Okay, this is a re-write of the previous Ch. 2, because 1) I did that when I was half asleep and didn't really care about it and 2) I feel like I let some people down with it :/ Less fluff, I promise. ( Or, I'll try too. )
" Okay, thanks Serah. " Hope finally replied after a very long pause, blushing slightly at whatever Lightning's sister had said. His cell-phone clicked shut and he turned to look at Lightning with a half smile. It was like he was going to be breaking bad news to her, more than anything else.
" So..Serah and Snow's place is full-up - you know, guests and all - and Sazh is out of town..." He sighed and went to scratch the back of his head. Lightning noticed he did that a lot around her, and wondered if it was a habit or if it was just her that made him do it.
" And I'm staying...where? " She nudged, raising her brow and putting a hand on her hip.
" At my place, I-I guess..." He finished with an awkward shuffle. " Sorry, it's either that or a hotel and..." He looked up at her and smiled sheepishly, " My place is probably a lot cleaner than a hotel room..."
Then he made a startled face and back-tracked, waving his hands rapidly in front of himself, " That doesn't mean I want you to go to a hotel! Unless...unless you want to go, then I can get you a room but you don't have to- " He was cut off when Lightning stepped forward and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. The look on his face was priceless.
I think I just gave him a heart attack. Good.
His face immediately turned pink but she just rolled her eyes and grabbed his T-shirt, " Come on, Estheim. Double time. " She had to drag him a couple steps but he caught on. He laughed and followed after her, straightening his shirt when she finally let go.
He stepped out of the hospital with Lightning right behind him and she let him lead the way through New Bodhum, to wherever his place was. They had already walked a couple blocks when a small camera buzzed passed them. They quickly picked up the pace when they got close to Memorial Lane, where there was a big commotion about the missing statue. Most assumed it was stolen or something, nowhere close to what actually happened. Hope grabbed her arm and hurried along with a worried gleam to his eyes. He turned a sharp corner and slowed down again and looked over at her.
" What? Why are you looking at me like that? " He asked, eyes lit up with laughter while he tried to keep a straight face. He just couldn't though - the expression on her face was clearly hilarious.
" You aren't huffing and puffing, for once. Before you would have been asking for a break. " She remarked with visible annoyance. She caught herself sounding like that and cleared her throat, straightening up. " I mean, It's not bad or anything, just...different. "
And when did he get so tall?
She gave him the once over and he just shrugged stupidly, probably not knowing what else to do. She motioned for him to lead the way again and he gladly did so.
When they reached a busier part of the city, she could see that there were still plenty of people left from Cocoon.
Great. More paranoid people waiting for another Purge.
She felt her hand held by somebody and looked up from her thoughts to see it was Hope. She tensed to pull away but Hope had already stepped off the curb and was trying to pull her along. She pulled her hand away, but the look that flashed across his face made her stomach turn to mush.
I am such a jerk.
She didn't know what to do so she just kept on walking, feeling bad about being so uptight about it. I mean, it was just her hand. He had been holding it the night before when they were sleeping, and obviously when she first woke up. It wasn't a bad thing. It always filled her with a little more confidence than the last time. She had to hold back a smile so she wouldn't look like a total idiot in the middle of a cross-walk.
So warm...
She blinked rapidly and almost choked on the thought, finally reaching the other side. She looked around confoundedly for Hope, lost in the sea of people with her thoughts messing up her direction.
Hope? Warm? What am I thinking? Must be the meds , still in my system...When we get to his house I have got to lay down for a bit, get this stupid ..ugh.
She felt her hand being grabbed again and she was pulled out of the crowd. Hope held tightly to it now and said with a slightly put-off tone, " Now you see why I was holding it. " He let go instantly, looking away and said to her, " Let's go. My apartment is just over here. " He started walking ahead of her so she followed, all the while feeling horrible about her actions now.
While they were walking, she noticed his hair was shorter than it had been before. She didn't know what made her realize it, but obviously he had gotten a hair cut while she was asleep in the hospital. She looked a little surprised, but when they arrived at a tall silver colored wooden door she brushed the look right off of her face.
" This is it... " Before he could turn around to press the highlighted blue button, she grabbed his shoulder and looked up at him. " Hope, I..I'm sorry, about before. I was just surprised and...I know you were just trying to help. "
Hope studied her for a while then a cheery grin appeared on his face. He poked her forehead playfully and said, " Don't worry about it, " and elbowed the button. The door opened, and when they both stepped inside, the area was already part of an elevator. Hope pressed the button for one of the rooms on the top floor and off they went.
The awkward, oddly infuriating elevator music still didn't help matters much. Hope stood there with his hands at his sides, refusing to look at anywhere but at his feet.
Lightning shuffled and cleared her throat softly, looking around.
" So..How about this elevator, huh? " Hope finally said, voice quiet and she could practically feel the uncomfortable feelings coming off of him.
" Yeah. " She replied, too focused on staring at him at the moment to think of a better response.
He looked up, and inched over to her a little more. And a little more. She watched him but didn't move, just stood there and stared at him with a 'wtf ' expression.
Before Hope could say anything though, the door beeped and Lightning just stepped out of the small room and left him standing there like a tree.
Dear Maker, that was close. I thought I was going to lose it. What the hell?
It was later that evening when Hope settled down next to Lightning on the couch. Though his apartment was small compared to the other ones in the building, it was more than accommodating. He made the two of them some coffee - which Light said she was surprised he even drank - and sipped it casually as they watched the news. The reporters on every channel were buzzing about the 'stolen' crystal l'Cie.
He turned off the TV and squeezed the bridge of his nose and looked over at her with a sigh, " Hey, Light? What's the matter? " He finally managed to ask. She had been scowling like that the whole time and he was starting to get concerned.
Does she have a stomach ache? Oh my god, its my apartment isn't it? She hates it. Shes going to call Serah first thing tomorrow and-
" Just putting together how much you've changed. " She answered him, looking back at him steadily. He never felt such a rush as when she did that - she looked at him like he was equal, not some slimy little kid that followed her around.
" I haven't changed that much, Light. I'm a little taller and shaggier, but..that's it. " He shrugged, feeling his cheeks turn pink as she continued to fix him with that stare. He picked up their empty mugs and started towards the kitchen. He figured out it wasn't exactly a death stare, but it wasn't friendly either. It was more...contemplating the best strategy to tackle a mad-man running loose on the city.
" No, you have definitely changed more than that, Hope. I'm not stupid. " She growled at him, crossing her arms.
" No no no! I did-didn't mean you were! " He quickly backtracked, sitting back down beside her again and totally forgetting about the mugs.
She looked over to him and smirked and he immediately felt stupid. His face turned beat red and he couldn't even choke out anything to say.
She tricked me. Can Light even do that? What am I saying? Shes not some robot with no emotions. Wow, I probably look seriously stupid right now. Say something!
Finally she laughed and mussed up his hair, then looked over at him. " I'm going to go get ready for bed, then. The guest room is.. down the hall, right? " She asked, standing.
" Yeah, just to the right. " He pointed and she grabbed a bundle of clothes from the hallway that Serah had dropped off. She disappeared into the room, and Hope set to work cleaning up the dishes.
Five seconds into it though, he remembered she didn't have any sheets in the spare room. He grabbed a set of blue sheets and pillow cases, and marched into the room, not even thinking to knock.
The yell that met him at the door made his stomach clench in fear. He stood in the doorway staring at a very, very naked Lightning. His voice cracked a little and she threw a pillow at him and he just stumbled back out of the door and smacked into the ground. She slammed the door, and he sat there dazed for a second.
Lightning. Naked. I saw.
I saw. Lightning. Naked
He finally managed to cough, " Sheets, Light. " He rubbed the back of his head where he had hit it on the wall.
Wow, I don't think I've ever seen her that flushed before...
What the hell am I thinking? Get out of here, Hope!
... I have to apologize for this. If she wasn't going to leave before , she certainly will now.
I. am going. to die.
Still... The way her eyes lit up - NO.
He stood up and hid behind the corner, curling up and staring at the wall. He prepared himself for the onslaught of screaming and ranting and name-calling, and the eventual departure.
It was nice while it lasted..
A couple minutes later, he heard the door click open. The click of death. That would be the sound he would hear before being bludgeoned to death.
She crept around the corner, and spotted him. He had his face in his hands and he just closed his eyes and fired out apologies as she glared down at him with frustration in her eyes. He peeked up at her and saw that her idea of PJ's was actually not so different from his, minus a girlish detail or two. A long, old T-shirt that hung off one shoulder, and a long pair of pajama shorts. But he didn't have time to focus on the look for long before he caught the death glare again.
Oh please, let it be fast.
Lightning looked down at the crumpled little form of a twenty year old man sitting there apologizing.
What is he apologizing for? Its not like he did it on purpose.
Unless he did.
No, he probably didn't.
...
... right?
She scooted over and sat next to him, looking over at the guilt swallowed guy sitting beside her.
" I might be willing to forgive you if you do something for me, okay Hope? " She started and he immediately grabbed her hand with both of his and pleaded for the task.
" A-anything! " He cried, eyes wide with fear. She was a little bit startled by it, giving him an odd look before it softened and she flashed him a smile.
" Tell me more about yourself. The real Hope, not the one who ' only got a little taller and shaggier ' " She quoted him in a dumb, guy voice.
" W-what? " He looked puzzled and he stared at her like she was beginning to mutate into some six headed creature.
" You heard me. " She told him, trying to sound serious but unable to pull it off very well .
This is a great way to guilt him into telling me...I don't like it when he looks guilty though. Two birds with one stone, I guess.
He sighed in defeat and rested his head against the wall. She took his hand and he smiled at her, and said, " What do you want to know? "
" The basics. " She told him with a smirk, looking down at his hand.
" Well...like I said before, I work with NORA in my spare time. I go to the coffee shop and do some chores there, just to earn some extra cash.." He looked around the room as if trying to figure out something else to tell her, smile fading again. He shrugged, " I don't know what else there is to tell. " He smiled at her once more and she felt her stomach flutter.
Hold it together. The interrogation isn't over just yet.
" Do you have any friends? "She asked, immediatley feeling stupid because of how she worded it, " I mean..other than Serah and Sazh and Snow..."
" I have a couple, but not very close. I think my closest guy-friend at the moment is probably Maqui . I don't think I could let any of my other friends near you, though. " He added with a certain finality to his voice.
" Why not? " She asked, puzzled but annoyed, " Is it embarrassing to be seen with an older woman or something? "
Hope broke out laughing, leaning on her for a second while he caught his breath before he answered with a tear in his eye, " No! " He looked at her, " I just don't trust them not to go super-creep on you. they are a funny bunch of guys to be around, but most of them hunt anything with legs. " He smirked. " And I already punched one of them out once before, I don't need you to give me another reason for bloody knuckles. "
She blushed, " I think I can handle myself Hope. " She must have come off more serious than she actually was. She felt flattered, in reality.
" Yeah, I- I know.." He frowned slightly and clearly she hit a nerve. Before she could ask what was wrong, he added on, " And hey! Your only a year older now, soldier! " He flashed her a challenging yet playful glare.
A year older...Maybe that's not so bad..
Hope told her everything she asked, from his relationship with the NORA members, to how he feels about being the solitary one in the bunch of his friends.
" Face it, Light. Serah has Snow, Sazh has Dajh, Maqui has Lebreau...Who do I have? " He asked with a simple shrug. It wasn't that big of a deal - he was used to being solitary.
" What about your dad? " She asked, fixing him with the same stare and making his face flush, even when he lowered his head he was sure it was still visible.
" He uh...he died three years ago. " He explained while looking back up at her, " Stress from work and...and mom.." His voice broke a little but he forced it to stay strong.
She just now started treating me like an equal. I can't go back to the sniveling little kid she found all those years ago...
She looked down at their hands - still locked together, to his relief - and then whispered, " I-I'm sorry, Hope - "
" You didn't know, it's fine. " He smiled at her. He had been forcing that same smile since everyone else had awoken from crystal state, but she hadn't. Since Serah and Snow tried comforting him when his father passed. He was more than good at making it believable, but Light just leaned against him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. He felt the blush menace rushing to his face again and he looked down.
Lightning did something unexpected then. She used her other hand to lift his chin to look at her, then she told him, " Its okay, Hope. I don't have anyone either. " He smiled at her small little gesture - bigger than anything she had done to anyone except her sister, probably - and nodded once.
They sat there in silence for a couple minutes before she looked up at the clock and sighed, " I think I should turn in, then. Can I go to the room without you peeking? " She asked with a playful shove.
" Yeah. The bed is all set in there now. " He stood as well and walking down the hall way with her simply because his room was at the end, but to the left. He stopped by the guest room door but forced down his feelings and turned to his own bedroom.
" Hey Hope? " He heard her voice behind him, and turned to see her peeking half way out from behind the door. She flashed him one of those rare smiles and said, " Good Night. "
" Good Night. " He waved to her with a grin and went to bed.
So there you have it. Totally re-done, much longer Chapter 2 for you :3
Hope this one doesn't disappoint you as much as the other one did T ^ T
I know its not PERFECT but.. I like where it is now.
Which means there will probably be more chapters to it :3 I have gotten mostly positive reviews and comments now, so I'm quite happy :D
If you guys have any ideas for more that you would like to see, feel free to send me a PM!