A/N: Finally, the second half of chapter 14! Thanks again for all the comments and encouragement. You all are awesome! ^_^
"Whew! It's like a sauna in here!"
The heat wafted thickly out of the front door as Snow walked into Lightning's modest home with a couple bags filled with food stuffs and supplies. Interceptor ran into the house and rolled around on the tiny throw rug by the door. Snow grinned at the dog. "You're sure happy to be home."
He thought he heard her laugh and that made him smile even more. After so many years alone, Lightning had changed. She was still quiet and introverted, but she had lost a lot of the bite she had back then. He liked the old Lightning, but he found he was very partial to the new, more agreeable, Lightning as well.
"I'll turn the air conditioning on. You can just put that stuff down in the kitchen." She called back to him, walking down the hall to the thermostat. Outside the back door, she heard the air conditioning unit hum to life, but it would be a while before it cooled the entire place. Walking past the kitchen, she stopped for a moment in the doorway to admire him as he put the supplies away even though he had no idea where anything went. Taking their bags into her room, she sat them down and began to unpack her own. It felt strange to know he was in the very next room, but even though they weren't literally right besides each other at the moment, there was an addictive undercurrent of sweet static between them.
As she turned to put away her few toiletries, she caught her reflection in the mirror. The last time she had looked into it, Hope had just hastily confessed his feelings for her. She could hardly believe that Hope had known all along that she would be reunited with Snow in Leámonde and not said anything to her. Not to mention that Hope knew Snow was alive and hid that bomb from her as well. To say she was upset at the boy would be an understatement. Lightning wanted to, very literally, knock some sense into his stupid teenage brain. Who did he think he was?
But she could do nothing about it now and attempted to quiet her thoughts.
In the bathroom, she put things away, but something was off. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something seemed missing... or out of place at least. Taking a minute to look around the sink area, she finally realized one of the brassieres she was air drying before the trip to Leámonde was hanging backwards. She only noticed because of the struggle she'd had when she hung it initially.
Though it was odd; she was sure she'd hung it the other way. Shrugging, she pulled it from the hanger and flung it into the closet, hidden away from her handsome house guest.
When she finished unpacking her small valise, she tossed it in the bedroom closet, straightening the bed spread automatically.
For a moment she reflected again on why she had even started to make the bed in the first place. She made it every morning to distract herself from thoughts of loneliness; to maintain some normalcy in a life that was anything but normal. But now...
Reaching down a hand to muss the covers, Snow's voice startled her.
"So this is your room, huh?" smiled Snow, walking in. Turning to look at him, she noted a sheen of sweat over his cheeks as she looked at him. It made her feel even warmer.
She nodded, glancing around the room. "Home sweet -"
In an instant, his lips were crushed heatedly against hers, demanding her full attention. Melting against him, not only because of the unyielding heat, she sunk her hands into his blond locks; twisting and tugging, exactly how she liked it...
Just the way that drove him absolutely crazy. A firm trace from the tip of her tongue against his lips made him shudder and they deepened their feverish kisses, hands groping each other's clothing, pulling up or pushing down barriers. Hooking her fingers underneath the bottom of his dampened shirt, he helped her pull it over and off his body. Panting, Lightning backed him up to the foot of her bed and pushed him down. Straddling his hips with her slim thighs, she lowered her chest to his and stopped a breath away from his lips.
Her mischievous little mouth kissed and teased his, her hands brushed maddeningly over the aroused flesh of his pectorals. The roughness of his stubble on her smooth skin delighted and aroused her, though discovering that he was already delightfully hard did more for her libido and she lowered her clothed centre on him, teasing him with a quick thrust of her hips.
With a playful grin, he slid his hands up the front of her shirt and under her bra, groping the supple swells.
She bit her lip to hold back a gasp, and dipped her head to take a salty nipple past her lips, flicking her tongue around it.
Sensation beat against him like a hurricane from all angles, blanking his brain and threatening to force him into a purely instinctive frenzy. Snow's vision spun, black spots appearing in front of his eyes, lightheadedness swirling menacingly around him. He felt like he was laying in a furnace, though he was unsure if the burning had begun from the inside out or the other way around. All he could feel was her delicious weight on him and heat.
A few seconds later, he woke to the slight sting of her slapping his cheeks.
"Snow. Hey, wake up."
Opening his eyes, she came into focus but he remained disoriented, boiling in his skin.
"Let's get you outside. It's cooler out there for now."
Helping the big lug outside was no small feat. She had helped him once before, many years ago, but she also had another body to support some of his bulk.
They managed to make it out to the back deck, Interceptor bringing up the rear, and she sat him down on a shaded chair. There was a compassionate breeze that stirred the early evening air. He let his head loll backwards, still feeling woozy.
"Ugh, I'm hot. Did I pass out...?" Lightning's curly haired companion was licking the back of Snow's hand.
"Yeah." she scoffed teasingly, standing above him. "I thought you loved the heat."
His neck was uselessly weak, but he managed to pull his head up to look at her. "I do... but that back there was ... a different kind of heat." Pushing his huge legs out in front of him, he reclined, wishing the world would stop its damn spinning.
"I'll say." He barely heard her comment, closing his eyes, concentrating on the breeze that swept over his wet skin. Something was pulling at his feet, and he half grinned thinking it was Interceptor playing with him. Shaking his feet to encourage more play, he heard Lightning's voice from far away. "Stop moving."
Though the feel of her hands working at his pants made him snap to attention. "Hey... what are you doing?" He asked, his own voice prodding at the doozy of a headache beginning to settle over his brain.
"You need to cool down." she said simply, continuing to pull his pants off like it was the most natural thing for her to be doing. Once she folded them sloppily, and tossed them on the wrought iron table, she undressed herself, removing everything but her bra and panties. She felt his stare on her body. This set of underwear were as blue as her eyes. "C'mon, you pervert."
Helping him back on his feet, she slowly guided him to the simple shower on the far side of the deck. Settling his chest against hers, she reached past him to turn the knob that would begin the flow of rainwater. She kept him steady on his feet as sun-warmed water washed away the heat radiating from his pores.
For a brief second Interceptor's bark grabbed her attention as he bolted down the yard and into the trees. It wasn't all that unusual for him to take off after a small animal, but he usually wasn't vocal about it.
Snow could feel the change in him almost instantly. His clouded mind cleared and his headache eased the more that he let the water run over his head and down his back.
After a few minutes, Lightning inquired after his state. "Better...?"
"Much." He must have had a touch of heat exhaustion, and she'd thought enough to get him out into the fresh air and under some cool water. That reminded him that there were other times she'd helped him that he hadn't thanked her for. Pushing his hands through his wet hair, he smiled down into her face. "Thanks."
"Mmhm." When she began to untangle herself from him, he stopped her, his arms begging her silently to stay.
"No. Really. Thank you. I know that it's because of you that I'm still alive." he admitted, tenderly taking her hands to lace their fingers.
"Don't be daft." she said coolly. "You just got a little warm in there, that's all."
His face was serious. "That time when we fell down that damn mountain and into that hole. I was really beat up, wasn't I?"
"Ah, you remember that." Lightning looked away from his face. Anyone would have done the same for him, and even though she knew that she would have gone farther to protect him, she knew even then that he meant more to her than she could ever have imagined.
"How could I forget? I would have died down there without you. I've replayed every single moment between the two of us for the last four years. I've thought about you every day; waiting for you to call and find out that I was alive, hoping for a chance meeting somewhere." He shook his head, realizing the irony of that very statement. Placing her hands over his heart, he hoped she could feel the uncontrolled rhythm that only she could conjure. "I don't know if you ever loved me, but..." he trailed off, brushing dampened tendrils of dark hair from her shoulders, summoning the courage to continue. Touching a soft kiss to her lips, he squeezed her hands, meeting her eyes surely. "I love you, Lightning Farron. I always have and I always will."
Standing, staring blankly at him, the sound of the water trickling from the overhead spout and over their bodies now faint against the workings of her brain, weighing what he had just said to her.
"Lightning...?"
She was speechless, and the only thing that she could think was that he was still calling her Lightning.
"It's Light." She commented, dazed.
He smiled, quickly claiming her lips.
Something within her exploded and once again passion overtook them.
He made short work of her bra, kissing her shoulders now bare of straps. Guarding her against the flow of water, he turned her around, grazing the smooth canvas of her back, winding her hair in his hands to hold it out of the way as he paid due attention to the nape of her neck. Cupping a breast in his hand, he fondled the peak, drawing the first gasp from her. Spurred on, Snow nuzzled her earlobe and let her hair loose making his way down to her waist. Warm water dribbled down his mouth as he lapped at the small of her back. Sliding his hands hands flat underneath the sides of her underwear, he massaged her hips soothingly with his thumbs.
Lightning felt as though her knees would give way, and she didn't have anything to hold on to. As he continued his ministrations around her waist, all she could think about was his hands slipped so casually under the sides of her panties. She wanted him to take them off. The thought of his loving touches against her most intimate place still seemed a bit unnerving, but she wanted to give herself wholly to him. She wanted him to try again. Shifting her weight, she felt her aroused slickness slide independently against the tight blue cotton. Heat gathered there as she clenched involuntarily as need flared.
Placing her hand courageously over his, she shifted again, breaking his hold on her hip. Still under the line of her underwear, she guided his hand where she needed it the most; cupped over her sensitive mound. With a sharp intake of breath she calmed herself as best she could, not letting the fear resurface. She had nothing to be afraid of. No matter what happened in the past, it was the past, and he was her present; her future. He wanted to love both her and her body. He confessed as much.
Snow didn't move his hand at all once it rested against the almost ridiculously slick patch of skin, and at that expense, he felt his own excitement surge. Standing, he pressed against her back comfortingly, wrapping the other arm around her chest to hold her even more securely.
With her hand still on his, she parted her pillowed folds with his fingertips, coating them with her desire.
I can still smell her. That cocky voice resurfaced in Snow's head as he felt her muscles stiffen against him. That piece of trash had humiliated her, but he would make her forget about that monster. His heart commanded that he tighten his hold on the woman he loved, closing his eyes.
Forcing herself to relax against his hand she closed her eyes and leaned into him. Clinging to his hand, she almost couldn't let go, but eventually she dropped both of her hands to her sides, leaving him to shoulder her weight entirely.
Please let me help her...
"Light..." he huffed breathlessly against her ear. "Are you sure...?"
She simply nodded, waiting for him to begin.
And begin he did; slowly and with no sign of hesitation.
She fed off his sureness; his confidence. With him she always felt safe.
A huge sigh of relief laced with eager thrill was was expelled as the weight of old shame was lifted from her chest.
That's the brave girl I know... now let me take care of you.
Soon Lightning was lost in the moment, her mind whitewashed with every wave of intense carnal indulgence. Snow played her body like a well-loved instrument, forcing her hips to roll intuitively, one second pressing against his hardness behind her; the next assisting his thick fingers which sought to call forth her sweet sounds of pleasure. Letting her head fall backwards onto his shoulder, he calmly kissed her throat as water rushed over her body, not providing any relief from the burning inside.
And it would only get deliciously worse for her before it got better.
Turning her to face him, he quickly rid her of her panties, she herself almost unaware of how or when he did it, only knowing that she wanted his attention back in the worst possible way. Happening upon her again, he hooked a silken leg around his body, and her arms around his neck, working a hand in between them to continue his skilled actions.
This time he spent a short time teasing her swollen lips and instead eased a slippery finger inside her, seeking her mouth to greedily swallow her broken voice mid-moan. His own need strained against his sopping wet underwear, driving him to push her over the edge. Setting a slow, deliberate rhythm, it only took a moment for her to grow accustomed to his sensual invasion. Expectedly, she was tight, but he pressed on within her as she panted into his mouth, squirming like he had only ever fantasized she could. With eyes squeezed shut, she murmured his name like a hymn, clutching his shoulders to stop from collapsing to the ground.
Pressure built as his stout digit curled wickedly, stroking some previously untouched place within her.
Nurturing the exquisite passage that would lead to her eventual break, he held her against him, free hand in her hair, mouthing breathless words of adoration and encouragement. Lightning deserved everything he could give her; everything he had to offer. Snow would be her faithful and ever present slave if that's what she wished for him to be. For her, he would gladly be her servant, ally, hero; even conqueror if she asked. He would see to it that he'd keep her near for the rest of their lives.
She grew still and quiet for a mere moment; breath caught up somewhere inside her, and he picked up the obviously effective pace, enthralled by the smallest movement flickering over her features.
With a strangled cry she flung her head back, her core pulsating around him as she shattered in his arms, knees finally giving out.
Kissing her collarbone as she rode out the intensity, he let her body naturally dispel him. Boneless and quivering in his arms, he turned the tap off, picking her up to carry her back in the – hopefully somewhat cooled off – house. Even his knees were a bit shaky, but her weight was always a pleasure to tote, and his easy strength allowed him to do so effortlessly.
Once in the house, he took her back to the bedroom and sat her on the bed. Droopy eyes watched him as he retrieved a few folded towels from her connecting bathroom. Using one to dry her off with and one to help dry her hair, he tended to her tenderly without a single expected objection muttered. Even when he untied the soaked piece of black fabric from around her bicep she didn't utter a complaint. Unfolding it, he draped it over the lamp next to the bed.
Lightning could hardly hardly sit up, let alone think. What Snow had gifted her with had been so earth-shattering, she was left unable to speak as he wiped her dry and put her into bed. She had given herself completely to him; been utterly unguarded for once in her whole life. He smashed every wall she possessed and they'd both been rewarded for it.
For the first time ever she felt as though everything she had been put through was worth it to be with him now.
Once tucked away in the bed, she watched him cross the room and open his suitcase. Pulling out a familiar blanket, he unfurled it and draped it over her. She recognized it almost instantly. It was her childhood quilt from her home in Bodhum. Tucking her in, he turned to remove his own underwear and dry off, only his nude backside displayed to her.
"Why... do you have this...?" she pulled the blanket to her nose and inhaled nostalgically. It smelled like home and made her want to be back in Bodhum badly.
"I... uh... bring it with me when I travel..." he commented quietly. "It's kind of like having you with me."
The generous curve of his creamy, sun deprived, but finely chiseled, backside drew her attention away from the conversation, but she added a cheeky "That's kind of creepy..." which made him chuckle. She admired the deep dimples just above his cheeks and the smooth slightly dented sides. It was both charming and alluring, just like the rest of him.
As a yawn forced her eyes shut, she felt him hop into bed and gather her up in his arms, a satisfied grin pasted across his mouth. "But now you can have it back. I don't need it when I have the real thing."
Feeling her way around his chest, she smiled at his honest flattery, tucking herself into his embrace. Staring silently out the long window of the room, she saw the fiery sky brought upon by dusk, but for the first time in years she felt no pain in her heart. No fierce longing; no gaping chasm.
Everything she wanted was right here.
"Gil for your thoughts?" he asked quietly, nuzzling her ear, tracing a fingertip lazily around the base of her throat.
"I..." she started, not knowing exactly what she wanted to say. "I'm... happy."
Returning his hand to her hair, he kissed the crown of her head affectionately. "Me too."
When she woke again, the moon was high in the sky, spilling its glow proudly into her bedroom. She heard Interceptor's low growl at the bare window, wondering fleetingly what he was on about, but soon a satisfying realization settled around her.
Snow Villiers was in her bed.
She and he were wrapped around each other, legs tangled, his rough hand splayed comfortably across her belly, the other one somewhere under his head. Rolling over to look at him, she caressed his rough but calm face, her fingers dancing over his cheeks and nose and finally lingering in his trademark pale hair. A strong thigh remained wedged between her legs, pressing against her sensitive centre, reminding her of the selfless love he'd shown her earlier.
Selfless indeed.
The only physical indication she noticed betraying him of the fact that he was just as aroused as she was, was the imposing thickness she rubbed against while he brought her to climax. Glancing down at the bed sheet, Lightning realized that she had not actually seen his member, and now curiosity trickled into her fingertips. Sitting, staring, she warred with herself. Surely a little peek wouldn't hurt, and he'd never know. In the soft glow of the evening, she could just pull back the sheet...
Snow usually slept like a rock, but he wasn't tired. He'd been laying there awake for a long while, listening to the sound of her even breathing and the cute little sounds she made in her sleep. If he wasn't concentrating on that, he was replaying the last two days in his head, more specifically he concentrated on the way she made him feel and the sense of contentment that had settled in his heart since he saw her that first morning...
He would have been lying if he said that he wasn't upset at her abrupt halt to that night's intimate encounter, but only because he wanted to brutally murder the piece of filth that had dared touch his girl. He was certain that he could bring her around and actually it hadn't taken as long as he thought it could have; for that he was thankful. Snow might have seemed intimidating to some and stupid to others, but he was really neither. Those who knew him gave him all the credit he deserved, but Lightning hadn't been around him for years to know what kind of man he had turned out to be. Little did she know that when he was around her, he was hers.
When she awoke in his arms and twisted around to tactility examine his face, he maintained his sleeping facade, attempting to keep his surging heart at bay and his mouth from twitching into a smile. Her touch did the most interesting things to him, but most of all, it made him crave more, so when she ceased her caresses, he cracked an eye open. Biting his lip to stay quiet, he watched the back of her tilted head as she slowly and almost painfully, drew back the thin layer of cotton covering his manhood. Feeling almost embarrassed, he knew he was still agonizingly hard from thinking about her, and she was about to witness it. Feeling the cool air swirl around his newly exposed body, he saw her posture stiffen, and he slammed his eyelids shut hoping to not be discovered.
Deprived of his sense of sight, he could smell the sweet scent of her hair and skin as she crawled up his body, pressing slow languid kisses all over his upper torso. Her lips felt a bit rough when they ghosted over his skin and he smiled inwardly at the thought of the myriad of kisses they had shared drying them out. Short nails tickled his sides, sliding their way down his belly, looping around his navel, gliding ever lower.
When the silky pad of a single finger ran the entire length of his shaft, it took all that he had to not thrust against it to seek more and instead he stirred, feigning sleep, though allowing himself a small sound of pleasure. "...Light?"
Her head snapped to attention, dark lashes and shadow concealing her eyes as she drew her hands away from him.
The slivers of moonlight played in her black hair, her skin paling slightly beneath them and once again he was lost in the beauty of her. She could never understand what he saw when he looked at her. The most perfect of creatures, the most loved and treasured of all people; an innocent temptress who knew not what she did to him.
He felt warmness creep onto his cheeks, clearing his throat awkwardly. "You don't have to stop."
Her pink lips were the only part of her face that wasn't shadowed and he caught them twist in a playful smile, eliciting an interested twitch from his nether regions.
Creeping her delicate hand back towards his length, she continued to touch him in soft, slow caresses, driving him mad. When he thought he couldn't take anymore of her teasing, intended or not, he took her hand and wrapped it around his aching girth, though he knew he'd not be able to take much of that type of activity.
Watching her pump him experimentally a few times, the restrained thrusting of his hips and throaty murmurs heralded his sensual ascent. In a quick motion, her hands were free of his arousal and she straddled his hips, her hot slickness all but melted around him. Eyes screwed shut again, he gasped loudly at the new flood of sensation, clutching her backside to keep her still, but somehow she managed to rub against him.
Plunged into bliss over and over as Lightning sat astride him, she anointed him with her unique fragrance.
Shaking his head manically, Snow's breath came in ragged pants as he flipped her over onto her back. "I can't.. handle.. that." The rush of air between his legs cooled the scorching desire she'd left behind and he shuddered, desperately needing to regain control. With her, he didn't have to wonder how he'd lost it so quickly. The scent of her hung thick in the air around them, tempting him to bury himself within her without restraint, but somehow he kept a sliver of his composure.
Wrapping her limbs around him, she pulled him down to her to meet in a lingering kiss. Arching her back, she slyly drug herself over his shaft, coaxing another breathy moan from him.
Pinning her firmly against the bed, he held her gaze, fingers walking down past her glinting navel and into the sparse nest of curls between her legs. His lady was already sopping wet, but when he pressed a finger into her body, he realized she was no more loose than before.
Without another thought, all that drove him was the desire to have her join him at the very edge where he stood so that they may tumble into that fleeting sublime pleasure together.
Pushing irregularly into his hand, a variation of unabashed half-words and strangled sounds pleased his ears as he played with her. Sprinkling kisses over her chest, mouthing a nipple, suckling on the supple skin of her breasts, he dared to leave a tiny mark, as a candle would be lit in a cathedral; proof that he'd worshipped there.
"Snow... please."
At the sweet sound of his name, he looked up at her, slowing his motions.
Seeing the blatant need on her face spoke far louder than words ever could.
She had had enough, but was ready for more.
Without hesitation, he unwrapped her legs from around him, parting them fully with bent knees and slid a slick hand against the small of her back.
Only now did unsteady nervousness travel down his arm as he guided himself to her glistening entrance, watching her face as he slipped the very tip inside.
Unexpectedly, he met resistance. His eyebrows furrowed before his thoughts caught up to him, surprise crossing his face.
So this is why she was so tight.
Lightning knew it too, but she hadn't told him. Honestly, after the shameful violation of her body in Nautilus she actually wondered if she could still be a virgin, but the pressure between her legs as he poked bluntly at her maidenhead confirmed that that part of her was still intact.
She never desired any other man's touch in her life. The only time she entertained thoughts like that had been when she was with him, and back then he was promised to another... but not anymore.
Lightning nodded resolutely.
Keeping himself barely inside, he leaned forward to distract her with a passionate kiss.
"Wait, wait! Stop!" she pleaded breathlessly, pushing her hands against his chest.
Snow snapped into complete awareness, checking his depth within her and where his hands and knees were to make sure he wasn't hurting her. "Light? What is it...?"
He watched her swallow tightly and look away from him, her face becoming unlined and smooth.
Maybe she wasn't ready.
"We can stop. It's ok if you're not ready." He said reassuringly.
"I am ready. Just..."
Snow couldn't have been any more confused if he had been sitting in one of his high school physics classes. He hated how unreadable she could become in an instant.
"I love you." She blurted out.
Snow raised an eyebrow.
"What...?" He had already accepted the fact that it may a long while before Lightning could say such a thing to him. It was a proven fact she wasn't very good with feelings, and he no longer wanted to wait, but by no means did he want her to say it to him just because he said it to her.
His expression shifted from confusion to understanding. "You don't have to say it just to make me happy..."
"I'm not, so just shut up!" she almost growled.
He carried out her command and shut his mouth.
Watching her pull herself up, she wrapped her arms around his broad chest. Once again she told him, but the words were nary a whisper.
Hugging her tightly to him for a long comfortable moment, he clenched his eyes shut, feeling as though he might burst with all sorts of nameless emotion.
They had so much time to do all sorts of things together; their futures and their lives would now be filled with and by one another, but right now Snow wanted to share himself with her. Hearing those words from her lips made him want to possess her and offer all of himself to her in return.
Laying her back down on the bed, he returned to her reciprocating lips, waiting to feel the slight tension drain from her. Once he felt her meld against him, he thrust firmly past the barrier, plunging into her waiting heat.
A small hiss of pain and sharp intake of breath into each other's mouths found them voluntarily still. He'd heard that the first time hurt, but of course he had no idea. He did know, although, that being inside her was almost the best thing he'd ever experienced.
Covering her face with quick, affectionate kisses, he whispered not formed words, but sounds intended to soothe.
Her hands skimmed over his skin, pressing into his backside requesting movement.
He obliged, holding no illusion that he could have done anything different.
Watching her face eagerly, Snow began slow but confident movements, every motion stretching her to accommodate his thickness. Pulling his head to hers, Lightning brought her open mouth against his, moaning what might have been his name, sensation overcoming her.
Snow had to fight to not get lost in the shared experience. He hadn't been expecting it or her to feel so good. She was unbelievably tight around him as he tried to maintain some semblance of pace.
There had been the slightest bit of pain in the beginning, quickly being replaced with impossible pleasure as Snow moved inside of her. Unsure of what to do from her place below her blond lover, she rocked her hips against his, contributing to the mysterious but natural rhythm she had been entirely uneducated about this morning. Quickly, Lightning was on auto-pilot, at the mercy of blown senses and mania caused by his amazing heat between her legs.
Soon he picked up the pace, rolling his hips against hers, their flesh meeting noisily, suggestive sounds originating from their deep connection. Kneeling, he gripped her hips and pulled her forward to meet him firmly, watching her swollen breasts slide over her chest with every thrust.
No words were spoke, save her name from his lips and his from hers. Moaned in every octave possible, slowly, quickly, passionately, desperately. Sometimes syllables were slurred into a flat, breathless pant or a bodily grunt.
The last two days had been ones of reunion and of firsts; for both of them. It wasn't something he readily talked about with anyone. It had been a bit awkward to have to admit that he was in his mid-twenties and still a virgin. He had been given plenty of opportunities, but he'd taken none; instead stopping before 'sealing the deal'. He had experiences with other forms of pleasure, but he hadn't found anyone worth doing this with. Maybe he was a little old fashioned, but he always thought that intercourse should be reserved for people that he loved... and he, without reservation or hesitation or doubt loved Lightning Farron.
Only recently the heady mix of that love, running together with lust and passion like a blood red shirt in with the white laundry, coloured everything he felt and saw. Though as amazing as everything was feeling, he refused to let himself climax before she did. Watching her writhe at the end of him would be his final undoing; she looked like she was very much enjoying herself, but she wasn't where he wanted her to be.
Pulling herself into his lap, she straddled him easily, working tirelessly, possessed as she demanded his lips lock with hers. He fondled her tight backside as they neared the sweet summit he wanted to plummet over in tandem.
"Light... I'm gonna... uh..." Snow panted a warning to his temptress. She had her legs locked tightly around him in ecstasy, not letting up. "Light...! Stop...!"
There wasn't enough sensation to and she pushed him down into the bed, not unlike how they began their tryst, keeping him inside of her.
And all Snow could do was hang on and try to keep from losing himself until he felt the tell-tale clench of her imminent orgasm.
Quickly she found a satisfying place to grind herself on, not keeping him waiting too long, although things weren't going according to his plan. He was desperate to release, but he didn't want to do it inside of her. He honestly hadn't thought of an alternative plan if she got on top of him and he was unable to get out of her before the end.
"I don't wanna..." Snow groaned, his brain unable to form a complete sentence and his voice unwilling to carry it out. "...inside you..." The sensation was at a breaking point and quickly passing the point of no return; he'd have to get out now or there would be no getting out.
"St...ay..." she breathed raggedly, never letting up on his body, twisting on him mindlessly, her fingertips digging into the hard muscle of his abdomen. His battle-hardened hands on her waist supported her weight above him as he added his own delirious collisions with her body to bring her along. Moaning into the empty luminous room, her hands gripped his sides, stopping suddenly. Quietly meeting his gaze for a split second before her voice shattered, she tossed her head back in a wild flourish of midnight black and silver waves.
Fighting to keep his eyes open to watch her succumb as she slipped over the edge, the rhythmic clamping of her around his aching, forcefully reined in manhood, sent him hurling off the precipice behind her.
Through clenched teeth, he growled lowly in his chest, feeling himself jerk and pulsate in her heat as she still cried out in rapture atop him.
Refusing to expel him from her body, she collapsed a trembling mess on her trusted lover, passion quelled for the time being.
Lightning had dreamt that night.
A record of her life; loves and losses, parents and friends, joys and sorrows being flashed in front of her slumbering eyes. Somehow she felt disconnected from it, like it wasn't her, as if she were witnessing someone else's life, but knew what would be around the next curve.
The only time she didn't feel like an outsider during the predictable memoir was when she saw his face. Snow Villiers; the man she hated once, then loved more than anything. She felt such peace when she looked at him.
She suspected it was the product of a big ego, but whenever she was anywhere near him she felt revered. Surpassing her wall of cold and aloofness, he treated her as a most beloved Goddess, her single blond subject honouring her with kisses and touches and soft words.
Then there was blood.
And his voice.
I will find you.
Lightning's eyes snapped open to darkness.
Not moving, she only shifted her eyes to glance around under a heavy curtain of hair. She was face down in her pillow, posed somewhat immodestly, but sinfully comfortable. Parting the dark curtain, she looked around the room from her place in the cottony cloud, tantalizing scents floating past her nose, prompting her to forget all about the dream.
"And to hell with making the bed today." She declared to the empty room, seeing the black cloth on her bedside lamp.
Smiling impishly, she snatched it and draped it over her head, pushing her face farther into the pillow. Closing her eyes again, she heard Snow's deep voice carry from the kitchen. He could play the hell out of a piano, but he sure couldn't sing.
Snow was standing shirtless in the kitchen cracking eggs into a heated pan, humming lively. Flourishing and tossing utensils in the air, breaking into song as he caught them with pizazz, he was sure that he had never been so happy in all his life.
Lightning Farron, Claire, Averia, Light... perhaps soon the future Mrs. Villiers lay asleep in the next room. Pulling a black silk box out of his pocket, he went to the prepared table and turned her empty coffee mug over to conceal it and grinned, dusting his hands.
Last night had been amazing, and the last couple days had been more than he'd ever dare hope for. He had no idea what state he would find her in once he did, but now all his fears had dissipated. He had every confidence that he could shower her in his love and give her anything and everything she needed.
Snow was giddy, practically skipping around the kitchen like a little girl, but stopped in his tracks, noticing that Light was leaning in the doorway wearing nothing but his oversized t-shirt.
He stood stunned, unable to take his eyes from her wild hair and long silky legs. The same silky legs that had wrapped around his waist, galvanizing his resolve as he made love to her last night; the moon - and maybe her dog he realized - were the only witnesses. His gaze must have betrayed his more lust-driven thoughts, as she blushed and shifted her weight.
"Good morning..." he grinned, trying to look less predatory and more gentlemanly.
"I didn't know you cooked..." Lightning said casually, crossing the room to sit in front of her place-setting. She assumed it was where he intended for her to sit, due to the regularly used upside down coffee mug.
Snow returned to the stove, flipping the contents of the pan showingly, offering her a charismatic wink. "It appears there is a lot you don't know about me."
This brought some heat to her cheeks, remembering pointedly the way he had manipulated her body with various parts of his own. "I smell coffee..." she started weakly, looking around, reaching out to turn her mug right-side up.
"Wait!" shouted Snow, a little excitedly, the pan slamming down on the stove top. His interruption had its desired effect, as she stopped her reach and eyed him quizzically. "Let... me get that for you..."
Ah hell! Shoulda known she'd want coffee. Under the coffee mug. How dumb can I be?
Panicked, he wasn't sure what to do, but he couldn't turn back now. Instead of crossing the room to retrieve the coffee, he sat down stiffly across from her and began to speak.
"Hey... uh there's something I wanted to talk to you about..."
"Can I have some coffee first...?" she mumbled. Her mind wasn't sharp, still groggy after the late night activity. Raking a hand through her tousled hair, she yawned.
Not hearing her request, he plowed on, digging deeply for some courage. "In Nautilus... at that hotel. I saw that you signed my name in the registry..."
Lightning was glad that she wasn't looking at him, or else she would have had to divert her eyes. She muttered something under her breath, feeling utterly foolish that he had discovered that.
"What?" He noticed her uncomfortable posture.
"I never thought that you'd find out..." she admitted quietly. "I thought you were..."
Taking her hand in one of his own, he beckoned her downcast gaze with a soft hand under her chin.
She snorted stubbornly, trying to pull her chin away with a quick snap of her head, but he held her in place with a large thumb, shaking his head softly. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. I just ..." Snow was unsure of where the temporary surge of courage came from, but it was ebbing quickly. Pulse racing in his ear, he sat his hand over the bottom of the mug.
He took a deep breath and continued, unsure of what to say next. He had planned out a speech having to do with the name in the book and how he wanted to share that name with her indefinitely if she'd have him... but such words didn't surface. Maybe he felt they were too corny, he didn't know, but heroes didn't need plans anyway, right? He wanted to sound completely sincere, and no better way to do that than to speak from his heart, even if he bumbled and tripped over the words, she'd know they were honest.
"No matter where I was or what I was doing over these last years without you, I could only ever remember how you looked those nights that you allowed me a glimpse of who you really were."
With a quivering hand, he lifted the painted ceramic cup and sat it aside, taking the black box in hand. Opening the tiny case to quickly discard it, he removed a shimmering adornment. The facets of crystal shattered the afternoon rays of light, refracting rainbow glints all over her face as she leaned in to examine the item in his cupped hands. Looking closer at the oddly shaped piece of beauty, she came to realize it was not oddly shaped at all; in fact it was just the opposite. It was perfectly shaped, for encased in the cool layer of crystal was the familiar flower of their past.
"I found this one..." he said absently, not considering it to be important now where it came from. It had found its way back to the woman it should be with.
"Averia..." She whispered, spellbound.
Picking it up in his thick fingers, he took his time securing it in her charcoal hair, exactly where he had placed it after she hadsaved his life.
How exactly he could have procured such an item ran through her mind. She had an old, now dry blossom pressed in the pages of a precious book, but this most certainly was not the same one. The other flower she had risked life and limb for had disappeared shortly after it had been plucked. She thought she'd lost it and was sad about it. Those little silver flowers had meant so much and yet like everything in her life she cared about, she lost it. Surely this had to be the same one, but she didn't know how it managed to find its way into his hands, and now back into her hair.
"Is that what it's called?" Snow traced down her softened jawline thoughtfully. "Where have I heard that before...?"
"That's the name I used after I came back to work for Amodar..." She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.
"...When you didn't want to be found..." sighed Snow, feeling another stab of long-delayed remorse. So many things would be different right now if he had found her standing in the kitchen instead of Serah and Maqui after his resurrection.
Another surge of impassioned courage welled within him. He would ask her now; he wouldn't wait. "I don't want to ever be without you again!"
Her eyes fluttered open as he grasped her hands urgently, searching his face.
"Light. Will you -"
An urgent knock came from the front of the house, and Lightning looked towards the sound, her face creasing with an old concern.
She knew this day would come, she just wasn't sure when. Lightning knew there could only be one person who waited for her on the other side of the door.
And yet, what about the man in front of her?
Snow cursed quietly under his breath as his lover stood. He'd had enough of interruptions. "Don't go..." he almost pleaded, grabbing her hand, his stomach flipped strangely. The gentleness he'd come to admire over the last couple days disappeared, replaced with what he was sure to be her famous facade.
"I gotta get that. It's probably work." She lied to his face. She also had a feeling things weren't going to end well for Hope.
In a rare gesture, she bent and placed a lingering kiss against his forehead. "I won't be long."
Once out of sight, she strode with furious intent towards the front door and flung it open.
Before her stood the usual suspect; young Hope Estheim.