AN: This is an au setting of xiii-2 if the ending was happy and none of the dark moments happened. Basically Serah and Hope end up falling in love, Fang and Vanille woke from crystal stasis and Lightning is back and unharmed during a timeline where the crystal tower has not fallen. A few years later and this fic takes place. Really this is just an excuse to write some fluffy, domestic themes. Hope you enjoy!
Until Death Do Us Part
Chapter 1
It was finally official.
Serah Farron was now Serah Estheim, married to one Hope Estheim.
The service was wonderful and more than a few of their friends and family had shed some tears during the vows. Even Lightning became emotional but she wouldn't admit to that, she did have a reputation to keep after all. The guests had moved to New Bodhum's bar for the party and everyone was in high spirits thanks to such a lovely afternoon. It was early evening by now and Lebreau was making sure all the food was served so the reception was the best it could be for the newlyweds.
"Wasn't the ceremony beautiful? Serah looked so happy." Lebreau let out a soft sigh, sliding Lightning her drink across the bar before resting her chin in her palm, looking over to the beach where music was blasting loudly for the reception party. Lightning accepted her glass, lifting it to take a few gulps of the beverage.
"Yeah...she really did." The ex-soldier agreed. "And the way Hope looked at her when she walked down the aisle? I know I don't have to worry about him hurting Serah any time soon." Light murmured, recalling the look of pure love behind Hope's expression the moment he saw his wife-to-be in her gorgeous wedding dress. Lebreau scoffed at the soldier's words.
"Uh, yeah, and don't forget he wouldn't dare hurt her anyway with protective big sis on the loose." The bartender laughed and Light couldn't help but let out a breath of amusement.
"True enough...but with everything that's happened, Serah's shown me that she can handle herself. I'll always look out for her but she's grown strong." Light replied softly, feeling pride surge in her heart for her sister.
"Nice to hear you finally acknowledge that." Lebreau teased with a grin. "So, Farron, any plans for a wedding of your own sometime?"
"You're kidding." Azure eyes rolled from the question; Lebreau was always prodding for information on her love life...too bad there was nothing to tell. "Weddings aren't my thing." A dismissive response, Lightning's arms crossed defensively over her chest as she turned to watch some of the wedding guests dancing outside.
"Okay, but there must be someone you have your sights on! Come on, Lightning, you know you can tell me." Lebreau pressed her further; she knew she was treading on dangerous ground but Serah may or may not have told her that Light was acting strange lately, as if she was keeping something to herself; naturally, Lebreau jumped at the idea it could have been romance related, given the growing theme of love surrounding the wedding.
"This conversation's over." The former soldier grunted, shifting off the bar stool with a glare at Lebreau who simply smiled and shrugged. As Light began to storm off, she almost walked headfirst into a much shorter person rushing towards the bar excitedly. The girl let out a surprised squeak as Lightning almost crashed straight into her.
"Oh, sorry, Lightning!" Vanille quickly apologised with a sweet smile, her hands coming up to steady Light by holding her arms before the taller woman could collide with her.
"It's fine, it was my fault. Are you alright?" Light asked quietly, avoiding Vanille's eye line, trying to ignore how soft the girl's hands felt as they gently slipped off her arms. Her question earned her an even brighter smile from Vanille, who seemed to appreciate her concern.
"Mhm! Just perfect, really." Vanille's cheerful tone was too cute. Light couldn't help a faint smile of her own as she finally met her friend's gaze.
If only you knew how true that was. Lightning thought to herself, a gentle look behind her eyes, so subtle it was easy to miss. Vanille stared for a moment, finding her cheeks flush pink from the endearing way Light smiled at her. The former soldier didn't smile often...but whenever she did, Vanille was always taken aback by just how beautiful Lightning was.
From behind them, Lebreau clears her throat, as if to remind them they aren't alone and break the little trance the two are in before anyone else notices the love eyes they're unintentionally making at each other. Light looks away first, clearly embarrassed, throwing a glance in Lebreau's direction before she steps to the side of Vanille, heading towards the beach. Vanille can't help herself; she turns to watch Lightning walk away, her heart thumping against her chest a little faster than it had been before.
"Oh, you've got it bad." Lebreau commented softly, chuckling when Vanille visibly jumped, clearly having forgotten Lebreau was there - again.
"I don't know what you mean." Vanille played dumb on purpose, if only to avoid an interrogation from Lebreau.
"Suuure, whatever you say." The bartender's tone was clearly sarcastic but Vanille ignored it, skipping towards the dark-haired woman, still wearing a cheerful smile despite being teased.
"What can I get you, hon?" Lebreau asked, a playful grin forming as she decided to wind up the poor girl even harder. "How about a Lightning Martini?" She snickered as Vanille's face turned red.
"An orange juice will be fine, thank you..." Vanille mumbled, turning her back on Lebreau to avoid any more teasing comments with the sole intention of embarrassing her over her crush.
It was true, Vanille had been crushing on Lightning for a long time...even before she and Fang turned to crystal. Their first journey together felt like a lifetime ago and in a lot of ways, it had been - but at the core, the friends hadn't really changed despite the tough years they'd endured since. It was truly a miracle from Etro that she and Fang had woken from stasis a second time. Vanille could only hope it was to say thank you for saving Cocoon and grant them the chance to live out the rest of their lives alongside the ones they love.
Still, miracles or not, Vanille could never find the words to confess how she felt to Lightning. The timing never seemed right and the concept of being rejected by the former soldier was too painful to think about. Vanille didn't want to risk the friendship they had over her silly dreams of romance; as long as Lightning was happy, that's all that mattered to her.
"Here you go, one orange juice for the lady." Lebreau's voice stirred Vanille from her thoughts. She turned to accept the drink with a smile. Lebreau smiled back before heading off to check on the alcohol stock while the bar was quiet.
Taking a sip of her juice through the straw Lebreau gave to her, Vanille turned to the other side of the bar, spotting Fang exiting the 'employees only' room. Her eyebrows rose with curiosity as she wondered what her unofficial big sister was up to...probably something she shouldn't be.
"Hey, Fang." Vanille greeted her with a wave of her fingers, frowning when Fang straightened her clothes and ran a hand through her messy, dark locks. "You okay?" The younger girl added; Fang gave her a mischievous grin and a short nod.
"Yeah I'm just great, Vanille." Before Fang could say anything else, the 'employees only' door opened a second time, revealing Snow, stumbling awkwardly out of the back room, fixing his tie and the top buttons of his shirt. It took Vanille all of twenty seconds to find the timing more than a little strange, her somewhat naive mind trying to piece together what was going on. Snow gave her a sheepish grin.
"Hi, ladies." He said a little too enthusiastically before hurrying outside for some fresh air. Fang chuckled from his not-so-subtle escape, folding her arms, turning to look back at Vanille, who was still wearing a confused frown on her face.
"You figured it out yet, kiddo?" Fang playfully asked, watching with amusement as Vanille huffed from the nickname. In her mind, Fang counted down from three as she watched the cogs whirr in Vanille's head.
3...2...1-
The younger girl gasped, her free hand shooting up to cover her mouth, cheeks flushing pink. Fang couldn't stop a bark of laughter from her innocent reaction.
"Fang! You didn't-" Vanille whispered in astonishment. The dark-haired woman continued to chuckle.
"Yeah, we did, sorry but I ain't sorry." She shrugged off the disapproving stare from her oldest friend with a sly smirk. "Don't tell me you still haven't managed to get a snog in with Lightning yet?" A clever tactic, turning the subject on its head to catch Vanille off guard - she knew Fang did it on purpose but she still couldn't help the embarrassed squeak that slipped free, nor the automatic reaction of hiding her blushing face behind her hands, including the one currently nursing her glass of juice.
"Of course I haven't!" Vanille said in a rush, her voice muffled behind her hands. Fang sighed and gave her a somewhat sympathetic look.
It wasn't hard to see why Vanille was so scared to make a move; Lightning wasn't exactly the easiest woman to approach at the best of times, least of all when it was to confess undying love or something like that. But Fang also knew Vanille was one of the kindest souls she'd ever met...and that Lightning would be stupid to reject a girl like her. Especially since Fang would probably beat her ass if she ever hurt the girl.
"It's a wedding, time for showing love and all that. Why don't you try talkin' to her, eh?" The older Pulsian tried to encourage, slapping her hand on Vanille's shoulder, accidentally making her flinch.
"I...I don't think that's a good idea." Vanille muttered, grasping the straw in her drink, to gulp down some of her juice in an attempt to cool herself off.
"Hey, come on now, I didn't say you should ask her on a date, I just said talk a bit! You can manage it, Vanille, you just gotta believe in yourself, alright?" Of course Fang wasn't giving in, when did she ever? Vanille lost herself in her thoughts for a short while until she finally looked back at Fang.
"How can you be so sure?" Vanille asked quietly, her curiosity outweighing her embarrassment.
"I dunno, it's just a hunch of mine. Light smiles more when you're around." Fang casually explained with a shrug, her hands settling on her hips as she looked out towards the beach.
Vanille was, unfortunately, taking a sip of her drink the second she heard what Fang had to say...and so, naturally, the poor girl almost inhaled her juice, coughing hard. Fang chuckled from Vanille's reaction, patting her back firmly to help her shift the drink out of her windpipe.
"...she- what? She does?" Vanille managed to wheeze out between more spluttering coughs. After a second, she could breathe again, inhaling deeply, her eyes watering. Fang shook her head, ruffling the girl's hair, amused when Vanille batted her hand away with a huff.
"I'm gonna go make sure Snow isn't embarrassing himself. Least not any more than usual. See ya out there?" Fang turned to head outside, pausing when she heard Vanille behind her.
"Wait, Fang, you can't just say that and run away!" The younger girl almost yelped with exasperation, her cheeks a rosy pink shade as she hurried to fix her hair where Fang messed it up.
"You'll figure it out, kid. It's about time to go for it, don't you think?" Fang walked backwards, away from Vanille, lifting her hand up in a wave.
"But-" Vanille desperately called after her.
"Trust me, Vanille." The older woman's tone was firmer now, so sure of her own advice. Fang turned fully to stroll across the beach, catching up to where Snow was chatting with Lightning.
Why would Light smile more when I'm around? That doesn't make sense! I've never noticed...and if Light was smiling a lot, I'd be the first to notice. She has the prettiest smile in the world.
"Awh…" Vanille let out a disheartened sigh, somehow Fang's words hadn't filled her with confidence, she was still too unsure about everything.
For so long she talked herself out of it, gave herself plenty of reasons not to get her hopes up. How long had it been since someone actually encouraged her? How long had it been since she even talked about it instead of denying it like usual? There was a small part of her that felt that old familiar feeling of hope...and it was that part Vanille chose to hold onto, even if it was only for a moment; it felt kind of nice, to imagine maybe Light actually liked her too.
The corners of Vanille's lips upturned into a dreamy smile as she sighed softly, closing her eyes to daydream about different romantic settings with Light. They were walking hand in hand down the beach, having meaningful conversations underneath the stars, dancing and laughing together, sharing a gentle hug, kissing -
"You okay there, hon?" Lebreau's sudden voice broke her daydream and pulled a scream of surprise from the girl, who, admittedly, completely forgot she was still inside the bar. Lebreau started to laugh from her wide-eyed expression and the way the remainder of her drink shot out of the glass when her hand jerked upwards.
"Sorry! I thought you heard me come in, you must have been having quite the daydream, huh?" The barmaid grinned as Vanille cringed from how painfully accurate that comment was. "I bet it was about Lightning." Lebreau added in a singsong voice. Vanille knew her face was heating up for what felt like the thousandth time as she grabbed some napkins to dab at the spilt drink on the counter.
"I'm not telling." She mumbled, leaving the empty glass on the side. Her gaze drifted outside to the rest of the guests. The hopeful feeling from earlier began to deflate as Vanille watched Serah and Hope dancing together, so full of love and happiness. They deserved that happiness but she wasn't so sure the same could be said for herself. And even if she did deserve to be happy, was she good enough for Lightning Farron, of all people?
All I want is for her to be happy. Even if...even if it's not with me.
She continued to watch the newlyweds outside laughing and holding each other, gazing into each other's eyes with adoration and devotion; Vanille felt her heart leap from the beautiful sight, a sad smile reaching her lips.
Lebreau's teasing expression instantly softened from the longing stare on Vanille's face, the girl who was usually so full of life having barely spoken a word since Lebreau returned to the bar; she looked like a kicked puppy and it tugged at the barmaid's heart strings to see someone so optimistic looking so lost.
"You know, you could go talk to her." Lebreau suggested with a warm smile.
"Oh, not you too…" Vanille complained with a groan.
Serah's joyous laughter resounded through the starry night sky as she wrapped her arms around her husband's shoulders, giggling uncontrollably as Hope spun her in his arms; his own laughter merged with his wife's and he couldn't recall a time he ever smiled so much before.
"Hope!" The younger Farron gasped out of breath. "Slow down, I can't keep up with you!" She scolded between more giggles. Hope chuckled, a playful sparkle behind his eyes, his hold of Serah's waist tightening. He abided by her request, slowing their dance, bringing her closer, his grin softening into a lovestruck smile. Serah felt her heart leap inside her chest - the way he looked at her like that...it made her fall in love with him all over again.
"Are you happy?" He asked gently, one hand lifting to carefully brush some of Serah's hair from her eyes, cradling her cheek. Serah smiled, closing her eyes, leaning into his touch.
"I am…" She whispered with sincerity, placing her own hand on top of his, tucking her fingers under his grip. Hope felt proud, knowing he could make someone as special as Serah happy. "Are you?" Serah added, her pretty eyes fluttering open to gaze up at him expectantly.
"Yes, more than ever." He didn't even hesitate and his heart soared from the lovely smile Serah graced him with in return. Just as Serah subtly tugged at the back of Hope's neck to bring him close for a kiss, across the beach, both Snow and Lightning coughed simultaneously, averting their eyes after watching the couple dancing.
"They look really happy together." Snow commented with a smile. Lightning gave a singular nod.
"Yeah…" She murmured then hesitated, her gaze lingering on Snow. He sensed her stare and chuckled from the unspoken question Lightning wasn't asking him.
"I'm fine, Light. I want Serah to be happy. She needed me to be there for her and I couldn't be. Hope is the best kind of guy for her. Besides, I've got-uh...let's just say I'm moving on too. I'm at peace with all of it." Snow explained with another smile, leaning against the little drinks hut set up outside for the dancing guests if they needed a quick refill.
"Hm. That's good." The former soldier nodded again, accepting his words to be sincere, briefly wondering who Snow's new woman was but not bothering to ask him. If she was that important to Snow, they'd all hear about it eventually anyway. Lightning turned to rest her back against the hut, her palms pressing against the wooden counter as she watched her sister and Hope laughing and dancing to the music.
"So, uh...you spoken to Vanille yet?" The large blonde suddenly broke the silence, tugging his mouth to one side to refrain from grinning too hard.
"Snow…" Lightning's tone was a warning he chose to ignore.
"What? I'm just asking. She looks pretty cute in that dress, right?" He nudged her with his elbow. Azure eyes narrowed in clear disapproval, fingers curl against the wooden counter as Lightning clenched it tighter. For a second Lightning's heart dropped into her stomach; what if Vanille was Snow's new woman?
Light tilted her head to the side, her sharp gaze lifting to settle on his face in a glare nothing short of terrifying. Snow gulped from the expression; it didn't matter how many times he'd seen it, it's still scary.
"N-Not to me, I didn't mean I think she looks cute! I meant-...man, Lightning, you're hopeless." He facepalmed with a groan as she shifted to fold her arms, feeling irritation rise from his prying.
"Is there a point to all this or are you just wasting your breath and my time?" She snapped, rolling her eyes as Snow sighed from how difficult she was being.
He knew why she was acting this way - Lightning always grew defensive whenever her friends tried to give her advice she hadn't asked for, especially when it was about romance of all things. He also knew she was too afraid to admit how she felt, too afraid of rejection. He couldn't really blame her for that, it was an unpleasant experience and could make friendships turn awkward faster than the force of nature she called herself.
"Alright, you wanna play it that way, that's fine. My point, if you'd stop being so damn stubborn, is that you should talk to her about how you feel." He decided to go for it, jump straight to the punch before she could argue he was tiptoeing around it. Lightning felt her heart squeeze uncomfortably in her chest.
"It's none of your-" She started to dismiss the subject but Snow interrupted.
"-business. I know, but I'm just saying, Light, you might wanna do it fast before someone else scoops her up. Vanille's such a great kid-" This time Lightning interrupted him.
"She's not a kid." The grumpy woman muttered under her breath, ignoring the way her cheeks grew warm from her instant reaction to quickly correct that.
She always hated it when the rest of their friends acted like Vanille was a child; she was only two years older than the redhead but just because Vanille's personality was more upbeat and innocent, they treated her like some kind of delicate flower who couldn't think or act for herself. Lightning knew better - she's witnessed how capable Vanille was, if they'd just give her the chance to be.
Lightning ignored the rest of what Snow said but it settled like poison in her veins.
"Okay...but my point still stands. If you don't make a move, someone will." Snow firmly finished what he wanted to say. Lightning's knuckles turned white from how hard she clenched her fist around her folded arms.
She wasn't annoyed because he was still talking - she was annoyed because he was right.
"Was that supposed to encourage me? Because if so, you did a great job." Light retorted sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Snow scoffed and lifted his hands up, accepting defeat.
"Yeah, well don't say I didn't warn you if you wait too long and lose your chance with her!" He shrugged, avoiding the icy glare from his friend. Thankfully, before Lightning could punch him in the face for giving her a new reason to freak out about her feelings, Fang made her way over and broke the tension.
"Alright, you two?" She greeted, throwing her arm around Snow's neck to pull him in and rub her knuckles along the top of his head. He yelled, struggling in her grip as Fang winked at Lightning. Lightning shook her head but couldn't help exhaling a breath of amusement. At least Fang managed to lighten the mood.
This is about Serah and Hope's marriage, not my problems with love. Lightning thought to herself, forcing away her bad mood for the sake of her sister. As if on cue, Serah skipped towards them, tugging Hope along behind her by the hand.
"Enjoy your dance?" Light asked with a small smirk. Serah stuck her tongue out at her older sister as Hope bowed his head to greet his friends.
"Actually, yes, we did, didn't we, baby?" Serah turned to look up at Hope, who's face quickly turned the same shade as a tomato from being called 'baby' in front of everyone. Snow started to laugh from the younger man's blushing; Fang too, wore a wide grin, even Light had to fold her lips into a line to stifle a chuckle. Hope cleared his throat but Serah just found his embarrassment adorable.
She glanced around the rest of the group, frowning at the absence of a certain cheerful redhead.
"Where's Vanille?" The question was directed at nobody in particular but Snow glanced over at Lightning anyway. Serah noticed the look, wondering what it was all about. Fang looked across to the ex-soldier too, curious to see her reaction to the question. Lightning, feeling eyes on her, shrugged her shoulders, not bothering to mention how she almost knocked the poor redhead over earlier.
"Last we spoke she was at the bar." Fang finally answered, catching Serah's attention.
"I'm gonna go get her." Serah rushed off across the sand towards the bar, careful not to trip on her wedding dress. Once she arrived, she found Vanille staring into an empty glass, her fingers flicking the straw inside, watching it ping back into shape every time she knocked it. As soon as Serah grew closer, Lebreau threw her hands in the air with relief.
"Oh, thank Etro! Can the blushing bride please do the honours of cheering up her bridesmaid? She's been staring into that empty glass for the last ten minutes looking depressed." Lebreau sighed.
"Have I?" Vanille murmured, only half-paying attention. "I'm sorry." Her apology was a mumble until she felt someone take her arm, stirring her from her trance; she turned to find Serah looking at her with obvious concern.
"Serah!" She suddenly squeaked, having not really heard all of Lebreau's sentence. Before her friend could ask, Vanille gave her a nervous smile. "I'm okay, really! I was just, thinking about something but I'm not now." Serah gave her a questioning look in return, as if she was trying to read her mind to make sure Vanille was telling the truth. The redhead's smile widened guiltily.
"You promise you're okay?" Serah gently asked, her hand still resting against Vanille's arm.
"Promise!" Vanille nodded.
Serah wasn't certain but she didn't ask again, not wanting to push Vanille into talking about whatever was wrong if she wasn't ready to; one thing was for certain though, she wouldn't let it go until she found out what was going on.
"Everyone's outside, come on." Serah gave Vanille a reassuring smile, lacing their arms together, guiding her to the entrance of the bar. Vanille knew she couldn't protest, so she pushed away her thoughts of romance and forced a smile onto her face. It was something she's always been good at - smiling, when she's not really smiling.
"Guys, look who I found!" The youngest Farron announced as she led them back towards the group. Snow cheered playfully, Hope lifted his hand to wave and Lightning nodded her head once in greeting.
"Getting drunk at the bar, were ya?" Fang hollered as they approached, causing Vanille to playfully frown at her.
"Hey! You know I don't drink." She argued as Serah laughed from the two old friends and their banter.
"You're too easy, Vanille." Fang chuckled from once again being able to wind up the redhead with one comment. Lightning watched the exchange discreetly, glancing at Vanille and the expression she was making.
She looks even cuter when she pouts like that… Light looked down at the sand to avoid her own thoughts. Vanille had only been around them for a few seconds and she was already thinking all that soft crap.
Boy, was she in trouble.
"Fang…" Vanille complained, blowing a puff of air from her lips to flick some of her hair out of her eyes.
"Don't let her get to you Vanille, she's only mean to the people she loves, right?" Snow threw into the conversation with a grin. Vanille giggled from his cheesy smile, especially when Fang reached to whack him over the head.
"Watch it, clever man, or you'll be next." She threatened but couldn't stop a smirk forming.
"I'm feeling the love." Snow winked at her and Fang shook her head.
"Big bloody idiot." The huntress muttered as the friends laughed together.
Eventually, conversation broke out between themselves; Light watched them all chatting away, standing a bit off to the side. After a few minutes she noticed Serah move away from Vanille to speak to Hope and finally, the redhead wasn't occupied talking to someone else. Vanille took the chance to stroll away from the party across the beach, enjoying the peaceful view of New Bodhum.
Light's gaze settled on her, watching as she hummed to herself, her hands behind her back, head tilted back as she admired the stars in awe, as if it's the first time she's seen them. She looked beautiful...and for a second, Lightning imagined the same look of wonder on Vanille's face was one she's wearing too - as if she's looking at Vanille for the first time.
Inhaling a deep breath, Light found the willpower to casually walk over, trying to make it look as natural as possible. She needn't have worried at all since Vanille didn't seem to notice her.
"Hey…" The former soldier greeted quietly. Vanille turned to her with a momentary look of surprise from the soft voice breaking the silence of waves against sand and the faint music from the party; Vanille quickly remembered to smile, feeling her heart had started to hammer rapidly in her chest.
"Hi! Having fun?" Vanille asked with a friendly smile, her head tilting to one side.
"Huh." Lightning let out a breath down her nose, turning to look out across the sea, her hands resting against her hips as she bowed her head.
"I'll take that as a no…?" The redhead's words were drawn out as if it was another question, her accent coming out a little stronger, hand lifting to rest against her cheek in thought. Light resisted the urge to smile to herself from the girl's hint of concern.
"Forget about it. Are you having fun?" Lightning quickly countered, hoping Vanille would take the hint to drop it.
She did.
"Yep! Serah and Hope are so cute together! They both seem really happy, don't they?" Clasping her hands together, Vanille's smile widened into a beam as she thought back to the moment they said 'I do' and how almost everyone in the room swooned at the same time from how sweet it was to witness.
"Yeah, I've been hearing that all night." The stoic woman muttered. Vanille frowned from the lackluster response - even for Lightning's standards.
"Does it bother you?" She found herself asking.
"No. I'm happy for them." Finally, Lightning turned her head towards Vanille, catching the girl's gaze. The redhead smiled at her cutely.
"Me too." Vanille agreed with a nod, feeling her heart leap into her throat when Lightning smiled back at her in an almost endearing way. It was the same look from earlier at the bar; Lightning's face softened when she smiled like that...and Vanille found herself at a loss for words from how pretty she was. She stared, her mouth parting a little before she saw Lightning's eyebrow raise, obviously noticing her strange reaction.
The redhead tried not to panic as she broke their eye contact, feeling warmth rush to her cheeks; suddenly Vanille found the sand very interesting to stare at. Lightning watched her with faint amusement. A comfortable silence fell between the two; Lightning fumbled for something to say to the girl while Vanille lost herself in her thoughts again.
Why was she looking at me like that? I've...I've never seen her smile that way at anyone else...but that can't be right. It's just wishful thinking. Lightning doesn't like you like that, so stop seeing something that's not there, you're only gonna hurt yourself more, thinking stupid things like this! You're just friends, Vanille-
"So, have you ever thought about getting married?" Lightning eventually asked, trying not to wince from the words that came out of her mouth, completely oblivious to the girl's inner monologue.
"What?" Vanille nearly gasped, her voice somehow an octave higher, jolting out of her trance, staring at Lightning as if she just said something horrifying.
Did I freak her out already? This is going well. Even Lightning's thoughts were sarcastic.
"Uh, I'm just...making conversation." The soldier awkwardly replied in an attempt to save face, lifting a hand to rub the back of her neck.
"Oh, yeah, o-of course! Sorry…" Vanille stammered with a nervous little laugh. Light glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, noticing the way she was anxiously messing with the hem of her dress; she was unusually quiet.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Lightning murmured apologetically; she felt like an idiot for asking such a personal question out of nowhere.
"No, it's alright!" Vanille hurried to shake her head. "You didn't, I'm just...deciding on my answer."
It was difficult to find a way to answer Lightning's question honestly. Of course she'd thought about marriage before - during one of her silly daydreams of the woman standing next to her! Vanille knew she couldn't tell Lightning that without sounding crazy, so she went with the truth...just not the whole truth.
"Mmm...yep. I've thought about it." She started to say with a nod, folding her hands behind her back. Lightning remained silent, azure eyes focusing on the redhead as she took a few short steps towards the soothing waves.
"It seems nice, you know? To love someone that much you wanna spend the rest of your lives together." Vanille explained with a mystical smile as she gazed out at the ocean. Lightning couldn't stop staring at her, the way her face was illuminated by the stars, leaving a sparkle behind her pretty, light green eyes. She felt her heart tremble and she resisted the urge to touch the place where her brand used to be.
"But, um...I don't really think it's for me." Vanille finished, her smile looking almost sad as she turned on her heel to face Lightning. The former soldier managed to make her expression look calm before Vanille could notice how in awe she was of her.
"Why's that?" The pink-haired woman asked quietly, hiding how deep her need to know the answer really was.
"Well…" Vanille seemed hesitant, as if she was deciding whether or not to be honest; her gaze drifted away, settling anywhere that wasn't Lightning.
"I don't think there's anyone out there who could love me that much." She confessed in a small voice, biting her lip as the sudden urge to cry rose up from the deepest parts of her heart, against her will.
Lightning felt a storm of emotions crash through her the second she heard Vanille's words and saw the sadness in her expression; the girl's eyebrows were upturned as if she was in pain - she looked so vulnerable then...and it took all of the ex-soldier's restraint not to grab her into a fierce hug.
That's not true. That's not true at all.
She wanted to say it, she could feel the words itching at the back of her throat, desperate to be free; her shaking hands clenched into fists from her own inability to act as she screamed at herself to just say it already.
"That's..." Her voice was strangely weak but it was enough to catch Vanille's attention and inspire the girl to look up at her.
Lightning choked on her words from the dangerous combination of hope and fear she saw deep within the girl's breathtaking eyes. All she could do was stare back at her, the same emotions reflected in her own eyes, her mouth opening and closing uselessly until-
"Hey, Vanille! You got a minute?" Snow's loud voice from somewhere behind them broke their intense, electrifying eye contact. Lightning squeezed her eyes shut, her heart sinking. Vanille blinked out of her trance and looked away, exhaling a shuddering breath. She took a second to compose herself before side stepping so that Snow could see her fully.
"Coming!" Her feigned cheerful tone called back to him and it was believable enough that he turned to walk back towards the rest of the party. Lightning's eyes blinked open slowly.
"I, um, I should probably…" Vanille's words fell away as she motioned towards the rest of the party. Lightning managed a dumb nod and flick of her head in the same direction, silently saying 'go, it's fine' without any words ever leaving her mouth.
Vanille gave her an apologetic smile before rushing off across the sand. Lightning watched her go, feeling her heart tighten from how real her confession was. Vanille really thought nobody could love her enough to choose forever with her...and it broke Lightning's heart to know that someone other than herself felt that unlovable. Especially someone as wonderful as Vanille.
And you couldn't even tell her it's not true. Great job, Lightning, you idiot.
"I hope I, uh, wasn't interrupting anything…" Snow hurried to say once Vanille caught up to him. It hadn't dawned on him that Lightning might have been taking his advice while the two had a moment alone together, but at least he called Vanille back over for something important and not just anything.
"No, no, really, it's okay." Vanille laughed off his apology a little too quickly and Snow wanted to kick himself. Even he could recognise that the girl was lying out of politeness so he wouldn't feel guilty.
"Sazh and Dajh popped over to say congrats to the love birds and he wanted to say hi before they head home." Snow continued with a smile, noticing how Vanille's expression lit up with excitement.
"Really? That's great, I'm so excited to see them!" She jumped on the spot, hearing a familiar, deep laugh off to the side.
"Some things never change, huh?" Sazh commented with a chuckle from Vanille's happy go lucky energy. The girl squealed his name, running at him, throwing her arms around him in a hug.
"Whoa, whoa, hey now." He laughed again, returning the hug to the girl he saw as his unofficial kid. Vanille squeezed him warmly before stepping back to bend down to Dajh's height where he was standing behind his dad's legs a bit nervously.
"Well hey there, little man." Vanille greeted him with a friendly smile. Dajh smiled back, instantly relaxing from the safe, kind aura she exuded.
"Hello." He said sweetly, opening his arms out.
"Awh, you want one too?" The redhead giggled before scooping him into a hug, lifting him up. Dajh's laughter resounded through the beach as Vanille hugged him tight, the little chocobo chick letting out an excited kweh as it shot from Dajh's hair.
"Oh! Look who it is." Vanille gasped in surprise, filled with joy to see the cute little chick she spent time with all those years ago on their first journey together.
"Whrroo!" The chick chirped happily as Vanille gently put Dajh back down; the redhead opened her palms flat so that the little chocobo couls sit there; she fluffed her feathers before jumping a few times in Vanille's hands.
"I'm happy to see you too!" The girl laughed from the cute chocobo's reaction.
While the reunion was going on, Lightning head back towards the hut outside to grab herself a drink, making sure to avoid Snow in case he asked any questions she really didn't want to deal with right now. Admittedly, Light felt her heart warm from the sweet sight of Vanille hugging the Katzroys and talking to her chocobo friend.
She really is one of a kind. Lightning thought, smiling to herself.
Sazh spotted her leaning against the hut, lifting his hand up in a wave.
"Soldier." He greeted with a grin.
"Sazh." She replied with a polite incline of her head, making sure her usual stoic expression was back in place.
Vanille glanced over at the exchange with a smile until the chocobo grabbed her attention as it started chirping excitedly before diving back into Dajh's hair.
"Dajh, why don't you go and have a dance with Serah? Now's your chance, quick, Hope's not looking!" Sazh pointed to Serah, noticing his son blush from how pretty she was in her wedding dress. Dajh nodded enthusiastically, breaking into a run towards Serah who welcomed him with a wave, crouching down as he approached.
"Ooo, I think someone's got a little crush." Vanille teased with a light giggle from the way Dajh eagerly grabbed Serah's hands to dance with her.
"No kidding." Sazh chuckled, watching Hope purposely let Dajh have some time alone with his wife on the dance floor with a smile from how sweet Serah was with him.
"So how you been?" The pilot turned to Vanille with a warm smile. She returned the smile automatically, wondering how she was ever going to answer his question. It should have been easy...but it didn't feel easy.
"Just fine, thank you." She said simply, watching him frown with suspicion.
"If you say so." He replied carefully, not wanting to pry.
Vanille let out a cheerful 'uh-huh!'.
"What about you?" The girl returned the question. Sazh nodded slowly.
"Can't complain, can't complain, you know how it is." He answered just as simply as she did.
They both sighed at the same time.
"How's grumpy?" Sazh continued and Vanille wondered for a moment why he's asking her.
"She's fine. I think…?" The confusion in her tone made Sazh chuckle and shrug his shoulders.
"Still grumpy then." He concluded with a smirk. Vanille giggled before she could help it.
"Only a little bit." She whispered behind her hand. Sazh laughed, shaking his head.
It was nice, to fall back into the usual dynamic of their friendship, even when they hadn't seen each other for a while. A peaceful quiet passed between them; Sazh watched Serah and Dajh with amusement while Vanille stared at them too without really looking at anything.
"Hey, Sazh?" Vanille suddenly spoke, catching the older man's attention.
"Hm, yeah? Somethin' wrong?" He frowned from the thoughtful expression on the redhead's face.
"No, not really…" Her words trailed away and she went quiet again. Sazh waited patiently; he knew by now that as soon as Vanille figured out how to say what she wanted to say, she'd keep talking - no point pushing her until she's ready.
"Your wife..." Vanille eventually said and Sazh folded his arms casually, curiosity already piqued from those two words. "How did you know you were in love with her?" The girl's question was asked in her usual tone but Sazh knew his answer would be important to her. She never ceased to amaze him, the way she could ask something so innocent and so meaningful all at once.
"Well, ah…" He rubbed his chin, wondering how he could put this into words. "I knew it when I caught myself thinkin' about her all the damn time." Sazh chuckled softly as he remembered those days. Vanille's cheeks flushed pink but he was too busy reminiscing to notice her reaction.
"I wanted to impress her at first. Stand out to her, be memorable, that kind of thing." He rubbed his neck with a sigh. "But after a while, somethin' dawned on me and that's when I really knew I loved her." Sazh cast a glance to Vanille, who was clutching her hands together, staring out across the beach as she listened, waiting with held breath.
"All I really wanted...was for her to be happy. With or without me." Sazh explained with a small smile. Vanille felt her heart pounding against her chest; his words, they rang familiar in her head.
All I want is for her to be happy. Even if...even if it's not with me.
"But saying all that, it's not really somethin' you can put into words. When you're falling in love with someone, you just feel it, deep down inside. Sort of like your heart knows it before you do. You know what I mean?" Sazh continued thoughtfully.
For a moment, as her gaze happened to catch Lightning's from across the beach and she watched the pink-haired woman smile at her, Vanille thought she knew exactly what he meant.
"Yeah," She breathed, smiling back at Lightning, her heart soaring. "I know what you mean."
AN: And that's it for the first chapter! I'm not actually sure if there's any stars visible on Gran Pulse so I am sorry if that part isn't accurate but yeah... If anyone spots the Final Fantasy VIII reference you get a cookie. :3 I hope you all enjoyed the story so far! I won't have a set update schedule for this fic since it's sort of my in between story while I work on a more plot heavy Lanille fic. When I need breaks from that one I'll work more on this one. ^^
Either way, I have plenty of future stuff planned for the ship so keep your eyes peeled if you're interested. Thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated!