A/N: I got a prompt in Tumblr asking me to write Hope and Lightning's first date in the new world, and as weird and outlandish as I am, I came up with a rather unique thing. By "unique", of course, I won't say it's good or not; it's just weird as hell. Not surprising coming from me.

In any case, it was really fun writing this one. Particularly the beginning. I guess you can't expect me write stuff like that in the... hm, let's say, usual, sexy way. May be warned, I'm the ultimate mood-ruiner. And I have to admit a certain episode from The Big Bang Theory inspired a line from the introduction.

On another note: a dreamhare is a bunny-like monster hailing from Final Fantasy Tactics A2. But since it's Final Fantasy all the same, I can borrow some monsters from different games and put them in the new world, right?

Fragments of Time

Date

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Lightning couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"A date?", she incredulously repeated. "You're suggesting in this precise moment that we go on a date? You're kidding me, right?"

Hope slightly blushed and looked away. It certainly wasn't the common procedure, asking Lightning on a date in their… let us say, current situation.

"Well…", the young man cleared his throat; the moonlight that came through the window allowed Lightning notice his blush deepened. "Okay, I know this might not be the right moment… but I'm serious, Light."

She stared at him as if she had never before seen him.

"Hope, we live together. We've been sharing a bed for two months, and…", Lightning made an eloquent wave encompassing both of them, "well, everything that a relationship implies, you know. And you're suggesting dates at this point?"

Hope awkwardly scratched his head.

"I know that, but… it's just that you and I never dated. I thought… maybe it'd be nice to do something normal couples do."

"Since when exactly anything in our relationship qualifies as 'normal'?", Lightning arched her eyebrows.

"That's why I'm saying it."

Lightning was about to reply, but Hope's answer left her speechless. The truth was, she and Hope had started living together from the very moment she came to his house two months ago. They both were well aware of what they felt for each other, so it was pointless to give much more thought on their relationship. They were in love, they were both adults, so why bother waiting? They'd waited for more than a thousand years to be together. That was enough time.

But, of course, that meant they'd also put aside some things in their relationship. In particular, the first stages of usual development.

"I know it's not necessary, and I admit it wasn't the best moment to ask you…", Hope muttered. "But I'd like to try. As long as you want too, of course."

She wasn't quite sure about it. One of the things she liked the most about her life together with Hope was they'd avoided useless cheesy courtships and sappiness overall; he was particularly gentle and attentive with her, but he let her have her personal space for long periods of time. In part, because he needed it too after his traumatic experiences in the old world.

But when she looked up, she saw Hope's lost-puppy-eyes staring at her. Lightning knew she couldn't resist that look, and inwardly cursed his ability to get his way every time.

"Right", the young woman yielded with a resigned half-smile. "You better gladly surprise me with something special in compensation."

Hope gave her a gentle smile, his green eyes bright, and nodded before resting his head on the pillow and curl up beside her.

"My case isn't even that serious", the young man said after a little while in silence. "I've heard of people who proposed to their significant one as they were–"

"You do that, you remain single for all eternity."

"I love you too, Light."

A few days went by without Hope bringing up again the subject, and Lightning came to think he had forgotten about it, that it had been a fleeting idea. Not that it worried her much, but she found herself feeling a bit disappointed. She wondered what Hope would've planned if he really wanted to go on a date with her.

However, an afternoon in which Lightning was home alone because Hope had to go to the university of the closest city –by train, since they lived amidst the countryside– to impart a class and wouldn't return until evening, the young woman's phone vibrated when she got a message. When she read it, Lightning blinked in surprise, and couldn't hold back a small smile once she understood.

"How about we meet in home's front door at nine o'clock? As long as you haven't changed your mind, that is."

So he hadn't forgotten, after all. Though coming from Hope, it wasn't surprising.

"You've still got the chance. Do I have to dress in something in particular?"

Hope's reply came quickly.

"No, what you're wearing right now will do well. Don't worry about that."

Lightning stared at the phone screen, puzzled. She didn't usually wear anything but her nightgown when she was home, and Hope knew it well. What kind of date did he have in mind?

She wouldn't find that out no matter how much thought she gave it, anyway. So she just kept writing the article for the editorial she worked for, glancing at the clock from time to time, growing more and more impatient as the time drew closer.

When it was five-to-nine, Lightning left the house and waited by the front door; Hope used to be quite punctual, and though she knew he wouldn't mind, she didn't want to keep him waiting. She didn't change clothes since Hope said it wouldn't be necessary, but she'd groomed herself a bit.

"Light?", Hope's voice said all of a sudden next to her; the young woman was startled, for she had been waiting for him to walk down the road snaking in front of their house. "I wasn't expecting you to be this punctual…"

"You scared me", Lightning looked at him quizzically. "Where do you come from? Didn't you come back by train?"

"Oh, um…", Hope seemed uncomfortable, and shyly smiled. "I got here a little early than expected, so I wanted to prepare some things. I expected it'd take you a bit longer to get ready…"

"What are you up to?", she asked, raising an eyebrow. Hope shook his head and smiled, somewhat more composed.

"Give me a moment to leave this inside and then I'll show you, okay?", he said, nodding to the suitcase and folders he always carried with him whenever he had to teach a class in university. "It won't take long."

Lightning shrugged and let Hope enter the house. She waited there for a couple of minutes, intrigued; Hope wasn't very prone to secrecy, but the truth was she hadn't come to know that side of him. Yes, it was undeniable both had –and she hadn't realized until sometime later– flirted a lot over the last thirteen days in the other world, but besides that she knew little about Hope's love strategies.

Then Hope came out again; he had taken off his jacket and tie, and put on the loose white shirt and baggy gray pants he used to wear at home. Lightning gave him a quizzical look, to which he merely smiled and extended his arm:

"May I, Light?"

She rolled her eyes, but smiled back and linked her arm with his.

"You're so classic", she told him as they began walking. "C'mon, spit it out, where are you taking me? You don't seem to have in mind a restaurant or anything like that."

Hope laughed.

"No", he replied with an enigmatic half-smile. "Actually, we're not going very far. You'll see soon."

As they walked through the meadow under the moonlight, Lightning guessed where they were going. She should've imagined, she thought. The small grove on a hill near their home; it was Hope's favorite place. She knew well enough some nights he sneaked there when he needed some time alone. She had been there a few times, but she preferred not going there so Hope could have his secret place free of unnecessary visitors.

The fact that he was the one taking her there was special per se. For another woman, perhaps a date in a small grove so close to home was nothing worthy of being called romantic. But Lightning knew Hope and how introverted he was; that he would open the very door of his secret place to her was quite the proof of trust.

"I see we're not going to the usual place for couples, huh?", Lightning told him jokingly, nudging him gently without unbinding her arm from his, once they ventured in the grove. Hope gave her a small smile in response.

"Of course not. You really thought I'd take you to dinner in an elegant restaurant with candles and stuff?", the young man looked at her, amused. "I'm classic, but not that much."

"You learn something new every day, they say. Well, how shall you surprise me tonight, Mr. Estheim?"

Hope smiled, his face lighting up in the darkness of night.

"I've been thinking about what you told me in the other world. You know, if one day we went camping, you'd roast a behemoth steak for me. See, this isn't exactly a camping trip, but we're lucky we live in the countryside and we don't have to go very far for it."

"Let's see if I got this", Lightning raised her eyebrows. "You've prepared all this for me to cook you the only thing I can?"

"Actually that's rather a collateral effect", Hope cheerfully laughed. "But don't you worry, I don't intend to make you cook for me. I thought, if you roasted that steak on the campfire, I could cook some of my specialties for you. We could say it's, um… culinary exchange?"

"You're hopeless, both you and your experiments", Lightning rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling, intoxicated by Hope's enthusiasm. "Well, I won't deny you've surprised me. Maybe I even prefer your idea of dating than the regular one."

They got then to a small glade between the trees, next to a little stream. Lightning knew the place, it was Hope's haven; she knew the young man had spent hours making the place fitting for staying there long hours, but last time she was there she was sure that wooden roof built on poles wasn't there, under which there were spread several blankets, a few books, some notebooks and his guitar. Galya's weather was overall rather wet and humid, so certainly Hope built that roof to protect his belongings from the rain. In the middle of the glade there was a pile of firewood stacked among remnants of previous campfires' ashes.

Hope gently released Lightning's arm at last, and without even turning around on his way to his shelter, he pointed to the stacked logs, and instantly a fire started to burn them. Lighting wasn't fazed by magic –much less when Hope had taken the habit of using it even for little things of their daily life– but she envied the ease the young man was gifted with to control it.

"Before coming home I went to the town to buy some food", Hope said rummaging through the blankets; his eyes shone with child-like excitement, "and I came to leave it here before going to get you. I'm better at cooking fish, but I also bought some meat… and the behemoth steak, of course; you don't have any idea how hard it is to get in this world, considering how many of them roamed Gran Pulse. And some vegetables too, they'll give the meal a nice touch. And–", Hope stopped short on his track when he pulled the bag out of the blankets and opened it to look at its contents. "Oh, no… No, no…"

"What is it?", Lightning asked, worried at seeing his smiling face turning into such an horrified expression.

"It can't be. Oh, no…", pale as paper, the young man began rummaging almost desperately inside the bag. "Don't tell me… oh, no…"

"Hope!", Lightning had to raise her voice to get his attention, and she knelt beside him. "What's wrong?"

He took a while to answer. Finally, he looked up at her and showed her the bag, his face shadowed by dejection and bewilderment.

"I… I'm afraid some animal took the liberty of enjoying our dinner in our place", he said with a sigh; when she peeked inside, Lightning found out there were only vegetables. "I should've closed the bag more carefully before going home… Look, it's even left the remains of the banquet in sight", indeed, just a little further, it was possible to see the pieces of paper used to wrap meat and fish on the grass. "How nice of it."

Lightning couldn't help it. When she looked at the remains of the dinner Hope had prepared and then looked back at him, she started laughing, unable to stop. Hope, pale and dismayed, stared at her with his eyes wide open:

"What are you laughing about?"

"Sorry, it's just…", the young woman made an effort to try regain her composure. "I know I shouldn't be laughing and it must've been hard for you to prepare all this, but… oh, Hope. You're a real case."

Hope didn't know how to react at first, with the dinner all ruined and Lightning laughing like that, but in the end he cracked a little smile.

"Well… At least we haven't run out of everything", he shyly said, pointing to the bag, and asked her: "Do you like vegetables?"

She laughed again, and gave him a wide smile to brighten up his mood.

"I'd rather have the steak, not gonna lie here, but if it's vegetables what we have, then we'll have to make the most of them before some dreamhare comes and steals them from us, too", she said, winking to him.

Hope reluctantly chuckled, glancing disappointed at the bag in front of him, and looked away.

"I know. It's obvious enough I'm terrible at planning dates. I shouldn't have asked you, Light. Not to ruin everything like this."

"Hey", Lightning put her hands on his shoulders to make him look at her; she didn't want to see him that sad, much less after watching how excited he was before finding out their dinner's fate, "listen to me. These are things that happen. Don't give it much thought, right? And don't you dare blame yourself or anything like that."

"But the purpose of all this was us cooking together, having a decent and special outdoor dinner without anyone bothering us…", Hope shook his head. "And for once I try doing something remotely similar to what normal couples do, I can't do anything but ruin it and not living up to your expectation of how our first date should–"

He couldn't continue, because in that moment Lightning sealed his lips with hers. He was completely caught off-guard, and let out a short gasp. Before he could even react, however, Lightning parted, her cheeks slightly flushed, but a warm smile on her beautiful face.

"Let's see now", she said, pretending to be deep in thought. "We have food we can cook together, even if it's just vegetables. We can therefore have dinner here outdoors, under the moonlight and by the campfire, with no one in sight. But even if we didn't have a single one of those things, I wouldn't mind in the least. For me, it'd still be a perfect first date. And you know why?", before Hope could reply, Lightning hugged him tightly and kissed him once more, briefly. "Because you're here."

He said nothing at first. His eyes went from wide in surprise to lighting up once filled with so much sweetness and love Lightning couldn't but feel her heart melting under his gaze.

"All the effort has been worth it just for this", the young man whispered, and then immediately his expression became loads more teasing. "Not everyday one hears you say these things, Light."

"You're such an idiot", Lightning laughed despite herself, getting off him with a playful shove. Hope landed on his back on the blankets, overcome by her physical strength as usual, but he laughed as well, his previous disappointment and dejection a mere echo of the recent past.

When Hope returned his attention to the food bag, he dug inside the vegetables, and his hands found something that until then he hadn't remembered. A wide smile formed in his pale, freckled face.

"… Hey, Light?"

"What's it now? You managed to conjure another steak with your magic to save the date?"

"I wish I had. No, but I forgot I put something in the bag that might be able to sweeten up the night", Hope showed her a couple of large chocolate bars and two cups. "How about we leave the vegetables for the dreamhare?"

Lightning smiled back, reaching out to grab a cup and a chocolate bar.

"Alright, Hope. Now you've just nailed the perfect date."