Fang breathed a deep sigh as she walked from the airport into long-term parking with suitcase in tow. She wished she'd had time between her meeting and the flight to change into something more comfortable, but she'd booked an early one on purpose, so she'd manage the dress suit for a while longer.
The sky was already darkening as she reached her car, which chirped and flashed at her after she fished her keys out of a forgotten pocket. After hefting her suitcase into the trunk, she dropped heavily into the driver's seat and closed the door.
Her phone buzzed. Right on time, she mused as she extracted it from her pocket.
The picture showing on the screen made her smile softly, and she mentally reminded herself to thank Serah again for it. It was centered on Lightning, even though Fang's arm could be seen around her shoulders. Fang didn't remember exactly what she'd been doing at the time, but it didn't matter. What mattered was Lightning's face as it was turned slightly toward her. And her eyes. They were the focal point of all her expressions, and they held a gentle kind of smile – almost laughing, but not quite. Serah had taken it to show her what she meant when explaining how Lightning would look at Fang when she wasn't looking back.
Fang swiped the screen and set it on speaker. "Hey, sunshine."
"How was the flight?"
She ran a thumb over the picture, knowing how it felt to really touch her. "Not too bad. Managed to sleep for some of it."
"You sure you're okay to drive? It's three hours."
"Sure," she said, sounding confident. "I'll be there before you know it."
"I'll wait up for you."
"You sound kind of tired. Why don't you go to bed and get some sleep. That's where I'll be headed when I get home, anyway."
Lightning hesitated for a second. "Okay. Wake me when you get here."
"'Course."
They hung up, and Fang found herself still smiling. "Miss you too, Light," she added quietly.
The drive was uneventful. Nothing but lights and rain and listening to songs three times over. When the music got old, she distracted herself by imagining how she might find Lightning when she got home. If she'd actually gone to bed. If she was curled up under the blankets or fallen asleep with a book in her lap.
Her eyes were feeling the strain once she finally pulled into the driveway. Another tired sigh echoed from her as she pulled her suitcase out and went inside. She let herself in, staying as quiet as possible. The living room was empty, so she made her way to the bedroom.
Lightning was asleep and laying on top of the blankets, propped against the headboard. But instead of a book, Fang's pillow rested across her legs, held loosely in her arms.
Fang set her suitcase down to deal with later, going to the closet to pull out her pajamas. A few minutes later, she crawled onto her side of the bed on hands and knees, watching Lightning for a second before shifting closer and pressing a kiss to her forehead. She buried her nose in Lightning's neck for a time, having gone too long without her scent. The remaining energy seeped from her, the day's events finally taking their toll, and she sagged down until her face hit the pillow in Lightning's lap. Arms around her girlfriend's waist, she curled up close and sleep came to her quickly.
It didn't seem like she'd been out long before she woke to a hand brushing through her hair. She glanced up, blinking a few times as she was met with the same expression she had captured in her phone.
"You were supposed to wake me," Lightning said, but she didn't sound upset. Looked quite the opposite, in fact.
"Hm. Sorry." Fang closed her eyes as fingers continued to stroke along her scalp.
Finally, Lightning tugged Fang's pillow out of the way, and Fang obliged long enough for both of them to get under the blankets. Fang buried her head against Lightning's chest, feeling strong arms wrap around her.
Almost hesitantly Lightning pressed her nose into Fang's hair. "I missed you."
Smiling, Fang reached a hand up and rubbed over Lightning's arm. "I know."
