Title: His Dreams of Heaven
Characters: Hope/Vanille – very brief hints of Fang/Lightning, Noel/Serah
Rating: Mature
Disclaimers: I do not own anyone/anything from the forum Final Fantasy. Square Soft/Enix owns Final Fantasy and its characters. There is no copyright infringement intended. I do not make any profit/money or take any credit.
Summary: His dreams are usually hazy, like fleeting clouds. Others are stronger, almost like memories. Those are the ones that contain her and he can taste her, feel her…
Warnings: Spoilers for XIII-2, sexual themes
A/N: Prompt for 6th May, Hope/Vanille: Dreams – he dreams of her and it feels so real…but it's only a dream, right?
Timeline: Set in FFXIII-2 (When Hope is in the Yaschas Massif 010 AF)
Word Count: 2,552
Betaed: Only by me
His Dreams of Heaven
Ever since that fateful day where he no longer had his L'Cie brand, where he and his friends, family, had come out of their crystal stasis whole, he had been dreaming about her.
He had dreamt of his mother, of his friends and of his life back on Cocoon but she was the one who dominated his dreams no matter what he was thinking of right before he went to sleep.
It wasn't an unusual occurrence for him to dream of her, she was his friend, someone who had been there with him when his mother died. She had been the one to push him forward in the beginning and he had been the one to push her forward later on.
But this dream, it was different. He wasn't 14 in the dreams; he was 24 and he back in the Yaschas Massif in the same place he had been when he was 14 and told Vanille that her smile had made him happy.
He took in a deep breath, inhaling the clean scent of the air. It was real here, not artificial like it had been on Cocoon. The scent of the flowers only served to prove how different Gran Pulse was to Cocoon and he liked it. Despite the fact he had been terrified at the threat Gran Pulse had once been, he had felt more at home here than he ever did back on Cocoon.
"Whatcha doing?" a familiar voice asked and Hope smiled as he turned around to see Vanille skipping toward him with a bright smile. Her coral pink hair bounced with her steps, her numerous of jewellery clinking together before she came to a stop next to him.
"Just savouring the difference," he told her, turning back to the view below them and she followed suit, slipping an arm around his and resting her head on his shoulder as she sighed happily. Hope had been startled at first, turning to look at her head before he smiled as their hands brushed together.
Grabbing the courage, he interlocked their fingers and she tightened her grip. He tilted his head, letting his cheek rest on her head, amazed that he was now taller than her. Before, he came up to her shoulders, now, she barely reached his shoulder.
She just rubbed her cheek against the material of his jacket and he dropped their hands, sliding his arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace. She went willingly, her arms circling his waist.
They stayed like that for a few moments before she lifted her head and their lips met. Like all times they kiss for the first time, they took it slow, reuniting themselves with each other before it deepened as their desire for each other took over.
Like all of his past dreams, their clothes faded to nothing leaving them bare and hands roving over newly exposed skin. They slowly fell to their knees, Vanille taking the lead and pushing Hope back so he was now sitting and she lowered herself onto his lap, gasping at the sensation.
Hope's head fell back at the feel of her around him before bringing his head up to watch her when she finally settled. She gazed right back, her hands caressing his chest as they savoured the feel of each other.
His hands also roamed her body, stopping briefly to caress her breasts before going lower, getting to known her body once more. She leaned in, kissing him as one hand slipped into his silver hair. One of his hands went to her neck, his thumb stroking at the base, sending shivers down her spine.
It was strange; most of his dreams were usually hazy, almost like they were clouds. If he tried to reach out to her, his hands would pass right through her and she would dissipate like she had never been there in the first place. But dreams like this, she felt so real, like she was really there. He could taste her, feel her and smell the flowers and sunshine she embodied.
He had never once questioned it, believing that she would tell him what he didn't want to hear but at the same time, he feared that she would say that she was real. He knew that if it turned out that she was really visiting him; he would never wake up, wanting to be with her.
But now…he needed the answer. He needed a reason to keep going, to be sure that he was on the right path of finding a way to bring Vanille and Fang back to them.
"Why do you feel so real?" he whispered against her lips.
"How do you know this is a dream?" she asked, her lips brushing against his as she rocked her hips. "Remember, nothing is impossible when it comes to us." She always knew what he was saying without him saying it out loud. They always had that connection.
"…Does that mean I should start expecting Fang to appear in my dreams?" he asked, torn between concern and fear. Vanille stopped her motions to stare at Hope before she burst out laughing. "Vanille!" he whined and she shook her head.
"Don't worry about Fang, Hope. She prefers a certain warrior's dreams." She winked as understanding dawned on Hope before he blushed brilliantly.
"You do realise I'm never going to look at them in the same way now, right?" he asked, groaning as she continued her motions.
"Hm, but I'm sure they'll look at you in the same way," she teased, leaning in to tease an earlobe, enjoying the way he bucked up into her hips, going deeper. She gasped her back arching, her head falling back in pleasure.
She felt hot, tight and wet around him. It shouldn't feel like this but he was greedy for more. He leaned in, taking her lips as his hands slid over her bare back, needing to feel more of her. She tasted sweet, like those fruits she always eating when they were on Gran Pulse.
Her hands slid into his hair as she parted her lips, allowing him to dominate her. He had found that as he got older and was placed higher in his job, he got dominating in their dreams but she didn't seem to mind.
If anything, she seemed to enjoy it, giving him that smirk that he could never quite decipher. It seemed like it was a mixture of awe and mischievousness and it fuelled him on more than he think it should. He wanted to prove that he could be in control, even if this turned out to be a dream.
He rolled them over, pushing himself up onto his hands so he could look down at her. She stared right back, her eyes dark with passion and her lips swollen from their kisses. Encouraged, he began moving once more, watching the pleasure flitter across her face.
She tried to pull him back down for a kiss but he refused, he wanted to watch her and she bit her bottom lip, understanding. He shifted his angle so he was brushing against a sweet spot and she gasped.
Her eye colour darkened before her eyes fluttered close, her head falling back and her body arching up into his. He groaned, gritting his teeth when she encouraged him to follow her and he did, holding himself stiffly for a short moment then he slumped against her.
With his head on her chest, he could feel her heart beating rapidly and noticed with amusement that his heart running to the same beat as hers. Her hand came up to his hair and started playing with it. He shifted his head to see her eyes were open and staring up at the sky with wonder.
He pressed a kiss to the skin above her heart, on the curve of her breast before groaning as he shifted onto his back, she rolled onto her side, not wanting to be out of his embrace. He wrapped one arm around her waist, the other hand sliding under his head to pillow it. She placed a hand on his chest, drawing invisible symbols over his heart.
"Do you still wonder what it would have been like if you had never been on that train?" she asked, breaking the silence, and he looked up at the sky. "How different everything could have been if I had followed my focus in the first place rather than running away?"
"Sometimes," he admitted, turning his head to look into her green eyes. "But I don't regret it." She looked at him and he smiled. "I met you," she blushed prettily. "I met Light, Snow, Fang, Serah and Sazh. I got to know our history and why we were so afraid of pulse. We stopped the Fal'Cie from destroying Cocoon and Pulse. I have to believe that's how it should have been. Maybe you ran away because deep down you knew it wasn't the right time to bring down cocoon? That you would have needed help, and you got it."
"You're sweet," she kissed his cheek, giggling when she blushed. "Even now, you are still the 14 year old boy I first met.
"And that was 10 years ago, I'm actually older than you now," he remarked smugly, grinning when she playfully slapped him on the shoulder.
"And taller," she pouted. He laughed.
"I could hardly stay the same size I was when I was 14," he pointed out in between laughers, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Vanille's cheek. "I miss you."
"I miss you too," she turned her head so their lips could meet and they shared a tender kiss. Vanille pulled back, looking at her hand that was resting on Hope's chest to see it was slowly fading away. Understanding and sadness filled her eyes, looking up at him once more. "I have to go," she whispered sadly and Hope felt a vice squeeze his heart, his hands going to her arms.
"Don't leave," he whispered. She gave him a sad smile, pulling one of his hands away from her arm and she brought it up, bringing up her other hand.
"I'll always be here Hope, I promise," she linked their pinkies together before she slowly faded away before his eyes, leaving him wondering if he was truly dreaming or if she had somehow came to him.
"…Hope?" another familiar voice broke in and he slowly opened his eyes to see bright blue eyes staring down at him in concern. Behind her, a darker pair of blue eyes was also watching him and he smiled.
"Serah, Noel," he greeted, slowly sitting up in his bed, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry, I meant to greet you when you arrived." Serah smiled, shaking her head.
"It's alright, it sounded like you were having a pleasant dream and Alyssa told us that you hadn't been sleeping much," she assured before she stepped back to stand next to Noel.
"It was a nice dream," Hope confirmed with a soft smile, one that had Serah giving him a knowing smile.
"Vanille…right?" she asked, a teasing lilt to her voice and Hope gave her a bashful chuckle, his cheeks tinged with redness. "It's okay," she assured him, her eyes flickering toward Noel, who was currently listening to Mog as he chattered animatedly, waving his wand. "I know what it's like to dream of someone you want but can't have." She looked at him once more and Hope felt the bond between them deepen at their mutual understanding.
"Hey Serah," Noel's voice cut in and they looked toward him to see him giving them an apologetic grin for cutting into their moment. "Mog says he can sense a fragment near-by. He thinks it'll open the portal we saw." He thumbed in Mog direction, who was currently twirling in a circle, his crystal bobble lighting up like crazy.
"Okay," Serah nodded as she turned to look at Hope, who nodded back.
"I'll come with you guys, the least I could do is see you off," he told them, getting nods of understanding.
"I'll come too!" Alyssa Zaidelle, Hope's assistant, spoke up causing Hope to take a step back out of surprise over his assistant's perky appearance. He was pretty sure she hadn't been there a moment ago. Glancing at the other two, he could also see the surprise on their features before they quickly schooled it. Mog was a different story, darting behind Noel's back when Alyssa appeared out of nowhere before giving the perky girl a glare, if it was even possible, over Noel's shoulder.
"Strange girl, kupo!" muttered Mog, getting a barely detectable nod from the hunter before they made their way down the ramp, Mog taking the lead and Serah the rear.
Hope couldn't help but watch them and be reminded of travelling with his family all those years ago. He remembered Lightning teaching him how to take point, Vanille teaching him how to use his magic effectively, Fang teaching him how to track and hunt something and it made the ache within his heart resonate.
He had to get them back, no matter what. He came out of his thoughts when he felt Alyssa pulling on his arm and cleared his throat, gently removing his arm from her grasp and hurried down the ramp after the trio, leaving the frustrated assistant behind.
It hadn't taken them long to find the fragment, much to Mog's delight as he danced around the portal, waiting for Noel and Serah to open it so he could go and explore another place. Noel and Serah however took their time to activate the portal, wanting to spend a little longer with Hope.
"Are you sure you will be okay?" Serah asked; concern clear in her voice and on her face. Hope gave her a smile, nodding.
"Yes, I will be fine. Getting Vanille back is what's pushing me forward. Don't worry about me, you just concentrate on finding Light and bringing her home," Hope assured her. Serah stared at him a moment longer, looking remarkably like her older sister before she nodded, determination clear on her face.
Noel activated the portal and they watched as Mog gave a cry of happiness before darting through into the portal, leaving Noel and Serah smiling in amusement.
"We'll see you around, Hope." Serah pulled him into a hug while Noel gave him a salute. Hope hugged Serah back before giving Noel a nod and watched as they both stepped into the historia crux, wishing that he could go with them, but he was needed here.
He turned around to see Cocoon being held up by the crystal pillar and wondered if Vanille was waiting for him to dream again.
"Who is Vanille?" Alyssa asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and jealously but Hope took no notice.
"Someone who I promised to come back to see Gran Pulse with," he told her, his green eyes locked on the pillar that held the crystallized young woman within. They would keep that promise, no matter what.
The End