Huzzah for Fangrai-Febuary! Check it out on Tumblr and join the celebration of all things Flight.
Prompt 18
Contrary to popular belief, Fang can't actually hold her liquor. This leads to drunken confessions of love that Lightning doesn't quite know if she's meant to take seriously.
Another author has already filled this prompt! *Laments*. Hopefully you'll enjoy this version as well.
Everything belongs to Square Enix
Prepare for silliness...
There were some things that Lightning hated about being a soldier in New Bodhum's Guardian Corps, not many things but some things and one of those things was the Saturday club run.
In their infinite wisdom the desk jockeys at headquarters had decided that the Corps needed to have a more 'visible presence in the community' so every Saturday night near to closing time a patrol officer was given the pointless task of visiting every local drinking establishment 'to encourage a supportive relationship between the new Bodhum guardian corps and local businesses'. Tonight was Lightning's turn and of course she wasn't happy. She hated clubs: the loud music, the crowds, and there was something about being drunk that made people even more stupid and irritating than usual for the poor soldier. Tonight's run had thankfully been uneventful and she just had one club left, Lebreau's, whom she always left till last as she found it to be the most tolerable bar in Bodhum. And if her years in the corps had taught her anything it was to always end your shift on a high note.
With a relenting sigh and an acknowledging nod at the familiar club's bouncers she pushed her way through the bar's wooden door.
Lebreau's wasn't as big as most of the bars in New Bodhum but its low ceiling, wooden interior (instead of the cold metal and plastic furnishings of the uptown clubs), copious seating, good food and low upbeat music gave the bar real warmth that was accentuated by the friendly atmosphere Lebreau strove to create. The owner was as cheerful, welcoming and popular as her bar but everyone knew that she was infamously intolerant to troublemakers on her premises. So on most night's her clientele were usually well behaved and that meant less call outs, arrests and paperwork for Captain Lightning; that made Lightning happy.
So it was no surprise for the Soldier to find the ever popular bar packed full of people drinking, laughing and dancing but no sooner had she taken two steps into the club then she heard a single perching voice rise above the combined din of the large crowd and music.
"Sunnnnnnshiiiiiiinnne."
Lightning paused for a moment slightly startled by the sound of the familiar voice in the last place she would expect her to be. "Must be hearing things," she muttered to herself and continued moving towards the bar
"Sunnnnnnshiiiiiiinnne," the same voice yelled again.
The accent, the nickname…but it can't be. Lightning pushed her way through the reveling crowd her eyes scanned the dark club to find the obnoxious culprit. The voice continued to haunt her with that infuriating pet name as she moved slowly around the club searching for its source. Finally the bar and as she scanned its length for the club owner her eyes settled onto the grinning, very familiar, vocal culprit frantically waving at her from her seat next to bar "Fang!" she exclaimed her mouth gaping open in shock. It is her! Is she drunk!
The brunette inelegantly dismounted the stool she had been sitting on and stumbled through the crowd knocking into the other customers and using them temporary balances as she clumsily made her way towards the motionless and astonished soldier's position."Sunshine," Fang whispered breathlessly as she reached her target, her eyes twinkling excitedly as she beamed a bright happy smile at the soldier.
Lightning greeted her friend with a small, wary smile and took a moment to scrutinise her appearance; messy hair (more than usual), dilated eyes, slurred speech, her sari had fallen from her shoulder and had been left hanging from her belt. The evidence was mounting but Lightning was still unsure; she had never even seen the huntress drink alcohol and had assumed the huntress avoided it. The soldier decided that she had to interrogate.
Lightning gently put the huntress' sari back on her shoulder and left her hand there. The soldier followed her training and made eye contact with the Pulsian to assess her cognition as she questioned her. "Fang," Lightning began to ask," are you d-ompf," she grunted as Fang unexpectedly pulled the soldier into a fierce, unyielding embrace cutting off Lightning's question but involuntarily answering it. Lightning stood still in shock as the woman held her. She was used to Fang's unpredictable hugs but they did not usually last this long and the huntress smelling her hair was definitely novel. Lightning flinched as Fang brushed her face against her hair and slurred the soldier's name.
The soldier was furious. "Lebreau!" Lightning's growl was muffled by the huntress's embrace. She could not believe that the barwoman had been irresponsible enough to continue serving Fang alcohol until she reached her current state; she could have her alcohol license revoked. The soldier barked the barwoman's name again and tried to remove herself from Fang's arms by pushing away from the huntress but even under the influence the woman was still powerfully strong and her grip around the soldier's back was almost immovable. Fang appeared completely oblivious or indifferent to Lightning's entreaties to release her and unable to break her friend's embrace she managed to turn in Fang's arms so her back was flush against the huntress' front. Lightning was so livid that nothing was going to stop her reprimand of the guilty bartender even a huntress. She stormed towards the bar dragging Fang behind her.
Lebreau watched Lightning/Fang's enraged progress to the bar and momentarily stopped mixing a drink to hold her free hand up to stop Lightning's angry tirade, "before you say anything soldier girl I stopped serving her alcohol an hour ago and she hasn't even had that much."
Lightning arched a questioning eyebrow and her eyes widened in shock as Lebreau smirked holding up four fingers. Four drinks! Serah can drink more than that!
Lebreau served a customer with the cocktail and laughed at Lightning's shocked expression while leaning on the bar in front of her. "Surprising isn't it. You'd think the best hunter in New Bodhum could handle a few brews."
"Yea," Lightning agreed in wide-eyed wonder. She'd always thought that if Fang did drink alcohol she would be some sort of hardened drinker not a flimsy lightweight.
Fang was so intoxicated on her four drinks that she seemed unaware that the women were discussing her or was remaining tactically silent as she tightened her arms around her friend's waist pulling Lightning closer to her. Lightning rolled her eyes and tried once again to unlock her friend's arms from around her waist before she decided to give up trying; in her experience when dealing with the mischievous, attention-seeking Pulsian's pranks it was best to ignore her. "So any problems we should know about, "Lightning asked reverting back to business to distract herself from Fang's warmth and her surprisingly comfortable hug.
"Nothing, except for this one talking everyone's ear off," Lebreau nodded towards the huntress currently resting her head on Lightning's shoulder with her eyes closed humming contentedly.
"Talking about what?" Lightning frowned curious to discover why the huntress was drunk and seeking comfort in the most unlikely of places. Lightning was very aware that she was rather cold and introverted when it came to personnel matters so in these kind of situations surely Vanille, even Snow would be a better hugging companion.
Lebreau snorted leaning on her elbow. "I'd be a very poor bartender if I divulged my all my patron's secrets it would break my oath of client-bartender confidentiality." Her smile dropped as she looked at Lightning's expression, "don't worry," she added kindly to the concerned soldier, "she's okay she just needed someone to talk to."
Lightning was still worried. Although the outwardly stoic warrior tried her best to hide it she was keenly empathetic about her friends and if there was something bothering Fang to the extent where she resorted to solitary drinking Lightning needed to find out exactly what it is. Fang was so cheerful and fun loving, and drinking alone seemed so gloomy and uncharacteristic. What was troubling the huntress was a complete mystery to the soldier; she didn't appear to be depressed in fact quite the opposite. The soldier just managed to moderate her squeak of surprise down to an almost indiscernible lip twitch as Fang hugged her closer and began nuzzling her neck.
Lightning was determined to find out what or who was bothering the typically easygoing huntress but first she needed to get her home and sober. She stretched her neck away from Fang's caressing nose."Can you call us a cab?"
"On a Saturday night near closing time! You'll be one lucky lady Lightning," Lebreau chuckled as she began wiping down the bar. Lightning sighed sadly the barwoman was right, guess we're walking.
"Oh this is Lightning!" the blonde man who had been sitting at the bar next to Fang asked Lebreau eagerly pointing at the soldier. The outburst sent a ripple of similar excited exclamations through the people in the nearby crowd. That's Lightning …where's Lightning…over there next to Fang, the pinky…oh she is beautiful.
Scowling Lightning's head snapped back and forth as complete strangers said her name. What the hell was going on? Why do all these people know my name? Her surprise was further exacerbated as Fang released her grip around the Lightning's waist but only to exchange it for a soft but unbreakable hold around the her head. She dragged Lightning closer to the blonde man.
"Doesn't her hair smell good?" Fang slurred ignoring the bent over Lightning's furious complaints, violent threats, and struggling. She briefly resting her cheek on top of the soldier's head, "Didn't I say? Didn't I tell you she smelt good?"
The huntress pulled Lightning's head up towards man and grinned widely as the startled blonde looked at Fang's encouraging smile and indulgently smelt the hair he was presented with. "Mmm that is good," the blonde agreed good-naturedly.
"Pretty good from this angle as well," the guy on the bar stool behind them leered down at the stooped Lightning posture.
Lightning almost dropped to the ground as Fang released her head with a snarl, and before the soldier could stop her, turned and quickly pulled the man backwards off his bar stool by his shirt. "Keep your eyes and comments to yourself bitch," she threatened looming over the offensive man sprawled out on the bar floor.
"Fang!" Lightning reprimanded shocked (but also secretly slightly moved) by Fang's intolerant behavior, that was 'disturbance of the peace' worthy.
"Come on Lightning," Fang huffed in indignation. Ignoring Lightning's complaints she grabbed the soldier's hand and with her head held high began dragging Lightning out of the bar.
Lebreau laughed loudly as she leaned over the bar to look down at the fallen man, "Serves you right, you've been a dirty pervert to my staff all night." She looked up just in time so see the soldier being pulled out of sight by the fuming Huntress. "Have a good night ladies," Lebreau laughed knowingly.
"Bye Fang. Bye Lightning," the crowd said in unison.
Dumbfounded by Lebreau's wink and her sudden fame she half-heartedly waved her good-bye to the barwoman and wondered not for the last time that night, what was going on with Fang?
Just one chapter left, I just wanted to get this finished before February ended. Hopefully I'll have it done in the next couple of weeks.
I'm also finishing another prompt for Fangrai-Febuary and guess what it's already been filled as well! I suck.
Anyway, hope you liked it.