The Other Battlefield

Chapter 8


The scent of coffee and fried breakfast floated around her bedroom, alerting Lightning that it was a new day, before she could even think about opening her eyes. Her ears were still ringing from the blaring music at Lebreau's bar, whilst her throat felt like she had swallowed a cheese grater.

The consequence of drinking was always a regrettable one the next day, and Lightning wondered why anyone would do this to themselves on a regular basis. She rolled onto her back; eyes still closed, and threw her arms out in haphazardly, only to remember too late that she had shared her bed the previous night.

Her hand hit nothing but a crumpled pillow, however, causing Lightning's already unsettled stomach to churn with a mixture of relief and unease. Had Fang just upped and left in the early hours of the morning?

Lightning listened hard at the sounds of voices downstairs, easily distinguishing the softer voice of her sister and the more foreign intonation of… Fang. She let the breath she had been holding release slowly, smirking to herself. Although she wouldn't go as far as to say she had been drunk last night, what she did have to drink gave her a confidence boost to initiate something more intimate than she was used to.

Her actions danced around in her mind, her skin's temperature flaring up accordingly.

Wow, I jumped Fang first. She thought crudely.

And it was a good, empowering feeling.

She shuffled into the adjoining bathroom, planning to begin her day by washing away evidence of her night time activities. Or at the very least, the evidence she could see, as her thighs throbbed dully.

With a few turns of the gauge, the shower and its tepid waters shot to life, filling the room with steam in seconds.

It was a good twenty minutes before she emerged from the bathroom, feeling clean and temporarily soothed of her aches. She quickly dressed into clean pyjamas, a luxury she only allowed as it was her final day off work.

"Good morning," she greeted everyone as she entered the kitchen, making a beeline for the fridge. Her eyes were instantly drawn to Fang's back, which was enough to make Lightning's heart beat double.

"Mor... mornin' Light." Snow managed to say through mouthfuls.

"Hey." Fang replied casually, looking up from her cereal bowl momentarily.

"You're up last today, Claire." Serah pointed out with a smile. Lightning wasn't sure whether it was a smug grin, or an overly enthusiastic one, but knowing her sister…

"So Gadot tells me you were taken home, Fang." Snow managed between large bites of toast.

"Did he?" Fang quirked an eyebrow, turning to face Lightning as if confused. "Was I?"

She was playing the idiot, and Lightning knew that clueless expression well. Neither of them had drunk enough to be considered drunk, but they had left early just to spend time together, and well, they certainly did that.

"That's the only reason why you're here." Lightning clarified, but it was only Snow she could fool, now that she had told Serah everything. But she couldn't help add with a smirk, "Drunkard."

"I'm great at handling drinks," Fang scoffed.

Lightning examined the weight of a few cereal boxes, choosing the heaviest on the basis that she would less likely receive the crumby bits. After pouring the milk, she joined the other three at the table, where Snow and Serah both announced their fullness with a loud clang of their spoons.

"I've never noticed this before, but… you two are kinda loud," Fang pointed out. "You certainly were when you came in last night."

Without missing a beat, Snow counteracted, "And I thought you guys would've been louder."

The second it escaped his lips, he inhaled sharply, realising his mistake. Fang stopped chewing mid-crunch, and Serah could only gasp.

Lightning's face grew warm as her appetite dropped to nothing. The spoon slid out of her grasp, filling the otherwise silent room with a resounding clatter.

"Snow!"

"What? I mean, come on, there's a guest room and Fang certainly wasn't there last night."

Fang gawked, "Wow, big fella. Just wow."

Whereas Fang humoured his outburst, Lightning felt like something had deflated in her chest. "Serah… I trusted you not to tell anyone."

"I didn't I swear!"

"You're telling me that he," Lightning hissed, pointing at Snow, "worked all this out by himself, without any hints?"

Serah nodded quickly.

A little irritated, Snow banged his fist against the table in protest. "Now come on, Light, you always make me out as the idiot. Don't forget I was there as well when we all fought together."

Picking up his cereal bowl, he stumbled to the sink, throwing them tactlessly into the basin. Lightning glared at the man's feet as he walked away, praying he would stand on glass again.

From across the table, Fang laughed, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Snow shrugged, "Looking back now, there might have been some chemistry."

That was it; Lightning no longer felt as if she could eat for a week. "You wouldn't know what chemistry was even if it hit you in the face."

And this wouldn't be the first time she believed Snow had more letters in his name than qualifications. She bit her tongue, however, as more insults on his intelligence would simply prove to Snow that he had gotten to her. Instead she scraped her chair back and, feeling slightly unsteady on her feet, padded towards the back door.

She needed to get out for a bit, out of the stifling heat of the house and everyone's stares, which felt doubly intense now that she'd stepped outside with a minimal amount of clothes on, and bare feet.

Her toes protested immediately, as did the rest of her shivering body. Arms crossed, she managed ten more steps until she was in the middle of garden, standing in a foot of snow.

How long did Pulsian winters last, again?

She growled; annoyed at Snow, the cold, and the fact she was back at work tomorrow.

Behind her the door clicked shut, and the crunching of footsteps fell just short of where she was standing.

"Okay, so Snow might've grown some brain cells in the time we've stopped being l'Cie," a calming voice rang out, "but don't get upset or angry now."

Lightning was about to turn around, but the warmth of a pair of arms stopped her in her tracks. Fang rested her chin upon Lightning's shoulder, and although Lightning couldn't see Fang's frown, she could hear it.

"Or are you still ashamed of yourself?"

When Fang's grip remained firm around her waist, Lightning used the provided silence to think about what Fang had just said.

Ashamed?

"Yeah, that's what I said." Fang replied, giving Lightning a firm squeeze.

She hadn't even realised she had said it out loud, but even in her mind Lightning had said the words with the most pitiful of inner voices. Was she ashamed of herself for being unable to follow the straight and narrow path of what some people deemed normal?

"Listen, Light. Whether you or anyone likes it or not, this is who you are. Anyone who doesn't like it doesn't deserve you in their life. So who cares what people think?"

Fang's words had done more than hit home; it hit her in the throat, her chest, and her knees. It was a pressure that was ready to explode, and the weaker part of her wanted to scream.

Fighting back a sob, Lightning smiled. "You're right. You're absolutely right, and regardless of it all, I've never felt this happy in years."

She turned slowly, still in Fang's hold, and planted a firm kiss on the taller woman's warm lips. And without warning, Fang grabbed Lightning from just above the knees, hoisting her perilously over her shoulder.

"F-Fang! What're you doing?" Lightning shrieked, kicking and flailing as Fang spun around and headed for the door.

"Carrying you back, obviously," she laughed heartily, "and keeping your toes from falling off later. Honestly, coming out here with no shoes…"

At that, Lightning ceased her movement, relaxing as best she could in Fang's possession. She even let a breath of laughter escape her frostbitten lungs. And in her limited vision, as she glanced downwards, it was then she noticed that Fang had also come outside with bare feet too.


A/N: I've been neglecting this chapter for so long, (I just realised 4 months!) but it took a while to figure out how the characters would react, and life certainly got in the way a bit too. So for that, I'm sorry, and equally sorry that this chapter is rather short.

As always though, enjoy!