A/N: Well, it's been a long time coming, but I have finally cranked out my 'required' first five chapters for this sequel and sent the first three through the editing process with beta-roomie – thus, I am keeping my promise and posting ^_^ I swear this thing has been edited to DEATH, but I do apologise for the slower start. Please mind the approximate year-and-a-half gap in time from the end of Believe in Yesterday's epilogue, and if you somehow have NOT read that story and its epilogue yet, do yourself a favor and stop reading this right now. There are too many elements of this story that will make zero sense without knowledge of the prequel's events.
Before we begin, I'd like to thank the many readers and reviewers, signed and anon alike, who have stuck with me through this epic fanfiction journey that somehow turned into a trilogy. As always, I could seriously use feedback to inform the direction I'm taking this story, so I invite you all to take part! And as an extra treat, I am offering up a handful of fitting songs for each chapter – feel free to give them a lookup for mood, etcetera.
**Disclaimer (for entire set, to avoid redundancy): Square Enix owns these characters, though I'm amazed at how they can kinda sorta half-way come up with brilliant ideas and then blow their potential. Thus, I continue writing, but for no personal profit. Also, my basis for titles belongs to Our Lady Peace, whose lovely new album features a song called "Heavyweight" – the inspiration piece this time around. Definitely listen to that song ;-)
Somewhere in Between
[Chapter 1 Songs: "Angels/Losing/Sleep" – Our Lady Peace; "Some Nights" – fun.; "What You Know" – Two Door Cinema Club; "Sentimental Tune" – Tegan and Sara]
Safety Suits
So this is what we've accomplished.
Hope raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare of sunlight flashing off Cocoon's shell, the small moon in all its glory dominating his view from atop the transport. It was still disconcerting to see the metallic rods, dark against Cocoon's bright surface, fanning out like spines over a multitude of points on its underside. Thicker, vertical structures set in a crescent shape around the stem's south-facing half were a match for the fingers of an unseen hand that threatened to close around Fang and Vanille.
The blended shadows of Cocoon's patchwork scaffolding crisscrossed the western landscape in a spidery net as the morning sun rose, and he shivered despite the balmy summer air.
It's only necessary, he told himself again. Six power outages in less than three years had sounded a frightful alarm that Cocoon could one day drain of its energy, and if that happened, there was no telling whether the shell would crash to the surface of Pulse, crushing PSICOM Central Command and most of the Settlement in the process. Lacking the resources to ever construct supports capable of bearing Cocoon's full weight, the best they could do was to erect massive buffering stanchions connected to a vast network of polarized rods. At least, Hope had proposed, they could control the direction of the collapse if it came to that. Theoretically, a strong electromagnetic pulse could repel it northward, away from the Settlement.
And if that fails, Hope thought to himself, pressing his fingers to his temples, those stanchions should be just enough of a push to tip it northward.
An entirely separate crew had even dug a ten-mile-long groove in the terrain that could guide Cocoon to a valley in that direction, like a giant marble on a track. That part had been a simple idea, but it was practical.
They weren't gods or fal'Cie – moving a moon was no easy task.
Still, as worthy as he knew the cause to be, Hope cringed every time he stepped onto his worksite, wondering what Fang and Vanille might be experiencing as a result of the commotion around them – the soundings to check the crystalline surface for stability, the noises of construction, and the simple fact that they were gawked at by people who initially wanted to kill them, most of whom still didn't give a second thought to their well-being. He half expected the Pulsian warrior to decrystallise and whack him upside the head with her spear.
Whatever the case, it was all his fault. Just over a year ago, Hope had personally been the one to suggest peripheral rods to work in conjunction with the stanchions PSICOM was already constructing at the stem of Cocoon, and Colonel Sabin himself had requested that he direct the team of engineers for the project and report on their progress. Hope already knew several of the workers by name from their visits to the GC base over two years ago to study the windmill designs nearby, having flown them in via transport and shown them around with Maqui. Their project then, the western plains windmill farm, had long since passed the planning stages; it was set to be the hopeful backup energy source for vital Settlement operations and was already the source of Central's emergency power. Once the engineers were free to leave the remaining construction in the hands of two or three overseers, they jumped right into the challenging task beneath Cocoon.
For Hope, nine trips from the remote GC base of Aerma Proper had come and gone, and the ambitious Operation Undergird was in its final stage.
But in those nine trips, Hope had yet to take the colonel up on his offer for lodging within Central's complex, and this time was no exception. For days, he'd been parked just outside the warehouse district as usual – it afforded a broader, more encompassing view of Cocoon's state, as well as the familiar company of Guardian Corps soldiers that he missed after the long journey from home.
Or the company of one soldier in particular.
"Ugh," he groaned to himself, burying his face in his hands as his thoughts careened away from workplace concerns. His cheeks felt unusually warm, the result of visualizing his last encounter with Lightning's morning routine. He had relished the way she sleepily crawled across him to snooze the alarm two times before tumbling out of bed on the third, sheets clinging to her waist as her bare feet hit the floor. At that point, she'd snapped to alertness, and no amount of coaxing could derail her from the mission of shower-dress-and-leave.
Hope absently wondered if having her sleep in socks or putting down a rug would nullify the 'cold floor' trigger to her departure, and then he came full circle to the miserable truth of the bigger problem. She was hundreds of miles away.
"Ha! Found ya!"
Suddenly alert to the familiar voice, Hope whipped his head to the right, eyes scanning along the hull of the transport until he saw the tell-tale spiky nest of blonde hair pop into view.
Maqui hauled himself up from the final rungs and plopped down with a clang, poking Hope's shoulder rapidly as he scolded, "You're gonna get your dignified clothes all dirty, idiot."
"They're not dignified," Hope grumbled, batting away the offensive hand. He undid the buttons at his wrists, methodically rolling the sleeves up to his elbows as he spoke. "They're just a compromise, so I don't look like such a bumpkin around the higher-ups for this project. Believe me, I'd rather be in coveralls right now." Squirming uncomfortably, he reached back to tuck his wayward shirttail into the waist of the gray slacks. One year of wearing the new ensemble – on site, anyway – was not sufficient time for him to adjust.
Even if Yuj did a bang-up job with designing something decent and durable, and even if he based it on Sazh's outfit, these pants are a little too fitted for my taste.
Maqui laughed evilly as he mocked, "Well I beg your pardon, Director, but didn't your 'compromise' also include this nifty little necktie?" In a flash of movement, he ripped the length of pale blue fabric from somewhere inside his vest, lassoing Hope's head with the loop and tightening it in place like a sweat-band. The tie itself hung down between his sour glare, green irises crossing as he automatically tried to focus. Seeing the odd expression, Maqui's mouth twitched and contorted as he suppressed his snickering.
"Oh yes, this is very dignified," Hope deadpanned. He yanked the tie off and thrust it back in Maqui's face. "I will personally strangle Yuj if he ever comes around presuming to make me wear this thing. If you think it's so nifty, why don't you wear it yourself?"
"Heh, useless to me, but I'll hang onto it for laughs." Maqui swiped the tie from his grasp and tucked it away again, shrugging as he remarked, "Not the reason I came lookin' for you in the first place."
"Please say you've made coffee," Hope yawned, crossing his arms atop his knees and resting his head there. He felt suddenly exhausted by the mounting weight of his thoughts at such an early hour.
Rather than tease him further, which Hope fully expected, Maqui cocked his head to one side and gave him a scrutinizing look.
"You really forgot, huh? Are you sure you're doin' alright?"
Hope sat up straight in alarm. "What do you mean, 'forgot'?"
"Dude," Maqui sighed, scratching his head, "today's the Day of Mourning. You know, for the Landing Festival? I mean, you're already wearing white, so I figured you had some plans to, er… pay respects to your mom, a-and I thought you might be heading out early for that, maybe want some company..."
"Mom died in the Purge, not the fall," Hope answered mechanically, his eyes fixed once more on the haunting glow of Cocoon. "I paid my respects with Dad two weeks ago, right before taking off on this trip. I just got up morbidly early this morning out of habit."
Besides, I don't feel right about mourning over Fang and Vanille when they aren't really gone. Maker knows when they'll ever wake up, but they definitely are not dead. And I won't let them die, so help me.
The silence between them grew heavy with his unspoken thoughts, and Maqui cleared his throat as if it physically choked him.
"O-oh, well it's not like you won't have more than enough company today anyway. Might be the first time the Almighty Lightning's taken leave since your honeymoon—"
"What?" Hope exclaimed loudly, immediately covering his mouth before he could have any additional outbursts. After a deep breath, he let his hand drop shakily. "S-she's here? When did she get here? Where is she?"
Amusement played across Maqui's face as he seemed to fully realise the impact of his words.
"Wasn't it a personal request for all the l'Cie to be present this year, straight from Colonel Sabin?" Maqui said knowingly. "I'm sure the lot of 'em will land over at Central pretty soon, Hope. Of course, you woulda been there already if you didn't keep refusing to stay in the housing the colonel offered."
Hope shook his baffled head, sputtering, "But… he didn't tell me we were all invited! I-I mean he mentioned that I should join him for the Festival's activities, and I'll admit forgetting what day it was today, but I swear he didn't tell me about the others, not a word…"
"Hey, if anyone could read the colonel's mind, it'd be you, not me," Maqui scoffed. "Maybe he wanted you guys to be surprised! Snow said he hadn't gotten the message either, not till I told him over the comms this morning, but I thought he was just being scatterbrained."
Hearing the explanation, something else suddenly occurred to him. Hope grabbed the front of Maqui's shirt in his fist, narrowing suspicious eyes at his friend.
"If Snow wasn't in on it, how exactly did you find out?"
Smirking, Maqui just reached out to muss his silver hair. "Easy. Lucil told me, weirdo. And Lightning told her because she needed someone to supervise her unit, since the major informed her about the official invite, and so on."
What the hell is Lucil doing just passing information along to Maqui? Was she bored? Did she intend for him to tell me? No. If that had been the case, she could've called me herself. Better yet, Light could've just told me…
At that thought, Hope's eyebrow developed an angry twitch.
"Maqui," he asked between gritted teeth, "did it occur to you that if my wife wanted me to know she was coming, she would've told me herself?"
"I thought she did!" Maqui whined, trying futilely to wrench Hope's fingers from his shirt. "Lucil didn't say you didn't know, she was just calling to vent about having to take over Lightning's unit for the week. I asked why because I was being considerate – you're supposed to humor women when they talk about their day!"
"Huh?" Curiosity got the better of Hope in an instant, and he sat back, releasing his grip to simply stare at Maqui as if observing a strange phenomenon. He cocked his head to one side, eyes asking a dozen questions at once.
Why was she calling you to chat? Did you expect it? You actually care about humoring her? How long has this been going on?
Squirming under the childlike gaze being aimed at him, Maqui finally seemed to process the reaction. He looked pointedly at the metal hull, his bangs covering his eyes as he muttered, "I… I like her, okay? And it's too early to know for sure, but I think she might like me, too. S-so we've been keeping in touch. Pretty lame story, huh?"
Hands clamped down on Maqui's shoulders, and he looked up to see a ridiculous grin plastered on Hope's face.
"Maq, I really hope it works out," he beamed. "You'd be adorable together – taking shots at each other all the time and having to make up, so you'd never run out of fixer-upper projects!"
"Heh, you're just stuck in that 'happily married' afterglow…" Maqui retorted, but his face burned scarlet all the same.
Standing to his feet, Hope stretched and dusted himself off.
"Guess I'd better head over to Central before it gets any later. You coming?"
Maqui hopped up and strode toward the rungs, waving behind him as he replied, "Nah, I'd just feel out of place – my time's better spent attaching those radiance panels. I would've stuck with you if I thought you needed the support, but it sounds like you've already handled the worst of it. When I wanna mourn my own losses, I'll do it in my own way, on my own time. And I don't feel like mourning today, Hope."
Neither do I, Hope thought, his shoulders sagging as he considered the shadow of sadness that would undoubtedly be cast over an otherwise happy reunion.
No, he didn't want to mourn, but he didn't have a choice. The former l'Cie would be in the spotlight this time, guests of honor standing before a growing population of survivors, but at the same time they would be forced to feel the weight of millions lost, beyond their ability to save.
Millions, plus two friends. Hope just couldn't accept it. He decided that Maqui was lucky to have the choice.
"Dude, I thought you said you were in a hurry!" Maqui shouted up at him from below, and Hope jumped at the shift back to reality.
"I-I'm moving!" he called back, stumbling over to the rungs as he regained his bearings.
"Good, 'cause this coffee's not gonna drink itself!"
Lightning shuddered at the slowly spreading dampness on her shoulder, trying not to let her discomfort show. It wasn't Serah's fault that Milo decided to change his napping location on the flight – she cast a glance at the dozing woman seated opposite – and it wasn't the first time he had done so. Aside from the drool, she honestly didn't mind the way her nephew occasionally decided to be clingy with his aunt. He bore a striking resemblance to a toddling, rosy-cheeked Serah. A certain amount of fondness toward him was only natural.
Nodding off herself as she became immersed in memories, Lightning got a face-full of his wild pink curls and awoke with a start. She recalled a previous desire to ask Sazh about their progress along the flight path, considering she'd begun to notice the grayish cabin light shift with the arrival of full morning, but calling out to the cockpit would surely wake Milo and Serah.
Thankfully, Dajh ducked into the cabin a minute later, a folded piece of paper in hand as he awkwardly made his way to the seat beside her. Unlike Hope at that age, it seemed his growth spurt had hit him all at once, and the beanpole boy was more coordinated on a chocobo than his own two feet these days. He finally got to the seat and collapsed into it, limbs sprawling in front of him.
Unfolding and waving his marked map before her eyes, he gave her a knowing look and a wry grin. "I figured you guys would want another update. Got destination fever, Mrs. Estheim?"
"Your father would smack you if he knew you said that, Imp Katzroy," she chided, but a tiny smirk played on her face. "You know I kept my name, and I still haven't forgiven you for helping NORA with their honeymoon sabotage."
"Heh, ya can't fool me," Dajh retorted. "We saved the day, an' you know it!"
It's not that I didn't enjoy being stranded with Hope for an extra few days while he fixed the auto-pilot problem, and the springs out there were amazing, but… why do people do these things without my consent?!
Lightning knew why, of course. She had never been one for taking more than a week of leave at the most, and Hope would never have asked more of her himself, no matter how much he might have wanted it. It was to his credit that his friends would go to such lengths to grant him that wish.
If I'd known how little we'd be seeing of each other, I would've taken more.
Heaving a sigh, and shoving down an irritating mixture of longing and frustration that had bubbled up in her stomach again, she turned her attention toward the map. "Since you've come out here to report, how much further is it to the Settlement?"
"Got a little over an hour left," Dajh offered, pointing to their current position as penciled on the map and tracing the remaining path to the destination. "I'd get s'more sleep if I were you. Gotta look your best, right?" With a mischievous wink and a flash of his dazzling smile, he got up and staggered back across the cabin to the cockpit.
That boy has been around NORA's antics and breeding chocobos for far too long, Lightning mused, but at least his teasing is clever. It reminded her of Hope, a little.
Chasing that thought, Lightning lifted the fingers of her free hand to her eyes, tracing over the dark circles she knew to be there. As much as Dajh was a joker, she couldn't blame him for advising her to sleep; he was probably worried. Her sleep schedule was shot again and people were beginning to notice, but there was nothing she could do about Hope's routine – gone for a month or so, back for a few days, and gone again – or its inherent effect on her. He would return just after she had finally adjusted to sleeping alone, she would quickly readjust to his presence, and then he would leave. Lather, rinse, repeat the misery. But the alternative of never seeing him was unimaginable, and she knew the project was vital for Fang and Vanille, along with being an opportunity for Hope to develop real-world leadership skills.
Lightning lowered her hand to clench it tightly around her pendant, squeezing her tired eyes shut. The more time passed, the less she could deny it. Thanks to his upbringing, his experiences, his contacts, and his confounding tendency to sympathise with people, Hope was already a fledgling diplomat. A recurring fear played itself over in her head: that the end of this project would not signal the end of his involvement in Settlement affairs.
She knew it was selfish and simple-minded to wish he belonged to her alone, or even to their family and friends alone, but that couldn't change her feelings.
I guess there are worse things, she thought ruefully. He could've enlisted and gotten himself killed. This way, as long as we can keep him from getting sucked in and corrupted by those damned PSICOM officials…
A small squeak arrested Lightning's attention and her eyes shot open. Milo was squirming on her lap, his face contorted from either discomfort or a bad dream, but she patted his back and stroked his curls until he turned his head inboard to fall asleep against her chest once more.
"Then again, they aren't all bad," Lightning whispered to herself. After all, Milo's namesake, Miles Sabin, was primarily responsible for making the armistice possible, and Hope worked for the colonel. Hope had his own allies, utterly apart from her.
"Sis," Serah's soft voice called, "do you need a break? I think I've napped enough for both of us, and I probably shouldn't sleep right up to landing. Snow's gonna make fun of my travel bed-head."
Sighing, Lightning let out a soft snort and ran a hand through her own limp hair, trying to shake some life back into it. "I'm fine. Milo's just settled down, so you can go back to sleep. We all know Snow's going to be overjoyed no matter how you look."
It was bright enough for Serah's concern to be visible in her features, but she seemed to let it go, smiling instead. "You know, if you concentrate on his heartbeat, you'll stop thinking and drift right off – sort of like hypnotism."
Lightning raised an eyebrow. "That sounds… freaky," she began dubiously, "but I'll give it a try."
Shortly after she set to the task, counting the shallow thumps of the child's heart like a metronome beat against her, Lightning felt her eyelids slip closed.
So this is how Serah keeps it together.
Hope had taken the hour and a half long walk to Central alone, wondering all the while what sort of scene he would stumble upon when he arrived. None of the usual early morning crowd or the street vendors were out to distract him from his thoughts, allowing them to grow more and more vivid. He mainly envisioned the cluster of his loved ones happily waiting for him, smiling and hugging him the instant he set foot on the worksite – and then Lightning would kiss him. Alternately, he would kiss her first and then hug everyone. But his imagination had gotten gradually more realistic the closer he got to Central, and by the time he found himself staring up at the familiar west gate, he had come to terms with his final conclusion.
They probably hadn't arrived yet. He would be the one waiting. Even last-ditch efforts of his mind to reassure him that Snow might also be waiting with him were shot down.
There's no way in hell Snow would get here this early if he didn't have to.
The guards at the gate on day shift checked his ID, poking fun at him as usual – they, at least, looked refreshed and ready for the day.
"You know, kid director," the first of them laughed, gesturing at his wild hair, "they make gel for taming that bed-head."
Hope slapped his palm to his forehead and sighed, waiting for the mocking offender with his distinctive blue eyes to give the card back.
Why does this guy always give me a hard time?
The second chimed in, "That or clippers. You could mow it down to stubble in less than a minute!"
"My wife likes it this way, thanks," he retorted, snatching his ID and half-grinning before he strode through the gate.
Hope was just thankful that Maqui's coffee had kicked in, or sleep-deprived grouchiness might have made it difficult to take the good-natured jabs at his personal appearance – a universal staple of military camaraderie, he'd discovered. In any case, he raked his hands through his hair as he wove his way easily through the facility, scanning his access badge at several doors along the route to the worksite. The first couple of weeks he'd gotten lost and ended up following everyone else, but now the route was second-nature, so much so that he usually spent that time reflecting on objectives for the day while his feet did the rest.
As far as he could discern, it was going to be a typical morning until the others arrived. Since Maqui had reminded him of the date, the rest of the information associated with Colonel Sabin's invitation came flooding back. Hope knew there was nothing on the schedule until midday, when the colonel would be holding a combination meeting and luncheon to review the Landing Festival plans. At that point, the group of former l'Cie would find out the specific order of events for the two-day period, and he knew from the previous year's schedule that the official mourning ceremony would be just before sunset.
Times and events and people all whirling around in his head, Hope had scanned through the final door and walked several meters into the open-air central enclosure before he noticed something felt off about his everyday worksite.
He stopped and looked around the silent area, blinking at the floating crystalline particles that sometimes deceived his eyes, but there was no mistaking it.
He was absolutely alone.
"Of course I'm alone," Hope muttered to himself, leaning heavily against one of the hulking metallic supports that stretched up to Cocoon's underside. "How could I be stupid enough to forget the engineers have the day off, like everyone else?"
It gradually occurred to him, as he wandered from stanchion to stanchion, that he didn't think of himself as part of 'everyone else,' and by extension assumed that those he was responsible for were also different – were more like soldiers than regular citizens.
I can't expect them to be workaholics like me. They have families and friends to grieve with today. I don't have anything else to do but wait right now.
Looking up through the constantly stirring crystal dust, he picked out the point in the pillar where Fang and Vanille were supposed to be. It was a dark region, roughly halfway up and too far away to peer into clearly, but it gave him something to focus on. Hope took the few steps from the crescent of stanchions to the pillar and placed his palms against its cool surface, his neck straining to keep his gaze fixed directly above. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd greeted them – most days he managed a quiet moment to at least say "Hi" when no one was around – but he felt compelled to really speak his mind to them this time, before all the Settlement wrote them off as a loss to grieve, along with Cocoon.
"Fang, Vanille – I'm not mourning, you hear me? I know you're alive in there," he declared, swallowing thickly and lowering his voice before it could crack. "I-I'm sorry about all the construction, but we don't really have a choice. I want you both to be safe, and I can't guarantee that… unless you come back to us."
He stopped at his own flawed reasoning, laughing bitterly as he shook his head. "What am I saying? You probably know something's wrong with Cocoon – maybe you're refusing to come back so it won't collapse. That's what a lot of people think, you know. They want you to stay put, and we want you back. Either way, we'll keep looking out for you, so just… don't give up."
"You really think they can hear you?"
Hope spun at the unexpected response, backing up against the crystal pillar. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. "Who's there?" he asked with an edge of suspicion, squinting through the dust.
"Really, Director?" she huffed, sounding exasperated. "Maybe you should get your head out of the clouds. There are live people down here, you know." The girl in question finally stepped into view from the stanchion she'd been behind, waving a hand in his face as though he was deluded. The black R&D lab coat draped over her arm and the reading glasses threw him off at first, but a name finally surfaced.
That's the girl we call "Z," since it's all the engineers remembered from "Zaidelle" on her nametag, but she did introduce herself. An "A," it starts with an "A"… Alice? No, Alyssa Zaidelle. That's right. The specialist from R&D who spent years researching the crystal structure around Cocoon.
Still, his mouth was too slow to follow his mind.
"You've forgotten my name, huh?" she deadpanned, crossing her arms. "Even when I've been on this project since before day one – you know, making sure the crystal doesn't come crashing down from some engineering blunder…"
"Alyssa!" he blurted, feeling even more idiotic when he extended his hand in greeting but not knowing what else to do. "I didn't expect anyone to be here. Aren't you off for the day, too?"
Great. I promised myself not to let the staff catch me talking to Fang and Vanille.
Quirking an eyebrow, she shook his hand once before resuming her previous posture – arms crossed defensively. "A day off for your little crew is a prime day for me to spend some uninterrupted quality time with my research subject." She gestured upward in a swirling motion to the gleaming pillar and moon. "But since you're here, talking to its core, I figured it might be worth my time to ask if they had anything to say."
Hope wasn't sure how to read her inquiry, even if he assessed that there was no malicious intent behind it.
"They didn't," he said simply, mentally walling his emotions inside as he kept his gaze impassive. "But the others didn't respond when spoken to either, so that's not surprising. It doesn't mean anything."
Alyssa rolled her eyes. "This is the part where I could bore you with a lecture on the crystal's effects on time and space at the atomic level, but that one would fly right over your head. Or under, perhaps," she remarked, looking far above him as though his consciousness was floating there instead of sitting in his skull. "Can I ask you a personal question, Director?"
Now planted stubbornly before the pillar in the face of her strange attitude, he said with an air of challenge, "Ask away, but I can't guarantee an answer."
"Alright, then," she began, finally bothering to look him in the eye. "All my research indicates that the crystal shell is impenetrable to regular communication, but we do know that energy transfer in the other direction is possible – if it wasn't, we wouldn't have power and this crisis wouldn't have happened. The other researchers in my department usually just spout something about fal'Cie energy having unnatural properties as an explanation for it, but I'm always wondering if we're missing something important, and I'm running out of ways to find out. So I figured it couldn't hurt to ask…" Wavering as though she might lose her chance by wording it wrong, Alyssa paused and looked above him again.
"What was it like, being in crystalstasis?" she asked faintly. "Did you hear anyone on the outside? Did you feel anything?"
Does she really want to know this for research, or is she worried about something else? Surely she wasn't here when they had Lightning and Snow in custody, so maybe she's just curious about the people involved.
Fumbling through the tangle of his thoughts and words, Hope stammered, "I-I wasn't… well, I didn't stay crystallized for long. And all that time, I was just dreaming. If anyone spoke to me, I don't remember hearing them, but that doesn't prove the shell is one-hundred percent impenetrable..." He ran a nervous hand through his hair, trying to decide whether or not he should tell her more – whether it was wise to mention his strange experience with Lightning in crystalstasis. He still wasn't sure how he felt about trusting anyone within Central, particularly R&D, with information specific to the former l'Cie.
"You wanted to say something else," Alyssa said, cocking her head to the side as she tapped a finger on her chin. "You don't trust me, do you?"
Sighing, Hope pinched the bridge of his nose and stated plainly, "If it helps, it's nothing personal. Years of experience sort of predisposed me to not trust people too easily – even if most of the time I end up trusting them anyway. Pathetic, huh?" He smiled sadly at her, trying to decide if this would be a stupid mistake, or a chance to make another ally.
Alyssa clenched her hands into fists at her sides and huffed in frustration, "How did you just manage to answer me with 'no' and 'yes' at the same time?" Calming herself, she lowered her voice to a murmur. "Listen, if you tell me the rest, I'm under no obligation to report it to the staff. They don't butt in on my research anyway – usually look at me like I'm crazy if I bring up a theory that's too far-out. Does that sound reasonable, Director?"
Gotta admit, if anyone could figure out Fang and Vanille's predicament – no, the whole situation with Cocoon – it would be this girl. Who am I to hold up her progress?
"It does," Hope agreed. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leveled her with a flat stare. "But as a second condition… please promise not to laugh."
"Can do!" Alyssa declared excitedly, immediately pulling a notepad from somewhere in her lab coat and settling down at the base of the stanchion opposite him. She took a pencil from behind her ear and began to scribble. Without looking up, she ordered, "You can start anytime. It's harder for me to laugh when I'm writing since I can't see your goofy expressions."
Choking back an indignant gasp, Hope slid to the floor and rested his arms on his knees. "You're not going to believe this—"
"Try me," she cut across him, not missing a beat and still doggedly staring at her notebook.
"R-right," Hope stammered. He shook his head and concentrated, attempting to start again. "Well, a few years ago—"
"You'll have to be more specific," Alyssa cut in again.
Hope immediately fired back, "I'll never get anything out, specific or otherwise, if you don't stop interrupting me."
"Apologies," she said, looking up only briefly to shoot him a critical glare through her glasses. "Now, please tell me exactly when this happened so I can correlate it with my data. I wasn't asking you to be specific for no good reason."
Feeling himself sulk internally, Hope swallowed his irritation and tried to think more clearly. "It was almost six years ago, in August… yes, right after that supply trip, and not long after Snow woke up from crystalstasis. I'd had a pretty awful relapse from the Focus strain virus, and Serah put me into a medically induced coma. After I woke up, I found out that I'd been under for three weeks, but during that time I, er… I dreamed something impossible. No one really believed it was more than a dream except me."
Alyssa urged him to continue as soon as he stalled, asking insistently, "So you believe it was real, yes? What happened that was so different from a dream?"
"There are just things I can't explain," Hope continued, pressing his fingers into his scalp. "I dreamed that I ran into Lightning – no, that I invaded the dream that Light was having in crystalstasis. That's what we both decided was going on, while we were in the dream. We were in Bodhum, and she showed me her house and some birthday cake she'd had on her twenty-first. They were things I had no idea existed, so I couldn't have just dreamed them up on my own!"
"And how could you tell they were accurate, if you knew nothing about them?" Alyssa asked immediately, still scribbling away.
Hope took a deep breath. "I told Serah what I'd dreamed, and she confirmed that the things I described were true to life, right down to the icing on the cake. I think she wanted to believe me, but it hurt too much at the time for her to dwell on it. When I finally mentioned it to Light, though, she didn't remember anything about the events of that dream, so I really don't know."
"Serah…" Alyssa trailed off, tapping her pencil as she pondered something. "That's the younger Farron sister, right? The one they broke out of R&D along with Snow Villiers, right before the forces split?"
"That's correct," Hope answered warily, unwilling to disclose too much information given the circumstances mentioned. He wondered again if it had been a mistake, telling this lab girl personal information, even so many years later.
Surprisingly, Alyssa giggled. "If you're worried about my connections to any of that, don't be. They overhauled R&D and fired half the lab personnel for unethical practices surrounding that case, so in a twisted sense I owe Serah for getting this job opportunity back then. I wish I could thank her in person."
Hope narrowed his eyes and asked her outright, "You didn't come in here with some ulterior motive to get to Serah through me, did you? If you did, that's pretty rude, considering they're going to be worn out from the flight."
Suddenly sitting bolt upright, she gaped at him, wide-eyed. "They're coming here now?" she practically squeaked, grabbing onto his hands. "Oh please, please introduce me to them! I mean, it's amazing that I got to interview you, but if I could talk to all the others—"
"Hold it!" Hope cut in, wrenching his hands free as he abruptly stood to his feet. He dusted his pants out of habit, adopting the professional tone he typically reserved for military higher-ups as he explained, "My family doesn't need to be involved with operations in this place. They are coming here by request, for an official function, not to be dragged into this project by association."
Ugh, why did I have to open my big mouth? It's a sensitive enough issue having one former l'Cie working close to the pillar when half the leadership wonders if we might sabotage Cocoon's power to free our friends. It's taken me years to gain credibility with PSICOM, going all the way back to Vargus at the Aerma outpost, and it's still shaky at best.
Alyssa slowly got up, biting her lip beneath burning eyes. Whether she was trying to contain anger or just the urge to cry, he could not tell, but when she opened her mouth, he suspected it was the latter.
"I'm not trying to be a nuisance," she said, her voice unsteady as she suppressed the emotion behind it, "but don't you think they care about your friends in the pillar as much as you do? Don't you think they might want to work with me, if I could find some way to make contact?"
Why exactly does it mean so much to you?
Sighing, Hope stuffed his hands back into his pockets before he could fidget. "Look, I'm positive they care, but do you have any idea how strange it would seem for all the former l'Cie to suddenly get chummy with the researcher assigned to my project? It's asking for trouble."
"Where's this trouble?" a booming voice announced across the room, bouncing eerily off the walls of the enclosure. At least, as eerily as it was possible for someone like Snow to sound.
Hope immediately took off at a jog toward the source, spotting the towering man easily and tackling him in a hug. "It's been ages, hasn't it?" he teased, gratefully accepting the chokehold that immediately followed.
"Hell yes! Longest three days of my life, so I've upgraded this reunion in your honor," Snow declared, throwing Hope away from him in a spin that landed him squarely against a laughing Sazh and Dajh for a combination hug attack.
"Nice o' you to dress up for us, son." The grinning pilot slapped him on the back and turned him around yet again.
"Let's not forget the ladies," Dajh said conspiratorially in Hope's ear, and at that moment both Serah and Lightning came into view from the doorway behind Snow, with a sleeping Milo locked securely in his aunt's arms.
"I-I didn't—" Hope stammered, stumbling forward with a shove from the Katzroys. He found that he'd lost the ability to form words.
On the contrary, Serah seemed to think she could squeeze them out of him, if the force of her embrace was any indication.
"I know it's only been a couple of weeks, but we've missed you!" she gushed. "We even got Milo to say your name a few days ago!"
"I never stop missing you guys," Hope said, patting her head and trying not to betray just how deep that sentiment was rooted in his core, but it was nigh impossible when he locked eyes with Lightning from over Serah's shoulder.
She seemed worn down, and he knew it wasn't just from the obvious lack of sleep. There was no hint of anything else amiss in her appearance – not in the deep blue cap-sleeved blouse or the perfectly creased summer khakis she wore, and not in her neatly twisted hair falling over her shoulder. But it was obvious in her inability to stifle the aching relief that permeated her carefully controlled exterior. Her eyes were starved, and he hated it.
I know that look – I never wanted to see it again, not on Mom's face or anyone's. I'm… I'm turning into my father, damn it!
So when Hope released his sister and caught Lightning in an awkward hug, content to breathe in her scent while trying not to disturb Milo, the first words that tumbled out were a whispered reassurance.
"You look beautiful."
Lightning was overwhelmed. Most of her instincts were telling her to grab Hope and run far away to a quiet place where they could just collapse, but all those thoughts were arrested when he spoke.
"Liar," she muttered, laughing softly. "Nice try, though."
Hope stood back to meet her gaze, and she blinked in surprise at the sadness and guilt in his eyes despite his smile.
He sees right through me.
"Sorry. I'll come up with more original material next time," he attempted to joke, and Lightning blinked away uncertainly, only to notice that the others had begun talking amongst themselves, giving them some brief privacy.
"There won't be too many more 'next times'," she offered, trying to be supportive. She wasn't terribly convinced of the statement's validity, but she wished it nonetheless.
"Let's hope not," he whispered back. "I won't stand for letting this get to you." His eyes were still cloudy with unspoken apologies.
I don't hold it against you, Hope – you know that.
Lightning shrugged and cracked a smile, wanting more than anything to dispel his self-inflicted pain. "It's just been a rough few days."
"Or weeks, or months…" Hope sighed, pressing his forehead to hers. Between them, Milo stirred, and Hope let her go to grin down at the small boy. He was frowning in his sleep.
"I can take him for a bit, if you want," he offered.
Lightning shot him a look of utter disbelief. "Don't you think if I could let him go, I would've given him to Serah already? We tried to swap him when we landed, but he screamed like a demon until I took him back. Besides, he'd drool on your clothes," she huffed, giving Hope a once-over but quickly lowering her gaze as a blush crept across her cheeks. "They're… a nice fit, by the way. More professional."
Flattering, too. Without the baggy coveralls, Lightning wasn't too sure how she felt about everyone else getting hints of what she knew to be underneath, but she couldn't help appreciating the new look.
"Hey, who's this now?" They heard Dajh suddenly spout the question in Hope's direction, apparently addressed to him by the look he was giving. Sazh ushered forward a very sheepish girl with cropped, sandy hair and glasses, who stood smiling and waving awkwardly in the midst of them.
"I-I'm Alyssa Zaidelle, and I just work here…" she stuttered.
"She's the researcher on our project," Hope explained, his eyebrows briefly crinkling in annoyance before he wiped his expression clean – it gave the amusing impression that he wanted to measure up to the standards of his 'uniform.' Lightning felt a strong urge to laugh at his sudden mood shift, but she was more interested in hearing him soldier on with formality.
"I didn't actually plan on this, but she was dying to meet everyone," Hope added, gesturing toward her with both arms. "So, everyone, meet Alyssa."
"The pleasure's all mine!" she beamed, shaking every hand that was offered with remarkable enthusiasm, Serah's in particular. Briefly, Lightning wondered if the girl really knew enough about them to be so irrationally pleased, but she saw clear acknowledgement cross Alyssa's face upon observing how closely Hope stood beside her.
"So this is your wife," she remarked, giggling all the sudden. "You did say she was dangerously beautiful." Past Alyssa, as she tentatively touched the rosy curls on Milo's head, Dajh had clamped his hands over his mouth to keep from cracking up, and Lightning rolled her eyes. The teen looked like he might bust a rib when Alyssa continued wistfully, "Oh, but you never mentioned a baby—"
"He's our nephew," Lightning interrupted curtly, feeling the same annoyance she assumed had crept up on Hope minutes before. The only thing more irritating than the over-friendly girl was the blush trying to overtake her own face again.
I should've known it was a bad call, carrying around this pink-haired kid.
Across from them, Serah chimed in, "Ah, yes, that one's mine!"
"And mine!" Snow announced proudly, swooping in to finally relieve Lightning of her burden, though of course it set Milo into a fit. He awoke with a whiny string of babble, the volume of which could prove beyond all doubt exactly whose child he was.
"W-well, he's just precious," Alyssa graciously forced out, wincing at the occasional shrill syllable. Snow had apparently discovered that tossing his son in the air and catching him made it difficult for the boy to fuss, and eventually Milo stopped trying. A couple of minutes later, he was laughing instead.
Lightning's jaw dropped in disbelief, but her brow furrowed as she stretched out her sore arm, mulling over her unnecessary suffering. "If you had a trick like that up your sleeve, Snow, I would've appreciated the assistance when we landed."
"Heh, didn't want to make a scene in front of the colonel. It was already a big deal for him to meet you guys at the dock," Snow casually explained, grinning as he perched Milo atop his shoulders, where the boy launched an assault on his bandanna with his tiny fists. "Oh yeah, speaking of all this welcoming stuff, we've gotta head over to lodging. They sent the luggage on ahead." He fished around in his pockets and produced three keycards for guest rooms, which the colonel had explained were prepared for them in advance.
Handing two of the cards off to Sazh and Hope, Snow slapped a heavy hand on Hope's shoulder. "So, fearless leader," he demanded in his heroic voice, "where to?"
"Huh?" Hope asked, staring down at the card clenched tightly in his hand. "You expect me to find the officer housing? I've never actually been there…"
"The colonel totally said you'd know what to do," Dajh pointed out, crossing his arms grumpily. Even at fourteen, Lightning suspected the boy needed a nap after all the excitement of travel.
Hope brought a hand to his forehead, working through the challenge for a long minute. Finally, he looked up and narrowed his eyes at Alyssa.
"You've worked here for a while," he stated, his tone measuring. "Do you know the way?"
A bright smile broke across her face, and she bounced on her feet as she replied, "Absolutely! I know every nook and cranny of Central's complex – consider it a personal tour."
"I'll consider it payment for letting you have your way," Hope sighed, gently twining his fingers with Lightning's as they clustered together and headed for the central enclosure's east exit. At the door, Alyssa donned her black lab coat, and Lightning watched in confusion as Serah flinched, clinging more tightly to Snow's side.
Turning to her sister, she whispered, "Serah, what's wrong?"
"O-oh," Serah stammered, suddenly flustered. "Just surprised me, that's all. Do you think we'll be able to come back here? You know… just to spend a little time with them?" She craned her neck to look back at the pillar, indicating Fang and Vanille.
While Lightning knew her sister cared about Vanille, Serah hadn't known her long, and she didn't know Fang at all – something about her question felt off. Even so, Lightning did want to know the answer herself.
"Easy enough – we can ask Hope," Snow casually supplied, as they passed through the door one by one. "He's got access."
Lightning rolled her eyes at his sudden participation in the discussion. No kidding he's got access, but that's beside the point. I'm pretty sure Serah's worried that it might be against some rule for us to hang around with Fang and Vanille. We all had to sign that agreement of non-interference before they would approve Hope's proposal, if you recall, Hero.
Hearing his name, Hope turned to the three of them at his left, the question shining in his eyes before he actually asked, "What's this about my access?"
"It's nothing," Lightning hastily replied, eyeing the researcher in black who continued to lead them through the maze of Central. "We're all wondering how your work is progressing, but that can wait."
A few steps later, as they ascended a short staircase and entered the second level, Alyssa piped up, "This next section of offices belongs to the upper chain of command. They work in the east wing, since it's closest to housing, and from this upper level network of passages they can get to the restricted access second storey of any department. Not surprisingly, enlisted members only have permissions for their respective work spaces."
"So what exactly are you, Miss, if you can stroll through officer territory like it's nothin'?" Sazh asked, and Lightning could see the gears cranking in the older man's brain.
Alyssa simply turned her head and smiled brightly, continuing down the path as she explained, "I'm a civilian, of course. I've got the access level of Research and Development. We're a bit different from the other departments, and I'm an odd case myself. The only two people who can restrict my access are Colonel Sabin and the director here."
"I can?" Hope blurted incredulously, and the researcher half-choked on a laugh. She actually stopped, turned, and shook her head at him in a gesture that seemed mostly amused but a tad disappointed.
"Of course you can, Director," she said, wagging a corrective finger in his face. "If at any point I fail in my duties, you can easily inform the colonel and have my access restricted. It was a condition of my joining the team, remember?"
Hope shrugged, acting pointedly noncommittal for some reason Lightning could not discern. "Not really," he replied with a wicked gleam in his eye, "but now that you mention it, I guess you're in trouble if we don't get to our rooms in a timely manner."
"I meant if I failed on the project," Alyssa sighed, rolling her eyes as she led them on. "I'm no one's personal assistant, Director."
And you wonder why people tease you, Lightning thought to herself, curious just how comfortable he had become with the many staff members, military or otherwise, that he worked with in Central. It was a new dynamic, watching him come out of his shell around people she'd never met.
The group had come to collective silence in the face of Alyssa's knowledge of everything about the facility, quietly following the researcher as she led them around several twists and turns. She knew exactly where they were in relation to any given points of interest, the construction and renovation dates of every department space, and the history of which notable personnel had inhabited which offices. Serah and Sazh were far too wise to interrupt, and Dajh had begun to physically display his fatigue, slouching as he dragged his feet along and frequently leaning against his father's shoulder. Even Snow kept his mouth shut, concentrating instead on maintaining Milo's balance on his shoulders – the boy was still happily employed with chewing on the tied ends of his bandanna.
Finally, what seemed like an eternity later, they all stepped through a thick set of double-doors and into bright but indirect daylight. A covered, glass-walled walkway stretched before them.
"This is the upper tier of the two-storey passage connecting the east wing to the housing complex, refitted with glass three years ago," Alyssa explained, her purely professional voice maintaining its tour guide quality. "Research indicated that even brief exposure to sunlight in the facility improved morale, which is why the colonel approved this change. Enlisted members follow the lower pathway to their barracks, which are all on the first floor."
Lightning nodded along with the others, vaguely noting that Serah was awfully keen on their surroundings – her manner continued to be that of an intruder mapping an exit to safety, memorizing landmarks for future reference. There had been nothing particularly fascinating along the path thus far to make Serah look around so much, and Lightning's own eyes had been drawn to many of the same details that Serah's were: locations of fire extinguishers or possible surveillance equipment, names on placards at office doors, and even air vents in the ceilings. It was a basic strategy she had used on so many missions herself that it came as second nature, but it surprised her to see her sister using it here, and in such an instinctive way.
Is she still afraid of PSICOM, even with the colonel running things? And where has she used this before? It's obvious that she's doing it on purpose, and with some skill.
"This is it!" Alyssa announced, some of her earlier cheerfulness resurfacing as they exited the far end of the walkway and entered a pristine lobby. Having never been in officer quarters before, Lightning was surprised to find it nothing like she had expected. The lobby was spartan, functional, and almost monochrome, containing simple furniture and a single painting of Eden on the back wall – nothing lavish to suggest that the officers were being pampered. Hallways stretched left, right, and forward from the lobby, the setup more like that of a large hotel.
Still, by the time they had travelled down the central hall and made a right to reach their rooms, Lightning had counted very few doors, leading her to deduce that the apartments within were much larger than typical enlisted barracks.
At the end of the hall, Alyssa asked them to check their keycards for room numbers and collect their luggage from the tidy stack waiting for them. "This hallway is set aside for guests at all times," she explained, "but I don't know which rooms are yours, obviously."
"We're over here, babe," Snow declared, tugging his wife toward a room on the left labeled 4E. Seemingly in on the change, Milo watched his mother with interest as she hauled her broken-in duffel from the pile with a grunt of effort. He began to beat his tiny fists against his father's head, squealing insistently in tempo, "Da-da, ged it!"
"Oh brother, now he's got his own cheering squad," Hope remarked with a light laugh.
Snorting, Lightning shook her head and muttered, "More like slave driver. He's definitely been practicing."
"On you, I take it?" he asked, smiling warmly as he released his grip on her. He pulled the keycard from his pocket and placed it in her hand. There was no mistaking the playful flicker in his eyes that said, I remember the last time I gave you my key.
She suddenly felt shy, a wave of heat washing over her face and trickling down her neck. For a fraction of a second, Lightning wondered if it was because he favored her so openly in front of a stranger. Either way, she couldn't just stand for letting her emotions take control.
"Kid's a brave one, I'll give him that," she quickly replied, approaching the last door on the right with purpose and – thankfully – matching the number on the door with that on his keycard right off. At the same time, Sazh had moved to the door just down from hers and done the same. He propped a sleepily sagging Dajh against the doorframe while retrieving their bags, and the tall boy promptly slid to the ground, resting his head on his knees.
After watching their actions with clear concern, Hope leaned against the wall and checked his watch. "Well, we've got the luncheon at noon, so that gives everyone a couple of hours to rest and freshen up. Alyssa, would you be able to meet us in the lobby at eleven-thirty, or should I call security to take us over?"
"Page me at fifteen after," she replied coolly. "I shouldn't have any other obligations."
Hope nodded once in acknowledgement and added politely, "If something does come up, don't worry about it. We appreciate the assistance."
"Understood, Director." Smiling freely, the researcher bowed once toward the group as she said in parting, "Welcome to PSICOM Central, everyone!" before hustling away.
Sazh wagged his head once her footfalls had faded entirely, rubbing the heel of his hand between his tired eyes. "Man, I hope that brain o' yours ain't too full to hold all the stuff she just spouted. You gotta process this much info on a daily basis, son?"
"Oh no," Hope laughed, "I don't. Alyssa's not on the site that often. Besides, I think she's having an interesting morning – she doesn't usually get to show honored guests around." He choked out a laugh but stopped himself, bringing a hand to his chin in thought. "It is the Day of Mourning, after all. It's a big day."
"And on that note," Serah announced with motherly authority, "we're putting our little adventurer down for a proper nap. See you all in two hours!" They waved and quickly disappeared into their room with the snuffling boy.
Dajh raised his head at the sound of the door clicking shut, mumbling tiredly, "A nap… yeah, they got the right idea." Chuckling as he lifted his son to his feet, Sazh unlocked their door and began to haul Dajh inside.
"Rest up, kids!" he called back, and the door closed behind them.
Lightning rolled her eyes as she slid the keycard into their own lock. "That old man is going to call us kids till we're fifty, isn't he?"
"I'd bet on it," Hope replied, chuckling. "Old Man Sazh can call me whatever he wants, though. He doesn't get too many opportunities."
"Right." Lightning's vision briefly clouded, her chest feeling tight as Hope's words forced her to revisit thoughts of his absence. She shook her head to clear them and brushed past Hope to scoop up her rucksack, only to find it wasn't there.
He snorted beside her, giving the rucksack a shake in front of her surprised face before slinging it onto his back. "It's mine now," he challenged, "and I wanna see if you've packed a surprise for me." Somehow, he managed to dodge her first swipe for the bag, tacking on wistfully, "I wonder if it's frilly, or maybe just sheer…"
Growling indignantly, she shoved him backward toward the door, but he spun round and used the handle to propel himself inside. He hit the bed and sprawled on his stomach, dropping the rucksack and laughing so hard that it looked painful.
Why does he find it so amusing to rile me up? Lightning thought, sighing at her husband's convulsions but unable to fight the smirk that pulled at her mouth. Slowly, one inch at a time, her eyes were drinking in his form, and it took her several seconds to register that he'd stopped laughing and propped his head up on one hand, watching her intently.
"Something wrong?" he asked, the innocence of his tone in absolute contradiction to his darkening green eyes. A shiver shot up her spine while everything else burned, and she mentally derided herself for the utter lack of control. After all, it was a frightening but wondrous occasion when Lightning Farron lowered her defenses. And those occasions had been exceptionally rare in recent months, always catching her unprepared.
"I-I really should—" she fumbled, cutting off as Hope bounced to his feet and swept by her. He flipped the deadbolt on the door – an extra precaution, on top of the automatic locks – and immediately returned to catch her in his arms.
"Better?" he asked, eyes dancing, and she was drawn in by sheer magnetism.
That very instant, just when she pressed into Hope with the express goal of kissing him senseless, her lips and tongue already at his neck, there was a timid rapping on the door. The two of them froze, ears straining to hear past their own pounding hearts.
"Uh… Miss Lightning?" Dajh called hesitantly through the closed door. "I-I think I got your bag by mistake. Any chance you got mine in there?"
Oh goddess.
All the color drained from her face, and she cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Let me check, Dajh." She made her way to the rucksack with rigid determination, prying it opening to see that, sure enough, the cheerful chocobo emblem on a bright red boy's t-shirt was grinning up at her.
It's not his fault. It isn't even Sazh's fault for grabbing the wrong bag – they did look awfully similar. But he's going to feel guilty if he sees me acting this uptight.
Her eye twitched in frustration as she stuffed the shirt back inside and closed the bag, hauling it toward the door while trying to collect herself.
Which was a fair challenge, so long as Hope continued to smother his obvious laughter behind his hands.
After one more deep breath, Lightning unlocked and opened the door, wiping her face of emotion as she extended the rucksack to the teenager.
"Here. It was an easy mistake to make. Next time I'll mark my bag more clearly."
Dajh seemed to be in a hurry, understandably – ducking his head, he immediately thrust her rucksack at the doorway and grabbed his own.
"I swear I didn't touch anything," he mumbled, darting back to his room as quickly as his long legs could take him.
Well, that was fun, Lightning thought to herself sarcastically. She closed and locked the door once again, glowering at Hope as he watched her. He had calmed down and taken a seat on the floor, but the grin on his face was unnaturally stretched.
"I hope you enjoyed yourself," she growled.
Snickering, Hope simply replied, "Not as much as Dajh, I'm sure."
Without missing a beat, Lightning crossed the room and unceremoniously dumped the rucksack's contents onto his head.
"Are you kidding?" she exclaimed, arms stiff at her sides. "He's probably scarred!"
"I can see why," Hope teased, holding up a pair of not-so-flattering, threadbare cotton underwear. "Seriously, are these boot camp leftovers?" He snapped them over his hair like a shower cap and leaned back on his hands, aiming another cheeky grin at her.
Lightning made to snatch the panties from his head, but he grabbed her arm and dragged her into the pile of clothes with him.
"Oops," he said, daring to chuckle in her flustered face. He yanked the underwear from his head with one hand and got a grip on the front of her blouse with the other, pulling her down for a drawn-out kiss. She could still feel him smiling, his fingers working down the row of buttons on her shirt with practiced agility.
Only slightly appeased, Lightning threatened teasingly under the curtain of her hair around their faces, "I might be cranky enough to strangle you, Estheim."
"Hey, you married that name," he protested. "You can't blame me if I miss playing around with you, Light." Pausing, he twisted a lock of her hair around two of his fingers, studying her face from the corner of his eye. "But if you still insist on choking me… hm, I have heard it can enhance the experience." He laughed again at her wide-eyed expression. "Just don't make me pass out, please. You've gotta get me up at eleven, so it's your call."
My call, huh. Wait, why am I even considering this?
She felt an overwhelming urge to slap herself for entertaining the thought.
"Where do you come up with these ideas?" Lightning forced out from her suddenly parched throat, her entire being trapped in the uncomfortable position between embarrassment and eagerness.
Hope just smirked. "Does it matter?" Pulling her face down so that their cheeks touched, warm and inviting, he whispered, "There are no limits unless we want them."
Endnote: Oh yes, the tradition continues. Beta-roomie left me a SLEW of fun commentary in her edits, so please enjoy!
During my introductory section: "This is like getting punched in the face with descriptions. Not a bad thing, but kind of amusing :P"
When Hope remarks that Fang might whack him with her spear: "omg she totally would too :D"
When Hope thinks to himself that the pants are too fitted: "dat ass ;P"
After Maqui spills the beans about Lucil: "I SHIP IT *heart*"
When Hope facepalmed after the teasing from the gate guard: "Maybe he could have kept that super-fashionable tie headband :P"
Right after Hope explained that his wife liked it that way: "agreed, thank you Light. Man, I'm waiting for the eventual 'HUR HUR DON'T YOU MEAN HUSBAND' gay-joke jab (cos of his hair) so Lightning can totally overhear and UTTERLY DESTROY THEM and then Hope & Light can have like, sex on their unconscious bodies (OR Y'KNOW, WHATEVER.) and then Hope can whip his hair around dramatically, stare into the camera, and whisper, 'Loreal' *heart*" [Hthar-go ahead and die laughing, I sure did]
When Hope then raked his hands through his hair while walking through the facility: "as he murmured, 'Civilian, b*tches'."
When Hope mentioned saying "Hi" to Fang and Vanille every day: "the fact that he does this is so freakin' adorable"
When Alyssa mentioned wishing she could thank Serah in person: "No Nope noooo just stop."
When Alyssa suggests that they would want to work with her: "omg shut up you don't even KNOW them stop acting like you know how they would feel you don't know anything GOD KAREN WHY ARE YOU SO STUPID." [Hthar-yes, that is verbatim rant]
When Serah says they got Milo to say Hope's name: "Either that or 'whore,' we couldn't really tell. :P"
When Lightning comments on Hope's outfit: "DAT ASS."
When Lightning bemoans the mistake of carrying her pink-haired nephew: "the clear offspring of two blonds *deadpan stare* (yes I know recessive genes exist; I am the red-haired child of two brunettes, whatever, LET ME BE SASSY.)"
When Dajh remarks that Hope should know the way: "Wow, someone's a sassy grumpy-gills. How 'bout you check that attitude, pint-size, until YOU defeat giant monster demon things and bring about the collapse of an entire planet and thousands of people, okay? Go watch Spongebob. beta has no patience for entitled preteens"
After Serah asked Lightning about if they could visit Fang and Vanille: "SERAH YOU ARE A LYING LIAR WHO LIES AND LET ME LOVE YOOOOOOU :("
After Lightning's thoughts about how Snow should recall them signing non-interference agreements: "she thought, with the same mental derision she would use when saying 'douche-nozzle'. :P"
When Hope suggests he could restrict Alyssa's access for not being timely enough: "Hahaha yes, casually misuse your powers, please."
After Hope gave Lightning the room key: "oh this is gonna end with a sex scene, isn't it -_-"
When Hope speculates over whether she has something frilly or sheer: "hahaha I KNEW IT"
When Dajh asks about his bag through the door: "LOL AWKWARD. XD Sazh totally sent him on purpose, that troll."
After Hope stuck the undies on his head: "….really? Dude, has [insert Hthar's hubby] done this? Is this a thing people do? -_-"
After Hope's closing line at the very end of the chapter: "or if the law wants them. Just FYI. XP also now I'm worried about the porny implications of this scene, and GOD BLESS YOU for not writing it out, because it would tell me way too much that I don't want to know…"