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Faith dropped the broken column to the warehouse floor. She and Buffy let out simultaneous long breaths, exhaling the tension and fear of the battle, both staring at the pile of dust that had once been Kakistos. For a second, right after she’d stabbed her stake into the ancient vampire’s chest and felt it get stuck far short of his heart, Buffy had genuinely been terrified that this would be the fight that would end her. Faith, though… she’d shaken off her fear, grabbed the very piece of the building Kakistos had thrown her through, and dusted him with it. It had been pretty darned impressive, honestly.
“Hungry?” Buffy asked, a little surprised to hear her own voice.
Faith’s nod was still a bit unsteady. “Starved.”
They turned and slowly walked out. Some of the other vampires Kakistos had with him had fled; they’d be a problem for another day, but Buffy wasn’t worried. They’d handled the boss. How much trouble could the minions really be?
Lacking any better ideas, Buffy started heading for Happy Burger; they were open late and had a location just around the corner. They’d only gone about a block before Faith spoke up. “Hey,” she said, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. “Thanks for that. For sticking with me.”
“We’re Slayers,” Buffy shrugged. “We have to stick together.”
Faith laced her fingers together a little awkwardly. “Yeah, but still. Most people don’t. Stick with me, I mean.” She looked nervous. Buffy couldn’t help a slight smile. For a badass, “I’ll take care of it myself” hardcase, Faith was being pretty adorable right then.
Seeming to notice the smile, Faith ventured one back. It was small too, but looked a lot more genuine than her usual expression of smug bravado. “Hey,” she said, tucking her hands behind her now. “You wanna go out sometime?”
“Like… hang out together?” blinked Buffy.
The smile got a little bigger. “I mean, go out. With me. On a date.”
Buffy’s mouth fell open.
It didn’t seem to faze Faith much. “I’m guessing you don’t get hit on by girls a lot,” she said easily, “but I promise, I can treat you right. All you gotta do is give me a chance.”
“I- uh, I mean, I’m-” The words were not coming. Buffy felt like a babbling idiot.
The thing was, it wasn’t Faith’s offer that had Buffy so completely thrown. It was her own reaction. In that first split second, right after Faith had said the word “date,” Buffy’s immediate response had been yes. No hesitation, no delay. It was only in the next moment, once her habitual second-guessing and self-doubts kicked in, that she realized what all that meant and found herself entirely floored by it.
It had felt exactly the same as it had when any cute boy asked her out. The little burst of ego and vanity over the fact that someone found her attractive, followed by an urge to step closer, to push into their personal bubble just a little, to maybe touch them or at least be able to feel their warmth radiating out to her skin. It wasn’t like she was thinking about kissing Faith or anything - although Faith’s lips really were something, full and soft-looking and oh my god now she was thinking about kissing Faith - but the whole experience… It was so familiar in such an unfamiliar way. The contrast seemed to have broken something in her brain.
The silence apparently spoke for her. “Hey, no worries,” said Faith, raising her hands in surrender. “Just thought I’d give it a shot.” She turned away, in the direction of her motel, apparently having changed her mind about food. Before she could think about it, Buffy lunged forward and snagged Faith’s hand, pulling her back around. She felt a little tingle in her fingers before she let go.
“Wait, Faith,” she said. “It’s not- it’s not what you think.”
“It’s not?” One of Faith’s eyebrows went up just a little.
“I mean, it sort of is. You’re right, I’ve never- I mean, you are the first girl that’s ever asked me out. But that’s not- It’s just- Scott Hope, he asked me out this morning already, to go to this Buster Keaton thing with him, and I…”
“So?” Faith shrugged. “It’s just a date, B. Trust me, I get it. He’s easy on the eyes. Seems a little tame for a Slayer, but I see the appeal. Still, though. It’s the movies, not a wedding. He doesn’t own you.”
Buffy stared at her. “You think… I should date both of you?”
“Hey, a little competition always brings out the best in me,” Faith grinned. “Tell you what. You’ve got that Homecoming thing coming up in a month or so, right? I saw the flyers at school. You can only go with one of us, and I say, may the best date win.”
For a long moment, Buffy just stood there. And then, to her own shock, she said, “Okay.”
Faith beamed. “All right! Now we’re talking! Trust me, B, this is gonna be wicked. I am going to sweep you all the way off your feet.” She reached out, took Buffy’s hand, and lifted it up to her lips. The kiss was light, barely even there, and it still sent heat across every inch of Buffy’s skin. Faith winked at her. “Now come on. We definitely need to get food.” And she began to race off toward Happy Burger, pulling a laughing Buffy along behind her in her wake.