AN- UPDATES. Repeat chapter coming later this week if I can get through the last few hundred words of the scene without screaming. Here's another chapter of FHaH to tide you over while you wait.
"You ready for this, Yun?"
Fang glanced over at Khosrow, who was reclined on their deck, taking a leisurely sip from a bottle of beer. She laughed quietly and shook her head, giving the Cal'mah elder a deadpan look. "Am I ready for a child that came about from Light and I merging into Ragnarok while we were fighting a Fal'cie? Fuck no."
Khosrow rolled her eyes and glanced out over the bluffs to the rest of the ever-growing town below. "Well, on the upside you set the bar high enough for bullshit that anything the kid throws at you will be a walk in the park."
"Thanks for the curse, now our child is destined to age me prematurely."
The two fell silent, content to watch the town mill about below them. Lightning had picked well when she chose the spot for her home. Their home. Fang gave a wry smile and took another drink. How strange that once when she looked out over the bluffs up at Cocoon, she yearned to tear if from the sky for everything it had taken from her. But now, she finds the crystalised shell soothing, comforting, for all the gifts it had brought her.
"It's odd, isn't it?" She mused, sighing contentedly on the chair. Khosrow arched an eyebrow at her and gestured for her to continue. Fang smiled wistfully, in an overall contemplative mood. "You ever think you'd be sitting here, back on what's ancient soil, celebrating a union between Cocoon and Gran Pulse?"
The elder scoffed and finished the beer, placing it on the ground next to her. "Not bloody likely. Though anything's possible. Hell, they said that Cal'Mah was founded by an immortal. Anything is possible if you are delusional enough."
"I like to think of it as determined." Fang replied sardonically, before glancing down at the rapidly diminishing beer. "Do you think… I'll be ok? As a parent, I mean?"
Khosrow sat up and reached over to cup Fang's face gently, giving her cheek a gentle stroke. "You idiot. You'll be perfect." She drawled, before sitting back in her seat, looking downcast. "It's something I would have loved to have seen my daughter do, but that wasn't to be. However, this is the next best thing."
"Thanks, am'ma." Fang teased, before she realised that the Cal'mah leader was being serious. "… Oh. I… Hm."
"You'll do fine. You've survived the scourge of the Fal'cie, saved the world, brought ours together. You got a good family around you, Fang. It'll be fine."
Fang gave a shy smile and picked at the label, sitting up a little straighter. She cleared her throat and gave the elder a serious look. "About that, I… Light and I have been talking… Planning and preparing and the like. Van and I are the last of the locals, and Light's parents are both gone. We were… We were wondering if you'd stand in as our child's Geham'ma."
"W…What?" Khosrow's eyes widened in disbelief, already brimming with tears. She swallowed a few times before speaking again. "You're… You're not serious.. Are you?" Her voice was barely a whisper from the strain.
Fang nodded with a hum, reaching over and taking Khosrow by the hand. She wanted to provide comfort where she could, knowing what something like this represented. "We can never replace your daughter, Khos'. We'd never dream of it. We want you to be a part of our family. You've become an important part of our lives over the last while, and we both want our child to have connection to my ancestors, and my descendants. We want our child to grow and be guided with Pulsian blood."
Khosrow sniffed and rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, taking a ragged breath. "How dare you make me emotional, you arsehole." She muttered, choking back a sob. "Of course I will."
Slowly getting up from her chair, Fang moved over and gave Khosrow a gentle hug. "Thank you. It means more to us than we can say."
Lightning threw her pen down across the desk in exhaustion, the last of the paperwork completed. The pile of reports finally up to date with no more to haunt her with. It felt satisfying. Wait no. She straightened in her seat and ran her hand over the bump of her ever growing belly. It wasn't satisfying, it was daunting.
"Thinking about all that relaxing you're going to do over the next while, Farron?"
Glancing up at Amodar standing in the doorway with his often casual smile, Lightning gave him a sardonic glare and sighed. "I'm having a baby. There is absolutely nothing relaxing about that. Sir."
The Captain let out a raucous laugh and sat in the seat opposite, giving her a pride-filled smile. "I'm proud of you, Farron. All this came about because you refused to listen to me back at the Bodhum festival. And now look at you! A Major, a family, a real home."
"I had a real home back in Bodhum, you know."
Amodar smiled and leaned forward, taking her hand and giving it a gentle pat. "But not you've got a home that makes you happy." He said quietly. Lightning blushed and ducked her head, clearing her throat.
"I guess you're right."
The office was tidy, everything was in its rightful place, and Lightning took a nervous breath. None of it felt right at all. "Gods, I'm not ready for this."
"Sure you are, Farron." Amodar answered firmly, slowly standing from the seat. "You look after the rookies here without incident, and before you tell me that it's not the same thing, I'll also remind you that you single-handedly raised your sister, kept the Estheim kid alive and took on and overcame the Fal'cie. If you could do all that, a kid is going to be a walk in the path."
"See? What did I tell you?" Fang called out from the doorway, Lightning's face brightening at the sight of her. There was such a soft, affectionate expression on the brunette's face, and it made Lightning swoon "Hey gorgeous. Here to make sure you actually leave."
Lightning clicked her tongue at her partner with a roll of her eyes. She wasn't that much of a workaholic. Except for the fact that she was meant to finish up work a few weeks ago, and she was due within the month. "I'm not glued to my desk, Fang."
"Could have fooled me. Sir, permission to take my woman home?" Fang drawled, spinning on her heel to salute the captain crisply. Amodar gave a single nod with a grin before his face fell slightly. He glanced around the office and looked a little tense, before speaking again.
"There is something I may ask, if that is alright. And it is mildly work related. But it's more for you, Fang."
"Oh? Well now I'm interested." The brunette replied, helping Lightning with her things. "Odd that you'd be asking me for help."
Amodar scratched at his neck with a sigh and folded his arms, leaning against the desk. "I may call on you from time to time to act as a mediator between us and Cal'Mah, if that is alright. Elder Khosrow has already been asking for you, and Lightning to a lesser extent. And Farron before you ask it's because Khosrow is very much aware that you're about to have a child."
Fang nodded with a hum and put her arm around Lightning's waist, feeling that stretch of her belly with a soft smile. "Sure, Captain. Whatever you need, as long as it doesn't take me away from the family for too long. Is Khosrow expecting trouble?"
"Hm, nothing concrete at this point. Just the former Sanctum people that were exiled needing to be kept in line and away from the populous." Amodar answered, twitching his moustache in annoyance. "But, also something that you don't need to worry yourself over, Farron. I see that look in your eye."
"Alright, alright. I get the hint. Only call me if the world's ending." Lightning said with an over-exaggerated huff. Amodar just smiled and approached the pinkette, sweeping her up in a hug. Lightning tensed for a moment before reminding herself there wasn't anyone else around to witness it, and slowly relaxed, returning his embrace. "Thank you sir."
"It's not forever, Farron. God knows the precinct is going to be on your case to visit with the baby sooner rather than later." He mused, watching as Fang picked up a box of Lightning's possessions and headed to the door. As they passed, the other officers stood up from their seats and saluted her, a sign of reverence and respect. Fang preened at their response, beyond proud of her partner for her accomplishments. Lightning stopped in the doorway and turned to face the precinct, taking one last look around with a sense of unease.
"It's not forever." She repeated, closing her eyes for a moment before allowing Fang to lead her out the door.
Lightning was quiet as she got into the car, feeling slightly lost. Fang knew to just give her space until she was ready to talk, turning the engine over and driving out of the lot. Deciding to take the scenic route home, Fang drove the long way to head up the bluffs before turning back in the direction of home.
"You ok, sweetheart?"
Lightning hummed with a nod, watching the passing wilderness as they drove down the forest road. "I think so. It's just… It's strange. I've worked since I was in high school. I worked to provide for Serah, I fought constantly during the war, I worked tirelessly while I waited for you and Vanille to wake up. All I've ever really done is work. It feels… Odd. To slow down after all this time."
"I would have thought it would have been a blessing, Light." Fang replied, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. "Gives you the opportunity to do all the things you never gave yourself time for."
"That's the thing though, Fang! You're right, I never gave myself time for anything! I wouldn't know if I even like anything!" Lightning complained as Fang pulled into the driveway. The Pulsian killed the engine and put her arm over the back of the passenger seat, turning to face her partner with an encouraging smile.
"Well, we've got about a month to figure it all out before our little bean makes an appearance. How about, each day you and I will pick something to try and see if you like it. One day we can read, another day bake, go to the movies, hell take up fuckin' knitting for all I care, just give yourself the time you've earned, sweetheart."
Lightning leaned forward and nuzzled Fang with a contented sigh, kissing her on the cheek. "You are too good to me. Come on. Let's get all this work crap inside so I can stick it in a cupboard and ignore it for the next while." She sighed, getting out of the car and slowly making her way up the stairs. Carrying around the extra weight just made everything ache, so even stairs were becoming a pain. Lightning grumbled to herself about needing a bath but realised with where she was at, she'd probably get stuck and never be able to get out of it.
"You can always settle for a foot rub from yours truly, if you ask nicely." Fang quipped with a lazy grin, having heard the pinkette's complaints. "How about I go and start dinner, you have a nice shower and if you can manage throw a load of laundry on, yeah?"
"All right all right. Cook me those steaks that I love though, the spicy ones." Lightning said firmly, before heading off down the hall. She paused in front of the mirror and turned to her side, eyeing off her profile in her reflection. "Not long now, huh? Be kind to your mommy on the way out, please?" She muttered to herself, laughing giddily at the thought of referring to herself as a mother. With all the anxiety and fear in the distant past, Lightning realised that she was at her milestone when she left work, meaning it was all the closer to meeting their child.
She smiled and picked up a basket to collect the clothes to be washed when she noticed Fang's drawer was hanging open. Lightning meandered over to tidy it with a click of her tongue, the Pulsian always leaving a drawer or a cupboard open seemingly to drive her mad. The glint of a gem caught her eye and she hummed to herself curiously, as she pulled out a beaded necklace, similar to the one she saw permanently around Fang's neck. Only where hers was beaded with painted bone and minerals, this was far more ornate, with gold and polished rubies and a silver pendant with intricate knotwork at the centre. It was beautiful, and Lightning wondered why she never saw Fang wear it. She wanted to go and ask her about it, and hung it around her neck while grabbing the laundry to free her hands up.
Walking past the kitchen, the smells of grilled meat and sounds of a pan sizzling drew Lightning over where she found Fang humming happily to herself while she cooked dinner for them. Lightning caught the lazy smile curving wider despite Fang not turning her head. She knew. Fang always knew where she was. Fang always found her. Lightning smiled and walked over, kissing her on the cheek. "Got anything you need me to throw in the laundry?" She asked, Fang's smiling face turning and faltering as the eyes immediately honed in on the necklace. "Oh. Sorry. I ran out of hands and wanted to ask you about this."
"You… You ran out of hands." Fang repeated quietly, swallowing thickly with a pale face.
"Yeah, I was on my way to do a laundry load when I found this in the bedroom. I've seen it before… Was it when we were in the archives at Oerba?" Lightning asked, watching curiously as Fang opened her mouth a few times and then closed it. "I like it. It reminds me of you. Why do you look panicked? Oh god I haven't inexplicably done something culturally offensive have I? It isn't going to turn me into a Cei'th is it?"
Fang felt dizzy, and she walked over and took Light by the hands. "No it's... it's a necklace of... the clans use it to... it's a betrothal necklace that belonged to the Yun clan. I pocketed it over a year ago when we were in the archives back at Oerba… In case it ever came in handy."
"Oh."
"Putting it on is an acceptance."
The two stared at each other in silence while the meat continued to sizzle and pop in the pan. "Fang, did we just accidentally get engaged?" Lightning asked while Fang nodded slowly. She reached up and touched the golden beads with her fingertips and hummed. "Huh. Interesting."
Fang looked like she was about to scream, or pass out, or a strange combination of the two. "S-so does… Does that mean it's a yes?" Her question was tinged with nerves and Lightning could quite easily see the fear in her face. The pinkette leaned up and cupped her face, capturing her lips in a gentle, loving kiss.
"You could propose in every lifetime and I'd always say yes, my love."
