FFXIII: Some Things You Just Do - Epilogue

(It is highly recommended that you read the Author's Notes below before reading this chapter.)

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Lightning didn’t know if she wanted to laugh, cry or bang her head against her desk until she lost consciousness. After Lightning's feelings were revealed to Fang, the look of surprised confusion on the Pulsian’s face drove her to do something she’d never done before.

She ran.

Even when Fang chased after her, and yelled at her to stop, Lightning simply ran faster. Sprinting through Vallis Media was like a jog through the park. The moment Lightning hopped onto her chocobo, she zipped towards Neo Oerba like a bullet. And now here she was, sitting at her desk, with her forehead pressed against the wood. Banging her head on her desk sounded like a really good idea right about now.

Night was upon her. That ridiculous excuse for an expedition, disguised as a routine patrol, had taken much longer than anticipated. Morning dragged into afternoon as Serah’s clearing party did more gawking than actually clearing the path ahead of them. Had it been a regular unit of soldiers, that task would have finished in no time. Perhaps the lag was due to Sazh doing most of the work. The old man ran ragged while Vanille and Serah spied on Lightning’s awkward attempts to woo a certain huntress behind them.

Lightning groaned. “Stupid Lightning. Stupid.”

The Neo Oerba Security Tasks Force building was empty for the most part at this time of the night. This relieved Lightning greatly. Of the people who were here working late at this hour, the moment Lightning stormed through the main entrance and slammed her office doors shut, they knew not to disturb her unless the Cocoon was falling out of the sky. Again. Lightning may not have been as badly tempered as before, but everyone knew well enough not to piss the captain off. She truly packed a wallop with her right hook, a punch so mean it was spoken of in the history books. The only person who didn’t seem to be afraid of Lightning’s fist in the least bit was Fang.

Fang…

Lightning sighed, still face down on her desk. Fang’s surprised expression was an expected one. Her confused one, the same. But when Lightning saw those things on Fang’s face, her stomach immediately clenched in fear. Fear of rejection, by the one who held a big place in her heart. And so, before Fang could break out in laughter at Lightning’s expense, she ran. She ran away before Fang had the chance to downright reject her.  

Lightning made a disgusted sound.

She ran. Only fools and cowards ran away from their problems. Lightning was no fool, and she certainly was no coward. Yet her feet took her away before she could get Fang’s honest answer.

CRACK!

“Damn it,” Lightning muttered, pulling her now bruised fist from the dent she made in her desk.

Lightning closed her eyes. How would she be able to face Fang after this? Would Fang even want to talk to her again after this? Just the thought of never talking to Fang again made her eyes burn and her heart ache.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

“Come in,” Lightning groaned, still not moving from her current position.

“Lightnin.’”

Lightning’s head shot up from her desk, her eyes wide.

“We need ta talk.”

Lightning almost forgot how to breathe as she watched Fang close the door behind her. Her office suddenly felt very small. When Fang turned her gaze back to face her, Lightning immediately snapped out of her stupor and grabbed part of the nearest bundle of papers on her desk and set it in front of her. That was not a hard thing to do considering she already had three waist high stacks to go through on her desk already.

“W-what is it Fang?” Lightning’s eyes stared at the paper in front of her. She cursed herself inwardly for the stutter. “I’m rather busy as you can see. If it can wait until-”

Lightning’s words stilled when a bronze hand rested on her own. Lightning swallowed thickly, using every ounce of willpower she had to keep herself staring at the papers in front of her and not Fang. That did little however, to deter her guest from taking her bruised fist into their hands to inspect it.

“Fightin’ with the furniture again Light?” Fang chuckled, her emerald eyes gazing at Lightning’s reddening fist. It would be a nice purple colour by tomorrow, but for the moment it was just red, and no doubt tender. At least what she could see, that being Lightning's fingers. It didn't take a genius to figure out where that new dent in the desk came from.

“When are ya ever gonna learn that there's better thins ta hit on than yer desk Light?” Fang laughed.

The Pulsian quickly rolled her eyes when she didn’t get the response she wanted. Lightning still refused to look at her, the soldier’s focus boring into the requisition forms sitting in front of her, requisition forms that were sitting in front of the soldier upside down. Fang sighed. Was Lightning going to stay silent for this entire conversation?

A thought.

A mischievous glint flashed in Fang’s eyes, a smirk stretching across the Pulsian’s face. Lightning felt a brief tug on her right hand and before she knew it, her fingerless glove flopped quietly onto her desk. Blue eyes darted upwards in alarm. “Fang wha-”

Lightning’s breath caught in her throat the moment Fang’s lips kissed the tender skin of her bruised hand. Fang grinned in triumph, seeing that she had finally gotten Lightning to raise her gaze. Fang kissed Lightning’s hand again.

“It’s customary on Gran Pulse ta kiss away the boo boos when a child hurts themselves,” Fang said in a husky voice. “I don’t see why that can’t apply ta us adults as well.”

That had to be the most ridiculous thing Lightning had ever heard in her entire life. Utterly ridiculous. Despite that fact, Lightning couldn’t bring herself to retort with a snarky remark. Instead, she just swallowed again, her throat feeling very dry. Emerald eyes smouldered when she met Fang’s hungry gaze.

“L-listen Fang,” Lightning said, forcing her lips to move. “I-”

“Why didn’t ya tell me ya were in love wit’ me Light?”

Lightning lost her voice momentarily, feeling her cheeks burn more than they already were. “L-Look Fang, about what the others said this afterno-”

Fang pressed a finger to Lightning’s lips, effectively shushing her. “Lightning, darlin.’ Jus' shut up an’ kiss me.”

A pair of squeals shattered the quiet air outside of Lightning’s office as Lightning and Fang shared a passionate, heated kiss. Lightning hadn’t even noticed the spying culprits peering into her office window, nor their cheers of triumph, even now as she pulled away from the huntress breathless. Fang, on the other hand, did, and the sound effects were  unwelcome. Despite being rather pleased with herself at how flustered Lightning had gotten, Fang needed to do something about their gawkers. With a quick peck on the lips, Fang winked at Lightning. “I’ll be right back, love.”

Lightning nodded mutely, pulling at the collar of her jacket feeling extremely flushed. Fang sauntered over to the door to her office and opened it.

“Hey! Ya mind?” the Pulsian exclaimed. “Some people are tryin’ ta have a moment here. So scoot.” Fang shooed away the shadows.

Lightning couldn’t but chuckle as the forms outside of her office quickly scurried off. She was never going to hear the end of this when she got home, but for once, the soldier didn’t mind that one bit.

Grumbling about younger siblings and their inability to stay out of other peoples' business, Fang closed the door to Lightning’s office and locked it. She then closed the blinds all the way. Walking back to the pinkette, Fang grinned. “Sorry 'bout that Light. Now where were we?”

“Fang.” Lightning smiled at the sari clad warrior.

“Hmm?”

“Call me Claire.”