Final Fantasy XIII fic, Struck by Lightning 15 (What Does This Mean?)
title: Struck by Lightning chapter 15
author: caledon (the_tower_room)
pairing: Hope/Lightning, various
rating: M
summary: AU. Six years have passed, and Hope moved to the city where he first met his destiny. Everything should fall into place now that he was back and grown up . Now, if only she would stop resisting...
words: 2212
As much as Lightning tried, with her being this close to these many wedding dresses, her mind just wouldn't stop its merry-go-round of remembrance: I'm going to marry you someday...Do you want to get married...I'm going to marry you someday...Do you want to get married...
And with those words running through her head, she couldn't help imagining herself in one of the gowns on display, walking down the aisle towards a certain silver-haired man that waited for her at the altar. She shook her head vigorously in an effort to dispel the image, growling softly to herself. She started, brought back to reality at a touch on her shoulder.
"Lightning, are you okay?" asked Serah, worry on her brow. Vanille was off to the other end of the window, the older Farron was relieved to see, not liking the thought of someone other than Serah being witness to a moment of weakness.
"Fine," she murmured, though with only a modicum of conviction.
Her sister rolled her eyes. "Sure. Look, I know you've been off lately. You can tell me what's bothering you, you know. It's not good to keep it bottled in."
"I'm fine, Serah-"
"-Lightning-"
"There's nothing bothering me."
"Ligh-"
"Drop it."
"Hope is nothing like him."
Lightning gritted her teeth, a muscle ticking in her jaw, and she tried to lessen the venom pouring from her gaze.
"Not all men are like him, Lightning," continued Serah.
"I know," Lightning stated in a clipped tone.
"You know, but do you believe it? I know you don't want to talk about it. But you're not the only one who was hurt. Me and mom too. And since mom died, you've been doing everything you can to take care of me. You gave up a lot: a life of normalcy, growing up and experiencing the same things other kids your age were going through...you sacrificed everything for me. But Lightning, I'm grown up now. I'm getting married. You don't have to take care of me anymore. It's time you look after you. I want you to be happy. I want you to have what I have with Snow. And I think Hope could be good for you, if you give him a chance. Just think about it." Serah punctuated the last with a reassuring smile and gave her arm a squeeze, turning away just as the doors to M&M Bridals were opened.
As Lightning followed her sister, she felt the constant pool of anger in her drain away little by little. Last night, without knowing anything, she had lashed out at Hope, harsh and presumptuous. She knew she ought to give him the benefit of the doubt; if anything, he had been accepting and somewhat patient of her behaviour towards him since the beginning. Maybe it had really been his former flame who had called in the middle of their tryst, and from what she had heard, they were to meet. Maybe he had a good reason for it. The least she could do was let him explain himself. And perhaps, in the process, she could open up as well.
She didn't want to keep feeling lost anymore.
Serah and Lightning were already in the waiting room, chatting with a pair of sisters by the names of Marie and Millie-who were the proprietors of M&M Bridals-about the upcoming nuptials and possible dress choices. Still arm in arm, Vanille led Hope and Noel to where they sat, exchanging greetings and pleasantries with the sisters before they were all led to the show room that had rows and walls of bridal gowns covered in garment bags. In that sea of white, they couldn't help feeling overwhelmed, and both Vanille and Serah ran towards several dresses that have already caught their eyes.
"Go on, don't be shy," said Millie-or possibly Marie. "Go ahead and pick out a dress that you think would look good on Serah."
Three pairs of eyes looked at her for a moment before its owners headed off to the displays. As Hope grabbed a random gown by the hanger, he couldn't help remarking to no one in particular, "Ever notice that most wedding dresses are strapless? Is that some kind of rule?"
He was awarded by a shake of the head from Noel and eyerolls from Serah and Vanille. Biting his lip, he couldn't resist glancing sidelong at Lightning, but her back was turned to him, being occupied with a gown that she was reaching for.
Not really looking, he grabbed three more hangers from the rack and dragged them over to the assigned changing room, earning raised eyebrows from Marie-or maybe Millie. He shrugged, scratching his head as he made his way to the couch in front of a small stage and a large mirror. Flopping down on one end with arms and legs akimbo, he heaved a huge sigh, wishing he'd brought along one of the books about flans that he had been reading last night. He closed his eyes, still tired from a sleepless night, feeling the cushion to the side collapse and hearing Vanille and Noel's voices as they murmured to each other.
He felt a nudge on his foot.
"Scoot over."
Startled that she actually spoke to him, he straightened and made room for her in the couch between him and Vanille, a tense silence between them. The redhead and his brother seemed lost in their own conversation, so there would be no help coming from them, Hope knew. And it felt impolite to talk over Lightning's head, and the last thing he wanted was to make her feel as though he was ignoring her. He peered at her from the corner of his eye. She was staring straight ahead, with arms crossed over her chest.
Deflating at the air of unapproachableness that she was exuding, he grabbed a bridal magazine from the corner table beside the couch and perused its contents. Yet more strapless dresses, he thought. What is up with that? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but just...
Would Lightning wear something like this?
His eyes widened. Where did that thought come from?
Well, he did tell her he was going to marry her someday, but he had to admit he never envisioned an actual wedding taking place. They were just together. And happy.
...And that was it.
Breathing out a small chuckle, his lips twisted at the irony of their current situation.
Over half a magazine later, Serah finally came out of the changing room and walked up to the stage, twirling as she modelled the first dress. There was a row of clamps running down her back, putting him to mind of a stegosaurus in a dress, though he realized it was to help fit the garment on her figure. Millie-or most likely Marie-announced, "Here we have a ballgown in satin with an overlay of ruched organza on the bodice and skirt, and liberally decorated with starflowers. This is Serah's pick."
The pink-haired looked at them expectantly.
"It's so pretty!" cried out Vanille, clapping her hands.
"It's...busy," remarked Lightning tonelessly.
"It's, uh, shiny," uttered Noel nervously.
"It's strapless," pointed out Hope, and he shrunk back from the glares he received from everyone. He coughed, and made another attempt at a commentary. "It's...um, kind of overwhelming, isn't it? You kind of look like you're drowning in it, like the dress is wearing you instead of the other way around."
"Oh...yeah, I can see that," the redhead reluctantly agreed, her smile faltering. "I love it, and I wish this is The One."
"Oh," breathed out Serah with an air of disappointment, hands spreading out the skirt. "Any others? Noel? Lightning?"
"Sorry," said the younger man, while her sister just shook her head.
"Oh, well, time for the next one." Serah walked back into the dressing room with one of the M-sisters.
"That's too bad," said Vanille, "she looks so pretty in it. I love the flowers."
"She kind of looks like a cake," said Noel. "A shiny cake with lots of swirly, wavy thingies."
"Oh, shut it, you."
Picking up the discarded magazine again, Hope flipped through the pages, trying to remember where he'd left off, then shrugged and just started up at a random page. He felt a slight weight on his arm; Lightning had leaned in and was peering over his shoulder.
O-kay, he thought. What does this mean?
Does it have to mean anything? answered himself. Maybe she just wants to see the magazine.
Is she still mad about last night?
We really have no way of knowing that, do we?
That's true. Sorry.
...unless you want to ask her.
At this point, I'd rather not risk it out of self-preservation, but thanks for the suggestion.
Maybe you should turn the page now. Pretend you didn't notice.
Okay.
A little subtly, he moved the magazine so that she could see it better, flipping the page every few seconds. After one and a half magazine perusals, Serah came out of the dressing room.
"This is one of Vanille's choices," commentated Marie. "It's embroidered taffeta with a fitted bodice and a mermaid skirt made up of layers of flounces, ending in a short train."
The bride-to-be was all smiles when she walked up to the stage, almost jumping giddily. "So, what do you guys think?" she asked.
"I love it! It's so pretty!" burst out Vanille.
"I know! Isn't it?" Serah asserted just as excitedly. "Good choice, Vanille."
"Of course!"
"Wow," said Noel. "Just wow."
"Hmm," commented Lightning.
"It's strap-" Hope cleared his throat. "It's...yeah."
At that, Serah put her hands on her waist, pouting, hackles raised. "What does that mean? Is that a good 'yeah' or a bad 'yeah?'"
Feeling put on the spot, Hope thought of the best possible way to say what he thought without offending her. "Well, the dress is gorgeous, and without question, you look amazing in it. But, let's consider Snow's size into the equation. You have on a very slim-fitting dress, and you're already petite. I just think that maybe Snow would look like he's dwarfing you with this kind of dress." He looked to the side to the other spectators. "Right?"
Lightning raised her eyebrows in agreement, while Noel clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "I guess," he said.
"But it's so pretty," whined Vanille.
"You said that about the last dress."
"But they are pretty. Why can't she have the pretty stuff? She's the bride! Who cares about what Snow looks like."
"I do." Serah sighed and began to walk back to the dressing room where Millie waited to assist her. "Well, there's more pretty stuff to try out."
Dress three hadn't fared much better than its predecessors ("Too flamboyant," said Lightning with disgust), and neither had the fourth dress ("I have no words," said Lightning. "Sis!" exclaimed Serah in shocked disbelief). Dress five resulted in a chuckle that three out the four spectators tried to muffle, while dress six had the opinions split between the men and the women ("The cleavage and the thigh slit-" "No!").
Two hours and the tenth dress later, a dejected Serah left the stage to the try on another gown. Vanille rose from her seat, stretching, muttering something about refreshments that Hope only half-heard, having leaned back against the couch and let out a loud yawn. Through closed eyes, he mumbled "coffee" to the question in Noel's voice, and then hearing only silence when he and his girlfriend left on their errand.
He stirred, spurred by nervousness into tapping his hands against his lap to fill the void. Lightning must have found it annoying, but it nevertheless caught him by surprise to find her hand on his, stopping his own from moving. He couldn't resist looking at her.
"Sorry," he stammered, keeping his hand still, afraid that she would take her own hand away, wanting the contact to last.
Furthering his surprise, she squeezed her grip on his. "I should be the one saying that."
"No," he said, "I know the tapping is annoying and-"
"No, I meant...how I've been towards you. I'm sorry."
Hope blinked, at a loss, settling instead for squeezing her hand back for lack of any other response.
"I've been unfair to you," continued Lightning. "And jumping to too many conclusions when I don't really know you that well at all. And you've been taking my behaviour in stride, and there's just a lot of-about me...and...and..." She looked down at their joined hands and took a deep breath. "If you're willing to, I'd like to start over."
He felt as though his chest could burst, and he couldn't help the crack that came over his voice. "Us?"
She looked up, met his eyes, and nodded. "Yes."
"I-I love yo-I mean, I'd l-love that." One thing at a time, he thought, his heart swelling with relief, and he couldn't help the nervous smile that spread across his lips, seeing her answering smile in return, albeit small, but still there.
"I'd love that," he repeated, calmly this time.
"Good." She raised her other hand to cup his cheek, her thumb stroking his lips, and he couldn't help placing a kiss there.
And then she drew his head close, and kissed him softly.
==================================================
previous chapter | next chapter
author: caledon (the_tower_room)
pairing: Hope/Lightning, various
rating: M
summary: AU. Six years have passed, and Hope moved to the city where he first met his destiny. Everything should fall into place now that he was back and grown up . Now, if only she would stop resisting...
words: 2212
As much as Lightning tried, with her being this close to these many wedding dresses, her mind just wouldn't stop its merry-go-round of remembrance: I'm going to marry you someday...Do you want to get married...I'm going to marry you someday...Do you want to get married...
And with those words running through her head, she couldn't help imagining herself in one of the gowns on display, walking down the aisle towards a certain silver-haired man that waited for her at the altar. She shook her head vigorously in an effort to dispel the image, growling softly to herself. She started, brought back to reality at a touch on her shoulder.
"Lightning, are you okay?" asked Serah, worry on her brow. Vanille was off to the other end of the window, the older Farron was relieved to see, not liking the thought of someone other than Serah being witness to a moment of weakness.
"Fine," she murmured, though with only a modicum of conviction.
Her sister rolled her eyes. "Sure. Look, I know you've been off lately. You can tell me what's bothering you, you know. It's not good to keep it bottled in."
"I'm fine, Serah-"
"-Lightning-"
"There's nothing bothering me."
"Ligh-"
"Drop it."
"Hope is nothing like him."
Lightning gritted her teeth, a muscle ticking in her jaw, and she tried to lessen the venom pouring from her gaze.
"Not all men are like him, Lightning," continued Serah.
"I know," Lightning stated in a clipped tone.
"You know, but do you believe it? I know you don't want to talk about it. But you're not the only one who was hurt. Me and mom too. And since mom died, you've been doing everything you can to take care of me. You gave up a lot: a life of normalcy, growing up and experiencing the same things other kids your age were going through...you sacrificed everything for me. But Lightning, I'm grown up now. I'm getting married. You don't have to take care of me anymore. It's time you look after you. I want you to be happy. I want you to have what I have with Snow. And I think Hope could be good for you, if you give him a chance. Just think about it." Serah punctuated the last with a reassuring smile and gave her arm a squeeze, turning away just as the doors to M&M Bridals were opened.
As Lightning followed her sister, she felt the constant pool of anger in her drain away little by little. Last night, without knowing anything, she had lashed out at Hope, harsh and presumptuous. She knew she ought to give him the benefit of the doubt; if anything, he had been accepting and somewhat patient of her behaviour towards him since the beginning. Maybe it had really been his former flame who had called in the middle of their tryst, and from what she had heard, they were to meet. Maybe he had a good reason for it. The least she could do was let him explain himself. And perhaps, in the process, she could open up as well.
She didn't want to keep feeling lost anymore.
Serah and Lightning were already in the waiting room, chatting with a pair of sisters by the names of Marie and Millie-who were the proprietors of M&M Bridals-about the upcoming nuptials and possible dress choices. Still arm in arm, Vanille led Hope and Noel to where they sat, exchanging greetings and pleasantries with the sisters before they were all led to the show room that had rows and walls of bridal gowns covered in garment bags. In that sea of white, they couldn't help feeling overwhelmed, and both Vanille and Serah ran towards several dresses that have already caught their eyes.
"Go on, don't be shy," said Millie-or possibly Marie. "Go ahead and pick out a dress that you think would look good on Serah."
Three pairs of eyes looked at her for a moment before its owners headed off to the displays. As Hope grabbed a random gown by the hanger, he couldn't help remarking to no one in particular, "Ever notice that most wedding dresses are strapless? Is that some kind of rule?"
He was awarded by a shake of the head from Noel and eyerolls from Serah and Vanille. Biting his lip, he couldn't resist glancing sidelong at Lightning, but her back was turned to him, being occupied with a gown that she was reaching for.
Not really looking, he grabbed three more hangers from the rack and dragged them over to the assigned changing room, earning raised eyebrows from Marie-or maybe Millie. He shrugged, scratching his head as he made his way to the couch in front of a small stage and a large mirror. Flopping down on one end with arms and legs akimbo, he heaved a huge sigh, wishing he'd brought along one of the books about flans that he had been reading last night. He closed his eyes, still tired from a sleepless night, feeling the cushion to the side collapse and hearing Vanille and Noel's voices as they murmured to each other.
He felt a nudge on his foot.
"Scoot over."
Startled that she actually spoke to him, he straightened and made room for her in the couch between him and Vanille, a tense silence between them. The redhead and his brother seemed lost in their own conversation, so there would be no help coming from them, Hope knew. And it felt impolite to talk over Lightning's head, and the last thing he wanted was to make her feel as though he was ignoring her. He peered at her from the corner of his eye. She was staring straight ahead, with arms crossed over her chest.
Deflating at the air of unapproachableness that she was exuding, he grabbed a bridal magazine from the corner table beside the couch and perused its contents. Yet more strapless dresses, he thought. What is up with that? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but just...
Would Lightning wear something like this?
His eyes widened. Where did that thought come from?
Well, he did tell her he was going to marry her someday, but he had to admit he never envisioned an actual wedding taking place. They were just together. And happy.
...And that was it.
Breathing out a small chuckle, his lips twisted at the irony of their current situation.
Over half a magazine later, Serah finally came out of the changing room and walked up to the stage, twirling as she modelled the first dress. There was a row of clamps running down her back, putting him to mind of a stegosaurus in a dress, though he realized it was to help fit the garment on her figure. Millie-or most likely Marie-announced, "Here we have a ballgown in satin with an overlay of ruched organza on the bodice and skirt, and liberally decorated with starflowers. This is Serah's pick."
The pink-haired looked at them expectantly.
"It's so pretty!" cried out Vanille, clapping her hands.
"It's...busy," remarked Lightning tonelessly.
"It's, uh, shiny," uttered Noel nervously.
"It's strapless," pointed out Hope, and he shrunk back from the glares he received from everyone. He coughed, and made another attempt at a commentary. "It's...um, kind of overwhelming, isn't it? You kind of look like you're drowning in it, like the dress is wearing you instead of the other way around."
"Oh...yeah, I can see that," the redhead reluctantly agreed, her smile faltering. "I love it, and I wish this is The One."
"Oh," breathed out Serah with an air of disappointment, hands spreading out the skirt. "Any others? Noel? Lightning?"
"Sorry," said the younger man, while her sister just shook her head.
"Oh, well, time for the next one." Serah walked back into the dressing room with one of the M-sisters.
"That's too bad," said Vanille, "she looks so pretty in it. I love the flowers."
"She kind of looks like a cake," said Noel. "A shiny cake with lots of swirly, wavy thingies."
"Oh, shut it, you."
Picking up the discarded magazine again, Hope flipped through the pages, trying to remember where he'd left off, then shrugged and just started up at a random page. He felt a slight weight on his arm; Lightning had leaned in and was peering over his shoulder.
O-kay, he thought. What does this mean?
Does it have to mean anything? answered himself. Maybe she just wants to see the magazine.
Is she still mad about last night?
We really have no way of knowing that, do we?
That's true. Sorry.
...unless you want to ask her.
At this point, I'd rather not risk it out of self-preservation, but thanks for the suggestion.
Maybe you should turn the page now. Pretend you didn't notice.
Okay.
A little subtly, he moved the magazine so that she could see it better, flipping the page every few seconds. After one and a half magazine perusals, Serah came out of the dressing room.
"This is one of Vanille's choices," commentated Marie. "It's embroidered taffeta with a fitted bodice and a mermaid skirt made up of layers of flounces, ending in a short train."
The bride-to-be was all smiles when she walked up to the stage, almost jumping giddily. "So, what do you guys think?" she asked.
"I love it! It's so pretty!" burst out Vanille.
"I know! Isn't it?" Serah asserted just as excitedly. "Good choice, Vanille."
"Of course!"
"Wow," said Noel. "Just wow."
"Hmm," commented Lightning.
"It's strap-" Hope cleared his throat. "It's...yeah."
At that, Serah put her hands on her waist, pouting, hackles raised. "What does that mean? Is that a good 'yeah' or a bad 'yeah?'"
Feeling put on the spot, Hope thought of the best possible way to say what he thought without offending her. "Well, the dress is gorgeous, and without question, you look amazing in it. But, let's consider Snow's size into the equation. You have on a very slim-fitting dress, and you're already petite. I just think that maybe Snow would look like he's dwarfing you with this kind of dress." He looked to the side to the other spectators. "Right?"
Lightning raised her eyebrows in agreement, while Noel clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "I guess," he said.
"But it's so pretty," whined Vanille.
"You said that about the last dress."
"But they are pretty. Why can't she have the pretty stuff? She's the bride! Who cares about what Snow looks like."
"I do." Serah sighed and began to walk back to the dressing room where Millie waited to assist her. "Well, there's more pretty stuff to try out."
Dress three hadn't fared much better than its predecessors ("Too flamboyant," said Lightning with disgust), and neither had the fourth dress ("I have no words," said Lightning. "Sis!" exclaimed Serah in shocked disbelief). Dress five resulted in a chuckle that three out the four spectators tried to muffle, while dress six had the opinions split between the men and the women ("The cleavage and the thigh slit-" "No!").
Two hours and the tenth dress later, a dejected Serah left the stage to the try on another gown. Vanille rose from her seat, stretching, muttering something about refreshments that Hope only half-heard, having leaned back against the couch and let out a loud yawn. Through closed eyes, he mumbled "coffee" to the question in Noel's voice, and then hearing only silence when he and his girlfriend left on their errand.
He stirred, spurred by nervousness into tapping his hands against his lap to fill the void. Lightning must have found it annoying, but it nevertheless caught him by surprise to find her hand on his, stopping his own from moving. He couldn't resist looking at her.
"Sorry," he stammered, keeping his hand still, afraid that she would take her own hand away, wanting the contact to last.
Furthering his surprise, she squeezed her grip on his. "I should be the one saying that."
"No," he said, "I know the tapping is annoying and-"
"No, I meant...how I've been towards you. I'm sorry."
Hope blinked, at a loss, settling instead for squeezing her hand back for lack of any other response.
"I've been unfair to you," continued Lightning. "And jumping to too many conclusions when I don't really know you that well at all. And you've been taking my behaviour in stride, and there's just a lot of-about me...and...and..." She looked down at their joined hands and took a deep breath. "If you're willing to, I'd like to start over."
He felt as though his chest could burst, and he couldn't help the crack that came over his voice. "Us?"
She looked up, met his eyes, and nodded. "Yes."
"I-I love yo-I mean, I'd l-love that." One thing at a time, he thought, his heart swelling with relief, and he couldn't help the nervous smile that spread across his lips, seeing her answering smile in return, albeit small, but still there.
"I'd love that," he repeated, calmly this time.
"Good." She raised her other hand to cup his cheek, her thumb stroking his lips, and he couldn't help placing a kiss there.
And then she drew his head close, and kissed him softly.
==================================================
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