You want me, you want me all the time [And you don't need nothing else]

[whattingawhat]

[“Not being able to sleep is terrible. You have the misery of having partied all night... without the satisfaction.” - Lynn Johnston]
Co-written with stillacrime and whattingawhat


Insomnia drove her from the apartment even though purple-black shadowed her eyes. She needed sleep but lying on her back staring at the ceiling made her even more exhausted. It was frustration blended with exhaustion and overriding it all was this need that scritched at everything inside of her. She couldn't explain that restless itch that rode just under her skin. Occasionally she could subdue it with meditation or tai chi. If that didn't work, sometimes she could pound it out against the punching bag. Tonight wasn't one of those nights; she just needed to slay. Vampires were never a shortage in New York City so she could indulge in the visceral feeling of bones cracking beneath her strength, bodies dusting in her wake. In some ways she even found comfort in the occasional blows she took. It was like they almost shocked some of the restlessness from her body. She didn't really have any concept of how late it was and while a tiny, instinctive ticker fueled by her internal competition kept track of her kills, she wasn't thinking about them. The funny thing about vampires was that they rarely knew when to run. The three that blocked the mouth of the alley were no exception. She bit her bottom lip to hide the feral smile the slayer in her pushed to the surface and took a step backwards. She liked throwing them off guard and letting them think they had the advantage as they swaggered toward her, attacking all once. She stopped trying to hide her smile and just enjoyed kicking their ass. Maybe it was cruel and unusual but it was also predatory and on the nights she couldn't sleep, the nights when the slayer was clawing to come out and play, she had no choice but to give over to the predator in her. If she were truthful with herself, she didn't want any other choice.



This was a normal night. He woke up to roll over and feel the bed next to him empty and cold. Logically, Danny knew that Buffy could take care of herself. He knew that she was out patrolling. He knew that it was instinctive for her, something that she had to do. All of this didn't make it any easier. Waking up to an empty bed when he had gone to bed with a sexy blonde was hard. Trying to sleep when he knew she was out there fighting something that he couldn't was hard. Even staying in bed when she was out was hard, he was so accustomed to holding on to a warm body now.

Danny rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweat pants. He walked through the living room and into the kitchen to grab a glass and fill it with orange juice. He carried it out to the balcony where he lit up a cigarette and began to smoke. He leaned his elbows on the railing and looked down at the street below, expertly dangling the cigarette between his lips as he smoked it. Depending on her mood and what she found along the way, this could be a long night for both of them.

Buffy staked the last vampire, raking one hand through her hair as she tilted her hair back, looking up at the lack of stars. Things were starting to stir around the city a little more and she knew she needed to get home. She took a deep breath, the cold making her lungs ache. She held it until the ache turned to a burn and then she exhaled, watching it frost in the air. The restlessness had quieted a bit and she wasn't sure she'd actually sleep but at least she could stand to stay indoors. She tucked the stake in the pocket of her coat and headed back toward the house, letting herself into the apartment with her key. It went back in her pocket as she eased the door shut and relocked it. She wasn't surprised when she saw Danny out on the balcony smoking. She walked up behind him, wrapping her around his waist. She knew she probably still smelled like vampire ash and blood.

"Hey, I didn't mean to wake you up," she whispered against his back, laying her cheek against his skin. "Have you been out here long?"

He heard the door and stood upright. When her arms went around him, he leaned back against her. Between his index and middle finger, he took a drag from his cigarette and then removed it from his lips. "Nah, just a little while. You feel better? Worn out or are you still wired?"

"Still pretty wired," she sighed. "And I shouldn't be. I bagged a lot of vamps tonight. It's better than it was though. I thought I'd scream earlier. Now there's less screaming. More just--too wired to sleep. Sorry." She pressed a kiss against his back. "How are you?"

"Awake." Danny answered, turning around to face Buffy and lean back against the iron railing of the balcony. One arm draped back over Buffy's shoulder and with the other hand he lifted the cigarette to his lips to take in another long drag. It wasn't very often that he did this, only when he was in a certain mood and mindset. He leaned in without exhaling the smoke and pressed his lips to hers in a sensual kiss. Buffy arched up into the kiss, her arms circling around Danny's shoulders. She tunneled her fingers into his hair, standing it on end as she tugged him down into the kiss and inhaling the smoke into her lungs. It burned against her chest, tickling deep inside then burning her throat as she held it until they both needed to breathe. The kiss broke and she exhaled the smoke with a shaky laugh. Her hands swept over Danny's shoulders and down his arms as she leaned in and nipped at his neck, leaving a sharp, red mark there.

She reached up to unbutton her jacket and shrug it over her shoulders as she tiptoed up into another kiss. "I like it when you do that," she whispered throatily against his lips.

A deep groan sounded from deep in his throat as she bit at the flesh over his neck. Each hand grabbed one of her thighs, lifting them to either side of his hips. As he did, her arms wrapped tighter around his shoulders to hold onto him as he walked her backwards until her back was pressed to the brick side of the building next to the balcony door. His lips found hers again, nibbling and tugging on her lower lip. "Weren't thinkin' about sleep anytime soon, yeah?" He whispered, his voice husky and low.

"Not any time soon," she promised breathlessly, mewling softly against his mouth. Sure tomorrow they'd both be exhausted but neither one of them were going to sleep anyway. They might as well reap the benefits of insomnia.

"Not any time soon, huh?" He repeated her words as a crooked grin spread over his lips. "Boom."