Diclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XIII
There For You
"You're kicking me out?" Claire said, her voice barely above a whisper. The highschool student met her father's gaze, even though the pink haired woman felt like collapsing.
"I won't tolerate…this in my household," growled her father.
Claire blinked, trying her best to hold her tears back. She broke eye contact to look at her mother. She looked away from Claire's gaze.
Serah met her eyes when Claire looked toward her. Claire didn't blame her sister for this, she hadn't known. Heck, the pink haired highschool student didn't even expect this.
"If you want me to leave, then I will," Claire said, hiding the emotion in her voice like she was used to.
"Go," her father commanded. In that single word, Claire felt betrayal. Her parents were supposed to love her, were they not? Yet her father was kicking her out while her mother did nothing.
"Fine," said Claire as she turned and left the house.
"You sure you don't want to do the dishes?" Vanille said, her puppy dog eyes trying their best to convince Fang that doing the dishes was the best thing in the world.
"I did them last time, Vanille," Fang said. "This time it's your turn."
Fang's sister sighed. Fang laughed and left the kitchen, leaving Vanille to clean up. Their parents were on one of their typical vacations, leaving the two sisters on their own. Not that either of them minded, the two highschool students were independent.
There was a knock at the door. Actually, it wasn't so much of a knock and more like a pound.
"Are we expecting someone?" Fang shouted to Vanille from the couch she had just sat down on.
"No! Go get the door!" Vanille ordered.
Fang shrugged, and got up. Answering the door was preferable to doing the dishes.
It better not be some damn salesman, Fang thought to herself as she approached the door. Another pound echoed through the door. "I'm coming, hold your horses," the black haired woman grumbled.
When she opened the door, she didn't expect to see Lightning.
Especially not a crying Lightning.
"Sunshine?" Fang said, barely able to figure out what was happening in front of her. Lightning, crying?
The pink haired woman in front of Fang wasn't only crying. In fact, she looked destroyed. Like all the life had left her and she only wanted to curl up and die.
"Hey…Fang," Lightning mumbled. Even the woman's voice sounded defeated.
"Come inside, Light," Fang said, holding the door open for her. Worry clouded Fang's mind. What had happened to Lightning? What could possibly get her down like this?!
"Thanks…" Lightning said between bouts of tears.
As they entered Fang's house, Vanille stepped out of the kitchen and said, "Fang, who was—"
The black haired woman shook her head vigorously. Vanille took one look at Lightning and then ducked back into the kitchen. Fang would tell Vanille whatever had happened later.
"Let's go up to my room," Fang said. She wrapped an arm around Lightning protectively as she guided her friend up the stairs to the second floor. That was when alarm bells really started to ring in her mind. Lightning, letting Fang of all people touch her?
As soon as they got to Fang's room, the taller woman sat Lightning down on her bed. The two of them sat in Fang's room for a long time. Lightning continued to cry while Fang rubbed her back softly.
"My dad…" Lightning began, her tears beginning to lessen. "…He called me…a dirty bitch…"
Fang's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She asked the obvious question softly, "Why?"
"He found out…" Lightning simply said. Fang didn't need any other help to connect the dots. Only two people knew that Lightning was gay. Fang, and Serah.
"What happened?" Fang asked, pulling Lightning closer to her. The pink haired woman allowed herself to be pulled into Fang's arms.
Lightning blinked several times, dismissing as many tears as she could. Then she began, "Serah accidentally let it slip. It wasn't her fault…" Lightning trailed off. "But father told me to get out of his house."
"You can stay here as long as you want," Fang assured.
"Thanks," Lightning said, trying to manage a smile. She failed, of course. The pink haired woman barely ever smiled when she wasn't sad, much less how she was now.
"I'll get you some water," Fang said. "I'll be right back."
Fang stood up and opened her door. She took one look back behind her and saw Claire, not Lightning, hugging herself on her bed. Biting her lip, she left her room.
Vanille immediately pounced on Fang once she got down to the main level. "What's happening?" Vanille asked, thankfully speaking in a whisper. "Why is Lightning Farron over at our house?"
"My girlfriend," Fang said, choosing her words carefully, "was kicked out of her house today. Don't ask her why, just be nice."
"Wait, girlfriend!?" Vanille said, her voice ascending to one of those cringe worthy pitches.
"Later," Fang begged while she filled a cup of water.
"You have some explaining to do, Fang Yun Oerba!" Vanille declared.
"Ouch, the full name," Fang joked, despite the situation. "But that can wait for now." Without even waiting for her sister's response, Fang dashed back up the stairs.
When she entered the room, Lightning was just like how Fang had left her. "Here," Fang said in the tone she only let Lightning hear.
Lightning accepted the glass of water and drained it in a single gulp. Fang took it back and asked, "Do you want any more?"
"No. Can you…just stay with me?" Lightning asked.
"I can do that," Fang said, taking back her seat. Lightning leaned into the crook of her shoulder.
"My father…" began Lightning.
Fang silenced her with a kiss to her head, "Light, it doesn't matter what he thinks. You're you, and that's all that matters."
"You won't leave me, will you?" Lightning asked softly. It sounded to Fang like more tears were about to begin.
Just before she answered, it occurred to Fang that she could destroy Lightning if she said the wrong thing.
"Never, sunshine," Fang said, hugging her closer. "I ain't going to ever leave you."
"I love you," Lightning said, leaning further into her girlfriend.
Fang's heart leaped with joy at the words. But just as she was about to respond, Fang noticed that Lightning was asleep.
But she said it anyway, "I love you too, sunshine. And I'm always here for you."
Author Note: Here I am again with another FLight fic. A much more serious one as well.
I can't really say what got me to write this. I suppose it would have to be that I've got a friend who recently overcame a personal struggle of hers. I think the point I was trying to make was that it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of you, and that your friends are always there for you.
