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Faith sat her bag down on the edge of the bed and looked around the room hesitantly.
"I really don't think this is a good idea..."
Kennedy was already striping out of her sweaty clothes as she walked towards the adjacent bathroom to turn on the shower. It had been a long day and a long flight and a long fucking year and she was ready for a hot shower in the privacy of her own room. "Shut up and get naked," she called over her shoulder, stepping under the waterfall shower-head with a sigh.
Faith toed at the rug under the bed with her worn-out boot and tried to roll the tension out of her shoulders.
Holiday. It was a holiday. Dawn was in the room next door and Kennedy's parents were downstairs and they were just on a family vacation like normal people, this was all... so. fucking. weird.
She picked up a pillow off the bed and turned around on her heels, trying to let the novelty of the room sink in a bit. This was Ken's room - from when she was a kid. There should be secret, revealing, hilarious things here.
But all Faith could see was the granite floor covered in carpets that cost more than she'd ever made in her entire life and art on the walls that she was sure probably should be in a museum and out the window on the other side of the charmingly red-and-orange tree was a barn full of actual horses.
Dawn had squealed when she saw the horses and had ran off with her hair flying behind her the minute they parked Faith's sturdy old station wagon in the front driveway, not even bothering to help with the luggage or find out which room she was staying in. Faith wished she could let go of some of the tension in her shoulders and feel that excited. Tear her clothes off and jump in the shower with her (very hot) girlfriend and just enjoy herself.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out, slowly toeing off her boots as she did so.
She had to at least look like she was trying to relax.
It was a message from Willow.
DON'T FLIRT WITH HER IN FRONT OF THE RICH PARENTS. WE NEED THEIR MONEY.
Faith grinned.
An alliance with Willow had been long-fought, but when Dawn showed up on her doorstep nearly a year after their High School Graduation, insisting that she was Faith's sister and stinking of magic, Willow and Amy were the only people in Sunnydale that Faith trusted to help her figure out what the fuck was going on. Fighting a hell-god to save a mystical Key now in the shape of a long-lost sister also bonds people. And then Willow had done a pretty cool thing bringing Faith back from that hell dimension and sometime after that Faith realized that maybe they were actually friends?
Friendship with Willow was a bit like being friends with a very friendly three-headed dog. She could be pushy and weird and she just as often gave terrible advice as she gave really amazing, life-changing advice and she was also really handy in an apocalypse.
YO. HAVE A GOOD TIME. AMY AND I ARE HOLDING DOWN THE FORT.
Faith hesitated over a response, Kennedy whining at her to hurry the fuck up.
It had been a really shitty time to up and leave everyone, what with the First wandering around torturing people, trying to get Robin and Drusilla to duel to the death or whatever, Potentials showing up on her doorstep every third night. Plus the fall-out from Larry's terrible wedding reception that ended in goo and tears, but a very happy Larry and Ron. (The lesson there had been: never invite rednecks to a gay wedding. Faith preferred demon parties to that disaster.)
Her phone buzzed again.
SENT RONA AND THE CHINESE ONE TO GET ANYA AND HARMONY FOR BACKUP.
Faith squinted.
YOU'RE WELCOME.
She was going to kill her.
YOU WON'T KILL ME. I'M STRONGER THAN YOU. ALSO KENDRA AND ROBIN AGREED IT WAS A GOOD IDEA.
Kennedy shouted something in Spanish that sounded a bit dangerous.
CHECK THE SIDE POCKET OF YOUR DUFFLEBAG AND THEN TURN OFF YOUR PHONE.
I'LL TRY NOT TO SOLVE THIS APOCALYPSE BEFORE YOU GET HOME.
Faith pulled her shirt over her head and laughed a little at the sounds of frustration Kennedy was now eliciting en-mass from the shower and then wiggled out of her jeans. Before heading to the bathroom she eyed her bag suspiciously and then rolled her eyes. If she didn't check, Willow would know (somehow) and Faith's phone would never stop buzzing. She slid open the zipper and immediately started laughing.
Kennedy's eyes lit up when Faith walked in to the bathroom wearing the strap-on they'd been wanting to order online for the past month. The post office had been the last, lingering government office to shut down, but even before that the First's energy had made delivery spotty at best.
"Willow. Deserves a raise," Kennedy laughed.
"We don't pay her now," Faith pointed out pragmatically.
"Good. She's a terrible employee," Kennedy waved her hands and pulled Faith towards her. They didn't feel the need to talk about Willow for a while. But later that night, sated and at-ease, Faith checked her phone on her way down to dinner.
YOU'RE WELCOME.
WE'RE DISCUSSING SALARY AND INSURANCE OPTIONS WHEN YOU GET HOME.