Author's notes: This started as a requested prompt: Lightning shows up to Fang's home drunk. However, after thinking on if for a few days, I've figured a pretty decent plot for a story.. So instead of keeping this a one shot, it'll be expanded and hopefully this fact alone will please some people~

Also this story is mostly an AU (alternate universe), so please keep that in mind.

Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own Lightning Farron, Yun Fang, or anything else related to Final Fantasy XIII.

It was the day after Serah's wedding, and the weather had gone from completely sunny and cloudless, to grey and filled with torrential showers; ironically fitting, and easily matched the eldest Farron's mood of the last 20 hour period. Lightning hadn't slept the previous night, having been too busy being plagued with her thoughts that bombarded her at every turn. At some point in the night she had gotten fed up with the silence in her home, and in a last ditch effort to get her mind off things, pulled on her boots and stormed out the front door into the rainy night.

At first there was no real destination set in Lightning's mind, as she was doing all she could to keep herself from thinking. The sounds of her heavy steps on cobblestone were drowned out by the howling wind, alongside the rain pelting against her skin that stung like thin needles. Only a few others were out and about at this time of night, though all had some sort of protection from the icy cold rain. If she had been in her right mind, the soldier would have thought to grab an umbrella - or something - to provide adequate cover. Then again, getting sick was one of the last things on Lightning's mind right now, and even if she did… Well, she'd suck it up and deal with it later.

Azure eyes were kept low, staring at the road as her feet pushed her further along it's length. Lightning lost track of the time easily enough, and before she knew it she found herself standing outside the doors of the NORA bar. She hesitated, if only for a brief moment, and peered inside. Lebreau was there, as usual, and there were only a handful of people scattered around the various tables and booths.

A gloved hand pressed against the cold surface of the door, while her mind was reeling with what few options she had right now. Lightning didn't want to be in the rain anymore; strawberry blonde strands were soaked and clung to the skin of her neck, not to mention her uniform was just as drenched if not more. But Etro, did a drink sound nice right now - provided it could numb away all the nagging thoughts at the back of her head. Inhaling slowly, Lightning pushed open the door and forced a tiny smile onto her face when the barmaid looked up from the glass she was cleaning.

"—Lightning? It's rare to see you out and about this late at night.." Lebreau stared hard, looking the soldier up and down and pursing her lips. Lightning looked like shit, but the woman wasn't sure if tonight was the night to be prodding the Farron. It wasn't hard to tell Lightning was tense, and while Lebreau wasn't sure what prompted the roseate from her home so late, she knew there was one thing she could do. "The usual, I take it?"

Lightning didn't even bother responding, and instead just nodded her head slightly as she moved to take a seat on one of the many stools in front of the bar counter. Beryl hues traced the patterns etched into it's surface, until she grew bored of that and lifted her gaze to focus on Lebreau. Busying herself in sorting through her stash of alcohol, Lebreau didn't seem to notice how the soldier had fixated her gaze onto her back. "So.." She spoke up, after finally finding the right bottle that was specially reserved for one Lightning Farron. It was actually the barmaid's own concoction, and one that only Lightning had seemed to enjoy oddly enough. The thing was potent though; more so than practically everything else she had to offer at the bar. "Some weather we're having, huh?" Lebreau asked, hoping to start up some sort of conversation with Lightning to ease the tension bristling in the air.

"—Yeah, tell me about it." Lightning quipped, turning her head so her gaze would land on the window a couple feet away. The glass itself seemed to vibrate against it's frame, with the wind and rain buffeting against it relentlessly.

"It's funny how fast things change around here, huh? Just yesterday everything was so nice and sunny, but now it's all bleary.. Thankfully the wedding went on without a hitch." Lebreau sighed in relief, though missing the way Lightning twitched at the sudden change of topic. Serah getting married was not the thing she wanted to be reminded about, not right now. All the soldier gave in response was a soft grunt, keeping her gaze peeled to that window.

In truth she was happy for her sister, and Lightning knew there was no one better suited for her than Snow, even if his Hero complex was annoying as hell. Serah was happy, and so she was happy. Or rather, Lightning thought she had been.. But as the wedding had dragged on, and even through the reception afterwards, a realization had dawned on her and at the first opportunity she could get, Lightning had snuck out and gone home. Her nose crinkled up, brows knitting together as that sensation from the other day resurfaced in her chest; the empty, hollow feeling she detested so much.

Just as she was about to get lost in her thoughts, Lebreau - thankfully, at that - placed a glass full of her special vodka mixture in front of her. Without a word, Lightning grasped it in her hands, fingers playing over the side of the glass before bringing it up to her lips; downing it in one go. The burning that seared through her throat was a welcome feeling, and the barmaid was already prepared to give her a refill the moment the now emptied glass hit the counter with a clink.

##########

Nearly two hours later, and only after having consumed enough alcohol to knock a behemoth off it's feet - probably even enough to kill one - did Lightning stagger outside through the bar's entrance. Lebreau had argued with her, but had failed miserably in keeping the intoxicated Farron from leaving - or at least waiting for someone to come around to make sure she got home safely. And the moment she had turned her back from Lightning, the soldier had snatched what was left of the bottle of alcohol and showed herself out.

The storm from earlier had passed though, despite the faint rumbling of thunder still audible in the distance. As Lightning stumbled her way back down the paved road towards her home, inwardly she mused that at least she couldn't get any more soaked than she already was. Canting her head, she spit - rather sloppily at that - and brought the bottle of booze back up towards faded peach lips to down more of it's contents. A more sober Lightning would have wondered what the hell she was doing, getting drunk off her ass and wandering down the streets of New Bodhum alone. But right now nothing seemed to matter to her; it hurt too think too much, it hurt even more to be in her own home that was now empty save for her own things.

Gadot and the rest of the NORA members had come by a few days before the wedding had even taken place, and went about removing her sister's possessions so they could be moved into Snow's new house. Etro how she hated that man right now, not being content until his wife was living with him and away from the only other family she had left.

Cursing his name under her breath, Lightning misstepped and nearly went falling into the road, though by some feat of sure willpower she had caught herself in time. An exasperated sigh fell from her mouth, and her gaze lifted from the cobblestone up towards the stretch of road that went through the center of town; and namely her own home.

She didn't want to be there.

Didn't want to be alone.

Her head pounded with the rush of thoughts now flooding it, but there was one place - one person - she felt the need to see, drunk or not. Someone who had always been there for her, bitchy ice queen attitude and everything.

Fang.

The pulsian's name was merely a whisper on Lightning's lip, as azure eyes glanced around for the familiar path that would take her to the outskirts of town. She had never understood why the brunette had steered clear from staying in the town itself, as most of the cocoonians had welcomed her and the rest of the pulsians with open arms. Then again, being a native of Pulse probably had something to do with her decision. It wasn't so easy to put the past behind you, especially when thousands of people had come down and invaded your home, along with wanting you and your people dead only a few months before.

Stifling a half-hearted laugh at the irony of it all, Lightning finally managed to catch sight of the way leading out of town. A brief pause was used to make sure no one was coming, before crossing over to the other side of the road and turning down the dirt path.

##########

Leaning against the wall next to the pulsian's front door, Lightning had to stop to catch her breath from the near hike she had to take. Why the hell did Fang feel the need to live up the hill again? Etro be damned, she was lucky to even have made it this far without falling over in her drunken stupor.

Shifting a gloved hand up, the soldier mustered enough energy to knock on the wooden door while praying the woman was still up. "—Faaaaang.." Her companion's name was drawn out, and for good reason. Lightning wanted to be heard, and let inside already as she could feel her legs would give out on her relatively soon.

Inside, emerald eyes stared at her door from where she was sitting in the kitchen, chair leaned back and everything as her gaze refused to budge from the wooden structure. Her mind had to be playing games on her, it just had to be. There was no way Lightning of all people would be knocking on her door at nearly two in the morning. The huntress strained her ears to listen more carefully, and not even a moment later more knocking rocked the door's foundation. "—Fang! Lemme in damn it." A silence fell then, before shuffling could be heard followed by a loud sigh. "…It's cold out here."

Fang shoved herself away from the table and out of her seat, and slowly walked over to the door. Pulling it open, she peered out into the darkness. At first she couldn't even see anyone, and nearly turned around to go back inside when the pink of Lightning's hair caught her attention. Fang raised a brow at the sight; the Lightning Farron, back shoved up against the front of her house with legs folded and held up against her chest. Well, at least she wasn't lying about being cold. The pulsian could tell from the few droplets of water they fell from her sleeves, that the soldier's entire outfit was sopping wet.

"Light? The hell are ya doin' out here at this time of night?" Fang questioned, kneeling down so she could be eye level with the roseate. "—I don't… just… Can I come inside?" Lightning struggled with making her words as unslurred as possible, not wanting to look weak in front of Fang of all people. Jade hues studied the soldier for a minute, trying to figure out why Lightning was acting so funny. She couldn't just leave her outside all night though, so with a soft sigh did Fang help her friend onto her feet. She was a hell of a lot heavier than she looked, or was it just the added weight of the water that bogged her down? Fang didn't know, and didn't care. Hoisting Lightning up a bit more, she felt the soldier's arm snake around her neck to keep her steady against her. "C'mon.. Let's get ya inside before I change my mind."

She sure as hell didn't know what to think of this situation, but before her mind could wander any farther, a loud clacking of a bottle hitting the ground caught her attention. Fang thought about reaching down and inspecting it, but with Lightning whining about being wet and cold in her ear she decided against it for now. "—Watch your step, Sunshine." She mumbled, while leading Lightning inside and towards the couch in the front room. The soldier eagerly sunk into the cushions once there, and didn't look like she'd get up for anything on Pulse.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Fang took a deep breath before leaving Lightning's side and disappearing down the hall. Letting her stay in those wet clothes would be the worst mistake she could make, and while she didn't have regular cocoonian pajamas like everyone else seemed to have… Fang did have a pair of extra knee-length black shorts, and a plain white shirt. She brought them out from the confines of her room, and returned to the soldier's side at the sofa. Staring down at Lightning, Fang couldn't help but frown. "Here, Light. Get out of those wet clothes, before ya catch your death from a cold, or worse." Her tone was stern, but oddly Lightning didn't resist when she was handed the bundle of clothing.

Turning her back from her friend, Fang made her way back outside and bent over to pick up the discarded bottle. It was just an ordinary bottle, and she assumed it was from Lebreau's bar, just because she was one of the only people with a supply as large as hers. But what really caught Fang's attention was the label pasted onto the side, with the barmaid's handwriting scribbled neatly on it. Glancing over the note with ease, it took a moment for the details to actually sink in and register in her mind.

Fang's face went pale, and the only thing she felt now was complete and utter shock at what Lightning had been consuming. Fucking hell, by all means the soldier should have been passed out somewhere a long time ago, or even dead depending on how much of the stuff she had drank by herself. Fang was going to kill Lebreau, or at least maim her for this later once she saw to Lightning getting better. The bottle was tossed back to the ground, and the door of her home practically slammed in her annoyance that Lightning - Lightning of all people possible - had drank herself into this state. But what the hell had caused it?

Jade eyes narrowed as she looked towards her couch, where the already changed Lightning was having a hard time sitting up straight where she sat. Moving over and flopping on the piece of furniture with her, Fang leaned into the sofa's opposite side and stared hard at Lightning.

"Light?"

"Fang, no, I don—"

"What in Etro's name were ya doin', huh? Drinkin' all that.. Hell, I'm surprised you're even able to talk at all." Fang cut her off with a huff, though inwardly she couldn't help but wonder why she was attracted to this woman. Her thoughts turned to their days working together as a team when she had first joined the Guardian Corps, and all the times she had stopped just to look at Lightning and realized what a damned good fighter she was. Strong, quick on her feet, witty, and had a piercing gaze that never failed to turn her into a blus— oh, right. That was why. Out of everything she adored about this woman, her eyes were what stood out the most to Fang. Just a passing glance, a moment of eye contact, was all it took to send chills down her spine. And yet right now, the fierce proudness that once shone behind sapphire eyes was no longer there. She had never seen Lightning like this before, and frankly hoped it would be the first and last time.

"Talk to me, Light." Fang paused, reaching out to gently squeeze Lightning's shoulder. "I know ya came here for a reason, otherwise ya wouldn't be soaked to the bone, and drunk on top of that."

"Serah… She's gone." Lightning barely managed to whisper. Fang raised a brow, a little confused as to what the woman was getting at. "Uh, yeah? She did get married to the big guy yesterday.." Her voice trailed off, noticing how the soldier's skin was trembling. "Ligh—"

The Farron cut her off this time, her head turning with blue orbs meeting Fang's own pair of green eyes. "The wedding, Fang." The pulsian was a little taken back by the tone of her voice, and just went quiet so Lightning could speak her mind.

"Yesterday… It was so beautiful. Serah looked so happy walking down the aisle to Snow… Not sure I've ever seen her smile that way either." Lightning spoke softly, her lips twitching upwards by a margin into a faint smile. "I know Snow will take care of her, there's no question in my mind about that, but.." She fell silent, searching for the right words to convey her feelings to the brunette next to her. "—It hurts, Fang.. So much."

"What does?" Fang asked, blinking a few times and not understanding why the biggest day of her sister's life was bothering her so much.

"She's grown up… Serah doesn't need her big sister anymore, now that she's married to Snow. At first it didn't bother me… But during the reception? When Snow made that whole big speech over always being at her side; protecting her, being her rock to lean on when things got tough.. All of that. It hit me, hard… The job of looking over Serah has passed onto Snow - away from me - and now that it has… I don't have anything left." Lightning's gaze dropped to her hands, which were fumbling together in her lap.

"—My duty was always to Serah; keeping her safe, and watching over her in our parents place.. But now that's it not, I'm at a loss for what to do. I know I should find something to fill that gap - anything to fill it - but I don't where to start looking… How can you so easily replace something you've held onto for all these years? What do I have left, Fang? Other than this empty feeling inside me?"

Lightning finally looked back up towards Fang, and the pulsian was anything but prepared to meet that tear-stained face. "Light.. C'mere.." She murmured, gently pulling the roseate towards her and embracing her. "Ya still have lots of things, Sunshine. Even if Serah is busy with her own new life, there's still Hope, the old man, and Vanille… Ya know they care about ya, Lightning. And..—" Fang bit at her lower lip, unsure of how Lightning would take her next choice of words. "—…Ya still have me too." Etro knew Fang wanted to say more, to throw everything she felt out there and hope it would somehow ease the hurt Lightning was feeling. But she cursed at every possible deity she knew off, because right now just wasn't the time for that.

She exhaled slowly, but gradually leaned more into the huntress' side. Lightning was at a loss for words, simply put. Of course she knew she still had her friends, but even in knowing that it didn't lessen the loneliness she felt gnawing at her core. She wanted something more. Something to fully replace what was gone.. If her sister could get a happily ever after, then wasn't she allowed to have one as well?

Losing herself to her thoughts, Lightning's alcohol ridden mind didn't have the chance to process the fact her body was fully pressed into Fang's now. The warmth radiating off the pulsian was intoxicating in it's own way, and her body reacted instantly as the coldness was washed away. Eventually the closeness she now shared with her comrade clicked somewhere in the back of her mind, and she shifted slightly. Eyes closed, and Lightning leaned forward to nuzzle her face into the crook of Fang's neck, finding an odd sort of comfort from being in contact with her.

In a sort of daze from what was happening, Fang remained stiff against the soldier's form - not sure on the right course of action. She couldn't deny how nice Lightning's breath felt against the exposed skin, even if it was laced heavily with the scent of alcohol and made her nose scrunch up. Fang's body eventually went slack, giving in and relaxing as Lightning's weight pushed into her side.

Seconds passed, turning into minutes, and eventually it felt like an eternity had passed before Lightning finally broke the silence. "—Fang?" The pulsian twitched, a faint blush dusting her cheeks as she tried to contain herself. Sweet merciful Etro, don't say my name like that again.. This is too much. The hell am I supposed to do? Fang opened her mouth to speak, though was vaguely aware of how dry it had become. She swallowed the lump that had formed in the back of her throat, and looked down at Lightning from the corners of her eyes. "Yeah..?" She barely managed to choke out that single word, feeling uncharacteristically nervous for the first time that night.

Lightning didn't budge, and if anything seemed to press her face more into Fang's neck. "…Did you mean that? What you said earlier… About having you, I mean." Instinctively Fang started to nuzzle into the strawberry-blond locks atop Lightning's head, telling her over and over again quietly that she had meant every word she had said and more.

At that, the soldier abruptly pulled herself away from Fang; the cold rush of air being more than uncomfortable for the both of them. The pulsian's expression shifted to one of disappointment, but that was before she felt the soft padding of fingertips playing over her cheek. Confused, but more stunned than anything else, Fang could only sit there as Lightning leaned back in with an odd glint of intent shining in azure pools.

So maybe Fang could admit to Lightning's attempt at what she called a kiss - as sloppy as it was, could it even be considered one? - was endearing in of itself. She had tried, and quite clumsily missed her lips, her own connecting with Fang's jaw instead. The soldier seemed to be put off by her failure, and attempted to withdraw in embarrassment. Fang caught her by the scruff of her shirt and pulled her back in, pressing her lips right into Lightning's with no hesitation. Etro be damned if this came back later and kicked her in the ass, but Lightning had just tried to kiss her on her own terms - despite the obvious alcohol coursing through her veins. There was no way Fang would skip out on this chance, and was she grateful the woman came back in and returned her affections as best she could.

Even as the kiss heated up, and hands were lost in each other's hair, Fang knew there was no way she'd let it get any farther than this. But hell, this was the last thing she thought possible; being so close and intimate with the woman of her dreams, and not having to fear for her life. At least for now, anyway.

Fang broke the contact reluctantly moments later, inhaling sharply to replenish her lungs with air they desperately needed. Her gaze was met by Lightning, who's expression was the equivalent of her own; content. The pulsian lips twitched into a smile, which was returned as the roseate fumbled slightly in attempt to nuzzle back up against Fang. A tanned arm wrapped itself around Lightning's waist, keeping her close so she wouldn't fall off the couch in her inebriated state while Fang rolled partially so the Farron could lay comfortably on top of her.

A sigh fell from between parted peach lips; probably the happiest sound had heard all night from Lightning since she had gotten there. "—Feelin' better?" Fang asked, though a little doubtful one kiss could shove all the pain Lightning had felt away so easily. She felt warmth brush over her cheek though, and another small kiss planted there before the soldier buried her head back into the side of Fang's neck.

"Mn.." It wasn't much of a response, seeing as how Lightning was starting to doze off. The warmth Fang shared with her had been needed, and the added affection a bonus that had her insides fluttering around like crazy - or was that the booze? Letting out a small huff, she breathed in the pulsian's scent once more. Oh yeah, there was no way it was just the booze.. And Lightning preferred it that way, while letting out a yawn.

At some point, Fang wasn't even sure anymore, the rise and fall of Lightning's chest indicated she had finally succumbed to a deep slumber. She ran a hand down her companion's back, gently rubbing it in an affectionate gesture. There was no way she was going to sleep now; the feelings this woman stirred in Fang was ridiculous, and attempting sleep would be useless from how she felt.

Still, her mind wandered back to that discarded bottle. Lebreau was still going to get a lecture, one hell of one if she had any say about it. Letting Lightning drink vodka until she was smashed was one thing, but mixing in behemoth blood into it? Fang was going to end up needing to be restrained, for the need to slap some sense into that woman was strong. But despite this, she felt a little indebted to the bartender as well… If it hadn't been for her damned concoction, Lightning most likely wouldn't have ended up at her house that night, or crossing over the friend boundary with Fang so willingly.

Not much she could do about it now. Though Fang was fairly sure she'd get punched in the morning, depending on how bad of a hangover Lightning had when she woke up.