A/N- Hey there ladies and gents. I'm back with another chapter; this takes place during Noctis' and Lightning's day out. This chapter will reveal Lightning's past along with the introduction of a very important character. This chapter will be a bit different due to the fact that it's told in Noctis' point of view so please keep that in mind. But before I get you guys to start reading there is one thing I would like to explain.

Although Light and Noct are very touchy and intimate with each other at times they are doing it for the sake of being poking fun at each other and flirting. They are merely attracted to each other. For more serious situations where they display intimacy with each other it is out of them caring for one another, thus showing hints of future romance. They will not leap into a relationship right away due to the fact that they care and respect each other far too much. They both want time to really get to know each other, before things get romantic and relationship like.
* I also enjoy writing about them teasing each other (it's quite fun) since they are not in a relationship yet there is no 'crossing the line' or 'obligations' to one another as opposed to if they were a couple (but then again that could be just how I think).*

Once again I would like to thank all of the reviewers for their kind and encouraging words. I really really really do appreciate every single one. It makes me feel happy inside knowing that you guys enjoy it. Without further delay I present to you chapter three

Noctis' POV

"So a date huh? With Lightning?"

"No, not a date Prompto and yes with Lightning." I growled back.

"If it's not a date then what is it?"

"I'm just going out… with a friend."

"Pfft, yeah okay Noctis, friends."

"Well believe what you want, I'm out of here."

"Good luck~" Prompto wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"You know what? I think I hate you." I confessed as I closed the door behind me. I heard a snicker behind the door, probably Prompto laughing his ass off. Work has been tough lately, not so much that it's difficult but more so that it seems endless. I mean day after day paperwork keeps flooding into my office. Wake up, get ready, eat, drive to the company, and sit down, work, work and work. Then when I get home I eat, work, work and work some more. I've been surviving on microwave meals, lots of water and about three hours sleep every night. I was hoping to catch some Z's today on my day off, but when Light asked to hang out I couldn't say no. I'd be the biggest idiot ever if I turned her down. Even still though, there's nothing that I want to do more right now than to catch some Z's. I'm so stressed. I hope today goes well. If it doesn't then my brain is definitely going to self destruct.

Walking down the street I greeted my neighbors as I passed with a friendly smile, small wave or a simple good morning. As tired as I was I tried my best to not look like the undead, because I'm pretty sure that I look awful right now. Ah well even if I do look like a zombie I'll be a sort of happy looking one. It was a really hot day. I know it was three weeks into the summer season, but still this heat is ridiculous. The sun was mercilessly beating down today and it was starting to get to me. I grabbed the bottom hem of my shirt and fanned it causing a subtle breeze to cool my abdomen.

"Good morning Noctis" I turned to see the nice old sweet lady that had the loveliest and most colorful rose garden.

"Good morning Mrs. Forena" I replied with a gentle smile. I stopped to admire the rose bushes located at the front of her yard where she was tending to them. "As always these are very beautiful roses. The summer really does wonders for flowers, doesn't it?"

"Yes it certainly does, even with the blazing heat I have to say that summer will always be my favorite season. Where are you off to Noctis dear? I rarely see you out in this kind of heat let alone at this time of day." she talked as she watered the garden.

"Just meeting up with a friend at the public plaza." I reached out to cup a rose and leaned in to smell the aroma.

"Ah is that so, I always went there with my husband when I was younger. The fountain there mixed in with the nature is so nice. Well you better hurry along then, wouldn't want to make them wait for too long"

"Right, have a wonderful day "

Walking off I picked up a little speed trying to subconsciously keep my body aware. It didn't work. Having the time to think to about myself again my body and my brain reverted back to the fatigued state it was before. To make things worst I could imagine the stack of papers Ignis would bring over while I was out just waiting on my desk when I would get back. Ouch, I think my brain just broke. While my brain rebooted I tried to think of something else, anything other than work. Come on Noct, happy thoughts. Running a hand through my hair I automatically thought of Lightning. Lightning Farron. She was the mysterious pink haired woman that stepped into my life and changed everything. Lightning the one that came to me in my time of need and pulled me out of the rut that I was in. Lightning the one that can tell so much about a person with a single glance. Lightning the one that I have come to cherish so much.

Approaching the plaza I felt dizzy and lightheaded. I felt anxious and flustered. I guess the lack of sleep is catching up to me and the heat was absolutely not helping. I groaned. I pushed through a crowd of people looking for a place to sit. The loud noises all came as a blur as I walked over to a tree in a semi secluded area of the plaza. I plopped down, leaned back against the tree and tilted my head back. The nausea was coming and so I closed my eyes; my eyebrows scrunching a bit and a noticeable frown on my face. I was dead tired; my body was running out of energy.

"Hey Noct, looks like we have the same preferences in where we sit" I heard a low feminine voice speak.

"Yeah, I guess so Light" I replied opening one eye and peeking up at her conjuring up the best grin I could. She was wearing faded blue jean shorts and a pasty brown hooded t shirt. "You look nice by the way."

"Noct what's wrong? You look tired." Light sat down next to me with a small frown on her face as she asked.

"Yeah I guess you could say that"

"Stressed?"

"Wow that was quick, how'd you guess?"

"Well you're sweating, you look feverish, you're mouth is dry and you're fidgety. There are dark circles under your eyes which indicate lack of sleep, which in your case would probably mean you're working your ass off with whatever it is that you do at your job…on second thought it could be that you're having a heat stroke…or both…Noctis I think you have both. Seriously."

"Bingo about the stress, probably about the heat stroke too."

"Wait here 'kay? I'll get you some water."

I grunted at her as a reply. How? How does she do that? Jeez she's way to perceptive for a normal human being. The sounds of the large gushing fountain and the children's laughter as they splashed around in it infiltrated my ears. I could hear the gossip between the middle aged women that sat at the table near the food truck that served greasy junk food. I could hear the giggles of teenage girls and the snickers of teenage boys that were hitting on them at the bench near the fountain. I could also smell the nature that surrounded the plaza as well. I could smell the flowers, the fresh cut grass and just the pure musk of the outdoors. This place was an enjoyable location, often times bustling but tranquil nonetheless.

"Here" I heard Lightning say after hearing her approaching footsteps. "Don't drink it too fast, it's bad if you do when you have a heat stroke."

"Thanks Light" Soon after I felt an intense coldness on my forehead. I jolted up a bit as soon as it came in contact. Opening my eyes I could see Lightning leaning towards and slightly over me with an ice cube in her hand pressing it against the front of my head. The water dripped down my face when I sat upright.

"W-what are you doing?" I tried to keep my tone even as I asked her. I was surprised by the unexpected closeness of our bodies. Gaining my composure I put my hand on her wrist and placed it on the grass.

"I thought it would cool you down" she sighed indifferently before sitting down right next to me. When our shoulders touched she leaned her head on my shoulder and I reciprocated her action; only resting my head on hers. "Why'd you come today Noctis? If you told me in the first place that you were caught up with work then I could've easily canceled. You're probably exhausted right now."

"Because I wanted to see you, spend the day with you and learn more about you. That's all the reason I need." I responded "Besides I could never turn down a chance to be with a stunning woman such as you."

Silence.

"Wow that was very suave of you" Light laughed gingerly. She continued to look forward when I turned to look down at her slightly, cheek still pressed to her head. I noticed a slight blush on her cheeks and I grinned furiously. "Wipe that stupid grin off your face Noct. I can feel the muscles in your face contract through my head" she laughed again.

"Damn I was trying to continue my charming cool guy act." I turned my gaze forward again towards the plaza. "Hey Light, how come you're so good at reading people?"

"…I don't really know. I guess for starters, I'm a listener not a talker. Ever since I was little I didn't speak much unless spoken to. My sister was always the vibrant and sociable one."

"Wait, you have a sister?"

"Yeah, her name is Serah, she's five years younger than I am."

"Where is she now? She doesn't hang around at the pub does she?"

"Oh…uh… she doesn't live with me… in fact I haven't seen her in about four years" She leaned in closer and wrapped her arm around mine. She then clasped her hands together, twiddling her fingers. She doesn't normally do that… is she feeling uneasy?

" Light if you're uncomfortable with this we don't have to talk about it. Making you feel that way is the last thing I want to do."

"No it's fine Noct, you wanted to learn more about me right?" She sighed. "Feel free to ask whatever, I'll answer honestly."

"…Okay Light, but please tell me to stop when you don't want to answer anymore. I mean what I said Light, I don't want you feeling troubled." Light smiled and nodded which pushed me to ask my next question. "Why doesn't your sister live with you?"

"I guess I'll start from the very beginning then. When I was seventeen and Serah was twelve we were at school one day. I got an urgent message about my parents. They… they got into a crazy car accident and were in critical condition at the hospital. I raced over to Serah's school to pick her up so we could get to the hospital as soon as possible…But when we got there it was too late… My parents had already passed away… That night both Serah and I cried in each others arms. Our house and most of our belongings were taken away. It was something about having no insurance or being underage or some bullshit like that. The next day my mom's co worker came to pick up Serah, she was Serah's legal guardian if anything were to happen to my parents. My legal guardian passed away a month before. We were going to be separated. Serah cried and begged for my mom's co worker to take me along with them and so she did. I was so happy that I could stay by her side, I thought that we would be able to help each other through this tough time. But my mom's co worker… she never liked me… She always thought of me as a moocher, a beggar. She'd always complain, yell and hit me when she was pissed off. She would never touch Serah though and for that I was thankful. I would much rather she beat me then to lay a single hand on Serah. A couple of months after when I turned eighteen she kicked me out of the house with the little savings I had and a small suitcase filled with my clothes. I managed to salvage my father's guitar that he left to me, along with two necklaces. Serah pleaded for me to let her come with me… but I said no. I couldn't let Serah go through the shitty life that I was going to lead. I already wouldn't be able to take care of myself let alone her. So I made her stay, at least then she wouldn't have to worry about having no roof over her head, she wouldn't have to worry about when her next meal would be, she wouldn't have to worry about the dangers lurking around in the slums."

"Light…" I took my arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, pulling her closer to me.

"I really hated that woman, but so long as she took care of Serah and raised her with love then I couldn't complain. I wandered the streets; I hitch hiked as much as I could, as far as I could. There were so many people… people that tried to take advantage of me. They told me to trust them that everything would be alright if I listened to them. I came across lechers, muggers and criminals. I've never been so terrified in my life. Those sick bastards used me, lied to me and abandoned me. I started to hate the world. I just wanted to give up. I lost all trust in humanity. Then one day I just stopped talking, I stopped asking for help. Instead I began to listen… I began to watch. I started noticing certain characteristics, certain mannerisms, certain personalities. I began to read people; I began to read body language. For three years I developed, practiced and improved this skill because never again did I want to be made a fool of. Not ever again." She turned to me with solemn eyes. "And that's my story Noct."

I stared down at her speechless at first. "Thank you… thank you for letting me be one of the few that you trust… thank you for letting me into your life… Hell, Lightning thank you for coming into my life." I was so unbelievably happy. I couldn't even express it into words. Everything felt so unreal, how can one person do this to me I'll never know.

"Hey Noct?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you…"

"For what?"

"Existing"

We sat in a comfortable silence just enjoying each other's presence. Afterwards, I don't know when but I guess I dozed off. Fuck you fatigue, fuck you.

Birds. I hear birds chirping. Slowly I stirred in my unconsciousness. The first thing I felt was a hand running through my hair combing it. I groaned disapprovingly when the hand stopped moving and even more so when it pulled away. Wait… whose hand is that? I roused again this time waking up my senses and my body. Hmm... I was laid down on my stomach with my arms wrapped around something. Still laying faced down I turned my head and just barely opened my eyes only to see what looked like a very full chest and long pink hair cascading down the left side of it. Oh shit. Instantaneously I rolled off of her and sat up looking very much disheveled. I looked up at Lightning to see her obviously holding back the biggest grin in the world.

"My, my it looks like sleeping beauty has awoken" she said still with the biggest grin ever. Meanwhile I was still trying to figure out was the hell happened. "Don't get your panties in a knot Noctis, you just fell asleep."

"Yeah no shit, what I want to know is how I ended up in that kind of sleeping position."

"What's there to explain? You fell asleep on my shoulder, I shifted away but your head fell onto my lap, to be honest I was surprised you didn't wake up. You slept like a log. Then when I tried to move away you turned, wrapped your arms around my waist and trapped me with a bear hug." She suddenly moved closer to me, her face inches from mine. "Looks like you're the snuggling type, just my kind of guy." She pulled back and laughed and smiled no longer trying to hold it in. In the meantime I was sitting down and I could feel my face turning red, tomato red.

"Wait so my head was laying on your lap… arms wrapped around your waist and I was-"

"Clinging onto me like you life depended on it." Light finished for me with a final grin. "But all jokes aside, do you feel better now?" Now that my blushing has subsided I looked at her.

"Yeah actually… a lot better, thanks"

"No big deal" She shrugged.

"…HOLY SHIT I still have paperwork to do!"

"Well? Let's get to it then."

"W-hat?"

"C'mon Noct, Two heads are better than one"

Moments later Lightning and I arrived at my house and in that moment a bumbling blonde idiot body checked me as I entered the door.

"Noctis you're back!" Prompto exclaimed. He looked past me while we were wrestling on the floor and immediately froze when he saw Lightning. "… I'm not getting in the way of anything am I? If you know what I mean."

"No you imbecile" I snapped back.

"I'm just here to help with Noct's paperwork and now that I think about it, I'm sure three people will help get the job done much faster than with just two people. Don't you agree Noctis?" Lightning questioned eyeing the blonde knowingly.

"Yeah Light I think I agree with you" I answered smirking.

Far later into the night the three friends laid collapsed on the chair, desk and floor completely worn out, but on the bright side on the far corner of the desk was a tall, neatly stacked pile of paper filled out to the last detail.

A/N- So? How was it? Pardon me for Noctis' foul language nearing the end of the chapter. Along with that it seems that the curtains hiding Lightning's past have finally been pulled back. Aw, to the sweet little moment between Lightning and Noctis; now begins the blossoming of a love. Hooray!
Thank you for reading and more will be coming up real soon.