A/N: HELLO ALL! I... Have mixed feelings about this chapter, to be honest. I haven't had the chance to properly read the reviews but I promise I'll do a Q&A/ Response thingy for the next chapter, OK? So if you have any question, freaking ask! . Anywho, enjoy! =D
DISCLAIMER: Alas, I am not a multimillionare and as such, can't buy the rights to Final Fantasy. Sigh.
Chapter 11
By the time Lightning and Markus returned from Serah and Snow's house, where they were roped into what they both suspected was a attempted double dinner date, it was dark.
"Hmm. Light's aren't on," Lightning mused out loud. Indeed, the two story house looks very devoid of life.
"They're kids. Most likely, they're being lazy," Markus said, cutting off the engine of his car, before pushing the door open and stepping out. Lightning did the same, a small warning bell going off in her mind. She ignored it.
"Tayla? Sheepboy? You here?" Markus said, stepping inside. Lightning snorted at Markus' pet name for Hope, and he just grinned in response.
"What? He does sorta look like a sheep," he said, flicking on the lights. The lounge was relatively tidy, the TV was off, and the Xbox was packed away.
"Hmmm. Weird," Markus said.
"Why? Whats up?" Light asked, looking at the man. Again, an alarm went off, and again, she ignored it.
"Those two love games. Well, Tayla does, anyway," Markus said, before turning and walking upstairs.
'Where're you going?" Lightning asked.
"Need to take a piss," was Markus' reply. Lightning shrugged, then walked into the kitchen. Hmm... They haven't eaten... May as well cook SOMETHING for them... Lightning thought, looking around the tidy cooking area. She would never, EVER admit it to anyone, but she had been taking cooking lessons from Serah for a few months now, and was actually able of producing a decent dinner meal. However, she was never able to cook bacon properly, and doubted she would ever be able to.
"Its like, the stuff hates me..." Lightning muttered, opening the freezer and looking for some minced beef.
She then jumped as three different screams and cries echoed from upstairs.
"Okay, explain," Lightning demanded, hands on hips. Markus stood beside her, his expression stoney, but slightly amused. In front of them, seated on the couch, was Hope and Tayla, both of whom were blushing madly, and looked like they had dressed in a hurry.
"Look Light, don't be mad..." Hope began, before faultering under his guardain's glare.
"Mad? I'm not mad, Hope. I'm beyond mad," Lightning said icily.
"Maybe shes so mad, that shes come full circle and calmed down," Markus said, trying his best to not grin. "I, on the other hand, am angry as hell."
"Look, whats so bad? We're going out, aren't we? What's so wrong, then?" Tayla suddenly said, glaring at her elder brother. Markus blinked for a moment, then sighed.
"look, I was kidding, okay? I was trying to annoy Light-" A elbow to the ribs cut him off for a moment, before he continued. "- but the thing that gets me, is that.. .Well, you didn't exactly ask anything."
"Well... We, uh..." Hope stammered, blushing a brighter red, if it were possible.
"You were embrassassed?" Lightning guessed. Hope nodded, not ocne making eye contact with Lightning.
"Okay okay. Before we go further, one question. How long have you two been fucking?" Markus said, before quickly backpledding away from Lightning's incoming fist.
"First time was today," Tayla blurted out. Both Lightning and Markus relaxed at this.
"Phew. Thank Erto for that. If you had been doing it behind our backs, I would have been forced to murder Hope," Markus said. Said silver haired teenager looked at Markus fearfully, but the man just grinned.
"Well... If you are... Sexually active... We should at least talk to you," Lightning said, her own cheeks turning slightly pink at the thought. I didn't even have this conversation with my own mother. Now I have to have it with Hope, Lightning thought. Markus must of picked up on her nervousness, and spoke.
"Okay. Kids, upstairs. Come down when we give you a yell," he said, jabbing a thumb at the stairway, before dragging Lightning into the kitchen.
'What the hell, Markus?" Lightning said, glaring at him.
"Chill. I've been expecting this for a while. I just... Didn't expect to fucking walk in on them..." Markus said, shuddering slightly, before moving to turn the water jug on.
"Well... How are we gonna do this, Markus?" Lightning said, deciding to approach this like a situation in the field. Markus smiled.
"Well... Since giving my little sister 'the talk' would be all sorts of alkward, how about I take Hope, and you take Tayla?" Markus said, not looking up from making coffee.
"You know, that's not a bad plan," Light said, accepting a coffee mug from Markus once he had finished.
"See, I can be smart when I want to be," he said, grinning. Light just shook her head.
When the two teenagers were summoned back downstairs, Lightning was seated in an armchair, sipping at her (second) coffee, while Markus was leaning against the wall nearby.
"Hope. Get a jacket. We're going for a drive," Markus said, spinning his keys around his fingers. Hope jumped, then nodded and went back upstairs.
"Tayla, you get to stay here with Light. Play nice now," Markus continued, grinning in response Lightning's glare. A few moments later, Hope came back downstairs wearing a grey zip up hoodie with New Palumpolum High written on the back.
"Right then. Come on kid," Markus said, moving towards the door. Hope followed slowly. Lightning waited until both had left, then spoke.
"Sit," she said, waving a hand at the couch. Tayla slowly sat down and looked at Lightning. The older woman sighed.
"Trust me, this is not something I thought I would have to do," Lightning said.
"And I had hoped that it would be my mum that was giving me this talk," Tayla replied, her voice sad.
"At least you're getting it," Light said, giving Tayla a serious look.
"What?.." Tayla's face was ridden with confusion.
"My parents died when I was 14. I was too busy looking after Serah to be a teenager," Lightning said bitterly. Tayla flinched, and Lightning instantly felt guilty.
"Well... I may not have been talked to, but I can try to talk to you. so... Any questions?" Lightning asked, her voice as kind as she could get it.
"First things first," Markus said, unlocking his car and glaring over it at Hope. "You break her heart, and I'll use you as a sharpening tool for my gunblade. Got it?"
"Yes sir," Hope said, returning Markus' glare with a salute and a smile. That cracked Markus' glare and the older man grinned.
"Thatta boy. Get in," he said, opening the car door and seating himself. Hope followed suit.
"So, where we going?" Hope said, looking at the interior of the car. It was fairly tidy, if only because all the rubbish was thrown across the back seat.
"I talk better when I'm driving. Besides, I doubt we want to be around when Lightning gets going," Markus said, grinning at the silver haired boy, before keying the ignition and starting the engine.
"Yeah. I agree there," Hope said, returning the grin. "But you didn't answer the question."
"Mall?" Markus asked, looking at the boy. Hope shrugged and nodded. Markus floored it, leaving poor Hope grasping for a handhold.
The two males walked through the empty mall, sipping at milkshakes, paid for by Markus. Although most of the stores closed around 5pm, the actual mall complex itself didn't shut until around 11pm, or when the secuirty guards couldn't be assed staying awake any longer.
"So, got any questions?" Markus said, sipping at his milkshake (chocolate).
"Yeah. Why do you have so many condoms?" Hope asked, sipping at his milkshake (banana).
"Okay. Firstly, don't steal, just ask. Secondly, because I am a sexy, sexy man, and sexy men need lots of condoms. And third, how the hell did you find them?" Markus said.
"I didn't. Tayla did and took a picture to show me," Hope said. Markus flinched at that.
"My sister is too good at stealing my stuff," he said, sipping at his milkshake, shaking it, then tossing the now empty milkshake into the nearest rubbish bin. Then, he felt his phone vibrating in his jacket pocket, and pulled it out.
"Umm.. Are condoms meant to be a bit loose?" Hope asked as Markus read the message: A very bad joke from Snow. He replied with a snarky message and flicked the phone shut.
"Hmm? Oh. Means that either the condom is too big, or you're too small," Markus said with a grin. Hope growled and smacked Markus in the arm.
"Ow! Lightning been giving you lessons?" he asked, rubbing his arm.
"Under the condition I punch Snow," Hope replied, slightly smug.
"Well, in any case, no need for violence. If you're worried, don't be. You've still got growing to do, kid," Markus said. Hope nodded. Markus sighed.
"Look, if it makes you feel better, want me to buy you some? I'm sure theres a store thats open somewhere," Markus said, smiling.
"Okay," Hope said, nodding. Markus grinned, then started walking towards the exit, Hope following after a few moments.
"Hey Markus," Hope said.
"Yeah?" Markus said, turning his head towards Hope.
"Thanks. Doubt Lightning would have been as... Chilled, as you are," Hope said.
"No problem. Think of it this way: it was me, or Snow," Markus said, grinning. Hope snorted.
Once Markus had found a open all hours store and brought Hope some "supplies" and answered any other questions the youth had, it was knocking on 11pm.
"You sure you want to go inside? Lightning might have just murdered Tayla and left it at that," Markus said, grinning.
"Hey you never know. Tayla might have killed Light," Hope said. Markus snorted, then opened the front door, and was greeted by the sound of female laughter.
5 minutes earlier...
"Okay okay... Ummm... First date?" Tayla said, sitting on the couch beside Lightning. In front of them, an opea pizza box was sitting on the coffee table, along with the cases for a sappy romance movie.
"Ummm... I was 16... Went to a movie," Lightning said, taking a bite out of a piece of pizza.
"Who? Do you remember?" Tayla said.
"Cid. Cid Raines. Poor bastard," Lightning said, remembering the charasmatic man.
"Why? What happened to him?" Tayla asked.
"Got turned into a l'Cie. Ended up getting shot by his second in command," Lightning said.
"Oh ouch. That must of sucked," Tayla said.
"Okay, enough. Your turn," Lightnign said, looking directly at the teenager.
"Hope. We went to that chocobo farm out of town. He drove us there," Tayla said. "It was fucking funny. The farmer guy, think his name was Cloud, and his wife both told us not to let any of the chicks land on our heads, but Hope couldn't resist. Next thing I know, Hope's being chased by a angry mother chocobo, which is being chased by the farmer." Tayla couldn't continue, the mental image becoming too much, and burst out in laughter. Lightning, imagining the scene, quickly joined her. After a minute, Lightning stopped laughing long enough to hear the door open, and turned to see Markus and Hope looking at the two of them like they were crazy. The look on their faces was too much for Lightning, and she cracked up laughing again.
"What have you two been smoking, and can I have some?" Markus asked, tossing his jacket onto the back of an armchair.
"Nothing. We've just been talking," Tayla said, once she had managed to control her laughter.
"About?" Hope asked.
"Girl stuff," Lightning said. Hope left it at that.
"Is there pizza for us?" Hope asked, seating himself beside Tayla, who immediately wiggled closer to him.
"There," Lightning said, pointing at another pizza box on the kitchen table. Markus walked over and grabbed the box, opening it as he walked to the couch.
"Mmmm... Meatlovers," he said, sitting down beside Lightning and grabbing himself a piece before passing the box over to Hope.
"See? Told you. Men love meat," Tayla said, smiling at Lightning while Markus and Hope snorted.
"Yeah yeah..." the older woman muttered, trying her best not to laugh.
It was easily midnight when Hope and Tayla went to bed, leaving Markus and Lightning alone downstairs.
Neither spoke for a while.
Then, Markus spoke.
"Wanna watch a movie? Cause I'm not tired."
"Hmmm. Sure," Lightning replied. Markus stood and grabbed a movie from the pile beside the TV cabinet.
"Please, nothing too gory," Lightning said. She may enjoy gory movies, but midnight is never a good time to watch anything gory.
"Don't worry," Markus said, placing the disk into the DVD player. Lightning sighed in relief when the title card for Hot Fuzz came up.
"Haven't you watched this before?" she asked. She did remember Markus watching the comady religiously for a few days.
"So? Doesn't make it any less awesome," Markus replied, sitting back down beside Lightning.
Other the course of the movie, the two slowly edged closer, either on purpose, or through subconious actions. By the time the last few scenes were starting, Lightning was leaning into Markus and he had a arm around her shoulders. Neither had spoke, but both found the situation comfortable. By the time the credits began rolling, Lightning found herself slowly falling asleep on Markus' shoulder.
"Well, enjoy?" Markus asked, turning the TV off with the remote.
"Yeap. Funny," Lightning replied sleepily. Markus smiled, then sighed.
"Light. Do you like me?" Markus asked seriously. That shocked Lightning awake.
"What makes you ask that?" Lightning asked, looking up at the brown haired man.
"Because I like you. Wouldn't have accepted the offer to live here otherwise," Markus said simply. "You looked so hurt.. .So concerned. No one has been like that to me before. Except Tayla, naturally."
"What makes you ask that now, though?" Lightning said.
"Well.. Maybe because I've been thinking about it for the last few days. Maybe because Serah and Snow's poor attempts at hooking us up are getting to me. Maybe because its fucking late and I'm a little sleep deprived. But mainly, because... I like you," Markus stated simply.
"Well... I think, that we are both tired, and not thinking straight," Lightning said, although in her head what Markus was saying was ringing true, to a degree. Despite her best efforts, Lightning's face flushed red at what they were talking about.
"I can see you blushing," Markus said, the grin on his face coming through in his voice.
"Shut up," Lightning said, shoving at Markus in a very un-Lightning way.
"Well... I think your cute when you blush. You try to hide yourself away when you do," Markus said, grinning.
"Your evil, you know that?" Lightning said.
"I know Claire. I know," Markus said, smiling at Lightning. She looked up at the mention of her true name, and found her face inches from Markus'.
"You know... I don't like that name..." Lightning whispered.
"Well.. I think... Its a lovely name..." Markus replied, before leaning in and touching his lips to hers. Lightning froze, her entire body going stiff. His lips were dry, but not rough, and his kiss wasn't rough either. It was soft, hesitent... Testing the waters, so to speak. Ohmigod, ohmigod, what do I do? Lightning thought. Mini Vanille and Mini Fang appeared in her mind's eye, hugging each other, both chanting the same thing: "KISS BACK!"
And thats just what Lightning did. She slowly kissed back, leaning into the kiss and onto Markus. The kiss didn't last for more then a few moments, and Lightning gave a small noise, not unlike a whine, when Markus pulled away, leaving Lightning shaking slightly.
"I think... Thats enough for tonight," Markus said. Lightning noted that his breathing was slightly ragged; he was as badly affected as she was.
"Uh... Yeah..." Lightning said, once her voice returned, and stood slowly. Markus stood as well, to collect his bedding.
"Hey Lightning," Markus said, as Lightning made her way around a armchair.
"Yes Markus?" Lightning said, turning and looking at him.
"Thanks for not knocking my block off. Makes me feel liked," Markus said, grinning. Lightning chuckled softly.
"Goodnight Markus," she said softly.
"G'night Claire," he replied.
A/N: Ewwwww . First kiss scene I've ever written. I dun like it, but meh. Reviews are encouraged, I PROMISE I'LL TAKE THE TIME TO READ THEM . I've been busy guys! Anyway, hope you enjoy. Remember, questions and stuffs are welcome! 3