"Light. Do you love me?"
Did…did Hope just say what I think he said?
She glanced towards him and saw that his cheeks were very crimson. And he suddenly founded something fascinating on the floor.
Oh yeah.
Talk about an elephant in the room. But if nothing else it forced Lightning to finally confront her feelings about Hope.
Of course she swore to stand by him, protect him, keep him safe. So far the components were there. She knew that he would always be faithful to her and her teachings so fidelity certainly wasn't an issue. Nor would he ever leave her alone if she needed comforting and support. Damned if she ever let it show but Hope was very perceptive of her tells and always seemed to know when she was down. It'd certainly be nice to have someone to be there pre-emptively. Aesthetically they didn't need words. She knew how he looked at her and she certainly wouldn't put him down.
But then there was the age issue. And that was a little more complicated. Lightning had never been in lover herself either so it was difficult to figure out exactly what she was feeling without a frame of reference. But when she pictured herself and Hope it didn't look remotely out of place. In truth, it would have been awkward if either of them were older or younger. Of course there would always be those who would criticize but Lightning was incapable of caring less about what they thought. With Hope in her arms, everything else seemed a million miles away. She fully expected and believed that Hope felt the same way - Lightning could read him just as well as he could read her.
Well, that proves it. I love Hope. Guess I should tell him then.
Lightning reached forward and grabbed his arm to stop him leaving.
Hope glanced backwards and saw Lightning hand on his arm. Then he followed it back to look at her face. And what he saw surprised the hell out of him.
Lightning was smiling at him. Really smiling, with a look of genuine warmth and affection in her eyes - a far cry from the daggers he expected her to be shooting him.
Wait a minute…physical contact, and now she's smiling. Could this mean-
"I love you Hope."
Sensory overload. Hope could feel his eyes glancing around, could hear his lungs making short exhales. And he was almost positive he had the widest grin on his face. But he wasn't making these reaction consciously. Right now, his brain was still trying to process what he heard. It was almost incomprehensible, yet the meaning was abundantly clear.