A/N: In the Paying it Forward Universe, Fang and Lightning have a major announcement. How will the lives around them react to the news? All pairings here are either married or in a serious relationship.
Lady Luck Strikes Again
"Light... Sunshine... are you sure you want everyone to know about the Lucky Charm in your womb...?" Fang asks her wife, knowing that the married couple are becoming first time parents later in the year. With this being the month of May, and it being just after Mother's Day the timing of this sort of news - more specifically, the Fangrai couple welcoming a girl in late September - it was one that anyone who knew them would be worried about for obvious reasons, the biggest one being those who don't know them but are made aware of the situation. With the confident nod from Lightning, Fang placed a protective arm around her wife, being given another reason why they married in the first place... also known as Lightning not giving and fucks about what anyone thinks of her and Fang becoming first time parents, and the gender reveal get together being an interesting one due to the pink cake inside vanilla frosting (the idea came from both Celes and Serah, yet it was Snow who paid for the cake and Hope being beyond cautious with transporting it while having Lucien and Enya as passengers). Several minutes later, at the open yard tied to the Yun-Farron household, everyone cheered when the married couple made their appearance. Being the gentleman, Locke made sure that Lightning was as comfortable as possible. What surprised everyone was that Amodar, Rygdea and their families made their appearance as they're people who Lightning and Fang see as people that they can hang out with outside the Guardian Corps.
The eye contact from the older Farron - not smiling with her mouth but smiling with her eyes - made everyone so happy to see the pinkette happy: married to the best lass for her, living in a dream home on Neo Oerba, having in laws who truly love her for who she is and having a job that is beyond rewarding, the things that said to the world that Lightning is living her best life yet. What surprised Fang, however, was that Lucien and Enya were able to make it to the joyous occasion. With varying aspects of the travel making it questionable for them to make it to Neo Oerba safely, it was Lady Luck making her strike to ensure that Fang's parents made it to such an event that those from Cocoon take very seriously. After all, it was thanks to science that parts of Fang's DNA played a key role in Lightning being successful in getting pregnant. What no one outside Fang and Lightning knew about was that the Fangrai pair already had a set of names for each case: one name if it was a girl, another if it was a boy. When Lightning and Fang first found out that they're becoming first time parents Lightning admitted to Fang that she wanted a boy, despite having Serah as her only and younger sibling. It was a few conversations that Fang had to drill in the older Farron's head that the health of the baby was far more important than its gender, which put the pinkette at ease about this upcoming life change for them both. Lightning couldn't stop smiling after that.
Hugs, greetings, laughter and smiles were exchanged between all who made it to this event, which one couldn't ask for anything else but. Celes, who was oddly quiet, was approached by both Lucien and Enya, as the look they saw on her was one of worry. Celes couldn't mince words and explained something simple but noteworthy: because Lightning and Fang are a same sex couple, people might frown at them when they're with their child. Despite the world being so accepting of same sex couples nowadays there are those who will not share those views with those who do. "Celes Cole, you wonder why you are a daughter to us with that, now do you...?" Lucien and Enya started to say at the same time to the Vector native, ensuring that Celes went back to being her happy self. Even Locke joined them on this heart-to-heart, knowing that Celes' concerns hold a great value despite the views on same sex couples by the world being far more accepting and welcoming as opposed to those views a generation or so ago. The two married couples went to the nearby table to continue their conversation while eating the food that Fang and Serah, of all people, made by hand themselves. From a distance, Lightning couldn't help but release a laugh rarely heard when she saw the two couples enjoy the food her wife and sister made, which had Vanille and Snow laughing too. For reasons unknown, this side of the older Farron still is the biggest reason why Fang married her.
More great news was to come.
XXX
It was a while later, after everyone had at least two plates of food because the cooking was so good according to Lucien, Amodar and Celes, that varying activities were set for those who aren't the Fangrai pair. Even the kids had a great time with the games, and the adults truly enjoyed themselves. Lightning got a bit shocked when Rygdea came to the table where she and Fang sat at with a confession. "Pinky and Girly... just know that I have your backs. I don't know if or when this will be back in stock, but I got you two an early Baby Shower gift..." he admits, while handing over a envelope that felt quite light in weight, only for it to reveal a receipt for an item that Lightning had her eyes on for the baby since he found out that she is expecting but only one of that item was in stock. "Thanks, Rygdea... you have no idea how happy you made Sunshine here with that..." Fang replied, knowing that Lightning is at a real loss for words on the matter. Celes, from her table, had to gently nudge Locke, Lucien and Enya as the beyond rare smile from Lightning upon seeing what Rygdea had gotten for the baby was made public for the world to see, a smile not seen since the Fangrai pair got married. Lucien got the handkerchief from his pocket to pat the tears of happiness from Enya's eyes, for he did NOT like to see her cry for any reason, even if the tears are from happiness from getting a gift like what Lightning and Fang got from Rygdea. Vanille, all of a sudden, got everyone's attention.
"Hello everyone, Happy Mother's Day to everyone!" Vanille started her announcement, which was loud enough because it was the moment they've been waiting for: the gender reveal of Lightning and Fang's first child that Light was carrying. It was the speed of Lightning's namesake that every eye was on the redhead. Vanille went on to say that the cake was about to be cut by Lightning and Fang, two of a very small number of people who know the baby's gender. It was the redhead who explained the Cocoonian tradition of the gender reveal with the cake: if the cake is pink then they're (Lightning and Fang) expecting as girl. If the cake is blue they're expecting a boy. A tradition as simple as this... we should use back home in Oerba. Why we didn't have this soon is beyond us... Enya thought to herself during and after Vanille's explanation of a gender reveal in the form of a cake. In a twist of fate, it was Amodar who brought the custom cake to the Fangrai couple, which Lucien smiled at Amodar's gesture, knowing that Lightning's superior has been on the lookout for the pinkette for years, before and since the older Farron married the brunette. It was Fang's smile that put Lightning at ease, with the Oerban native taking note of now nervous Light has been getting since the start of the gender reveal get together.
To Lightning, it is the simple things that Fang does every day that remind her why they're still together to this day, and a simple smile being one of them. When their hands made a small cut of the cake, people were cheering when the colour of the cake turned out to be pink. Fang and Lightning are welcoming a baby girl in late September, for they knew that as long as the baby turned out healthy the gender doesn't matter. It was several minutes later - the Fangrai pair made sure that each guest had some cake, for more than one with the pink cake inside was made - that Lightning revealed the name of their baby girl that's due in late September: Seven Michaela Yun-Farron. "Sounds about right for you two. Picking a name that truly sticks out, eh?" Hope asked in a rare moment of humour, causing everyone there to laugh their arses off, even the Fangrai pair themselves couldn't help but laugh at that, for they know it is very true. Some of the other guests had stuff for Baby Seven (Vanille's name for the bun in Lightning's oven) for the same reasons as Rygdea and his gift: none of them knew if it will be restocked closer to the late September due date Lightning has. Lucien would call it a 'better safe than sorry' measure to get it earlier rather than later.
One other set of news showed up for the Fangrai pair at that event: Jihl Nabaat is no longer with PSICOM/GC, for reasons unknown according to Hope and Amodar, and went into the realm of education instead. This, according to Rygdea and Celes, is great news to know about, as there were a mile high amount of complaints against Nabaat, who was rumoured to be on the brink of a OTH (Other Than Honourable) Discharge which the complaints were tied to the matter. If anything, this would put the Fangrai pair at ease alongside Hope and Celes, which everyone would hope it means a new and improved GC/PSICOM in the future.
Lady Luck strikes again.
FIN
A/N#2: Real life news! I am done with the building aspect of 3 desktop pcs for myself but am FAR from done with other aspects of it (i.e. standalone software, software for existing hardware, accessories, hardware and furniture) overall.
A/N#3: Next story is another in the Paying it Forward universe, with the Yun-Farron family taking part in a talk show which has a surprise individual as a host (or hostess)!
