milliways_bar | (no subject)

He rolls his eyes a bit.

"Why does that make you nervous? You figure he's gonna do something bad?"

"No! Public." Faith makes a face. "And Charlie knows too. Too many people know too much stuff about me. Hell, Nick even knows my real name now, and..."

Faith stops talking, abruptly, and slouches in her seat.

He grins a bit. "I could always sneak you out to New York on your birthday, but then there would be a lot of disappointed people."

Faith eyes him, suspiciously. "How d'you know? You know what he's..."

Beat.

"You're in on it."

He shakes his head.

"No. I just know Nick."

Faith stares at him for a minute, then shrugs it off and sighs. "Yeah. Well. So do I. And having been to the party he gave Alex...well, I'm pretty sure Nick won't be proposing to me, but that's about all I can count on, I think."

He puts an arm around her.

"You worry too much."

He kisses the top of her head.

"Now, really, wouldn't you be more upset that no one did anything?"

"...nobody ever did before, why should it bother me if nobody did now?"

He turns her so she can see him, so he can look right into his eyes. "I should be angry with you for saying something like that, but I'm not. I know why you said it, but you don't feel that way. I know it would bother you if no one did anything at all." And he kisses her, tender, but loving.

Faith kisses him back, mostly out of habit, but..."Wait." she pulls away, blinking at him. "Why...what makes you think it would bother me?"

He blinks and looks at her. "Because things in your life are different than they were before. A lot's changed." He waves vaguely around at the bar. "This place changes people. You have friends now. Lots of them. Which seems to be something you didn't have before. And you know that friends do nice things for each other on their birthdays. So, if you were left out, you'd feel... left out." He leans in and presses his lips to her forehead, her nose, her chin and finally her lips again.

"...you think so?" Faith blinks at him, surprised. "I don't think...I mean, I only told Nick 'cause I was kinda drunk...and I only told you and Charlie 'cause I figured he would..."

"Do I think you'd be disappointed if no one remembered your birthday? Of course." He shrugs. "For me, it's different. I've had so many birthdays, half the time I don't remember it. Rachel always does." He gives a little laugh. "But for everyone else, it's usually a pretty big deal. Even the birthdays everyone claims to hate - 50, 60... and for some, it's an excuse to have a big party." He grins, tracing a thumb over her lips and cheekbone.

Faith blinks at him. "I never really thought about...I mean, it's not like we ever did anything when I was a kid, you know...I went through a phase of wondering why, once, when I was three or four, but I only asked the question once and when my mother..."

Long pause.

"I only asked the question once."

"Now you don't have to. Your friends here will do things for you. More than you might think."

He smiles and draws her close for another long, slow kiss.

Mm. Kissage. Faith likes. She leans closer.

Continued kissage.

It's a thing.

He wonders if Faith's learned to breathe through her nose.

She's been practicing! Mostly in the bath. Yeah, nose-breathage.

Impressive.

He pulls away, slowly. "So, what do you want for your birthday?" he asks with the tiniest hint of a wicked little grin.

Faith groans softly and whaps his shoulder. Not nearly as hard as she can.

"Ow." He feigns pain and rubs at his shoulder. "What? I just asked a question."

Faith snorts. "Wuss." She kisses him again, briefly. "Don't want anything." Beat. "Well. Sex. But that would happen anyway."

"Should I get more scarves?"

"If you want." Faith grins slightly. "If you think there's much chance you'll try to get away."

"Who says they're for me?" Sly grin.

"Well, it's going to be my birthday..." Faith smirks, straddling his lap. "And you did ask what I wanted."

"True." He grins.

"And the idea of having you tied up and at my mercy...well..."

Faith kisses him again. To demonstrate her opinion of this idea.

He kisses back.

"Yes, I'm well aware."

Faith presses against him, grinning. "Would you really object?"

"Have I ever before?"

"Hmm." Faith tilts her head and taps her teeth, mock-thoughtful. "Hmm, let me think about that one..."

His face is blank while she thinks.

"I can't remember ever having to drag you kicking and screaming to bed..."

"If you ever do, find a doctor."

Faith laughs. And, predictably, kisses him again.

Yes. Lots of practice with the breathing-through-nose.

Which is just fine by him. Kissing's good.