Just a short one shot. Noticed for the billionth time that sarah michelle gellar has the saddest eyes EVER, and had an idea that wouldn't go away!
Faith could feel someone watching her from behind, and she turned leisurely, knowing the gaze belonged to Buffy. Piercing blue eyes immediately found hers, and Faith mentally kicked herself as she felt her mind starting to go into instant fix-it mode. Something about the blonde's eyes was so sad, like she was just waiting for someone to come and save her from everything that was wrong with the world. Every time she saw her fellow slayer, Faith couldn't help the reflex to protect her that flared upon seeing the pain in Buffy's eyes.
Now was no different- if anything, it was even worse because Buffy had basically sought her out. Their relationship had been strained at times, sure, but since leaving Sunnydale it had somehow mended itself, strengthening and becoming far less antagonistic than it had been in the past. Faith was fairly certain a large amount of the change was a result of how much she herself had changed since the last time she saw Buffy, but regardless of the reason the easy banter between them was back, and when Buffy looked at her there was a certain...fondness? No, closer to plain affection present in her gaze.
Now, however, the emotion most present in Buffy's eyes was a thinly veiled desperation, the sight of which caused Faith to take a small step forward. "B?" She questioned softly, hoping the other girl would tell her what was going on, "What's wrong?" The blonde seemed to rally herself slightly at the comment as she weakly retorted, "How do you know something's wrong?"
Faith's lips tugged upwards in a pained half-smile and Buffy sighed. "Right. Of course you can tell something's wrong." Taking another step forward, Faith prompted once more, "So? Care to share?" When the blonde hesitated, Faith smirked and said, "If you've got an issue, I've got a tissue."
Buffy arched an eyebrow. "You have a thing for rhyming tonight or something?"
"Or something," Faith replied, happy to see the pain dissipate for a fleeting moment as Buffy smiled before sobering again. "But seriously. What's up?"
The blonde hesitated, and Faith took a final step towards her, closing the remaining distance so that they were almost touching. With anyone else, she wouldn't have given a shit about their problems, but Buffy seemed to bring out a protective side in her that was otherwise hidden, and Faith couldn't help but want to make all of her problems disappear.
Looking at Buffy, she watched in concern as the blonde tugged at her lip and struggled for words. The older slayer opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again before slowly saying, "I just...god it sounds stupid, but I feel like I'm all alone sometimes. I know that everyone cares, but it's just...so many people have died, and I'm scared of letting them care. I'm scared of letting myself care. If something happens to one more person because of me..." she broke off, bowing her head to try and hide the tears now falling from her eyes.
Struggling with what to do in such an unknown situation, Faith reached out hesitantly for the smaller girl, gently placing her hands on Buffy's shoulders and drawing the blonde to her body slowly. Buffy felt Faith reaching out for her, and to her surprise the brunette drew her close with unexpected tenderness, holding her to her body.
Buffy let herself melt into the warmth and safety Faith's arms were offering, inhaling deeply to try and calm the shuddering of her body. Faith tightened her grip on the blonde as she felt the girl shaking, wishing there was something more she could do. She supposed that this particular breakdown had been a long time coming, but it didn't make her want to stop it any less. The brunette unconsciously let her hands wander a bit, one hand running soothingly through Buffy's hair and the other tracing gentle symbols on her back, trying to calm her erratic breathing.
Buffy felt her body relax even more into Faith's as she registered fingers in her hair and the soft touch of a hand on her back, holding her close and reassuring her that everything would be ok. She hadn't been sure till now why she had sought out Faith- out of all her friends, why she had sought the one who had been her enemy for so long. As she heard the younger girl murmuring in her ear, though, she knew that she had somehow instinctively known that the other slayer would be able to provide her with the unquestioning comfort she so desperately needed.
Despite how unsure she knew Faith had to be, the other girl was still trying her best to comfort her as best she could. Buffy could feel how badly the brunette wanted to do something to fix it and make it better for her, and she nuzzled her face into the girl's chest, just letting herself be held. Finally, she forced herself to pull back just enough so she could see Faith's face. The brunette looked down, and the love that Buffy saw in her eyes made her want to bury her face once more and never leave the girl's arms. It took all of her willpower to not hide again, but she kept her gaze steady as she whispered, "Thank you."
Faith's eyes quirked, and Buffy smiled slightly at how adorable the expression was. "For what? Not like I've done a whole lot," she muttered, pausing for a split second before continuing, "But really, B, you have to know that everyone who's died- that's not your fault!" She could see the dubious look in the blonde's eyes, and she hurried to explain. "B, come on. You know that their deaths were the fault of whatever big bad you were up against at the time. You never just let someone die- seems to me I remember you always did your best to make sure everyone got out alive, actually."
Buffy shook her head, grateful for the effort but still nowhere near convinced. "That doesn't mean I'm not still going to end up alone, Faith," she said, a bit frustrated that the other slayer couldn't seem to understand what she was scared of. Faith looked surprised for a moment before saying softly, "You won't be alone, B."
"Really? How do you know?" Buffy asked, voice challenging.
"Because you have me," Faith whispered, not looking Buffy quite in the eye as she said it. The blonde stood there, still wrapped in the younger girl's arms, mouth hanging open. She hadn't expected to ever hear Faith say that, but hearing it caused a flood of relief to break over her. Wrapping her own arms around the younger girl, she squeezed her tightly, burying her face in the side of Faith's neck and murmuring, "You better not be lying."
Smiling and kissing the side of the blonde's head, Faith said, "I would never." After a few more minutes of just enjoying the feeling of being held and kept safe, Buffy moved away and said, "Thank you, Faith." Leaning up just a bit, she pressed her lips against the other slayer's in a soft kiss. The feeling was heady and bordering on euphoric, and she smiled into the kiss before breaking away. Watching her in surprise, Faith seemed at a loss for words before finally managing to get out, "Any time."
A faint smile touched the younger girl's lips as she watched Buffy turn and leave the kitchen rather reluctantly. Leaning back against the counter, she closed her eyes and let herself get lost for a moment in the memory of Buffy's lips on hers. She didn't know what had gotten into the blonde or where she was planning on going with this, but remembering the softness of the other slayer's lips she knew she wouldn't be objecting any time soon.
Just some fluff, let me know what you thought!