Being a fan of the Final Fantasy games, it's inevitable that eventually there would be a pairing that would take my fancy. In this case, it's Snow Villiers/Hope Estheim from Final Fantasy XIII. I started reading the work written about the two, and thought I'd give it a shot myself.

Set in the early parts of the game, towards the end of chapter 4 (after the battle with Odin).

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this.

Hope collapsed against the rock face, and curled in on himself. He was exhausted, emotionally and physically. They'd barely stopped since turning L'Cie; add the trauma of watching his mother fall to her death, and fighting endless groups of people and monsters afterwards, Hope was ready to give in; rest for a while, at the very least.

He heard Lightning, or Light as her friends called her, say she was going to look around. Hope barely acknowledged her, choosing instead to drift away with his thoughts.

He thought about his mother, his wonderful, caring mother, whose death was completely senseless. He thought about the situation he was now in, trailing after a stoic woman bent on wreaking havoc for what was done to her and her sister. He thought about the other people he now found himself with: Sazh wasn't too bad, not really, and Vanille was a constant comfort, though her unwavering optimism and 'ray of light' attitude could get tiresome very quickly.

His thoughts had become a refuge of sorts for him, a link to his past, and a means of dredging up one more ounce of strength to continue on this pointless journey. He said he wanted to become stronger, to become tougher, but could he follow through with the end game? That was the question he asked himself over and over again. Could he exact vengeance on the one most deserving of punishment?

This, inevitably, brought him to the one person that occupied more of his thoughts than any other individual or topic. The individual he hated with all his being, yet also the individual that gave him the strength to carry on.

Snow Villiers

The wan-a-be hero, the man who could laugh every situation off as if it were a joke, the resistance leader; the man who had let his mother fight, when she had no business doing so, and then let her fall to her death. Only to follow her a moment later, and have the audacity to survive the fall. And now, he didn't even have the courage to acknowledge the act, to even recognize the fact that he held a woman's hand moments before her death.

This disregard, and abject ignorance left Hope a seething mass of rage and despair; directed as much at himself as at the blond man in question. He was angry with the man, and himself, and he regretted his weakness.

"If only I'd been stronger, if only I'd had the courage to take the gun instead of her; then she'd still be alive" Hope thought to himself. This was only one of his regrets, though it tore him up every second of every day.

Even now, he hadn't worked up the courage to tell Snow what he thought of him, and now the opportunity may never come again. They'd left Snow, still trying to dig the crystallized form of his bride from the surrounding crystal mass. A truly pathetic sight.

This simple sight had angered Hope beyond belief; how the man could disregard one woman so easily, yet sit and pine over another served to fuel the fire building in Hope's heart. Snow called himself a hero, he was nothing of the sort.

His thoughts were disturbed by the sound of footsteps, falling in the steady, purposeful fashion that could only belong to Lightning. They stopped a little way in front of him. Hope cracked an eye open slightly, to find Lightning sitting down some way across from him. He hadn't thought the woman was capable of taking a break, let alone sitting down and not doing something. What he saw in her face, however, rocked him to the core.

She was sitting with her legs folded, her gunblade at her side. She looked...so lost. In that moment, her face gave away every emotion she was feeling; gave away her despair, and the terrible heart wrenching sadness she felt. She'd failed to save her sister, and now the very thing that had taken her sister, had taken her as well. This crack in her near impenetrable armour scared Hope, to think that one as strong as her could show such weakness. At the same time, it brought him a measure of comfort. If she could hold onto her strength when it mattered, perhaps he could to.

He changed positions slightly, stretching out onto his side, before drifting into a fitful sleep.

XXXXXX

Hope felt warm, and comfortable. He felt a peace and a sense of security that he had never experienced before in his life. He was in a bed, naked from the feel of it, with a warmth at his back, and a strong arm around his waist.

He sighed, in a contented fashion, and rolled over onto his back. The arm remained where it was, still across his waist. What he saw above him brought a feeling of joy and warmth to his heart. Deep blue eyes, as blue as any ocean, mid length blond hair, and a smile full of affection and humour.

He reached up, and stroked the handsome face above him, admiring the soft skin, before bringing the head down to meet his own. A pair of soft lips gently touched his own, began to move in tandem with his. The hand began to move slowly up his body, caressing each inch of skin on its way, pausing briefly to tease a nipple, before continuing up to cup Hope's face.

Their lips parted, and two pairs of eyes gazed deep into each other.

"Moring Hope" The voice was smooth, and resonated with affection.

Hope let out a contented sigh, and shifted closer to the large, muscular body next to his comparatively slim frame.

"Hi Snow" His voice was light, and dreamy, reflecting the romantic and near perfect feeling of the situation.

Snow shifted his head down, and began to lightly kiss Hope's neck, before moving onto his shoulder, all the while trailing his hand slowly back down his body again. The light kisses, and the gentle touches were drawing faint moans from Hope, moans that grew on volume when the hand wrapped around his hardening penis, gently stroking him.

Snow ceased his oral exploration, and looked up at Hope. His head was thrown back, silver hair a glittering mane with a faint blush on his cheeks; his mouth was open, with a faint smile on his lips.

"You look beautiful Hope, completely and utterly stunning" Said Snow, as he increased the pace of his ministrations, stroking Hope faster, bringing him closer and closer to the edge.

Hope began to thrash from side to side, waves of pleasure blocking all coherent thought. He could feel himself losing control, as his orgasm came closer and closer.

"Please Snow, don't stop; I'm gonna...fuck, I need..."

His words were cut off with a cry, as his orgasm washed over him; streams of cum covering his stomach and chest, along with Snow's hand.

Hope's body sank into the bed, utterly spent. He felt Snows settle back at his side, the strong arm returning to its original position, mindless of the cum. Hope turned his head to the side, face a picture of pure bliss and happiness, and looked at the handsome man next to him.

Snow kissed him softly, before looking into his eyes yet again. A gentle smile adorned the blonds face.

"I love you Hope, so much"

"Love you too Snow"

XXXXXX

Hope awoke slowly; his back stiff from sleeping against a rock, a slight pain beginning to develop in his neck. He looked around him, found Lightning still in the same place as before, though asleep this time.

He shifted slightly, mindful of the wet, sticky feeling in his trousers; evidently, the dream had a physical effect on him. What a time to have a mishap of that nature. He stretched his head from side to side, and sighed in resignation.

These dreams had been coming to him regularly these days; every time he fell asleep for even the shortest space of time. To begin with, Hope had ignored them, thought nothing of it. He'd noticed Snow's physical appeal the first time he laid eyes on him; beautiful blue eyes, blond hair that shimmered like the sun, and a muscular physique anyone would desire. The physical attraction he could handle, but the way the dreams were currently going, that left Hope with a feeling of unease.

"I love you Hope, so much"

"Love you too Snow"

The words stuck with him, and they angered him. This man had let his mother fall to her death, and now he was having romantic thoughts about him. Hope brought his knees up, and rested his arms across them, and let his mind wander to Snow Villiers.

He was arrogant, full of bluster and nothing but a facade. Hope thought about the smile that never failed to appear, his constant need to be the saviour, the hero, the way his eyes sparkled whenever he was laughing, or telling one of his bad jokes. His devotion to a not quite wife that may or may not be alive, his willingness to sacrifice himself for people he didn't even know. How handsome he was.

He thought back to the dream, and how it had felt to be wrapped in Snow's strong protective embrace, how it had felt to have Snow's hands on him...He longed for it to happen again.

Hope rested his head on his arms, and sighed. He didn't understand what he was feeling. He hated Snow, despised the man for what he did; yet he was, undeniably, attracted to him. And maybe something else as well now. Why did things have to become so complicated?

"I love you Hope, so much"

Those words, those simply words from a dream; yet they filled him with a sense of peace and happiness he had never felt before.

Hope groaned, and slowly got to his feat. He stretched, working out the kinks in his back, before heading off to find a secluded spot where he could dispose of his now useless underwear. However much he disliked the thought of going commando for an unknown length of time, his disliked the idea of walking around with dried cum in his trousers even more.

Reviews are welcome, be the good or bad; I appreciate feedback of any variety.

I don't know if this will be a long running story or not, so let's just say it's a one-shot for now; if anyone wants me to continue, then say the word, and I'll certainly try to add a little more.