halfamoon | Fic: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Faith&Willow postcanon friendship

Title: when we cease to see
Content warning: Canonical character death and violence
Characters: Faith & Willow friendship, references to past Willow/Tara and past one-sided unrequited Faith/Buffy
Summary: 20 years later, Willow remembers. Title from "Remembrance of Things Past"

Willow’s wife and friends all respected this day, all gave Willow the space she asked for. She didn’t want to spend the day alone, though, so she sat in the bay window of a coffeeshop two towns over, with a book open that she wasn’t actually reading, and drank cup of tea after cup of tea.

She sensed a familiar presence then.

She sighed, but then smiled just a little. She texted Faith:

I am literally the most powerful witch on the continent, I can obviously sense a slayer nearby

Faith sent an eyeroll emoji back to her. A minute later, she walked in and sat at the table.

“Sorry for bothering you. I can go home if you want.”

Willow shrugged. “I know you’re just checking on me. I’m not upset.”

“...Thanks.”

“I could probably be persuaded to split a Dubai chocolate,” Willow added.

Faith smiled and went to the counter.

It was strange that all these years later, she and Faith of all people had fallen into such an easy, comfortable friendship.

Faith came back with the chocolate, two forks, a coffee for herself, and another tea for Willow.

“Seriously, though,” Faith said, “If you’d rather be alone, just say the word.”

“I will,” Willow said, and meant it.

They ate in silence for a while, and then Willow said. “It’s a complicated day. It’s nice to be with someone who understands that.” She looked at Faith.

Faith hesitated. “I know it’s not the same- it’s not the same at all. I get that.”

Willow nodded. “It’s not the same. But it’s not totally 100% not the same.”

Faith gave a small laugh and focused on the chocolate she was taking a piece of.

Everyone else knew today as the anniversary of Tara’s death. Faith knew it was that and more.

It was also the 20th anniversary of Willow found a hurricane of violence inside of her and sent it out into the world with vengeful glee. The day Willow became a monster, and the first day of having to spend the rest of her life fighting to not let the monster have full control again. What she had done could be forgiven, somehow, miraculously, but not taken back.

Everyone knew that Tara was Willow’s first consuming love. Only Willow knew that Faith’s first consuming love had been Buffy. She had just figured it out a few years ago, and then she had understood - not excused, certainly not made excuses for - but understood what it meant when Buffy had almost killed Faith to save Angel. Willow understood then that Faith’s time exiled from her own humanity was not so different from Willow’s - that the monster had always been there in each of them, biding its time as their teenage selves thought they had found a soulmate to love, a chance to be loved back, until the evil had its opportunity and swallowed them whole. The difference was that Faith had crawled out of that hole alone, over years and years.

“We’ve both come a long way,” Willow said eventually.

Faith looked up at her finally. “We have.” Willow could see that Faith was, still, after so many years, grateful to be talked about as a ‘we.’

“But I can’t promise not to turn evil again if someone cuts me off in traffic on the way home,” Willow added casually.

Faith laughed, louder than a small cafe was meant for. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep each other in check.”