mirror; post-LR
(this was a companion piece to a friend's fic)

When Hope blearily opened his eyes, it was instantly obvious that he was alone in bed. Even though he knew this, he still instinctively reached for his wife, only to find himself grabbing onto pillows and blankets instead.

"Light?" he mumbled in case she was in the room. When he got no reply, he finally lifted his head up and looked around, finding no sign of her anywhere. This wasn't particularly unusual - Lightning had always been far more of a morning person than he ever would be - but she tended to give in to lazing around in bed with him on Sunday mornings…and last he'd checked, it was indeed a Sunday morning.

He hummed to himself and flopped back down onto his pillow. It'd gotten easier to sleep alone over the past couple of months, especially if he distracted himself with ideas of what she could be doing. Maybe she was making breakfast. Maybe she was talking to Serah. Maybe…

Wait a second.

"It's Mother's Day," he blurted out to nobody, bolting straight back up from bed. Instantly, his mind was filled with the holiday from last year, and his chest tightened at the thoughts. He could all-too-clearly recall Lightning crying in front of the memorial garden down the road and the way she shook and shivered in his arms as she finally let herself grieve over her mother - just a thousand years and another world later.

Had the worst of it come back? Would it always be like this every Mother's Day? Not that it made any amount of difference - Hope knew he would always be there for Lightning, no matter what the obstacle.

It was simply the thought that she could be hurting so badly that he couldn't stand. Worst yet, there was nothing he could do except offer solace in his arms.

After he'd thrown on a pair of sweatpants and rumpled shirt, Hope ran a hand through his hair, intending on going down to that memorial garden, since he was sure that Lightning was there.

Except, to his utter surprise, she wasn't.

Instead, shockingly, he found her in the bathroom, literally pausing in his steps as he passed the half-open door. She was gripping the edges of the counter and staring into the mirror in an eerily calm fashion.

…Almost too calm.

"Light?" he murmured softly, gently knocking on the door a couple of times to get her attention.

She jumped a little, but otherwise gave no indication that he'd startled her. She turned to him, brows knit in confusion. "Hope?"

"I was just…." She seemed okay enough, but as he recalled, she'd been plenty calm before the worst of those panic attacks. "…Are you okay?"

Lightning turned back towards her reflection and shrugged. "Yeah. I guess so."

Instinct told him to tread lightly. Hope quietly made his way over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her head. Oddly, he noticed that when his hands settled around her stomach, she gripped the counter even more tightly.

"Are you sure?" He moved to nuzzle the top of her head. "I mean, considering what day it is…."

"It's not that," she replied quickly - quick enough to realize that her lie was obvious, and she sighed. "I guess…maybe it's still hard."

"It's going to take time," he insisted. "This is a lifetime of grief we're talking about here. And on a day like today, it just…" He swallowed heavily, remembering his own mother. "…It just accumulates and crashes through. That's all."

"I guess," she echoed, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her gaze roam over her reflection. "Especially since awhile ago, Serah told me something I'd forgotten."

"What?"

"She said…" And only now did Lightning move to grip one of Hope's hands instead of the counter. She squeezed it hard and he wondered if she was on the verge of another panic attack, but her voice still sounded fairly calm. "…She said that I look like our mother. You know, from back on the other world."

"….." Hope grew silent, suddenly understanding why Lightning had been staring at the mirror - to realize that you so closely resembled someone who was long gone, especially on a day when it mattered so much, would be enough to send anyone into a stupor. Hope had always realized since the time he was a child that he looked like his mother, but it'd always been something in the back of his mind, so he'd never given it much thought, even on a day like today.

How on earth did Lightning see herself for her to not realize the same until a lifetime later?

"And then…" she continued in the same quiet voice, "I…"

"You know," he murmured in interruption, kissing the top of her head. "I have no doubt that you two looked alike. She must have been very beautiful."

"She would've been flattered to hear that," Lightning replied with her usual sarcastic quip. They both chuckled, and though her voice sounded calm enough, she still felt incredibly tense in his arms.

It was enough for him to still worry.

"And I guess this came to mind because of what day it is?" he asked.

She tensed up even more. "Sort of," she muttered. "Though I can't really say the holiday helped much."

"Probably not," he said sympathetically. Confusion was swirling around in his mind, however. If she hadn't gotten up and wasn't having these thoughts because of the holiday, then why? "Light - "

"I guess…" She took an audibly shaky breath. Was she nervous? "I guess…I was wondering…if something like that was passed down."

"Huh?"

Lightning met his eyes in their reflections in the mirror. "If I look like my mother - and you've said you looked like yours - I wonder if this one will look like me, then."

"What do you - " The question Hope started to ask was cut off when Lightning squeezed his hand - the hand that was resting over her stomach.

And then it clicked.

He watched his eyes grow visibly larger, practically to the size of dinner plates, unable to deny the expression of utter shock on his face. "Wait, you're….we're - you - I just…really?!"

She turned around in his hold and simply nodded, her eyes wary and nervous. "I guess today was an appropriate day to tell you."

"I guess so." After the initial brush of shock, Hope couldn't help the wide grin that'd formed on his face. The sight of it seemed to relax Lightning considering, especially when he once again pressed his hand to her stomach, amazed that somewhere under his palm was evidence that he was gong to be a father…and Lightning was going to be a mother.

It was hard to believe that at this time next year, they could actually celebrate instead of letting their raw emotions get the best of them.

"I hope you're right," Hope suddenly said, pressing his forehead against hers.

"About what?"

He smiled and tilted his head just enough to capture her lips in a sweet kiss. "I hope this kid looks just like you."