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"Final boarding call for Southwest flight 241 - flying direct to Albuquerque. Final boarding call for Southwest flight 241."
Faith sighed, letting her head fall back against her coat-cushioned seat. It seemed like planes were flying everywhere in the whole damned world except the one place she was trying to go.
Not that Faith was all that particular about arriving in time to celebrate the whole nine yards of Xmas with Red and the rest of the Scoobs but, well, she'd promised to play nice. It wasn't exactly her strongest suit but she was trying, or trying to try at least. However, it needed to be said that the unexpected three hour layover due to inclement weather was not making it any easier for Faith to maintain her normally sunny disposition.
Still, despite being stuck in an airport for who knew how long - an airport filled from too-shiny floor to needlessly tall ceiling with anxious holiday travelers and uptight business people alike - despite the acrid smell of industrial-strength cleaning supplies, greasy food, and body odor, despite the way every cocky wannabe hero TSA agent looked at her, Faith wasn't mad or stressed or even mildly out of sorts. Because even though she hated airports, hated flying, hated sitting around waiting for a whole lot of nothing to happen, this was shaping up to be one of her best Christmases ever. And it was all because of the woman curled into her side.
Speaking of..
Buffy made a soft sound in the back of her throat, blinking up at her with half-open eyes. "Faith?"
She smiled. "Hey, B. You sleep okay?" After they'd found out their flight was delayed, Buffy had knocked off almost immediately and since they clearly weren't going anywhere - and since Faith knew she wouldn't be able to sleep in a place so crowded - she hadn't seen any reason to wake her.
"Mmm, yeah." Buffy sat up just enough to stretch her arms up and over her head, chasing the aches from her muscles. "How long was I out? Feels like hours..."
"Little over three, actually," Faith drawled, lips curling into a smirk as she took the opportunity to leer at her girlfriend. It was hardly her fault, after all, that Buffy, even with bed head and an adorably confused expression, was still mind-numbingly gorgeous.
Buffy groaned and Faith felt her pulse quicken in response. Again, not her fault. Slayer or not, she was only human. Plus, her girlfriend was stupidly hot.
"Any updates yet?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Nope," she said, popping the 'p'. "Girl at the desk said a lotta words that all boiled down to 'storm still bad'. That was," she wiggled her phone out of her pocket to check the time, "Twentyish minutes ago."
Buffy groaned again and Faith barely resisted the urge to echo it. Not the time or the place, she knew. "Did anyone call?"
She shook her head. "Probly think we're in the air."
She sighed, dragging a hand through her hair and frowning when she found a knot. "I'll have to call Will; at this rate we won't get there until, like, 3an at the earliest." She pushed herself wearily to her feet. "Well, first I'm gonna go to the ladies room and then I'll call. And then maybe see if anything's open because I'm sorta starving."
Faith chuckled, reaching out to tug the back of Buffy's shirt down. "I'll hold the fort, then. Think you can pick me up a Mountain Dew from somewhere?" She nudged the nearly empty bottle with the toe of her boot. "Almost out."
"Maybe." Buffy narrowed her eyes playfully. "How many have you had?"
Faith grinned, all dimples and charm. "How many do you think I've had?" she asked.
She laughed, shaking her head. "Obviously too many," she leaned in and Faith met her in a chaste kiss. "But I'll get you one anyway," she said as she pulled away, brushing a stray hair behind Faith's ear as she went. "And, if I see them, I'll grab some of those cheesy chips you like too."
Faith hummed, smile softening. "Thanks, B. You're the best."
"I am pretty great, aren't I?" Buffy asked seriously before breaking into a slow, sunshine-bright smile.
It took an almost embarrassingly long time for her to recover. When she did, Faith shook her head and watched as she slipped out of sight. "You really are, B," she said.
"You really are."