Let's Never Speak About This Again

Summary: There are three things certain about alcohol: the dizzy feeling of inebriation, the lack of control, and the healthy dose of regret that comes after it wears off. Snow is reminded of this the hard way.

AN: Wow, it's been forever since I've written anything in any fandom. After playing FFXIII, this idea came to me and wouldn't leave me alone. Since I haven't played the sequel yet (and have no money for a new game), this piece just assumes whatever happens in that game didn't happen. Have fun reading!

Snow looked down at his half-finished Whiskey. Throughout the years, he'd never been much for drinking, but there was something special about the amber liquid that felt so perfect flowing down his throat, the light burn providing the edge, reminding him that beyond the fuzzy vision, he felt fully alive. That alone was what he craved. After thinking about it for a mere two seconds, he took another sip, relishing in the feeling he felt moments afterward.

After the familiar burn wore off, he scanned the surroundings of the bar. When he moved his head, the edges of his vision blurred, and his head felt as if water existed where his brain once was. The disconcerting feeling was one he'd felt before, but it didn't change how outright strange it felt every time it happened to him.

Slowly standing up, he looked over where Serah stood, giggling and talking with her older sister. While Serah had this positively glowing smile plastered across her face, Lightning never changed. Stoic, calm, and almost-perpetually-dissatisfied as always. He smirked; how did they ever convince Lightning to go to this bar with them? Never mind the fact they were celebrating his fiancée's birthday (…twenty? Or was it twenty-one? He knew one of them had to be the alcohol talking, but he couldn't figure out which one), Lightning never made herself a part of the social ring.

…and there she was. Drinking some sort of alcohol, something red in a tumbler with ice. With how little he knew about different drinks, who knew what she was drinking? Why did it matter?

He chuckled to himself as he took another sip of his whiskey and looked at Serah. He wholeheartedly believed she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, with her beautiful hair, eyes, shining disposition… everything about her seemed perfect in his eye. Nothing could possibly taint that image. As he allowed his inebriated mind wander, he thought of one night, just two days prior, looking down at her glistening face, her lips parted slightly, her eyes lightly closed in exertion, her hair fanned out across the blue bed sheets…

…no. Snow shook his head back and forth a few times to clear his mind of that image. While he obviously appreciated the memory, he didn't need to think of it at a public bar crowded with other people.

After another sip of his whiskey trickled down his throat, he saw one of the sisters walk off, going through the bar's front door. He figured it had to be Lightning… her patience was probably strained very thin after the brief time they'd been there. She always did hate crowds and noise. He was just grateful he hadn't been present at the time. To this day, she still didn't fully accept him, and remained more likely to punch his left jaw again out of frustration. Subconsciously, he rubbed that area of his face. Last time, just a few days prior, she'd gotten him real good after an accidental comment about Serah's… ability. He sighed. He really didn't want to deal with that again, ever.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

Serah stood there alone, turning her head once or twice, probably looking for something. Maybe him. He grinned at the thought, knowing that Serah genuinely loved him, even if she was drunk and probably needed to be taken home. After polishing off the last of his fourth whiskey of the night, he heard the tumbler hit the table with a satisfying clang. He grabbed a few gil out of his pocket for tip, and slowly rose from his barstool.

He definitely felt the alcohol now, the dizzy feeling intensifying as he reached his full standing height. Careful, making sure not to trip over his own boots, he walked over to where Serah stood, sloppily placing his arms over her shoulders. He could have sworn that he felt her stand slightly straighter as he did this, and she quickly turned around. Overcome with the beauty of her hair, fanning outward in loose pink waves with the momentum of her motion, he immediately bent down to kiss her.

She started out reluctant, although he couldn't figure out why, but after five or so seconds, she began to reciprocate. She mustn't have been expecting that, he thought. He loved the taste of her mouth: some sort of fruity taste from the mixed drinks she'd had that night, the alcohol itself, peppermint from her lip balm, and some underlying taste, something distinctly feminine he couldn't even place when sober.

This continued for maybe thirty seconds, tops, before he began moving his hands with a more adventurous intent. Slowly, the right arm which had been resting on her shoulder began moving down. His hand brushed against the side of her neck on its trek further down, enjoying the soft contours of her upper chest as his hand glazed her collarbone, and finally coming to its final destination on her left breast.

He always remained in awe of how completely perfectly she fit into his palm. He was slightly surprised she allowed him to continue this far. Normally, she completely hated public affection, especially when it became too intimate for her tastes. Regardless of her opinions on the matter, he normally did things anyway, just to push her buttons and watch the flustered expression on her face, her cheeks lightly tinged pink. After just a brief amount of time appreciating what remained completely his, he lightly squeezed it, just wanting to savor the moment a tad longer while he still could, before she would pull away. As expected, he felt her move away slightly from him…

…before feeling something smash into the jaw he'd rubbed earlier.

What. The. Hell.

He was just about to open his mouth in shock to say something, just as the sobering effects of the pain began to kick in, before he realized those weren't Serah's eyes staring back at him.

"L-Lightning?"

"How dare you try something on me, Snow! After everything I've put up with between you and Serah, and all of the allowances I've made…"

"Hold on. Let me explain…" Snow began, holding his hands up in a placating motion, trying to calm the situation before they got worse… if they even could be.

"What kind of explanation would you have for that?" Lightning's voice bordered on near-murderous, with her eyes reflecting the same smoldering tone she spoke with. Her lips curled back slightly, revealing her teeth. Although she rarely showed her teeth to anyone outside of Serah, they accentuated the pure anger radiating from her small form.

He shook his head, trying to clear it of the remaining cobwebs left by the decent quantity of alcohol he'd had that evening. His vision still swam as he moved, but it was obvious it had worn off slightly.

"I thought you were Serah."

"That's the best you could come up with? How many other women have you done that to, Snow? Do you think I'm not going to tell Serah I now have evidence you've probably cheated on her?"

"I didn't see you trying to escape when I kissed you."

Lightning stood there in shock. He saw her jaw drop slightly. "I… I guess I… um…" She began. He hadn't seen her this flustered in quite a long time, the last time being when she accidentally walked in on him and Serah having a little bit of fun. Not too much, of course, they'd only been together a few months. She sighed before beginning, "I had, and still do, have quite a bit of alcohol in me." He watched as she swayed in place slightly. No wonder she was this talkative. "I wasn't expecting it, and I didn't realize who you were until I opened my eyes after you violated me." The disdain in her voice was obvious.

"Look, sis, I'm really sorry about that. You look so much like Serah, especially after a few drinks, it didn't even occur to me that you might be the one still here. Where did she go, anyway?"

"She spilled on her blouse." Lightning clearly stated as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ah." Snow confirmed. "Look, Light, I would never willingly cheat on Serah. I love her too much, okay? From the back, you look way too much like her."

"Fine, whatever. If you cheat on her again, willingly or not, you'll have my combat knife to answer to."

Snow audibly gulped. "Yeah, sis, I get it."

"Good."

"…And Lightning?"

"Hmm?"

"Let's never speak about this again, alright?" Snow slightly pleaded. The last thing he needed was this to reach Serah's ears.

"Fine," Lightning said, walking to the door. Just as she was about two steps away from leaving, Serah burst back in, this time, wearing a white blouse with lace on the collar and bottom.

"Hi sis! Having fun?" To Snow, it was apparent the amount of alcohol she'd consumed hadn't filtered out of her system whatsoever. He hoped she wouldn't have too much more, else she'd be praying to the porcelain gods for the rest of the night. Serah looked over at him. "Did I miss anything?" She innocently asked.

Lightning and Snow made eye contact. For now, some kind of understanding passed between them with that glance. Snow spoke up after a mere second.

"Nope, let's have some fun."