Hello there. Well this was going to be a Fuffy one-shot but I've decided to combine Feel You and Tell You and add on a little more. It's slightly AU in that the Scoobies are still in high school but Willow has already met and hooked up with Tara. So yeah there's that. And I don't own anything so please don't sue me. Reviews are always nice and definitely appreciated. Thanks!
She felt her before she saw her.
Faith didn't know how it happened but she had sort of developed a sixth sense when it came to Buffy. It was in the way she could look up and just know who had entered the room without even laying eyes on her. At first she just put it down to being a Slayer thing, you know, like the tingles she got whenever a vamp was around. Even the accelerated heart rate and adrenaline rush were the same. But after time and a little probing into whether or not Buffy had the same reaction with, Faith, herself, she kind of gave up on the whole Slayer connection. Or maybe rather Buffy had given it up for her.
"You're kinda creepin' me out with all the questions F." She'd said teasingly, but Faith had again felt, rather than seen, the truth.
It was in the uneasiness of her, as the blonde refused to make direct eye-contact and shifted on her feet every few minutes. The way she stole little glances at the brunette from under her eyelashes as if saying, I know you're watching me and I'm watching you to make sure you know but I don't want you to know I'm watching you...sort of.
The point is, Faith gave up on trying to figure out why and what it was, and just sort of let it be. And eventually Buffy's uneasiness was replaced with an ease that lit up her whole presence whenever she was around Faith. The ease of an old friendship found anew.
Maybe it was the way the tiny blonde would never back down from a banter with the brunette, even though she knew that no matter what the younger slayer would always come out on top.
It was comfortable, something Faith didn't have a whole lot of, and she wasn't about to let it go because of a stupid 'feeling' she got.
So she didn't pause to think about it as she raised her eyes to the library doors. She didn't wonder who's hand was pushing them open. Nor did she stop the smile that spread across her face as she was, once again, proven right.
Buffy turned to her, letting the door swing shut behind her. She scrunched up her nose in an inquisitive smile.
"You look like you knew I was coming." She says lightly, hopping up on the table next to the brunette. Faith stretches a bit, closing the book she'd been researching in.
"Maybe I did." She says, grinning rogueoushly. To her it's the truth, to Buffy it's just another one of Faith's attempts to flirt. Not that she minds all that much. Actually finds it kinda cute in a...Faith way, so she just smiles back and Faith, in turn, smiles back to her even brighter.
This seems to happen a lot when Buffy's in the room, she just finds herself smiling for no apparent reason. She'd never complain though, anything that gives Faith a reason to smile is a good thing. The brunette glances up at the clock on the wall.
"Shouldn't you be in class?" At this, Buffy shrugs casually.
"I should be doing a lot of things...but yeah, I convinced Mr. Funkle that I really do need to pee three times a class period."
"Three times?" Faith asks, raising an eyebrow. Buffy sighs and rolls her eyes.
"Well the first time I really did pee, the second time I...got halfway here but decided that you were probably busy doing something really important and the third time..." she trails off lamely. Faith finds herself smiling just a little bit more.
"Third time's the charm." She says, wondering how it is that a girl who has faced so much horror and tragedy in her life can sit here and awe Faith with her innocence.
"Yep, pretty much." Buffy says matter-of-factly, not noticing the way, Faith's eyes have gone kind of out of focus and her brows furrowed just the slightest bit in thought.
"Anyway, I better get back. Maybe I can convince him I have a bladder infection and just get out of that class entirely, of course that's risking almost total humiliation in front of the entire class which will undoubtedly spread to the entire school and whenever I walk down the halls people will stop and whisper, 'oh there goes the girl with the bladder infection.' She sighs, ending her rant. "I guess it could be worse. You gonna stick around for a while?"
Faith, who had only half-heard that little spiel, finally rejoins the convo, meeting Buffy's questioning gaze. She smiles again...just because.
"Sure thing." Buffy smiles too before hopping off the desk.
"Cool," she says, "if Giles comes back tell him his 'stuffy-old-english-guy-who-drinks-way-too-much-tea' scent is infiltrating the library again. We might have to get Wills to do a banishing spell just to get rid of the odor." At this Faith laughs and Buffy breaks into some giggles herself. The brunette stands up, waving at the doorway.
"Get to class slacker." She says leaning against the desk.
Buffy smiles and opens the door before turning back to her.
"Bye Faith."
"See ya B."
Faith watches as she leaves, she keeps her gaze on the door as she listens to sound of Buffy's footsteps fading away down the hall and even then doesn't look away when the library becomes completely still once again, all the while with that stupid grin plastered on her face. She barely notices when the doors open again, she doesn't look up because if it had been Buffy she wouldv'e known and since it's not Buffy, she doesn't care.
"Whoa weirdness, red alert. What's with the smiling of the Faith?" The red head's voice breaks the silence but Faith doesn't respond, she tries a little to hide the smile but it's no use, it never is. "I mean you've been around for a little while and I know your smiles and this is not a regular smile, this is a something is up smile and if something is up I'm not all together convinced that it's not a bad something and if it's a bad something I probably don't want to be near it and if you don't stop me soon I could lose consciousness from lack of oxygen." Faith finally turns her gaze to the babbling girl.
"And whose fault would that be?" Willow's mouth opens and closes a few times before she raises her chin defiantly.
"That would be mine." Faith chuckles, the smile never leaving her face as the red head settles herself next to her. "But seriously, what's the what, cause not that you shouldn't smile, but just the fact that you are...totally creepin' me out."
Faith sighs as she pushes off the table, she turns and regards the girl in front of her.
Willow finds herself almost shrinking under the dark slayer's curious gaze.
"Have you ever known someone..." she starts off slowly. Willow would have interjected that, duh, of course she knows people, but knowing that the brunette's thought process wasn't complete, along with the fact that she seems to actually be confiding in her, she keeps her mouth shut, simply willing the other girl to continue. Faith shakes her head, almost losing her resolve but keeps going, "...and it's like, you've known that person your whole life, even when you haven't? And just seeing that person brings a smile to your face, no matter what?" She shakes her head again. "I dunno, it's weird." Willow smiles. Wow, of all the things she'd expected Faith to say and here's something she actually knows about.
"Yeah I have," she says, answering the initial question, "I do." Faith looks up, meeting her gaze.
"Yeah?" Willow nods. "Well who is it?" Faith asks in her oh-so-overt way.
"Tara." Willow says simply. She wouldv'e stopped there but Faith seems to be needing more of an answer than that. "When we first met. Before...before I knew...you know." Faith nods, smiling. "It was like...I can't even describe it, like...sunshine on a cloudy day. God that sounds so stupid but that's what it was. And sometimes it was almost like...like I could feel her coming, you know?" Faith raises her eyebrows in suprise. Ixnay on the Ayerslay Onnectioncay. "No of course you don't know. But I dunno, I would just find myself smiling for no reason at all. Even after she'd gone I just couldn't stop, my whole day was seemed brighter and just better and..." Her eyes meet Faith's, growing wide with comprehension.
"You have a Tara! I mean not necessarily a Tara or a girl for that matter cause as far as I know you're a man's lady, not that I've given this a lot of thought, it's just that from all outward appearances-"
"It's Buffy." Faith interrupts.
"-you seem...WHAT?" And Willow's staring at her like she's got a third arm growing out the top of her head. Faith chuckles sadly.
"I'm in love with Buffy." The red head's doing the fish thing again, her mout gaping and closing a few times.
"You..I mean...are you sure? I mean, I mean do you even, with the girl thing and the gay and the-" Faith interrupts again.
"That I've been sure of for a while, I'm surprised you Scoobs didn't pick up on it sooner, although I'm pretty sure Xander has been entertaining his own Slayer-on-Slayer fantasies for quite some time."
"He wouldn't!" Willow exclaims, but under Faith's you've-got-to-be-kidding-me gaze she slowly concedes. "Alright...so...so he would but...but Faith...Buffy?"
Faith nods. "Buffy."
"Wow." Willow deadpans.
"Yeah, I know, right?" They're quiet for a few moments, the only sound coming from Willow, nervously scoffing her shoe on the floor.
"Does...does she know?" The red head asks. Faith shakes her head.
"Naw, B's got bigger, better, deader things on her mind." Willow laughs half-heartedly.
"This is true. But I mean, are you gonna tell her?" Faith's gaze settles on the corner of the table as she shrugs slightly.
"How can I?"
And for once, Willow doesn't have the answer. Faith sighs crossing her arms.
"It's just something I've kinda gotta accept ya know? S'never gonna happen and I'm...ok with that."
And finally the smile left over from Buffy's visit has dissipated. Her brow's furrowed, her lips drawn into a small but contemplative frown.
"Are you really though?" Willow ventures softly. Faith shrugs.
"I gotta be." The library falls quiet once again, Faith is off in her thoughts and Willow is simply observing Faith. She sees a sadness creep it's way onto her face, a sadness she assumes is always there, lingering just under the surface but just as quickly the sadness disappears, replaced by a quiet resolve and something akin to peace. The red head is about to take her leave when she sees Faith's mouth quirk into the smallest of smiles.
"What is it?" She asks.
Faith meets her gaze, the smile growing even more.
"Buffy's coming."
Thanks for reading. Please review :)