see you soon.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come to the airport with you? You know – I can wave sadly at the plane and make people talk…”

“Wha…” He caught a spark of mischief in the girl’s grin. “Yes, quite. Thank you, Buffy, but I think I’ll manage.”

“Okay, your loss.” She threw her arms around her highly startled watcher for a quick hug and bounced out the door. “Have a safe flight! Try not to come back all tweed-covered again. Oh! And make faces at those guards with the hats for me – I’ve always wanted to do that.”

And, with the click of the door catch, the rest was silence.

Giles stood blinking at the door for a full minute before he remembered the bags he was holding. Rearranging them to one arm, he opened the door to his flat and walked into the sunshine.

**********

He swore mildly at the other drivers in the car park. Battling airport traffic always gave Giles a bit of a headache, but he was quite looking forward to this trip. A little traffic wasn’t going to get him down.

Soon, he was standing at a counter with his bags at his feet. A strong arm stole its way around his waist, and a smoky voice rumbled in his ear. “Hello, Ripper.”

Giles turned slowly and met the other man’s eye. “Ethan Rayne. What the hell took you so long? I was almost ready to leave without you."

“But, Rupert! You’re the one who just had to meet at the airport. There’s dozens of car rental places in town without having to deal with this madhouse. It’s a wonder I made it at all!”

Giles scowled. “Well, alright. I suppose you have a point.” He gave Ethan a quick kiss on the nose. “But you know I had to think of something to keep the children from pestering us the entire trip, and the London trip was the only thing I could come up with. So my car has to be here at the airport, just in case anyone looks.”

Ethan’s eyes bugged just a little. “Rupert, no. Tell me you didn’t use the ‘Council Historian’ line – that was supposed to be a joke!”

“Maybe, but it bloody well worked, so just shut it, you.”

Ethan laughed loudly. “Brilliant! I told you American children were easy marks. They’ll believe anything said with the right accent!” His laughter trailed off into remarkably high-pitched giggles, and he wiped his eyes.

“Yes, Ethan, it’s very funny. Now let’s get a car before we’ve wasted our entire holiday in this den of insanity.”

Ethan proudly brandished a small black leather case. “It’d best have a cd player; I brought music!”

**********

Finally quit of Sunnydale, the open road lay before them, and Ethan broke out his cd case. Seventy miles an hour up Highway 1 with the top down on the shiny new convertible they'd rented, and Ethan began to sing along with the music. Loudly. And badly. After a few minutes, he leaned over and was singing to Rupert.

Hey little girl would you like a dance
Hey little girl want a quick romance
Hey little girl won't you be the one
To celebrate summer with meeeeee

Giles gave the man a playful shove. "You sing like a cat in heat, Ethan!"

"It's not the skill, my dear; it's the joy of the music."

"Fine. But, if you're going to sing to me, at least remember that I'm not a girl!"

"Rather hard to miss that, old man. But there is a special circle of hell reserved just for people who rewrite song lyrics to accommodate rigid gender roles."

"I never pegged you as a purist, Ethan."

"My dear, chaos doesn't automatically mean disrespect. People spent many hours, partook of many lovely and expensive narcotics to write some of these gems. Who am I to tell them that their work is insufficient?"

"You're behind the times, Ethan. Most of today's musicians embrace clean living."

"Rubbish. Besides, my sweet. I don't have any of 'today's musicians' anywhere in this case."

**********

After another hour on the road, Giles frowned at the car's displays. "We'll need to stop soon; we're nearly out of petrol. What does that sign say?"

Ethan squinted ahead. "You're the one wearing glasses…why don't you read the bloody thing? Oh! It says 'Oxnard 26'"

"We can make it that far. One of these days, you're going to have to admit that you don't have a young man's eyes anymore."

"Nonsense, Rupert. You're the one who's eyes have aged. My eyes are young and—"

"Ethan, you're nearly a decade my senior, now stop it!"

The man in the passenger seat pouted. Giles had to admit that it was (disturbingly) cute. "There's no need to be cruel, Ripper. I'm merely saying that my eyes work fine."

"I'm sorry, dear. You're right – your eyes are fine. Your refusal to have an eye exam has absolutely nothing to do with your being too vain to wear glasses."

Ethan crossed his arms, refusing to dignify Giles' comment with an answer.

A short while later, Ethan sat straight up in the passenger seat. "Oh, Ripper, look! Let's go there for lunch. Think of the trouble we can get into in such a place!"

Giles' eyes followed Ethan's pointing finger and saw two signs. One for a service station (thank God…they were on fumes) and the other for The Fabulous Ladies' Night Club.

With a sigh, Giles turned to make sure Ethan could see him roll his eyes. "I understand not wanting to change song lyrics, but this is beyond the pale. Neither of us qualifies as a lady, Ethan. You barely qualify as a gentleman!"

"Now you're just being cruel again. I'm nothing at all like a gentleman! Besides, the sign underneath says 'strippers', doesn’t it? Now, use that legendary logic of yours. What kind of stripper do you think they'll have at such a club? Ladies, we are not. But the show should still be an eye catcher!"

Giles nodded. "I won't argue with your logic, Ethan. But I would like to get to the hotel before they rent the room out from under us. Let's just get some petrol and go. We can drive through one of those ubiquitous burger places along the way." He glanced sideways and saw the beginnings of another pout. "Maybe we can stop here on our way back."

**********

It was dark by the time they arrived at the hotel. Aside from one raised and quickly suppressed eyebrow, check-in was uneventful. Giles and Ethan arrived at their room on the third floor and entered. Without a second glance, Ethan dropped his bags and ran through the room to the balcony door, sliding it open with relish. Turning around, Ethan crossed the room again to take Giles in his arms. "Smell that sea air, Ripper! Doesn't it make you feel young again?" He kissed the man in his arms enthusiastically. "Next year, we should take a cruise!"

Giles smiled at his lover and returned the kiss. "Might not be a bad idea, Ethan." Another kiss, which Ethan deepened immediately. With a groan, Giles reluctantly broke the kiss and leaned back. "Food first. I'm starving."

Ethan smirked. "Right you are. Let's find someplace with large servings – you'll need to keep your strength up, old man."


Giles awoke slightly chilled, and very alone. He cracked one eye open and confirmed that Ethan was, in fact, not in bed anymore. He also saw that the sun was up – barely. Carefully, Giles climbed out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. When he emerged, he looked around for his missing companion. He found him on the balcony, already dressed.

Giles moved to the balcony door but made no sound. Ethan stood leaning against the railing. Giles had always wondered how Ethan was able to have such impeccable posture while still looking so relaxed and graceful. His lover's body was a marvel. There was no denying Ethan's years, but he was strong and lean and beautiful.

Giles reached back for his bathrobe and walked out onto the balcony, wrapping his arms around Ethan's waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. "Good morning, love. When did you become an early bird?"

Ethan leaned into the embrace and let his head fall back onto Giles' shoulder. "Only this morning. I feel quite happy, and I'm rather afraid I'll miss something if I sleep too long."

Giles started. "Are you alright? You're not getting dramatic on me, are you?"

That was greeted with a warm, deep chuckle. "No need to worry. Just a momentary lapse – blame it on the sea." Ethan straightened and turned to look at Giles, and his eyebrows shot up. "You lazy sod! Go – get washed up and dressed. I want to walk down to the pier before it's too hot."

**********

They spent the morning at the pier watching the surfers below. After a while, Giles pointed one of the surfers out to Ethan. "You have to watch this kid; this is incredible!"

Ethan looked. In line with Giles' finger was a boy, no more than 16 or 17 years old. He was wearing a dive suit and had a bright yellow surf board. Most noteworthy, however, was the boy's hair. Atop that black dive suit were hundreds of fluffy red curls –perfectly dry. Ethan frowned. He hadn't seen the boy arrive, so he must have been there for a while. But those red curls were the only dry hair in evidence among the surfers.

They stood watching as the boy took wave after wave, never losing his footing. They started making bets with one another on how long this could continue. Finally, after at least an hour, the boy fell. As he climbed back onto his board, Giles and Ethan heard him shout, "I got my hair wet!" Laughing, they turned and made their way back to the shore end of the pier.

The rest of the day was spent wandering aimlessly between the shops, holding hands as they walked. One or two people did mild double-takes, but they were, otherwise, left alone.

That evening, back in their room, Giles groaned as Ethan rubbed his sore muscles. "Rupert, how do you manage a slayer when you can't even handle a few stairs down to the beach?"

Giles shot a glare at his lover. "It wasn't the stairs down to the beach, you prat! It was the stairs back up from the beach. Ow! Okay, yes. There."

Ethan chuckled and patted Giles on one leg. "Come on, dear. I have just the cure for what ails you." And, with that, Ethan was gone. Giles, grumbling over the loss of his masseuse, followed him into the bathroom. Ethan had turned on the taps for the bathtub and was testing the temperature. He then turned and began rummaging through his travel case while the tub filled. With a grin that couldn't be described without liberal use of the word "wicked", Ethan held a small bottle aloft. Bath oil. Sandalwood scented. Lovely.

When the tub was appropriately filled and oiled, Ethan turned off all but one small light and eased Giles into the water. With great care, and a little sloshing, Ethan climbed in behind him, his legs on either side of Giles' hips. He gently pulled and adjusted until Giles was reclining comfortably on his chest. "I should have brought candles."

"Don't be silly, Ethan. This is perfect." Giles eased back against the warm body beneath him and slowly allowed his muscles to relax.

**********

Giles carefully packed a carryall with cheese, crackers, wine glasses and two bottles of the wine they'd bought earlier that day. That had been a fun trip. They'd visited a tiny little town with only a handful of people, but a fairly booming artisan industry. And the winery had been utterly charming. Neither he nor Ethan was anything approaching a wine connoisseur, but it was refreshing to get to "taste test" the wine before purchasing it.

Ethan pulled him from his musings.

"Bring your guitar?"

"You know I would, Ethan, but I'd never make it back up the stairs with it."

"Then we'll stay the night on the sand. It'll be terribly romantic. Come on, Rupert. What's an evening on the beach without a guitar and a bonfire?"

Giles grinned. "I can't believe you actually finished that sentence and didn't once mention drugs! I think I'm proud of you."

"Did I mention the lovely young people who'll be joining us?" It was Ethan's turn to grin, and he added an eyebrow waggle.

"Ethan?"

"Hurry up - we don't want to keep our new friends waiting, do we?"

Later, as the smallish bonfire burned, Giles leaned back against a rockface while Ethan reclined bonelessly across his legs. Ethan's new friends had, in fact, brought a little something with them, and Giles wasn't the only one to bring wine. The group was quite thoroughly relaxed. There were about seven people gathered around the fire. Maybe eight; it depended on which eye Giles looked through. He tried looking through both eyes, but that just led to dizziness and tilting.

"Do you play?"

Very slowly, at least to an outside observer, Giles turned is head to the source of that question. Across the fire, was a young man, probably in his late twenties, with sun-bleached hair. A tan and a brunette covered his body. "Play?"

The young man pointed at Giles' guitar and raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Oh! Yes, a little"

The young man smirked and waited, eyebrow still raised. Giles thought it might be stuck there. A light clicked. "Oh, you want me to play!"

Giles was delighted to see the poor lost eyebrow returned to its rightful place, and the young man smiled, running one hand up the brunette's arm.

"Ethan!" Giles bounced his legs. "Shove off – I need a lap."

"Oi! I was comfortable there, you prat!"

"'m'gonna play music – I need my lap."

"Oh, that's alright, then."

With far less than his customary grace, Ethan rearranged himself so that he was, once again, self-supporting.

Giles began to play the first thing that came to his mind on a moonlit beach with new friends and a bonfire. The group quickly dissolved into helpless giggles as he plucked one guitar string, creating a reasonable copy of the opening of the Jaws theme. When Ethan snorted, Giles lost all control and fell to his side laughing hysterically.

No one had any way of knowing how long that continued, but, eventually, they regained some semblance of control, and Giles began to play for real. He started with just a random instrumental, but then moved to pieces with lyrics and sang quietly. He played through the night. Some of the songs were unfamiliar to everyone save Ethan and himself, but on a few of them, one or two of their new friends would join him in singing. No one was concerned either way – it was a night on the beach with a fire and music. That's all any of them wanted.

**********

They'd decided to have breakfast on the balcony that morning and ordered in. Over danishes and tea, they laid plans for the day. It seemed another walking tour was in order, but they'd go south a bit for this one. Ethan had heard of a tourist-heavy but charming town not too far from the hotel and wanted to go there.

After only a twenty-minute drive, they were at their destination and looking for a car park. Giles found one and carefully maneuvered between two cars with out of state plates.

As always, they walked hand in hand as they moved through town. It was definitely a tourist town, but Giles had to admit that it had its own charm. Especially when he found the used book store. With a roll of his eyes, Ethan agreed to meet him again in one hour. He wasn't about to stand around while Giles rooted through books; he could see the sights on his own. He gave Giles a quick kiss and headed down the sidewalk.

Precisely on schedule, the two reconnected outside the used book store. Giles had managed to keep his book purchases to two, but they were still a bit heavy. Ethan also had a few bags, so they walked back to the car to stash their treasures in the boot. Afterwards, they resumed their walking tour, but Giles stopped abruptly.

"Bugger!"

"Rupert - such language from a man of your status. Or was that a request?"

"No, it's not a bloody request! I promised Buffy I'd bring back British gifts, but I was in such a hurry to leave that I failed to consider I wasn't actually going to England and wouldn't be able to!"

A smile spread across Ethan's face. "Come with me, my dear."

"Where are we going?"

"I have a plan so cunning, you could stick a tail on it and call it a weasel!"

"Ethan, you know how it upsets me when you quote Blackadder."

Ethan grabbed Giles' hand and tugged. "Come along. You'll know when we get there."

A short while later, the two men stood on the sidewalk outside a small shop with a large Union Jack on the window. Ethan grinned while Giles gaped. "Didn't I tell you, Rupert? Of course the really good stuff is inside."

"Ethan, does the irony of two Englishmen purchasing British souvenirs in California completely elude you?"

"I'm sure I've no idea what you're talking about. Now, let's go buy goodies for the kiddies."

**********

Giles and Ethan quietly checked the room one last time to make sure they weren’t leaving anything behind. Ethan moved over to Giles and wrapped his arms around him. "Rupert, dear. I know we're still technically on holiday, but I wanted to tell you how much I've enjoyed this trip."

Giles smiled and pulled him closer. "It has been fun, hasn't it?" He raised a hand and ran it down the side of Ethan's face. "I'm glad you were with me."

They kissed. Tenderly, at first, then passionately – hands sliding and gripping as they dueled with lips, teeth, and tongues. "Mmph phm mm hm."

Giles pulled back slightly. "What was that, love?"

Ethan sighed, already missing the contact. "I said, 'we have to go'. Checkout's in less than five minutes."

They stood there, forehead to forehead, for a moment. Finally, with a small nod of his head, Giles kissed Ethan's nose and grabbed his bags. "This time, I get to pick the driving music."

**********

Heading back down Highway 1, they had the top down and music blaring. This time, they both sang along.

Giles jumped when Ethan shouted unexpectedly. "Oxnard 19! We are going to stop, aren't we?"

He'd rather hoped Ethan had forgotten about the night club in Oxnard, but it was obvious he hadn't. Giles looked at the gauges and sighed. They also needed petrol, so his options were limited. "Yes, we'll be stopping."

"Lovely!"

After filling the tank, Giles drove twenty yards to park by the nightclub. He sighed again as he looked at the building. It was nearing sunset, but it was still entirely too light out for that much neon. Straightening his shoulders, he opened the door and followed Ethan through.

Immediately, they were greeted with a loud, pounding rhythm. The sign in the entryway announced a cover charge, but it was apparently still too early for that. There weren’t many customers, so they moved through the club with some ease. Ethan grabbed Giles' hand and pulled him toward a table near the stage, where there was a well-oiled but underfed young man twirling around a pole. He was wearing a blue-sequined g-string, and his blond hair was tied back with a leather strap.

Taking a seat, Giles looked around for someone to bring them a menu. Not seeing anyone immediately available, he just watched with a raised brow as Ethan applauded wildly for the young man who was leaving the stage.

Noticing Giles' stare, Ethan smiled at him. "You have to praise them, love. The poor dears are starving for attention. And you know me, Rupert; I'm a giver."

Backstage, another young man bounced on the balls of his feet, nervously awaiting his entrance music. He jumped when the manager yelled.

"Harris! You're off the hook. Manuel made it. Go hit the tables."

With a wide and crooked grin, the young man breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Tony! I'll just go change…"

"NOW!"

"Right."

As Ethan was expounding on the importance of giving support to young artists, he suddenly stopped. Giles had pretty much stopped listening, but the abrupt ending got his attention, and he looked back at his companion. Ethan, head tilted for a better angle, seemed to be examining something very interesting. When Giles turned around to see what had Ethan's eye, he understood. With his back to them, a tall young brunette stood at the bar. The boy's outfit was, of course, ridiculous, but the abbreviated shorts did do wonders to show off long, lean legs. The vest also worked nicely, showing off well-toned arms and offering glimpses at a narrow waist whenever he moved.

Giles was impressed, but, more importantly, hungry. Clearly, the young man worked there, so he called for him. After three shouts of "young man", the boy turned around and looked their way.

Ethan, completely oblivious to the sudden tension in the air, whistled softly. "Very pretty indeed! Don’t you agree, Ripper? Ripper?" He looked at his lover and was horrified to see a complexion gone completely white. "Rupert! Are you alright?"

During this exchange, the boy from the bar made his way to their table. He seemed to be trying to cover himself with a serving tray, but it wasn't up to the task. Ethan glanced up at the boy and was startled to see a matching whiteness on his face. "Hi, Giles."

"Rupert, you know this young Adonis? Why didn't you say so, dear? He can join us for lu…"

"Hello, Xander."

Ethan's eyes widened, and he looked like he was trying to decide if laughing would be too out of place. His decision made, he let out a gust of laughter. "Ripper, is this one of your little troup?" Ethan stood and extended a hand to Xander. "Pleasure to meet you, dear boy. Won't you join us?"

Without taking his eyes from Giles, Xander shook Ethan's hand.

Giles and Xander looked at one another for long enough that Ethan was tempted to time them. Finally, they both spoke. "I can explain." Perfectly synchronized – Ethan was impressed.

Giles took in Xander's outfit. He was a little disturbed by the fact that he was no less impressed than he'd been before. "Perhaps it's best if you didn't."

Xander looked at the two men at the table. They weren't touching, but their couple status was pretty clear to see. "Yeah, you too. I'll go find someone to take your order." He started to walk away, but turned back. "Before we both forget we saw anything? I'm happy for you. Everyone was worried that you were lonely being so far from home. I'm glad you aren't."

Giles' eyes grew wide and shiny, and he smiled at his young friend. "Thank you, Xander. That means a lot to me."

**********

The sky was black as they finally approached the airport. Giles looked to his right and nudged his sleeping travel companion. "Ethan, wake up. We're almost there."

With as much of a stretch as Ethan could manage with his long frame in a small car, he roused himself and turned a bleary eye to Giles. "What time is it?"

"Almost nine. Your flight leaves in about half an hour."

"Bugger."

"Yes."

Giles pulled into the loading zone and brought the car to a stop. "Are you sure you don't want me to go to your gate with you?"

"Positive, old boy. I detest sappy good-bye scenes." With that, Ethan grabbed Giles' face and pulled him over for a good old-fashioned snogging. Leaning back with a wicked grin, Ethan opened his car door. "See you next year?"

Giles smiled brightly. "I rather liked your cruise idea. I'll see what I can arrange."

"Perfect." With a parting wink, Ethan pulled his luggage from the boot of the car and walked into the airport.

Giles watched the door for a brief while and then drove around to the car rental return area. As he pulled his own bags from the rental, he smiled. Maybe next year, he'd tell the children where he was going.

The End