seeking solace; au
For much of her life, Lightning had dealt with any hardships on her own. There was no one to turn to when her mother died, and she couldn't burden Serah with her thoughts while they were struggling, since she believed it would have made things worse.
Even when Hope had come along and moseyed his way into her life, she rarely shared her pain with him. He knew about her past - enough, anyway - but she always elegantly avoided any questions he had about it. The past was the past. It should stay there, she thought.
But when she got the call from the hospital - she couldn't make out the exact words, but Serah and accident were involved - Lightning felt all of that self-hatred come back to get her. Not only could she not save her parents, but now she couldn't even protect her sister.
Whether Hope could sense this or not, she didn't know, but he was there. In the haze that followed of getting to the hospital, seeing Serah all bruised and battered, and being forcibly kicked out because visiting hours were over, concerned green eyes were the only constant.
He didn't ask. He didn't pry. He was simply there.
Maybe all along, this was all she'd really needed. Lightning had been in a few relationships prior to Hope, but none of them had ever really been there for her like he was, with no questions asked.
It was because of his unexpected kindness towards her during her worry that she just let go, letting herself willingly fall into his waiting, comforting arms, trying to hide the quiet sobs that shook her body. In the back of her mind, she was in disbelief that such a display of emotion hadn't scared him off.
Maybe it was because she was meant to be here, and he'd become the shield for her self-loathing.