Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Square-Enix!
Pairing: SnowxHope
Warning: Contain Yaoi! Mature Content.
Thank you the-true-freya for reediting this story.
Chapter 6: Only You, Part 3
Snow's body went limp when he fell on the ground. His entire being was screaming in pain, especially the area around his chest. He felt his senses darken, his vision, the world was fading to black. However, the sensation was quickly pushed aside when a warm, soothing energy made itself known, counteracting the painful sensation. The pain slowly vanished as a gentle warmth continued to engulf his body. Snow slowly opened his eyes as some of his strength slowly began to return to his body. A pair of penetrating blues cringed at the sight beside him. Hope was crying. The blond's chest tightened, seeing the hurtful and emotional expression on the Hope's face. He raised his hands, cupping Hope's cheeks, wiping away the tears flowing those pale cheeks. The teen flinched from his touch before meeting his gaze.
"Snow!" Hope whispered.
"You're okay. Thank God." Snow said, forcing a smile on his face.
"You're an idiot, you know that?" Hope hiccupped as he rubbed away the stubborn liquid in eyes to get a clear image of the blond man lying on the ground.
"Yeah, I got that a lot." Snow chuckled merrily before grunted from a spike of pain within his chest. He closed his eyes, feeling a bit light-headed. Despite the fact that his wounds were now healed, his body needed rest after exhausting all his strength and losing so much blood.
"Snow?" Hope asked worriedly, seeing the man closes his eyes once more. 'Is he...? No, the cure spells should be working.' "Hmph." Came a soft reply from Snow. The teen felt relief overcome him, knowing the man was still kicking and breathing. Light was right, 'He is too stubborn to die!'
"Just let me rest of a little while." Snow's eyelids fluttered once, but stayed closed as he felt fatigue wash over his senses.
"Don't go resting yet!" A feminine voice called from behind Hope. The other members approached the two l'Cie on the ground. The silver-haired teen glanced behind him to see the rest of the party standing strong with a giant dead carcass lying at a distance, away from the party. "Hey, get up!" Fang poked the muscular man lying on the ground with her spear to wake him up. "You can rest inside the cave. It's much safer than here."
Snow peered up at her only because of the nagging weapon poking his ribs. The man glanced around, meeting each comrade's gaze, before he pushed himself up with his elbows. Fang and Sazh crouched down beside him and threw the man's arms over their individual shoulders before bringing the blond to his feet. They began helping the man down the dirt path, towards the cavern, with the other three l'Cie following their trails.
"You okay Hope?" Vanille asked. Both Lightning and Vanille glanced at the teen, noticing his quiet demeanor.
The boy's gaze met with the two concerned looks beside him. He glanced ahead and saw Sazh and Fang stop for a moment, still carrying Snow. They were both watching him intently. Snow also. The man gave him a reassuring nod. It seemed like everything had returned back to normal except for some minor adjustments which he'd sort out later. "Yes. I'm fine." The silverette said, giving them a genuine nod.
The fresh smell of the valley across the vast Steppe was quickly overpowered by the stench of rustic metal, crude oil and sulfur as the party of l'Cie stepped into the subterranean mines. The corridors were narrow and long, leaving the group with an unsettling feeling, uneasiness for the danger that lay ahead. Lightning, Vanille and Hope followed Fang and Sazh, who dragged their blond companion into the mines before placing him against the dirt wall near the entrance.
Snow made a grumbling sound, slumping his entire body against the wall before falling asleep when he didn't have the strength to keep his eyelids from closing. His body had recovered from the cure spells, but he didn't have the strength to stand on his own yet.
"So what's now? We cannot keep moving forward until Snow recovers." Vanille pondered, turning her attention to the group sans Snow.
"An early night's rest might do some wonder for us, don't you guys agree?" Sazh interfered.
"It's too early for a nap." Fang grumbled.
"Well, now is a good time to resupply on provisions." Lightning suggested. "And who knows when we might get another chance to restock when we enter into this mine."
"Then it's agreed?" Sazh asked, gaining the approval of the party.
"We pass a small spring not too far from here. We can resupply there." Lightning informed.
"Then let's go!" Vanille cheered.
"Hold your horses." Fang quickly grabbed her over optimistic companion. "It would be better if you stay here in case Snow woke up. He might need some more healing spells."
"Wait! I think it's better if I stay here with Snow." Hope, who had been silent the entire conversation, quickly interjected.
'...stay here with Snow.' Fang mentally rephrased those words in her head. 'So there is something going on between the two.'
"You sure?" Lightning asked.
Hope nodded.
"Okay. We'll be back in a few hours." The rogue soldier said, before walking towards the entrance with the others following her lead.
"Ciao!" Vanille cheered.
Hope let out a tired sigh and turned his attention to the blond hero, who was currently resting against the wall. He could feel a warm tingling in his chest. Snow had saved him once again. The man had only shown him kindness and he'd returned the blond's by being a jerk. Snow didn't deserved any of that. His green orbs snapped to the blond when he heard a slight groan slip out from Snow's mouth.
"Snow?" Hope said in a beat, already by the blond's side. A pair of weary cold-blue eyes fluttered opened, glancing around, looking confused at the area around them. Snow's gaze quickly fell on him, looking at him before the man pulled himself up on his feet. "Don't push yourself. You should rest." Hope quickly placed a gentle hand on Snow's chest.
"Where are we? And the others?" Snow asked, glancing around.
"We're in the mines. Lightning and the others went to gather some supplies." Hope stated, taking a seat beside the blond.
"Then you're okay?" Snow turned to the teen, smiling comfortably.
Hope looked bashful and nodded.
"That's good." Snow smiled, ruffling Hope's hairs.
"Snow... Thanks for saving me again." The teen said, a tint of red spreading across his cheeks.
"Don't sweat it Hope. I'll save you no matter what." Snow replied.
"And I'm sorry for acting like a jerk to you for the past few days." Hope added, clenching his fingers around the fabric of his pants. He's going to end all of this. He just wanted everything to go back to how things were in the beginning. "So let's go back to being best friends again."
Snow blinked. Hope and him could go back to being friends, but he didn't want that. Well the feeling in his chest was telling him otherwise. He clenched his fingers into a fist. "I'm sorry Hope, but I don't think that's possible." Snow said intensely, looking away.
"What do you mean? I don't underst-mphhh." Hope was quickly interrupted and silenced by searing hot lips. He was pushed against the ground, two arms wrapped securely and tightly around his middle. Hope's mind was running amok. Snow was kissing him. He gasped into the contact, giving the blond the opportunity to slide his tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss.
Snow expected their lip-lock to end with the silver-haired teen shoving him away, but he didn't expect Hope to wrap his slender arms around his neck, kissing back with enthusiasm. He smirked into the kiss when he heard a sweet moan eliciting from Hope's throat, which only encouraged him to ravish the teen more. After what seemed like an eternity or a minute, Snow pulled apart, leaving a slick trail of salvia connecting their lips. Snow gasped for air, his lungs burning for oxygen. He leaned back against the wall, his breathing ragged, but with a very special someone in his lap who was flushed from head to toe and was inhaling irregularly.
"Why did you do that?" Hope asked softly after regaining control of his breathing. He was staring intensely at the blond, feeling the heat pooling his cheeks.
"Because I wanted too, for a long time." Snow leaned forward, lightly butting his head against Hope's forehead. He refrained from smirking when he saw the redness brighten on the teen's cheeks. There was nothing more beautiful than silver and red. "You're absolutely too gorgeous to be kept from me."
"You think... I'm beautiful." Hope asked softly, flustering from what he just heard. Snow said that he was gorgeous. Does that means that Snow have feeling for him?
Snow nodded.
"Y..ou too." Hope mumbled weakly.
"What's that?" Snow asked smirking.
"You too. I think you're handsome too." Hope admitted with a permanent blush on his face. He was pulled into an embrace which he returned by sliding his arms around Snow's neck.
"I'll be by your side, no matter what situation we are in." Snow whispered. However, he wasn't expecting the teen to break away from the contact, gazing into his blue eyes keenly.
"What about Serah?" Hope asked as his face fell. He knew how much Snow loved for Serah and Snow saying stuff like he was beautiful was just confusing everything more. Back at the Paddra, Hope didn't want to listen to his feelings because he knew of the consequences if he did. The chances were small. He could never he part of Snow's life like someone like Serah. But now it was a little more different. Snow felt the same way as he does to the blond. But was it right? Could he come between Snow and Serah like that?
Snow scratched his head. He was waiting for the name of his fiancée to pop up sooner or later. What did he feel for Serah? Honest to god, Snow don't know what he felt for her. Serah, who was in crystal stasis, was gone from him forever and yet, his feelings for the pink-haired girl hadn't changed. However for the past few days, those strong, lingering feelings were easily shattered and blown away just by the mere thought of a particular silver-haired teen. "I don't know." Snow confessed.
"You don't know? What do you mean you don't know?" Hope inquired.
"It's like I said. I care for Serah, but I care for you too, Hope." Snow said, fishing the blue crystal tear out from his pocket. "I always turned to this crystal, looking for hope and strength, but for the past days I didn't needed it. Now I've found something I want to fight for... and that something is you, Hope."
Hope's face turned five different shades of red whilst his heart beat loudly in his ears. He never had someone openly confess their true feelings to him before. And the fact it was someone who he liked also, only make his skin tingle with heat.
"Did you hate it when I kiss you?" Snow asked, smiling when he saw the widened light-emerald eyes once again. Snow chuckled at the teen's naivety for almost forgetting their little one-on-one action a moment ago. The teen looked away, shaking his head in response. "Then you wouldn't mind if I kissed you again, would you?" Snow saw another opportunity and he was going for it.
Hope still had his eyes turned away from Snow's gaze, still blushing furiously, but nodded his head. He felt Snow's hand under his chin which guided his face to meet a pair of stunning blue orbs. His head was tilted and before he could blink, he was brushing his lips against Snow's once more. Hope groaned into the kiss, as two strong arms slid down his side before he was pulled against the man's muscled form. As curious as Hope could be, he now understood why the boys in his class were obsessed over getting their first kiss. It had been a mindless and trivial matter for Hope, who had always preoccupied himself with his books and club activities. Trying to get a kiss from someone in school was not one of his priorities, but at the moment, it was the most fantastic thing ever. His hands were brave enough to reach out, slipping them around Snow's neck for leverage, thinking for a moment that if he let go, he would fall to his death.
As brave Hope's hands were, Snow's hands were braver. His large calloused digits slid down to Hope's hips before firmly and gently cupped the ass cheeks that had been plaguing Snow's mind since the first day he laid eyes on them. He was gratefully rewarded by another sweet, tempting moan coming forth from Hope's throat which made him snarl passionately into the kiss, dominating and deepened the contact. Unfortunately, that's when their lungs failed them which, abruptly, made them break apart whilst gasping for air.
"I know everything is confusing right now, but give it time." Snow reassured, leaning down and giving Hope a quick peck on his lips. "All I'll ask is for you to be patient."
Hope nodded, gaining a smile from Snow. The chances were still small, but it was something. They remained there in each other embrace until-
"H..pe! Sn..ow! We..'re back." Vanille's voice vibrated throughout the tunnel, followed by another voice silencing the girl's. An amused chuckle passed from Snow as he intended to give Hope a quick kiss, which suddenly became more aggressive and demanding when Hope didn't want to break the contact. As much Snow wanted to spend the rest of his time making out with the teen, he was forced to break the connection, knowing full well that there some people in the group who wouldn't hesitate killing him for his actions.
"Remember my promise!" Snow whispered huskily in Hope's ear who made an approving noise.
"Hey guys! We found food." Vanille cheered when she was within eyesight.
When the party assembled with the two males, they stopped as they noticed something strange in the air. Snow looked way too happy for his usual self and Hope looked nervous, and much cuter with the redness on his face. Fang raised a suspicious brow.
"Hope, you're face is glowing again." Vanille said in a heartbeat.
"Wahhh-" Hope stuttered, his face now bright red. "Would you stop telling me that!"
Lightning rolled her eyes. How she ever survived this far with the people surrounding her, she didn't know. It was some kind of a miracle. She counted her blessings for Sazh and Fang who were sane enough to keep her from going crazy.
To be continued...
A/N: Finally, some action between Snow and Hope. The next chapter might get even better, if I say so myself *smirk*
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