CRUSH

"Hey," Faith's quiet, husky voice rings out through the darkness, just as her fingers hook around Buffy's elbow.

Surprised, the blonde stops walking and turns to face the other slayer. "Hey, what's up?"

"Saw you leaving," Faith answers. "I thought we were gonna do the whole Homecoming thing together." Her hand drops to her side, and she fidgets a little, feeling awkward. Her words are supposed to sound casual, but she worries Buffy will hear the little bite of hurt beneath them.

"I'm sorry," Buffy says, sounding sincere. "The whole SlayerFest thing kind of killed my party spirit."

Faith nods, letting her off the hook. "Understandable," she agrees.

"It's like the universe hates seeing me in formal wear," the older slayer continues. "At least I didn't die this time. I just look like the creature from the black lagoon." Buffy flicks at the dangling strap on her shoulder, frowning.

"Nah," Faith assures her, "you were still the hottest chick in there." Her dark eyes glitter in the moonlight as they sweep up and down Buffy's body.

Buffy blushes, as she always does when Faith's observations veer toward flirting territory. "You look pretty good yourself," she replies, to deflect the attention from herself. Faith knows she isn't lying; she thinks she cleans up pretty well. "That dress is killer."

"This old thing?" The brunette asks, grinning. She sways her hips from side to side, and some hair escapes from her carelessly pinned updo, draping over the nape of her neck. She slings her arm around Buffy's shoulders, propelling them both forward again. "So where we headed?"

It's chilly out, and Buffy leans into Faith's warmth just enough to make the younger girl's stomach tighten. "I foresee a bath in my future," Buffy answers, "possibly preceded by a dress bonfire in the backyard."

"So quiet night in at your place." Faith grins. "Let's do it." She tries to sound confident and carefree, but she's really hoping Buffy will say yes. She knows the blonde only agreed to the Homecoming dance to be nice. She has no idea how excited Faith was about them going together. Not that it's Buffy's fault. Faith made sure she couched her invite in a curtain of total straightness. Plausible deniability was key. If Buffy was in to the idea of them going together, Faith was too. If Buffy wasn't, then clearly it had been a friendly invite. Just a couple of hot chicks with super powers, blowing off steam.

Faith is half expecting to be rejected, but Buffy surprises her by saying, "Sure, slayer bonding sounds good."

Faith's lips curl into a smile. "Wicked." The two walk back to Buffy's place together, and when they get inside, Buffy looks at her. "You wanna borrow some clothes?" She offers. "I'm gonna jump in the shower."

Faith nods in agreement. As hot as she looks, she could use some more comfortable clothes. She follows Buffy upstairs, eyes carefully trained on the swaying curve of Buffy's butt under her gown. In the bedroom, she waits while the blonde grabs some sweats and a t-shirt from her drawer.

"Here you go," Buffy says, placing the clothing on her bed.

"Uh, B," Faith stops her before she can head for the bathroom, "you mind unzipping me?"

"Sure," the blonde agrees, coming toward her.

Faith turns to show Buffy her back, and the other slayer's fingers gingerly clasp the small zipper in the back of the gown. As she slides it down, her fingertips ghost along the revealed skin of Faith's back, and the brunette closes her eyes, enjoying the touch.

The zipper is long, ending just past the small of Faith's back. Buffy's hand lingers there a moment, and Faith can hear a slight quickening of her breath.

The straps of the gown slide down Faith's shoulders, and she holds the fabric over her breasts as she turns to face Buffy. "Thanks," she mumbles. Her face feels warm, and she wonders if Buffy notices anything weird about her.

The blonde looks a little flushed herself. Her eyes roam across Faith's shoulders and the exposed tops of her breasts for a moment before she seems to catch herself. "You're welcome," she manages to say, before scurrying out of the room.

Faith stands alone in the room for a moment, still clutching her dress. Did Buffy just check her out? It couldn't be, she tells herself. Buffy Summers is the straightest straight girl there ever was. She couldn't even admit to being horny after slaying. No way she would be checking out another girl's goodies like that. Letting her dress pool around her ankles, Faith steps free of it. She pulls the pins from her hair and carefully places them on Buffy's dresser top. Buffy's sweats are a little snug on her, but they fit. She lays her dress across the bed and heads downstairs.

By the time Buffy is clean and dressed, Faith's sitting on the couch, watching TV. "I hung your dress up," Buffy says, sitting down beside her.

"Thanks," Faith turns her attention to the blonde beside her. "Ready to burn yours?"

Buffy laughs. "I think I'll just trash it. Seems less likely to alert the fire department."

They flip through the channels, looking for something to watch. When they don't find anything, they just start talking. It's nice, because they never really do that. Buffy does most of the talking, and Faith doesn't mind. It gives her an excuse to stare. There's something magnetic about the blonde girl. Every little thing she does is captivating to Faith. The tiny upturning in the corners of her mouth when she's talking. The casual way she tucks her hair behind her ears. Faith's even mesmerized by the sound of Buffy's breathing. It's like no one else knows how to do it properly. She's sure she's never heard anyone breathe that good. Or that pretty, because Buffy is so pretty. She's sitting there on her couch, wearing baggy sweatpants with her wet hair leaving a circle of water on her back, and Faith has never seen anything so pretty in her life.

It's not the first time she's wanted to kiss the other slayer. At first, Faith tried to tell herself it was just the slaying hormones going wild. But lately, she's had to face facts. She wants to be around Buffy. She fantasizes about her, like right now for instance. She's thinking about tugging the damp strands of blonde hair between her fingertips. Her lips practically tingle with anticipation of pressing into Buffy's perfect little cupid's bow mouth. She wants to feel the hitch of surprise in Buffy's breathing when she kisses her. She imagines Buffy's arms winding around her neck, pulling her in closer, so Faith can smell that sugary body wash she uses up close and personal.

"Faith?" Buffy asks, sounding amused. "Did you zone out on me?"

"Huh?" The brunette says dumbly, realizing she's been staring at Buffy's mouth for the last several minutes. "Uh, no," she sputters, flushing, "I was listening."

"Right," Buffy says, clearly not believing her. She picks up the remote and starts flicking through the channels.

Faith spots something good on the guide. "How about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?"

"I think we get enough horror in real life," Buffy says dryly, moving past it.

Faith easily plucks the remote from her companion's fingers. "Come on, B, it's a classic. Have you seen it?"

"No, and I don't want to." Buffy frowns, reaching for the remote.

"You scared?"

"Of course not."

"I think you're scared."

"I am not."

"A slayer afraid of a little scary movie," Faith teases. "I can't believe it."

"Fine," Buffy grumbles. "Let's watch it."

"Cool." The brunette smiles, quickly putting the movie on. She leans into Buffy's space a little. "You can hold my hand if you get scared."

Buffy glares at her, muttering something about breaking Faith's hand.

Laughing, the younger slayer reclines back against the couch. She drapes her arm across the back of the couch, getting comfortable.

The movie begins playing, with Buffy becoming more and more tense with each passing moment. By the time Kirk and Pam are walking up the steps to the farmhouse, the blonde's shoulders are practically at her ears. She's hunched forward, hands clenched in her lap.

"Don't go in there," she mutters urgently, as Kirk opens the door and steps inside. "Idiot!"

As Leatherface charges out to murder the unfortunate guy, Buffy squeaks, quickly covering her face with her hands. Seconds later, Pam meets with the business end of a meat hook, and Buffy moans feebly behind her hands. "I hate this movie."

"Relax," Faith advises her, wrapping her hand around Buffy's shoulder and gently tugging her back. "It's just a movie."

"A terrifying, totally gross movie," Buffy grumbles, settling back against the couch.

"It's not that bad," Faith says.

Buffy watches as two more characters are brutally murdered. Faith's attention is no longer on the movie. She's watching Buffy from the corner of her eye. Slowly, she moves her arm down to rest over the blonde's shoulders. She's practically holding her breath, waiting for Buffy to protest, but the girl doesn't seem to notice. She's on the edge of her seat, watching Leatherface chase Sally through the house.

Buffy jumps as the woman on screen is nearly decapitated.

Faith palms her shoulder, letting her thumb begin to stroke softly across the skin of Buffy's arm.

Leaning in to Faith's hold a bit, Buffy hides behind her hands. "Oh my God, why would you go to the gas station?"

"People in movies always do the stupid thing," Faith agrees distractedly. All her concentration is focused on that one thumb, sliding across Buffy's impossibly soft skin. Under her touch, Buffy's arm breaks into goosebumps.

Buffy's tense as she watched the action on screen. The next time she jumps, her hand falls on to Faith's leg and squeezes.

Screams erupt from the television, but Faith doesn't care. Buffy's hand. Is on her thigh. Buffy's hand, with Buffy's fingers, sitting on her thigh, like it's the most natural thing in the world. Does Buffy realize her hand is there? Should she move? Maybe it was an accident? Faith shifts her leg slightly, giving Buffy the option of moving away. The blonde's hand stays put. Okay, so that's a purposeful thigh touch. Wow.

She curls her arm more confidently now, Buffy's shoulder tightly pressed into her. Buffy doesn't seem to care about the movie anymore either. Her eyes are still fixed on the screen, but she isn't reacting to the disturbing images.

The dark haired girl turns her face toward her companion. They're close, close enough that Faith's breath blows Buffy's hair softly. On her leg, Buffy's thumb begins to glide back and forth. Faith's pretty sure the outer thigh is not an erogenous zone, but somehow this tiny motion from Buffy has her legs trembling. Emboldened, her free hand slides over, lightly butting her fingertips against the blonde's side. Buffy doesn't move away.

"They're totally going to kill her," Faith murmurs, just for something to say. Her voice is a rasp.

"Somebody's gotta live," Buffy argues, her voice a bit fluttery. "I think she'll make it."

Wayward strands of blonde hair tickle Faith's nose when she inhales. Buffy smells like candy. Faith thinks, I could just eat you up, and wonders if she tastes as sweet as she smells. She breathes deeply and exhales. Her warm breath flits across Buffy's ear and the slayer shivers.

"Scary," Buffy says, nodding at the screen by way of explanation.

Faith can hear the quickening of the other girl's heartbeat, and she knows it has nothing to do with the movie. She squeezes her arm around the blonde, pressing her lips closer to Buffy's ear. She desperately wants to kiss the other slayer. Her hand slides onto Buffy's stomach, feeling the muscles there quiver. "Don't worry, B," she says in a husky voice, "I'll protect you."

Buffy sucks in a deep breath. She turns her face to the other slayer, giving her an unreadable look. "Faith…" she whispers, and the brunette tries to analyze that one small word. Is that hesitation? Desire?

Not waiting to find out, Faith presses a clumsy kiss against Buffy's mouth. She mostly meets her target, although her technique could use some work. It's less gentle than she intended, and she lets go too soon, making it more of an aggressive peck than anything else.

Buffy blinks in astonishment, and Faith thinks, what the hell, if she's not protesting… Leaning in again, she kisses Buffy. Her hand slides over Buffy's stomach, hooking around her hip and pulling her closer. Buffy responds slowly, as if warming to the idea. She turns her body, facing Faith fully, and kisses back. Her hand knots in Faith's shirt, tugging her in.

It's everything Faith's been imagining. Buffy's warm and soft and sweet. She molds herself against Faith, arm folding around her waist. One hand gently cups Faith's cheek. The brunette finally gets what people mean when they say there are fireworks when they kiss. Her mouth is stretched in a smile; she can barely kiss for smiling so hard.

"What?" Buffy asks, smiling back.

"Just happy," Faith tells her. She tugs at Buffy, trying to move her closer. Stopping kissing is not on her schedule. The blonde comes willingly, falling back into her arms.

Faith leans back, and Buffy comes with her, laying half on her, half on the couch. Buffy's tucked in her arm, and Faith's hand rests on her lower back, touching bare skin where the blonde's tank has slid up. Faith's giddy. Her head is spinning. She's got Buffy pressed up against her, which admittedly happens often due to sparring, but this is different. Buffy's sandwiched between her and the couch, tilting her chin up for kisses.

Her hand slides under Faith's shirt, fingertips tickling her sensitive skin as they go. Faith's eyes open in surprise. She isn't expecting the blonde to take the initiative. Buffy looks shyly back, her cheeks flushed and hair tousled. She looks gorgeous and the dark haired slayer can't resist kissing her again.

Faith presses her knee against the other girl's, and Buffy's legs part, allowing one of Faith's to slide between them. The brunette slides her leg upward, allowing it to just brush against Buffy's center. The blonde rocks her hips gently, encouraging Faith, who presses in harder. They're kissing slowly, deeply, and Faith's finding it hard to catch her breath.

Moving her hand slowly, Buffy brushes her fingertips against the side of Faith's breast. Faith can't believe this is happening. She can't believe she's actually got Buffy in her arms like this. Her mind is racing ahead, thinking about peeling the clothes from Buffy's perfect body. Thinking about belly buttons and ribs, sloping breasts, and the dip of her hips. Her fingers will fit so perfectly in those hollows. She imagines pressing her hands to Buffy's hips, while she traces her tongue over her beautiful, soft belly.

Buffy's not the kind of girl who will go all the way on the first not even date, she doesn't think. She also didn't think Buffy was the type to be making out with another girl on her couch, so maybe she'll be pleasantly surprised. She wants to suggest they go upstairs and get more comfortable. Before she gets the chance, they hear soft footsteps on the stairs.

The slayers spring apart, settling on opposite sides of the couch and frantically adjusting their clothing to the proper places.

"Buffy, honey," Joyce enters the room, "oh, hi, Faith."

"Hey, Mrs. S," Faith waves a little.

"Did you girls have a good time at the dance?" Joyce asks.

"Yeah," Buffy answers, smiling widely at Faith, "we had a great time."

"Good," Mrs. Summer says, smiling back at them. "Well, goodnight. Don't stay up too late."

"We won't," Buffy assures her mother.

Joyce heads back to bed, and the two girls breathe a sigh of relief. "That was close," Buffy says. Her lips are rosy pink from being kissed thoroughly. She's back to being shy; her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes flick to her lap.

"Yeah," Faith agrees, feeling a little awkward now.

"I guess I should get ready for bed," Buffy says, sounding unsure.

"Right." Faith practically jumps to her feet before hustling toward the front door. Buffy's obviously over her moment of temporary insanity, and she wants to beat a hasty retreat before they have to talk about it.

Buffy watches in surprise for a moment, before she goes after the other slayer. "Wait!" She has to call out, because Faith's already headed out the door.

The dark haired girl pops her head back in. "Yeah?"

Buffy crosses the distance between them. She hesitates just a moment, then she leans forward and kisses Faith. It's short and sweet. Some might even say chaste. Faith certainly would, and she's irritated by what she perceives to be the brush off. That lasts until Buffy says softly, "This was good."

"Oh," Faith says stupidly, before grinning. "Yeah."

"We should do it again sometime," Buffy offers. "I mean, the hanging out, not the making out, although that was good. Really good. But I mean we should hang out more. Before we make out more." Buffy's eyes are widening in a kind of horrified embarrassment as she continues to speak, seemingly unable to stop. "If you even want to—"

"B," Faith breaks in, grabbing the blonde's wrist as she speaks.

"Yeah?"

"Let's hang out," Faith says, tugging on her wrist until she steps closer.

"Okay," Buffy agrees, smiling now.

Faith manages to kiss her again even though they're both grinning like idiots. "Goodnight, B."

"Night, Faith," Buffy responds, watching from the door as the other slayer disappears down the walk.

Later, when Faith gets back to her room, she realizes she left her dress at Buffy's house. She sprawls on her bed, still wearing borrowed clothes and a satisfied smile. Maybe she'll pick her dress up tomorrow.