-Chapter 9 and a half-
Christmas Sucks?
"Serah, can you tell me again why I'm doing this?"
"Because you promised."
"All right. Thanks. I just needed to remember how drunk I was last night-"
"I'm telling dad you were drinking if you don't just go with this."
"... Thank you. Now I remember."
Serah grinned.
"But honestly, Serah, why this?"
"You need to look more like a girl."
"But... a mini?"
"Yeah! Noctis'll totally dig it-"
"... Isn't that Snow's line?"
"... No?"
"... Serah, have you been hanging out with Snow again?"
Serah blushed deeply, and Lightning's eyes snapped to her little sister's via mirror. "Serah!!" Lightning cried. "You're dating him, aren't you?"
The younger girl blushed even deeper, and nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "Yeah!"
"SERAH!!!"
"I'm sorry, okay?" Serah said helplessly. "He was just so nice the other day..."
"... Serah, I am going to kill him-"
"Don't!" Serah squealed, and covered her mouth with her hands. Lightning looked at her little sister, and sighed. Despite not having known her very well, she still felt protective of her. Serah's lower lip trembled. "Lightning, don't!" she pleaded.
Lightning frowned. "And why should I bash his head in?"
"Because I like him! A lot!"
Lightning stared at her dumbly. "Serah-"
"Lightning, you like Noctis a lot as well. Would you want me to hit him for your liking him?"
Lightning heaved a sigh. "For a start, Serah, you can't hit to save your life-"
"Hey!"
"Well it's true! And secondly..." Lightning bit her lower lip. "Yeah, I wouldn't like it," she admitted. Serah smiled triumphantly, and Lightning swatted her.
"I'm not a roach!"
"You act like one sometimes."
"Roaches don't smile."
"... That's what you think!"
Serah rolled her eyes, and turned back to her bag. "Now for the final touch..."
She pulled out two articles of clothing that made Lightning step back.
"No. Oh no."
"Oh yes." Serah smirked, and stuck them on her older sister.
"SAVE ME!!!!"
--
Noctis almost choked on his wine when his friend screamed. He glanced up the stairs, bewildered, as Rufus Shinra did choke. His son, Cloud, helpfully smacked him on the back, and glanced at Noctis.
"Maybe you want to check on your girlfriend," the blond sneered, and Noctis's gaze narrowed into a glare.
"Lightning isn't my girlfriend."
"Oh sure. You just hang around here because she's ugly-ass and you pity her, am I right?" Cloud asked softly, having stood up after stopping his father from choking to death and moving closer to Noctis, out of earshot of Shinra.
Noctis gritted his teeth, and decided to ignore the obnoxious boy. He would never understand the swirl of feelings he had each time he saw the girl.
"Eclair wasn't much of a looker when she was a kid," Cloud added.
"Eclair-"
"Lightning. Her real name is Eclair, but it was too 'girly' for her, so she changed it to Lightning."
Why doesn't she change it back? Noctis wondered. She got shit from 'Lightning' each day at school...
"Eclair's too classy for her anyway."
Noctis frowned at Cloud. "You're an asshole."
Cloud shrugged. "You're an idiot," he replied.
Not more than you are, Noctis wanted to say, but he forced himself to walk up the stairs. "Lightning? You okay- OOF!"
Lightning looked up at him, wild-eyed and panicky. "Save me from my sister!" she pleaded. Noctis didn't think – he stood, tugging her to her feet, and dove into the nearest room.
Which happened to be the storeroom.
Lightning began to giggle, and Noctis clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter. Footsteps sounded, and they faded away altogether as Serah ran downstairs, asking if they had seen Lightning.
Noctis let go of the girl, and stepped back. For the first time, he noted what she was wearing – a very short top that revealed her muscled stomach and a miniskirt that showed off her long stretch of legs. On her head was a Santa hat, and she wore a necklace of sparkling red beads. He blushed deeply, and looked away.
Lightning blinked, and glanced down at her attire. "... Serah got to me," she admitted. "She was going to make me wear heels, but I ran away before she shoved them on me."
"Good thinking," he replied, still not looking at her. He stared at the ceiling instead, and his jaw dropped.
Serah must have a very warped sense of humor to put mistletoe in the storeroom.
There was giggling outside.
Or she was a very good planner...
Lightning followed his gaze.
"Mistletoe," she whispered. Directly above their heads...
Noctis looked at her now, into her eyes. His breath caught when he saw that she was looking at him too, uncertainty in her eyes.
"... I'll kill Serah."
"Don't."
Noctis surprised himself. Did he really say that?
But he didn't want her to. He would thank the girl later...
But now, it was all about her.
Lightning.
He stepped forwards, and cradled his face in his hands. She closed her eyes. "You don't have to if you don't want to."
Was there disappointment in her voice? She hid it well, but not well enough.
Noctis smiled, and answered by brushing his lips on hers. Electricity sparked between them where their skin connected, and her arms encircled his neck. He knew then that she knew of his feelings, and he also knew of hers.
This Christmas, Noctis decided, was not going to suck like the other Christmases.
Because he had her.
Ugh, mushy drabble, mushy drabble!!
Sorry for the rushiness. :/ Going to bed now!!
School tomorrow... Ugh...
Ciao!
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