"I would be very happy if you said yes too... Very happy..."-Buffy said and smiled a little naughty smile and put her hand around Faith's waist. Faith was a bit surprised Buffy did it in front of Joyce, but thinking back, they always did things like that and no one suspected anything.
"Ok... I'm gonna stay with you for a while, but I don't wanna do it for free, ok? My... my Watcher Diane left me some money, and it's not a lot, but I want you to have it."-Faith said and felt Buffy's grasp on her waist tighten when she mentioned her dead Watcher. It meant a lot to her. Faith was never a touchy-feely person and she didn't know how to really open up to someone, but it was nice to know that Buffy and Joyce cared. She really cared about them too and wasn't sure if they could really tell...
Joyce didn't want any money from the poor girl she really started caring about, but she knew Faith was too proud to accept any kind of help just like that and she said: "I don't want you to pay any rent, but when we go shopping for food you can buy a few things if you really want to. Faith, I never thought of asking you to pay a single penny, you're more than welcome here and you don't have to feel like you owe me anything. Ok, honey? You're part of our family now."
Faith thought it was probably the nicest thing anyone ever said to her and she felt tears in her eyes and a huge need to hug Joyce, but she didn't really know how to do it. She didn't know what was stopping her and she moved away from Buffy's grasp and simply said: "Thank you.", hoping Joyce would be able to tell that she really meant it.
It was hard not to notice how touched, grateful and undeciding Faith was, and to make it easier for her, Joyce embraced her gently, leaned her chin on top of Faith's head and waited for the girl to hug her back, she could feel she wanted to do it badly. Faith clumsily placed her hands around Joyce and whispered once again: "Thank you."
Buffy watched them, feeling a lump in her throat because she'd never seen Faith look so vulnerable and open. At that moment she realized she loved her, and loved her more than she thought was possible. For the first time she really thought she needed to know more about Faith's past; which, she knew, was not nice and easy. She noticed tears were running down Faith's face and more than anything in the world she wanted to hold her, kiss her, tell her she loved her and that everything would be ok.
Being so open and cared for was new to Faith and she realized she loved it, but it also scared her so much. Knowing from experience, bad things always came to an end and she didn't want them to. She didn't think she could stand losing Buffy and Joyce. They were like a family she never had. Loving Buffy was the scariest thing ever, and Faith wasn't sure if she was ready for it. It was all just too overwhelming and she moved from Joyce's embrace, wiped her tears away and ran out of the house, leaving Buffy and Joyce confused and a bit startled.
A second after Faith, Buffy ran out and caught up with her still visibly shaken friend. Or girlfriend...Buffy wasn't sure what they were anymore. Their relationship was definitely more than just lust.
"Faith, wait... Babe, what's wrong?"-Buffy asked her, worry and so much love in her voice, it made Faith stop walking. Buffy called her 'babe'. It was so nice to hear it, she felt her guard slipping in front of the blonde Slayer and she wasn't sure if she was scared or relieved about that.
"B... Look, I... I'm five by five."
"No, you're not... You cried. Come on, talk to me. You know I'm here for you, right?"-Buffy asked, worried that Faith, after all that time, still didn't know how much she cared.
"Buffy...I'm not good with these sappy things..."-Faith whispered and looked away. More than anything, she wanted to hug Buffy and never let her go, but instead she buried her hands deep into her pockets and looked at the floor.
The blonde Slayer thought she never felt so helpless and touched before. Faith was so far away from her usually tough self and she felt the need to make her feel better even if it required standing on her head to make the brunette girl laugh. She caught Faith's hand gently and led her to the bedroom. Faith kept quiet and when Buffy pulled her to the bed gently, she kissed her, thinking she wanted to have the next round of hot fun. Buffy had a different idea, though. After kissing Faith back gently, she lay down on the bed and asked Faith to lie next to her. When she did, Buffy put her hands around Faith, spooning her and whispering in her ear: "Babe, around me you can be weak sometimes, I'm strong enough to hold you... I feel safe with you around, and I want you to feel the same..."
Faith sighed and got comfy in Buffy's arms. Indeed, she felt safe. Safer than she ever felt. Buffy's warm breath on her neck and blonde's fingers that were now entwined with her own made her feel so completely content and ready to try to let Buffy in. Really let her in... She remained quiet, she just squeezed Buffy's hand a little when the blonde said: "You know... I like being like this with you. We don't have to just be naughty, we can be just... us...It's nice, isn't it?"
The dark Slayer had to admit it was nice, it was more than nice, actually... It was perfect just lying there in Buffy's arms, feeling the heat from her body, breathing in her scent and listening to her breathing. Since Faith had never told anyone she loved them, she wondered if saying it to Buffy would freak her out, she didn't know if it was too soon or too strong, but suddenly she wanted the blonde to know that. It was hard for her to speak and she turned around to look into Buffy's eyes. She caught her hand gently and kissed it, while looking into her eyes which looked like they were sparkling. If eyes were mirroring the soul then Buffy's soul was so damn beautiful, and Faith started thinking it belonged to her. Even though Buffy never said those 3 words, Faith was able to read them from her eyes at that moment and it gave her courage to say: "Buffy... I love you. And I don't mean it just as a friend... I really, truly love you."
It wasn't that hard to say it... It feels nice!-Faith thought and started worrying Buffy wouldn't say it back because her mouth was just a bit open, she was surprised. Faith's heart sank a little and she looked away, not knowing Buffy wanted to say it back, but was trying to form a sentence. Seeing Faith looked insecure at that moment, Buffy lifted her chin up and kissed her gently, but with all she had. Then she moved away just enough to be able to speak and she said: "I love you too, Faith. I really, really love you. Will you be my girlfriend? I mean, are you ready to tell the world about us?"
Faith didn't think she needed to answer that, so she just kissed Buffy passionately, cupping her face in her hands gently while doing it. She felt Buffy's lips curl into a smile and she had to smile too. When the kiss ended, Buffy looked at her and Faith realized Buffy needed to her the actual words even though she understood it was a yes.
"I'm ready for us to be a couple. A real couple. No more fooling around, I wanna tell everyone I love you."
A beautiful smile lit up Buffy's face, it melted Faith's heart completely and she kissed the blonde again. They were so comfortable holding each other and they fell asleep after a while. Joyce came to ask them if they needed anything and was surprised to see 2 girls asleep, embraced and with little smiles on their peaceful faces. She didn't have to be a genius to understand that her daughter was in love with Faith. For a moment she just looked at them and thought she couldn't remember when she last saw Buffy so peaceful and content. Joyce never really thought about gay love, but what she just witnessed touched her and she hoped her daughter would come clean about her feelings for Faith without feeling scared or embarrassed. A little smile appeared on her face and she quietly left the room, leaving 2 Slayers to sleep like babies in each other's arms. Cause, Joyce figured, it was exactly where they belonged.