It's been a long time since a put anything on here, but I have a badly broken leg, lots of time, and lots of feels now Lightning Returns is out in Japan so here is my story, enjoy!
Chapter 1: Sunsets and Bonfires.
Hope dangled his feet over the edge of the pier slowly kicking backwards and forwards in the temperate water. The sun was slowly disappearing beyond the edge of the ocean on the horizon and the deep oranges and purples reflecting in the water from the sky completely distracted the silver haired boy. It had been three months since the fall of Cocoon and things had moved pretty quickly since then, with Hope being whisked along with everyone else trying to make a new start.
Snow had been the first person to find the cove with a perfect beach that had reminded him of Bohdum so much, and everyone agreed; all things considered it was a more than decent place to set up New Bohdum. The small town was recreated almost exactly like the original, down the long pier running out into the ocean that Hope now found himself on. The town of Bohdum held mixed memories for Hope, it was after all the very last normal night of his life he'd had. Sitting looking up at a different sky watching fireworks exploding into a myriad of colours, with his mother. He frowned trying to bury the awful memory of his mothers' death.
Though, he thought, in the end things could have been much worse, they had defied the odds and changed their fate. His friends and former L'Cie, whom now all resided in this same picturesque little town. Snow and his fiancé, Serah, Sazh, his son Dajh and last but not least Lightning. That was not all of them, Hope glanced over to the towering pillar of crystal that held up his former planet, with Fang and Vanille stuck right at the very core of it after sacrificing themselves.
Hope was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the footsteps of an approaching person, and jumped when Lightning sat beside him.
"Hope, what are you doing here by yourself?" Lightning fixed him with a quizzical look.
"Just thinking." He replied, trying not to stare too much at how the setting sun bounced off her pink hair and made her blue eyes sparkle, as if they had waves of their own inside.
Lightning accepted his response and didn't press any further; instead she slipped off her boots and lowered her legs into the water.
"I can't believe how much warmer the water is here than it was at home." Lightning stated.
"I never really had the chance to go swimming before, there weren't many beaches in Palumpolum. I can't imagine you going swimming very often Light." Hope inwardly laughed at an image of a stony faced Lightning standing in the sea.
"I never used to go swimming, I just liked to do exactly what we're doing now, sit quietly with my feet in the water and think." Lightning closed her eyes and leant back.
Hope began fidgeting, feeling a little uncomfortable at the present situation. He really couldn't find the words to express how beautiful she was to him. The first time he'd laid eyes on her in the Vestige, she had terrified him but after time he had come to respect her. These feelings had slowly morphed from respect to something more intimate.
He shut off his train of thought, before he drove himself mad, he was 14 and she was 21 there was no chance it could ever work. And even if he was the right age, why would she want to be with him, she had seen him at his very lowest ebb and it still made him feel ashamed.
"You do realise I know you're staring at me?" Lightning said with her eyes still closed.
"I...uh...erm." Hope spluttered as his face went bright red, from being caught in the act.
Before the situation could get any more embarrassing for Hope a third voice called out from the edge of the beach.
"Lightning! I sent you out to get Hope and you just collapsed next to him, I swear you're both as bad as each other!" Serah feigned anger, then her face broke out into a big smile.
"Give me a break Serah, I've been working since 5am, we had to move some civilians who got lost in the wilderness" Lightning turned to look at her sister who as dressed in a simple white t-shirt and black skirt "and by the looks of things you've been doing nothing all day, again."
"Hmph! Snow said the school is almost finished, so once that's done I can start teaching again. Anyway, you're just stalling for more time; dinner is ready, so both of you better hurry before Snow eats both of your meals!" Serah stuck her tongue out.
Lightning sighed and rocked back onto her feet picking up her boots and offering a hand to Hope whose face had returned to its normal complexion. He took her hand and she pulled him up onto his feet.
"Alright, we're coming." She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.
Serah turned and started making her way back along the beach to their house. As Hope still hadn't heard anything from his dad he was staying with Lightning, Serah and Snow in a house at the edge of the beach.
It got quite crowded at times and Hope had to sleep on the sofa, but he didn't mind really, they were all like a big family and he enjoyed not being alone.
"Ugh I hate when you have wet feet and the sand sticks to them." Lightning complained.
Hope couldn't help but laugh, causing Lightning to look at him with a quizzical expression.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing you moan about normal things." Hope explained.
"We'll you'll hear it more and more now we're under the same roof, I like to moan about things." Lightning said in a deadpan tone.
"Oh I know you like to moan, Light, but I've only ever heard you moan about the world ending or having to fight some 50 foot tall deranged turtle on Pulse. Moaning about sand just seems funny after what we've been through." Hope shook his head.
Lightning glanced down at him and smiled and it almost knocked Hope over, she was so beautiful, but he couldn't do or say anything. He returned the smile, a little sadly, which Lightning picked up on and would have questioned him about, were it not for the fact that Snow came barreling round the corner and draped both of his arms around their shoulders.
"Sis, Hope, how are you doing?" He said with a cheesy grin.
He was wearing a pair of brightly coloured baggy shorts, flip flops and a dark shirt; the warmer climate on Pulse meant he rarely wore his trench cost anymore.
"We were doing fine, thanks." Lightning slipped from under Snow's arm and sped up.
Hope was less fortunate and couldn't shrug off the larger man as easily, and remained in his trapped until they had all sat down at the moderately sized kitchen table.
"Really Serah, soup, again?!" Lightning sighed and swirled the spoon around the bowl.
"Hey you try and cook a five star meal without electricity! Things will be better once we get some power. Plus Snow loves my soup, don't you?" Serah glared at her husband.
"Uh yeah it's great!" Snow replied with as much conviction as he could muster, causing Hope to Laugh/
Swiftly trying to change the subject Snow cleared his throat and spoke, "You know, I've been thinking, with everything that went on and how we all came out of it, we deserve some kind of celebration. We've all been working so hard since the fall of Cocoon that I think it's time we had a night off."
"For you, that's actually not such a bad idea; what did you have in mind?" Hope replied.
"Thank you…..wait what do you mean 'for you'?" Snow's face scrunched up.
"He means you couldn't plan a night in on your own without catastrophe usually, so before we agree to anything, what is this great idea?" Lightning chimed in.
"We should have a giant bonfire on the beach; make it a yearly thing, like the fireworks back home. Everyone can make something, it'll be great!" Snow said excitedly.
"I actually think that's a good idea." Lightning said almost surprising herself.
"Yay, it's going to be great!" Serah exclaimed grabbing her fiancé's arm.
After they had sat talking and finished dinner. Serah and Snow drifted off to bed leaving Lightning and Hope alone. They both sat on the bright orange sofa that Snow had acquired that took up most of the room in the small living room.
"You never told me what you were doing staring at me earlier on." Lightning said, looking out of the window.
Hope couldn't believe she had been holding on to this question to ask him, and he began to frantically try and worm his way out of the situation.
"You had a leaf stuck in your hair, I was going to pull it out, but then Serah turned up and it must have fallen out on its own on the way here." Hope finished, his sentence sounding more like a question than a statement.
"Right." Was all Lightning replied giving him a small smirk that curved half of her lips up.
Hope was now fighting the urge to stare at Lightning's lips and was failing miserably. Since everything had calmed down, his feelings had grown to the point that he struggled to look at her without blushing anymore.
"You know Hope, you can tell me anything, if there's something bothering you I'll try and help." Lightning offered.
Hope almost bit out a sarcastic laugh and imagined her face if he told her what he was really thinking.
"It's nothing important." His insides clenched at the lie, knowing that, to him, there wasn't anything more important.
"Ok, well I'm going to bed" Lightning stood up and ruffled Hope's silver hair, "Goodnight Hope."
"Goodnight."
He watched as Lightning lazily walked to her room and closed the door behind her, and then lay back on the sofa, the last thing he thought before he drifted off to sleep was of the pink haired girl smiling at him.