It's just another fight, a rehash of the million they've already had, Buffy's blood pumping and her refusal to lose to Faith. But then Faith, when they're right up close, grappling with each other, grabs Buffy by the back of her head, and Buffy thinks she's about to head butt her — but instead, Faith kisses her.
It's rough and hard and Buffy freezes.
If anyone had asked Buffy want she would do, in the unlikely scenario that Faith kissed her, Buffy would have laughed. She would say she'd push away, because she's not interested. Well, not interested and she knows Faith would only kiss her as a distraction technique.
Like right now.
And Buffy wants to push away, or wants to want to at least, but every part of her body aches with the feel of Faith's mouth, the way that Faith softens up and parts her lips. It's too much, to have her universe narrow to the smell, taste and feel of Faith Lehane pressed up against her. So Buffy kisses back, flicks her tongue out, lets out a little groan that she definitely didn't mean to make when Faith's tongue returns the gesture.
Faith tastes like fire and death, and something sweet behind it all, and it's so familiar to Buffy that she can barely stand it. She drops her knife so she can take Faith's face in her hands, push Faith's hair back and get better access.
They kiss like they fight — it's passionate, it's hard, and somewhere deep inside Buffy, it is destroying things she thought she knew.
Then Faith is pulling back, and Buffy wants to hold her in place but they are as strong as each other, and Faith laughs, that throaty, earthy sound that always incites a funny feeling in Buffy but it's only now that she can identify exactly what that feeling is. Buffy feels small and ashamed, but only a flash, only for an instant, because she sees the same glazed look in Faith's eye, hears how breathless she is even as she tries to act like it meant nothing.
"What do you think about that, B?" Faith says, grinning.
And Faith goes right back to trying to punch her, and it only takes a faltering second for Buffy to fall back into the attack stance and hit back. But Buffy knows this won't be the last time she kisses Faith — it can't be, she won't let it be.