#raihopu

[lockescoles]

MAKE ME CHOOSE (for anonymous) snerah or hopelight

[rainbowserenity]

if you’re seeing me reblog this post, Parsimony has updated! :D

[rainbowserenity]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Final Fantasy XIII Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hope Estheim/Lightning Summary:

Hope Estheim goes to sleep one night while living in 10AF, confident that his team in the Academy has reached a breakthrough after finding an Oracle Drive.

He wakes up the next morning....thirty-three years old and married to Lightning Farron in a new world.

GUYSSSSSSSSS this is my NaNoWriMo fic that I wrote in about three weeks last month! I spent the last week of November editing it and finally decided it was time to publish :D

there’s 15 chapters total and I’ll be posting one a week (not sure if I’ll link them to tumblr specifically unless anyone wants me to), so please subscribe to the madness!

this is the first multi-chaptered fic I’ve written in over a decade a;lsdkjf;lije

[rainbowserenity]

warning: this is basically pwp. I tried to give it something of a plot, but uh........the smut is just overpowering lmao I’m sorry ahhhhhhhhHHHH

The thing was, they were supposed to hate each other.

It had, naturally, been her manager’s idea, born from a moment Lightning saw as a minor irritation. She’d arrived well before the call time of her shoot, only have to have Fang shove a tablet in her face.

Lightning was used to looking at photos of herself. She was, after all, a model – one of the most sought out ones in the industry, according to her agent, and was the current face of luxury fashion brand LV. It was weird if she thought about it too hard.

This particular photo, however, was a candid shot taken at a party the night before. She hadn’t wanted to go, but apparently the world would have ended if she’d missed it.

Now she wished she’d listened to her gut.

“Look at this!” Fang had exclaimed. “Someone caught you lookin’ all pissed off!”

She wasn’t sure who had taken the photo, but it was a perfectly captured moment after some silver-haired man had spilled red wine on her dress. Lightning admittedly hadn’t paid much attention to who had done it, mostly because she’d finally had a perfect excuse to leave.

Apparently she hadn’t left fast enough.

“So?”

“So? So?” Fang barked out a laugh. “You got any idea who messed up your outfit?”

“I’m sure I don’t care.”

“Hope Estheim!”

The name hadn’t rung a bell at all, but according to Fang, this man – Hope – was an up-and-coming fellow model who was the new face of Pradya, another overpriced luxury brand. It’d been LV’s rival in the industry for years.

“So?” Lightning echoed.

Fang had been completely exasperated with this reaction. “Hello? Face of the opposing brand spilling wine on your expensive outfit? People are gonna see this and think rivalry. We’ll get the whole world talkin’ about you two!”

“And?”

“And in a season or two, LV and Pradya will do a sort of collaboration – with you and Hope as the faces! Public interest will skyrocket. I’m brilliant, yeah?”

Lightning had been trying to follow, but it was difficult. “So he’s supposed to be my...rival?” She rolled her eyes. “Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?”

“You’ll be thankin’ me later. Just do what I say.”

“Right.”

–

So Lightning did what she was told.

The ‘rivalry’ was set up during the next few months. She was forbidden to interact with Hope in any way – not that their paths crossed at all – and when asked about the photo of him spilling wine on her during interviews, she was supposed to act haughty and annoyed while somehow implying that LV was superior.

It was ridiculous, but considering she didn’t know the guy at all, it was easy to just go about her day and not think about it too much, though she did wonder if Hope found the whole thing as stupid as she did.

And then came the end-of-season party.

It was huge, as usual, with tons of her fellow models and lots of important people in attendance. Lightning only went because she was obligated to and wore a deep red dress that wouldn’t show any wine stains if someone decided to try something funny.

She hated this part of the job. Modeling was fine – she could use her image to bring awareness to issues important to her, and the money didn’t hurt either. But all of the schmoozing and parties and dealing with people?

No thanks.

When she’d made small talk for the last time she could stand to that night, Lightning quickly excused herself to try and find a place to breathe. She thought this would have been easy, since the party was being held at a huge, ritzy hotel this year. Surely there was a janitor’s closet or something she could sneak into.

But no – everywhere she looked, there were either locked door or too many people. She was fairly sure they were guests or staff since no one asked for an autograph or a selfie, but it was insane that she couldn’t find anywhere to take a breather. Was it too much to ask for a minute alone?

Finally, in a huff of annoyance, she stomped – quite a feat in heels – over to the elevator, which was blessedly empty. She’d ride it to the top and back down again, or maybe just get off at a random floor. She didn’t really care, as long as she could be alone for five minutes.

“Hold the elevator please!”

Apparently even that was too much to ask.

Lightning couldn’t help but scowl a little, extremely tempted to hit the ‘door close’ button, but she relented with a huge sigh and held the door, staring at the buttons with a frown, not wanting to give who was interrupting her peace the time of day.

“Tha….nks.”

The weird pause got to her, and she looked up just as the doors slid shut.

“...Hope?”

There he was, in the flesh, mere inches away from her. His eyes were wide with – fear? Panic? She couldn’t tell, but she was more intrigued by how his cheeks grew pink when she’d said his name.

“You’re, um – Lightning.”

“Yes.” She raised an eyebrow. “Are you under the same stupid obligation not to interact with me until that collaboration?”

He cleared his throat and nodded. “Sorry.”

“What?”

“For spilling that wine on you. We never would’ve been forced to do this if I’d just been watching where I was going.”

Of all the things he could have said to her, she had not expected that. Lightning turned and stared at him in obvious surprise. His cheeks grew even more pink, which was strangely mesmerizing.

“It’s…” She trailed off as she stared at him some more. Though they, of course, had not been near each other since the wine incident, there was something about him that felt weirdly comfortable. She felt like she could tell him everything – how she felt about their stupid ‘rivalry,’ her thoughts on the industry, things about her personal life – and he’d actually listen instead of it going in one ear and out the other.

But of course, she said nothing except, “It’s fine.”

He finally met her stare, the tiniest hint of a smile quirking the corners of his lips. Was that the kind of stare he used during shoots? She didn’t know – she didn’t follow his work or anything, but in that gaze, she could very easily see how he’d rose to stardom.

“I tried to apologize that night, but you walked off before I could.” He seemed a little more confident now, talking to her. Could he hear the way her heart was pounding, just from the look in his eyes? “Was that dress ruined?”

“No.” Her tone came out much lower than anticipated and she cleared her throat. What the hell was wrong with her? “No. I got the stain out.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You did?”

“I’m pretty good at housework.”

He smiled again, about to say something else, but the elevator suddenly lurched. Lightning was caught off-balance and she stumbled, her heels not keeping her upright.

Quick as a wink, Hope reached out and steadied her, one hand awkwardly gripping her arm and the other on her waist. For a heart-stopping moment, they stood there, afraid to move in case they both fell in a heap.

When the elevator didn’t budge, Lightning glanced up at the display. “Top floor.”

“I’m amazed it didn’t stop.”

“I know.” Her eyes slid back to his face, realizing at that second he was still holding onto her. If he was anyone else, she would have torn herself away the moment she was steady, but she felt frozen to the spot.

Hope’s arm slowly – almost too slowly – slid down her arm, his fingers leaving a tingling sensation on her skin. His hand loosely gripped her wrist and his other one curled in the fabric at her waist.

It was getting difficult to think. She needed to get back to the party or leave or something, but he had her pinned to the spot with that gaze. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was doing the same to him, somehow, but how was she supposed to look away from those eyes? They were such an unusual shade of green that complimented his silver hair perfectly – hair that she suddenly wanted to run her fingers through and tug -

As though she’d been waiting for it the moment their eyes met, it was such a sweet relief when he pulled her against him and crashed their mouths together.

Lightning had been in relationships before. She’d kissed her fair share of people, and it’d always been nice.

But it was nothing compared to how Hope’s lips made her feel.

There was nothing soft and sweet about it, just pure lust that thrummed through her core, sending fire through her veins and waking up sensations in her body she had no idea she’d been capable of feeling until now. A low moan escaped her as she scrambled for dominance, always one to take the lead, but Hope slammed her against the wall of the elevator with a groan, pinning her there with his body as he cupped her neck, seeking more of her lips.

It was dizzying and strange and so much, but she already couldn’t get enough. Vaguely, she wondered if it was the allure of forbidden fruit, considering she was supposed to stay away from him.

But no – it wasn’t just that, not by a long shot. No one else had ever made her lose her head with just a kiss; a kiss she hadn’t even known she’d wanted until he’d touched her.

She already felt so far gone. The elevator could open right now with all the industry professionals in the world on the other side, catching them in the act, and she wouldn’t have been able to stop. His tongue, his lips, his body – everything in her screamed for all of it.

When she hooked a leg around his waist, pushing his groin closer to her, Hope pulled away with a whimper. The sound literally made her tremble with desire – to think that she could make a grown man so far gone so easily, especially someone who likely had to keep his composure most of the time.

He leaned again, his teeth grazing the skin under her ear and gasping at the sound she made. “I have a room here at the hotel,” he whispered. “Would you care to join me?” He punctuated his question by rolling his hips against her, letting her know exactly what his intentions were.

Lightning knew there was only one answer.

“Please.”

That simple plea got another whimper from him and he looked away long enough to press the button for his floor before their lips met again, desperation growing in every kiss. She could hardly breathe for it and she couldn’t help but grind her hips against his, which got twin moans from both of them. The absolute need for his touch was getting alarming and if they had to wait any longer, she was going to go completely crazy.

By some miracle, nobody else needed the elevator and they made it to his floor. He grabbed her hand when the doors opened and they practically raced down the hall, stumbling from their shaky legs and empty lungs. How he actually managed to pull out his room key and open the door on the first try, she had no idea, but the second the door was shut behind him, their lips immediately met again in a clash of tongues and teeth.

“Bed,” she gasped out of the corner of her mouth, her leg lifting around his waist again.

Somehow he knew what to do and grasped her thighs, lifting as she hopped up and wrapped both legs around his waist, kicking off her stupid heels in the meantime. They groaned as their hips moved together with the motion and Hope carried her with a surprising deftness towards the huge bed. He set her down and practically fell on top of her, apparently needing to be as close as she did.

This wasn’t enough.

Naturally, being a model, she did tend to give a lot of thought to clothes, but right now they were such a damn nuisance. Hope was wearing a button down and slacks, which wasn’t much, but at the same time it was far too much. Even her cocktail dress suddenly felt way too confining.

She managed to pull her lips away and pressed them to his neck instead, taking immense pleasure at the sound he rewarded her with. Her shaky fingers clumsily undid the buttons of his shirt and she couldn’t help but kiss down the path of skin she created, her desperation clear with every movement.

To her momentary disappointment, he pulled away, but thankfully it was to pull his damn shirt off the rest of the way. It was likely an overpriced designer garment, but he tossed it aside like it was nothing but a piece of paper, his focus entirely on her instead.

She took the momentary pause to scoot up on the bed a bit more and he follow suit, straddling her as his lips trailed fire on her neck. Lightning’s head fell back a little with a shaky gasp, giving him room to explore. Her neck had always been sensitive and nobody else she’d been with had ever really bothered to find that out.

Clearly Hope was different.

She could actually feel the bruises blossoming on her skin, but she didn’t give a damn. Let him mark her, she thought. Anything, anything for this feeling. She never wanted it to stop.

While he lavished her skin, he also found a moment to unzip her dress. Lightning hurriedly tossed it aside with the same care he had with his shirt, leaving her in just her bra and panties...which, considering how tight the dress had been, left very little to the imagination.

Hope pulled his head away for a moment and

stared,

his eyes lingering on her chest and slowly tracing every inch of her body before his gaze met hers. The sheer lust burning in his eyes made her throb with need.

And yet, instead of the frenzied kiss and touch she was expecting, he simply stared some more and sat back a little, a tiny smirk on his face as his fingertips traced the inside of her thighs in an agonizingly slow manner. Her legs fell open of their own accord, so slick with desire that she could feel it. All she wanted – needed – was for him to touch her.

Apparently he was in no rush all of a sudden, however. He ignored the way her skin visibly shivered under his fingers, how her breath caught in her throat, the sheets twisted in her grasp. It was ridiculous how they hadn’t even really done anything and she already felt like such a mess. How could one person drive her into this state with hardly any effort?

Just as she was about to ask if something was wrong, Hope grinned wickedly and shoved her panties aside with one hand, the other slipping his fingers inside her.

Lightning immediately cried out, her back arching off the bed as she scrambled to touch him, just needing to feel him. He seemed to rightly take that as a good sign and moved his hand into an easy rhythm, her hips rocking as she continued to gasp with pleasure. It was like she couldn’t feel her body at all and it had disappeared to mere sensation.

He lowered his head, kissing her breasts through the sheer fabric of her bra and she didn’t even care that she was still wearing it, she didn’t give a damn about anything except the way he was making her feel. His fingers moved so easily and it was so good, so damn good…

She gripped his hair, tugging on it slightly and gasped at his moan. It was too much and not enough, she didn’t know because her vocabulary had dwindled down to a plea. “Don’t stop, don’t stop, please - ”

And then he moved his thumb just so.

Lightning let out a sound she had no idea she’d been capable of – a kind of cry that was a moan and a little scream, or maybe she gasped. Her hips jerked against his hand, completely out of control, and all that kept her rooted to earth was her hand gripping his hair.

Hope sucked at her neck as she writhed against him, groaning when she pulled his hair. As though he knew she was breathless anyway, he lifted his head and kissed her in the middle of everything. Her body was so alight with pleasure that she barely had the mind to kiss back, a sharp gasp escaping her when he pulled away and stared.

If she’d thought there was lust in his eyes before, that was nothing compared to the stare he was giving her now. Honestly, she wouldn’t have been surprised if singe her with that gaze  - fire burned in his eyes, so desperate and needy and longing.

He slowly slid his fingers from her, his eyes on hers the whole time. Then, quick as a flash, he straddled her and rocked their hips together, both of them groaning in unison at the sensation. “I want you,” he practically growled, still moving his hips in that tantalizing motion as he slipped his hands under her bra to grope her breasts. “Please Lightning, I want you so damn bad...”

She almost wanted to laugh. Apparently it wasn’t crystal clear that she was putty in his hands, and somehow, he demand for permission just made her even more desperate.

With a sharp tug, she brought his face up to hers, initiating a kiss that fanned the flames sizzling through her veins. Out of the corner of her mouth, when she dared to pull away, she managed to murmur her answer.

“You have me.”

The noise Hope made in response made her toes curl in anticipation. He tugged her up just enough to fumble with her bra hooks for a minute. She eagerly tossed it aside and her hands immediately went to his pants, trembling so hard as she undid them that it was a wonder she didn’t nick herself on the zipper. He kicked them away like he was offended by them and their underwear quickly followed suit.

Finally they were as naked as the day they were born. It was almost a relief to fully feel him against her, their mouths and hands groping, kissing, touching – god, she loved the way he touched her; so deliberate and sure of himself like they’d done this hundreds of times before.

She wanted him. She needed him.

Eagerly, Lightning pushed at Hope’s shoulder and flipped them over in a tangle of limbs, scrambling up his body so she was the one straddling him. He looked momentarily surprised, but definitely pleased, his breath visibly hitching in anticipation.

They’d already gotten each others' permission and she didn’t want to wait any longer. She was already throbbing with need again, and therefore had no hesitation as she lowered herself onto him, sheathing him inside of her.

The feel of his fingers was nothing compared to this.

They didn’t even give each other a second to adjust, which was just fine with her. He immediately thrust into her and she met him perfectly, wondering how the hell it could be this damn good with someone she barely even knew.

Her hands wandered over his lean chest, scratching into his skin every time his thrust was just right. Likewise, his nails dug into her hips, gripping her like a lifeline and tightening his hold every time he gasped. When she started getting particularly vigorous, he hooked his legs around hers and flipped them over, barely losing momentum in the process.

She didn’t even care. She was chasing that desperate high and wanted it so damn badly, but she also never wanted this to stop. Her nails dug into his back and left trails on his skin and she couldn’t resist sucking at his chest and neck. Let the makeup artists find them, damnit.

Lightning could tell that he was struggling to hold on, that his release was so close but he didn’t want this to end, either. It wasn’t just her who had never felt this kind of pleasure before, so intense and perfect with her skin tingling and her toes curling and everything in the whole world dwindling down to how he was making her feel. It was fast and hard and overwhelming and amazing -

Her hips suddenly jerked again, practically thrashing against him as pleasure consumed her in a way that she’d never experienced. Her very being was no longer skin and bones, but nerves of fire that took over everything. She cried out his name over and over, babbling in a way that was completely unlike her.

Hope groaned at her reaction and he thrust into her so hard that all she could do was hold on. Vaguely she heard the headboard bang against the wall as he moved, and any other time she might have been embarrassed, but now she didn’t care if the whole damn world heard them.

“Light - “ he cried out in a strangled tone, his hands groping her body desperately. “I need - ”

“Do it.”

When he came, she saw fireworks behind her eyes, the aftershocks still coursing through her. Their lips frantically crashed together as they both rode it out, though Lightning had no idea how she would ever come down from this high.

It seemed like a long time before they finally stopped moving, sheer exhaustion taking over. She could still hardly breathe and her heart was pounding so hard it made her dizzy. Their lips brushed together and it was so damn good that tendrils of desire were already curling within her.

Hope moved his head a little and kissed her neck again, lazily trailing his lips to her ear. “I’ve been wanting to do that since I spilled that wine on you.”

Lightning raised an eyebrow, though of course he couldn’t see it. Any other time she might have brushed off such a comment, but after the way he’d made her feel, she was stupidly glad that he’d had such a desire at all. “Was it worth the wait?”

“Yes,” he answered immediately, lifting his head. He stared at her, the lust in his eyes still there as a gentle flame rather than blazing. “Oh yes. In fact...” He kissed her, his tongue slightly against hers as he rocked his hips teasingly. She moaned into his mouth, already gasping when he pulled his lips away. “I have a late call time tomorrow, if you wanted to spend the night.”

She raised her eyebrow again, trying to look stern, but it was difficult when his hands were wandering again, one slipping teasingly in between her legs. All she wanted was more. The idea that she was supposed to hate him seemed so ridiculous.

There was no doubt in her mind that they’d be able to break the headboard tonight.

“With pleasure.”

[lockescoles]

MAKE ME CHOOSE: Anonymous asked me: Hope/Lightning or Snow/Serah ?

[rainbowserenity]

“Hope, wake up.” He groaned instead, though his face was buried in his pillow and the sound was muffled. Wake up? It was still dark outside! Surely his alarm wouldn’t go off for another hour or so...

Immediately as he thought this, someone shook his shoulder, trying to jostle him up. The touch was immediately familiar and his sleep-addled mind finally began to clear.

“Light?” His voice was still husky with exhaustion, but he lifted his head and blearily opened his eyes. His wife was staring at him with an extremely expectant expression. “Is something wrong?”

She smirked and pushed him a bit so that his lips were easily accessible and he eagerly returned the kiss she gave him. While that was awesome, it still didn’t answer his question.

Thankfully, she gave in to his confusion when she pulled away. “It’s the fifteenth.”

“Uh...”

“And it’s five in the morning.”

Because he’d been awake for about a minute, it took him a bit before Lightning’s words even registered, never mind the meaning. Apparently that was a minute too long, because she huffed impatiently and crawled out of bed to find clothes. It was only when she tossed on a dress that he finally sat up and remembered.

“Oh, yeah! We’ve gotta hurry!”

She chuckled and gave him another kiss. “Meet you downstairs.”

It was only another few minutes before Hope did just that, and they were out the door just a little while later. Luckily, the store was only a couple of miles away. They’d get there even faster since there was practically nobody on the road this early.

“I think we’ll get a good selection this year.” Lightning had her hand on his thigh as he drove. It was very distracting. “We’ll get to the registers just as the computers update.”

“Definitely.” Hope swiftly pulled into a space in the nearly-empty parking lot. He and Lightning quickly shuffled into the twenty-four hour store, ignoring the glazed eyes of the employees that barely spared them a glance.

After years of this particular tradition, they could find the seasonal aisle in their sleep. When they got there, some more employees were already putting out stock for the next holiday....but half the aisle was still pink and red.

It was the best way to celebrate the holiday:

Clearance Valentine’s Day candy.

Over the years, they’d gotten this down to an art. Midnight was too early for the store to put the candy on clearance since they typically did a shift change. Once they did make it official, it always took a bit for the computers to update. Five in the morning was the sweet spot.

It was for this reason that Hope hadn’t done anything special for Lightning for Valentine’s Day in years, except maybe give her a card. They didn’t need a holiday to be romantic, anyway. 

But when that holiday involved candy that was up to ninety percent off and your wife had a secret sweet tooth, Hope figured he could handle such an out-of-the-box way of celebrating. The best part was getting home with all their loot, which usually included more chocolate than a normal person would eat in a year. Then they’d proceed to lounge on the couch, going through it all and having candy for breakfast. It was perfect, especially when finished off with a few more kisses, their lips tinged with sugar and chocolate.

Sweet.

[rainbowserenity]

uhhh so this is @comeonlight and @lightning4ever‘s faults 8))) I didn’t expect to write anything else this year due to massive amounts of stress, but....this happened. it’s silly but also kind of nsfw?? idk but HAPPY HOLIDAYS, here is some OTP ridiculousness and here’s to hopefully more in 2020! I love you guys, thank you all for the support you’ve given me and keep giving me <3333333333

--

The thing about having game night at Fang and Vanille’s place was that the size of the place was immediately obvious when they all gathered. It was fine for two of them, but nine people? It was a wonder the floor didn’t cave in.

They all usually got around this by having Snow sit on the floor, while everyone else crammed onto the loveseat and couch. Sure, there were extra chairs, but they were at an awkward height for the coffee table - not to mention that Fang and Vanille had an ever-changing roster of foster animals that like to use the chairs as beds.

So whenever game night happened at Fang and Vanille’s place, Lightning swallowed her pride and would do something she never thought she would ever do:

She sat on Hope’s lap.

It worked out, for the most part. After all, they were a couple, and stuff like this wasn’t out of the ordinary. It just....well, had a massive PDA vibe to it, and Lightning wasn’t one for that kind of stuff.

But these were their friends and it was better than sitting on the floor. The others teased them for a bit, but after the first few times, Lightning started looking more and more forward to those nights they’d drink and play cards at Fang and Vanille’s, because she’d have a dumb excuse to stay close to Hope without it being weird and obvious.

Sappy? Yeah. But Hope seemed to love those nights as well. She got used to having his arm slide around her waist, or his chin on her shoulder. It was comforting.

"Comfy?”

Lightning nodded. “Are you?”

He grinned. “Always.”

They were two hours into a card game and they were all relaxed and happy (and in Sazh and Fang’s cases, pleasantly buzzed). Lightning had even found herself huffing with laughter at one of Snow’s stupid jokes, which was quite a feat.

However, at one point, she was aware that there was something growing a bit uncomfortable. She kept moving around on Hope’s lap, struggling to find the best way to sit without making his legs go numb.

It wasn’t until she heard Hope suck in a quiet breath that she realized what was happening.

Oh.

Oh.

Lightning turned to face him a bit. Hope was gripping the back of the couch like a lifeline. She could tell that he was calling on every possible ounce of concentration to keep a neutral expression on his face, but there was no hiding the fire in his eyes when their gazes met.

She glanced away and swallowed heavily, struggling to keep her own expression level. It didn’t help when Fang took once look at them and started snickering, though luckily everybody ignored her.

There were, of course, a bunch of ways this could turn out:

One, they would ignore this like adults and keep hanging out with their friends. A plausible option, Lightning thought, although she had a feeling Hope would vehemently disagree.

Two, they could duck out early and leave, knowing Fang would probably laugh and spill the beans, but who cared? Maybe Hope had a teenage fantasy of having a quickie in the car. Lightning never had, but then again, she never thought she’d be in any sort of romantic relationship, so anything was possible.

Three - and this was by far the worst option - they could be totally obvious and sneak off into the bathroom. Or maybe Hope could sneak off in there alone, although his slack were very loose and comfortable and left pretty much nothing to the imagination.

Lightning was trying to think of a fourth option where she just sat here all night until Hope, uh, calmed down, when Fang suddenly got up from her spot on the couch.

“Yo, Sunshine! C’mon, you and me and Serah should go for a beer run, yeah? We’ve gotta restock, anyway.”

“Uh.” Lightning stared at her, knowing exactly what she was doing. However, the not-so-little predicament under Lightning’s lap was having an extremely curious effect of turning her mind to mush. If they hadn’t been surrounded by their friends, there was no doubt in her mind that she’d been moving her hips juuuust right...

“Store’s just around the corner. We’ll be back in plenty of time.” Fang smirked.

Everyone else was staring at them now. Clearly Noel and Serah had figured out what was going on, because Noel looked extremely awkward and Serah seemed about to burst with giggles. It was only a matter of time before the others caught on.

Would Lightning let herself be embarrassed this way? Hell no!

“Sounds good. I could use the walk,” she replied.

Then, in a move only befitting of a former solider, she swiftly stood - ignoring the quiet noise of protest Hope made - and slammed a pillow in his lap in the span of about half a second. Obvious, yeah, but if no one saw anything....

Fang’s shoulders shook. Now even Sazh was trying not to laugh. Maybe the pillow really had been too obvious.

Hope cleared his throat, sitting up a bit and hugging the pillow to himself. “We’ll just hold down the fort here. No big deal.”

Now Fang barked out a laugh. “You should come too, Hope.”

Bad, bad, baaaad choice of words, Lightning thought. She was about to retort when Hope suddenly stood, still holding the pillow casually at waist-level, if one could even do such a thing causally. “I, um - I need to use the restroom.”

“You need the pillow for that?”

For some reason, that was what made Hope finally blush. “I need it for....back support.”

The Goddess had no mercy on them, because Snow joined in the conversation. “Is that what they’re calling it?” He snickered. “I thought Light was you ‘back support’.” He made air quotes, like anyone could possibly not understand.

“Yeah.” Fang laughed again. “You gonna leave her hanging?”

There was a pause where things were nearly quiet - or would have been, without everybody snickering or trying not to laugh.

Then, to Lightning’s absolute shock, Hope suddenly grabbed her hand and yanked her across the room, shoving them both into the tiny bathroom and slamming the door behind them.

The catcalls and whoops were just barely muffled by the closed door. Lightning knew she probably should have been embarrassed and annoyed and whatnot, but Hope was staring at her with that fire in his eyes and that was all she cared to focus on.

“Hope - ”

“I can handle you sitting on my lap, Light. I’m not some kid who can’t control himself.” He leaned in close and caged her between his arms, her back against the wall. Her traitorous hands went to his waist, skimming the waistband of his pants, to which he leaned in and let out a low groan next to her ear. The noise shot heat between her legs so quickly that she lost her breath for a second. “But for some reason, tonight...I just couldn’t focus on anything but you. And then you kept moving and all I wanted to do was bring you home and keep us in bed for the next week.”

Even before they’d started their relationship, Lightning had been very aware that Hope was an adult. She did occasionally have fleeting thoughts of when he was a shy but determined teenager who knew nothing about the world, and those thoughts were always met fondly.

It was times like now, however, that she was very aware that he was very much an adult....and she was very much attracted to him.

“You still could,” she replied in a low, breathless voice. Her hands were trembling to unbutton his pants. “They’ll already know what we’re doing in here.”

Hope flicked his tongue against her ear and she moaned, trying to keep it down. The sound apparently made something in Hope snap and he grabbed her legs, lifting them up so she could hook them around his waist. She let out a sharp gasp, their heads instinctively turning to seek each other’s mouths in a desperate kiss.

“I can’t wait another second,” he growled against her lips, and there was something about him manhandling her that just left her gone. They shoved aside just enough of their clothes and it was all she could do just to hold on, not caring about the muffled sound of their friends right outside the door. All it did was remind her to try and stay quiet.

“Later,” Hope murmured against her ear, gripping her thighs tightly like that was the only thing keeping him upright. “Later, when we get home, I’m gonna drag you to bed and do things with you so that you can’t help but scream.” He moaned, not doing as well to hide the noise as she was....not that she was being all that quiet. “Do you want that, Light?”

“Yes,” she gasped, one of her hands gripping his hair. Her fingers twisted in the strands and her head fell back, knocking against the wall, but it felt like nothing compared to what he was doing to her. “Yes, please - !”

They needed to keep kissing in order to stay quiet, but it was impossible when her breath was continuously taken away. It was ridiculous - they were in a tiny bathroom, their friends were right on the other side of the door, and they were both in for the most embarrassing moment of their lives when they came out.

But god was it worth it.

When they’d finally come down from the high and she was able to stand without her legs feeling like jelly, they rearranged their clothes and Hope fixed his hair somewhat. The bathroom door creeeeeeeaked open.

Seven pairs of eyes instantly swiveled towards them.

Hope cleared his throat. “I, uh - ” Cough. “I have an extremely complicated series of buckles on this pair of pants. It requires three hands and a lot of effort.” Lightning thought of how easily she’d undone the zipper and wisely said nothing.

“Sure.” It was Fang who replied after an incredulous pause. “And I’m bettin’ those buckles were very entertaining.”

Serah was the first one to start cracking up. It wasn’t long before everyone - even Hope and Light - followed. Sure, she was embarrassed and they would never hear the end of it. Maybe she’d regret letting hormones, of all the crazy things, get the best of her.

But that repeat performance she’d been promised?

Worth it.

[rainbowserenity]

How many times would she be forced to witness despair?

Lightning supposed such a thing was inevitable when you were in the one place where all time was born. She could trace every possible timeline with little effort, and all the possibilities meant that not all of them could be happy.

But this was simply cruel.

She wasn’t sure when, exactly, she’d started watching Hope - not that she’d be able to pinpoint a date in Valhalla - but at some point, she’d found herself wanting to guide him as much as she tried to guide Serah. It was easier, somehow, to leave things in Serah’s hands. After all, she had Noel and Mog watching out for her and could hop through the gates with no resistance.

Hope had no such luxury, though. Going through time was no simple task for him, which meant he was often forced to live through whatever paradox that timeline held.

The first time she saw him die, he’d stepped out of the spotlights in Yaschas Massif and had gotten mauled by a Behemoth. The sigh of his mangled body had left such a wake of fear in her that she’d very nearly left Valhalla, even though there was nothing she could do in the realm of the living.

If she’d screamed then, well...no one was around to hear her.

Fortunately, Serah and Noel had corrected the paradox involving the eclipse and Hope lived in this new timeline. Nobody remembered his death at the hands of a monster.

No one but her.

The second time she saw him die was one they were all made to witness - the proto-fal’cie turning on its creators and destroying them all. Though Lightning knew this wasn’t the correct timeline (after all, fal’cie had no place in human lives anymore), she still cried out when made to witness it.

That idiot, she thought, ignoring how her heart hammered in her chest. He was too smart for his own good. Who knew it would come to turn on him?

Serah and Noel had been able to correct that paradox as well, just as Lightning knew they would. Because of that, Hope was able to travel forward in time without a gate....closer to his goals. Closer to Fang and Vanille.

Closer to her.

While he was in that long, deep sleep, Lightning managed to find his dreams. It was easy since he’d stayed asleep for nearly four centuries, but it warmed her in an unexpected way because it also meant that his heart was open to her.

Meddling in the living realm from Valhalla was forbidden, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t guide him, as she’d done with Serah. Talking to him in his dreams felt....softer, somehow. It was easy to feel what was in people’s hearts from Valhalla - Serah’s love for her was pure and familiar. Unconditional.

What surprised her was that she felt the same unconditional love from Hope, but his was so different. Intense, maybe. It was the kind of love someone could find themselves drowning in.

She couldn’t let herself go under. Not yet.

Instead, she assured him that he was on the right path. He needed to keep going, they all did. Things would work out and then, maybe by some miracle, they’d be together again.

Instead, when he woke up, she saw him die again.

It was because of his assistant, who was a paradox in herself. She hadn’t directly caused Hope’s assassination, but Lightning could tell she was involved. Because of that woman, Hope was shot in the back of the head, all because he kept his eyes front.

That paradox was complicated. In one timeline, she sent Snow to find Serah so they could help resolve it. In another, Serah and Noel left through a gate with a corrupted artefact.

But it didn’t matter. Serah and Noel turned out fine, she knew. It was Hope who didn’t have a chance if he didn’t live.

How could she have possibly known that she was praying for life for the wrong person? Hope was meant to live. The timeline was always fixed so that he did. Maybe it was for a reason she hadn’t yet seen. Maybe someone besides Etro had a plan for his future.

Or maybe, she wondered, he was just destined to bring them together again.