I Really Hope She Likes It
by Xaylia
Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: The story is mine but the people aren't. Although there are only two right now (at least one more to come). Joss rules all [he is my hero, really. The man is a genius.]
Author's Notes: It's from Faith's point of view. Again I warn you: it's mush. It's rare for my stories to have paragraphs. Don't even consider chapters. I wrote this during class over long periods of time. I started it on my graphing calculator. Sorry about the tense, it got confusing to write. I'm not sure whether I want it in the past or the story type present. Oddly enough it would have been easier to write in Latin. Sorry in advance because I like adjectives. I use too many.
Feedback: If you want to. As long as it doesn't consist of 'this absolutely blows, never write again you bloody idiot' i'm open to it all.
Summary: Buffy's birthday. They're already together. Buffy and Faith, that is. Right now its fluff. It'll get slightly angsty later. But I'm too fluffy for too much tough stuff.

"Happy birthday, B," I whispered into her ear. My beautiful girlfriend was almost asleep, wrapped safely in my arms. I kissed her neck and she murmured something drowsily. Then she turned around to face me. "I can never get close enough," Buffy said before burying her head somewhere between my head, shoulder, and the pillow. "What's that, B?"

"I can never seem to get close enough to you." She paused and smiled up at me, sleep temporarily forgotten. She has the most brilliant smile. Its like I can feel myself become happier every time she smiles. And when it's for me I feel like the luckiest person on earth. Right now I know that for some reason she is smiling because of me and I think I've done the whole world a service. G-d she's beautiful... "I always want to be closer to you. All the time. Sometimes I wish I could melt into you. Other times I think I am." She looks shy all of the sudden. So I lean down and kiss her very tenderly, the kind of kiss people can only share when they're alone - in love, with moonlight, and something soft. Before B I didn't know I could ever kiss anyone like that. Wouldn't have wanted to. And I still don't - I mean, I never want to kiss anyone else like that. Just her, this gentle angel who holds my heart. Her fingers intertwining with my own bring my attention back to her, to right now. I could tell by her eyes and that soft, knowing little smile that she was well aware of my line of thinking. "I wouldn't want to melt into you, though, B," I said very softly, weighing my words carefully. She looked confused. I'd known she would. I gave her my patented Faith-smirk now, and kissed the tip of her nose. Somehow over time that had come to mean 'I love you' between us. "If we were one person I couldn't hole you. I like being able to hold you, makes me feel good to keep you warm an' safe." She smiled again, happy with my answer. "And happy," she added.

"Plus, you're so beautiful B. Frankly, I just love to look at you. And kiss you... " I trailed off, prepared to show her how much I enjoyed our separate lips. But she stopped me. "Faith... " my name sounded airy, like a song, coming from her mouth. Her manicured fingers lay on my own mouth, stilling my kiss. "I changed my mind. I don't want to melt into you. I want to always be able to feel your skin under my hands. I just... I wish I could always be this close to you." And she moved closer to me - at least, I think it was still possible - and then she let me kiss her.

When we broke apart, she gave me yet another wonderful Buffy-smile. I couldn't help it - I kissed her nose again. I moved down a little bit so we were face to face. She was still nestled against me and I wrapped my arms tight around her waist, allowing our legs to entangle themselves. "Hey Buffy?" I called softly to her after a few minutes of peace. I didn't want to wake her. "Mm... what is it baby?" My little blond lover looked up at me with eyes that gave no hint of fatigue. But she looks worried. "Faith, baby, is something wrong? You never use my full name unless it's really important."

"Nothings wrong, B. It's just... important. I wanted to tell you something before you go to sleep." She gives me an encouraging look, asking me what it is I need to say. "I love you, Buffy." I managed to look her in the eyes but I'll be damned if I didn't get shy as hell. "Fai," she sounded breathless. I guess I know why though. It's not like I never tell her that I lover her, I just don't do it often. There are so many times when I want to say it, but I don't want it to become hollow and meaningless. So I only tell her when I really need to. Besides, she knows it. And that's why we got that nose-kiss thing. It's important. I want it to be special. We have different ways of doing things, but we totally get each other's ways. She tells me she loves me probably everyday. Yet it isn't at all meaningless. It's just the way she says it. Buffy is always so sincere. I could never show that mush emot. She's looking at me, stroking my cheek. She likes to do that. I like to trace random patterns on her back. "I love you too, Fai. Always." She leaned up to kiss my forehead. "And thanks for my birthday. Was the bestest ever." She hugged me close.

"'Cuz it was the first non-disastery one?"

"Well... no... ok, yea, that was a big part. But also 'cuz I got to spend it with you. And it wasn't all big and surprisy. Anyway, I loved it. Thank you."

"You're welcome. It was fun throwing you a party." I can't figure out why, but it really was. I felt wicked cool doing stuff for B.

I keep thinking 'its not over yet' and really wanted to tell her I had a surprise waiting for her still. Actually, I have two! Shit, I almost forgot about the bracelet. "Hang on, I have something for you." I clambered out of our bed and went to get the little box I'd hidden from my girl. "I'd have given it to you this morning but it wasn't done." Incompetent assholes. But it worked out a'right. I wouldn't have wanted to give it to her in front of other people. Gotta keep up the badass image. "Is that where you went on your hour-long soda trip?" B called out to me. I answered as I walked back into the room, box in hand and hoping with all my mind that she'd like it. "Yea. Here." I really hope she likes this. I really hope she likes it. I really hope -

"Faith!" Oh, I'm being talked to!

"Huh?"

"Sweetie, you're pacing. Come back to bed." I climbed back under the covers, still nervous, and probably mumbled some sort of response. I don't know. She's opening it... I hope she likes it. "Wow, it's beautiful." She's just unwrapped it and is fingering the twisting silver bracelet. But she hasn't seen the best part. As Buffy ran her delicate fingers over the inside, she found the engraving. B-Love You Always and Forever-Fai. Some sort of whimper like sound escaped her lips, but I don't think she actually said a word. But -oh, shit. "Hey, hey B, don't cry. Please don't cry." Aw, FUCK. I shouldn't have done this... should've just given her the bracelet. Would've been fine, Faith. But no...

"Happy tears, Faith, oh, so happy tears." Oh, well that's Ok then. Oh! Kiss... no more thoughts... She kissed me so deeply and tenderly, then just looked at me, still crying. "Oh, Fai. I love it so much." She leaned her head against my face, her cheeks wet with tears on my own cheeks. "I love you." She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling her body on top of me. "For always." Her voice was so soft, filled with such raw emotion. My heart clenched almost painfully with how touched I was by that whispered sentiment. I could still feel her tears falling on my skin. I hate it when she cries. I turned us so we were face to face again, our bodies fit together perfectly. I took her hand in one of mine and she interlaced our fingers. Very gently I put my arm around her back and leaned in close. "I love you too, baby. Don't cry... " I murmured quietly to her before beginning to kiss her tears away. As her tears began to slow I varied between kissing the droplets away and quickly capturing her lips in mine.  After a moment, she stopped her silent crying and returned my kiss, holding me in place, when my lower lip had trailed over her own.  We kissed for a long while.  Jesus, it was heaven just lying there, in the dark, in our bed, kissing.  Not even making out or anything, just a wonderful, peaceful, loving meeting of lips.  I found myself wondering how Buffy'd react when she sees what else I have arranged for her.

...to be continued...