Rays of sunlight peeked through the curtain, making Lightning cringe at the bright, cheeriness of the morning. Her eyes narrowed at the smirking brunette standing in front of her.
"Fang. Stop it." Lightning took a step back, her outstretched arms doing nothing to subdue the stubborn Oerban. "I'm serious."
Fang took a step closer, her green eyes lighting up mischievously as she backed the uneasy soldier towards the couch. "You'll feel better. Promise."
Lightning rounded the couch, her hands dropping to the cinch of the black, silky robe she was wearing; making sure the knot was tight and secure. "No." She watched through bleary, blue eyes as Fang stalked towards her, undeterred by the idle threat. "I have a headache," the soldier groused.
Fang laughed flippantly. "That's what ya get for drinkin' like a fish." She smirked when Lightning clutched her head, trying to wave off the pain. "It will help." She grinned evilly at the skeptical look she received. "You don't trust me, Sunshine?"
Lightning rumbled, stepping into the dining room. "If you come near me I'm going to hit you." She heard Fang chuckle, right behind her, and she rounded the table, keeping a sizable distance between her body and the advancing brunette. The room was still spinning and her head was pounding, a testament to her hectic night at Lebreau's - and having Fang chase her around the house wasn't helping.
"Stop being so stubborn and get over here," Fang demanded, pointing to one of the wooden chairs by the dining table. She glanced at the clock on the wall; she'd been trailing the soldier around the house for nearly ten minutes, trying to corner her.
"Put the steak down, and I will." Lightning glared at the offending slab of raw, cold meat that the Fang had pulled out of her freezer. She clenched her teeth, fighting another wave of nausea. "You are not putting that on my face."
Fang hummed in exaggerated pity. "Quit whinin' and let me help." She waved the meat back and forth, tapping her foot impatiently against the tile.
"I don't want your help," Lightning grumbled, lightly rubbing her temple with one hand and clenching her eyes shut. Her hand shot out to grip the side of the table when her headache turned into a brain splitting pound against her skull. "Ugh."
Fang shook her head when Lightning roughly pulled the chair out and sat down. She held back a grin and clicked her tongue in sympathy as the soldier gripped her head with both hands. "You're sportin' a nasty bruise on your cheek."
Lightning lifted her head out of her hands, growling, and Fang raised an eyebrow at the guttural sound. She smirked and stepped forward, deciding that was all the permission she was going to get from the grumpy, extremely hung-over, soldier.
"This is stupid," Lightning muttered, keeping her voice low. Every sound she heard was like a sharp nail driving into her head. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply, trying to stave off the pain; why did she have to drink so much?
Fang nodded in agreement. "So is brawlin' at a bar." She pushed the steak into Lightning's cheek and tried not to snicker at the disgruntled expression on the soldier's face.
Fang waited, with infinite patience, until Lightning placed her hand against the cold compress. She ignored the electric jolt she felt when their hands lightly touched and casually removed her own hand, satisfied the soldier wouldn't fling the piece of steak into the wall.
Fang took a step back, pleased with her handiwork. "Feel any better?"
"No."
"You got a camera around here?" Fang asked, making a show of looking around the room. She was mostly kidding, but seeing Lightning in a robe, clearly hung-over, with a piece of raw steak on her face was something she was sure should be pictured and framed.
"You're very funny." Lightning placed her elbow on the table, resting her hand against her cheek, pressing the meat further into her skin. She felt her sore cheek start to ease under the crude icepack and she closed her eyes; she really shouldn't have drunk so much.
She heard footsteps coming towards her a moment later and opened her eyes in surprise. She wasn't even aware that Fang had stepped away. Lightning slowly sat up, her brow knitting in annoyance when she saw the Oerban carrying a glass filled with a reddish, thick concoction. Her stomach roiled at the sight; Fang wanted to see her hurl all over the floor, she was sure of it.
"Fang…" Lightning began, glancing away from the glass, her face pallid, "What the hell is that?"
Fang sighed in annoyance; didn't Light know anything about how to cure hangovers? She pulled a chair out, rolling her eyes when Lightning cringed at the sound, and sat down. "You're a big baby." She ignored the defiant look on Lightning's face and placed the glass on the table. "Bottoms up."
Lightning gawked at the brunette and then back at the glass, still holding the piece of meat into her cheek. "I think I'll pass."
Fang snorted and crossed her arms. "We gonna argue about this for another five minutes?" Fang glanced at the clock and crossed her legs. "I'm just getting warmed up."
Lightning barked in anger and Fang rested her elbow on the table, unfazed by the furious posturing. She didn't know why she bothered; Lightning was being exceedingly difficult today, but the moment she saw Lightning stumble down the stairs, earlier in the morning, she felt hard-pressed to offer her aid and expertise. "I work at a bar, quit actin' like an ass and let me help," Fang explained, keeping her tone soft and soothing.
Lightning frowned and reached for the glass with a leaden arm. Her nose wrinkled upon closer inspection of the thick, crimson colored mixture. Disgusting. Her bloodshot eyes trailed back to Fang, who gave her an encouraging grin, and she sighed in defeat. "If this is some kind of joke, I'm going to kill you."
Fang chuckled at the belligerent threat, a little annoyed and entertained by the pink haired woman's behavior. "It's not a joke, and even if it was…" She gave Lightning a casual onceover, noting the unfocused eyes and definite sag in the soldier's normally rigid posture, "You couldn't take me, anyway."
Lightning bit her tongue at the backhanded comment, infuriated because the Oerban was absolutely correct in her assessment and because she was sure there was a harsher meaning in the words.
The soldier sighed and brought the glass to her lips, still hesitating, and tilted the glass back. The lukewarm liquid rushed into her mouth and she swallowed a mouthful, feeling the tangy, sour taste trickle down her throat.
"All of it," Fang encouraged. She rested her elbow on the table, bewildered that Lightning was acting like she was being force-fed poison.
Lightning grumbled through the glass and quickly swallowed the entire drink in one, hefty guzzle. She placed the glass back on the table and tensed her muscles, trying not to heave all over the floor.
"Happy?" Lightning gritted her teeth and removed the steak from her face, dropping it to the table with a loud flop.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Fang crooned, acting like the woman in front of her was a toddler who had just thrown a temper tantrum. "Give it a few. You'll be back to your cheerful, sunny self in no time."
Lightning scoffed and stood up, grabbing the piece of meat off the table, and walked into the kitchen. She promptly dropped the steak into the trash bin and returned to the dining room, studying Fang as she relaxed on the chair. "You never told me why." Lightning lingered by the doorway, confident that Fang knew exactly what she was talking about.
Fang tapped her fingers against the table, gazing at a picture of Lightning and Serah that hung on the wall. She titled her head at the small smile on the soldier's face in the photo, her arm wrapped around Serah. She suddenly shook her head, as if to wave off several errant thoughts. "You must be feelin' better already," she quipped in response. "Right back to business, as usual."
Lightning sat back down on the chair, eyeing the picture on the wall that held Fang's captivation. She did feel a little better, a little sick - but her headache had dimmed into a dull and distant throb; she could deal with that. "Thank you."
Fang raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly at the curt, polite acknowledgement. She felt the tension rise between them as they sat in silence and she knew Lightning was waiting for an answer. "Told you, wasn't workin' for me."
Lightning shook her head in disagreement. "That's not a reason."
Fang crossed her arms and stiffened. She tore her gaze away from the wall and settled on Lightning, her green eyes vivid and intense. "Why are you pushing this?"
Lightning raised an eyebrow and sat straighter in her chair. "We didn't even discuss it." She saw Fang's mouth open slightly and Lightning exhaled noisily; she was in the doghouse again.
Fang sat in her chair, stunned. She was torn between laughing at the absurd answer or smacking the soldier across the face. "We didn't discuss it? Didn't know there was anything to discuss. That's what you wanted, right?" Fang stood up, shaking her head in disbelief. She felt her bitter resentment rise to the forefront of her chest at the impassive expression on Lightning's face. "You're amazin', a piece of work, you know that?" She clenched her fists and her eyebrows knitted, angry and irritated. "I told you. I don't wanna do this anymore - and you're still on about it?"
"What about last nigh-" Lightning retorted, her cheeks tinting in ire at the chastising and belittling tone.
"-Zip it," Fang snapped, pointing a finger in the soldier's direction. She raised an eyebrow, a little amused at shocked expression on Lightning's face. "I have the floor." She waited an extra second and decided she had the pink haired woman's full attention. "Since we've stopped our little," she curled her fingers in the air, "'arrangement', we've actually managed to have a conversation. You know, I've only been over your house once. You remember when that was?"
Lightning nodded slowly, finally understanding an inkling of what Fang was trying to tell her. "Serah's wedding."
They both remained silent as memories of the night fell into their heads; stumbling to the door, clambering up the stairs, their lips locked as they barely made their way to Lightning's bed.
Fang rolled her eyes at the memory, thankful she was too angry to feel the hormonal surge she usually did whenever the memory played. It used to make her feel good, now it just made her sick. Her green eyes narrowed in bitter anger; angry at Lightning for making her feel wretched, angry at herself for letting it go on so long, for not being strong enough to stop it sooner.
"I don't wanna do it anymore," Fang barked, her tone slicing through the air like a cracked whip. "Stop actin' like this is a relationship and you deserve an answer."
Lightning flinched at the words and she jolted from her chair. She began stalking around the room, keeping her distance from Fang. She didn't understand why Fang was so furious with her. Her mind was whirling; her thoughts were spitting out of her mouth; rushed and callous. "We are two consenting adults, Fang," she lashed back, her tone unkind and abrasive, "You never had any problems with it; stop acting like I'm a huge bitch that just took advantage of you. You're not a victim."
Fang snarled at the words and stormed up to the soldier. Lightning stopped and held her ground. She found herself abruptly shoved against the wall as the Oerban used her towering frame to trap her against it. Her eyes slotted when Fang lowered her face so they were nose to nose. Lightning breathed through her nostrils, her chest rising rapidly, not noticing the rough shove into the wall had caused the flap in her robe to loosen. She waited for whatever Fang was going to give her, a punch or something else, she wasn't sure; the Oerban's commanding presence was a bit dizzying.
"You're right, I'm not a victim," Fang growled, low and cautioning, "-which is why when I say, I don't want to fuck you, anymore-" she paused when Lightning balked at the abrasive language and she glanced down at the soldier's chest, seeing her robe had opened, slightly. Fang stiffened, averting her gaze away from the tempting flesh and back to Lightning's face. "-You don't get to prance around and demand we talk about it." Fang placed a hand against the wall, effectively blocking any attempts for Lightning to duck out. "I don't answer to you." Her eyes narrowed in satisfaction when the soldier finally flinched at the harsh, spiteful tone. "You don't get a say in this one, Sunshine. This one is all mine - I'm wearin' it."
Lightning clenched her fist and remained passive, against the wall, intensely disliking the dominating attitude and bravado that Fang was thrusting on her. She ignored the distaste she felt at the crude word Fang used to describe what they did together - that was fine; her eyes narrowed, two could play at the game.
"You may not answer to me, Fang," Lightning snarled, "but you have - as you so eloquently phrased - fucked me." She raised an eyebrow as she coolly regarded the widening green eyes that were right in her face. "Many, many times," she lightly taunted. "If you think you can't just shove me up against a wall and intimidate me out of this argument," Lightning stepped away from the wall and into Fang's rigid body, not leaving any space between them. She felt Fang inhale sharply, deep in her chest, at the full body contact, "- then you've forgotten that we've already fucked this way."
Fang immediately stepped back from Lightning, as if burnt, and walked towards the table, her face stony and grim, save for the coloring of her red cheeks. "Piece of work," she muttered. She placed her hands against the wooden surface and bowed her head, taking long, calming breaths, torn between her fury and the rising temperature of her body.
Lightning studied the Oerban; she'd never seen Fang so out of control - and she found herself responding to the emotional rollercoaster that Fang had strapped her into. They came together in the past like a business venture, not in a passionate haze of wild emotions, which is exactly what she tasted in the air. Lightning glanced down and adjusted her robe, realizing that she didn't want a physical confrontation, be it sex or a fight - not with Fang, not in her house, and not anywhere near her furniture. If that happened between them, right now, she instinctively knew the damage would be irreparable.
Lightning waited until she felt they were both composed enough to continue the conversation. "You could have told me you felt that way. We entered into this arrangement together," Lightning said, breaking the long, heavy silence that had filled the house. "We agreed to it knowing what it meant, and what it was. You could have told me it was hurting you like this."
Fang scoffed. "I tried and you just shut me down, over and over again." Fang paced around the room and around the table; wanting to keep her distance from Lightning when she felt another sea of confusing and torrid emotions rise. "And now you're getting jealous? You threw down the bar last night and Lebreau still hasn't called me, did you even apologize to me?"
Lightning stepped away from the wall, angrily pacing on the other side of table, far away from Fang. "Rico deserved it, you weren't there," she barked. "Why are you complicating things between us?" She took a quick second to step outside of herself and decided she and Fang looked absurd arguing across the dining room, a large table between them – it was exhausting.
"Did you apologize to me-" Fang threw her hands into the air, her voice rising with frustration, "Nevermind! There you again, not even seein' me. Right here," Fang snarled, "In front of you."
Lightning wanted to throw a chair through her window; Fang was doing that maddening thing again, throwing curveballs and taking her for a ride. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I'm sorry for what happened at the bar," Lighting began, deciding that she would address one issue at a time, Fang's chaos begged her order. "I didn't go looking for a fight, he came to me and you weren't there to step in, okay?" Lightning placed a hand on her hip, "I'm sorry for starting it." She firmly ignored the nagging reminder that she was indeed jealous, but she wasn't about to even address that issue; they had enough on the table as it was.
"I appreciate that," Fang clipped. She stopped wearing a hole in the tile and stood still for a moment, rubbing her forehead. Her shoulders sagged and she found herself studying the picture of Lightning and Serah that hung on the wall. She chuckled somberly; she couldn't decipher one feeling from the next; like a portrait that was shoved into her face, everything was flecks and dots of color, nothing concrete, nothing decisive or significant.
Lightning sat down in her chair, her heart breaking at the miserable and wounded look in the bright, green eyes. "What do you need, Fang?" Lightning's quiet voice filled the room and Fang felt her heart clench at the sincerity.
Fang closed her eyes and crossed her arms, clamping the waver in her voice. "Can we just be friends, like we used to be?" Fang studied the soldier after the words left her mouth, searching for any hint of something that would indicate what the soldier was feeling. She endured the stretch of silence and patiently waited for Lightning to compose her thoughts.
Lightning remained silent, not seeing Fang anymore, but hearing the words uttered over and over again in her head, bouncing back and forth like marbles. Friends? She wanted to argue; how were they supposed to be friends after everything they'd already done? It all seemed rather, anticlimactic, they were more than friends – she wanted to shout, yell, and pull her hair out. She couldn't be friends with Fang – the brunette was her lover. She sighed; her lover - not her girlfriend; which meant Fang's request was reasonable, despite how much she found herself loathing it. Cool, blue eyes studied Fang, taking in the drained posture, the hurt look on her face and Lightning felt her heart thud against her chest, rock-solid and heavy.
"Okay, Fang," Lightning finally said, her tone soft and yielding.
Fang titled her head, feeling a heavy weight lift from her shoulders, only to settle against her chest. She swallowed through the pang and forced a wry grin. "Okay. It's settled then."
Lightning nodded once, distractedly, crossing her arms and studying the checkered tiles on the floor. She shifted her shoulders and abruptly raised her head when she heard a phone ring.
Fang's hands shot down to her pockets, fumbling for her wireless phone. She glanced at the caller ID and she groaned. "Lebreau," she mumbled in response to Lightning's questioning gaze.
The brunette flipped the phone open and brought it to her ear, resolute in the fact that Lebreau could say anything she wanted and it wouldn't compare to what she just had to go through with Lightning. "Hello?"
"Mornin' Fang, where are you?"
"Uh…" She glanced at Lightning who raised an eyebrow. "Light's house."
"Good. Put me on speaker, please."
Fang pressed the speaker button on, shrugging her shoulders at Lightning and pointing to the phone in question. She wasn't' sure what to make of the snappy, business-tone in Lebreau's voice but she was already filled with a little dread.
"You're on speaker," Fang muttered, placing the phone on the table between her and Lightning.
"Thanks. So listen..." Lebreau laughed, airy and beguiling. "My bar is in shambles. It's a disaster over here – just about all the furniture is destroyed – it's a nightmare." Lebreau paused, allowing her words to sink in. Lightning sighed regretfully.
"I saw the security tapes – you know, to find out what the hell happened." Lebreau paused again.
Lightning crossed her arms, resisting the urge to ask Lebreau if she had any voice recordings because Rico's words about Fang were unacceptable. He deserved it. She remained steadfast in her stony silence and waited for the next part of the statement.
"I don't know what the hell is going on between you two, but you're going to help me fix this place up, I'm not kidding."
Fang raised an eyebrow. "Why do I have to help?" She ignored Lightning's soft snort.
"Because, you work for me. I already talked to Serah and Vanille. All four of you. I want this place fixed in two weeks, do you understand?"
"Wait. Serah and Vanille?" Lightning glared at the phone, not understanding why the two younger girls had to be dragged into a mess she created.
"You can ask them yourself," Lebreau retorted. "Besides, I've been wantin' to renovate - so this is perfect. I've got a crew hired and everything."
Lightning rolled her eyes at the phone. "What if I refuse? Can't I just pay for the damages?" She paused "-And work. I have a job. I can't just take off for two weeks."
Lebreau snorted into the phone. "You work too much and have a least two weeks of vacation time, so don't tell me that crap." She laughed and Lightning could practically hear the rolling of eyes over the phone. "If you refuse I'll press charges, and besides, my insurance will cover the cost, so you don't need to pay for anything."
Fang's loud, angry voice filled the room. "Press charges? Lebreau, what the hell?"
Lebreau sighed into the phone. "Geez, I'm kidding, but come on...you guys destroyed my bar." As if sensing the Oerban's looming rebuttal, she hastily continued, "Not so much you Fang - but your crap with Lightning. We're all friends, so help me out and fix whatever shit you both have going on, okay? You can start in a couple of days, I have some insurance paperwork to go through." Lebreau chuckled. "Don't worry, the bar looks just the way you left it."
Fang and Lightning stared at phone, a little stunned at the words. They glanced at each other and back at the phone, unsure of what to say.
"Please?"
"Okay, okay," Fang snapped, running a hand through her hair; at least she wasn't fired.
"Lightning?"
"Fine."
"Good. See you tomorrow."
Fang heard the phone hang up and she glanced at the pink haired woman, observing the perplexed expression with amused, wistful eyes. "You handy with a hammer?" she asked, wondering if her demise would be swift or slow if she presented the soldier with a big, yellow construction hat.
Lightning sighed, thankful for the attempt at levity. "I guess I'll have to call in my vacation time." She shook her head, already going over what she would say to Amodar. He'd no doubt find the entire situation hilarious. She'd call him after a nap; she was exhausted - physically and emotionally.
Fang walked over to the front door when she glanced at the clock. She could tell the Lightning needed some space from their situation. She understood completely, her own head was still spinning from the morning's events. "Thanks for lettin' me crash here."
Lightning walked into the living and sat down on the couch, watching as the Oerban moved towards the front door. "You're welcome."
Fang opened the door and stopped, turning her head towards Lightning. "I'll see ya later."
Lightning nodded, unmoving from the couch as she watched Fang at the doorway. "You can count on it, Fang."
XXXXX
Fang rested her legs on the table and crossed her ankles. She slouched further into the couch, staring through unblinking eyes at the television. She sighed softly, resting her hands on her stomach. It was early in the evening, hours since she'd returned from Lightning's house, but it felt like ages.
She was still angry with Lightning and knew that they'd barely scratched the surface of what she was so upset about. Fang wasn't even sure herself, and she found the uncertainty and conflicting emotions akin to a dog chasing its own tail. She prided herself on knowing exactly where she was going and what she was meant to do - she was raised with purpose. All that changed with Lightning - there was nothing certain or concrete about the stubborn, pink-haired woman. Nothing.
Fang frowned and snatched the bag of popcorn that sat beside her, cold and untouched. Damn Lightning for turning her world inside out, this was not how things were supposed to work. She said she'd wanted them to be friends, and that was true, Fang nodded her head slightly, but why was she still so miffed? She roughly gripped the sides of the popcorn bag and tore it open, grumbling when it ripped and kernels fell across her lap and couch. "Damn it."
Lightning agreed to the suggestion, and Fang knew that Lightning didn't agree or promise things lightly - she knew the soldier meant it. So, why was she still feeling like there was something missing? She glanced down at her lap and picked up a piece of popcorn. She brought it to her mouth and chewed slowly, thoughtfully. What did she even want from Lightning? She sighed; idly grabbing another kernel and studying it under the dim light of her living room; things were a little better between them, now that they weren't having sex. She raised an eyebrow and popped the kernel into her mouth; apparently sex complicated everything - Imagine that.
She shifted her legs and scowled when more popcorn fell from her lap and onto the floor. Fang shrugged and tossed another piece into her mouth; they were going to be friends who did not have awesome sex, she scratched her nails into the armrest, they could do that. "Piece of cake," she muttered. She raised an eyebrow and tossed a kernel at the television, as if to punish the horribly boring show that was playing. She longed for the days when her emotions weren't a minefield she had to navigate through.
"You know, most people use a bowl when they eat popcorn."
Fang moved her head towards the voice, seeing the shorter Oerban watching her and looking highly entertained. She glanced down at herself and saw more than half the bag of popcorn spilled across her lap and another handful of popcorn in her fist.
"How long have you been there?" Fang asked, giving up on the stale popcorn and brushing it off her lap and onto floor.
"You're going to clean that up - and long enough," Vanille answered, stepping over Fang's legs to sit on the couch. She sighed and grabbed the remote, shutting the television off. Fang turned to her, frowning, and Vanille rolled her eyes. "The TV is on mute, Fang."
"I can read lips," she dryly offered.
"You're brooding," Vanille muttered as she leaned back to rest her head on Fang's shoulder.
"The kitchen is safe," Fang shifted her shoulder back, letting the redhead lean against her more comfortably.
"Why don't you just talk to her?" Vanille asked, deciding there was only one person, other than herself, who could turn Fang into a big, messy, depressed clump on their couch.
"I already did. It was a near disaster. Can you believe she said…" Fang began a playback of the entire conversation and Vanille found herself privy to just how awkward things were between the two women.
Vanille remained silent, simultaneously listening and observing the animated brunette by her side. She exhaled noisily; she was getting tired of seeing Fang torn up over her relationship with Lightning. She snorted, and quickly glanced at Fang, happy the brunette was too engrossed in venting her anger to notice. Vanille wanted Fang back: happy, cheerful, strong Fang, and not broody, mopey, miserable Fang. Vanille abruptly sat up, watching Fang through amused green eyes; it was more like broody, mopey, lovesick Fang.
Fang sat up, mid-rant, alarmed at the jarring movement. "What?" The petite redhead continued to stare at her, an unreadable expression on her face. "Something on my face?" Fang brought her hands to her cheeks, trying to feel for any stray kernels.
"Nothing," Vanille intoned, finally smiling at the brunette.
"What's so damn funny?"
"Noooothing," Vanille sang. She continued to grin at the taller Oerban, like she was an adorable chocobo chick, and ignored the stern frown on Fang's face.
Fang promptly reached down and grabbed a handful of popcorn and threw it at Vanille, all over her face and hair. Vanille's smile instantly vanished, and Fang crossed her arms, satisfied that she managed the wipe the annoying smirk off the redhead's face.
Vanille stared at Fang in shock. "Why did you do that?" she asked lightly, picking popcorn out of her hair and tossing it to the floor. "That wasn't very nice."
"Now I can smile too," Fang replied, not fooled for one second by the stern look on the redhead's face. She ducked when Vanille reached for the bag of popcorn on the table and dumped it all over her head, shaking the bag up and down so that every piece of popcorn was now either in Fang's hair, on the couch, or on the floor. Fang laughed, still ducking her head behind her hands. "And now you get to help me clean up, even better."
XXXXXX
Feedback is appreciated :)
Oh, if anyone is curious, the drink Fang gave Lightning was really just a Bloody Mary. It really does help...'hair of the dog that bit you' comes to mind. Remember that if you ever find yourself with a nasty hang over ;).
