Authors notes: Hey everyone. This is my first attempt at writing a story and I chose to write one with my favorite pairing from one of my favorite games, Final Fantasy XIII by SquareEnix who owns the characters. I had a fun time writing it even though it also brought me moments of frustration - but I guess that's part of writing, yeah? A special mention to Daedulas (who has written two fanfics featuring the same pairing - check 'em out!) who not only inspired me to write my own fanfic but who also provided me with help when I got stuck or indecisive.

With that said, I hope (pardon the pun) that you enjoy this small story. Reviews and constructive criticism are highly appreciated.

The former group of l'Cie often tried to find some time between their busy schedules to get together and enjoy each others' company. Their adventure had ended four years ago when they completed their common focus, bringing down the fal'Cie Orphan, and with him, Cocoon. The so called 'nest of vipers' now floated above their new home – Pulse. However, they all started their own adventure shortly afterwards, trying to make a new life for themselves in the vast wilderness. The lower world once thought to be nothing short of hell on earth was a treacherous undertaking carried on by its new denizens, who had been doing their best to get accustomed to their new setting. On Pulse, monsters roamed freely, but most importantly, humans weren't catered to by the fal'Cie.

Of course, the people quickly learned that it wasn't nearly as bad as they had thought: for one, Pulse was absolutely beautiful with its exotic and colorful (and sometimes dangerous!) flowers, the green plains that seemed to stretch for all eternity, where cute little sheep and the big, yellow birds could be found by the water, seeking shelter from predators and simply having something to drink. Pulse also offered them other beautiful settings like the Sulya Springs, infecting everyone who visits with a feeling of serenity.

But it hadn't been an easy transition. People had needed to be evacuated from their former world, now encompassed in crystal by its two saviors. Things needed to be rebuilt. The group of friends all played their part in making life easier for everyone on Pulse, in their own ways. Sazh was an invaluable asset when it came to evacuating people thanks to being a trained pilot and having earlier accumulated some knowledge of Pulse and its terrain. The now married couple, Snow and Serah, energetic and happy as always, wanted to offer the people a place to relax every now and then. They erected a haven of sorts, by building a bar that was reminiscent of the one they had left behind on the beach in Bodhum. The former Guardian Corps soldier was in charge of keeping the people safe and secure, scouting the areas for any monsters that could cause any potential danger. Hope, young as he was, was studying feverishly with the hopes of one day being able to help people in his own way, once he had grown up.

They had all tried to make it for their reunion tonight, as it was a long time, too long, since they had all been gathered together. But as the date grew closer, one former l'Cie after another had to cancel their coming due to various reasons – mostly due to too much work piling up on them. However, a certain someone didn't mind this very much, even though he would have liked to see everyone together again. Hope saw this as a golden opportunity, a gift from the gods themselves, to get to spend some quality time not only together, but alone with the soldier, someone he had come to deeply appreciate.

They sat outside under the starry sky on the cold, moist grass. The wind was kind in offering them a slight, comfortable breeze every once in a while, as they shared a comfortable silence. Hope had found himself unable to stop gazing at the woman seven years his senior, as she sat but a few feet away from him, legs and arms crossed in an elegant manner. Luckily for him, she was staring down into the roaring fire they had set up, unaware of his eyes being directed at her. He often stopped to admire her beauty when they managed to get some time alone, time when he didn't run the risk of being caught staring at this beautiful woman by any others. Most importantly, he did his best to avoid her noticing his wandering eyes.

His cheeks gained a slight tint of red as his eyes made their way upwards from her smooth and toned legs that seemed to go on forever and ever, to her stomach and chest that kept moving to the rhythm of her breathing, and finally coming to a halt when they found their way to her perfect, symmetrical face. His eyes shifted from her piercing eyes that seemed to have the ability to see through everything, to her creamy, flawless skin, and from there to her pink, full lips that looked as soft as clouds and as sweet as candy – it was as if every single part of her worked in conspiracy to capture his attention. And capture his attention they did. Time seemed to stop whenever he was looking at her, as if only the two of them existed and mattered in the universe.

He thought about what they had all gone through but mostly, what she and him had gone through together. They had fought countless monsters, even the fal'Cie, in order to change their fate. They had gone through moments of despair and agony but also of hope and joy. They had survived, and during the time they had spent together trying to survive, they had established a close bond.

He continued musing about his first encounter with her and his thoughts about her back then. When they had first met, he had been intimidated by the soldier's strength and determination and her cold demeanour towards him. It had been such a contrast when compared to himself. Whereas he wanted to run away from danger, she had willingly thrust herself into it. When he found himself thinking about giving up, she would only gain further determination to see things through.

However, over time, things changed. After initially thinking about him as a burden that was slowing her down, she started seeing a part of herself in him. From then on, she had gradually become more caring and protective of him, taking on the role of a mother or an older sister. Slowly, she had started opening up to him, revealing knowledge of her that very few had the privilege of ever getting to know. And he was grateful about that. She had become his source of strength and courage to move on – he learned to take her words "It's not a question of can or can't. There are some things in life you just do," to heart.

As time went on, his feelings towards her started growing and changing as well. They had slowly turned from the kind of affection siblings share to something more. Something romantic. At first he thought it might have been a simple crush— that these feelings towards the beautiful warrior had come to exist due to his vulnerable situation mixed with the normal teenage hormones that were running rampant inside him. It didn't take him long, bright as he was, to realize that the feelings he harboured toward his guardian angel were deeper than your everyday crush, and they were here to stay.

Pressing on, his mind slowly found its way to the day he had protected the man he at first blamed for the death of his mother. As he was getting ready to face the mechanical beast, she together with a new companion had come in the nick of time to their rescue. Together, they had managed to dispose of their enemy rather quickly, leaving no one wounded. He remembered how happy, how relieved he was to see her again, safe and sound. During the short time (that had felt like an eternity to him) they were separated, she never once left his thoughts. He had found it hard to get any words out, and during his attempt he had been (positively) surprised by her quickly wrapping her delicate yet strong arms around him. She pulled him closely in for a hug, that in his mind, seemed to last forever as her sweet scent found its way to his nose. The feeling of her warm body, her chest pressing against him allowing him to feel her every breath, and her pink, silky hair brushing against his face had sent lightning bolts throughout his entire body. As his body started to rise in temperature, he felt that his cheeks had changed to reflect this newfound heat within him. However, it was her words that resonated strongly with him: she told him that she would protect him. That she would keep him safe. It was then that he promised to protect her as well. At least, he would try to do so to the best of his ability. But more importantly, it was then, during that warm, comforting hug, that he realized he lov-

"… Hope?"

His train of thought shattered as he snapped out of his thoughts, only to notice a pair of blue eyes looking straight into his own surprised ones. He got the feeling of being seen through to his very soul; that he was being engulfed by her piercing eyes that shone brightly, the fire reflecting in her gaze. The woman of his dreams was looking at him with eyes that held a slight curiosity, slightly amused, as if she was observing some interesting phenomenon. Yet, her face still held the same, calm, neutral expression as always, making it nigh impossible to read what was going on inside of her. His mind went blank for a split second before he felt his cheeks getting warmer and changing colors yet again.

"H-huh?" Hope stammered out, for it was all he managed to conjure up, even that taking a considerable mental toll on him.

"Are you feeling all right? It looks like something is bothering you," she asked, worried about his well-being.

"Y-yeah. I just got lost in my own thoughts, that's all... Trying to figure out what do about a problem I've encountered."

"I see. If you need any help sorting your thoughts out or just someone to talk to, I'm all ears," she said with what appeared to be a small smile on her lips, before turning her eyes back to the fire. Unfortunately Hope could not confirm that the beautiful smile was not just a figment of his imagination, as it disappeared from her lips far too quickly.

Hope let out an almost inaudible sigh as he thought about his situation. There was no way he could find the courage to tell her about the feelings he had for her. Not that he did not want to tell her, for he did. He wasn't even sure how she would react to his feelings, should he actually confess them to her. And being Hope, he was terrified of a negative reaction where he would lose contact with her forever; that imagining the worst case scenario. Even so, he wanted to tell her everything; he wanted to tell her so much that it hurt. He wanted to reveal all his secrets, all his doubts, his fears and all his hopes. He wanted to tell her how much he cared for her, how much she meant to him. That he would do anything to keep her safe, to make her happy. He just wanted to say -

-"I love you, Claire."

It took him less than a second to realize that he had said those words out loud, somehow forgetting to keep them in the safe privacy of his head. Embarrassed, he quickly looked up to see the woman he felt so strongly for looking at him with an expression of shock and flattery. Her eyes were wide and eyebrows slightly raised, a change in pace from her normal calm, neutral expression.

"Hope...! Wha-" she had managed to utter before quickly shifting her attention to the fire once again, her delicate hand holding a firm grip of her knees.

""No! I was just joking, to see how you'd react!" he tried to save himself, but as always, she could tell when he was lying by the look on his face, his awkward behavior and his trembling voice that barely held together as he forced a smile on his face.

"Hope... I don't..." she stopped in the middle of the sentence, unsure of what to say. She had almost said that she didn't have those sorts of feelings for him, that she didn't even know if she was capable of feeling any romantic feelings. She had stopped though, when she caught a peek of him, his eyes clearly showing the pain and embarrassment he was in, having witnessed her reaction and her last words having been "I don't...". An uncomfortable silence fell down upon them. As she tried to think of how to turn the young boy down in the most gentle of ways so as to not prolong his suffering, she began thinking about him and the times they had spent together. Suddenly, she became unsure of her intentions. Did she have to turn him down? More importantly, did she even want to turn him down?

The words had come as a shock to her. She had known that he at least used to have a crush on her years ago, back when they were still fighting to change the course of their fates. It'll pass, she had thought. She had thought the crush had only come to fruition by his need for someone at the time, due to the situation he had been plunged into and having lost his mother. It was only natural that you would be in a vulnerable state in that kind of situation. She had never thought that his feelings toward her would stay.

She never did mind the thought of him having a crush on her at the time as she thought that it would eventually disappear, and so she didn't think deeper into it. She had needed him just as much as he had needed her. While she had never told him, he had been the one thing that kept her recklessness in shack, that kept her alive. While he was with her, she had a purpose other than revenge – to keep him safe and to do that, she had to keep herself alive. She had been in need of someone to protect after thinking that she had lost her sister to a fate equal to death in her mind. Hope, who in turn was in need to be protected and kept safe due to being so young and vulnerable, had fit the bill perfectly.

Now, as she sat in front of the dancing flames, still in shock over the powerful words he had just uttered, she realised that not only had his feelings toward her stayed intact for so many years, they had also grown stronger, much stronger, with time. This sudden realisation caused her pale cheeks to rise in temperature, while she fought not to let their colour reflect this sudden rise in temperature, her eyes still firmly fixated at the playful fire.

She began thinking about what he meant to her. At first, she had thought of him as a helpless kid, a burden, someone who slowed her down and made it harder for her to avenge her sister. Gradually though, she had began seeing him in a new light. During their time together, he quickly grew stronger and more mature, much of it thanks to her guidance and support. She had been proud of him, much like a mother feels pride for her son as she watched him grow at a rapid rate.

She also certainly enjoyed spending time him. He had the miraculous ability to make her feel calm, make her smile and make her laugh with such ease, something no one else could ever dream of doing. He was also one of the very few people who didn't get on her nerves on a constant basis – 'like that moron Snow', she thought.

The two of them had come to share a close bond, something she didn't have with anyone save for her sister. She cared for him very much, but did she feel as strongly for him as he did for her?

In her eyes, the feelings she had had for him were those of a close friend. But now as she had begun thinking more about it, thanks to his sudden confession, she had started noticing that there was something else there, something more, something that wasn't just friendly in nature. There was something there that she had been too afraid to admit to herself earlier, due to a myriad of reasons: first of, there had been the glaring age gap, seven years, standing between them like a great ocean separating two whole continents. If that wasn't enough, there was also the problem with both having severe complexes that served to draw both of them closer to each other: Hope, with the need for a mother-figure, someone to look after and protect him as his mother whom he lost had done with such love; her, with the ever so powerful need to protect someone, like she had tried to protect her beloved sister.

The more she thought about it, the more she began to think that these two problems were something she had just created as a shield, so she wouldn't have to accept that she had develop feelings beyond that of friendship toward the silver-haired boy. Could it really be that she too had romantic feelings for him? As the thought entered her mind, she could suddenly feel a strange sensation in her stomach. It was an unfamiliar sensation, something she hadn't felt before. It made her nervous and slightly light headed, whilst her normally ivory cheeks began turning red, looking more and more like two suns just about to set. But it didn't take long for the pink-haired soldier to warm up to the thought...

She turned her eyes from fire to look at the young boy – no, he was no longer a young boy, but a young man, she corrected her thoughts – who was staring at the ground, looking mighty uncomfortable and embarrassed. Things were different now, she thought. He has grown up into a man and left his former child-like self behind. The age gap, while forever being seven years, was no longer an obstacle to stand between their feelings. Her face softened as she got up on her feet and started moving toward the embarrassed person with his head turned down.

"Damn, I really screwed up this time. How could I get so careless and just blurt it out like that? She's been sitting there for a while now without saying a word. I guess in the end, she doesn't share my feelings..." he thought with a sad look on his face, fighting to keep his eyes from watering up, afraid that what he had done would cause a great rift in their friendship. Even if he couldn't get her to be his, he still wanted to keep her as a friend as painful as it would be, seeing her every once in a while knowing that the feelings he has for her are one-sided, that she would never reciprocate his love for her – it would still be worth it, just to be around her, for she had the unique ability to make him feel safe, make him feel warm to his very core when he was with her.

Just as he was about to get up and apologise for what he had said, he caught a glance of her, noticing that she was now looking at him that something about her looked odd. The look of shock that had initially covered her face was now gone, having been replaced by a warm, caring look that he had only seen her sport once before, during their journey together to save Cocoon.

Hope found himself blushing wildly when he noticed that her pink, parted lips were starting to show a faint smile as her attentive azure eyes now found themselves staring directly into his. The fire was dancing on her pale skin as she slowly got up and elegantly started moving her slender body toward his, before gracefully positioning herself down next to Hope, whose body was almost frozen from the sudden turn of events. Before he noticed anything else, her left hand had gently been placed upon his trembling hands whilst the other one was softly caressing his right cheek.

"C-Claire, what are you...?" his voice trembled with emotion, still feeling very embarrassed.

Before he had the chance to say anything further, her lips, soft and smooth, had found their way to his dry, rough ones. Electric jolts were sent down his body as her lips gently massaged his upper lip in a very passionate manner, and he could feel his heart skip a beat before it started racing furiously. He could feel her fine, silky hairs brushing against cheeks that now resembled two pacific rose apples, as he closed his eyes. Hope couldn't believe what was happening. He had lusted for this woman for so long and here she was, her lips intertwined with his. Before their lips, now moist and shiny parted, he noticed an intruiging mix of sweet and sour on her lips, leaving him wanting more. Their faces remained close, allowing them to feel the warm breath from each other. Her scent, sweet and fresh with something fruity mixed in, floated heavier around him as her eyes bore deep into him with a loving expression.

She leaned over to his ear and gently whispered:

"I love you too, Hope."