Chapter 6 - Take Care
"I can't believe this."
Vanille giggled.
"I can't believe I actually got dragged into this," Lightning's frown became bigger. "How often do I get freaking day-offs?"
"Oh, stop complaining, Light-san," Maqui laughed, "You can easily get day-offs anytime you want; the problem is whether or not you are willing to ask for them!"
"That's what I've been telling her!" Gadot commented as he tossed the volleyball in his hand, catching it with a finger and then spinning it, "She's way too hardworking for her own good."
The soldier rolled her eyes, "Oh, please. What else is there to do other than work in this boring town?"
"Chilling with us!" Yuj answered easily, almost cutting the woman off. "We haven't played volleyball together for a while now, and besides, we're free all the time – that is… in the afternoon, when we're not working."
Lebreau rolled her eyes, "Pft, not working?" She spat, "You, Maqui, and Gadot rarely come to work; the whole bar is practically managed by myself. I don't even know why I hired you guys."
The boy scratched his deep teal-coloured hair, "H-hey, I actually come to work when I can. You know that I haven't been coming lately because of exams!" He turned to the blonde boy, "Say something!"
Maqui laughed nervously as he fixed his goggles above his head, "Erm… yeah, we've been studying."
"Studying!" The barmaid scolded, "You were out building that god damn vehicle of yours for the past few weeks! And you," She turned to Yuj angrily, "You have been out flirting with pretty tourists again, haven't you?"
"Oh man—"
"Look," Lightning cut in, "Don't mean to be rude, but can we just get this over with?"
"Aw, c'mon, Light!" Gadot rested his elbow on the woman's shoulder. His weight didn't seem like a huge deal to her, but strangely, the soldier didn't brush him off. She simply stood still and avoided giving him unnecessary eye contact. "Don't be such a party pooper. I'm sure even little miss, here, would want to chill with more people more often,"
Yuj stepped in, "That's right Light-san," Walking beside Vanille, he winked at her, almost flirtatiously, and turned back to the woman, "You can't always hog her to yourself. Isn't that right, Vanille?"
"Err…" She chuckled nervously, "I don't mind, really," Glimpsing at the woman, she realized that the soldier was literally glaring at the boy beside her. If Yuj wasn't so busy looking at the redhead right now and caught those dangerous eyes, he would faint on the spot – there was no doubt about that. Vanille brought a hand to her mouth as an attempt to hide her laughter. It was just funny to see Lightning getting teased by her friends so playfully all the time. Being the serious woman as she was, talking or fighting back would be too troublesome for her, and that was why she would rather keep quiet and simply glare. Though, it was nice to think that despite having such a cold personality, Lightning was still able to have cheerful and fun friends such as these four. As the woman's gaze shifted to the girl, Vanille noticed that her expression softened a bit, but still, when their eyes met, Lightning quickly turned to look away.
She's shy.
"Well then," The barmaid, already standing in front of the net, crossed her arms and began, "Shall we start dividing the teams? Anymore nonsense, Ms. Farron right here might actually ditch us,"
Gadot continued to throw the ball into the air as if he were shooting a basketball, "Doesn't matter what team I'm on, but there's no way in hell you and Light are going to be on the same team, otherwise it'd get so damn unfair."
Maqui nodded his head almost fearfully, "Yeah, it was so brutal last time…"
Vanille blinked. The boys who were trembling in fear really brought her curiosity up, "What's wrong? Are they really good?"
"Really good!" Yuj choked, "Tch, no way. They're freaking unbeatable! Lebreau was the captain of the volleyball team in her high school years—"
"Hey, I'm only twenty! Don't make it sound like I'm thirty years old!"
He rolled his eyes and went on, "… So that makes her godly already. And Light – well, you know her. She's good at pretty much everything, so there's really no reason to explain…" He paused to look at the strawberry-blonde, who had her arms crossed. He swallowed and whispered to the girl's ear, "Even so, those two have absolutely no teamwork at all when they're together, so it's all about raw destructive power and individual skills."
"Hmm, really?" Vanille smiled as she looked at the court. "Then, onee-san!" She called, immediately catching the woman's attention. "You wouldn't mind if I'm on your team, right?"
"U-uh… Vanille…"
"It's fine," She interrupted Yuj, "Just because onee-san doesn't have any teamwork with Lebreau-san, it doesn't mean that she won't have any with other people, right?"
"Like… like I said…" He whispered hesitantly.
"Doesn't matter," Lightning suddenly said, "Let's just get this over with." She shook her head and walked to one side of the court. Taking off her sandals, she threw them out of the court and stood still to wait for the rest of the people to make their decisions.
Hearing her answer, Vanille gladly took off her sandals as well and made her way to the woman's side.
The three boys eyed each other uncomfortably. Obviously being either with Lightning and Lebreau would mean that they would have to play at full strength since both women were literally volleyball Olympiads. Though, the trio had to admit that they would rather be with Lebreau – at least they were closer to her and… sure, she was scary as well, but she wasn't dead silent.
"What the hell are you guys doing! Hurry up over there!" Lebreau yelled.
"C-coming!" Gadot sprinted towards the barmaid's side.
"Wait, I'm coming too!" Yuj called right afterwards.
"What… what the—!" Being the only one left, Maqui quickly grabbed onto the teal-haired boy before he could walk any further. He took a step closer to whisper into his ear, "Dude, I thought you wanted to be with Vanille-san! Why the hell are you ditching her now?"
The taller boy let out a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his head, "Hehe… well, you see… I'd be with her if Lightning wasn't on her team. But now…" He pointed to the strawberry-blonde, who was looking as impatient as ever, "… I think it's best if we just start the game already…" Without warning, he shook the blonde's hand off himself and sped off to the other side of the court, leaving Maqui helpless. Unwillingly, he dragged his feet towards Lightning and Vanille.
The redhead greeted the boy with her usual smile, "Hope we win lots!"
Immediately, the uneasiness and uncertainty dropped from the bottom of his heart upon hearing her cheerful words. "Un, yeah!" He nodded happily and answered.
"Me, Lebreau, and Yuj versus Light, little miss, and Maqui…" Gadot recapped as he tossed the ball into the air repeatedly. "Alright, that seems fair enough," He started to whisper, "Though, it seems like Light's going to be the one to do everything…" Smirking, he caught the ball, "Little miss! I'll go easy on you, don't worry!"
Vanille tilted her head in confusion.
"H-hey, you need to watch me too!" Maqui yelled, trying to remind his friend on the other side that he wasn't that skilled of a volleyball player.
The muscular man ignored his younger friend's request, as he was too busy observing the opposing team's positioning. Vanille and Maqui were up front, and Lightning was standing at the back. So… the logical thing to do was to direct the ball to either of the two in the front – that is, if he did not want to lose the first point… or, more specifically, if he did not want Lightning to take the first strike. "Okay, here I go, little miss! Underhand serve!" And he gave a weak hit at the ball.
To the girl, the ball came at her in an almost… sort of slow motion way. When the man said that he would go easy on her, she didn't expect him to mean this easy. With ease, she jumped up at the ball, subsequently spiking it right back at the man's foot.
"What the—" Gadot dropped his jaws. Along with the rest of his teammates, he was caught speechless as they turned to look at the girl. Was that Vanille! Was that the bubbly redhead that just spiked the ball with such power!
"Wow! Vanille-san that was incredible!" Maqui exclaimed enthusiastically, "It's like you play a lot or something – d-do you also happen to be on a team or something!"
The girl stuck out her tongue shyly and giggled, "No, no, of course not!" She waved her hands as she denied, "That was a fluke, really." She purposely turned her head a little to take a glimpse on the strawberry-blonde. Vanille didn't know why, but she really hoped that the woman was impressed. She would be delighted if she showed a tiny bit of emotion over this. At the corner of her eyes, she could only see Lightning looking at her. With what kind of emotion however, she could not see – she could not bring the courage to turn around and see.
The barmaid spun around to glare at Gadot, who still had his jaws dropped. "What the hell was that lame serve?"
He blinked several times before realizing that the woman was talking to him. "I-I didn't expect that – you couldn't have expected that! I just wanted to go easy on her, 'cause y'know… she looks so damn small and weak and…"
"Well, apparently, she's not," Lebreau said in a dead-serious voice. "And you, why didn't you block!"
"How could I have! There wasn't even time for me to react…" Yuj muttered.
"Ugh, whatever," She walked to pick up the ball and threw it to the other side of the net, "Your move!"
Vanille caught the ball easily, "Thank you," She said and made her way to the corner of the court. It was a natural reaction; her eyes followed Lightning when she moved with the rotation. Vanille was hoping that she would look back at her, maybe even for a brief moment, because she wanted some sort of encouragement from her. Even just a glimpse would be enough. Sadly, the woman just walked on forward, never using even a millisecond to glance at the girl. As upsetting as it was, Vanille did not want to look disappointed – it would bring down Maqui's ego, after all. Standing at the serving area, her fingers tapped at the white volleyball lightly.
Maybe she will look at you if you did a better job?
"Vanille-san? Are you okay?" The blonde turned around to ask.
She looked up and shook her head. "Sorry, I was just spacing out." Vanille held the ball with one hand, "But I…" She took one last look at Lightning, "… I realized that I've never done an overhand serve before."
"Huh…?"
"Let's try it, shall we?" She winked at the boy. Taking a few steps back, she threw the ball into midair, and jumped to make a perfect overhand serve.
"Ohhh shit!" Gadot cursed, or more appropriately, cried to relieve his amazement as the ball blasted straight towards him. He managed to block it in time, thus setting it into the air. "Get it!" He yelled.
Lebreau got in position and jumped to do a spike of her own.
"Tch," Lightning clicked her tongue angrily, knowing that it was impossible to stop the barmaid's blow since she wasn't in the suitable position as she was too up front, and would never make it in time to run back—
Vanille dove at the ball from behind, saving it before it hit the ground, "Onee-san!"
She reacted instantly after the girl called her, but realized that she did so because the redhead was directing the ball to her. Accidentally, she set the ball for the boy, and out of luck, Maqui managed to spike it towards the other side.
Yuj, surprised once again, failed to receive the ball.
"Dude, Lebreau, did you see that!" Maqui spiked… a-and Light made a pass…!"
"God damn it, I know!" She spat. "I can't believe this." She looked to the opposing team. Vanille and Maqui were giving each other high fives' happily as Lightning stood there, looking somewhat shocked. Obviously, the redhead's presence was making a huge difference for the soldier; if it wasn't because of her call, she would never have made that pass. Usually, when the ball went for Lightning, she would either hit it if it was within her reach, or ignore it if it wasn't. That was the reason why she was 'good'. Perhaps this was a good thing for the strawberry-blonde, Lebreau thought; Vanille might be able to… open her up a bit. She combed through her raven locks in amusement as she noticed something entertaining: Vanille was staring hard at Lightning, and the poor girl was getting no response as the woman was looking elsewhere. "Oh, Light, you are so dense." Lebreau shook her head at the expressionless woman. She was standing still like a model with a hand at her hip, waiting for the next service, "Too dense for your own good, my friend."
Gadot was slightly disturbed by the barmaid's thinking out loud voice. "What are you doing, talking to yourself?"
She ignored the man's question.
"Service!" Called Vanille on the other side. She finally got Maqui to stop pouring her those countless praises so that they could get back into the game. Tossing the ball into the air, she hit it hard, and sent it to the other side of the net. This time, the volleyball captain on the opposing team received it easily, as she was no longer taking her lightly. Setting it for Yuj, the barmaid directed and instructed him into preforming a proper and powerful spike. Vanille watched the white ball coming back at her; she readied herself, about to hit it—
"Do you really think you can run away?"
"Eh…?" The girl dropped her arms. The sound of the voice sent chills down her spine, because… because that voice… it was—
"Vanille-san, watch out!" Maqui yelled.
The ball came at Vanille with speed – it was a spike after all – it hit her hard on the head, and she was thrown back. The girl tried to take a few dizzy steps in balancing herself, but she ended up tumbling onto the sand.
Lightning was the first to react. She ran – yes – she literally ran towards the girl and threw herself down beside her. About to ask her if she was alright, the rest of the crew interrupted as they gathered around.
Being the one to hit her, Yuj started to apologize instantly, "Vanille, I'm so sorry," He knelt down in front of the redhead. "Are you okay?"
"Don't even try anymore."
Her body began to tremble. She dug her fingers into the warm white sand, it was done out of self-comfort – she believed that it would somehow just… stop herself from behaving so strangely. Perhaps it would even stop that voice from resonating… but it was getting clearer and louder…
Getting no response, the boy tried again, "Hey… Vanille?"
"Who do you think you are?"
The sound burned her ears. Vanille shook her head rapidly before mumbling, "I'm… I'm fine…" Then, she looked up to give the boy a smile.
"What gives you the fucking right to run?"
Lightning's eyebrows furrowed. Vanille wasn't being her usual self – that wasn't even a real smile. She was shaking in fear, very much like that night when she cried in her arms. Lightning knew what was going on; she had to get Vanille out of here.
"It was a pretty strong hit…" Yuj continued, "here, let me take a look at that," He reached to move her orangey bangs—
The strawberry-blonde widened her eyes. She felt the need, the urge to push that boy's hand away from Vanille. She had to stop him before he could touch her. It was like a large amount of hot, boiling blood shooting out of her heart, pumping into each and every vein in her body. It felt exactly like that, and her hand flashed towards his wrist, arguably at light-speed; she clutched onto it with full strength, preventing him from reaching – from touching – the girl's head. Then, she couldn't stop herself from giving Yuj that deadly glare.
Don't touch her.
"Ah – ow!" Light-san… w-what are you…!" He whimpered in pain, but immediately shut himself up as his eyes met hers'. Even so, it was impossible for him to break free; the woman's grip was like hardened concrete – if he tried to move by force, he was afraid that he might tear his own hand off.
"Oh shit…" Gadot scratched the back of his head. This was getting kind of violent, even to a brute like him.
Knowing the reason behind Lightning's sudden act of seriousness, Lebreau knew she had to intervene, "Light," She called, "Let go. You're going to break his wrist."
It was like she couldn't hear her friend. Her dangerous azure eyes were focussing so much at Yuj, she was using so much concentration that it was like she was in her own little dimension. All she knew was that she had to prevent that hand from reaching Vanille, because… because nobody—
"Onee-san…"
The soft voice acted like a chime that pulled her back into reality. She blinked several times before turning to the redhead.
Vanille placed a hand on Lightning's that was grabbing onto the boy's wrist. "Onee-san," She called again, "I'm fine,"
No way in hell did that sound reassuring. In fact, it only made her worry more. Even her tone of voice was different. All of a sudden, she released the boy and took Vanille's hand, "Come with me," She ordered simply and pulled her up. Dragging her away from the volleyball court, the two left without saying anything more.
With both the woman and the girl no longer close enough, Gadot figured that he could start talking. He shrugged his shoulders, "Well, what the hell was that?" He crouched down to Yuj, who was sitting by his feet. "You okay, man? That looked awfully painful."
Maqui, likewise, did the same thing and knelt down beside the teal-haired boy. "I'm surprised your hand is still here. I-I mean, more so than the fact that it isn't broken or anything,"
"Pft, anything! Dude, look at this! It's all freaking bruised up!" He shoved his lifeless hand in front of the blonde. "And why did she suddenly—"
"Well, that's what you get for coming close to her property," Lebreau cut in casually.
Yuj narrowed his eyebrows with annoyance, "What are you talking about? Her property? Since when! That's total bullsh—" He paused. Gradually, his expression changed from being angered to shocked, "W-wait, what!" He started to tug on his hair. Even his jaw was dropped, "Oh shit! You're joking me! Aw, damn it, no! That's not fair!"
"That's what I'm telling you," The barmaid laughed, "Just give it up."
Maqui, oblivious as to what the hell the two were talking about, turned to stare at Gadot, "Am I the only one who doesn't know what they're talking about!"
"Uh, no. What the hell, man, what are you saying!" The tall man looked up to the barmaid, who was standing right above him.
She crossed her arms and shook her head with pity at the two clueless ones. "Let's just say that… it's best for Yuj to not pursue Vanille anymore, alright? Otherwise, he might actually lose his entire arm."
She couldn't bring herself to say anything as they made their way back to Lightning's apartment. After all, what could she say? Tell her that not to worry? Tell her about that… voice? No, no way. Why would she care? Why would… wait – why did they leave so suddenly? And what was that huge reaction from her when the boy tried to check on her forehead…? Vanille stared at her feet as they stepped out of the elevator in silence. They walked down the empty corridor that was filled with the afternoon sun light from both sides of the windows until they reached the woman's flat.
Lightning opened the door and took off her sandals. Hearing the girl close the door behind her, she turned around and started, "Vanille,"
She looked up in surprise, since she wasn't expecting her to be the one to break the silence.
"What's wrong?"
Vanille blinked. "W-what's…?"
"I mean when we were on the beach," Lightning said, "What happened?"
"I-I…" She didn't really know which part of 'the beach' she was referring to, but probably, the woman was mad at her for being unable to hit the ball back. Yes, that had to be the case; she was a competitive person after all – "… Sand blew into my eye, so—"
"No, I'm not talking about that." She interrupted. Impatience went with her voice; Lightning began to close the distance between herself and Vanille, making the girl back up with fear. "You're… you're thinking about that again… aren't you?"
She had to change the subject – she had to… "Wh… what are you saying, onee-san?" She laughed and looked to the side, "It really was just sand in my eye…! I told you before that I'm feeling better—"
"Look at me,"
A chill went down her spine. She couldn't possibly disobey that strict voice. Slowly, Vanille turned back to the soldier, though she was still hesitant about looking at her directly. Yet that pure blue colour somehow attracted her green orbs toward her, and soon enough, they were staring into each other.
Emerald met azure. Lightning could see everything: the fear, the sorrow, that… façade. She didn't like this one bit… no, she hated this. The woman knew what Vanille really needed was proper care; she even suggested it to her, but the girl only refused abruptly, almost as if seeing any 'outsider' would kill her. Truthfully, Lightning could always just drag her to one, but what good would that do? Would she really cooperate with the professionals? Even if she did open up, it would only end up like that night…
"Nobody helped – I screamed and I screamed, but nobody…!"
… She would only go out of control again.
Why was she doing this? Why did she care? Why…? Vanille's mind was screaming these questions repeatedly. Earlier, she really wanted Lightning to look at her, to give her attention, because she desperately wanted her to show something – anything – that would give the slightest hint that she was interested in her. This… well, sure, Vanille had her wish granted; the soldier was looking at her – more so staring – she was giving the girl her attention, but… but this uncomfortable feeling…
She didn't know what to do. A complicated matter regarding the human mind… That was totally out of hand for Lightning. After all, any sort of psychological issues that required her to communicate was never her forte. Why else would she have chosen gunblade-wielding as her specialty back then when she was a rookie? Out of luck and some sort of sudden urge, Lightning placed a palm on the girl's head.
Vanille's body stiffened as her eyes opened wide. Confused, but unable to break eye contact with the soldier, she could feel her legs wobbling.
"Relax," Lightning said softly. "If you insist that nothing's wrong, I will leave you alone." Her hand started to stroke through the girl's bright orange hair. "But if you need anything, just tell me." She stepped back, her hand slowly lifting itself away from Vanille.
"Wh…"
Lightning froze. Her hand hovered awkwardly above the redhead.
Vanille swallowed hard. She knew she was blushing, but she had to ask, she had to make sure, "Wait, onee-san," Otherwise her curiosity – no, her paranoia would kill her. The woman can't possibly be… concerned for her, right?
Drawing her hand back towards herself, Lightning waited for her to go on.
"Why are you helping me so much…?" Her voice couldn't get any louder, "I'm… I'm nobody to you…"
Was that a trick question? Because if it was, it has caught the woman, hard. Now that she thought about it, she really had no idea. She nonchalantly gave the girl permission to stay at her place, she helped her patch up wounds, and she helped her go through that night without asking for anything in return. What happened to her usual, cold, and strict front? Lightning stopped thinking to stare blankly at the girl.
"…" The redness on Vanille's face wasn't fading.
… Fine. Perhaps she was slightly… just slightly worried about this helpless girl; she couldn't just let her wander around the streets when all her stuff was stolen, and when the lost-and-found department doesn't work for shit. And it was actually a necessity to help her with that wound – it was even important to help her go through that night because… was it logical to leave her alone when she was breaking down in tears? No, no way could she leave her.
"Onee-san?" The girl called; whether she was impatient for an answer, or getting disturbed by the silence, she wasn't sure – Vanille just needed to say something.
Lightning thought hard, but nothing came to mind. "I…" She looked at the shorter girl who, surprisingly, did not try to look away this time.
Such a beautiful colour.
Her body loosened up. Sure, she was confused, but she was certain of one thing: she freaking hated it when she saw her shaking like that on the beach. The night when she was sleepwalking, when the thugs attempted to attack her near the dome, in her washroom when she was crying, and even just a little while ago when she fell to her knees during the volleyball game – Lightning realized that she always ran to her, concerned, straight away. It was almost like a natural reflex; she had absolutely no control over it. And what was that sudden wave of anger that washed over her when Yuj tried to check on the girl's forehead? What the hell was that all about?
So, you can't explain this strange possessiveness you have for her?
Her blue eyes gleamed as she blinked, "… I don't know."
Disappointment hit her hard, but the girl held it in. "I see," She breathed. Taking off her sandals, Vanille walked past the woman, with nothing in mind to say.
"… But I…"
She stopped to look back.
Lightning also turned around slowly to face the girl, "… I don't know, I just don't like it when you're not…" She shrugged her shoulders, "… Smiling?" Yeah, that was probably it. Did she deliver her thoughts properly however, Lightning was unsure. She waited for Vanille go give her some sort of reaction, a positive one perhaps, so that she would know that she said the right thing for once. "I helped you because you weren't smiling." She concluded.
"S-smiling?"
"It just… bothered me. So I had to… somehow…"
"Bothered you?" Vanille repeated. She eyed the woman curiously, and started to wonder what was so peculiar about her smile. She wore it all the time, but nobody ever commented much on it. It was just something that would naturally be on her; never did she have to think much before doing it. The girl let out a huff and took a step towards Lightning. If something as simple as an absence of a smile could bother her, then this soldier must have paid a lot of attention towards her. Suddenly, Vanille didn't feel so tensed up anymore, because she understood completely. The girl leaned forward, close to Lightning's face, "How's this?" And she grinned.
She blinked and pulled back to create distance between herself and Vanille. "Don't come so close to me…" She muttered.
Vanille could see the soldier's cheeks getting red. How very uncharacteristic of her to blush. "Onee-san, you never talk much," She continued to smile, "So I never know what makes you happy."
Lightning rolled her eyes, "I just told you," She said in a soft voice.
The girl giggled, "Oh, so my smile also makes you… happy?" Now she knew why the four always teased her; it was because she didn't know how to throw comebacks for trivial matters.
"No!" She barked, sending Vanille bouncing backwards as she burst into laughter. The woman stared at her angrily before quieting down again, "Just… just that when you're smiling, I know you're not… remembering those things…"
But in the end, Lightning was only worried. Of course, there was no doubt that Vanille was happy about this, but at the same time, she didn't want to trouble the woman. "Onee-san!" She called happily.
"…" The soldier raised a brow at her sudden high-pitched, girly, and happy voice.
She remained grinning, "Don't worry about me! Back then on the beach, it really was just sand in my eye."
Lightning was still unconvinced.
Vanille pointed out her pinky finger. "Here, onee-san, I'll promise you,"
"Huh?" She stared cluelessly at the girl's little finger and wondered what kind of promise she was making.
Vanille took Lightning's hand gently and helped her point out her little finger. She then locked it together with her own, "Pinky swear! I promise you that if I ever have those… erm, panic attacks again, I'll come to you straight away, whether you like it or not." She chuckled at her child-like vow briefly before clearing her throat and continued, "So, don't worry about me, okay?"
"Tch, it's not that I'm worried," She rolled her eyes. Somehow, that blush faded away. "Making promises like this… what am I, a child?" The woman mumbled to herself.
"Well, then… if this isn't enough for you, let's make a deal!" She pushed her hand and the woman's hand upwards so that their thumbs would meet, "There, now I can't break the promise."
"That's not my point, Vanille…" She cut herself off because the girl was, all of a sudden, looking at her in a very… very gentle way. It felt… pleasantly strange. Lightning had to ask, for she was slightly bothered, "… What?"
It has been a long time since anyone cared this much for her. And to be cared for by such a beautiful young woman who, also, happened to be her crush, Vanille felt as if she was the luckiest person in the entire universe. Yes, it was official – the girl was certain that she had a major crush on her. That strong attraction she claimed that she had for Lightning, the happiness she received when Lightning either showed concern for her or even looked at her… it all matched.
How weird of the girl to not reply. The woman tried again, "Uh, hello?"
Vanille smiled wider – that was all she could do, really. "Nothing," Turning around, she headed for the kitchen. "Do you want anything to eat? It's way past lunchtime, and we were supposed to eat with Lebreau-san and them, but…"
"It's fine. I usually ditch them halfway even if they have plans set for me,"
"What – but that's… that's kind of mean…"
The soldier shrugged her shoulders. "They're used to it." She made her way to the sofa and sat down.
"If you insist…" Vanille watched as she turned on the soundless TV, "But I'll just give them a call later, to tell them that we're fine, okay?"
Lightning didn't reply. Presumably, she meant to say yes, but she had no point to use that bit of energy to answer. The woman simply continued to stare at the soundless screen.
"So," The girl clapped her hands together, "What should we eat?"
Lightning leaned back and took a deep breath, "You decide. I'm fine with anything,"
"That I make?"
"Ye—what!" She spun her head at Vanille, eyeing her furiously, and flushing madly at the same time.
The girl held onto her stomach and laughed. "I was joking! Just joking, but – haha! Onee-san, you're so cute!"
"Ugh," She groaned. Yet again, no comebacks came to her mind.
Vanille rested her elbows on the counter, and then let her chin rest on her palms. "Alright, I'll just surprise you." And the subject was dropped. As the girl searched through the refrigerator for ingredients, she couldn't keep her mind off something else: she was certain of her own feelings, but what about the woman? What did she think about her? Were their feelings mutual? Just being overly concerned did not mean that Lightning would have feelings for her. Vanille turned around to put her gathered ingredients onto the counter, but she couldn't help it. Again, the girl looked at the woman, who was reading a magazine again.
"I'm not just going to kill them, I'm going to cut off their fucking limbs if you run."
She gasped. Clenching her fists, she shut her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth, whispering, "Please… not now…" Her heart was pounding heavily, and like that night, it was getting harder to breathe. Scared, Vanille looked up at the woman, who was secretly observing her. The redhead knew that they were too far apart – there was no way that Lightning could see the current her, so she could conclude that the woman was only glimpsing out of curiosity, and not concern. Letting out a deep sigh, the girl forced the best smile she could fake on her face.
Of course, Lightning was freaked out by it and immediately looked back down at her magazine.
She sighed. The voice no longer was echoing, and she waited for those painful spasms to subside before returning to her cooking. This was getting so irregular, Vanille was starting to fear that one day, she might just lose it completely, and then eventually… she would lose her mind.
"Onee-san, I'm done with the shower, you can go in…" Her words somehow trailed off – "… now…" – the moment she saw the woman sitting on the same couch, with her elbow on the armrest supporting her drooping head – she was asleep. Vanille giggled softly. It wasn't often she could see her asleep; this was only the second time, actually. Something as adorable as the likes of this, Vanille had to take a closer look.
She walked towards the woman, and sat herself quietly down beside her. The white leather made a scrunching sound as she did so; Vanille glanced over at Lightning. Luckily, the sound wasn't loud enough to wake her. Letting out a sigh of relief, she slouched herself closer towards the soldier. Lightning has changed to her usual home-attire – a white thin-strapped tank top and a pair of white boxers. It was something that she'd rather show at home than in public places because she was so damn modest of her body.
But really, Vanille would often think to herself, she'd want her to dress more girly, so they can shop together, choose clothes together… and that she could see her better – the girl shook her head—
"What am I thinking about!"
—The action sent the droplets in her still-drenched orange hair flying all over the place. Though, still, Lightning has yet to show signs of waking up. "Hmm…" Vanille mumbled to herself. With Lightning asleep, she couldn't talk to anyone, nor would she want to turn on the TV, because that would wake the tired soldier up. Vanille turned to look at her again. It was because she's a soldier, and that was why she was so tired. Dragging her to that volleyball game this afternoon five hours after her nightshift was brutal enough, so letting her sleep peacefully was all the girl could do for her.
Lightning shifted her position a bit, her movement breaking Vanille's train of thoughts, sending her concentration back to her pretty face.
Vanille smiled to herself. Bored, her eyes started to trace the woman's features. From her soft brows to her thick and long lashes, the girl followed the outlines of her jawbone, "You know, you're really, really, really beautiful?" She whispered. Her eyes then wandered to the deep pink colour in the woman's lips. For some reason, that colour drew all the attention she had – and… and then…
"Gulp."
The girl found herself leaning forward, slowly, slowly… torturously-slow… And when she was just inches apart from the woman's lips, Lightning suddenly let out a soft sigh. The minty breath from her only made Vanille want… want her more, but…
"I can't do this."
She drew back, but leaned forward once again, this time towards Lightning's ear. She started to whisper, "Onee-san, wake up,"
No response.
Vanille decided to try again. "Onee-san, you're going to catch a cold if you don't sleep properly,"
Again, no response.
"Hey…" She tapped the woman's shoulder lightly.
Still, no response.
It didn't occur to her that a cautious soldier like her would be such a deep sleeper. Sure, she might be super tired or something, but still. Vanille took a deep breath.
"Now's my chance!"
Once more, she leaned forward, and without hesitation – well, maybe just a bit – she looked at her motionless and closed eyes once more, and she pecked Lightning's lips with her own. The moment was brief, but it definitely felt long. As clichéd as it was, Vanille could swear – it felt like a freaking eternity.
And damn, she wanted to do it again.
"Ugh… so greedy!" The girl scolded herself quietly, shaking her head rapidly again. Then, she swallowed, hard, and looked back at the sleeping soldier. Vanille giggled again, because she still could not believe how adorable Lightning Farron looked when asleep. But really, enough of that; the strawberry-blonde had work tomorrow, and it was getting late. It'd be bad if she actually caught a cold now. "Onee-san!" Vanille shook Lightning's shoulder, "Hey, come on, wake up!"
"Mmm…" The woman moaned.
Vanille smiled. For fun, she whispered, "If you want to sleep, why don't you rest on my shoulder?"
"Mmm…" She moaned again, this time nodding her head, and her entire body slouched over to the girl's side.
"W-wha—?"
"…"
Vanille watched as Lightning's lips mouthed something. She widened her eyes, and then looked down at Lightning's somewhat… uncomfortable sleeping face, as opposed to the peaceful one just a few moments ago, and then her eyes shifted to the Farron family portrait on top of the fireplace, right under the screen of the TV. Vanille kept her eyes on a particular pink-haired, early-middle-aged woman. She had her arms around the two girls' shoulders, who also happen to have pink hair. Everyone in the photo was smiling tenderly into the camera—
"…"
She heard it again. And then she couldn't help it anymore. Her arm moved around Lightning's shoulder and started, "I'm… I'm not her, onee-san," Vanille could hear her whispery voice shake – probably because she felt so heartbroken for this strong, proud, and… delicate girl, much like the one in the family portrait. "But if you need someone," Tightening her grasp around Lightning, her other arm eventually moved up as well to hug her, "Vanille is here."
This warm and fuzzy feeling… such a nostalgic sound and smell.
It was probably just a dream.
Lightning smiled in her sleep.
But if this 'dream' could feel so real, then it didn't matter. Nothing did in the world would matter.
"… Okaa-san…"
To see Lightning so needy like this, Vanille could only describe the feeling as 'bittersweet'. On one hand, to have the serious soldier act so innocently, it reassured her of one thing, and that was the fact that Lightning was only human, and that she also had a fragile side to her. On the other hand however, it pained Vanille to hear her speak so weak and delicately. It just… didn't feel right. It just made her want to give her a big, big, secure hug. It made Vanille want to protect her. She started to stroke the strawberry-blonde's hair gently, "And you call me a child…" The girl rested her head on Lightning's, "… You're very much one yourself," She smiled and closed her eyes.
To update exactly one month later… I've got skills lol. Well, I'm back from vacation, which means updates should be quite regular (I hope).
Anyway, I like to, once again, thank you all for the reviews so far. They're all sososososo nice and encouraging I want to cry :'). Keep them coming, or I wouldn't know what you guys want haha. I don't want to repeat myself, but I'd feel bad if I don't: if I don't reply to your reviews, it doesn't mean I hate you, it just means that I forgot/am too lazy to do so :P.
See you soon!