Find Your Way

Chapter 2

Hope has a lot on his plate. Noel loves him no matter what. Highschool AU.

WARNINGS

yaoi. if you don't like, don't read

scenes of self harm that might be triggering

I DO NOT PROMOTE SELF HARM OR EATING DISORDERS

DISCLAMER I do not own final fantasy or any of the characters in this story. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hope awoke to the ringing of his alarm and buried his face into the pillow. First day of school. The day he had been dreading all summer. He sat up and leaned back against the headboard. He looked at clock and rubbed his eyes. He sat still for a few more minutes. He had to be at Noel's house in forty five minutes so Lightning could drive them to school on her way to work. He climbed out of his bed and walked out of the his room to the bathroom. He stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He had dark circles under his eyes. His lips were dry and chapped. He sighed and picked up his toothbrush and squeezed some toothpaste onto it. He brushed his teeth and rummaged in the medicine cabinet for some chap stick. He spit into the sink and rinsed his mouth out. He took the cap off the chap stick and rubbed it onto his lips. He grabbed some toilet paper and blew his nose. He threw it in the trash and washed his hands. After he was done he exited the bathroom and walked down the hallway back to his room. He looked around in his dresser before he pulled out a pair of jeans and a white tee shirt. After he put them on put on his socks and his red converse sneakers. He shoved his binders, notebooks and summer homework into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder before walking out of his room and downstairs into the kitchen. His mother, Nora was sitting at the table in front of the window. "Good morning dear" Nora said. She had a really calm and gentle voice. "Good morning." Hope replied. Hope put a slice of bread in the toaster. "Where's dad?" He asked. "He already left for work. Lightning is driving you to school right?" "Yeah." Hope took the toast out of the toaster and sat down with his mother. He took small bites of his toast. Neither of his parents ever seemed to notice or say anything about his eating habits. Hope just figured he was lucky that way. He already had Noel who worried about him way too much. Hope and his mother sat in silence for about ten minutes. By then Hope had finished about half of his toast. He sat back in his chair and fiddled with his bracelets. "You should probably go walk over to Noel's now" Nora said. "Yeah you're right" Hope replied. He stood up and threw out the remaining half of his toast and grabbed his backpack. "I'll see you later" He told his mother. "Have a good first day" She yelled as he walked outside. He shut the door behind him and walked down the street to Noel's house. Once he was at the door he tried opening it. It was unlocked and he walked inside. "Oh hi Hope" Lightning said cheerfully. "Good morning lightning" Hope replied. "NOEL! HOPE'S HERE LETS GO!" Lightning yelled. They heard a loud bang coming from upstairs and Hope jumped, startled. Lightning sighed. "What the hell is he doing up there?" Lightning said, sounding exasperated. "I'll go see" Hope replied. Lightning nodded and Hope headed up the stairs. He opened the door to Noel's room where Noel was laying on the floor rubbing his head. Hope should have known Noel wouldn't be up yet. "Noel we're about to leave" "Yeah I know give me five minutes" Hope sighed and walked over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of red skinny jeans and a black tee shirt and threw them at Noel. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a navy blue button down shirt and threw that and Noel too. "Stop throwing shit at me" Noel whined. "Get dressed idiot" Hope spat back. Noel stood up and pulled the shirt over his head. "I'll wait downstairs" Hope told him. Noel groaned and kept getting dressed. The only reason he slept so late was because he stayed up for hours finishing the homework, but he did get it all done. He walked out of his room and downstairs. "Hey sleeping beauty. Ready to go?" Lightning said when she saw Noel come down the stairs. He stuck his tongue out as his mother and walked outside. Hope followed him to the car and Lightning locked the door behind them. Noel and Hope climbed into the backseat of Lightning's car. Hope set his head against the window and sighed. Lighting shut the car door and turned her keys. Noel put his feet up on the passenger seat in front of him as Lightning pulled out of the driveway. "You two excited for you first day of junior year?" Lightning asked. Hope was silent. "I'd rather get a Tetanus shot." Noel joked. Hope smiled with his mouth slightly pressed against the glass. "Listen Noel I don't wanna hear any shit. If I get any phone calls or emails about 'first day of school pranks' your ass is grounded until the day you move out." Lightning commanded. "Oh c'mon mom I'm a good boy" Noel replied sarcastically. "And I have voice mails that say otherwise." Lightning said as she turned a corner. Hope was still quiet. Noel interlaced his fingers with Hope's and kissed his knuckles. "You're gonna be okay today" he whispered. Hope looked at his boyfriend and nodded silently. Lightning was pulling up to the front of the school and Noel was unbuckling his seat belt. He opened the car door and stepped out. Hope followed behind him. "Have a good day guys. Nora is going to pick you up after school." Lightning said. "Okay see you later. I love you. Don't get killed. All that stuff." Noel smirked and rolled Lightning rolled her eyes. Noel had a joking tone to his voice, but he really did mean it. He thought all the time about how his mother might get assigned to some case and gets shot by some psycho. Lightning drove away and Hope and Noel were left standing outside school. There were girls screeching and hugging each other. Parents dropping off freshmen. "Let's go get our schedules?" Hope asked. "Uh. Yeah. Actually you go ahead and do that. I'll be right back." "Where are you go-" Hope started, but Noel was already gone. Hope sighed and walked to their principal's office. He waited in line behind some freshmen who were all getting their schedules. "Good morning Mr. Estheim." Principal Dysley said to Hope when he reached the front of the line. He looked through a stack of papers and handed Hope his schedule. "Um I need Noel's too." Principal Dysley looked through the same stack and handed him the other schedule. "Thanks" Hope added and walked out. He looked at his schedule to find where his homeroom was. Room 421. He headed down the hall wondering where Noel had wandered off to. He hoped he wasn't playing some kind of prank on the gym teacher, Mr. Villiers, who both of them hated. Noel always does something like take the screws out of his chair or tapes an air horn behind the door handle of his office, but Lightning really did mean what she said in the car. Noel had detention forty-seven times last year for playing pranks. "Hope!" He heard a cheery voice coming form behind him. He turned around to see Vanille, as smiley and happy as ever. "Oh hey Vanille" He said, his voice muffled as she wrapped him in a bear hug. "What homeroom are you in?" Vanille asked. "421" "Oh boo hoo!" Vanille pouted. "I'm in 420". Hope and Vanille hadn't been in the same class since they first became friends in first grade. "Were you really expecting to be?" Hope said as they walked down the hallway. "You are always so pessimistic! I thought maybe they would put us in the same class this year." "We still have the same lunch periods." Hope stated. "Yay!" Vanille exclaimed. Hope's lips cracked into a smile. Vanille was always so laid back and care free. Hope envied that about her a little bit. Opposites attract he thinks. That's why they're best friends. Probably why Noel is his boyfriend too. They stop in front of room 420. "I shall see you at lunch" Vanille chimed and skipped into the classroom. Hope walked one door down to 421 and walked in. Ms. Nabaat wasn't there yet. Hope walked to the third row of desks and sat by the window. He looked at the clock and then at his surroundings. The classroom was mostly full, but still no Noel. He pulled his book out of his backpack and started to read as he waited for class to start.

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Noel was wandering the halls looking for Hope. Since he left five minutes after he woke up, he hadn't had time to eat breakfast. They always had this big basket of muffins and bagels and things for teachers in the teacher's lounge on the first day of school. Noel just easily walked in the door, grabbed a chocolate chip muffin and walked out. Noel thinks it really shouldn't have been that easy, but whatever, he got a free muffin. He started to realize that the halls were empty and came to the conclusion that class must have started and he was late, but Hope had his schedule and he didn't know where he was supposed to be. He peeked in the door of a random classroom where Mr. Raines had his homeroom. "Noel this isn't your class." he sad dryly. "Yes, but you can help me with that you see, I have no idea where I'm supposed to be." He heard laughter. He turned to see faces he didn't recognize. "Oh hello freshmen." Noel said with a huge smile on his face. Mr. Raines sighed and looked at his computer to pull up student schedules. "My name is Noel and I am-" "A huge pain in the ass" Mr. Raines interrupted. There was more laughter from the students. "Thank you. I will be on my way. Goodbye newbies. Have fun on the first day of the next four years of hell." Noel sung as he walked out of the classroom. "GO TO CLASS." Mr. Raines shouted down the hall. Noel turned the corner to find 421. He swung open the door and walked inside. Ms. Nabaat was saying something about library fees. "HELLOOOOOO" Noel sung. Ms. Nabaat closed her eyes and sighed. "I heard you would be in my class" she mumbled under her breath. Noel smiled widely. "Why are you late?" Noel looked at the clock. "Seven minutes? I would call that fashionably late." "Take a seat." She said sternly. Noel found Hope sitting next to the window and sat down in the desk behind him. Hope silently passed his schedule back to Noel. "Thanks." He whispered. Noel pulled the muffin out of his backpack and took a bite out of it. "No eating in my class Noel" Ms. Nabaat commanded. Noel took the whole muffin and stuffed it inside his mouth in one bite. "I don't have any food I don't know what you're talking about." Ms. Nabaat put her hands on her hips. "Do I need to send you to principal Dysley?" "It's not even ten minutes into the first day!" Some kid in the back laughed. Suddenly, Noel remembered what his mother had said in the car. "No Ms. Nabaat." He said silently. He was lucky because she was willing to let it slide this time. Noel slumped back in his chair and let his thoughts drift off, not listening while he stared at the back of his boyfriend's head and waited for first period to be over.

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A/N: Sorry this took so long, I was pretty busy. Thanks for the follows and favorites. :D