Work Text:
They were out on patrol, just the two of them. Things had been a little tense since they had just come from a night out at the Bronze, with something clearly troubling Buffy. Three silent but still seamlessly coordinated vampire killings later, Buffy finally decided to speak up.
“I hate how you do that,” she said.
“What, exist?” Faith smirked at her.
“No, walk around all… Faith-like.”
“‘Faith-like’? And just what’s that supposed to mean, B?”
Buffy made a gesture with her hands. “You know! All alluring and sexy and stuff. You’re taken, remember?”
Faith cocked her head to the side. “Possessive much?”
The blonde Slayer huffed, crossed her arms but didn't say anything. She was pouting, and Faith sighed, knowing what she’d have to do.
“I’m yours, B… but I ain’t going around changing the way I walk just because you get all green-eyed Slayer over randoms ogling me. And anyway, as if I’d give them the time of day when I got a Slayer to beat me up whenever I step outta line.”
“Hey—” started Buffy.
“What? It’s true.” Faith shrugged innocently, smirking at her girlfriend. “I never said I minded. You know us fighting has always gotten me going. Nothing like it. Not even dusting vamps.”
Buffy’s eyes softened marginally.
“And, you know...” continued Faith. She stopped walking. Inhaled. Exhaled. “IkindaloveyouB.”
“What?” Buffy stopped walking when she noticed Faith had. Turning to look questioningly at her, Buffy asked, “Did you just say…?”
“That I love you?” Faith looked away and resumed walking, twiddling with the wooden stake in her hand. She tried to move past the moment with faux casualness, pushing down the sudden nervous energy she felt.
“Yeah, that.” Buffy could feel her heart beating erratically in her chest, expanding and becoming lighter all at the same time. She stared after Faith with wide eyes, while the girl was looking resolutely forward.
“Yeah… sorry.”
Buffy shook her head. She moved forward quickly and touched Faith’s arm to get her to look back at her.
When they were face to face, Buffy’s hand on her forearm and eyes trained on each other, Buffy leant up to kiss her. Her other hand threaded through Faith’s hair and Faith’s arms came up around Buffy’s waist, pressing her closer.
“You’re ridiculous. You know that, right?” said Buffy as she pulled back.
“Can’t help it.”
“Yet I still love you. Weird, huh?”
“The weirdest.” Faith was having trouble with words. She just stared at Buffy with a goofy grin on her face.
They basked in the moment for a moment longer, until they heard shuffling to their right. And then as two Slayers working together as one, they pinned the vampire to the nearest vertical surface and drove a stake through its heart.
And so life went on.