DISCLAIMER: I do not own the FFXIII series or any of the characters.

Set during FFXIII-2.

This kinda silly so I apologize right off the bat for that. I just found the idea of Noel's harmlessly poking fun at Hope's lisp and then having Hope tease back cos all of Noel's flailing and constant use of 'exactly' before ending up in a pile of cute utterly and completely irresistible.
I'm so sorry.

Happy reading!

"You... have a lisp."

Raising an eyebrow as he looked over his shoulder, Hope did his best not to show his mortification. "What?"

"You." Noel said in wonder from where he was spread out on his loveseat. Lying on his stomach and holding his head on one hand, the brunet was the personification of curiosity. "You have a lisp."

Eyebrow twitching at the repeated statement, Hope vaguely decided that he did not enjoy being the object of such sudden interest.

He should have suspected something was off when Noel was quiet for so long when listening to him talk about the biomimetic approaches of nanotechnology. He had been listening, yes... But to his speech impediment. Not to his words' content. "... Technically, it's lateral sigmatism." He said at last, trying to hold on to some of his dignity.

"See, a lisp." Noel quickly jumped onto his knees, pointing a finger at him. "You just did it. Right now!" Getting up, Noel practically scrambled towards Hope and trapped him against the kitchen counter, placing both hands on either side of his waist. "I knew there was something about the way you talked but I had never noticed before. It's a lisp." He said as if he had just discovered gold, examining the other.

The constant repetitions had to stop.

"Why does it even matter, Noel?" Hope asked, starting to get defensive. He had suffered his share when he was younger; he did not need it again now, especially from one he held to the highest regards. "What if I have a speech impediment? It's harmless."

"It's cute." Noel promptly replied, taking the director by surprise. That had not been the answer he was waiting for. "I mean, it's you. It's one of your quirks. Like, if you didn't have it, you wouldn't be the Hope we know any longer." He explained, his whole expression softening when he took in Hope's expression. "What? You didn't think I was making fun of you, did you?"

"I... No. I guess not."

"Hope, I would never make fun of you like that. I respect you and all that is part of you."

Smiling softly, Hope sagged a little. Maybe he had jumped to conclusions a little too fast; Noel was genuinely a respectful person, after all. "Thank you, Noel. That was... sweet of you."

"... Okay, I'm sorry but it's so-" Holding onto Hope's cheeks, Noel grinned. "Soap. Sail. Sandwich. Sic-"

It took a whole lot of self-control to simply shove the brunet away from him instead of round-house kicking him out of the apartment through the wall wide window and Hope was proud that he had it.

He gave himself a mental pat on the back.

Still, as Noel advanced again, he could not stop a glare and a couple words of advise from leaving his lips. "You keep on going and I swear you'll have icicles coming out of places you wouldn't want them to, Noel. Stop."

"Aww c'mon," said Noel as cocked his hip to the side and rested his hands on his waist, contemplating him with a fond grin. "I'm just messing with you. I'm trying to be playful here and it's a really tough task when there's this grump of a Director taking everything I'm saying so seriously."

"All you're doing is testing my patience, Noel. I can be a pest too, you know? You wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much as you're enjoying pestering me."

"Oh! I'm a pest now?"

It was practically handed to him, how could he ignore it?

Crossing his arms high across his chest, Hope stood straight before waving a finger straight at Noel. "Exactly." He replied in his best interpretation of the hunter's voice.

"... Oh."

"Yes, oh."

"You didn't go there."

"Yes, I did." He could go even further. Shifting, Hope rested a hand on his hip and brushed his fringe off his eyes with a perfect flick of his wrist.

Gaping, Noel visibly fought for something to say. He looked torn between wanting to laugh and actually look offended, which was bliss for Hope.

Payback.

"You- You're mocking me?"

"Exactly."

"Hey, stop that. I don't say it that many times." Noel complained, lightly shoving his arm.

"You think you don't. I wouldn't have enough fingers on both hands to count the times you say it in one single conversation." Hope retorted, shoving back.

"Now, you're just exaggerating."

"And the flailing?" Hope dodged a second shove, trying to escape Noel's hands. "How Serah didn't lose an eye yet is such a mystery that it must be a paradox-"

"Okay, that's it-"

Following instincts as Noel all but pounced on him, Hope tackled him onto the loveseat first and fought as Noel thrashed against him, yelping and scrambling for a place to grab on to as the brunet rolled them off onto the carpet with a well-timed kick. He ended up smacking his head against the foot of the coffee table though, unable to find an anchor in time.

There was a moment of silence before static filled his ears and the pain made itself known, a sharp throb on the side of his skull.

"Oh, crap." A pair of gentle hands cradled his head before he felt the relief that came with a cure spell, which eased the ache and helped clear his head enough for him to actually focus on Noel's worried features above his. "I'm sorry, I didn't think I'd throw us so far to the side but I should have remembered the table, I'm so sorry-"

Tuning off the hunter's apologies, Hope simply reached to hold onto Noel's neck and pull him down enough for him to be able to press a reassuring kiss onto his forehead. "I'm fine, it's alright." He said when the apologizes ceased.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Noel; I am sure." Hope then proceeded to pat Noel's side, continuing until he got the hint and laid down next to him on the carpet. As soon as the brunet was off him and was on his side though, he smacked his stomach. The surprised gasp was utterly satisfying. "Let that be a lesson, though."

"... I should let you stay on top without a struggle?"

"Don't mock my lateral sigmatism Noel, for God's sake...!" Unable to stop the laugh that left him, Hope covered his face in mock embarrassment as he felt rather than heard Noel chuckle with him as he pulled him closer. Despite their strange placement on the living room's floor, he felt strangely comfortable. "You're just a big oaf."

"You'd miss me."

Pressing a kiss to the grinning hunter's cheek, Hope knew it was enough of an answer.

That I would.