It was on a routine patrol that Buffy realised that the feelings she had assumed were caused by her Slayer senses might actually have been her long-dormant heart: She supposed this realisation had come at a strange time – or rather, for a very strange reason. Eleven monsters had ambushed them – big, ugly ones too, coloured like week old bruises with a name she never remembered. As she took each one out, she made her usual puns. Of course she was keeping an eye on Sephiroth out of the corner of her eye. He was more than capable of looking after himself but some habits were hard to break. What had really given her pause though, was that after making her usual pun, she noticed on checking on him that he was laughing – genuinely amused.
Such a simple thing really but it caused her heart to nearly do a cartwheel in her chest. She brushed it aside, regardless to concentrate on her next victim. On dispatching it, she looked over once more, again the genuine amusement as he looked over at her and heard her pun was clear… and Buffy finally accepted that somehow, despite her not even trying she'd fallen in love.
Buffy looked at her sister obstinately. "Okay, you're right – you guessed right, Dawnie. I love him. Of course I do. I half-way don't understand it because he hardly says anything but then he's so sweet and gentlemanly and interested and the HAIR!! It's so pretty, isn't it? Almost makes me jealous."
Dawn beamed at her sister. "I knew it! You totally have to tell him, Buffy. I know he loves you too. It's so obvious!"
Buffy looked doubtful then. "It is NOT obvious, Dawn. I think you're imagining things. He doesn't treat me any differently from the rest of you." She ignored her sister's snort, so clearly in disagreement. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. You know what happens any time I love a guy – they leave. Pike, Angel, Parker, Riley… Spike. All gone, Dawnie."
Dawn nodded in understanding. "You don't want him to leave too. He's too important… but Buffy, he's not going anywhere. Why would he?" Buffy though, refused to be swayed. It would take another six months and a slightly stunned Sephiroth to change anything for them both…
It was on a routine patrol that things finally changed: They'd been ambushed, Sephiroth knocked to the ground, hitting his head on a rock as he did so – he'd lost some of his old gracefulness and speed the day that he'd lost Jenova's influence but that was a small price to pay, he felt, to be sane and allowed to exist in the world, surrounded by people who accepted him despite his odd ways… who might even care for him, in fact. He lay in a heap on the ground, the world spinning around him slightly as he watched in admiration as Buffy dispensed of the last of their attackers. She didn't even bother with puns that time, preferring instead to dispense with them all as quickly as possible so she could check on her companion. She cast a worried glance at him afterwards, reached down and offered her hand to him and he took it.
His intention had been to stand of course but somehow, she'd slipped or he'd pulled her down – he wasn't exactly sure which but he suspected that he'd miscalculated how much strength he was using when he went to stand or then again, perhaps it had been intentional – or rather, his unconscious mind had decided that then was the perfect opportunity. It didn't matter in that moment. All that mattered was that suddenly there she was, splayed on top of him, their eyes locked…
Sephiroth had never been overly sure of women or what to do with them – his early years in the lab hadn't made him in any way a normal human being but it seemed that normal was something in the genes when it came to members of the opposite sex. His fingers moved up to touch her cheek, marvelling at the softness of the skin beneath his digits. The next thing he registered was that Buffy's lips were upon his and she was kissing him – or he was kissing her… it didn't really matter which did it? Neither was putting up a fight whichever it was.
When they separated, long moments later, they looked both of them, more than a little dazed and surprised but most definitely happy.