Author's Note: I wrote this fic based on the assumption that Hope had a one-sided crush on Lightning during Final Fantasy XIII.

Title: Orchids in the Moonlight

Rating: K+

Summary: Post-game A/U. The day has finally arrived for Snow's and Serah's long awaited wedding nuptials. At the wedding reception everyone is dancing and enjoying themselves, but Lightning as happy as she was for Serah had to escape from the festivities for some alone time, and that night it seems that a certain silver-haired male also had the same idea as her. HopexLightning one-shot

Setting: The story takes place in Academia 500AF.

Chapter 01 Starry Waltz

Lightning promptly made her way to the side balcony area of the ballroom and lightly rested her arms upon the balcony's railing on the outside terrace. Lightning just took in the night scenic view of the city of Academia and she had to admit that the scenery was indeed very breath-taking. Also, it was a nice change of pace from the dreary architecture and hallow echoes of Valhalla. Lightning could faintly hear the music playing in the ballroom behind her it was an upbeat pop song, and she soon found herself softly beginning to hum in tune with the song.

Lightning was so deep in thought that she didn't notice someone approaching from behind her. "Trying to escape from the festivities?" An all too familiar voice asked inquisitively. Lightning gave a slight chuckle she knew who's voice it was immediately. She turned around to face the owner of the voice and sure enough it was him…Hope Estheim the Director of the Academy. Dressed in his suave grey dress suit that he wore for Serah's and Snow's wedding ceremony. Lightning had to admit that he looked quite dashing as if the suit was tailor-made just for him.

"It would seem like you also had the same idea as me Mr. Hope Estheim." Lightning retorted.

"Light just call me Hope, okay?" Hope said slightly sheepish as he joined her by the balcony railing out on the terrace.

Abruptly, a gust of wind blew and ruffled Lightning's crimson red one-shoulder designed dress, but she elegantly readjusted the dress to how she wanted it again.

"So, Light what's on your mind?" Lightning turned to glance up at him as she said. "What makes you think that I have something on my mind? Couldn't I be out here because I just wanted to get some fresh air?"

"Because I know you second best after Serah, and you usually wouldn't do something like this and want to be alone unless something was bothering you", Hope said as he turned to face her.

It had been years since Lightning last interacted with Hope. At the time, he was just a grief-stricken young fourteen year old boy who she had eventually come to care for and helped to toughen up when the whole world was against them during their time as l'cie. In the process, she had even learned some important things she had long since forgotten from him. Now as he stood here before her she could see just how much he has matured over the years of her absence from his life, and the feeling she was getting was vastly different than when she was watching him from Valhalla. Lightning couldn't quite grasp what feeling it exactly was. Was it admiration? Love? Longing?

As Hope's emerald green eyes peered into her cerulean blue eyes Lightning relented, and decided to tell Hope what was plaguing her.

She let out a small sigh before she began. "To be honest, I'm just going to really miss Serah." Lightning turned her attention away from Hope and back towards the night-light city scenery of Academia before she continued. "Serah's going to be living with Snow and leaving the nest. It's just a little hard to take in all at once since for such a long time all we had was each other." Hope placed one of his hands over Lightning's in reassurance. "Light, just because Serah won't be living with you anymore doesn't mean that she will stop seeing you as her very important sister. You're the person that she treasures the most in this world, and no amount of distance or separation can change that fact. Besides, you still have me and our other friends."

"Hmm…I guess you're right." Lightning said as she turned her gaze towards him, and gave him one of her trademark smiles. It was quite the role-reversal five-hundred years ago Lightning was the one giving him advice and encouraging him. Lightning couldn't help but to laugh at the irony of the whole situation.

Just then a waltz song started to play from within the ballroom, and Hope decided to take this as an opportunity to offer Lightning a dance.

Hope held out his right hand as he asked in the ever so formal fashion."May I have this dance?"

Lightning was a little hesitant at first, but ultimately decided to accept Hope's dance offer. The two of them fell into tune with the waltz music that was emitting from the ballroom and out onto the ballroom's terrace. It was like their own little private heaven, and towards the climax of the dance the feeling that was blossoming inside of Lightning soon became very clear to her. She didn't know when it exactly had happened, but she had fallen in love with Hope Estheim.

Hope must have felt the same way about her too as he was slowly leaning in to close the distance between their lips. Their lips were just merely centimeters apart from touching when Noel called out upon his entering onto the terrace. "So, this was where the two of you were Serah's ready to cut the cake now…" Noel's sentence trailed off as he felt like he had just walked in on a very intimate moment. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?" He asked casually.

Hope and Lightning pulled away from each other before Hope answered. "No, not at all tell Serah we'll be there very shortly." Noel nodded and headed off back inside the ballroom. Hope was a little mad that Noel had interrupted them, but on the inside he felt like there would be more instances in the future for him to kiss Lightning.

"Well, we don't want to keep the newlyweds waiting." Lightning quipped. Hope let out a small laugh and said, "You're probably right." He took and held Lightning's hand as he towed her along with him back into the ballroom to rejoin the festivities.

Hope and Lightning would never soon forget the waltz they shared that very night under the starry night sky. After all it also served as the starting point of their new relationship.