buffyversetop5 | The 5 fics you should have read if you consider yourself a Spike/Xander fan

(alternate title: 5 of the most fantastic, minimalist, possibly under-appreciated but totally loved Spike/Xander fics this year, that just happen to be by three authors)

1) Xander Harris vs. Destiny (by

savoytruffle ,

cordelianne and

reremouse , mature)

Written for

fall_for_sx , this epic awesomeness is ... in a word... awesome. Shrunken heads. Road trips. Magic. Bad hotels. You get the idea.....

2) Zeppo and Groucho's Excellent Adventure (by

reremouse , mature)

Ok, this is basement Xander at his most distilled... with this really beautiful repetition spin/return to "the Zeppo", but doing it in that way only Reremouse can do. Cigarette-smoked pizza. Basement of doom. Mayhem. Feather boas. It's awesome.

3) Better Days (by

cordelianne , mature)

It's the summer after Buffy's jump off the tower, but instead of worrying about spells and hell dimensions, there's Spike/Xander nookie. Puppies. Monsters. Worst-case-scenarios (well, not really). Just, trust me, read it.

4) Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time) (by

cordelianne , adult)

This one came in at the end of the year, and it's exactly the kind of thing you want to read about that will absolutely not remind you of the holidays in all of the best ways. Post-everything Spike and Xander have to quell an uprising in the Bahamas. Long Island Ice Teas. Zombies. Mad skills. If it doesn't make you grin come back and tell me and we'll adjust your sense of humor ;)

5) The One in the Home Depot Up the Road from the Home Depot (by

savoytruffle , mature)

Again, if you don't smile after this one? I'll eat my hat. It's an absolutely beautiful representation of Xander-pov/Xander-babble/Xander-brain. Wood. Inappropriate thoughts about decking. Back-room meet ups. Silent tension that gets resolved in a way that makes my little spander heart go AWWWW.