Chapter 17: Wait for Me

A part of Lightning had wanted to say yes, but her chains refused. She couldn't. It was unfair. She still had Serah, her debt, her home. Bodhum was all she knew. She was his knight in shining armor, but this was no fairy tale. Life was unfair. Hearing her silence, Hope explained further.

"My father will force me to leave when he sees me." Hope's words were sorrowful. "He told me… I can either stay here disowned, or go join a new project on Pulse." Hope took a deep breath before he continued. "I can't stay, and I don't want to be trapped by my father. We can make a third option together. I want to run away with you instead."

Lightning understood his reasoning. Hope wasn't in the best position to stay here. If he stayed, no one would accept him after Alyssa's news. Only someone with Sanctum official power could pardon and delete such a commotion. Bodhum was her home; she had a duty. It pained her that she couldn't share this home— but it wasn't right. Another part of her needed her to say no. It wasn't just her chains that refused. What future would he have if he ran? They weren't ready as a couple to run away: too unstable, too dependent, and showing signs of an unhealthy obsession. He needed to be more open with her. In their current state, his plan was a ship destined to sink. They needed time.

"Hope, I can't." His face fell. He knew this would be her reaction, and he understood why. But it didn't ease the pain. She continued on.

"I have a 300,000 gil loan waiting for me. Serah needs me now. Soon, I won't be able to afford my apartment rent or college tuition." She paused for a moment and looked in Hope's eyes. "I really do want to run, trust me." Now is just not the time. It hurt Hope, but this was what he needed to hear. There was a moment of silence before Hope spoke again.

"The least I can do is make sure this current hospital bill is taken care of."

"Hope—"

"I'm the reason we both were hurt. There's no excuse."

"Fine. I understand." She didn't want pity, but Hope made it clear that it wasn't pity. They stayed in silence again until Lightning spoke.

"So, you'll have to leave and take the proposition then?" Lightning asked to confirm, though she already knew Hope would have to follow his father's plans.

"No one would hire me here. Not with this false accusation. I have no future like this." Hope sighed. "There's no other viable option. I'll have to go to Pulse. There's no justice, but we can't do anything." Hope was frustrated, but he was defeated. There was no escape. Running away was only a childish dream.

"I'll miss you." Lightning couldn't come up with anything else to say. Knowing that this would be one of her last interactions with him, she was ready to start crying again.

"Then, will you wait for me?" Hope asked his final question pleadingly. A different pleading than his usual puppy dog eyes. He wanted a genuine response, but he made his hopes apparent.

She flicked him in the forehead. "Of course I'll wait for you, dummy." She gave him a real smile.

They said no more. Lightning wrapped her arms around him once again, savoring every moment. He let himself melt in her arms. The various cords and attachments didn't bother them. She mindlessly ran her hand through his silvery hair. She watched him relax, breath slower, and eventually fall asleep. She reluctantly removed her arms from him. Hope's sleeping form reached for her hand again. Sitting down on a chair next to him, she let him find her hand.

For you, I'll always wait.

Hope's father did come the next morning. Clad in his suit, he talked to Hope alone. The emotion on his face was uncertain. Lightning stayed outside as she understood this was a conversation meant for them alone. It didn't last long, and soon enough his father walked out into the hall. Before he left, he looked at Lightning and said the unexpected.

"Thank you for saving my son." He continued walking.

Bartholomew Estheim did care for his son: he just wasn't good at it. Blinded by his ideals and by work, he unwillingly forced Hope to do what he couldn't do in his own lifetime. He was pushing his own ambitions on to him. It took his near death to realize this. Unfortunately, his ultimatum had to stay firm, no matter how much Hope begged. The Sanctum wouldn't let Hope off the hook and stay in Bodhum. If he wanted to delete his history, he would have to contribute to their grandiose plan and make history. Using their power needed something in return; nothing was free in this world. He hoped that his and Rygdea's plan for "The Academy" would eventually become something Hope could enjoy.

With Hope's agreement to participate, Mr. Estheim stayed true to his promise. Every photo, post, and mention of Hope "assaulting" Alyssa was deleted and blocked. The government had power.

Alyssa was left a confused mess, wondering why everything in their plan had suddenly vanished. It worked perfectly until suddenly it was like it never existed. Those three never consulted her again, despite the repeated phone calls she gave. She just wanted to get back at Hope— and it grew into something much worse. The guilt finally hit her, only when she was finally alone.

Cid was told it was all a hoax. He was angry once again— to have a false blame placed on someone. He wanted to have true justice, and he couldn't believe that he failed his fellow classmate. If he was going to be a leader, he needed to be better than this. Realizing his own personal path and resolve, he slowly disconnected from the other three scholars. He was going to do his own research on these matters.

Jihl, Yaag, and Caius knew Hope had immunity. They brushed this situation off, and continued as they always did. It was enough fun and games for them— they got rid of him.

Lightning learned Hope would only have to leave at the end of winter break. Hope's father was more gracious than expected, resulting from his apparent guilt. Hope's body needed time to recover as well. With it now being Thursday, the two had thirteen days left together, and they were going to spend every moment with each other. This would be Lightning's parting gift to Hope and their chance to reconcile. It would be their first and last winter break together.

The first three days were spent in the hospital. Lightning was with Hope throughout his entire recovery. She was more than tempted to jump into his hospital bed and sleep right alongside him… until the nurse caught her trying and threatened to kick her out. Luckily, being young, it didn't take very long for Hope to recover. All bills were covered for this incident, as promised. The two had ten days left.

On day one of their ten days, they first focused on moving Hope out. Without school, Lightning helped him move all of his belongings out of the dorms. It was strange, with the campus bare. Many students had already left. One specific student was staying for the break, and it was someone Hope and Lightning needed to thank. Noel. If it wasn't for him, she might not have found Hope in time. She watched as Hope gave his goodbye to him. Even if he didn't appreciate his teasing, he was going to miss it. Noel actually offered to help them move his stuff over to Lightning's apartment, but the two politely declined. He had done enough for them. Once they had finished moving it all, they journeyed over to the Sunleth Waterscape. Lightning had some shifts to catch up on. Their routine was back in business.

On the second day, Lightning visited Serah again. Sure she had seen her only two days prior when Hope was still in the hospital, but she wasn't going to miss out on this chance with a free day off work. A Saturday was still a Saturday. Serah was glad to see Hope in good shape. It was enough reason for Snow to grab him in a suffocating hug too, not that Hope appreciated it. This is my family. Lightning let herself laugh as she saw them.

On the third day, Hope and Lightning followed their routine once more. Though, they were able to sleep in and enjoy each other's presence before leaving to go to the cafe. In fact, they were able to do that for a while. Whatever happened in that apartment was going to stay in that apartment. As the afternoon rolled by and her shift came, the two walked to the cafe. There, they met Vanille. Vanille apologized as much as she could, and Hope simply forgave her. He understood her fears, knowing her story from when Lightning told him. Trauma wasn't so easily defeated. He was glad to have another friend back. The day followed like a typical Sunday for them.

The final week they had together was precious. Even if it wasn't all that different from the weeks they spent together prior, because every week they had together was precious. With the absence of school, it only meant more personal time together. It was here that Hope finally told her more about himself. This was long overdue. He told her everything. His past, his connections, his family. She knew about his mother, but she didn't know how much he loved her. It was clear through his stories and retelling of memories.. From favorite color to preferred type of bottled water, they had nothing to hide. This was the way it was supposed to be. Now Lighting could truly begin to trust Hope completely. She was going to remember every bite of his cooking, despite its less than great flavor sometimes.

Their final day together was the toughest. Hope and Lightning both knew they couldn't stay in their beloved dreamland forever. They needed to talk about their separate futures. Hope spoke first.

"So what's next for you, Light?" Hope's voice held a tinge of regret.

"I'm not going back to school." Lightning had made a decision.

"Wait, what?" Hope was caught off guard.

"Yeah— it's really not worth it. I don't have the time or money to complete my degree. I'm going to join the Guardian Corps." Lightning sighed and added on. "It was my original plan from the beginning when I used to be a Sanctum Scholar. I would have had benefits as a direct officer coming from that program, but it's no use now. I'll have to work my way up." Hope could hear the resolve in her words.

"Light, I'll support you in this." Hope gave her words of encouragement. "If you think it's the path you need to take, then it's already decided."

"Thanks. You better remember that I'll be waiting for you."

"I'll be waiting for you too, Light." Hope took a deep breath. "I love you Light." His words were deep and sincere. But he looked at her face and was surprised by the expression on it.

"Call me Claire." Lightning was embarrassed and said another inaudible request.

"What?" Hope couldn't hear.

"Call me Claire and say it again." She said it just a little louder.

"I love you Claire." And she met his lips with her own.

"I love you too, Hope."