TITLE: Midnight Cupcakes.
CHARACTERS/PAIRINGS: Hope, Serah. Implied Hope/Lightning & Snow/Serah.
SUMMARY: Hope has another nightmare and Lightning turns into...a cupcake?
A/N: Hello~ Hello~ PinkhairedSoldier here. (Formerly Tsukiko Amane. Yes, the Tsukiko Amane that fave`d lots of KKM fics but never wrote one. Haha.) Anyway, this is my first fanfic here on and my first fic for FFXIII. I thought I'd write one, `cause I've been reading a lot lately and I just finished the game. All that's left is the post-game grinding for Platinum Ingots. Lol. I can't say it's my first fic ever since I write SHINee fanfics back at AFF, but please be nice when you point out my little flaws. I don't proofread anyway. ;))
Uh well, sorry for the really pointless and long author's note. Enjoy!
And excuse my weirdness.
Dunno what got me to write this down actually. lol. natural born weirdo. xD
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Final Fantasy series or it's characters, and never will. FFXIII belongs to Square Enix.
It all started with the Purge.
Everyone was ordered to board the train- told they were going to be evacuated when the military found out that there was a Pulse Fal'Cie in Bodhum. And everyone literally meant everyone, except, of course, the military.
But this wasn't evacuation. It was the Purge, and the Purge meant banishment. The purgees were being banished- banished to hell. They were being banished to Gran Pulse.
No one knew of course. It was an order from the Primarch, they could do nothing more but obey.
And so they did.
The Purge train arrived at the hanging edge, and suddenly one of the Purgees brought their gunblade out and started shooting at the PSICOM soldiers. The person threw their hood off, revealing a woman with faded pink hair and military uniform. She was from the guardian corps.
But, why?
It didn't make sense...Why was she going to be purged? Why was she even on the train? And shooting at PSICOM, nonetheless. Weren't they...allies?
But Hope didn't have time to figure out as more gunfire was heard. Another person threw his hood off. This time around, it was a man, probably in his 40s. He had afro hair and an Airforce uniform on. He jumped over to the woman's side, taking out two pistols and began firing away.
The train was put to a stop immediately and the people started piling out in groups.
Before Hope knew it, a band of teenagers and an old blonde guy arrived. They were a Resistance Front that went by the name NORA. The old guy in the coat was their leader who they called Snow. These people had weapons with them and they started to get the purgees to help them fight against the PSICOM soldiers. People started swallowing their fear and joining up with the Resistance Front, until there was only one gun left.
Then there was Hope's mom volunteering to take the last gun and fight alongside the Resistance Front. He remembered the determination in her voice when she told Snow, "Moms are tough" before charging in and joining the war. And Hope? He was left with Vanille, along with the other Purgees, unable to do anything. There were deafening sounds of gunfire and explosions. The bridge was split into two and Snow and Hope's mother were hanging on the edge. Snow- he tried to save her and told her to hang on. But she shook her head, and told him...to protect her son and- and bring him home.
Then all he saw was falling...his mother falling.
Falling into the nothingness.
But she didn't scream. Instead she wore a smile on her face even as the life in her was slowly slipping away.
And she was gone.
"Mom!"
Hope's eyes shot open abruptly, his hands tightly clutching his pillow as beads of sweat ran down his forehead. He sat up on his bed, the blankets falling down to the lower parts of his body as he gasped for air. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly, proceeding to bang his head several times against the headboard. 'Calm down...' he whispered to himself before opening his eyes once more.
He had a nightmare again.
It was of his mother, Nora, and how he lost her.
It was a dream he would have a lot. At first it was bad and it had him shaken everytime he woke up. But now he just had the dream from time to time, and it wasn't as bad as before when he would wake up. It was still scary though.
Hope remembered every detail concerning the incident, clear as the waters in the Sulyya Springs.
He would cry at first, back when they were camping out in Pulse.
He would go somewhere near the camp, but far enough so the others wouldn't be able to hear him.
And just...cry.
But that was a long long time ago, and he's stronger than that now.
It's been two years, he was sixteen now and Pulse had been turned into a second Cocoon, but the memory was still fresh in his mind.
It was as if it happened just yesterday.
He memorized the sounds of screaming and explosions. He memorized the smell of smoke and blood during the small war. He memorized the sights of people sliding down the bridge as it collapsed. He memorized the feeling when he saw his mother's hand slip out of Snow's, the pain, the anger, the sadness. He knew everything in detail.
He wished he just didn't remember.
"That was long over, Estheim. Forget it. Mom's not coming..." He shook his head and flopped down onto the bed, pushing the covers down with his feet. "You're living happily now, with Serah and Snow, and Sazh and Dajh live next door to you...And you're safe with- with Light around."
Light.
She always knew...knew just what to say to me. She knew just what to do. Like when she hugged me back in Palumpolum. And- and held my hand after the final battle while we were falling, turning to crystal. And when Serah and Snow were reunited, and Sazh and Dajh were too...I had no one to expect, since Mom was gone and I had no clue where dad was, so she stayed with me the whole time.
And when I saw her smile for the first time in Pulse, at me...before I got Alexander.
Lightning Farron smiled...at me.
Hope didn't realize the smile that was tugging on his lips as he recalled everything he had been through with Lightning. It was just...there was something about the pink-haired soldier that managed to keep her on his mind all the time. He didn't know. Was it because she smiled more in front of him than in front of other people? Was it because she swore to protect him? Was it because of the way she rushed to his side whenever he was in danger? Was it because of how he could see a side of her that no one else saw? Was it-
"Everything..." He whispered to himself, the smile on his face still didn't fade as rolled over to his side and stared at the picture of their group on the nightstand. It was him, Lightning, Snow, Sazh, Dajh, Serah and NORA. Dajh was at the very end of the picture -to the left- beside his father, the chocobo still in his dad's hair. Serah was holding Snow's hand and smiling sweetly and they were sitting on the far right of the couch. The NORA gang was standing at the back, Maqui and Yuj stood in the middle doing their "The Army is no match for NORA" pose, Gadot and Lebreau smiling on either side. And him and Lightning were in the middle, gentle smiles painted on their faces. The group was almost complete. He just wished Fang and Vanille were there with them.
He always looked at that picture...It was very special.
But this time he was staring at one face, just one.
Lightning.
He loved her.
But he wasn't man enough to tell her...yet.
"Ah! Shut up, brain!" Hope screamed in his head as he shook his head, his hands covering his ears. "Light won't ever see you they way you see her, Hope. So shut it."
But no. The more he tried to chase her out of his head, the more he thought of her.
"Stop thinking about her!"
He sat up on his bed once again and glanced at the clock once more, the numbers flashing on the screen of the digital clock that sat next to the picture on his bedside table.
11:45.
How will I get back to sleep now? he thought to himself. First it was mom...then Light...Argh.
The two of them have been keeping him awake for some time now.
"Ah! Whatever, I need milk." Hope mumbled to himself and jumped off the bed. He yawned and straightened his blue v-neck t-shirt and loose sweatpants, grabbing the golden doorknob and slowly turning it. He pulled the door back cautiously, flinching everytime he heard a slight noise from the hinges, and slowly slipped out of his room.
He passed through the hallways and looked around, left and right, to make sure that no one was awake and that all the doors adjacent to his were closed.
He tiptoed down the stairs slowly, not wanting to wake anybody or cause unnecessary noise. Hope titled his head back and forth, flicking a few light switches on and off as he made his way to the kitchen.
He got down the stairs sucessfully and looked around. On the right was the living room, and on the left was the kitchen/dining room, a bathroom, and a guest room- or at least that's where he thought those places were.
Then he saw it, the entrance to the Farron sisters' kitchen.
Goal.
He smirked and began taking small steps towards his destination.
Since when did the kitchen seem so far away?
Hope took a few more steps, thankful that the light illuminating the bar was left on. He grinned, proud at himself for making it to the kitchen sucessfully in the dead of the night, and opened the refridgerator doors. He poked his head in the cool, food-storing machine and his eyes traveled around in search for the milk. As satisfied smirk made it's way across his face, eyes lighting up as he finally found the carton of milk he was craving for. He reached out a hand to grab it and closed the doors before backing away.
But wait...what's this?
Hope raised an eyebrow. Why does it feel so...light?
He shook the the milk container, flipping it up and down rapidly and frowned when he heard no splashing sounds inside. He shook it once more while bringing it closer to his ear. Still nothing.
It was empty.
But how? How was it empty when it was full when he left for school this morning? How was there none left in the little box? How was-
Then it hit him.
"Snow!" He snarled, looking much like a Behemoth approached by an unwanted enemy. His snarl soon turned into a frown as he tossed the milk into the trash can and began to make his way to back upstairs. He turned around to exit the kitchen when something on the table caught his eye.
Hope cocked his brow and hurried over to the table. There was a plate lying upside down on the clear glass. He slowly lifted it off and found another plate underneath- a plate with a few cupcakes sitting on it. The cupcakes had a dark brown base, white frosting on top, and rainbow sprinkles- nothing fancy, but to him it was screaming, "Eat Me!"
Hope was unsure and he hovered around the table, staring at the innocent little cupcakes. He hesistated for a moment, but finally took one of them thinking no one would mind and brought it closer to his nose to sniff it, like a dog, and took a bite out of the mouthwatering desert.
Serah's chocolate mini-cakes.
"Oh my God!" Hope exclaimed, the words almost coming out like a moan. He closed his eyes dramatically, savoring each bit of the chocolate cupcake- from the chocolate bread to the soft vanilla icing, down to the rainbow sprinkles. Everything was so good. Serah's cooking was the best.
"Mmm..."
Hope pulled the chair back and took a seat close to the dear cupcakes, too engrossed in eating to hear the screeching sound the chair made as it scraped the floor tiles.
"More..." He muttered and he soon found himself reaching for another cupcake, and another, and yet another until there was only one left.
The lone cupcake sat in the middle of the round plate on the glass table. Hope smirked and reached for the cupcake hastily, almost out of greed and began to devour it slowly. First, closing his eyes and holding it with in both hands, his tongue slowly taking off the frosting on top. And then he bit the side, licking his lips as he moaned in pleasure. He pressed his lips to the cupcake, vanilla frosting completely covering the area around his mouth, and smirked. He smacked his lips and bit once more, then proceeded to "kiss" the cupcake, his tongue moving in weird, circular motions as he did so. Hope seemed like he was enjoying himself very much, very very much.
Ah, the pleasure we all get from Serah's mini-cakes.
Only maker knew what was going through his mind right now.
He did the same thing over and over again. He was licking the cupcake one minute, and pressing his lips against it the next, then biting at his bottom lip another. He would stop in between actions and take a big breath of air before proceeding to bite the innocent, little cake.
It seemed like it would take forever for him to finish his midnight snack.
"Mmm...Lightning...Ugh...Light..."
He pressed his lips against the cake.
"Lightning..."
He bit the cupcake once more, ripping off a small piece with his teeth.
"Ugh...Light..."
He licked the frosting and chewed on the little sprinkles.
"H- hope? Is that you?"
Hope froze, the cupcake in his hands, already half-finished and he didn't dare look at the direction the voice came from.
"Hello?"
His neck was stiff and he felt nervous as the sound of a person walking towards him got louder with each step. Whoever this person was, he or she heard him...making out with "Lightning" the cupcake.
"Hope, you can look at me, you know."
Hope lifted his head and plopped the cupcake into his mouth, forcing it down his throat before looking up at the person who was in front of him. He wore an idiotic expression on his face, frosting coating his mouth and crumbs decorating his cheeks.
There stood Serah Farron, her arms crossed over her chest. She was wearing a white robe. Her hair lay undone on her shoulder and she was smiling at him.
He was shocked, but at the same time relieved that it wasn't Snow...or worse, Lightning.
"Hope!" She giggles, her hands cupped over her mouth, barely able to contain her emotions. "What- What were you doing?" She snorts and tries to stifle her giggles.
So she heard everything.
"Uh...Er...Serah...I was just- Uh- What I mean to say was...The cupcakes...You...Um...Your cupcakes were delicious!" Hope stammers in between his words, trying to keep his sentences straight. But he couldn't think of a single logical explanation as to why he was 'kissing' a cupcake.
Serah sat down beside him. "Thank you." She smiles, bearing her pearly whites. Hope is shocked by her reaction, but relieved at the same time.
Maybe she didn't hear me after all.
Then there was a long pause. Serah and Hope were sitting at the table, Hope playing with his fingers and Serah fumbling with her hair. Both of them refused to look each other in the eye.
Until Serah spoke.
"But how is my sister related to my cupcakes?" She teases and pokes him in the cheek, brushing away some of the bread crumbs in the process.
Hope was silenced by her question.
She really did hear...
"You like her don't you?" She smiles. "I can tell...From the way you look at her and act around her..." Serah takes a glass and opens the refrigerator doors, pouring herself a glass of cold water and looks back at Hope. "And the way you've been "eating" that cupcake for 10 minutes, thinking it was her!" She exclaims and lets out a chuckle.
Hope sighs and lowers his head.
Shit. I'm screwed.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." His face lights up as she grabs some paper towels on the counter, handing them to Hope who proceeds to wipe his mouth clean. Serah gets him a glass of water as well, to wash down the sweets and the bits of chocolate that failed to melt in his mouth.
"Thanks Serah..." He mutters before standing up and tossing the paper towels in the bin. "Good night," he says and turns around to head back upstairs.
"Wait. You never answered my question," he hears Serah's voice and he stops in his tracks but doesn't look back. "You like her, don't you?" She asks him once again.
"Yeah...I guess...Maybe...Yeah..." Hope replies before tiptoeing up the stairs. He passes the hall again, careful not to wake anybody and continues on with his business.
Hope looks around, slips into his room and throws himself down onto his bed, fluffing his pillow and pulling the covers over his chest. He lets out a yawn and closes his eyes.
Sorry I lied to you Serah.
I don't like Light.
I love her.
"Good morning, buddy!" Snow puts a hand on Hope's shoulder as the boy heads down the stairs slowly, dragging himself to the table and taking the seat beside the one belonging to his 'cupcake.'
"Hey Snow," he cups his hand over his mouth and stifles a yawn. "Ugh..."
"What's wrong with you, Hope? Sick or something? You look like you only slept for 3 hours." Snow looks at him worriedly, taking a seat across Hope just as Serah arrives with a plate of pastries.
"He's fine Snow. All he needs is some of my cupcakes! Right, Hope?" She says, teasing him further by putting the cupcakes right in front of him.
Hope gulps and bites his lip, remembering the embarassing incident from hours ago and breathes in.
"Wow! Now that's what I've been looking forward to!" Snow exclaims, taking three cupcakes and lining them up nicely on his plate.
Lightning comes down a few minutes later, dressed in a striped tank top and shorts. She takes her seat beside Hope and grabs one of the cupcakes just as Serah returns with everyone's drinks.
Everyone eats their breakfast in awkward silence, with Serah and Snow trying their hardest to start a flowing conversation. Lightning would answer in complete sentences, but Hope would just nod or reply in one word as he took small bites out of his cupcake.
"What's the matter, Hope?" Lightning finally asks, noticing his weird attitude and how he refused to look at her or Serah in the eye.
"It's nothing, Light," He replies a little bit too fast and swears he saw Serah smirk.
Serah and smirking just meant pure evil.
"Yeah Hope, what's wrong? Have a cupcake." Serah pushes the plate towards him and he gulps nervously. Lightning and Snow look at each other questioningly, feeling they are being left out of some huge secret...which was exactly what was happening.
The older man and woman both wear confused expressions Serah continued to tease Hope with her cupcakes.
"Come on Hope, take one. You love these, don't you?"
Hope never had a cupcake as a midnight snack, ever again.