Lightning sat against a tree in the sports field at the Haven, working on her breathing. Her hair had thankfully grown back enough for her to stop running about in hats, though her short, clipped hair was something she was still getting used to. The fractal burn marks had faded to a white pattern along her arms and across her torso, the feathered lines trailing up her neck and feathered along the bottom of her jaw on one side.
Her abilities had been somewhat sporadic and unstable since the fight with Caius, and Lightning was thankful for Fang's steady presence to help her work through the worst of it. It required a lot of meditation, a lot of practice and at times she felt like she was just awakening with her abilities all over again. A fact that frustrated her at times. Lightning ran her hands through the fuzz of hair at the back of her head and sighed.
The Haven had grown in admissions, with the once quiet halls now filled with happy L'cie who were eager to learn. Cid had managed to somehow wrangle an accepted Sanctum presence within the walls who taught them a varied number of classes of power suppression and defence, to help combat the stigma caused by Caius' actions. While Lightning was content that the world hadn't immediately imploded in the wake of Caius and his madness, it didn't mean that trouble wasn't on the horizon or that war wasn't still coming for them.
In the interim, the Haven had become a little claustrophobic for Lightning, who needed space to be able to ground properly. She had Fang to help her out, but it sometimes felt like it wasn't enough. There were too many students now. Too loud, too crowded, it was hard for Lightning to find moments of peace. It was as always, tempting to run. But at least this time she had someone that would run with her.
"Hey."
The subject of her thoughts called out behind her, the heavy footsteps coming to a halt before Fang ungracefully collapsed on the ground with a huff beside her. Lightning leant over and gave Fang a sympathetic kiss on the cheek, wrapping her arm around her bicep to rest against the shifter. "Hey. Sazh filled me in on what happened while you were on the way back. You ok?"
Fang's jaw tightened and she rest her head against the top of Lightning's. "I will be. Still doesn't stop it from hurting, you know? She said she made that deal to protect me, but really it was just to protect her own skin."
"Do you believe what she said? That she'll disappear and not cause us any more grief?"
There was a loud sigh from the shifter as she leant her weight on her hands. "I feel like I've spent years with my brain in a blender, Light. I don't know what to believe anymore."
Lightning leant against Fang and pushed her against the tree, burrowing into her favourite spot on the shifter's shoulder. Fang dutifully put an arm around her and held her close, warmed by the afternoon sun. "We don't have any classes until tomorrow morning. Our schedule is free for the rest of the day."
"Good to know. Means I can take my time with you instead. Or nap against this tree, just like old times."
Lightning took a quick glance around the grounds and satisfied they were alone enough, she stole a brief kiss from the shifter, whose tense form immediately relaxed against her. Fang ran her hands through the clipped cut around the edges of Lightning's hair and hummed with delight. "I kinda like this look on you, you know. It's edgy." She purred, continuing to gently massage the elemental's scalp.
"If I don't tell you to shut up about the haircut will you keep doing that?" Lightning asked, closing her eyes and leaning into the touch.
"Only if you tell me what's on your mind, sweetheart. I'm not the only one who is tense as all hell today."
Lightning bit her lip and looked away, before glancing back at the Haven buildings behind them. "I just… Sometimes I wish we could just leave. Still living in a dormitory in my early twenties with a bunch of other students isn't exactly how I dreamed my life would turn out." She sighed. While Sazh had moved them to a "teachers" wing of sorts, being in such close quarters with people was likely exacerbating her inability to get her powers under control.
Fang just gave a small smile and glanced to the driveway and the road beyond. "Well, as tempting as that is, we've got terrible adult responsibilities to Sazh and the students here." She answered, Lightning giving her a gentle slap on her arm.
"Ha, since when have you become so responsible?"
Leaning down to capture the elemental's lips, Fang kissed her until she was breathless. "Oh, I'd like to think some gorgeous electrified taser had something to do with it."
"You're hilarious." Lightning drawled, rolling her eyes. She settled in with a quiet yawn, wrapping her arm across Fang's waist. The shifter's heartbeat calmed her, knowing she was close, safe, and home. "I feel like I can't get space here anymore. It's great that the Haven is being so well received, and that Sazh's dream and all his work is coming to fruition, but… Yeah. There's a lot of people here."
Fang hummed in agreement, her mind already calculating ways to make the elemental feel better. "We'll figure something out gorgeous. We'll find a way to make the best of both worlds."
"If it comes to it and I have to leave, will you come with me?" Lightning asked, knowing it was a lot considering her own broken promise to Fang when the shifter had begged the same of her so long ago. But to her credit, Fang didn't dwell on it and kissed the top of her head softly.
"I promise, we'll go together."
"There you are!"
Fang practically jumped out of her skin while loading things into the back of her truck. She turned with a lazy wave and pulled Lightning close as she approached. The elemental smiled and leant in to kiss her, Fang as always feeling a small, pleasurable tingle on her lips.
"Hey, gorgeous. What are you up to today?" The shifter asked casually, giving Lightning a nuzzle.
"Mostly wondering what you're up to with all those tools in the trunk." Lightning replied with an arch of her eyebrow, peering over Fang's shoulder. There was a jumbled mess of what seemed to be timber planks, various tools from the workshop and sealed cardboard boxes.
"Oh? That? That's... Nothing. Just some junk I gotta take to the dump."
Lightning hummed and burrowed into the crook of Fang's neck, trying not to let her intrusive thoughts get the better of her. The truth was, Fang had been disappearing a lot lately. Ever since the two of them had been getting closer and... Lightning swallowed hard, not wanting to think that her reluctance towards affection had caused the shifter to back off.
"Hey, you ok?"
Fang's voice brought Lightning out of her head and she nodded from her spot against the warm Pulsian. "I'm ok. Just trying to figure out when you're going to stop vanishing all the time." She asked, feeling the tension immediately in the shifter's body. Lightning cursed herself for the passive aggressive remark and slowly untangled herself. When she finally glanced up at the vivid emerald irises, she saw how Fang seemed torn between wanting to say something or remaining silent.
"Soon, Light. I promise. I'm taking care of something. It's important. And then you'll have me all to yourself soon enough." Fang replied, drifting the back of her knuckles gently across Lightning's cheek. The display of affection coupled with the promise alleviated some of Lightning's concerns a little, but it still gnawed at the back of her mind as Fang kissed her gently before leaving. Watching the truck head off down the long driveway and vanish onto the street beyond, Lightning began to pace in the garage, fighting with herself not to fret.
It was two months ago, by her count. They had defeated Caius and saved the Haven, paving the way for a peaceful path between humans and L'cie. It allowed her and Fang the space and the quiet to explore their escalated relationship, without the threats looking over them. But she had messed up. Let her powers get the better of her and accidentally started a small electrical fire in her bedroom. It was a simple spark from a simple touch, when Fang slipped a hand underneath her shirt. It was mildly startling despite it being pleasurable, and it led to a surge of her namesake through the appliances in the room. After they had put out the fire, it had killed the mood, but then again, Lightning hadn't been in the mood since.
Fang had been distant as a result, saying she had somewhere to be, and was gone for long periods of time. Lightning sniffed and stared towards the gates. She would get to the bottom of this one way or another. Lightning didn't want to be strung along if Fang couldn't be patient. She'd rather know now than be hurt later. With a shuddering breath she took off down the driveway at speed and followed the road. It took no time at all to catch up to Fang, and Lightning zig-zagged across the highway and surrounds when she got too close.
Before too long, her steps slowed when she realised the direction Fang was headed in. She knew the highway, the way it would around the cliffs towards the ocean. She walked the last few miles, a considerably slower pace than her usual breakneck speeds. Each foot felt like she was dragging lead as the old lighthouse loomed before her. Lightning could hear music from inside the structure as she cautiously approached, looking around at the tools and frowning. Just what exactly was Fang doing here?
She carefully stepped inside and looked around, surprised at the appearance. The cracks in the walls had all been sealed over and a fresh coat of paint lined the walls. Lightning could hear Fang further upstairs, singing quietly to the music coming from the small radio plugged in by the door. Continuing to investigate, Lightning noticed a few amenities had been put in place, a small bar fridge, a couch and a TV with some very expensive surge protectors plugged into the back of it.
While the pinkette explored the warm and inviting improvements to the abandoned lighthouse, Fang came down the stairs to grab something from the truck while still singing to herself. "And we danced until we flat out fallin' into bed, and I won't let you go-OH FUCK. LIGHT. Etro's Gate that's twice today you've scared the living daylights out of me! What the hell!"
Lightning stood stunned as Fang clutched at her chest, the shifter's face caught somewhere between outrage and exasperation. She frowned, looking around at the room and felt lost. "Fang what... what is going on?"
"What is going on? I'd be askin' the same thing at this point... Did you follow me out here?"
Electricity sparked off Lightning's fingertips as she balled her fists. "You've been... disappearing lately. A lot. And... It's been ever since that stupid night where I set fire to half the electronics in my room because... I can't get my abilities under control. I can't control myself around you. I... Have I done something wrong... To make you distant?"
Fang's look of heartbreak was devastating, and Lightning sniffed, wiping a tear from her cheek with her sleeve. "Oh baby, no. Sweetheart come here..." Fang cooed, gently scooping the elemental up in her arms. "Dammit I'm an idiot... I wanted this to be a surprise."
"...A... S-surprise?"
"Yeah. Ever since that night and that conversation on the field I've... Wanted to try to find a way to make you comfortable, to give you that space you crave so much. I don't want you to feel pressured or think there's any expectations between us, because I'm just happy to be with you, no matter the capacity."
Lightning burrowed against Fang's shoulder, feeling embarrassed over her insecurities. "You do?"
"Yeah, you electrified idiot, I do. I found you again, Claire Farron. You're stuck with me now, got it?" Fang chastised gently, stroking the pale hair with her fingertips, softly massaging the elemental's scalp. She heard a tiny laugh from Lightning and hoped she had done enough to break the tension.
Fang stepped back and gestured around them. "I was going to bring you out here next weekend because I was just about done with the place before you got impatient... But I tracked down the owners of the land, and asked them if I could do the place up. That way they keep the land, value of their asset goes up because someone's maintaining the place, and we get a place to call our own."
Lightning was overwhelmed at Fang's careful planning, trying hard not to tear up all over again. "You... Did all this, for me?"
"For us." Fang corrected, leaning down to take her lips in a soft, reassuring kiss. Lightning melted against her, draping her arms around her neck as the elemental finally started to calm down. "The Haven is a great place, but it's also filled with people. And you know how much I hate people. I think you're putting too much pressure on yourself, sweetheart. I wanted to make a space where we can just go away from the rest of the world, and just... Be. Aside from the appliances in here, there's not a single electronic thing to fry for at least a ten mile radius. So it's one less thing for you to worry about."
Lightning's heart swelled with love, pulling Fang by the neck to kiss her deeper. "This is an awful lot of trouble to go to in order to take me to bed, Fang."
"Hush, demon. It's not about that, and I didn't just do this for your comfort." Fang answered with a gentle slap of Lightning's rear. She worked her jaw a few times before bowing her head with a sigh. "I get claustrophobic in places with a heap of people, and with the Haven growing in popularity it's making the place too crowded for me. I want us to be close to our family, but have somewhere we can get away to when we need. A place for just us, and nobody else."
It was a valid point, Lightning had to admit. Even without their... Accident... it was getting harder and harder to find the time to be alone together. That Fang had gone to all of this effort to build this space for the two of them, and in a remote location where she wouldn't have to fret as much about her powers... Lightning leant up and kissed Fang passionately, leaving her lips tingling with a tiny volt of electricity. She broke away and nuzzled into the shifter's neck, feeling warm, and safe, and whole.
"You're amazing. And I love you." Lightning murmured quietly, her eyebrows raising at the gentle rocking she felt herself being guided in. She glanced up for find the brunette humming along to the music in the background, swaying in a slow dance. "Fang?"
"Shhhh. I like this song."
Lightning smiled and shifted herself up, resting against Fang's shoulder as they danced in the small lighthouse kitchen. Their lighthouse kitchen, Lightning recalled with a giddy smile, turning to kiss along Fang's neck. "I always wanted to do this with you."
"We did. School dance."
"Doing a crazy rendition of a chicken dance until the teachers let us leave is not what I meant, Fang."
"Sure it is. I was irresistible then, I'm irresistible now and besides, we had a great night on the beach afterwards. I'm not easy to forget, you know." Fang drawled with a happy smile, looking down and kissing Lightning on the top of her head. The elemental hummed contentedly and reached down to guide Fang's hands underneath her shirt, the touch of her fingertips along her waist as electrifying as her own powers.
"You might be right. Sorry it took us nearly killing each other to realise it. I think... I think I've always loved you. I've always known that I loved you."
Fang's eyes widened at the quiet admission, her heart soaring. It was all the validation she had needed to hear. Etro knew she felt the same way. Her breath hitched as Lightning brought her hips closer, feeling the elemental's hands brushing along the buttons on her shirt and slowly undoing the top few to get at her collarbone. Fang let out a quiet breath at the slow trail of kisses Lightning left, her hands gripping tighter.
"So this place is ours huh?" Lighting asked, a little out of breath from the attention she was giving the shifter. Fang nodded and ran her fingers along her jawline with a smile.
"It is. Welcome home, sweetheart."
Lightning closed her eyes and nuzzled Fang's neck, content and letting months of tension slowly bleed out as they danced together. She looked up with a slow, easy smile and nodded towards the nearby spiral staircase. "This place have a bed, Fang?"
"Y-yeah I... Put it together yesterday so... G-good to go." The Pulsian answered, swallowing hard. "But we don't... Have to do anything you're not ready for.."
"Fang?" Lightning stopped their dance and ran the tips of her fingers across the shifter's lips, generating a very slow current of electricity that had Fang gasping. "Shut up and take me to bed."