Sleeping to Death, Waking to Life
I wake up on her couch and Faith's voice reaches me. "Yeah, G-man, she's here. She collapsed during patrol." Giles. I should get up and talk to him. Then I think, screw it, Faith can handle it. For once, I'll just someone else be the responsible one.
"Actually, I think its just exhaustion. B's been running on an awful lot of adrenaline and not much else for the last few days. She was pretty out of it the other night." She pauses, listening again. "I'd prefer to keep her here, actually. She's crashed now and all she'll get at home is questions." Pause. "Yeah, I'll keep an eye on her. All night if I have to. You'll make the call? Thanks."
"Faith?"
She turns, cat-like, her hair whipping around; I surprised her, I think tiredly, as she crosses to stand beside the couch. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. How do you feel?"
"Tired."
"Good. You just need a good night's sleep," Faith says soothingly, moving to walk away.
"Faith?" I catch her hand. "Stay."
"I was just going to..."
"Please?"
She sighs, in amusement. "Ok." I keep a hold of her hand as she climbs over me, carefully, and slides down between my back and the sofa cushions. She shifts around and snuggles comfortably around me. Her arm tightens around my waist briefly to make sure I am tight against her and then releases.
"Good?"
"Umm huh." It comes out somewhere between a breath and a moan as I drift off.
"Now sleep." And I do.
I wake slowly, feeling Faith all around me. I'm aware of her arms first, one wrapped loosely under and around my neck, her fingers wrapped in my hair, and the other gently cupping my stomach. My arms mirror hers, as if I'm holding her there, my fingers twined in hers. Her breath is soft and warm against my neck, where my hair has fallen? been pushed? aside. Her leg is thrown over mine, her foot resting on my calf, and I feel completely enveloped by her body. Again. I could get to like this feeling, I think.
She's still asleep but I'm suddenly very, very awake, feeling the whole of her body pressed against my back, breasts, hips, thighs. A burst of heat and electricity shoots through my body, and I take a deep, ragged breath, thinking that maybe that will calm down something, anything, that's raging through my body. Instead it wakes Faith up. She wakes like a cat; her eyes snap open and she's instantly tense and alert, her whole body suddenly rigid, like she's ready for a fight. I'm not sure she remembers who I am, at first. She takes stock of the situation, and relaxes a little.
"Faith?"
"Yeah, B?" That sleepy, husky tone goes through me and I can't breath again.
I go for lightness, hoping it will give me some breathing room. "Do you even have a bed in this apartment?" It's not the question she was expecting and she laughs.
She shifts up, her arm coming out from under my head, and she props herself up on an elbow so she can look down at my face. Her breasts sliding against my back makes me breathless, again, and it's a moment before I can meet her eyes.
"I actually do. I was going to put you on it before you got all demand-y last night." Her smile is teasing. God, she looks gorgeous when she wakes up, a soft, not-quite awake expression on her face.
I shift around so I'm laying on my back and I see her breath catch too, as my hip slides against hers. I look up at her face, those lips, her hair falling over and down. She's beautiful. I can't stand it. I reach up around her neck and pull myself up so I can capture her mouth with mine. Oh god. Oh yeah. She's taken off guard and I take full advantage, kissing her greedily, nipping at that full bottom lip, playing my tongue back and forth, seeking entrance. My head falls back to the pillow and hers follows as my other hand grabs around her waist and pulls her bodily on top of me.
Faith pulls away, and I tighten my hold on her head, until I realize it's just so she can slide her hand under my head and change the angle of the kiss. She still doesn't open her mouth, and instead rains light kisses over every inch of my lips. Her lips are gentle and the kisses are as hard to catch as air. It's so unexpected. I moan a little, deep in my throat and wrap my arms around her neck, to keep her there forever. I open my lips in invitation and lick her lips each time she comes down for a kiss. I can't believe I'm doing this. I know she likes to tease and flirt, but this is not that, not for me.
I don't know who comes to their senses first. I think Faith. I'm still straining to keep her mouth pressed to mine, to deepen the kiss, when her quiet, "B- Buffy?" breaks through. Oh no. Oh no. What have I done? I loosen my grip on her neck so I can look at her, breathing as hard as I am, and her eyes are dark with emotion that I can't read. Reality hits me then, as I realize all I've been doing to Faith, last night and now this morning. God, I'm a tease. And a slut. And she's all that's been keeping me sane.
We're up and sitting as far away from each other as the couch can stand, suddenly, and I miss the heat of her body already. I can't look at her, I'm so embarrassed. I can't look at her because if I do, I'll pull her right on top of me again. Bad, bad, bad. What have I done?
"Faith, I... I should go... Dawn... school," I mumble, incoherently, pulling on my shoes and jacket, Faith's jacket, actually. And I'm gone, out the door. Oh shit.