Loving Willow More
by Rin
3
[reviews]
The next month had gone by slowly, and with not much activity other than the norm in the big bad category. Willow had started acting like herself again, much to the relief of everybody around her, especially Buffy. They were all tired of mopey Willow, and were excited to find things back to the way they were, minus a few people. There were a couple episodes of big fights for the gang but overall it was slow. Their biggest project was to discover what and why the army guys were traipsing on the Slayer's territory, and what exactly they had in mind with the demons and vampires. So far, they hadn't been able to find anything but they felt like something was starting to click into place. They just weren't sure what yet.
With regards to the blossoming relationship between the two heroines, slow was an understatement. Willow was more than ready to get things on a roll but Buffy had backed off, wanting to let the redhead know she didn't want to rush things. The night before, since the blonde had a night off, they had gone on their first official date. Since none of the gang knew about them, and their budding romance, they had been extra careful about the way they acted around each other when they were with the gang. Xander's girlfriend, Anya, had a way of picking up on things, and stating things with lack of tact that scared the two senseless, and maybe they were overcompensating but they just wanted to be careful. For all they knew, there was the possibility that a relationship wouldn't bloom, no matter how much both of them craved it like chocolate.
They had tried holding hands, and had cuddled a couple more times after that first night, sleeping in each other's arms but things were just going way too slow for Willow's liking. She understood that Buffy was scared about being the rebound girl, and that she didn't want to get hurt again like she had with Angel (talk about emotional scars) but the redhead wanted to reassure her best friend that she was more than ready, and the thing that bothered her the most was that Buffy wasn't taking the hint, and she was dropping anvils. The worst part was that she couldn't talk to her best friend about it because it was her best friend she was trying to date. 'I want smoochies!' With that, she went about trying to find a way to get what she wanted.
Buffy wasn't faring any better. She really, really, REALLY wanted to get to that stage but her own insecurities were just too strong, and she was focused more on making sure that she wasn't pushing Willow too soon. 'That would be of the bad.' Day in, and day out, all she could think about was the redhead, and how much she just wanted to be with her in more than best friendly ways. Their first date the night before was decent, a little awkward because of the 'official date' thing, and it meant that their relationship from best frienddom was really changing into something more but it was still pleasant. Partway through the movie, she let go her insecurities, and grasped Willow's hand in hers, which caused the redhead to tense, so she let go, only to have her friend interlock their fingers again, and smile gently at her. It was a warm, loving smile, and when they managed to get comfortable, Willow even laid her head on Buffy's shoulder, as they cuddled together the best they could between the armrest. It took all of her willpower not to just attack the hacker in a passionate, private party right in the theatre. The semester was over in a week, so she hoped that the time outside the dorm would give them a chance to regroup, and think things through with complete attention. Now, though, she was having a hard time not lunging at the redhead, who was sitting on her bed studying for finals.
"What is it, Buffy?" Willow didn't stop copying her notes again, as she multitasked. She could feel the blonde's eyes boring into her, and wasn't sure if that was a good thing but it did make her feel all tingly when she caught a glimpse of the look on Buffy's face from her peripheral vision.
"Oh...um...what?" Buffy was too lost in Willowland to even start to comprehend words, reverting back to Cave Slayer without the beer.
"I said, 'what is it, Buffy?' Did you need to talk?" She looked up from her notes, and examined the confused expression on her friend's face, and internally giggled like a schoolgirl. "Is something wrong?"
"No. Nothing's wrong." Buffy saw the look of doubt on the redhead, and smiled lovingly. "For the first time, I think everything's just right."
"Well, you've done really good this semester, and Dr. Walsh is quite impressed with your work, which is great! Plus, you've been improving with slaying, and are even in earlier than usual, and with even less cuts and bruises, which actually gives me less time to fix you but I think I may have enjoyed that a little too much." Upon seeing the shocked expression on Buffy's face, Willow continued her babble. Her attempt at playful teasing didn't go as planned. "Oh! I mean, not that you were hurt but more that I liked fixing your booboos." Trying again, she smirked that sexy smirk that always drove Fred wild. "Besides, it always gave me a chance to feel you up without getting caught."
"Willow!" Buffy was shocked but extremely flustered, remembering that she would sometimes act like a cut or bruise was something more, just so that the redhead WOULD touch her. It was a guilty pleasure, despite the pain.
"I can't help it. Seeing you naked always was the highlight of my day." She couldn't help it, and she had no idea where the sudden boldness was coming from; this wasn't dropping hints or anvils but practically screaming 'come here, baby.' Her sudden personality change scared her, and excited her at the same time.
"I can't believe you just said that." Buffy pushed her own books aside on her bed, and swung her feet around to the floor. Looking at her friend with darkened eyes, she once again was having a hard time controlling the urge to just rip all their clothes off, and make with the merry.
"Well, you knew what you were getting into before you signed in blood." Willow pushed her books, and materials aside, and mirrored the blonde's position, challenging her to do something about it. Watching Buffy trail her lust-filled eyes up and down her body, and seeing the quickening breath from those slightly parted pink lips was causing all sorts of tingly feelings in Willow. Fred hadn't even looked at her like that, and even though it still hurt a little to think about it, she wished that she had. It was mesmerizing, and erotic at the same time. "Buffy... do you want to go out again tonight?"
"No."
"Huh?"
"No. Want to stay." Upon seeing the hungry look in the blonde's eyes, Willow suddenly understood... but knew that she had to stop it. She hated it but she just wasn't ready for THAT yet. Although she didn't want to go slow, she still didn't want to rush into things, which was what Buffy's tone implied. There had to be a happy medium.
"Buffy." Willow looked sharply at the blonde, and pleaded with her eyes. "Please don't make this harder than it already is to tell you no?"
"Right. Sorry, Wills. Um... wow, that was a little awkward." Buffy closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and controlled her urges. It was not time for the slayer lust to be released yet. "Sure, I'd love to go out with you again. Sounds great. Where to?"
"Well, after you patrol, I was thinking maybe we could, I don't know...go to the Bronze? We haven't been there for a while, and it would be nice to..." Willow trailed off, as she watched Buffy walk away from her, and into her closet. "What are you doing? Do you not want to because that's fine, too? I mean, it was just..."
"I would love to, Wills. I just have to make sure I have something to wear." Buffy smiled at her in reassurance, and when she received a smile and nod from Willow, she went back to picking out a nice outfit. It needed to be sensible, which meant her knee-length, silky black skirt. It also needed some flair of hotness, too, which meant her maroon halter. Strappy black sandals finished the getup, and after patrol, that's what she put on, as she waited for Willow to get back from the library. After taking a cold shower to get the dust off, and to tame her hormones, she finished getting ready in record time, and was surprised that she didn't have to wait long. Willow was all ready to go, and it took her breath away to see her friend looking absolutely gorgeous in the green floral pattern shirt, and black skirt. Her short red locks were curled slightly on the ends, and she was truly a sight to see. Reeling in her drool, she snapped out of her daze. "Wow. You look..."
"Thanks. You look...too." Willow wasn't sure, so she closed the gap slightly, and stood there closer. "Are you ready to go?"
"Oh, yes." The two girls walked hand in hand to the Bronze, getting a few stairs as they walked, mostly because they looked hott, more than because they were holding hands. It wasn't an uncommon thing to see two girly friends hold hands on campus. Besides, the populace had seen stranger on the Hellmouth.
When they arrived, they were surprised to see Xander dancing close to Anya on the dance floor. Neither of them were too sure how serious that relationship really was, and neither really wanted to know. Basically, they just tolerated the ex-demon because she did have almost 1200 years of knowledge that they didn't. Even Giles, after he looked past the fact of her tactlessness, had found himself intrigued by the girl's plethora of demonology. However, nobody liked to hear about her days of blood and gore as a vengeance demon, so they all had mastered the art of blocking her from their concentration. Nobody was sure how to take her yet.
"Would you like something to drink?" Buffy leaned in towards Willow, making sure that the redhead heard her over the band.
"Water." Willow nodded for emphasis, and found them a table, dividing her attention between Xander and Anya dancing, and Buffy smiling back at her from the bar, being bumped forward when the line would move because she was paying more attention to her. That thought made her mushy inside, and more than a little tingly all over, for certain.
The song ended, and Xander spotted the redhead, who was unaware, since she was
watching Buffy paying for their drinks. The young man bumped her, and she jumped in fright, thinking that she was being attacked by a demon. Pulling out her tiny wooden cross from her purse, she jumped, and faced him with fright. Then, she recognized the mysterious bumper as her lifelong pal, and she breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, Buffy jumped over to them, two water bottles in hand, smile plastered on her face. She definitely missed this.
"Hey, Xand! Anya! We didn't know you guys were coming here?" Buffy helped Willow take a seat, which earned her a blushing grin, and a quiet thanks. Then, she followed suit with the others, and they all sat around the tall, little round table.
"Yeah. Anya wanted to go dancing." Xander, and the currently shorthaired brunette were huddled close together. The two other girls wished they could sit like that, too but thought better of it, both in fear of rejection if one moved, and the other didn't want it, and also the fact that they were currently concealing their growing relationship from the others. It was unnerving to be this close but not be allowed to touch, even hold hands.
"That's nice." Willow was really cautious of the new member of their group, not wanting her friend to get hurt, especially since he was dating a woman that formerly lived her life torturing and mauling men.
"Yes. After this, we are going home, and having sex." Anya's demeanor was straightforward, and she was unaware of the blushes, or quiet coughs around the table. It was just her way of adapting after a millennium of being a demon.
"Well, fun as that is... it's good to see you here having fun." Buffy tried to diffuse the situation before Willow blew a gasket. The redhead was already red as a beet, and obviously thinking sexy thoughts of her own. The blonde recognized the signs from years of being best friends: the red hue that followed down her neck, the darkened green eyes, and the partially opened mouth that was eliciting sharp intakes of breath. Truth be told, Buffy was along the same lines, thinking about the several sexy things she could do to Willow one day, if they could ever even get to the smoochies stage.
After they had all danced their shares, and there were several groans at having to not even hold hands, Buffy and Willow were ready to go, and so everybody left the nightclub. The entire evening, all the two girls wanted to do was wrap their arms around each other, and sway to the flow of a slow song, like two lovers, like Xander and Anya had all night. When they parted ways with the young man and his girlfriend, they immediately sought out the other's hands, smiling when their fingers interlocked. The slight shock from their fingertips jolted something in them, and they continued back to their dorm in comfortable conversation, all the while moving closer and closer.
"So..." They were nearing the dorm, and a sudden wind came upon them, chilling them. Willow shivered slightly, pushing her body more into the warm one beside her by clutching Buffy's arm, and holding tight. Immediately, the blonde reacted by reaching up with her free hand, and pulling the redhead closer. "Are you cold, Wills?"
"Cold...um..." The close proximity of their bodies, and the jolt of Buffy's scent blew right into her face, causing her to become overly aroused. It was almost too much to take at once because the feelings coursing through her body and mind were overwhelming. "It did get a little colder all of a sudden."
"Yeah. If I didn't know any better, I'd think Mother Nature was pushing us together for warmth. Good thing that I could remember how to make a fire from Cave Buffy days." Buffy's mischievous smirk wasn't seen by Willow but the facial contortions of her mouth upwards against her cheek told the redhead that it was there. "Of course, I would run away from it once it started."
"Yes. Fire bad, tree pretty. I remember. You saved me again that night." Willow actually snuggled into Buffy, something they hadn't done yet. It was a step in the plus column. Sure, there were cuddles but never snuggles. Snuggles were always more intimate.
When they reached Stevenson Hall, the two didn't move from their walking positions, still snuggled together, despite their departure from the cold wind. Reaching their door, they reluctantly pulled apart so that Buffy could unlock the door. Neither went to move inside first, opting to stand in front of the doorway. There was no sense inviting the other in, since they both lived there but it was that awkward moment after a date, when neither party knew what to do or say.
"Well, this is our stop." Buffy swung her keys around, until they were resting inside her palm.
"Yep, which would mean we go inside now." Willow just stood there with her hands folded
in front of her.
"Yep. Inside would be good."
"Yeah. Inside, there's our stuff, and we live in there." They sighed, both glancing inside the darkened room, unsure of how to proceed.
"Uh-huh. We should just..." Buffy watched Willow take the initiative, and followed the redhead inside the door, moving to the bedside lamp to turn it on, as she shut the door behind them. The dimly lit room was quiet for a moment, as the two just stood there, taking shy glances towards the other, both wanting to make a move but afraid to at the same time. After a few more moments, Buffy sighed deeply, followed by Willow. Moving around, she took off her jacket, and hung it in her closet, and turning back around, as Willow was doing the same. The sexual tension in the room was running wild, and their eyes gazed across the room again, breathing starting to come in pants. "Willow, about..."
"Buffy, I..." When they both realized they had spoken at the same time, they burst in giggles, releasing some of the tension. Buffy started to take off her sandals, when she saw that Willow had done so, and grabbed for her bathroom stuff and pajamas.
"I'm going to get ready for bed. Um... I had fun tonight with you, again." Buffy stood mesmerized at the beaming smile Willow gave her at that comment, and then urged her legs to move again, hoping that her knees wouldn't fail her at that moment. The redhead just nodded soundlessly, watching her friend leave to get ready for bed.
When Buffy had shut the door behind her, Willow had gone about the motions of preparing herself for bed. She had changed her clothes, choosing to put on just a light blue tanktop with boxers. Her body heat was too hot to try sleeping in her normal flannel pajamas. Then, she grabbed her toiletries, and passed Buffy in the hall, who smiled and waved awkwardly as they passed. Once she was finished brushing her teeth, hair, and washing her face, Willow picked up her baggie, and started the trek back to their room, a little more nervous than before; the night had been supercharged with energy, it seemed, and things were definitely getting different. However, she wasn't sure if that different was good or bad yet. She shook her head before she entered the room, and noticed that the bedside lamp was off, and that she couldn't really see in the room that well, as she shut the door. As soon as the door clicked shut, she was suddenly pushed back into the door, apparently by Buffy, who was sporting a determined look.
"Something wrong?" Willow panicked, not sure what this sudden forcefulness was about, and trying to ignore her body's reactions to it if it was a bad thing.
"That depends..." Buffy was being cryptic, and that always brought out the concern in her friend.
"On what?" Willow could feel the blonde's minty-fresh toothpaste, and the warmth of her breath against her face was causing the baby soft hairs on the back of her head to rise to attention.
"What you do next..." Buffy moved her face to where it was practically touching Willow's, and her stomach was doing somersaults. When she had returned to the room, she had put her stuff away, and then groaned loudly, unsure of what to do next. With a determined expression, she turned the light off, and steeled her resolve, deciding to take the initiative.
"What do you..." All further questions were placed on hold, as Buffy leaned forward the little bit needed, and softly brushed their lips together. It took a second for Willow to register what was happening but when she did, it was too late to reply to the kiss because Buffy had pulled back slowly, watching for her reaction. It took a whole two seconds before Willow pulled in her own resolve, and dropped her toiletry bag on the floor before wrapping her arms around Buffy's neck, pushing into her for a kiss. The second kiss was more tender, and their lips were still closed tightly but the blonde was taken off balance, and fell to the floor with Willow landing on her.
"Will, are you absolutely certain about this because if you're not, just tell me? It's just that...if I kiss you again, there's no turning back." Buffy looked up into soft green eyes, as she moved the fallen red locks behind Willow's ears.
"There is no doubt in my mind that I am sure about this, Buffy." Willow just kept her gaze locked on Buffy's hopeful hazel eyes, and smiled, as she pulled herself to a standing position, and helping her friend up in the process. When they were both standing, they just looked at each other again, biting their bottom lips in anticipation, and darting their eyes back and forth between eyes and lips. Quietly but with much seduction in her voice, Willow replied to the unspoken question. "Kiss me, Buffy."
"I don't have to be told twice." With that, Buffy wrapped her arms tightly around Willow, one on the small of her back, pushing their bodies together, and the other behind her head, pushing their mouths together. The redhead's arms were tucked underneath Buffy's, and held their bodies together by tugging at Buffy's white tanktop, her fingers gripping the back in tiny handfuls. Their kisses were gentle at first, and then Buffy took another bold move, and opened her mouth slightly, which caused Willow to follow her lead. It was refreshing, exhilarating, mesmerizing, absolutely the most wonderful experience either had ever felt before in their lives, and they didn't want to ever stop kissing. It was so much better than those forced, passionate kisses in the high school lobby. These held more meaning because they were doing them by their own free will, and they were actually pursuing a relationship.
Suddenly, after what felt like mere seconds but had been several minutes, Buffy guided them forward to her bed. When Willow's calf connected with the mattress, she didn't break the kiss, as she guided the blonde on top of her, as she lay down across the small single bed. Buffy moved one leg in between Willow's to gain better access, and the redhead didn't mind a bit, pulling the blonde further to her if possible, and being the first to add tongue to the slowly heating kisses. As the minutes ticked on, both girls just lost themselves in their passionate kissing, and neither knew which one contacted skin first. There were moans of pleasure filling the room, and they weren't sure if the moans were audible outside the room. They didn't think so, since they were deep in the back of the throat but one could never be too sure in those matters. When Willow felt Buffy's hand start to move further up her stomach, towards her bare chest, she broke away from the kiss.
"Buff... Buffy..." She had to catch her breath. They were going pretty heavy for quite some time, and there were only a few breaks for oxygen, neither wanting to stay away too long.
"Yeah?" Buffy's panting wasn't faring any better, even with Slayer stamina. The thought of the slayer not being able to keep up delighted Willow. After all, if numbers counted, she was the more experienced one in the sexual department. It was just too soon for that now.
"We...ungh... We have to stop." The heartbroken look on Buffy's face made Willow engage babble mode. "That is...to stop with the kissing...for now. There will definitely be more later. I just... The way we were going... if we'd gotten any further, there would have been no way to stop, and I don't want to jump into things. It's too soon."
"I know. I was getting a little carried away there. I'm sorry." Buffy thought of something really quick, as she peeled her body away from the redhead. "I didn't hurt you, did I? I mean..."
"No. You didn't hurt me." Willow sat up, as Buffy dismounted, and moved to sit beside her on the bed. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you...but why the sudden...you know." Willow gestured around the room, particularly to the door, and following their path to the bed.
"I couldn't take it anymore. It was driving me mad all night not getting to even hold your hand, and when we passed each other in the hall, I made my mind up that if you're ready, then I'm ready, and I knew you were ready because you were pretty much shaking me, and screaming at me to do it. I was just lost in my own insecurities to make the move. I get an 'F' in Willow, I know." Buffy played with her hands, doing everything to keep them in place, and not help the redhead fix her distorted tanktop, which was showing a bit of belly skin at the bottom.
"Well, after that performance, I'm giving you an 'A+.' Where did you learn to kiss like that?" Willow took a second, and then changed her mind. "Wait. I don't want to know."
"Wills, don't laugh but I've never kissed anybody like that, not even Angel." Buffy traced the outline of the redhead's swollen lips with her thumb, which earned her a gentle kiss on it. "Yours are the MOST kissable lips I've ever seen in my life, and probably will ever see, and if you'll let me, I would love to kiss these lips often, and sometimes in inappropriate places."
"Well..." Willow blushed, loving the attention, her hormones rising high once again after they had just settled down somewhat. "That is... um... I would love you to kiss me, anytime, anywhere." Upon seeing Buffy's mischievous grin, and raised eyebrow, she backpedaled. "Oh! Um but not there." She quickly added. "Yet!"
"I will, then." Buffy leaned forward, and placed a tender kiss on Willow's lips again, loving the taste of their toothpastes and mouths mixing together. "Willow..."
"Yeah?" Willow's eyes were still half-lidded from that last kiss, and their foreheads were resting against the other.
"I'm not sure if I need to ask this, or what. You can say no if you think it's too soon to make this big of a commitment. I mean, we just started dating, and FINALLY got to do the smoochies thing but..." She trailed off, biting her lip nervously, afraid of the answer but willing to take the risk. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Oh, Buffy." Willow brought them out of their rest, and embraced the blonde completely. "I would love to be your girlfriend, and to have you as mine, too." Pulling back, she kissed Buffy again with gusto, licking her lips as they parted to get any residual taste that she may have missed. "You're still using that Colgate Total mint gel. I'm so proud of you."
Buffy giggled a moment, and loosened the embrace. "Only you would compliment me on my good hygiene practices after we do some serious smooching." Willow joined in the gigglefest. Suddenly, there was an awkward silence.
"Do you maybe... want to sleep in my bed tonight, or over here? Together?" Willow's plea was hard to pass up but Buffy knew that now would not be a good time for that close of proximity. She was already going to need a change of underwear, and maybe shorts for all she knew, and it was only their first makeout session. It only went up from here.
"Um, Wills." Her face was apologetic, and Buffy had to take a deep breath in order to keep her resolve. It was hard to say no to Willow. "I'm thinking that may not be such a good idea right now." Upon the redhead's confused face, she added. "I don't think I can control myself with you right there. It would drive me crazy even more than I am right now!"
"OH!" Willow understood, and went to move a couple inches over, so as not to make Buffy do something she would regret in the morning.
"I do want to... it's just that maybe tonight we'd better not." Buffy pulled Willow back to her, letting her know that there was no reason to move. Willow nodded, and they kissed one last time before retreating to their separate beds, and smiling at the change in their relationship but groaning at the stops.
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Meanwhile, in a control room of the Initiative, Dr. Walsh was watching the screen in front of her with interest. She narrowed her eyes slightly, studying the two figures move. Riley Finn was standing by the screen at attention, not seeing the movements. Again, Walsh observed with interest, until she smiled, and headed to her office, indicating that Riley should follow her. When they were in there, she sat at her desk, as the young soldier stayed at attention.
"Agent Finn, I have a mission for your squad." Since she knew she had his undivided attention, she continued. "I need you to bag a possible HST that goes under the guise of one Buffy Summers. She's a student in my class that you aid in, so I believe you will recognize her easy enough."
"Yes, she's the pretty blonde in the third row, and sits beside one Willow Rosenberg. I know her. We have made contact a few times." Riley nodded for her to continue.
"It's strictly confidential, which means only Alpha Squad is to know about this one." Moving back to lean against the front of her desk, she continues the command. "I want you to befriend Miss Summers, and Miss Rosenberg. The danger is severe, so take caution when engaging but this is strictly undercover work, which means no military will be mentioned once. Then, I want you, and your squadron to report back to me. I'm assigning this to you, Agent Gates, and Agent Miller solely. Failing is not an option."
"What should we look for specifically, and how should we engage?" Finn was still at attention, and had yet to show any sign of emotion or discomfort. Truth was, he had a huge crush on Buffy, and the others had teased him about it slightly. Now, he was being told she was a possible HST. He was torn between duty and his emotions.
"As I mentioned, you merely need to befriend the two girls, get inside their lives. Find out what makes them tick, in particular, find their strengths and their weaknesses. I have a theory of one Miss Summers's weaknesses but I need it confirmed to verify how to further proceed in this mission." She folded her arms in front of her white lab coat, and studied the young man in front of her. He was one of her favorite experiments. "If there is any danger, or even suspicion, report back to me, and only me. This mission could prove highly dangerous, and I want the HST unharmed. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am!" With that, she let him leave with his orders, and went back to write what she had seen on the screen. The images of the two girls kissing had slightly surprised the woman but she had suspected it from their previous interactions. However, this could give them a better lead on how to capture the slayer for their testing. They just weren't sure where myth and fact about slayers drew the line but in the name of science, they were determined to know.