A.N. This one's a bit shorter, so I just decided to upload it rn. Btw I completely ignore XIII-2 and LR here
The second time he confessed was literally right after they've saved the world. In the morning after his first confession he heard Snow whisper-yelling and Sazh scolding Lightning. He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but he was pretty sure that they'd heard his breakdown at night and thought Light made him cry. He and Light never talked -or even mentioned- it once up until their last battle with Orphan. And they've acted as if nothing has happened. Although Hope still felt a little awkward around her. If Light felt anything like that, she hid it perfectly well. Well, Light was a pro when it came to concealing her emotions. She literally taught him that. Between all these battles, Hope had some time to think about what Light told him. And he came to the same conclusion. Light was wrong. And he'll show her.
So when Lightning congratulated Snow and Serah and gave her blessing to their marriage, the group walked towards the pillar. Surely the people might need more help and maybe his father was already evakuated to Pulse too. Hope and Light trailed behind everyone, giving them a moment of 'privacy'. It was then that Hope decided this was a good time to talk with her. Taking a few quick steps, he stopped in front of Lightning, forcing her to stop, too. "Lightning." Said woman looked at him questioningly and tilted her head to the side. "About what I said before...In Oerba." At the realization, she took a step back and looked away. "I'm serious." Hope stepped closer, making her look at him. "I love you, Light."
Lightning sighed, looking away again and crossing her arms over her chest to build a wall between them. Of course Light would try to close herself off. "Hope, did you even listen to what I told you?"
"I did. And I came to the conclusion that you're wrong." Now she looked at him with a quite annoyed expression. "Look. I've been thinking and...I know why you told me all this. Of course I do. But you're wrong about my feelings. It's not just a crush. Or a phase I'll grow out of. And I'll prove it to you."
"Please don't..."
"I will take your advice, okay? I'm gonna live my life and meet new people like you want me to. And then we'll see how real my love for you is." But he could already predict that they won't vanish. "I wanna prove to you that I'm not projecting anything onto you. And in the meantime I'll try to become a man worthy of you." Hope shot her a grin, before turning around and following the others.
"Hope..." The boy didn't turn around, not even when he heard Light say his name. What stopped him were two arms wrapping around him and pulling him into a warm body. "For a smart boy" Lightning began, as she put her head on his. "You're pretty stupid." Hope had no idea what she meant by that, but she could be right with that.
"Yeah, maybe." Light kept hugging him for a couple more seconds, before she let him go and they both walked to the others. "Light, you don't hate me now, do you?"
The question seemed to have caught her off guard, as she's looking at him with big eyes. "No. Of course I don't hate you, Hope. We're partner's aren't we?"
Hope nodded, feeling a little lighter now. "I'm relieved. Do you think we can still hang out? I mean all of us?"
The woman glanced at him for a second before looking straight ahead again. She surely knew that all of them hanging out was just an afterthought and that he mainly meant Light and himself. "We'll have to talk with the others, but I don't see why not."