AN - when the shit did I get to ten chapters?! Oh fuck it's 3am I need to sleep.
Snow grunted with effort as he finally loosened the wheel on the car he worked on, smiling as he was finally victorious against the stubborn bolt. He wished Fang was around to help, she would have had it all unscrewed within a matter of seconds with her insanely impressive strength. She looked troubled this morning though, and apologised for her absence on here way out of the mansion.
Serah entered the garage, looking for him and waved once she spotted the elemental.
"Hey Serah, you're looking good this morning." He said with a grin and a wave, pulling himself up from the floor.
"And you look like you're covered from head to toe in grease."
"So what you're saying is I'm not getting a hug?"
The pair laughed as Serah sat on the hood of the car, watching him work. Snow glanced up from his work and stood, leaning against the car. "So um, Fang looked pretty upset when she came out of the bathroom last night, you think she's alright? She was meant to help me with the car this morning but took off like a shot." Snow asked, fiddling with a wrench in the garage. Serah bit her lip and fretted for the shifter, as always.
"The candles... Are they there because someone likes romance when they shower?" She asked, wondering where her friend had gotten off to.
The ice elemental gave her a strange look, raising his eyebrow in confusion. "No, they're there because as you saw last night, your sister likes to blow the electrics in the house. Well, not really likes to. But if she isn't careful she overcharges herself and takes out the fuses if she doesn't ground herself properly. Or forgets to do it, not that she'd ever admit to it."
While the explanation made sense, it was their presence that Serah concluded was likely the cause of Fang's distress. "They probably remind her of home. Back at Valhalla. We didn't always have working power, if there were any routine patrols nearby or storms we'd have to power down the facility to avoid detection or surges. We had a lot of candles around."
The memory triggered a strange sort of longing, even in Serah. She was surprised by the fact that a part of her missed her home back at the defunct nuclear plant, but the more she thought about it the more she became certain that it was because she saw Fang smile more there. Her shifter friend still seemed miserable here, and had only seemed to be clashing with Sazh and her sister on a regular basis. At least they were until recently, when the two women snuck off on their own to take on the Sanctum so they could rescue the new L'cie. She didn't know whether to be relieved or nervous that they seemed to work together well.
Speaking of, her sister appeared further down the hallway, guiding the new addition to their home on a tour of the facilities. Spotting the small group in the garage, Lightning brought the youth over.
"Hey buddy, good to see you up and about. How you feeling?" Snow asked as he waved them over, his smile broad and welcoming. The blue-haired teen waved his hand from side to side with a crinkle of his nose.
"So so. Still really dizzy. I uh... Never thought a place like this existed. Probably could have saved the damage bill on that mall if I had have come here first. So much for my shopping expedition, right? Sorry. My name is Yuj."
They made their introductions and Lightning took a couple of steps back with a satisfied smile. "Yuj, I've gotta go take care of some things. Snow, can you finish showing him the grounds?" The blonde nodded and Lightning took her leave, quietly exiting the garage.
Serah chased after her, and slid her hands around her sister's arm. "Hey you," she said cheerfully, ignoring the way Lightning's arm tensed at the contact. She waited until she felt the muscles relax and the elder Farron turned to her with a warm smile.
"Hey yourself. Sorry. I uh, had some problems being a bit too static a while back, kept giving everyone zaps when they touched me. Glad to see it seems to be dying down." Lightning replied, swinging an arm around her sister's shoulders. It felt so relieving to be together again, and it made her happy that Serah was safe, and adjusting well.
"So where you headed?" Serah asked, curious as to what had her sibling handing off the introductory tour to Snow. "Secret romantic rendezvous?"
"Serah. No. Just... No." Lightning sighed, rolling her eyes. "Just because Fang and I aren't trying to kill each other on a daily basis... Stop reading those books in the library!"
With an innocent flutter of her eyelashes, Serah leant back and smiled. "Even if you locked the door to the library I'd just blow the door."
"Fiend..."
The sister's walked a while in silence, Serah wearing a contemplative expression. "Still," she began with a gentle squeeze of Lightning's arm, "for as much trouble as you two got into, it did a lot to get Fang out of her slump. She's been hanging around more, getting to know the others, even making appearances at meal times."
Lightning had to agree with the observation. Fang had become more social, more relaxed, more open to conversation. Though the shifter was nowhere to be found last night, or this morning for that matter. Lightning was in the middle of searching for her when Sazh had pulled her aside to show Yuj through the mansion.
"Do you know where Fang is?" Lightning asked, trying not to sound as concerned as she was. The frown that crossed her sister's face didn't alleviate anything.
"Not sure. Snow said she looked upset last night, and left to go outside this morning instead of helping him with the mechanic work she'd promised."
Concern elevated into worry, and Lightning quickened her pace. "Come on, let's go find her."
"So, it took longer than expected, if I'm being honest." Fang growled, her arms folded in a defensive posture. Deep in the woods, she had hoped to keep anything far from the others.
"Because I'm trying to lead Caius elsewhere, Fang. But I'm running out of options."
The shifter glanced up, wary of all the traps that could be sprung. "Noel... Why help us?" She asked, admittedly curious. He had shown up in the bathroom last night while Fang had been washing her face. She directed him out here the following morning, come what may. At least she could count on him playing by the "rules" and not letting the other students get caught in the cross fire. Expecting an ambush, she was surprised to find him alone.
Noel began to pace, shadow wisps flicking off him as he moved. "What Caius wanted to do with Serah, to use her like that... It isn't right. I like Serah. She's a good person who doesn't deserve to be caught up in our mess. Caius... He's concocting other plans now, but he is still looking for her. For you. I've been throwing him off the trail with false sightings on the southern end of the continent. But... It's only a matter of time before he checks here. I came here to warn you."
"What would you have me do then? Where could we run to? Sanctum wants my head on a like as it is, not just Caius for my betrayal. Serah would refuse anyway, her sister is here. They're reunited. Noel... Vanille is here as well."
The shadow walker paused in his steps, almost tripping over his feet. "You serious? Well that certainly complicates things... Neither of you are going to leave, are you?"
Fang's jaw tightened as she stared at her friend. "If it comes down to it, I'll leave. Hopefully it'll throw them off the trail. Keep them all safe and-" she paused, her ears twitching at the sound of voices coming down the pathway nearby. "Shit. Make yourself scarce Noel. And... Thanks. The others, they alright?"
Noel gave a sad nod and deepened the shadows by a tree, stepping into the darkness. "Yeah. They miss you, Fang. We all do. Be safe."
Watching him leave and fumbling around in her jacket pocket, Fang pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a drag with a ragged breath. Forcing herself to maintain composure just in time for the Farron sisters to round the corner, she gave them a lazy wave as she leant against the rock.
"There you are! We were wondering where you'd gotten off to." Serah leapt forward and gave Fang a hug, plucking the cigarette from her hands and throwing it away. "You should quit, Fang. What have you got to be stressed about here?"
"Pink-haired menaces takin' my vices away, for one thing..." Fang muttered, her body still tense from her confrontation with Noel.
The rigid way Fang held herself wasn't lost on Lightning, who gently peeled her sister away and picked up the cigarette, handing it back over. "She can quit when she's ready to quit, Serah. I'd prefer you didn't set fire to the damn forest in the interim."
Serah pouted and kicked a stone from the path as Fang smiled a little at their antics. But then she felt a tightness in her chest at the fresh reminder that she was on borrowed time. Noel couldn't keep Caius chasing them in the opposite direction forever. They all started here together. Surely he would check here eventually. She took a few steps back and took a drag of her reclaimed cigarette, refusing to meet their eyes.
"Hey, Serah. Can you go make sure that Snow has actually showed Yuj through the grounds and not just still sitting on his ass in the garage?" Lightning asked pointedly, her eyes flicking to the path ahead towards the mansion. Serah thankfully took the hint and disappeared up the path with a wave and a wiggle of her eyebrows. Shaking her head, Lightning glanced back towards Fang and worried about her closed off demeanor. It was often frustrating, it felt like five steps forward and twenty paces back with her. Like picking a lock finally only to find another door behind it.
"You alright? You seem a little tense."
Fang squared her shoulders and put the cigarette out between her claws. "Yeah, fine. Just a lot on my mind today."
"Anything you want to talk about?" Lightning asked, moving closer to the shifter as slowly as she could. At first it looked like Fang was going to shut down, close off even further but then her shoulders sagged and she slumped against a nearby rock.
"Just feelin' like I'm on borrowed time at this point, love."
Lightning sat against the rock, keeping enough distance not to crowd her, but staying close. She couldn't get over how warm she was, sitting next to the shifter. "You're talking about Caius finding you?"
Fang blinked. "How did you..."
"You're not as mysterious as you think, Fang." Lightning joked with a smirk, bumping her with her shoulder. She was worried that the gesture was a little too personal but the small smile she managed to draw from the shifter made her relax a little. "Look. If he wants to come around here to pick a fight he's going to be left hurting. I'll make sure of it. We look after our own here, Fang."
"Finally starting to think of me as part of the team huh?" Fang chuckled wryly, trying to not sound as bitter as she felt. Lightning shrugged and pushed off from the stone, trying not to let the cold air get to her the further she got from the convenient heat source that was the shifter.
"Maybe if you start believing it yourself you might not be so willing and ready to run at the slightest problem. Lean on us a little, Fang. You've fought alone for long enough."
She left Fang to her thoughts, the brunette watching her leave with a curious gaze.
"Hex, I... I want to do something for Fang, as thanks for looking after Serah. And stop looking at me like that."
The redhead rested her head with her hands on either side of her face and fluttered her eyelashes innocently. "Like what, Lightning? I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
"Just help me find something she would like and leave me to my suffering, will you? Preferably before you die from smugness?"
Hex sat up and tapped her chin. In all honesty she wasn't sure what to get for her sister. It had been over eight years since the two were together on a regular basis, anything she would have liked when she was a teenager wouldn't be the things she liked as an adult. "I'm... Actually not sure, Light. It's... Been a while." Hex replied, trying to avoid the sadness creeping into her voice. Lightning picked up on it however, realising that it was a particularly insensitive question to ask. She sat down next to the redhead and placed an arm around her shoulder.
"Why don't you tell me about what you remember? There might be something there that could give us a clue."
That question was even more dangerous than the last, Hex uncertain with how to proceed. She shrugged, drumming her fingers against the desk while her other two pairs of arms hugged herself. "Not much to tell. We moved to a town well south of here when we were kids, probably about two to three years before she disappeared. She liked her cartoons, her Pulsian Mythos comics and had few friends. Those she had kept close were more like family, like she had adopted them into her own clan."
The story was disarmingly familiar, parallel to her own childhood. When they had moved to Bodhum, Lightning knew nobody and kept to herself. She had her books, her sketching and only a small handful of friends. A best friend that she could count on until her family moved away, leaving her alone again. She had a stupid childhood crush on her best friend too, and losing her hurt terribly. Lightning vowed to never let anyone in again, to save herself from getting hurt. Yet here she was, trying to do a nice gesture for someone that had once tried to kill her several times over. Not that Lightning didn't give as good as she got, of course.
"What about food? Is there anything she likes?"
Hex hummed, thinking of anything of substance. This was the most involved she had seen Lightning about anyone beyond her sister and herself, she wasn't about to let the opportunity go to waste. Snapping her fingers on a few of her hands, she brightened as a memory stuck out in her mind. "Oh! There was this tiny, family run business way out near our home town that made amazing sandwiches, that used to make her real happy, but I doubt she would even remember that."
Lightning smiled and gave a shrug. "Tell me the name, we'll see."
Later in the afternoon, Fang was reading a magazine in the kitchen when a crackle of electricity made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Lightning appeared in the doorway, looking a little out of breath.
"Uh, hey." She drawled, giving the pinkette a once over. "You back from a run or somethin'?"
"Something like that," Lightning quipped with a raise of her eyebrow. She fished a sealed backpack off her shoulder and placed it down on the bench, drawing a curious glance from Fang. Opening an aluminium satchel from inside, she pulled out a sandwich and then fished a drink out from another pocket. Fang's eyes immediately widened, eyeing off the wrapper she hadn't seen in well over a decade.
"Is... Is that is that a sandwich from Sulyya Sam's Subs?" Fang asked, inhaling sharply as the sandwich was slid across the bench towards her.
"Yeah. I uh, I was told you really dug these as a kid. Behemoth steak and cheese, yeah?"
The smell was positively mouth-watering, and Fang reached out with her claws, trailing them along the wrapper. "You... You got this. For me."
"Yeah. No big deal."
"No big deal?" Fang repeated, disbelieving. "That's a twelve hundred mile trip. Each way, Light."
Lightning shrugged, giving a shy smile as she took a seat at the bench. "It was only an hour out of my day, I just hope it's still hot." She ignored the fact that the shop was only another three hundred miles from Bodhum. And that she used to go there on family trips with her friends as a kid so the establishment was well known to her.
"Anyway, enjoy it. As thanks for everything you did to keep Serah safe." Lightning explained with a bow, quickly turning to leave the kitchen.
"Hey, Light?" Fang's voice called after her, stopping her in her tracks. "This is... this is a pretty huge sandwich... Did... Did you want to split it with me? I mean you travelled all that way and everythin'..."
"Sure." Lightning replied with a shrug, sitting at the bench next to her. Fang smiled broadly as she unwrapped the food and split the portions, leaning over and gently bumping the pinkette with her shoulder.
"This is... This is real damn cool, Light. Can't believe you did this."
The smile was so broad and joyful, Lightning couldn't help but meet the expression with one of her own. She bit her lower lip as she gave the brunette a once over, noticing less and less of the blue skin covering her arms. Her smile faltered a little, noting the hint of a scar peeking from beneath the shirt on her abdomen.
"Hey, Fang? Can I ask a personal question?"
"You can, dunno if you'll be comfortable with a personal answer though."
Lightning swallowed a mouthful of food and tried to think of a way to ask that wouldn't be deemed offensive. "Do you... Um... The arms... And... Shifter stuff..."
"You're tryin' to ask if old blue makes an appearance because I like to look intimidating or because I can't control my abilities, right? You're shit at being tactful."
"Sorry." Lightning's eyes darted away and she turned to focus on the food in front of her. The claws entered her peripherals, vanishing into human-looking fingers as Fang took her gently by the jaw and brought her gaze back.
"To answer your question, it's a bit of both. It's harder to control when I'm not calm, in stressful situations, but I prefer it. Makes me feel safer when people take a few steps back when I walk in the room."
It took a couple of attempts to swallow before Lightning got rid of the feeling of a dry throat with Fang so close. When she wasn't being an asshole, Fang had a rakish charm to her that Lightning couldn't help but be drawn to. She realised the Pulsian still had a soft hold on her and coughed nervously, her breath hitching when Fang allowed her fingers to trail along her jaw as she withdrew her hand.
"Now, personal question that will probably ruin this lovely little moment we're sharing here... Why'd you only sporadically contact Serah? I didn't know where Vanille was or even if she was still alive until she was pickin' me up from the snow. I can't say I wouldn't do the same thing as you given what I did but... Why'd you hold out on her, or not come for her?"
The first instinct was to rage at the question, but Fang had at least pre-empted it and even said she would have likely done the same. Lightning took a few breaths and ignored the amused look from Fang as the shifter watched the electricity bounce off her skin. "Sorry. It's obviously a bad habit to be instinctively defensive. Truth be told I was... Scared." She paused, fiddling with the wrapper and gathering her thoughts.
"I somehow managed to hide my abilities for about six months after they manifested. But then… I slipped up. Let my mother see me messing around with electricity when I was meant to be getting ready for school. When my father heard her I… I was terrified of what it meant." The realisation had hit her full force and the panic rose with every step she heard her father take down the hallway. She never really thought he would be capable of hurting her but… Considering all the terrible things she had heard him say about L'cie, she wasn't willing to take the chance.
"I'm sorry, Light. Didn't mean to take you down the painful memories path on this fine day," Fang said quietly, reaching over and taking Lightning's hand gently.
"For all we fight about our differences, we really are stupidly similar, aren't we? Come on, let's finish this amazin' sandwich before it gets cold and get off the morose topics and shit." She had been growing far too fond of this elemental too quickly for her liking, but considering how protective she had been of Serah, she found herself reaching out to the elder Farron all the same. The longer Fang thought about it, the more she was ok with being ok here in the Haven.