Hurrrrrrr here it is. I know it's not that good but enjoy, if you can x'D
By the time Lightning, Hope, and Noel had said goodbye to Fang, Vanille, Sazh, and Dajh, the sun was setting.
"Ugh, I just realized we don't know where Lightning is staying," Noel muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "I'd let you stay with my but I'm already boarded up with Fang and Vanille, and the houses here aren't that big. Serah and Snow might feel awkward, same with Sazh… The town doesn't have an inn or anything yet either… Hope? Do you think, maybe…?"
Hope sighed, glancing at Lightning as his face heated up slightly. He turned his head the other way so neither she nor Noel would notice.
"Um, yes, I suppose I could. I live alone, anyways." the silver-haired man muttered, wringing his hands. "Some company could be nice…"
Lightning smiled and laid a hand on Hope's shoulder. "Thanks, that means a lot," she said, giving him a rare smile that, years ago, had been reserved for him alone. Something clicked in his brain, and his mind began to spin. He gripped Lightning's arm to keep him from falling, and when he regained his sense of balance, he found himself smiling a huge, sincere smile that lit up his face.
"Light…" he muttered, recalling the time when he was told to call her that. He couldn't stop smiling at the warm, insanely amazing feeling that came with that memory. It had been hidden, he knew, but now that it had been uncovered from the fog of his mind, he couldn't be happier.
Lightning stared at Hope, wondering if he'd remembered something.
She held him up until he began to shake his head. She realized his smile was now fading. He began to shake his head back and forth, as if to clear his head.
"Sorry… I just… I remembered you! It was a short memory but… It's just so… nostalgic." Hope muttered, staring at Lightning, yet through her at the same time, as if his mind was off in another dimension. Suddenly, he focused on her, grinning once more.
Soon enough, though, he realized that they were gripping each other's arms, and flung his hands into the air, backing away from Lightning. It reminded Noel much of the time he had grabbed Serah's hands, happy to see her, and then done the same backing up thing, except this time it seemed a little bit more hasty and nervous.
"Oh! S-Sorry about that. I just… um… thank you." Hope said, rubbing his left shoulder awkwardly. Lightning wasn't really sure about what she was being thanked for, but as she turned away from Hope, she let a small, triumphant grin cross her face. Just as quick as it came, it was gone. She waved dismissively over her shoulder towards the red-faced silver-haired man behind her and glanced towards Noel.
"Where to now?" she asked, taking another look around the village.
"Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm going home," Noel replied, stretching both arms over his head. "Hope, I trust you can find your own way home. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
Hope nodded and turned the other way, waving to Noel. "My house is down this way," he said, pointing down a quiet-looking street.
Though the sun had just set, none of the houses had lights on and they all seemed pretty run-down, except for one. It looked like it had been fixed up a bit, but was still in a condition similar of the other houses.
Hope turned towards that house, and began opening the door without even unlocking it.
"It's better on the inside, I promise," he muttered nervously, fumbling with the rusted knob.
"Don't you lock your house?" Lightning asked curiously. Back on Cocoon, you'd have to lock up your house or else you'd better prepare to say 'goodbye' to a few valuables.
"Eh, not really. There aren't many people here, and we all know each other. Besides, I live on a secluded section of the street, and I don't have much stuff in this house," Hope replied, shrugging. He pushed the door open and held it open for Light.
"Ladies first?" he said, half-grinning. Lightning let out an inaudible chuckle and walked inside. Hope followed and flipped the light switch, the room becoming instantly brighter.
Hope hadn't been lying when he said there wasn't much furniture. In the living room, there was only a decent-sized TV and a couch. There were plenty of pictures hanging on the walls, though, as Lightning remembered Hope to be a sentimental person. With a twinge of sadness, she realized she wasn't in any of them.
She followed him into the hallway, though at a distance, wondering what she was supposed to do and where he was going. He came to a stop in front of one of the few doors in the empty hallway, proceeding to open it and gesture inside.
"This is the only bed I have, so you can sleep here,"
"Wait, Hope, your only bed? This is your bedroom. There's no way I'm kicking you out of your own room. If anything should be private, it's that," Light replied. Just the thought of sleeping in someone else's bed mortified her, and the fact that it was a now grown Hope's bed didn't help quell the acrobatics her stomach was performing.
It must have been showing on her face, for he replied, "It's ok, I'll change the sheets and give you a different blanket."
"No, no. That's …not really the point," she said hastily, "as much as it is that I'm more or less a total stranger to you right now, and you shouldn't have to give up your bed to me."
Lightning crossed her arms and looked at him with a stern gaze. "I'd much prefer the couch," she said evenly, arms crossed.
"But-"
"No."
"Lightni-""Nope.""Light plea-""I said no, damn it." she spat, raising her hand to slap the now-frightened man. Her angered eyes quickly dissolved into … fear? Regret? Hope saw a mix of emotions pass through her icicle blue eyes as she lowered her hand. He stared at the woman in simple shock. This kind of reaction to him was not a familiar one.
"Shit. Hope, Hope, I'm really sorry," Light mumbled. She reached towards him as if to grab his shoulder, but thought better of it as her hand slowly inched back towards her chest. Hope continued to stare as she turned away wither another "sorry".
Suddenly an arm was thrown around her shoulders, and a hearty laugh sounded in her left ear. She turned quickly to find Hope, out of breath with laughter.
"Are you serious? It's not like you were about to kill me! Besides, it's my fault since I tested your patience after you made a definite decision. I was just being annoying at that point. If you really want to you can sleep on the couch, I was just trying to be courteous. Don't worry about it," he said between fits of laughter.
It was Lightning's turn to stare. Finally, she grinned and shrugged herself out from underneath Hope's heavy arm.
"Just get a blanket," she said, rolling her eyes as she walked towards the couch.
Screaming. That was what Hope heard as he bolted upright in his bed. He glanced at the clock.
'2:06 am… was I just … dreaming…?' Hope thought, laying back down. Before his tousled silver hair could even brush the comfortable pillow beneath him, though, another angry, yet frightened, shriek was heard. He definitely didn't imagine that.
As Hope flung himself from the bed, a loud thump was heard. A few crashes followed. He raced down the hallway and into the living room to find a thrashing, screaming mass on the floor. He realized that the couch was vacated, and realized that it must be Lightning on the floor. If she'd fallen from the couch, that would have caused the loud noise, which in turn caused a few pictures to fall. There was a bit of glass one the floor, and Hope attempted to avoid those areas.
He grabbed the blanket that Lightning was entangled with, and then proceeded to grab her wrists, pinning her arms down.
'Damn, she's strong,' he thought, gritting his teeth in concentration. He could see muscles across her body contracting intensely in a vain attempt to escape.
Or, maybe it wasn't such a vain attempt, as soon the woman lurched towards him, throwing him onto his back. Her hand deftly found his throat and her dilated blue eyes were inches from his own. She pushed herself backwards, though, in order to put more of her weight onto his neck.
"Caius!" she screamed in anger, fingers clenching tighter around his scrawny neck. Hope gasped for air, and gently laid a hand on Lightning's.
"Light, get off me," he begged, neck muscles tightening. Like earlier, the murderous rage in her eyes dissolved into nothing. Her hand loosened, and she simply gazed into his own emerald eyes for a moment, before her chest felt tight and she muttered, "Hope?"
Without really realizing what happened, Lightning's unconscious body was laying on him, her bangs sprawled across one side of his face.
Hope lifted her up and gently set her against the side of the couch. Her head lolled to the side, and he slid his arms underneath her, carrying her bridal style. His face lit up as if on fire, as he tried to think about other things than the fact that she was wearing much less than when she arrived. Her jacket had been shed to leave a belly shirt, and a pair of shorts that she wore under her skirt. He set her down gently on the couch. She was also really, really light. His heart raced as he looked her over. She was very fragile-looking while passed out, though her knew better than to underestimate her. Snapping his head to the side, he chastised himself for thinking about Light like this. He was sure she wouldn't appreciate it if she knew, and that meant he shouldn't be doing it at all.
Fumbling, Hope threw the blanket over her and began to turn, glancing back at Lightningt. She rolled over, and mumbled something quietly. A sharp dizziness shot through his head for a moment, and he thought this scene to be somehow familiar.
He remembered… watching someone sleep. A warm, protective feeling passed over him as he looked back at Lightning, eyes widening. He didn't really know what to think of this odd memory. Perhaps it was of Light. All he knew for sure, at that moment, was that it took a lot of willpower to walk his reluctant body back into his bedroom to get some sleep.
Sleep, though, was something unreachable, it seemed. The two warm memories swirled through his head all night, and he wondered if Lightning really was telling the truth.
Deep down, he hoped she was.
uuuuh yeah. Sorry I took so long uploading this ;_; I need more inspiration; I'm getting a bit of writer's block. I was also a bit afraid to upload this, too. But, hey, I write to get my shipping feels out and because it's fun. If you choose to enjoy my work then, all the better for you. Thanks for reading this far, though c:
