A/N: This one was for Hoperai Week in Tumblr as well. Fluff galore, which is pretty much unusual coming from me.


Fragments of Time


Tickles

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII


In many ways, the fact Hope hadn't yet regained his true adult body greatly frustrated Lightning. He was growing up a lot faster than expected, since in just six months he looked like a sixteen-year-old, but even so, it was irritating for both having to wait.

But, in other things… it was quite practical.

Lightning had woken up early in the morning, as usual. Hope's sleep schedule varied, but last night he had another of his terrible nightmares and he had such a hard time trying to go back to sleep. So she decided to let him rest as much as he needed.

It was almost noon and Hope hadn't given any sign of life yet. Lightning sighed, shaking her head, and went up the stairs to the upper floor of the small house in which they both lived.

She leaned against the door frame of the bedroom they shared, watching the slender figure of the teen sleeping peacefully wrapped in the sheets. She felt bad having to wake up him… He looked so adorable. A feeling that was slowly being replaced by Hope's attractiveness as he grew up, but still lingered in his teenage form.

But she had to wake him up, or he wouldn't sleep that night.

Lightning came to the bed, knelt beside him to get to his height and slightly shook his shoulder.

"Hope", she said to him with a smile. There was no answer but a slight groan, and she insisted with a little more force. "Come on, sleepyhead. It's time to get up."

"Mph…", the teen turned his back to her, wrapping himself with the sheets, more asleep than awake. "Give me just a little more…"

Lightning sighed, crossing her arms. The days Hope was a heavy sleeper, it was almost impossible to make him react.

But then she had an idea. Now that Hope hadn't yet regained his adult body and he still wasn't as tall as she was, it would be easier to put the plan into practice.

"Very well, Hope. You asked for this", Lightning murmured, smiling mischievously. As quick as lightning, true to her name, she climbed into the bed, boxed Hope between her arms and pinned his legs with hers.

"… Light?", still half-clouded with sleep, Hope's green eyes tried to focus into her, confused. "What are you–?"

Before he could even finish the question, Lightning wriggled her fingers against the teen's sides, with that naughty smile on her lips. Immediately, Hope flinched instinctively trying to protect his flanks, while a muffled laugh escaped his throat.

"Light, no! Please, stop tickling me!", he managed to stutter between laughs, unsuccessfully trying to get rid of her, but Lightning had the advantage in that fight. She mercilessly attacked his sides, his belly, his neck, so quickly that Hope couldn't even see the young woman's hands coming.

"This is what happens when you ignore me…", Lightning said maliciously, deftly catching his right arm to slide her fingers over his ribs. "Such lousy regards you have with me…"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, Light!, but, please, stop!", Hope could barely breathe from laughter, curling as if he could protect himself that way from the tickles. Lightning ignored his pleas and continued to do her thing, laughing as well.

"You should have thought about it before. Now it's time you pay the consequences."

For a few more minutes, Lightning kept torturing Hope with all the tickling, until, without warning, he gathered his remaining forces and managed to escape from her grip and pull her down, trapping her in the same way she pinned him earlier on.

"I've got you…", Hope grinned mischievously, gasping, with his face dyed scarlet, his silver hair messier than usual and his white shirt completely wrinkled. He held Lightning's wrists in his hands, although she made no effort to release herself.

"Oh, damn…", Lightning gave him the same playful smile. "Looks like you're not as asleep as it seemed. You even managed to catch me off guard…"

Hope leaned forward, without losing the smile that drove Lightning crazy, something he perfectly knew. He stopped his face barely an inch from hers; the young woman felt his warm breath on her lips.

"Cornering me like this, Light…", Hope murmured, never taking away his eyes from hers, staring at her with a naughty sparkle in them. "Such little respect you have for my personal space."

Before she could reply, the teen closed the distance between them, linking his lips with Lightning's and gently pressing against them, eliciting a sigh from the young woman that was drowned in the kiss. She immediately relaxed, as she always did whenever Hope took the lead.

"Look who's talking", Lightning jokingly protested when they pulled away, raising her eyebrows. "You claim I invade your personal space when you're the first one that joins in to do the same."

"And more that I could do so…", Hope snickered, accompanying his words by slowly trailing Lightning's neck with his lips. "But that moment hasn't come yet."

Lightning giggled, and pinned down as she was, brushed her nose against Hope's forehead to get his attention while trying to free her legs from his.

"It's you who doesn't want to", when Hope looked up, she stole him a quick kiss, and then looked at him pretending a pout. "What a gentleman you are, making your lady having to ask you to invade that space…"

"Don't tempt me", Hope smiled naughtily, though he was blushing as much as her. "How about I pay you with your same coin?"

"Oh, no. No way", Lightning stirred, giggling, trying to shake Hope off of her. "Don't even think of tickling me!"

"It's you who started it, Light", Hope replied, sliding a finger deliberately slowly down the young woman's side. "What goes around, comes around."

"Come on, I did it for your own good!", Lightning sulked, but that expression didn't last long when a small laugh escaped her mouth. "After what happened last night, I thought you'd feel better after laughing a bit, don't you?"

Hope's gaze softened as he realized what Lightning truly intended to achieve with that tickle attack. He stared at her so lovingly that for a few second Lightning was left breathless, drowned in his marvelous sea-green orbs.

But not so long after, Hope gave her that mischievous smile of his, and caught her lips between his in a playful kiss that Lightning didn't hesitate to return.

"If that's so, then let me return the favor… As long as you agree about I invade your personal space."