Author Note: When I originally wrote Chapter 1, I did not know at the time that Lightning + Vodka = A Thing. I've been outside of fandom in general for a number of years so it's taking me time to catch up. This chapter marks the beginning of the smut portion of this fic and as a result it is a little shorter than the previous one. On the plus side, the following chapter is in it's editing stages which I did not originally plan for so at least this month chances of another update are high.

Enjoy,

- TDW

Disclaimer: Spoilers for all three FF13 games apply, although this would take place after Lightning Returns.

Rating: MA

Chapter 2 - Fantasy or Reality?

It was morning when she finally woke, her head felt like it was filled with cotton although it was pounding hard enough that she could hear it thrumming in her brain. Serah had no idea what was in that vodka Lightning had gotten Snow but she was going to beg her never to buy it again.

She had never been so hammered in her life.

She wondered if Noel was feeling the same way. He'd had about the same amount to drink as she had… speaking of whom; Did he crash on the couch again? There was a faint buzzing feeling on her lips that Serah felt she should know something about but her brain was so fuzzy she couldn't think much on it. Small wisps of sun broke through the curtain of her bedroom like tiny needles poking her in the vision. Giving herself a few minutes to adjust to the change she eventually took stock of her surroundings.

From what she could tell, nothing was remiss. She was wearing the clothes she had on from last night, although she was now on her own bed, a couple of pills for headache and a glass of water set on her nightstand hinting as to the whereabouts of her drinking companion. Most likely after she had gotten a bit too wasted he dropped her off in her bedroom and made sure she wouldn't have to go far in order to start nursing her hangover. She would have to thank him later; it was becoming a habit.

With Snow gone, Serah had taken to drinking a bit more than she normally would have. At one point in her life she would only drink at a party or event making her at most a social drunk if things got out of hand. However, with each day she spent missing Snow she found herself drinking even on days she wouldn't think to normally. Thankfully on those days she also often had company, mostly Noel, sometimes her sister and at times even Hope. It seemed that at least one of them would notice if she was either having a bad day or received news that made her unhappy. She didn't talk about it, not really, but someone was always around long enough to keep things light so she didn't go too crazy.

Grabbing the pills on her nightstand she slipped them between her lips and grabbed the water, swallowing quickly. Last night was different somehow and she couldn't quite wrap her mind around it. The alcohol she'd imbibed made it impossible to recall anything. She'd probably have to ask Noel when she next talked to him. For now she would just focus on re-hydrating so she could function again.

"Well good-morning sleeping beauty." Serah nearly choked on her water as she turned her head to the source of the voice, glass falling from her hand to land and spill on the bed. In front of her, was the last person she had expected to see.

"Snow!" She leapt off the bed and ran towards him, tripping after just a fews steps due to impaired vision from her hangover. Still, her hero caught her effortlessly lifting her into the air and enveloping her in a emphatic hug, her own arms echoing his greeting and wrapping around him as tears spilled from her eyes, weeping for joy.

Snow was home. He was finally home.

As she pushed away from him she finally was able to take him all in. He looked weary from travel, like he hadn't slept, his clothes were wrinkled and his hair looking like it needed a good brushing even though most of it was hidden underneath his beanie. "What are you doing here?" Even though she made the accusation she couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice.

"I could hear how disappointed you were over the phone so I decided to hop on the first red eye I could and come home. I left the remaining repairs for the guys in NORA to supervise until I can get back." Hearing him say 'until I can get back' caused a small spark of disappointment to flood through Serah's heart but it was still overshadowed by the joy she felt at having Snow here now. She hugged him again, his mere presence warming her, she wanted to never forget how being in his arms felt ever again. He had been gone too often with so little contact in between that she had only felt a whisper of his presence when he wasn't near.

"That's wonderful." She pulled back reluctantly, staring up into warm gray eyes that had also clearly missed her. She knew the time apart must have hurt him just as much as her and Serah felt guilty for the loneliness she had blamed on him. Not when he had felt her very same pain. Not when she knew he had suffered longer without her.

"So, how bout a hero's welcome?" His eyebrows waggled as he said it, making Serah giggle as Snow bent over to connect his lips with hers. They were a bit rough from the climate where he had traveled but it was the most wonderful feeling in the world to have them pressed against her own. Her mouth opened to welcome his tongue as he swept the appendage over her lips, quickly diving in to taste her. This, this is what she had been missing for so long without him.

Lifting her up into his arms, Snow easily carried her over to the bed laying her careful over the comforter. Silently, Serah thanked the gods for the painkiller that she had taken as her headache was already starting to dissipate as she lay on the bed, Snow removing his own trench coat before moving over her and capturing her lips once again. She removed the beanie from his head, releasing uneven blond locks and running her hands through them. She loved how silky his hair always seemed to manage to stay and the added growth over the years was especially endearing as it framed his face perfectly. Slowly Snow moved from Serah's lips down to her neck and towards her chest, burying his face into her breasts before pulling back feeling each one with his hands. "Snow…" Serah gasped at the sensation. She loved it when he was bold like this, always taking charge.

She felt like a princess.

"Serah, it's been too long. I have to have you." He was already pulling off his shirt as he said it before making short work of her top and bra. She lay mostly exposed as he lowered his mouth down to take in one of her nipples making her arch, that electric feeling darting through her body and pooling around her lower abdomen. She heard more than felt Snow making short work of his pants before he lifted her skirt and moved her panties just enough so that he could slip two of his fingers inside.

"Snow!" Serah screamed her pleasure out in the fading darkness of the room. Moving her hips in tempo with his fingers as he continued to slide them in and out, his other hand assisting his mouth in pleasuring her breasts. He was slowly bringing her towards climax, the more wet she became the more she opened up to him, legs falling to the side as she spread them wider, letting his fingers slip deeper, hitting something she wasn't all together familiar with.

Calling his name, again and again, she kept moving with his hands and his mouth hoping to find release but no matter how he touched her she just wasn't getting what she needed. Looking into her fiancé's eyes, Serah became more impatient as she urged him to kiss her again, just barely noticing how his gray eyes became darker, almost blue as he gazed back at her. As they battled for dominance, she grabbed his hair forcing him to let go of her as she pushed him back, making him lie down beneath her.

Making quick work of his pants and her own underwear, Serah straddled his lap hovering just over his cock which was practically glistening due to pre cum. It was tempting to try and just finish him first but she was so close to the edge the only thing she could do was close her eyes and lower herself to let him slide in, groaning as her body arched, his hands reaching up to guide her face over to his, kissing her soundly as they both moaned into each others mouths.

'So close' He was in so deep she could barely concentrate, the sounds coming from both of them needy as she moved over him, her body feeling like someone set it on a rapidly increasing electrical current.

"Serah…" Her name rolled reverently off full lips and she opened her eyes to look at him, blue meeting blue, blond hair now a shorter dark brown as he got thicker inside of her, the look on his face just as desperate with lust as hers.

"Noel?" She felt his hands move to grab her waist, forcing her down harder as he raised his hips against hers, forcing her to ride him to completion. "Ah!" Lights were bursting behind her eyes as she watched him, barely able to keep a hold of any thoughts in her head as she tipped over the edge and came, blacking out moments after she slumped over him.

It was morning when she finally woke, her head felt like it was filled with cotton although it was pounding hard enough that she could hear it thrumming in her brain. Serah had no idea what was in that vodka Lightning had gotten Snow but she was going to beg her never to buy it again.

She had never been so hammered in her life.

She wondered if Noel was feeling the same way. He'd had about the same amount to drink as she had… speaking of whom; Did he crash on the couch again? There was a faint buzzing feeling on her lips and a dull throb between her legs that Serah felt she should know something about but her brain was so fuzzy she couldn't think much on it. She was exhausted and just wanted to go back to sleep where it was warm and comfortable before the migraine she was sure to have caught up with her.

"Serah?" Serah grumbled in response, wrapping her arms around the warmth next to her. She barely registered the whisper but couldn't help but feel like it was very familiar. "Serah? The voice urged, sounding more nervous and worried by the second. It was enough to irritate her good mood.

"Noel, go back to sleep already." She huffed hugging the warm body next to her and burying her head into a rather solid chest.

If he kept harassing her, she was just going to…

Her eyes shot open, finally queuing her in on the situation at hand. The source of that comforting warmth wasn't anything that was normally kept in her bed, no, it was her best friend; her stark naked, pressed against her because of how she had wrapped her arms around him, best friend. "Noel?" How? What? Why was he naked in her bed? Those thoughts she was too shocked to speak aloud and from the look in his eyes as they met hers, he was sharing those thoughts too.

"Morning?" He tried unsuccessfully to hide his nerves behind a smile but it didn't help Serah any. Nope. She was just a few seconds away from a complete panic attack as she slowly pushed away from him, wrapped what she could of the sheet around her own naked body and bolted from the bed, ignoring his plea as he shouted after her. "Serah!" She didn't make it far, only to the small ensuite bathroom that was just a few feet from the bed but it was far enough for her close the door and let the shock roll over her, tears streaming down her cheeks as the full realization of what happened last night hit her. She'd slept with Noel Kreiss.

Every moment of the dream she had been having moments before she woke was called into question. How much of it had been real? How much of it wasn't? It hadn't been till the end that she'd seen Noel but of course she had done nothing to stop it. In her head, in what she assumed was just a crazy dream there was nothing abnormal about screwing her best friend. She may be in love with Snow but she was still a woman and with Snow gone so often it was hard not to notice that Noel was attractive. She had even given in to a few moments of guilty pleasure when alone sometimes.

Now she'd give anything to travel the Historia Crux and reverse time so that none of it had ever happened.

Slowly she slid to the floor as the full blow of her betrayal hit her. She had done the one thing she had never thought herself capable of doing no matter how long it had been since she had last seen Snow. She cheated on him. Cheated on the one man who had believed her in everything, loved her against all odds and suffered so long to see her again when she had been lost to death.

"Serah? Are you okay?" Noel's concerned voice poured through the door and Serah couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking through all of this. The look in his eyes and tone of his voice when he woke her proved that he was just as surprised as she was. They'd both been so drunk last night and she honestly couldn't remember much of anything that could indicate who initiated it. So instead of asking or talking to him she kept crying, hands coming up to cover her face as she ignored Noel pleading through the door to talk.

Eventually she heard a sigh and then movement as the sounds of drawers being opened and closed sounded from her room. "Serah, I left some clothes by the door for you. I'll- I'll wait around the house… when you're ready." Serah felt more than heard him leave the bedroom and breathed a sigh of relief that he'd gone away. Still, when she backed away from the bathroom door so she could open it, she took caution in case he heard her moving. She couldn't talk to him about what happened. Not yet.

True to his word a small folded pile of clothes was waiting for her right beside the door. The gesture was so sweet that for a few seconds Serah really hated Noel for being so considerate. 'Guess I better try getting dressed.' She grabbed the clothes and closed the door again, making sure she wouldn't be interrupted as she dressed. It was then that the pain in her head decided to shake hands with her body and her muscles seized up, making her nearly fall over as she tried to stand. Instead she ended up sitting partly on the toilet where she could see the vanity mirror, the comforter wrapped around her now exposing the top half of her body.

To her surprise, her neck seemed relatively unmarked, at most some very light bruises along her clavicle that would be easy enough to cover up in front of her students with her usual blouse and cardigan. And although she felt sore everywhere, it seemed more likely a result of overexertion than actually being handled roughly. As she lowered the cloth, her breath catching as she noticed more marks left by the hunter, she couldn't help but have short flashes run through her head over what had happened: The feel of a tongue between her legs as her thighs clenched around a mop of brown hair, her body arching as she kept cumming on his lips over and over again.

It was enough to make her face turn red in shame.

Biting her lip, Serah forced herself to snap out of it. As much as she wanted to forget and pretend this didn't happen, it did and Noel made it clear he was waiting on her to talk about it. Considering how he looked as freaked out as she was… the look of confusion and fear in his eyes was enough to make her worried about their friendship. They needed to talk and figure out what happened and why it happened.

Steeling herself and fighting back another bout of sobbing Serah forced herself to stand and opened the door to her shower, ignoring the feel of evidence between her legs that proved what happened last night. She would face Noel but there was no way she was going to do so looking and smelling like she did.

- To be continued...