Lightning sleeps in later than usual and Hope and Serah try to wake her up.
Serah sat quietly on the sofa, her phone against her ear listening to the ringing. In a couple ring's Hope picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hey Hope it's me Serah."
"Hi. What's going on? You're up kind of early aren't you?" Hope said still sounding sleepy on the other end.
"No I always wake up around this time." She said perkily.
Hope glanced at his clock and saw it only read 10:00 o'clock. He rubbed at his eyes and grumbled something incoherent.
"What was that Hope?" Serah asked not catching his grumble.
"Nothing. What do ya want?" he asked rather dryly.
"Well I was wondering if you could come over and help me with something." She said in a small pleading voice.
"Depends what it is Serah." Hope said still trying to wake up. "I don't normally get up myself for another three hours."
"Lightning isn't awake yet and I thought maybe you could come and try to wake her. She's usually up around six every day and today she isn't. I'm a little worried she might be sick or something."
"What makes you think I can wake her? When she's out she's out until she wakes on her own ya know."
"Oh come on Hope. We both know she likes you and maybe she'll be more willing to get up with you around."
Hope grumbled again rubbing his free hand in his face wearily, his eyes still not fully open yet. He stared at the floor, his head hanging low almost ready to fall asleep again.
"Hope!" Serah yelled over the line.
"Ah! Ok! I'm coming, I'm coming." He hung up trudged his way to the shower.
20 min. later…
"It's about time Hope!" Serah exclaimed as she pulled him in quickly through the door and rushed him up the stairs to Lightning's bedroom.
"What's the rush? She's probably just wanted to sleep for a while longer than usual. It's not that strange you know." Hope tried to explain.
"For most people yeah, sure, but not Claire, she always gets up early. I don't think there was a time in her life where she didn't."
They had reached the top of the stairs and Hope was now face to face with Lightning's bedroom door with Serah behind him, a concerned look on her face.
"So…" Hope said not really sure how to proceed from here.
"So what? Get in there!" Serah urged pushing him towards the door.
"Wait a second! It's Lightning. She'll kill me if I go in."
"Oh no she won't. Don't be silly."
Before Hope could do anything else he was shoved violently through the door nearly breaking it off its hinges and he and Serah tumbled into the room. Instantly Hope was met with a sight he hardly expected. Especially in Lightning's room. It was an absolute mess. Dirty clothes lay strewn about the floor, a dresser in the corner covered in little trinkets, but what was most surprising of all was Lightning laying half covered on her bed. She was dressed in a simple white tank top and pink shorts. Her hair was a mess and spiked out in every direction, with strands of the pink falling in her face. She looked completely peaceful sleeping, a light smile on her face.
"You see what I mean? Isn't it terrible?" Serah asked panicky pointing at her unconscious sister.
Hope observed the calm Lightning fast asleep.
"She looks ok to me." Hope answered still not really sure what all the fuss was about.
"But she's sleeping." Serah whispered to him as if it was the most unusual thing in the world.
Lightning sniffed loudly suddenly and rolled over getting the covers tangled in her legs and her hand falling on her forehead. Hope couldn't help but stare at her. Even when she was sleeping she was beautiful.
"Serah we shouldn't be in here." Hope said trying to make a sudden getaway attempt.
"Oh no you don't!" Serah blocked the door and pushed Hope back towards Lightning. "You try and get her up. I'll go downstairs and make her some coffee. That ought to do the trick."
Then she was gone and Hope was left alone in front of a sleeping Lightning. He stood there afraid that any movement might cause the slumbering woman to awake. Then very quietly he moved to the side of her bed and hesitantly prodded her shoulder gently. He withdrew his hand instantly as if touching Lightning was the most forbidden thing anyone could do. She did not stir. Gaining a little more confidence Hope cleared his throat.
"Lightning. Uh, hey Lightning." Hope whispered quietly giving her shoulder another prod.
"Mbumbeb." Lightning mumbled as she rolled over again, her hand flying straight into Hope's face and knocking him over. She continued sleeping, not realizing that she'd just involuntarily smacked Hope.
"Ow! What the-?" Hope exclaimed picking himself up and rubbing his cheek. "Lightning! Wake up!" Hope said louder, a little annoyed at being triumphed over by a sleeping girl. Lightning let out a loud snort.
"Huh?" She mumbled, still half asleep.
"You need to get up." Hope said a little stronger this time trying to get Lightning to fully awake.
"Who is that?" Lightning murmured rubbing a hand in her face and brushing away some of the pink strands.
"It's uh, Hope. Serah told me to wake you up." He added quickly.
"Hope? Waddya want?" She mumbled again digging her face into her pillow.
Hope rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"I told you. Serah said you have to get up." He said pulling at her shoulder.
Lightning let out a deep sigh and slowly grunted herself up into a sitting position. Though now she was sitting up her hair fell back into her face again and she made no attempt to brush the strands away.
"Serah is making you coffee downstairs." Hope said kneeling down in front of lightning and brushing the strands away from her face himself.
"Uh-uh. Too sleepy for coffee." She replied, her eyes still half closed. She began to tilt dangerously forward. Hope caught her by her shoulders before her face met with the carpet floor.
"Hey come on Light." Hope kept her sitting up and gently patted her face, trying to get her to wake up a bit. "Do you know what time it is?"
"Time?" She asked, but sounding like she could care less.
"Yes Light. Time. Do you know what time it is?"
"Time…." She said again still not taking in what Hope was asking.
Her head slumped some more and Hope saw her eyes close again. She began leaning forward once more.
"Aw come on Light." Hope pushed her up again and shook her a little, but this only caused her pink strands to dance about her face in a comical way, Lightning's eyes still locked shut, a small smile on her face.
"The time Light, the time." Hope pushed again. Then with a shove a little too hard Lightning fell back onto her bed, still asleep.
At this point Serah had come back up with a cup of coffee.
"Hope! You were supposed to wake her up!"
"I tried! But man, it's the hardest thing to do. No matter what I did she wouldn't get up. Are you sure about this? She seems really tired. It might not be a good idea to wake her now."
"Don't be ridiculous. She'll get up. All we have to do is get some coffee in her." Serah said taking a seat next to lightning and hovered the cup of coffee over her sister's nose.
Lightning's nose twitched at the scent and her small grimace turned into a smile of pure joy. It was unusual to see Lightning give a smile of pure happiness. It made her seem more beautiful to Hope.
Despite even this effort though Lightning would not wake. Serah looked quizzically at Hope as if expecting an explanation from him.
"Great you probably got her dreaming about coffee now." Hope commented. He turned to look at Serah who had an annoyed look.
"What? Don't blame me. She's your sister."
"We need to think of something. If the coffee won't do it then we'll need something more…extreme." Serah said rubbing her chin in thought, staring at the ceiling. Then a grin crossed her face. Eyes widening in excitement.
"Uh-oh." Hope said. "I don't like that look on your face."
"I've got it!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah well, whatever it is you can leave me out of it. Do it yourself." Hope tried again for the door but Serah grabbed his wrist and held it in an iron grip.
"Hey! Serah, come on. Let go." He tried tugging to free his wrist but it did no good. Serah refused to let go.
"Oh stop being such a coward Hope." She dragged him back to Lightning and without warning shoved him right on top of Lightning.
"Agh! Serah!"
Instantly, as if on reflex Lightning's eyes shot open and was met with Hope lying on top of her in the rather awkward position, his face buried in her chest.
"There! See? That worked!" Serah exclaimed with a light bounce, clapping her hands together in joy.
"Hope!" Lightning exclaimed giving him a hard slap to the face sending him flying off the bed and covering her chest with her covers, her face turning red.
Hope lay on the floor, his head spinning and a look of shock about the situation.
"Serah! What was that all about?" she asked grumpily, looking embarrassed.
"It was the only thing I could think of to wake you up sis, the coffee didn't work." Serah explained, a triumphant smile on her face.
Hope regained his balance and rubbed at the spot where Lightning slapped him. He was also red from the encounter of the rather thin material that served as Lightning's shirt.
"Light that hurt." Hope said still rubbing his cheek.
"Sorry Hope." She said almost as red as he was. "I was startled." She glanced away, suddenly finding the corner of her bed most interesting to look at.
"Well come on sis. Get up now." Serah said tugging at Lightning's arm.
"Serah, let go." She complained breaking loose of her grip and hiding herself under her covers.
"What's wrong Claire? Why are you sleeping so late today?" Serah asked pulling at the covers Lightning had pulled over her head like a little kid begging her parents to wake up.
"Hope get her out of here will ya?" he heard the muffled Lightning ask.
"Come on Serah." He grabbed her arm and pulled her from the bed. "I told you she was fine. Now let's go so she can sleep."
"But—" She protested but before she could get another word out she was jerked out of her sisters room, the door shutting quietly behind them.
"Hope! We were supposed to get her up. What do you think you're doing?" she tugged at his hold but now it was Hope's turn to be stubborn.
They reached the kitchen of the Farron household and Hope pushed Serah into a chair as if he were about to chastise a little kid.
"Serah." He said sternly crossing his arms. She pursed her lips, a small frown on her face as she looked up sheepishly at Hope. "What's the big idea calling me here so early in the morning for the supposed emergency? Just trying to get me killed by your sister?"
"N-no of course not." She said nervously. "And what do you mean early? Do you know it's already almost eleven o'clock?" she explained pointing out the window at the sunny sky with more energy than was necessary.
"That's early for me Serah." He pointed out, arms still crossed.
"Well you should wake up earlier. Do you like sleeping your life away when we could all be out doing something?"
"Don't try and change the subject."
A door opened and closed from upstairs. Hope and Serah looked up at the source of the sound together, their talk temporarily interrupted.
"Ah!" Serah leaped from her chair with joy, clapping her hands together and accidentally knocking Hope off his balance and crashing him to the floor. "We did it!" she exclaimed excitedly.
The startled Hope collapsed to the floor in a heap.
"Gah! Serah knock it off." He grumbled as he rubbed at a forming bruise on his rear. "Why are you so desperate to wake her up anyway? What's so strange about Lightning just taking a day off from her crack-of-dawn mornings?"
"Well it's just so unlike her." She said shyly, rubbing absently at her arm.
Hope got to his feet and dusted himself off.
"Well maybe—"
"Achoooo!"
Hope and Serah flinched in unison at the unexpected sneeze coming from Lightning's room. Then for a moment, silence.
"Achoooo!"
It came again but this time louder. Hope and Serah glanced at eachother, neither saying a word and redirected their gaze back up at the fierce sneeze.
"Hey Lightning?" Hope called up the stairs. "You okay?"
"I'm fine!" she called back sounding congested.
Serah gasped, putting her hands to her face in surprise.
"Oh no! Oh she's sick. I knew it!" she panicked pacing the kitchen quickly. "We need to do something. I'll need some hot water. And uh—some tea. Yes that's it! Some tea and—"
Before she could finish her anxiety episode Lightning stepped into the kitchen, a couple tissues in hand and gently rubbing at her nose, sleep still in her eyes.
"Serah, will you please stop making so much noise. You sound like a freaked out chicken." She said walking past her and reaching for the fridge.
Hope snickered at Lightning' remark imagining Serah running around wildly like a chicken with its head cut off. Serah slapped him knocking him off balance once again, his head swimming with swirling planets.
"But you sneezed sis. I heard it! You sneezed." She tried to explain.
Lightning grabbed a bottle of water and looked at Serah, a confused look on her tired face.
"So?"
"So that means you need to stay home today and drink plenty of fluids and take medicine and—"
Lightning just rolled her eyes and picked the still dazed Hope up off the floor.
"Come one Hope, let's leave Ms. Paranoia here to herself."
Lightning dragged him out of the kitchen with Serah still staring after at her older sister.
"But, you—you sneezed…" she said more to herself as if to confirm it as Lightning and Hope left her standing alone in the kitchen, a confused look on her face.
There you all are =) Hope you liked it. Sorry if the ending felt a little rushed, I suffered serious writers block and this was the only way I could think of to end it. I wish I could have done more with it but oh well.
As always comments are appreciated and desperately needed.
