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silverpinkett · 4 years ago

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Shared Dreams Chapter 3

by ShadowAssault

Summary: They only knew each other from their dreams. Dreams that happened so long ago that neither of them were sure that they mattered anymore. They both longed to see each other again - even if it was merely in their dreams. Their logical minds told them that it was just a recurring childhood dream. Their logical minds could not comprehend the sight before them.

Chapter 3:

Lightning awoke to the sound of her alarm beeping. She turned over and slammed the alarm button to silence it. The pink-haired woman promptly got up from her bed. Within 10 minutes, she had washed up, changed into her Guardian Corps uniform, made her bed, all while downing the cold leftover sandwich she had saved for breakfast. She made her way downstairs, where the smell of pancakes wafted from the kitchen.

“Good morning sis!” Lightning’s sister Serah greeted her from the kitchen.

“Morning,” Lightning replied.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“Mmm,” Lightning nodded. It was yet another dreamless night. She felt like her alarm sounded the moment her head hit the pillow last night. It had been awhile since she last had a dream afterall. That was years ago, when she was around fifteen. Yet she remembered those dreams clear as day. She remembered the young boy called Sephiroth, his trembling hands in hers, and the hug that was her last gift to him. She found herself wondering how he was doing, but then silently berated herself for being silly.

He was just a made up boy in her dreams, probably some symbolic shit her young mind made up to help her cope with the loss of her parents. But that didn’t stop her from missing him. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was fond of her imaginary friend, and she wanted so badly to see him again.

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Sephiroth awoke to the sound of his alarm’s shrill ring. It was the standard Shinra SOLDIER alarm – programmed to sound at exactly six in the morning for all SOLDIERs. He did not get up immediately, but instead counted ten seconds, after which the alarm would stop.

He felt tired, as usual. Not physically, not exactly mentally either. He didn’t really know how to put it, but it made him want to go back to sleep, and stay asleep for however long it took for everything to be right again.

Right. The word sounded funny in his head. When was anything ever right for him to begin with? Even his left-handedness seemed to be an outright mockery of that. The closest thing Sephiroth ever felt to right was her touch, her very presence. And even then, life was cruel enough to tear it away from him, after teasing him with a couple of pleasant dreams. Yes, that was all that they were. Sweet, innocent dreams that he should feel blessed to have in the first place.

He found himself thinking about her again. As his body automatically performed the same actions he did every morning – showering, drying his hair, getting dressed – his mind wandered far from this world. By now Lightning would’ve grown into a strong, beautiful woman. He was sure of it, if he saw her in his dreams again, that is. But he had long given up hope on that. Seeing the women in this world, the fangirls who shamelessly threw themselves at him, just reinforced the fact that Lightning was just a figment of his imagination. Women like her did not exist in this world. She was too good to be true.

She was just a made up girl in his dreams, probably something his younger self subconsciously made up to help him cope with the loneliness and pain he suffered under Hojo. But that did not stop him from missing her. He hated to admit that he had such trivial emotions, but he held her dear, and wanted nothing more than to see her again.

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The world was crashing down. Quite literally, in fact. The flames of her last firaga greedily consumed not only Orphan, but also the room that was the core of Cocoon. Everything was up in flames.

Everything was burning.

A maniacal laugh escaped from his lips as he watched Nibelheim being reduced to ashes.

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Lightning awoke with a start. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was fire, fire surrounding her, the heat torching her skin and singeing the ends of her hair. Maniacal laughter…?

She frowned and kneaded the bridge of her nose, willing the throbbing headache to go away. Her memories were a jumble now. She remembered hugging Serah before – or was it after? It had to be after. A farm-like place was burning, the grass fueling the hungry flames even more- no. Wait. The grass was… not burning. She was on Gran Pulse, which explains the grass...no?

“What the fuck happened!” she yelled in frustration. Her voice was raspy and her throat dry, making her supposed outburst sound nothing more than a weak whine. Coughing, she slowly propped herself up, and tried to stand. She felt weak, which was not something she had felt in a long time. That was when she realized that she was no longer a l’cie.

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You could say that Lightning was thrown into chaos. Paradox, chaos, timelines. All these meant little to her. From the moment she set foot on Valhalla, she had been labelled a sinner. She resented it. It was unfair. Her whole life was. All she wanted was for her sister to be happy. Since their parents’ deaths, she worked relentlessly towards that goal. Training several years to join the ranks of Guardian Corps, earnestly working her way through the promotions – all that just to be rewarded with the brand of a l’cie.

And she fought even harder as a l’cie. She fought for her sister, she fought for what was right, or so she thought. Yet in the eyes of Etro, she was a sinner. She was selfish to take the lives of others to better her own. Lightning didn’t really see the logic of it. So was she just supposed to sit back and await her own fate?

The Eyes of Etro had shown her everything she “needed to know”. Serah trapped in an endless dream? She almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. But Etro was a goddess, and Lightning was nothing next to her. She was left with no choice but to be Etro’s champion. Besides, Etro had promised her something else. While Serah would be freed from the endless dream, Lightning would be gifted with them.

A glimpse of the Lifestream – whatever that was, was all that Lightning needed to confirm her decision.

“You know what you saw,” Etro had said, simply.

Lightning did not reply. But she knew. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she felt his presence.

___________________________________________________________ Notes: ___________________________________________________________

That was...a bit boring heh. But I gotta power through the story bridging chapters before I can get to the good(?) stuff right? I didn't actually play FFXIII-2 because gameplay was shit, so excuse me if the flow of my writing gets choppy, because I am impatient and just want to write some sweet sweet angst. what.

#final fantasy vii #final fantasy xiii #sephiroth #lightning farron #sephiroth x lightning #sephlight #sefirai #author: shaddowassault

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silverpinkett · 7 years ago

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Distraction

by MistakenValkyrie

Summary: When it's cold and raining on a study day, there is usually only two options. It's either going to the library and using the heater to help get into the studying mood, or go to a coffee shop on campus and drink hot drinks to try and chase the cold away. In order to try and get Sephiroth to try and socialise a little rather than devote all his attention to his studies, Genesis and Angeal decided to go with the latter. Even though Genesis had no intention of studying and Angeal had almost finished his assignment, Sephiroth still preferred getting his notes together over spending time socialising.

Rain pounded against the roof and the front window. Though it was loud and relentless, it wasn’t heavy enough to fully drown out the muffled screeching of the coffee machine’s frothing wand.

Even though it was cold and wet outside, the café was quieter than normal. Most of the tables were empty, the groups that were huddled around tables laughed every now and again before they returned to their quiet chattering.

Many different smells danced around the room, especially the warm scents of cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, chocolate and, naturally, coffee. The smell was greatly amplified by the apple and cinnamon candles that sat on each table and on the counter.

Genesis read the same line over and over again, groaning because the novel’s glamour had worn off after the fifth time reading it. The literature student brushed his dark red hair away from his eyes as he pursed his lips in boredom. He rolled his eyes and looked up at his other two friends who sat on the other side of the table, hoping that they would be too caught up in their own studying to notice if he took a break.

Angeal was too busy fiddling with the layout of his photography assignment to care that his hot chocolate was starting to go cold, let alone whether his friends were studying or not.

Sephiroth had tucked himself away in the corner of the booth and practically buried his head in his biology textbook.

After Genesis deemed them both to be too busy to care about what he was doing, he picked up his glass and took a sip from his hot frothy vanilla chai before he set it down and snuck one of his other books out of his bag.

Though the rustling of loose papers and the rolling of pens in Genesis’ bag was quiet enough not to bother Angeal, it broke Sephiroth’s concentration.

The biology student looked up over the rim of his thick framed glasses at Genesis as he settled into his leisurely reading. ‘Genesis, that doesn’t look like Wuthering Heights,�� Sephiroth said with a raised eyebrow.

Genesis made a show of slamming the book closed.

Angeal sighed and looked up from his assignment at Genesis, pursing his lips at his friend.

‘Snitch,’ Genesis muttered.

‘I thought we were meant to be studying today?’ Angeal questioned.

‘I’m bored. I’ve read this book five times, I could write an essay on it with my eyes closed,’ Genesis answered and leant back against the cushion behind him and picked up his chai again.

‘Reading the material does not equate to studying it,’ Sephiroth chimed as he returned his gaze back to his textbook and picked up a pen to add to his notes.

‘He’s right, you know,’ Angeal said with a slow nod.

Genesis sipped his drink and set the glass back down on the table with a scowl.

‘Fine, but don’t complain to us when you don’t do as well as you boast you will,’ Angeal warned before he looked back down at his layout and picked the photos up again.

The literature student tapped his fingernails on the table a few times before he shut his heavily annotated copy of Wuthering Heights and shoved it into his bag. He pulled his wallet out and downed the rest of his latte.

Genesis slid out of the booth and stood beside Angeal as he tossed his head to move his fringe away from his eyes.

‘I’m getting food, anyone want anything?’ he asked.

Sephiroth shook his head as he continued to scribble down important pieces of information down into his book to add to his small archive of study notes.

Angeal placed his photos down and cupped his mug with a frown. His hot chocolate wasn’t hot anymore, it was barely lukewarm. The photography student shrugged and drank almost half of it in one gulp before he set it back down on the table. ‘Just get me the usual,’ he replied and wiped his hands on his jeans.

‘I’ll be back,’ Genesis said and sauntered over to the counter.

The pink haired woman behind the counter placed a delicately iced cupcake onto a tall glass stand before she covered it with the matching glass dome just as Genesis stopped in front of it.

The counter behind the till showed off the blender and even allowed the hulking coffee machine to be easily seen, even if the display covered most of it. The menu was written in large and neat handwriting on the chalkboard just above the coffee machine. Décor around the register was kept to the bare minimal, only a candle sat in front of a tip jar that was a quarter of the way full.

Even if the counter seemed quite empty, the café’s neutral paint scheme made the cupcakes’ brightly coloured frosting pop a little.

‘Oh, Lightning, what a cute little cupcake,’ Genesis cooed with a teasing grin. ‘I hope that you had no hand in baking it?’

She laughed and shook her head at him. ‘You know I only decorate them and make the drinks. Kitchens and I do not get along.’

‘Of course I know that. You do know that Angeal would be more than happy to teach you how to properly work a stove, right?’ he joked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

‘I’ll pass,’ Lightning said and placed one hand on her hip. ‘What are you back for this time?’

Though the glass display cabinet was just off to his right and filled with all sorts of savoury and sweet items, the literature student had been here often enough to know the menu like his set texts, pretty damn well.

‘I’ll get a sweet chili chicken wrap for myself and Angeal will have the cheeseburger with extra bacon,’ Genesis replied as he flicked open his wallet.

‘What about your friend in the corner?’ Lightning questioned and gestured with her head over at the silver haired man. ‘It’s two in the afternoon, you three have been here since opening and he’s had nothing.’

Genesis glanced over at the biology student and rolled his eyes as he turned back to the barista. ‘Sephiroth takes his studies a little too seriously. If he’s not in class, he’s in the library. This is the first time this semester we’ve actually managed to coax him out of the library,’ he explained with a quiet scoff.

‘Alright then,’ Lightning replied with a shrug and straightened up as she imputed the order into the system. ‘That’s nineteen dollars and eighty cents.’

He reached into his wallet and pulled out a twenty dollar note before he handed it over and further inspected the cupcake in the dome as she opened the cash drawer and picked out the correct change.

The drawer clicked shut as Lightning pushed it back into place and placed the change into his waiting palm.

He snapped out of his daze and slid the coins into his wallet, closing it over when he was sure that they wouldn’t fall out.

‘It’ll be out soon,’ Lightning replied.

‘Excellent,’ Genesis said and turned to walk back to the booth.

He slid back into the booth and settled in his place again. ‘All done, food will be here soon,’ Genesis announced.

‘Great, I’m starved,’ Angeal said with a smile, still refusing to look away from his work.

‘And yet, you aren’t?’ the literature student asked as he nudged Sephiroth’s shin with his foot.

Sephiroth silently shook his head as he continued to add to his study notes.

Genesis groaned and looked at Angeal with a frown. ‘Aren’t you going to lecture him on how important it is to eat or something?’

The biology student put his pen down before he looked over at Genesis with a deadpan expression. He breathed in and let out an annoyed snort as he pursed his lips.

Angeal rolled his eyes and placed his photos down once more. He laced his fingers together and sat his chin on top of his hands. A sigh fell from his lips as he turned his head to look at Sephiroth.

‘I know that you’re incredibly focused on your studies, and even though Genesis is being a pain about it,’ Angeal said and glared at Genesis before he turned back to Sephiroth, ‘you need to look after yourself. You’ll run yourself into the ground if you keep this up.’

‘I’m fine,’ Sephiroth insisted as he picked up his pen with his left hand and pushing his glasses back towards the bridge of his nose with his right.

Genesis opened his book and got to his leisurely reading, trying to use the book to hide how much Sephiroth’s response irked him.

The photography student folded his lips between his teeth in an attempt to muffle his chuckling, he found the way Genesis’ nose scrunched up behind the edges of the book funnier than Genesis would have probably wanted it to be. He wished that he had his camera with him. Though it would only serve to boost Genesis’ already massive ego, he couldn’t deny that his friend was extremely photogenic.

Genesis put his book down on the table and sighed as he turned towards Sephiroth again. ‘Seriously, Angeal is right. Look after yourself and get some food, damn it,’ Genesis hissed.

‘Fine. After I get this glossary done,’ he replied.

Both Genesis and Angeal shared a mutually annoyed look before they shrugged and went back to their tasks.

Sephiroth let out a relieved breath once one of the larger groups left the café. Less people meant less noise, less noise meant he could get more work done.

Genesis looked around the café and then rolled his eyes. ‘I don’t see how you’re complaining about crowds right now. The library would be much more crowded than this and you never minded.’

‘Oh, Genesis. Don’t start this again. Just leave him alone,’ Angeal said as he placed a photo down on an empty space on his carefully ruled layout.

‘Hurry up and finish your damn glossary then, you’re no fun when you’re doing science shit,’ Genesis said.

Sephiroth only glared at him, he refused to waste time arguing with Genesis when there was so much studying to be done.

Genesis’ mood brightened when he looked back over at the café’s main floor and saw the pink haired barista approach the booth with a plate in each hand. ‘Just in time, I was starting to get crabby,’ he said with a teasing smile.

Lightning rolled her eyes and placed the plate with the wrap down in front of Genesis before she turned to Angeal and placed his plate down on the table, away from his photos. ‘You’re always crabby,’ she chuckled in reply.

The moment Sephiroth heard her voice, he looked up at her, intrigued by how easily she combatted Genesis’ attitude. His mouth parted slightly as she leant over the table and picked up the empty glass on the table.

The first thing he noticed about the woman was her eyes when they curiously flickered up to look at him. Her eyes were a rather captivating blue, they weren’t bright like his friends’ were, but instead looked as if her irises had the ocean crashing around inside them.

She brushed her pink fringe away from her eyes and straightened up as she clutched the glass and picked up Angeal’s half-full, cold mug.

‘I know he is,’ Angeal said and gently nudged Genesis’ knee with his foot. ‘He wouldn’t be Genesis otherwise.’

Genesis smirked at Angeal and tapped the end of his friend’s nose with his index finger. ‘Oh, stop it, you.’

Sephiroth stayed silent, he was too busy staring at the hem of Lightning’s black crop top, her toned stomach and the silver balls that sat just above and in the middle of her belly button. He felt his cheeks heat up, but he couldn’t bring himself to look away.

‘Is that all today?’ Lightning asked.

‘Don’t worry, we’ll be harassing you for food for the rest of the day. Studying is hard work,’ Genesis replied.

Lightning looked down at the table and raised an eyebrow at the literature student. ‘Uh-huh. From the looks of it, the only one actually studying is him,’ she retorted with a smirk as she held the mug out towards the neat array of books and pens that sat in front of Sephiroth.

Genesis turned his head slightly to give Sephiroth a playful side-eye, but found himself smirking when he noticed the light red that dusted the biology student’s cheekbones and the small smile that touched his lips.

‘Anyway, you know where to find me if you need anything,’ Lightning said and turned to walk away.

As Genesis turned back to the table and went to pick up his wrap, he looked over at Sephiroth and noticed that the usually focused man was distracted by something near the counter. He turned to see what demanded all of Sephiroth’s attention. Genesis couldn’t help but to feel his smirk widen when he realised that he was staring at Lightning’s back.

He nudged Angeal’s foot with his own, hoping that the nudge alone would be enough to make Angeal look at him.

Angeal looked away from his burger and over at Genesis in confusion. He narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips as he tried to make sense of the way Genesis’s eyes darted from where Sephiroth sat, to the counter. Once he realised what Genesis was silently telling him, he couldn’t help but to smile.

Sephiroth brushed one of his bangs away from his eyes, exposing the fading blush that lingered on his cheekbones and readjusted how his glasses sat on his face. He picked up his pen again and looked over at his textbook in order to continue compiling his notes.

Both the photography student and the literature student glanced at each other in silence, knowing grins spreading across their faces as the wondered whether they should bring up the subject or not.

Genesis took a bite of his wrap and set it back down, sliding closer to Sephiroth as he chewed his food. He swallowed what was in his mouth and placed his arm over Sephiroth’s textbook.

Sephiroth huffed and scowled at his friend, letting his pen drop out of his hand in frustration. ‘Move your arm.’

‘Don’t act like we don’t know what’s going on,’ Genesis teased. ‘We saw you looking at her.’

Sephiroth’s eyes darted uncertainly between Genesis and Angeal before he sighed. ‘I don’t have the time or patience to discuss this.’

‘Well, I’m not moving my arm until we discuss this,’ Genesis replied.

Angeal put his burger down and wiped away the burger juice and tomato sauce that gathered on either side of his lips. ‘Forgive us for being a little nosy,’ he said and licked the sauce off his fingers, ‘but we haven’t seen you act this way around anyone before.’

‘There is nothing to talk about,’ Sephiroth insisted. Genesis rolled his eyes and scoffed. ‘You are so difficult,’ he muttered and slid back to his spot.

‘Thank you,’ Sephiroth said and picked up his pen again with a sigh.

‘It might be best to let him come to us about it,’ Angeal whispered.

‘Yes, that is best,’ Sephiroth replied. ‘Now leave me in peace.’

Genesis pouted and picked up his wrap. ‘You never let us have any fun,’ he whined and took a bite out of his food.

The biology student’s shoulders dropped a little once his friends stopped trying to pry information out of him. He grit his teeth as he continued to add to his notes, hoping that they wouldn’t reopen their investigation any time soon.

The sound of the kitchen door swinging open overpowered the quiet indie music that played in the background, a pair of voices drifted over the other two groups that sat at their tables and enjoyed their food.

The noises caught Genesis and Angeal’s attention, turning their heads towards the counter to try and guess what was going on.

Sephiroth, however, was not bothered by what was going on over on the other side of the café.

Genesis glanced at Sephiroth and squinted at him, wondering why noise didn’t distract him from his studies, but a pretty face was more than enough to break his focus.

Angeal licked more tomato sauce off his fingers and wiped his saliva onto his slacks, not caring if Genesis was going to scold him for doing so or not. He looked over at the main dining area and smiled once he saw a familiar head of pink hair walking towards them. He prodded Genesis’ shin with his foot and gestured towards the floor with his head.

The literature student turned to see who was approaching their booth and grinned when he recognised her. ‘Back again are we, Lightning?’

Sephiroth’s pen refused to continue writing as he looked up from the textbook that had consumed his attention for the better part of the day. He looked up at Lightning as she stopped at the edge of the booth with another plate in her hands. He couldn’t help but to stare at the way the corners of her lips curved as she smiled at the three of them.

‘Sure am,’ she replied with a nod. ‘Lebreau’s trying out a new recipe for fudge and figured that since we can’t seem to get rid of Genesis, maybe you’d like to be the first to try some?’

‘What kind of fudge?’ Genesis asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

‘Vanilla caramel,’ Lightning replied.

‘Well, if these are as good as her cherry lollipops were, put them down,’ Angeal said and tapped on the table.

‘They’re better,’ the barista confirmed as she placed the plate down on the table, directly in front of Sephiroth.

His eyes met hers and he found himself smiling at her.

Lightning straightened up as she picked up the empty plates, refusing to let her gaze part from his.

‘As long as they’re better than her liquorice cookies, those were dreadful,’ Angeal commented.

‘Oh yeah, those things were awful,’ Genesis agreed with a nod.

‘I know,’ Lightning said, finally allowing herself to look away from Sephiroth’s stunning green eyes, she briefly looked down at the table before she glanced up at him again.

‘Besides, you boys look like you could use something for all the studying you’re doing.’

Genesis saw that she was staring at something and followed her line of sight, smirking to himself when he realised that she was staring at Sephiroth, just like how he was staring back at her. Genesis grinned to himself and straightened up a little, glad that he wasn’t just seeing things before.

‘Actually, Sephiroth’s the only one who’s properly studying. Angeal and I have given up for the rest of the day,’ Genesis replied.

Lightning pursed her lips and snorted in amusement. ‘I can see that,’ she teased.

‘I don’t understand how he can study for long periods of time and still keep going. I get bored after two hours,’ Genesis said with a roll of his eyes.

‘Well, we are doing arts degrees. Science seems to be a little more demanding,’ Angeal reasoned with a small shrug.

‘It is,’ Sephiroth confirmed as he rubbed the back of his neck with a small smile.

‘No one asked you,’ Genesis playfully snapped.

‘That’s enough, Genesis,’ Angeal scolded and picked up all of his photos, sorting them into a neat stack.

‘I’ll leave you boys to it then,’ Lightning said with a small nod and smiled at Sephiroth before she turned to walk away.

Sephiroth looked away from her retreating form once she disappeared behind the counter and reached for a piece of fudge. He took a bite just as he was settling back into continuing to add to his notes, humming in delight as he looked down at the squishy brown square. ‘These are delicious,’ he commented and popped the rest into his mouth.

‘Don’t have too many, you still haven’t had lunch yet,’ Angeal said and reached for a square. His face lit up as ate the entire block and felt the sticky fudge coat his teeth as he chewed it with glee. ‘These are good,’ he agreed.

Genesis eyed the plate with intrigue and picked up a square himself to see for himself if they were as good as his friends said they were. He took a bite and smiled. ‘You’re right,’ he said and ate the rest of it.

Sephiroth reached for another one as he continued to work on his notes.

‘You do realise that Lightning was flirting with you, right?’ Genesis questioned.

The biology student looked up from his textbook with a hopeful smile. ‘Really?’ The smile then faded as he noticed the mischievous smirk on Genesis’ face. ‘Oh stop being ridiculous,’ he muttered.

‘I think Genesis is right,’ Angeal said as he stood up and moved over to sit beside Genesis.

‘Just drop it,’ Sephiroth muttered and ate the piece of fudge that he had in his hand before he turned his attention back to his studies.

‘You study too much,’ Genesis said with a purse of his lips. ‘Hurry up and finish so we can go and go ready to go clubbing. I don’t want to spend the rest of the day waiting for you.’

‘I take my education seriously, what’s so wrong with that?’ Sephiroth questioned.

‘You take it to another level. Like, I get that you want to do well but you ace these things without even needing to study,’ Genesis replied with a shake of his head.

‘Well sorry for trying to prove someone wrong,’ Sephiroth retorted.

‘I thought you were over that argument you had with your father,’ Genesis retaliated.

Angeal rubbed both of his temples with one hand, sighing as the two bickering men glared at each other. ‘Can you two please stop arguing?’

Genesis huffed and opened the book he had left closed on the table.

Angeal pulled out his phone and loaded up a gardening website before he scrolled through it, looking for something that would catch his attention.

The table was silent, and Angeal couldn’t be more thankful for the moment of peace. The only noises he could hear were the flicking of pages, the scratching of pen against paper, and the quiet, yet distinct sound of Sephiroth chewing. He looked over at the plate of fudge and raised an eyebrow at it, what was quite a large pile of fudge had dwindled down to only having a few pieces left.

Angeal glanced over at Sephiroth and couldn’t help but to chuckle as he saw Sephiroth eat yet another square of fudge. The photography student knew there was no point in telling him to stop eating them, it wasn’t going to do much to dissuade him from filling up on sweets, so he went back to reading some gardening tips on his phone. Genesis’ shoulders trembled with silent laughter, smiling at the pages as he read through the novel with ease. Whilst he kept his eyes on the pages, he reached for a piece of fudge and frowned when his hand hit the plate, he couldn’t feel any of the squares underneath his fingers. He picked up the one piece he could feel and popped it into his mouth as he kept reading.

Footsteps stirred Genesis and Angeal from their reading and they both looked over at the café’s main floor to see who was coming up to see them.

Angeal smiled when he saw Lebreau stopping at the end of the table and placing her hands on her hips.

She looked at the close to empty plate and placed her hands on her hips with a pleased grin. ‘I see that the fudge is a hit.’

‘The fudge is great, Sephiroth couldn’t stop eating it,’ Genesis commented and turned his head slightly to glare at Sephiroth with amusement.

Sephiroth ignored Genesis’ gaze and his comment. Instead, he put his pen down and smiled at the manager. ‘They’re delicious and addictive,’ he replied.

‘That’s good to hear,’ Lebreau chirped and leant against the booth. ‘Aren’t the rest of you meant to be studying too?’

‘I gave up, I’ve read that text too much,’ Genesis replied.

‘And I have my layout pretty much sorted, so that’s my assignment almost done,’ Angeal added. ‘Sephiroth’s the only one who’s still going at it.’

‘Good on you,’ Lebreau said as she crossed her arms. ‘I’m glad that these two aren’t a bad influence on you.’

‘That’s exactly what his father calls us, ‘a bad influence’. I was just wondering then if he’s right,’ Genesis teased.

Sephiroth’s smile fell from his lips when Genesis mentioned his father. He grit his teeth and pulled at his fingers, trying to distract himself from thinking about it.

‘I’m sure you’re not that bad,’ Lebreau commented.

‘We’re not,’ Angeal assured.

‘I know you aren’t,’ she replied with a laugh.

Though Lebreau had changed the subject, Sephiroth wasn’t listening to what she and his friends were talking about.

He looked around the café floor, eager to find something that would take his mind off his studies and the troubles he left behind him at home.

It didn’t take him long to find a sufficient distraction.

His gaze connected with Lightning’s as she made her way across the floor with a spray bottle in one hand and a towel in the other.

She didn’t have a readable expression on her face until she caught Sephiroth’s eye, her lips widened into a small smirk once she realised that he was staring at her. Lightning looked away, spritzed the free table in front of her with the cleaner and leant forward as she wiped the table down.

Sephiroth watched her back arch ever so slightly as she cleaned the table, occasionally looking back at him with that smirk still on her lips. A light blush touched his cheeks when he stared at the way her dark jeans clung to her body and how her top left her back exposed. He gently pushed his hair away from his face and picked up his pen again as she looked away to continue cleaning the empty tables.

Lebreau crossed her arms as she watched the barista, her eyebrows knitted themselves together in confusion. ‘What is she doing?’

‘I think she’s flirting,’ Genesis whispered with a mischievous wink.

‘Her? Flirt? As if,’ Lebreau said with a scoff. ‘I’ve never seen Lightning flirt with anyone.’

‘We… have a feeling we know who she’s flirting with,’ Angeal said and folded his lips between his teeth, hoping that the café’s manager wouldn’t ask him.

Angeal knew that Genesis loved being the one to talk about juicy details, so he kept his mouth shut and let him speak out.

‘Oh really?’ she challenged. ‘And who would she be flirting with?’

Genesis used his thumb to point in Sephiroth’s direction.

Lebreau couldn’t help but to chuckle. ‘That’s cute,’ she said with a wide smile. ‘I hope that they don’t do all their flirting with just their eyes.’

‘I agree,’ Genesis said with a nod and turned to face Sephiroth. ‘If only he’d get up and talk to her,’ he said a little louder, hoping that Sephiroth took the hint.

The biology student rolled his eyes and shook his head, looking back down at his textbook to try and finish putting together his notes for the upcoming exams.

Angeal glared at Genesis as he turned back to Lebreau and folded his hands together.

‘Don’t look at me like that,’ Genesis said with a small scowl.

Angeal shook his head at Genesis. ‘He’ll talk to her when he wants to, don’t rush him.’

‘I better get back to the kitchen. Catch you boys later,’ Lebreau said with a small wave and wandered back towards the counter.

Genesis leant against Angeal’s shoulder once Lebreau left and opened his book again with a groan.

‘Stop complaining, he’ll be finished soon,’ Angeal scolded and turned his phone on again, returning to the article on how to keep hydrangeas looking healthy in pots.

Genesis yawned and rested his head on the top of his friend’s shoulder as he went back to reading, hoping that Angeal was right.

Pleased that Genesis had stopped complaining for a minute, Angeal opened another tab to quickly check the night’s predicted forecast to try and decide whether he’d wear his tan field jacket or just stick with his jeans and shirt. His brows knitted themselves together as he examined what the humidity would be for the night. ‘Screw it,’ he muttered and closed the tab, deciding that he’d take it with him just in case.

Genesis hummed in questioning as he looked up at Angeal, wondering why his friend had muttered ‘screw it’.

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Angeal said.

Genesis shrugged before he settled back down against his shoulder.

Sephiroth set his pen down and smiled as he pulled his glasses off his face and shut his textbook. He closed his notebook and set it on top of his textbook with a relieved sigh. ‘I’m finished,’ he announced.

‘Ugh, finally!’ Genesis exclaimed and sat up. ‘Now go get some food and talk to that girl so we can go.’

‘There’s no point in getting to a club early, Genesis,’ Angeal said and slid his phone into his pocket.

‘But what about pre-gaming? I bought that bottle of chardonnay for a reason, Angeal,’ Genesis whined, pouting as he returned to reading his book.

‘Did you want anything?’ Sephiroth asked as he slid out of the booth and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.

Angeal shook his head. ‘I’m good.’

‘Just go get food,’ Genesis replied.

Sephiroth pushed his silver hair off his shoulder as he scowled at Genesis’ blunt response. He turned away from the booth and walked towards the counter, weaving through the tables as he did so.

The counter’s dark surface felt cold and smooth underneath his fingertips. The cupcakes that sat on their little glass pedestals, bright blue frosting was piled on top of the cakes in pretty swirls.

‘The cupcakes taste better than they look,’ Lightning said as she placed her elbows down and leant against the counter.

Sephiroth looked away from the display case, looking a little stunned by how she suddenly spoke up. As soon as he gazed at her, he was drawn to how her corners of her lovely pink lips turned upwards with a small smile. ‘I-I bet they do.’

Lightning fixed the way her fringe sat around her eyes and shifted her weight onto her other foot. ‘How’s the studying going?’

‘I’ve finally finished for the day,’ he replied with a nod.

‘The fudge helped, didn’t it?’ Lightning asked.

Sephiroth chuckled and leant against the counter, staring into her beautiful blue eyes as he let a smile touch his lips. ‘It did, thanks,’ he replied.

‘Don’t thank me, Lebreau’s the one who made them,’ Lightning said with a shrug and stood away from the counter. ‘Are you here for some late lunch?’

‘Yeah, but I’m not sure what I want,’ Sephiroth replied with a small nod.

Lightning raised an eyebrow at him and looked over her shoulder at the writing on the chalkboard just above the coffee machine. She turned back to him with a small chuckle. ‘It’s right behind me,’ she said and jerked her thumb towards the white chalk words.

He closed his eyes and sighed in defeat, because of course he hadn’t noticed it, he was too entranced by the barista to even notice that the writing was even there. Sephiroth couldn’t help but to laugh at his own incompetence as he mentally scolded himself for being too obvious.

‘Do you need your glasses?’ she joked.

Sephiroth opened his eyes and ran his hands through his hair as he ran his tongue across his teeth in frustration. ‘Not all the time, my eyesight is better than my father’s but I still need them. I just try and avoid wearing them. I should get contacts… but that’s more trouble than it’s worth.’

‘Well, you look good with or without glasses,’ Lightning commented and rubbed her bottom lip with her index finger as she smiled at him.

A hopeful smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he glanced down at the countertop before he looked up at her again.

‘You had a look yet?’ Lightning asked as she leant against the counter again and brushed a few fine stray hairs away from her eyes.

Sephiroth tore his eyes away from her amused smile and sparkling eyes to quickly decide on what he wanted to eat, hoping that he was making up his mind quick enough for her to not to notice that he had been distracted by her, again. ‘Can I get the grilled mushroom burger without cheese?’

‘Sure, did you want anything else?’ she asked in reply.

‘No,’ he answered as he opened his wallet, ‘at least not food wise.’

Lightning hummed in intrigue as she quirked an eyebrow at him. ‘That’ll be twelve dollars thirty.’

He fished out a twenty dollar note and handed it over to the barista as she finished keying the order into the system, which she took and placed in the till.

‘And here’s your change,’ she said as she plucked the money out of the open drawer and placed the coins into his hand.

Lightning closed the drawer as Sephiroth put the coins away and tucked his wallet into his jeans pocket.

‘Do you find me distracting?’ Lightning asked.

Sephiroth looked at her with surprise and tilted his head downward, hoping that his bangs covered the light blush that appeared on his cheeks. ‘I, uh… yes,’ he admitted and bit the inside of his cheek.

‘I’m sorry I distracted you from your studies,’ Lightning said and tore off some paper from the end of a small receipt roll that sat underneath the till.

‘Don’t apologise, I guess I needed a distraction. My life’s been a little crazy recently,’ Sephiroth replied with a nervous chuckle.

She smiled as she bit the corner of her lip. ‘Yeah, I know how you feel. Mine’s pretty crazy too.’

‘That’s good to know,’ he said as he exhaled a sigh of relief.

She placed the piece of paper on the counter and plucked a pen from the plastic cup that held all of the spare pens, markers and chalk. The barista scribbled something on the paper and slid the pen back into the cup before she folded the paper. She reached for his hand with her empty one and opened his palm. ‘It seems to me like we could both use a little time out,’ Lightning said as she pressed the paper into his hand, ‘if you ever need a distraction, call me.’

He clutched his hand around the piece of paper and took a step toward her. ‘Well, I need one tonight if you’re interested?’

Lightning crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Oh yeah? How so?’

‘Genesis and Angeal are dragging me off to a club later, and I know for a fact that they are going to leave me alone at the bar, as always. Would you like to come with me?’ he asked with a hopeful smile.

The barista chuckled. ‘Sounds good. Text me where I’m meant to meet you and I’ll see you there,’ she replied, winking at him before she uncrossed her arms and walked back behind the counter.

Sephiroth slid the paper into his pocket so he could enter her number in his phone as soon as he returned to the booth. He closed his eyes and sighed with relief, opening them again when he started to walk back to where his friends sat beside each other.

Genesis looked up from his book as Sephiroth slid back to where his bag and his books still sat.

‘Look who’s back,’ Genesis chimed. ‘How did it go? Did you talk to her?’

Angeal rolled his eyes at Genesis and sighed. ‘Tone it down, Genesis.’

Sephiroth glanced down at the table before he picked up his books and his glasses. He placed them in his bag and he pulled out his phone as he set the piece of paper down beside his hand. He looked up from his phone and turned towards Genesis and Angeal. ‘I got her number,’ he announced with a smile.

Genesis closed his book and sat a little closer to his friend. ‘Why don’t you invite her to come with us tonight?’

‘I already asked her and she said she’d go,’ Sephiroth replied.

Genesis gasped as Angeal smiled at their overly studious friend.

‘I can’t believe it,’ Genesis teased. ‘Look at you, finally getting a little more social. I’m so proud of you.’

‘Shut up, Genesis,’ Sephiroth said with a roll of his eyes.

Genesis playfully pouted as Angeal chuckled at Sephiroth’s response.

#final fantasy vii #final fantasy xiii #sephiroth #lightning farron #sephiroth x lightning #sephlight #sefirai #fanfic #author: mistakenvalkyrie

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