The response I received for the previous chapter was overwhelming - thank you all so much! I've put in an extended thank-you note at the end of this chapter, but I'd also like to give a shout-out to a friend of mine for reading through and "approving" this chapter (even though she isn't in the fandom!), and to sillyrabbitp for providing me with a bunch of ideas for this fic, one of which inspired this chapter. A huge thanks to the two of you!

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIII or its characters.


Aftermath: Chapter 8

These conversations between us should always continue this way

These encounters of ours should always continue this way

Let us spend all our days and nights like this


Before long, Hope managed to fall back into his old routine. He met with his colleagues on a daily basis, visited various universities on occasion as a guest lecturer, and continued with his general research on world-sustaining techniques. But every so often, his thoughts drifted back to Lightning, or rather, to his sudden departure after he had confessed his feelings to her.

'I shouldn't have left so suddenly,' he berated himself, over and over again. 'If anything, I should've stayed and waited for her to say something.'

During the time he had known Lightning, he had learned to read her words and expressions until she was an open book to him. But during his confession, her face had been the perfect mask; so perfect, in fact, that even he had found himself unable to see through it. As a result, fear had crept into his heart – fear of being rejected, of being pushed away or ignored.

'Better to leave now without an answer, than to be rejected straight out,' he had told himself as he had walked away. With each step, he had found himself regretting his actions more and more, and the lack of response from behind him had only served to reinforce his fears. 'She must hate me…why did I choose to tell her in the first place?'

But now, he knew that he had been irrational. Lightning was not a person so easily swayed by things such as this, and a simple discussion would have resolved matters in no time. The two of them would have resumed their friendship, and everything would have gone back to normal.

Instead, nearly a month had gone by without a word from Lightning. Serah called from time-to-time, and he often spoke with Snow as well – the two of them invited him to dinner every weekend, but he could never bring himself to accept. Not when he knew that he and Lightning were already on shaky ground when it came to their relationship.

'In the end…I'm a coward. She told me she would accept me no matter what…I know that, and I'm still afraid.'


A few nights later, he finally made up his mind.

'I can't leave things like this…if anything, I need to apologise,' he told himself as he drove home at the end of another tiring day. The sky above New Academia was pitch dark, and the streetlights melded into each other as he whizzed past them in his car, still lost in thought. He barely noticed when he finally arrived at his apartment complex, parking his car and walking towards the elevator in a robotic manner.

'It's decided – I'll call her tonight.' He glanced at his watch and winced; it was already past 10 p.m. 'Or maybe tomorrow…it's probably too late by now…'

He was still in a daze when the elevator stopped at his floor; stepping out, he absently stared at his shoes while reaching into his pocket to get his keys. Then, he looked up, and froze.

A small, familiar suitcase was sitting right beside his apartment door, and next to it, Lightning was curled up on the ground, leaning against the wall. She looked to be sound asleep, and Hope reached up to rub his eyes, wondering if he had somehow fallen asleep while driving, or if he was seeing things. But a few self-inflicted pinches to the arm later, it was clear that he was not dreaming. For some reason, Lightning had come to see him. The thought made his heart swell with both affection and fear, but the former clearly outweighed the latter, and he slowly knelt down beside her and nudged her shoulder with his hand.

"Light…Claire…wake up," he whispered as gently as he could manage without allowing his heart to leap out of his chest. He continued to shake Lightning's shoulder, until she finally opened her eyes, instantly raising an arm to shield herself from the light of the corridor.

She let out a soft groan. "You work…really long hours…" she mumbled, shifting her weight until she was sitting up straighter against the wall. Hope pulled away slightly and stood up, giving her a sheepish smile.

"I guess I should've mentioned that at some point…sorry." He held a hand out to her, offering to help her up. "How long have you been here…and why…?" His mind prevented him from being anything less than shocked at her appearance, and he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

She reached up and took his hand, pulling herself to her feet and stumbling forward slightly in the process. It was obvious that she was still half-asleep, and he steadied her by placing his free hand on her other shoulder. Their close proximity made his cheeks turn pink, but she appeared to take no notice as she leaned against him.

A few moments later, she pushed herself away, and he stepped back as she attempted to regain her bearings. "I…Serah kicked me out of the house," she answered in a non-committal tone, refusing to meet his gaze. "She said she didn't want to see me lying around the house doing nothing, so she told me to come to the city and get a job."

Hope raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like something Serah would say," he countered, and she frowned, before letting out a sigh.

"Fine. That was a lie,' she admitted. "I told her about our…conversation, a few weeks ago." The mere mention of it made him stand up a little straighter. "She wanted me to come here and talk to you in person, since I always refused to talk to you over the phone." With some hesitation, she added, "Mind if I come in?"

"O-of course not," he blurted out, moving to unlock the door and switching on the lights. She followed him in, and he fought the urge to apologise for the condition of his apartment. It was a mess, considering he was only ever at home for a few hours a day, and most of those were spent sleeping. It seemed more like a messy storage space than a house; yet Lightning did not appear to mind as she weaved past a series of unpacked cartons, pausing to eye a small photo-frame that had been haphazardly placed on a counter.

"Make yourself at home…can I get you anything? Water, or, uh-" He began to dig through the cupboards and refrigerator in the kitchen, but she walked over and placed a hand on his arm to stop him.

With a slow shake of her head, she said, "I'm alright. Let's just sit down."

They made their way across the hallway and into the sitting room. A pair of couches filled up most of the space in the room, and Lightning seated herself on one of them. He sat down on the couch across from her and leaned forward – it reminded him of the time she had come to see him at his parents' house, asking him to come along with her on her journey. Only a month had passed since then, and yet it seemed like it had happened a lifetime ago.

At first, neither of them made a move to speak, and the room was filled with a silence that was almost deafening. Hope toyed with the idea of apologising to her, but before he could say anything, she beat him to it.

"I'm sorry," she told him sincerely, her gaze fixed on the floor beneath her feet. She seemed genuinely remorseful, and Hope did not understand why. The fault had been his, after all.

"W-why are you apologising?" he asked, surprised. "You didn't do anything – I was the one who-"

She raised her hands, stopping him in his tracks. "No – I should have said something at the time, but instead I just let you walk away. And I didn't make an effort to talk to you afterwards...I'm sorry, Hope."

He placed a hand behind his neck, smiling in a way that he hoped was reassuring. "Don't be. I shouldn't have sprung it on you so suddenly in the first place, and you probably didn't know how to respond."

Lightning swallowed. "Well, to tell you the truth, I did."

His carefully planned response died in his throat. She did not appear to notice the way he stared at her as she went on. "I knew what I wanted to say, but...the words wouldn't come." She finally met his gaze. "But I've had more than enough time to think this over, and if anything, you deserve a response. So I'll make this quick."

Hope sighed and smiled wistfully; he had been preparing himself for her rejection for a long time now, and he hoped he could salvage what was left of their friendship once she was finished. 'Just...don't be too hard on me, Claire. I don't think my heart could take it.'

Lightning took in a breath, and he placed his hands on his knees, bracing himself for the worst.

"I think...I've fallen in love with you, too."

It took several moments for her words to sink in, and then, Hope's jaw dropped.

"You-you've-" His mind could not come up with a coherent response – she certainly had a way of taking him by surprise. While he struggled to say something, anything, she let out a sigh.

"I'm not lying, you know. You might think I said it just to make you feel better, but it's not just that." She smiled softly. "It took me four weeks for me to convince myself that I love you, and I don't want to waste that much time again."

'Love...' To hear her say the word twice in the same day…it sounded almost foreign to his ears. "Then, you really...?"

A blush began to form on her cheeks, but her smile did not fade. "It's just like what you said...when I really thought about it, I realised that I wanted to stay by your side. You bring out the best in me, Hope...and there's no one else who understands me better than you do." She paused. "You make me feel like I could be someone worthwhile, in this world where I'm...nothing."

"That's not true." In an instant, he was by her side, sitting down next to her on the sofa. He took her hand in his, ignoring the way his heart sped up at the contact. "You don't have to be a figure of authority to be something, Claire. You're important to me; to all of us. And you've done more than enough for the world – the Saviour deserves a break."

She let out a soft laugh. "So does the former 'leader of humanity'," she countered, the corner of her lips pulled up in a smirk.

He grinned sheepishly. "I guess you're right; but I do enjoy my work."

"Just don't forget to take it easy every now and then," she chided teasingly, gently nudging his shoulder with hers. Their eyes met, and they smiled at each other – Lightning did not make an attempt to pull away, and he could hardly believe how easy it had been for things between them to return to normal.

Well, almost normal. There was still another matter to address.

"So," he began slowly, leaning forward. "If we're both…in love with each other, does this mean-"

At that moment, the phone began to ring. He cursed inwardly before giving Lightning an apologetic smile, and then he stood up, walking across the room and picking up the receiver.

"Hope Estheim speaking."

"Hope, do you know where my sister is?" the voice on the other end inquired.

He paused. "…Serah?"

"Yes, it's me." She sounded frantic. "Lightning's gone. She didn't tell me where she was going, and now it's nearly 11 PM…I'm starting to get worried…"

Hope frowned. '…didn't Claire say that Serah was the one who told her to come here?'

"Don't worry," he told Serah in a comforting tone. "Claire's here, at my place. She must've decided to come over without telling you." He shot Lightning an accusatory glance, and her shoulders slumped slightly in response.

He heard a sigh of relief over the phone. "I'm glad to hear that," she replied. "If it's not too much trouble, could she stay with you for the night?"

"Of course," he said without hesitation. "Don't worry; I'll take care of her."

"I know you will." The teasing tone in Serah's voice was difficult to miss. "Anyway, I'll call again tomorrow. Thanks a ton, Hope."

With that, she hung up. Hope returned to his seat beside Lightning. "So, Serah didn't know you were here?" He smirked. "You ran away from home?"

She flushed at his words. "I didn't want to wait, and she was at work, so I took a cab into the city. It took me a while to find your current address, though…I had to talk to more people than I would've liked to. I only found this place in the evening, and you still weren't home." She huffed. "So I decided to wait…it's not like I had a choice, anyway."

"You did all of that…just to see me?" He was genuinely touched – Lightning had always been a person of action rather than words, and yet he had never expected that she would go to such lengths for his sake.

She nodded. "It wasn't a difficult decision to make. I never have anything to do at home, and the only thing I'm good for in this world is finding people. So I gave it a shot."

Her words were spoken in a flippant tone, but he could feel the underlying bitterness behind them. Without another moment's hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, drawing her close. She let out a soft gasp, but otherwise remained still, silently allowing him to hold her.

"Stay here, with me," he whispered before he could stop himself. "I'll find things for you to do, so you don't have to feel like you're useless anymore. You could help me clean out the spare room and pick out some new furniture. And we could even take turns cooking."

At his mention of cooking, she let out a chuckle, and he felt his heart grow warm. "Serah never lets me into the kitchen, and you should probably do the same. I still can't cook anything other than steak."

"Well, even if I have to eat steak every day for the rest of my life, I don't mind." He lowered his arms to encircle her waist instead, and pulled away slightly so he could look her in the eye. "Just as long as you stay."

Lightning's smile softened. "When you put it that way…of course I'll stay." She averted her eyes, focusing on his shoulder as her cheeks began to turn pink. "You know me better than anyone else does, Hope, and there's nowhere I'd rather be. These conversations with you make me feel…complete, somehow."

Slowly, she placed her hands on his shoulders. "Thank you, for everything," she whispered, meeting his gaze, and he could see her gratitude reflected clearly in her eyes.

Then, she reached up slightly, and kissed him.

Hope's eyes grew wide. It was a gently, shy contact, her lips barely pressed against his own, and yet he could not stop his heart from hammering within his chest. Before he could even think to respond, she pulled away and hid her face in his shirt.

"…now we're even," she murmured.

He let out a laugh. "This isn't a numbers game, Claire," he told her, still feeling slightly giddy from the kiss. "But if you're really keeping track, I'd say I owe you, now."

She hummed in affirmation, then looked up at him, her hands still clenching the fabric of his shirt lightly. "So," she began, raising an eyebrow. "When do you plan on getting even?"

There it was – a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, not unlike the one he had often seen in Lumina's eyes. It was more undeniable proof that Lightning was changing, and it filled him with happiness knowing that he was the only one who could bring out this side of her.

Unable to resist, he grinned. "Right now," he whispered without missing a beat, leaning down and touching his lips to hers.

This kiss was just as gentle as the one before it had been, and yet, it made him feel whole; almost as though he had found something he had been searching for his entire life. Somehow, he knew that she felt the same way as she moved her face even closer to his, deepening the kiss slightly, and he placed a hand against her cheek, stroking it softly with his thumb. He felt her smile against his lips, and he could not help but smile back even as they pulled apart, resting their foreheads against each other.

"…I could get used to this," she breathed, and he let out a chuckle in response.

"Me too," he agreed, looking into her eyes – they sparkled with an emotion that was starting to become more familiar by the day; an emotion that he hoped would only ever continue to grow from that point onwards. It was not love, or even affection…but to him, it was something much more valuable.

Happiness.

And as the two of them leaned in again, bumping their noses against each other and laughing softly before allowing their lips to collide, a single thought crossed Hope's mind as he closed his eyes and held her closer:

'Yes, I could definitely get used to this.'


Let our conversations melt into tune

Let our conversations dissolve into song


I didn't think I'd ever get to say this, but this is the final chapter of Aftermath. I posted this story in May, but I technically started writing it in December...now it's almost over, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling even a little emotional.

Yes, it is almost over, because I plan to post an epilogue, which should be up within the week! I hope this chapter was enjoyable...I haven't written fluff in a while, and this is probably the fluffiest piece I've done for this pairing. I've said this before, but there are a ton of amazing Hoperai authors out there who I really respect, so posting this makes me quite nervous (as always). I tried to achieve a balance between banter, fluff, and substance, and I hope that worked out! Please let me know what you think!

A big thank you to those who are following and have faved this story, and a MASSIVE thanks to everyone who reviewed: lotuskasumi, MidnightFenrir, Lumina (it's here - I hope you liked it!), ultima-terra, Mako-chan (thank you! Hopefully this ending was happy enough :D), Guest (I know how you feel ;_;), Mila (we all feel his pain...I think I managed to mend his heart in this chapter though!), sironhisaki (thank you so much! I hope you liked this ending!), kwerk, TheMysteriousGeek2345, Serenity (he should've waited...but I guess he was just scared :c), Madalina (that exactly! Which is why I wanted to have Lightning take action in this chapter :D), Guest No. 1 (I'm really glad to know you liked it! Another piece of feedback about Yeul...I'm happy to hear she seemed in-character. I didn't want to drag out the drama too much, so here's your resolution!), xxkoffeexx, MisaMisa (here's the chapter, and Lightning's response too!), Lara (thanks a lot, and here it is!), and ValkyrieSilmeria (haha, I guess everyone likes drama! And you weren't too far off after all :D)