Chapter 18 Engagements and Anger
Looking at Serah's message, the group was going to meet at NORA House for dinner and just some hanging out. Lightning hadn't been there since the two times she practically scared everyone to death but guessed it would be okay since Fang would be there. Grabbing a shower at work, she quickly got changed and stood in the lobby.
Hope approached her, "Are you going to NORA house?"
"Yeah. I need to meet my sister and my friends. My partner too." Lightning said, feeling color creep on her cheeks just thinking about Fang, and how she couldn't wait to see her about the long day.
"My dad's been quite busy today. So, I kind of need a ride. I'm supposed to meet Vanille tonight." Hope admits.
"Oerba Dia Vanille?" Lightning asked cocking an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah," Hope admits color creeping on his cheeks before he hid his head in his hand shyly.
"Oh, so you're the mystery guy! Vanille didn't want Fang to know about!" Lightning nearly yelled but realized she would embarrass the poor boy, so she kept her voice down.
"Vanille and I are friends, but I feel something for her. I just don't want to mess up my feelings for her. I guess I could always try when I'm ready." Hope said.
"True, tell her how you feel sometimes," Lighting said, "Well if you need a ride tonight, I can give you one." Lightning offered.
"That'd be great."
The two walked out to the garage, Lightning threw her uniform in the trunk, as well as her gunblade case and work satchel.
Hope eventually did the same with is work stuff, throwing his work bag, weapon case, and uniform bag in the trunk. His pack had been labeled with an ID card to avoid confusion with his picture.
"Today had been an extremely long day," Lightning admits, "But I'm thankful you are in my team. You are a great asset, Hope."
Soon Hope got in the passenger seat and buckled up watching Lightning get into her car.
The pinkette glanced at him, wondering why he reminded her of the happy girl she once was.
"Thank you, Light, if I keep training, I believe I could do something exciting one day. Just gotta keep working hard and listening to you. Thank you for believing in us." Hope smiled once Lightning buckled up.
"Hope just keep doing what you are doing. You excel at protection magic. I'm impressed." Lighting said, ruffling his hair gently, like a parent to a child, earning a small chuckle from the boy.
"Thank you, ma'am." He said before saluting her in the car, and Lightning couldn't have been prouder.
Soon, the two had an uneventful ride to NORA house, parked in the lot, and entered the bar. The first person that caught Lightning's eye had been Fang, who waved her over.
Vanille was giggling with Serah about something stupid, a joke that made zero sense before Hope joined at Lightning's side.
Snow and the NORA boys were talking about something strategic, causing Lightning to roll her eyes slightly.
Soon, Hope and Vanille shared a hug, as Fang snaked her arms around Lightning.
"So, how was work?" Fang asked, pressing her lips against Lightning's cheek, causing the soldier girl to shrug.
"Uh good, I suppose. Had been an extremely long day, though." Lightning sighed softly, sliding her arms around Fang, pressing her lips against her jaw, and earning a chuckle from the Oerban.
"I'm surprised you even got out of work at all sis. We just got here." Serah looked at Snow, who was deeply engaged with his men.
A guy seated next to Snow was a dark-skinned muscular man with fiery hair and teal clothes. He was wearing a chain with the word "posse" engraved on it, glanced over at Lightning.
"And that's her sister." he said, glancing at Lightning, "I remember you Bolt, you gave me a black eye before homecoming!" the guy said.
"What did you tell them about me?" Lightning shot a glare at Snow.
"Lightning calm down. Gadot is harmless." Snow waved his hand dismissively.
"Except he bullied me growing up in school. Kept calling me Lightbulb. Stupid NORA kid." Lighting glared at Gadot.
"Well, maybe if you hadn't given me a black eye and hurt 'Breau before we even got into high school." Gadot warned.
"I didn't like how she handled our relationship like I don't like you acted like her older sister. Date or not, she had been extremely clingy." Lightning said, shooting silent daggers his way.
"Whatever." Gadot grumped.
The boy beside Gadot was blond-haired with blue eyes and a round face. He was wearing goggles on his head, and a pair of headphones he uses to communicate with his friends. His jacket has a black body and pink sleeves, with a red symbol across the side. He also was wearing khaki pants with large, brown pouches on his hips, and a pair of silver and purple shoes.
The boy grinned, "Well, she seems like a riot. Kind of scared of her." he admitted
"Maqui, you can't judge on looks alone. Plus, you don't want to start a fight with Light." Fang shot him a glance.
The final boy sitting beside them didn't say a word, but he studied Lightning's outfit. He had feathery blue hair and hazel eyes. He was wearing an orange shirt with a subtle yellow gradient, a dark red, long-sleeved shirt underneath, and black leather pants and black leather boots.
His pants have a bag sewn in on the right hip, and he dons a scarf and feathers that he wears tucked into his belt. The belt appears to be made up of multiple links of metal with a small pattern pressed into them. He wears a necklace with a leather square with the same patterns as the belt embossed upon it and a metal pendant over his clothing.
"Oh, so you're Lightning? Charmed to meet you. I'm Yuj." The boy said happily, "Nice blouse, really looks good on the eyes." Yuj said.
Lightning took a seat on a stool and let the weight of the day slowly leave her anxious body. Fang was beside her with Vanille and Hope. Serah sat with Snow, Yuj and Maqui on her side, and Gadot at the head of the table. Lebreau eventually went towards the group earning a small glare from Lightning.
"So, I'm gonna start on drink orders and then go onto food orders. How're my NORA boys?"
"WE'RE EXCELLENT!" Yuj, Maqui, and Gadot yelled before Snow pushed their heads together.
"We're in public quit embarrassing yourselves. Can't you see we have ladies here?" Snow asked.
Lightning rolled her eyes unimpressed until Fang squeezed her hand under the table. Serah looked slightly embarrassed as did Vanille as Hope looked confused.
"NORA?" Hope asked.
"Idiots basically." Lightning said with the roll of her blue eyes.
"Oh. Is this the group you were warning me about?" Hope asked.
Gadot stood up and glanced at Hope, "Who's this shrimp?!" he asked until Vanille stood in front of him.
"This is Hope, but doesn't give you a right to call him shrimp or act like a self-entitled jerk." Vanille glared.
"Guys, can we please stop fighting?" Serah asked with a sigh.
"Alright. I'll be back to take drink orders then. If anyone starts a fight, I'm throwing the one who started it out." Lebreau warned, "I don't care if you are my group or not, start fighting, and I'm ending it." She glared, going back towards the bar and took several drink orders of men and women sitting at the bar.
Eventually, Gadot sat down, followed by the others.
Unimpressed by the NORA boys, Lightning was just thankful Fang had been in her life, or she would have started the fight, but Amodar's voice was thick in her head, 'More bound to catch flies with honey than vinegar.' Her blue eyes focused on Fang once Lebreau finally took drink orders after the beginning of the fight ended.
"Sorry, Serah." Snow glanced at his girlfriend, noticing Serah had looked away from him slightly.
"Uh, Serah…" Vanille started, nervous even.
"What Van?" Serah asked as the redhead pulled her towards the door outside, where the two would take shelter until Serah was calm. Lightning could feel the blood pounding in her ears and felt a bit agitated, but it was Fang that kept her calm for the time being.
Serah and Vanille had both been extremely nervous since coming here, and Lightning wasn't sure why.
Gadot, Yuj, Maqui went back to talking, but Snow was focused on Lightning.
"What's eating you? You seem out of it." Snow said.
"I've been working since 1:30 a.m., running on coffee and a nap." Lightning sighed, "That's what happens when your job is protecting people in Bodhum, not causing a ruckus in a bar." Lightning shot a warning.
Fang looked impressed at that moment, even more so than usual.
"What ruckus? I see no ruckus." Gadot said, "If anyone's causing a ruckus, that'd be you sweet cheeks." He said, noticing Lightning's demeanor grow dark.
"Say that again, and I will kick your butt, just you wait." Lightning warned.
"Gadot seriously, dude. Do not start a fight with Lightning." Snow actually noticed it had been a bad idea to make her mad at that moment.
"You made Serah mad. Now your friend there is making me mad." Lightning growled.
"And do not call my girlfriend 'Sweet Cheeks' again," Fang warned, earning a look from Gadot.
"Everyone needs to calm down," Hope said, getting between them, earning a slightly agitated look from Lightning.
"Stand down, Estheim, that's an order." Lightning ordered bitterly, keeping a relatively cool head.
"Yes, ma'am," Hope replied
"Alright, buddy. You clearly don't know me, and I clearly don't know you. It's not Sweet Cheeks. It's Lightning, and I am Guardian Corps. Call me that one more time, and I will haul your ass to the station before you can say help." Lightning warned.
Realizing her gloves were in her purse, she'd easily pull them on, but decided against it.
Gadot continued to look her way. "Oh yeah, girly?"
"Mhm."
"And I'll get next hit." Fang warned, "I don't care if you guys are regulars or not if I'm on the clock or not." Fang said dryly.
"Gadot dude, knock it off." Yuj sighed.
"Take a walk, big guy." Maqui looked at Gadot.
Lebreau eventually brought drinks for the men and the two women who had been sitting there.
Lightning took a moment to excuse herself to check on Serah and Vanille.
Fang watched Lightning huff and walk outside briefly where Vanille and Serah were sitting. The two were engaged in a meaningful conversation and noticed the sergeant against the rail of the pier.
"What's wrong with you?" Serah asked, noticing her sister huff.
"Your idiot friend Gadot. I'm about ready to punch him into the solar plexus if he thinks he can get away with calling me that nickname again." Lightning said with a growl.
"Don't mind, Gadot. He's just an idiot." Serah sighed.
"Well, he's sort of a self-entitled jerk Serah." Vanille said, glancing at Lightning, "Serah, let's go back inside and get something to eat. I'll split something with you." Vanille offered.
"Yeah, I suppose you are right, Van." Serah sighed, not glancing at Lightning.
Something was wrong, and Lightning didn't know what, but Serah was hiding it, and Lightning would not let her silence go.
"What's wrong, Serah?" Lightning asked the pinkette to glance at her sister.
"Nothing sis. Nothing to worry about." Serah said softly.
"Why don't I buy that?" Lightning asked.
Vanille sighed, "Tell her, Serah. It'll be for the best."
"I got into a fight with Snow, alright? It was over a stupid thing. I love him, but we got hot-headed at each other, and he called me childish, we screamed at each other and dinner was a cover-up to see if it helped us out. I'm sorry tonight was stupid." Serah said, not meeting her sister's eyes.
"Serah, if he hurt you, you need to tell me these kind of things. I know Vanille here is your best friend and all—but…"
"And last time something major like this happened, I didn't want to burden you, especially since you just got home not so long ago," Serah said with a small sigh.
"I might have said some terrible things to you in the past, and I know I made mistakes. However, you need to decide if you want to patch things up with him or not. Dating Fang has taught me a few things. You fight, and then you make up. Believe me, I had a fight with Fang over something stupid when we first started dating." Lightning admits.
"I remember that fight. I wouldn't have called it a fight, but you were pretty agitated." Vanille said, earning an icy blue stare from the elder Farron.
"What I'm trying to say is you need to decide. I've kind of been letting you live your life the way you wanted to live it, but Serah, if you're being hurt, at least tell me." Lightning sighed.
Serah eventually threw her arms around her sister and hugged her tightly, tears were dripping down her sister's face.
"It's okay, Serah," Vanille promised.
"The fight was over jealousy. We were hanging out, and some biker chick at the place we went to the night prior caught Snow's eye. I got so fed up…" Serah sighed.
"And he's going to get beat for hurting you." Lightning said.
Vanille sighed, "That girl would get beat," Vanille grumbled.
"Said it was a friend from his high school, but I don't believe him." Serah sighed.
"Well, if he hurt you, let me hit him, Serah." Vanille suggests, "No, Van. Violence isn't the answer here." Serah said, truthfully, she was right, and Lightning would have said something snarky, but she didn't want to hurt her sister any more than she already had in the past.
"Look, I want what's best for you." Vanille and Lightning both said at the same time.
"And depending on what happens, I'll be there because that's what a best friend does," Vanille said.
"And a good sister." Lightning muttered before arms wrapped around her frame. Serah had buried her head in her sister's chest as Lightning put a hand down her sister's back.
"He's a jerk." Lightning sighed.
"And men are just fleas." Vanille scoffed.
"Alright, hypocrite." Serah mumbled, "I know how you look at Hope, Van." Serah muttered.
"Not being a hypocrite," Vanille muttered, earning a stare from the elder Farron.
"That means probably stop talking about it, Vanille," Serah mumbled.
Lightning knew there was way too much tension in the group tonight. Gadot being a jerk, Snow mistreating Serah and her long day at work, with her ex causing her grief. Lightning sighed before the party entered the bar once more.
Snow looked at Serah, noticing her icy blue eyes fall upon him.
The two girls sat together, and Fang noticed there had been a great deal of tension.
After Lebreau took food orders, finally, Lightning noticed Serah stand up.
Lightning heard the question before she watched Snow and Serah walk outside.
"Alright, someone tell me what's going on. Everyone's so hush-hushed, even you sweet cheeks." Gadot said, looking at Lightning.
Feeling her cheeks grow hot, angry, Lightning stood up and walked towards Gadot placing her hands on the table.
"You want to know something? Last I checked Gadot, that I wasn't part of a mercenary group. Last I checked that I had given you a black eye once before. Last I checked, you are just like a child who can't get their way. You want to know what's wrong? I heard your boss was flirting with another girl while my sister was watching. Now it seems to me that I easily write you a ticket for causing a nuisance in public, but that'd be indecent. However, I got my pad here." Lightning said, pulling it from her purse, writing nonsense down just to rile him up.
"The boss wouldn't cheat on Serah." Gadot said, cold headed.
"That's not what Serah said." Lightning said, keeping a cold head.
"Well, Serah doesn't know anything." Gadot warned, "This is so a perfect Lightbulb mood. You only listen to one side of the story but not the entire thing." Gadot said before standing up.
"And you're just an idiot. You want to stick up for Snow because he's some great leader! You support a jerk." Lightning growled.
"And you're just asking for it, sweet cheeks. Say it to my face because I couldn't hear you." Gadot snarked.
"Say it one more time." Lightning growled.
"Sweetcheeks." Gadot said.
"THAT'S IT!" Lightning growled louder
The two stood up, as Lightning grabbed him by the collar of the shirt, using her smaller frame, she thought of this as an advantage. Before long, Gadot swung at her blindly, quite a bit. Fang could only watch with Vanille as the rest of the NORA boys and Hope looked at the small fight between Lightning and Gadot.
Before long, Lightning and Gadot were throwing blind punches at each other, several were blocked and parried like swords. Before long, Lightning swung and clocked Gadot in the face, watching as he staggered back, Fang held her back after she had done it, and the NORA guys held Gadot. Both were angry, and it was a stupid fight because Lightning noticed Serah and Snow walking back towards the bar.
After Serah came back in, she and Snow held hands, she looked at Gadot who was clutching his face, and her sister, who was clutching her hand tightly with Fang holding her back.
"There was a misunderstanding." Serah said, "I really hope neither of you started a fight…" Serah said with a sigh.
Fang looked at Serah, still keeping her arms around Lightning.
Vanille looked at Hope and the other NORA boys who were holding onto Gadot.
"Why is the bar so quiet?" Snow asked.
Lebreau looked at the two had caused a ruckus in her bar, noticing Lightning's hand was now bruised, and Gadot's face was bruised.
"I didn't stop either of you because you two were just going to act like idiots anyway. You're going to be on dish duty for me until I tell you otherwise, Gadot! You started this fight by calling her that, ex or not, don't be an idiot." Lebreau grumbled.
"Alright, fine." Lightning said, keeping a cool head.
"And that's fine by me." Gadot said with a sigh, "For a girl, you can actually put up a fight." Gadot said, looking at Lightning.
"What news are we listening to, Serah?" Vanille asked cheerfully, still a bit agitated by her sister's girlfriend and the NORA boys.
"Well, I don't know." Serah started, "Snow didn't cheat. That had been a friend of his he used to bike with. A friend of his he had known in the orphanage." Serah said happily, with the biggest smile on her face.
"Well, tonight was supposed to be a joining of friends and family," Snow started looking at the people around him.
"And what does that mean, boss?" the boys asked.
Snow dropped to his knee looking up at Serah as he took her hand in his, "With these two necklaces, which are in the shape of the lost Cocoon, I Snow Villiers, declare my love for Serah Farron. Serah, you had been the only girl I have ever loved, and from this moment, I want these happy friends and family to stand witness as I ask you one question and one question that matters the most to me. Will you marry me?" Snow asked
Serah nodded, "I will! I can't stay mad at you. I love you too much, Snow." Serah said before he picked her up and swung her around, the two looked extremely happy. The engagement necklaces looked nice, but Lightning felt like this had been a big dream.
As Fang took her to the kitchen, the Oerban grabbed an icepack. Several icepacks were kept in case of injuries as Fang grabbed the first aid kit off the wall.
"Luckily, we keep a first aid kit handy, Sunshine. That hand looks extremely bruised. Did you hit him a weird way? I'm surprised you clocked him that hard." Fang said, noticing that Lightning had been shaking.
"I didn't notice." Lightning sighed and made a face when Fang placed the pack on her hand.
Before long, Fang wrapped it with medical tape.
"I thought you were going to say something when he proposed," Fang said between wraps.
"I did too. However, part of me doesn't buy this story. Part of me just wants what's best for Serah. If he said it was a friend, then Serah must have a jealous complex because I've never seen her fiercer over a guy she had been with and other girls." Lightning said, crossing her right arm over her chest.
"Yeah, well, that's also because I'm here to keep you calm. Plus, I enjoyed you clocking that idiot." Fang grinned.
"Do not start calling me sweet cheeks or so help me, Fang." Lightning said with the roll of her blue eyes.
"Never Sunshine," Fang said and tied the end tightly once she had wrapped her fist enough.
"It hurts," Lightning admits.
"That's what you get for punching someone without metal knuckles. You're better at hand to hand long as you have your gloves." Fang admits, before Lightning got off the crate she had been sitting before Fang smiled at her.
"You know, I'm glad you're in my life, though." Fang smiled.
"And I'm happy you're in mine." Lightning smiled standing on her tiptoes and placed her lips against the Oerbans, earning a small noise of surprise from Fang.
"I love you, Fang, my huntress." Lightning said before Fang pressed her forehead to Lightning's.
"And I love you too, Sunshine, my only sunshine," Fang said, returning the kiss.
With a few days off work, Lightning would go to Fang's house after grabbing a few changes of clothes from her home. The night was still young, as the group had shared a shot with Serah as congratulations, however after going back to the house, Lightning grabbed a few changes of clothes to stay with Fang for a few nights.
Upon entering the house with Fang, Lightning confided in the other. There had been a sadness that her little sister had grown up, but Lightning was okay. Though her heart had been a jumble of pieces, Fang had always seemed to glue them together, and that was the most important thing for the grieving sergeant right now.
Fang understood what the night meant for the sergeant and promised to stay with her no matter what. At that moment, Fang had been like a magnet, that Lightning needed more than ever. The two shared a pizza that Fang had gotten delivered. Eventually, the two had entered Fang's room, and that was where they remained together.