Chapter 8: Dreams
Hope groggily stirred as he slowly started to wake up from a very good night of sleep. 'Was everything that happened with Lightning just a wonderful dream.' He thought to himself as he slowly regained consciousness. He felt an arm reaching around and clutching his shoulder as he convinced himself that he didn't have to get up right now. A leg intertwined between his and hair seemed to tickle his face every time he tried to move. 'Damn you messy bed hair.' He thought but soon realised that maybe it wasn't just his hair. He forced an eye open to take a look at the figure lying beside him. 'She is still here. It wasn't a dream.' He enthused, as he couldn't believe his eye.
Hope noticed a cute little smile on Lightning's face but now had both eyes open and had started to get up. As he rose from his sleeping bag her smile faded and turned into a pout. 'A pout.' He exclaimed internally.
"Don't go…" Lightning mumbled in a sad and sleepy tone.
Hope smiled as her arm groped his sleeping bag, tugging it closer to her.
"Alright…" Hope said wearily still recovering from sleep. He glanced at his alarm clock as he slipped back inside his sleeping bag. 'Wow. Nine hours sleep without a single nightmare.' He thought triumphantly. Then he was suddenly struck by an idea. He unzipped his sleeping bag and searched Lightning's for a zip. He found it and unzipped it.
"What are you doing now Hope?" Lightning groaned sleepily, still refusing to open her eyes.
Hope grabbed the two sleeping bag zips and zipped them together then re-entered the little cocoon he had managed to create. "Maybe this will make things easier." He whispered as he snuggled next to Lightning and allowed her to tangle her arms around him.
She smiled again. "You're cute." She muttered, blushing a little, then buried her head in his chest in embarrassment.
"Does that mean you like me?" Hope asked bluntly, smiling as well.
Lightning took a deep breath. "Maybe…" She teased.
Hope chuckled. He knew she did, even if she didn't want to admit it. Lightning would normally never let anyone get this close to her, emotionally or physically. 'Well except Serah.' Hope admitted.
Hope hugged Lightning closer to him as he returned to the bliss of sleep…
Hopes dreams were filled with happy memories of Lightning and some things which hadn't even happened yet. 'Perhaps it's a vision?' Hope thought absent minded. 'No that's superstitious nonsense.' His inner scientist argued. In reality Hope didn't care, when he had her in his arms his worries just seemed to melt away.
After what seemed like only a few minutes Hope was alerted to others outside the tent by the sounds of hushed voices.
"I think they're still asleep." Fang whispered as she paused to listen. "Yep, they're definitely asleep." She confirmed. "I wonder what they got up to last night." Fang murmured under her breath but Hope caught a bit of the conversation.
"Fang!" Serah moaned quietly. "That's my sister you're talking about. Is your mind always in the gutter?" Serah asked almost inaudibly.
There was a pause before Fang answered. "I don't like to think of it that way, but yes. I would definitely have done something if I was in a tent with him." Fang added obviously referring to Hope.
Hope gulped.
"But I thought I was your one and only Fang." Vanille interjected sadly.
There was a sound of someone being pulled against their free will. "Of course you are." Fang said. "You're my little 'Nille." There was a huff and then muffled sounds as Vanille tried to speak.
"Okie dokie Fang." She managed as she took a breath before being pulled into what Hope guessed was a hug.
"So should we open the tent?" Fang asked no one in particular.
Hopes eyes blinked open for a few seconds to see the zip of the tent slowly moving. As if someone was being very careful not to make any noise. He immediately shut his eyes again, pretending to be asleep. 'How did Lightning not hear that?' Hope asked rhetorically as the tent was opened fully.
He didn't have time to finish his thought as the trio of women gathered outside the tent simultaneously muttered phrases like, "They're so cute together."
"Quick go and get Snow. He has a camera right?" Vanille half asked, half commanded.
Serah gave a quick "Yep." Then Hope could hear little footsteps walking off.
Hope couldn't believe what they were planning but maybe his friends' treachery wasn't all bad. He blinked an eye open to see Vanille and Fang looking away from the tent. They were still in their pyjamas but Vanille had wrapped Fang's sari around herself like a blanket. Hope had liked Vanille when he was younger and he now realised it was because of how cute and innocent she looked. Hope no longer had as strong feelings for the girl but he still cared about her.
Hope shook himself out of his thoughts and tried shaking Lightning to wake her up but it didn't work, she just shrugged and whispered "Five more minutes." Soon afterwards, loud booming footsteps were approaching in a gleeful manner.
Hope slammed his eyes shut again in order to give the illusion of sleep.
"Wow. I can't believe it." Snow said. He was trying to whisper but even when he whispered the large man was loud.
There was a deadly silence then a click and a flash which startled hope so much the others must have seen him flinch. Although he wasn't the first to get up. Lightning sprang up immediately after the flash.
"Wh-What's going on?" she mumbled groggily.
Snow immediately hid the camera behind his back as Lightning furrowed her brow in annoyance. Hope could tell she was still not completely awake and was sad about the rude awakening.
Hope got up and as he did so the sleeping bag slipped down to show his chest.
Vanille gasped and blushed, Fang smiled appreciatively and even Serah blushed a little bit but also averted her eyes.
Hope saw Lightning glance at his body and smile slightly. A light pink tinge had appeared on her cheeks at the compromising position she now found herself in but it soon disappeared when she remembered whose presence she was in and her face faded to a cold glare.
Vanille then giggled girlishly and ran behind Fang obviously afraid of Lightning's wrath.
Snow could barely keep himself from smirking at how dishevelled the couple looked and quickly whipped out his camera to get some more pictures. He got one more picture before Lightning was out of the tent and chasing him.
"Come back here Snow!" She shouted angrily.
Hope simply laughed with Vanille, Serah and Fang as they watched Snow run with a scared expression on his face.
Hope considered that he didn't mind the picture being taken. 'In fact it could be a good thing.' He thought mischievously. 'Lightning and I will always have a picture to remember the time we shared.' He concluded, smiling at the thought of having the two pictures framed one day. Serah looked at him briefly and saw him smiling and gave Hope a knowing smile in return. 'How does she always seem to know what I'm thinking? She must be able to see the future or something.' Hope's inner scientist was silenced this time and he smiled at Serah knowing she would want to talk to him again soon…
Authors Note
Sorry I haven't updated any of my stories recently. I've been very busy recently with college work and other projects. I think most of you will like this chapter though, review it if you do and tell me your thoughts.
