"… Because we can't eat the same thing every day, Fang."
Fang waved the comment off, sprawling more on the couch. It made the other woman bristle when she got this stubborn. Right next to Fang, the only other remaining Oerban sighed and nodded a Lightning's remark, like they had had this conversation sometime in the past. Several times in the past, to be precise. Serah and Snow shared a look; some kind of internal joke, maybe. It only made Lightning's glare become more edgy, if possible. Fang seemed unperturbed by all of this and she hummed in content, stretching her arms above her head like she wasn't about to be murdered by her very angry girlfriend.
"I have the same dessert every night."
Fang actually wagged her eyebrows, smirking shamelessly before turning around to give the television her undivided attention again. Serah felt herself cringe at the way Lightning's eyebrow twitched. Vanille looked like she was ready to run for her life, eying from one woman to the next, finally settling on Lightning like she was a bomb about to go off – which probably wasn't that far from reality. Thank goodness, Serah decided to step in, probably sensing everyone's nervousness. Snow was fidgeting, eyes searching around for cover in case his sis decided to get all physical on them. It wouldn't be the first time he became collateral damage. The younger Farron walked around Lightning, placing two calming hands on her shoulders and squeezing softly. Vanille sighed again, this time in relief, and Serah gave her a warm smile before tilting her head to give her sister a not so friendly pointed glare that looked like a perfect reflection of her own.
"Be nice, Claire." Her gaze switched to the Gran Pulsian, who was – until the reprimand started – ignoring them both, "Fang, you too. Why are you two always like this?"
"Oh, you have no idea."
As soon as the voice rang, Serah resisted the urge to slap the back of Snow's head and decided to squeeze her sister's shoulders harder instead. She could feel the muscles taut under her fingertips, so ready to pounce at her brother in law, and really… Snow should have learnt by now. Instead of engaging in a power fight that would end up with her yelling 'Down!' at Lightning, she just gave her husband a blank stare and deadpanned an excuse for him to leave.
"Snow, I think the kids need you back there."
"But they're with Sazh! He can—Oh. Oh. Yeah! Totally. Yep, I'm gonna—Yeah." He was grinning a huge, innocent grin that only faltered as he quietly whispered in Serah's ear, "You got this, babe."
Lightning, who was standing right there, of course heard it. She was still fuming as Snow made his strategic retreat. Fang looked amused, Vanille felt like she was trapped in a house with a pile of gunpowder and a crazed Dahaka spitting firaga and Serah was simply done with all of it. An accusatory finger was pointed in Fang's general direction, eyes not leaving her until it was time to switch targets. "No more teasing her, Fang. And you... Stop. Being. Like. This!", each word was punctuated by a jab of her pointer finger on Lightning's chest, to which she huffed a breath and touched the spot softly.
This was every single time they all got together.
"Jeez. It can't be this bad when you two are alone. How have you made it this far without chewing each other's head off? It's been months! One would think you'd grow out of… this…"
By the looks of it, Lightning was about to answer, and so was Fang, but they both stilled in silence, lost in thought. Was there a point in explaining it could get even worse when it was just the two of them?
The blue embers in her eyes hadn't dimmed in the slightest. It had been years since the last battle where the stakes were at the highest, and yet the same passion and intensity burned as bright as ever in her. Fang could see it and it never failed to light a whole different kind of fire within her. One that ran deeper than any other, it ran in her blood turning it to something akin to molten metal, a sensation that spread lazily to her limbs and gave her a power and strength Fang didn't know before fighting alongside Lightning.
It was probably born from the fiery desire to protect; although that she had felt before. There had been a lot of that going on around Vanille for years and years. 'Tear down the sky if that was what it took', she had mentioned once. And she meant every word.
No, it was different with Light.
There was the need to protect, yeah, but it came with the comfort of knowing this woman felt as strongly about it, was as much of a protector as she was, and wouldn't think twice before engaging in battle with the Gods themselves to keep her partner safe. She'd do it with a fieriness and conviction that would never cease to amaze Fang even if she saw her dance like this for years on end.
They were nothing but equals on the battlefield, each one as capable of handling the challenges put before them as the other. That was true, and then again, Fang didn't think of Vanille as someone who couldn't stand her own ground (despite her instinctive need to make her avoid that kind of situation).
The thing was, together, they were just unstoppable. They were forces of nature, the two of them. But put together a hurricane and a volcano and you'll see nothing but devastation in their wake. Let the sparks flying docile over Lightning's fingertips become wild and destructive along the edge of her gunblade; Fang could do nothing but watch in awe during precious seconds, still mid-leap, entranced by the rapid swirls of the blade. The flurry of movement was perfectly coordinated to turn her already deadly Highwind into something unworldly, something breathtaking in its beauty, no matter how terrifying it probably was to be on the opposite edge of that destructive force.
It was practiced now. That perfect sync, the fluidity behind their movements came from years of dancing together, and yet it had been surprising to find out it existed somehow even before that. It had just become… more natural with time, there was less thinking and more doing. It gave them the chance to cast brief glances between one another, take those few precious seconds to contemplate the immensity of their combined power.
Lightning casted one of those sneaky glances at Fang right in the middle of a relentless attack, the poor, dazed beast was doomed before the fight even started her front legs incapable of holding its weight anymore. Fang felt her heart flutter in her chest at the smirk that curled Lightning's lips. There was no stopping her lips from curling in the same fashion, Kain's Lance flying in a wide arc before her fall, pointed downwards next and slicing through their target like butter. It was gone before her feet touched the ground.
Dust to dust; the beast gave a final, agonizing screech and fell for good, its hinder legs giving out and its head rolling lifeless, mouth agape. Silence ruled without challenge for a brief moment before Fang snapped out from her adrenaline induced stupor and let go of the air she'd been holding in a victorious 'Whoop!', the small curve of Lightning's lips becoming more evident at the sound. That genuine smile that arouse the butterflies in Fang's stomach without failure.
"I take it you missed this."
Lightning's tone was husky, she was still out of breath apparently, Fang didn't miss the way her chest was still heaving from keeping up the pace. They weren't L'Cie anymore, even if they weren't exactly common humans either. They would still work up a sweat going against an almost mature Adamanchelid. 'More of an Adamantoise, if you asked me.'
Fang was now laughing like a kid after a roller coaster ride, much to Lightning's amusement. Not that she couldn't understand the woman; they did have these few things in common. They had been called out in it more than once: Adrenaline junkies, the both of them. Lightning could still feel the blood pumping wild, rushing within her veins. She could feel those delicious tingles all over her sweaty skin, her head hazy but her senses in hyper-focus. Every movement, every soft sound and mild echo was like thunder in her ears. She never felt as fulfilled as in moments such as these.
"You've no idea. All that loitering 'round was drivin' me insane. I needed this."
Her throat felt raw, but she managed a low hum of understanding, taking a few moments to catch her breath and clear her mind. Blue eyes turned sharply at the next sound, just in time to catch the flourish of Kain's Lance before it was set at Fang's back where it belonged. The weapon looked more like an extension of Fang's being than something she'd learned to use, it was like she'd been born with it and learned to dive and stab weak points at the same time she'd learned to crawl. It was a ridiculous concept, but it didn't feel that far from the truth after seeing her make a creature that was at least ten times their height stagger. Lightning's head tilted slightly to the side as she studied the pleased smile on Fang's lips, the brief seconds it took for her to snap out of the same kind of happy haze clouding her mind. No wonder they shared that too, the sense of pride and being in their element while trading blows, while slashing and hacking and giving it all against an enemy.
Feeling more grounded now, Lightning watched more discreetly from the corner of her eye as Fang took a few purposeful strides towards her. In her defense, she didn't as much as flinch as she was swooped in Fang's arms and off her feet. Like a kid, indeed, she thought as Fang gave them both a little spin before putting Lightning down on her feet with a sheepish smirk, her arms remaining looped around her waist. Years ago, Lightning would have been pretty hostile at the sudden outburst of happiness ('this is not a game, we have a goal to accomplish'), not to mention the invasion of her personal space. But right now, it felt blissful to be back in Fang's arms when the aches in her body were starting to settle, even spinning around like idiots in the middle of the Steppe before the ashes of yet another slain monster.
"You could always join us."
The words were almost blurted out, something that was a rare occurrence when it came to Lightning, and Fang's eyebrow was lifted by the time Lightning tilted her head to see the reaction. Her face was pressed to Fang's sweaty collarbone in a matter of seconds, but she couldn't find it in herself to care, it was still better than the odd look Fang was giving her at the suggestion, one she wasn't sure she could read.
"I've never been much of a good soldier, Light."
Understatement of the year, Lightning thought, memories of their time as L'Cie, with Fang stubbornly defying every single strategy she'd come up with still too fresh in her mind. The corners of her lips were pulled in a small, hidden smile nonetheless. Fang had been one of the reasons she had learnt as much as she had about curing spells, not that she'd ever tell anyone. Her recklessness was a concern she hadn't been able to shake off back then. It had infuriated her to no end and her not-so-tender healing practices had caused more hisses and grumbles from the Oerban than the injuries had.
"I can still come, y'know? Do this."
Fang drawled as she nuzzled the top of her head, thumbs idly stroking Lightning's lower back. The rush of adrenaline was finally wearing off and the soft breeze was cooling her skin too fast now that the sun was setting low instead of blazing above them.
"Yeah, you can… but not on GC official business." It was as good time as any to break the news. There was a short pause and sigh before she added, "I'll leave for Paddra next week, there's a bad gorgonopsid infestation to take care of. Should take a month or so, because they want to make sure it's not some kind of predator forcing them out of their lairs. If that happens, I need to take care of it too."
Lightning nuzzled back, her lips brushing softly over the skin of Fang's throat. She felt her swallow beneath her lips and her brow furrowed at that.
"You ain't taking your guys with you?"
Now it was Lightning's time to arch a rosy eyebrow at the woman whose arms had loosened around her own body. "I can handle it."
There it was, the stubborn streak years had done nothing to diminish. It was present in her voice, a silent challenge to disagree. "I'd feel a lot more at ease if you had some company. Say… a huntress with real knowledge and experience with every species livin' round here?"
Lightning huffed, taking a step back and staring at her like she had insulted her in the most terrible way. Plain defiance was shining in her eyes. "I can handle it. And you… how did that go? You've been never much of a good soldier."
"I'm not." Fang threw her hands in the air, stepping back farther. There was a brief contest of glares that lasted for a short eternity, until Lightning decided this wasn't worth her time. As usual, she turned on her heels and started strolling towards the velocycle parked not far away. It was time to go home, anyways. Fang followed her, hands clasped together behind her head, trying to look less annoyed than she was, because she could usually put her worries to rest until a better time to address them came by focusing on how much fun Lightning could be when she was trying not to punch her in the face. "C'mon, Light. Can't we just kiss and make up?"
Lightning growled and Fang's obnoxious smirk widened and she cooed.
"You want me to be a soldier girl like you?"
"I want you to shut up."
Then it happened; the glare. There were many of those, but this... this one was the one. Fang shrugged like it was no big deal and walked in silence at her side, focusing on the dark sky and the soft humming of night creatures coming out of their lairs. Maybe the fact that her ears were on full alert, pricked and primed to the any noise, was what made her catch the next time Lightning spoke. They had reached the velocycle and she was fumbling with the helmets. "I don't want you to be anything you don't want to be."
Fang felt herself smile, her hand catching the one still fumbling with the helmet and her eyes the ones so determined on staying anywhere else.
"I know, Light." It was a sincere smile, warm and reassuring, and Lightning returned it with that same fondness that was for Fang and Fang only. "I could sneak in, go with you without 'em knowing. I felt like visiting Paddra and-"
Lightning rolled her eyes, pushing her gently and offering the safety device before straddling the velocycle. "So I'm supposed to lie by omission. My partner is going to the exact same place I'm going, but I had no clue."
"Just sayin', we're stronger together." Fang knew that for a fact, they both were stronger when paired up. It was pure synergy with them. Plus, she'd be there to keep those fiends off Light's neck, but that wasn't something she'd bring up. "You can handle yourself, but I'd be bored out of my mind waiting for you while you have all that fun chasing that nasty boy. And why do they even care if I'm there?"
"Maybe they think you're going to be distracting."
Fang snorted a laugh.
"I'll be sleeping on rocky ground, if I get to sleep at all."
An arched an eyebrow. Seriously? They'd slept on the ground more often than on a bed by now.
"Walking our feet off…"
Lightning continued to consider, eyes fixated on the blinking stars above, Fang didn't miss the use of plural this time. She didn't mind walking; it was better than riding this damn thing, for sure. And they would always have chocobo.
"… and eating dry rations."
Dry rations sucked, but Fang could hunt. Make fire. She could cook decently. A shrug was her only reply. Lightning turned back to face her, a small smile still playing on her lips.
"No television…"
Fang cringed a little. But she'd done without one of those for years – centuries, her brain supplied – and she would have Light to keep herself entertained, she didn't need it.
"We are not having sex in the wild."
Without waiting for the whine that would surely come next, Lightning slid her helmet on, hiding the smirk from astonished green eyes. Fang reluctantly climbed at her back and slid the damn thing on, mumbling to herself about prudish Cocoonians. She huffed and wrapped her arms around Lightning's waist, pressing herself harder than necessary against her back. There was still a week to catch up and a long ride ahead if Lightning wouldn't let her have some fun during their little trip.
Serah blinked twice, her vision getting blurry from trying to read Lightning's mind as she stared at a very interesting lamp in absolute silence for a full minute, probably reminiscing some of her recent arguments with Fang. The amused voice coming from the couch almost made her jump out of her skin, so intently she was focusing on Lightning.
"Good news, kids… Sunshine can take it out on me any time."
Fang was staring directly into Lightning's eyes and her sister was now staring back, all the anger seemed to have slipped away and she was smirking. Serah blinked a third time, thinking this was surely the result of squinting her eyes too hard. And then Vanille spoke with a scrunch of her nose and Fang's words started to sink in, to make sense, "Ew, gross…"