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“So Snow…”
“Yeah, Light?”
Lightning and Snow sat on either side of a campfire. It was an experience that had become more common since they arrived on Gran Pulse, needing to settle for the night while they traveled. They always had two people on watch, to make sure nobody fell asleep. Tonight Snow and Lightning took the first shift, the rest of the group sound asleep in tents.
“How…” Lightning searched for the words. “When did you know that you loved Serah? Really loved her?”
Snow smiled, that same smug smile that Lightning used to hate. It was comforting now, familiar, a reminder of when things were… simpler.
“Never expected that question from you of all people. Let's see… I guess it's when I felt like… like I would do anything to protect her. When the most important thing to me wasn't just keeping her safe, but making her smile even when there was nothing to smile about. You know what I'm gettin’ at?”
Lightning looked down, fiddling with her hands in her lap. “I guess so.”
“Why do you ask anyway?”
Lightning didn't look up. “No reason. Just curious.”
Snow laughed. “Lightning Farron doing something for no reason. That'll be the day. Who is it?”
“What?”
“There's someone on your mind, isn't there? That's why you asked.”
“That's ridiculous.”
Snow put his hand on his chin. “No, I can see it. I had that same look before I asked Serah out.”
“Believe what you want.”
“It's definitely not me, can't be Sazh either, he's too old. Vanille maybe? She's only a couple years younger than you, but I don't think she's your type. Fang--”
Lightning suddenly stopped her fiddling, and a wide grin stretched across Snow’s face. Lightning finally looked up, seeing the look in Snow’s eyes. “No.”
“It's Fang, isn't it?”
“T-- that's not--”
Snow laughed. “It is, it's written all over your face.”
“No it isn't.”
“I can see the red on your cheeks from here, Light.”
Lightning had been trying to ignore the heat she had felt burning on her face, but now it's all she could feel. “You-- you have no proof that I feel that way.”
Snow laughed. “Light, it's okay. There's nothing wrong with it, you know?”
Lightning sighed. “...Yes, it's Fang.”
“See? That wasn't so bad.”
“Don't push it.”
“She's a good fit for you, I think.”
“I just… I've never felt like this before. I… I'm not sure what to do.”
“Well you should say something to her.”
“I can't.”
“Why not?”
“Because… because what if she doesn't… what if she doesn't feel the same way?”
Snow shrugged. “That's the risk you have to take. And I've never seen you back down from something because of a little risk.”
Lightning looked over at the tent Fang was sleeping in. She couldn't see the warrior from here, but Lightning thought to herself about if it really were that simple. Could she really just tell her?
“Listen Light, if you need any help you can always ask me.”
Lightning grunted an affirmation. She had a lot to think about.
The next morning as the party was packing up the campsite, Snow pulled Hope aside. The fourteen year-old seemed confused, but went along with it. When they were far enough away to not be overheard, Snow stopped.
“Hope, I need your help with something.”
“What is it?”
Snow looked over Hope’s shoulder at everyone else. Sazh was packing up the tents, Vanille talking his ear off as he did, Sazh laughing a few times. Fang was talking to Lightning, who, surprisingly enough, was slightly grinning. “You see Lightning over there?”
“Yeah?” Hope raised an eyebrow. “Is she mad at you again?”
“What? No! Look at who she's talkin’ to.”
“...Fang.”
“Yeah.”
“They talk all the time, I don't know why you're acting so weird about this.”
“It's because last night Lightning told me she has a… thing for Fang.”
“Okay? Why are you telling me this?”
Snow patted Hope on the shoulder. “Because, my young friend, love is a beautiful thing. And we're gonna make this happen.”
“How?”
“When we set out, I'll give you a signal. We're gonna try and those two on their own somewhere.”
“... Do you really think that would work?”
“Of course it will. Trust me.”
The party had been walking for a little over an hour. Surprisingly, it had been a relatively peaceful journey so far. Snow had kept a close eye on Fang and Lightning for the trek thus far. Fang tended to wander around to different people in the group to talk to, but she always seemed to make her way back to Lightning the most. After a while, Snow gave an exaggerated yawn, stretching.
“Oh man, we sure have been walking for a while.” Snow spoke with odd emphasis. “Maybe we should… take a break while somebody scouts ahead.”
“We haven't been walking that long, Snow,” Hope said. Snow gave him a wink. “Oh! I-- uh, he's-- he’s right, we should take a break.”
Lightning looked back at the two of them, who did their best to try and look natural. “I suppose if you're tired, we can stop to rest.”
Snow nodded. “And, uh… would you and Fang mind scouting ahead?”
“Not at all,” Fang said, clapping a hand down on Lightning’s shoulder and smiling. Lightning’s cheeks went bright red. “It'll be fun, right Light?”
“Uh… y-- yeah.”
Fang let go of Lightning’s shoulder, turning away. “We’ll see you all soon, shout if you need us.”
Lightning stared daggers at Snow and Hope, Snow giving her a thumbs up. She rolled her eyes and followed Fang.
Snow, Hope, Sazh, and Vanille watched the two women fade into the distance as they walked further away.
“We're dead, aren't we?” Hope said.
Snow patted Hope on the shoulder. “She'll thank us later.”
“... After we're dead, you mean.”
“Yeah, after we're dead.”
Fang and Lightning walked side-by-side by a stretch of forest. Fang crossed her arms behind her head, stretching back. Lightning tried not to stare at her abs… or at least, she tried not to be too obvious about it.
“So, Light?”
“Yes?”
“How’re you likin’ Gran Pulse so far?”
Lightning took a moment to think. Gran Pulse was certainly… different than Cocoon, in more ways than one. “I think… it feels more open here. More free.”
“No kidding. Cocoon’s like being trapped in a tiny little ball compared to this.”
“And even the air feels different. Almost like it… like it’s clearer.”
“That’s fresh air for you, Light. Y’know, I’ve never asked, but do you have someone back on Cocoon?”
“‘Have someone?’”
“You know, dating?”
“Oh. Right. Um… no, I-- I don’t.”
Fang raised an eyebrow, looking over Lightning. “Really? Beautiful girl like you?”
Lightning turned her head away so Fang wouldn’t see her blush. “N-- no. No one. I-- I’ve been asked before, but I always turned them down.”
“Oooh, a heartbreaker then, is it?”
“I wouldn’t say it like that.”
“Nothin’ to be ashamed of, sweetheart. Maybe the right person just hasn’t asked yet.”
“... Maybe not. What about you, Fang?”
“Me? Oh well… I don’t have anyone either.”
Lightning felt her heart skip a beat. “Not even Vanille?”
Fang looked somewhat uncomfortable at the question. “Maybe once, yeah, but things… just didn’t work out like that. We’re just friends.”
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No, no, it’s alright.”
Their walk continued in silence for the next few minutes. Each kept an eye out, but saw no sign of danger.
“Looks clear to me, and we shouldn’t go much farther. You want to head back?” Fang asked.
“Yes, I think that’d be a good idea.”
There was a sudden growl, and Lightning and Fang looked at each other. Their hands went for their weapons, adopting a battle stance. Lightning was almost relieved at the prospect of a fight, at least if she was fighting she would be too busy to think about Fang. There was a flash of movement, and a large, hulking form leapt out from the bushes, sliding across the ground from the momentum, digging small trenches into the earth with its massive claws. A behemoth stood before them, toothy maw open and growling. It looked thinner than most behemoths, and desperate -- possibly starving.
“Should we call for help?” Lightning asked.
Fang shook her head. “No, we can handle this.”
The behemoth roared a challenge, and both Lightning and Fang ran forward. It took a swipe at them, but Fang slid underneath it, bringing her spear up and slashing the behemoth across the face. Lightning went over, leaping over the extended claw and slashing the forearm as she somersaulted through the air. She landed on both feet next to Fang.
“I’ll distract, you magic?”
Lightning nodded, and ran off to the side. The behemoth’s head turned to follow, but turned back to Fang as she started to shout. “Hey you big ugly bastard, it’s me you want!”
The behemoth growled and tried to bite Fang, Fang holding her spear out in front of her so that the behemoth’s mout only found the hilt of the spear. Fang pushed back, her muscles straining, as the behemoth lifted one of its arms to strike. Lightning felt the heat burn in her hand, and extended it, letting forth a burst of bright orange flame. The behemoth flinched, Fang using the opportunity to kick it off her spear and jump back, just as the forelimb came crashing down.
Lightning charged her blade with electricity and dashed forward, slashing at the behemoth’s side. It howled in pain, turning to face her. Suddenly vaulting with her spear, Fang flew through the air and kicked the behemoth in the face, stunning it. It’s gaze seemed to unfocus, and the creature’s stance grew wobbly and uncertain. Fang looked directly at Lightning, then slammed her spear into the dirt, and knelt down with her hands crossed, palms facing up. Fang winked at Lightning, and Lightning ran over to her, stepping into Fang’s hands as she lifted, throwing Lightning into the air with unnatural l’Cie strength.
As Lightning soared above the behemoth, she saw Fang grab her spear, lifting it out of the dirt and jamming it into the side of the behemoth’s head. It howled in pain, now looking like it was using the last of its strength to attack one last time… before Lightning slammed into its back, blade-first. It let out one last pained scream, before falling limp to the ground.
Lightning was on one knee on the beast’s back, holding her sword that was still impaled into the behemoth’s flesh, panting. Fang was leaning over, holding her knees and also breathing heavily. Fang walked over to where her spear still jutted out from the side of the behemoth’s head, and kicked it a few times. Satisfied it wouldn’t be getting up, she pulled her spear out, and fell backwards onto the ground into a sitting position.
Fang gave a tired smile, still trying to catch her breath. “Well that was a nice workout, wouldn’t you say?”
Lightning chuckled. She pulled her sword out, flicking the blood off before collapsing it and placing it back in its holster. Lightning went to step off from the creature’s upper back, but suddenly her head went light and she fell forward, about to topple off the corpse, the fight having evidently taken more out of her than she realized. Just as she thought she was about to smack into the hard dirt, she felt something warm stop her. She looked up to see Fang’s face looking at her with concern, holding Lightning in her arms. She was a bit sweaty, hair mussed and some flecks of dirt and blood on her, but Lightning couldn’t get her mind off of how beautiful she was.
“You alright there girl?” Fang asked. She held firmly onto Lightning, worried that she would fall again if Fang let go.
“Yeah… yeah, I’m fine. I don’t know what happ--”
“Shit.” Fang lifted one of her hands from Lightning’s upper-right arm. It was covered in crimson blood. “You’re bleeding, must’ve tagged you at the start. Here, sit down and I’ll get some bandages.”
“Really Fang, I’m fine now.”
“Sit.” With one hand on her shoulder Fang pushed Lightning down, but the other held Lightning’s back gently to keep her steady. Lightning felt some kind of… tingle inside her at the touch. Fang rummaged through a pouch of medical supplies on her waist, Lightning watching her. Fang finally stood up, having found a roll of bandages, and walked over to Lightning, kneeling down in front of her.
“Let me see your arm,” Fang said.
“I’m okay Fang, hones--”
“No you’re not. Even if you weren’t tripping over yourself from the bloodloss, there’s a chance that wound’ll get infected. You aren’t on Cocoon anymore, there’s a lot more here that can kill you than the Sanctum.”
Lightning lifted her right arm, wincing in pain. She hadn’t realized how much it had hurt to move it before with the adrenaline still pumping in her system. Fang held it up for Lightning, and began cleaning the wound. Lightning grimaced. “That hurts worse than what the monster did,” she said, grinning.
Fang smiled back. “Always the worst part, isn’t it? Don’t worry, it’ll be over before you know it.”
After she had finished cleaning Lightning’s wound, Fang began to wrap the bandage around it. The light touch of Fang’s fingers on Lightning’s skin felt electric. It was now that Lightning realized how close Fang was, so close that she could feel the heat rising off from her body. So close that she could see the way her dark hair fell in front of her face as she looked down at what she was doing. So close that if Lightning wanted to, she could just lean forward and--
“There. All do--” As Fang looked back up, having finished wrapping the bandages around Lightning’s arm, she was interrupted by Lightning suddenly leaning forward and planting her lips on Fang’s. Fang felt her own heart jump, taken completely off guard, and her eyes went wide. She heard-- no, felt Lightning gasp, then pull back, putting her hand over her mouth and looking away from Fang.
“I-- I’m so sorry, I-- I shouldn’t-- I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking and I--”
Fang chuckled, and Lightning felt the light brush of fingertips on her chin that pulled her vision up -- not forcefully, but their presence and gentle touch guiding her to look back at Fang. The warrior was smiling, still holding her fingers on Lightning’s chin. “Not bad. First time?” Fang asked.
“I-- I-- I--” Lightning stammered. She felt the fingers move from her chin, as Fang’s hand pressed up against Lightning’s cheek. There was the sudden, now familiar sensation of lips pressing against lips… but different, somehow. Fang’s lips were somehow both gentle and forceful. There was pressure, but it wasn’t overbearing. Lightning felt her eyes close, her mind completely lost in the sensation of feeling. A few times it felt like Fang was about to pull away, but each time was a prelude to a smaller, gentler kiss. Then finally, Lightning felt their lips part.
“Now that’s a kiss,” Fang said, smirking. Lightning could feel the heat on her cheeks again, but she hardly cared. She was still trying to grasp what had just happened.
“That-- that was… wow.”
Fang giggled, a sound that made something stir in Lightning’s heart. Fang brushed a speck of dirt off of Lightning’s cheek, then held her hand there, brushing her thumb against Lightning’s face.
“You should’ve done something sooner, Light. I could get used to this.”
Lightning wasn’t sure what to do on their walk back to the rest of the group. Fang hadn’t said anything since they set off, and Lightning couldn’t get her brain to stop thinking so fast that she couldn’t even form a sentence. She couldn’t stop thinking about what this meant, if it meant anything. And she was having a hard time fighting the urge to grab onto Fang’s hand. Just as she thought that, she felt fingers intertwining with her own, and Fang squeezing Lightning’s hand.
“I know that look in your eyes Lightning -- you’re thinking about something, and I can probably guess what. We can talk more later, if you want. But just so you know I… well, I want this, as long as you do too.”
Lightning’s hand untensed, relaxing in Fang’s grasp. “I… I think I want this too. This… it’s nice.”
“It is nice, isn’t it?”
Lightning and Fang let go of each other’s hands when they were close to reaching the rest of the party -- they still had a lot to figure out themselves, without the added difficulty of explaining things to everyone else. Lightning caught the look of dread in Hope and Snow’s eyes as soon as they saw her.
“All clear ahead?” Sazh asked.
“There was a behemoth, but me an’ Light took care of it.”
“You fought a behemoth with just the two of you?” Vanille asked, excited.
“Sure did,” Fang responded. “We’re tough like that.”
“Anything--” Snow cleared his throat. “Anything else happen?”
“No,” Lightning said, arms crossed and glaring. “Nothing.”
Snow clapped his hands together. “Well, we better get a move on then.”
“What a sudden change in attitude,” Lightning said. She leaned forward, looking at Snow with fire in her eyes. “Wonder why that is?”
Snow whistled nervously, walking away. Hope looked at Lightning, eyes wide in fear. She gave him a smile, and tousled his hair. Hope smiled back, relieved to see that she wasn’t upset with him at least. Lightning caught up with Snow, punching him on the arm.
“Ow!” Snow rubbed his arm where Lightning hit him.
“You’re still an idiot… but thanks.”
Lightning walked ahead before Snow could say anything, catching up next to Fang. Snow smiled, and tightly wrapped his hand around Serah’s crystal tear in his jacket pocket. “I know you’d be happy for her if you were here. Don’t worry -- I’ll make sure she can tell you herself someday.”