...That didn't sound right. Hope felt like he shouldn't be on the receiving end of this conversation - like he's switched bodies with someone that Lightning really loved. So his next utterance didn't come as much surprise to either of them.

"W…w-what?"

"I said I love you Hope Estheim."

Sensory overload again. Somewhere in the back of his head Hope knew that he must have had a really goofy look on his face. But at the same time he didn't care. Because he knew that she didn't care either.

Wait, what's happening to her face?

Hope realized it was slightly larger now than it was a moment ago. On top of that her eyes were nowhere near as open as they were before. And her mouth with a little contorted. Twisted, even.

No. That's impossible. That could never happen to me. Any second now Snow's probably gonna wake me up and tell me we're leaving. Or I'll remember I'm supposed to be fighting right now. Or my fever will break and I'll stop being delirious. I mean, this isn't happening right? There's….just no way this could possibly happen in a million-

Hope didn't have time to finish the thought before he felt a set of lips pressed against his. For a brief instant everything froze. Slowly, Hope was able to digest what was going on, and soon threw himself into the kiss.
The sensation was unlike anything he had experienced before in his life. Light's lips were so very soft, with a hint of strawberry. Her movements were smooth and comforting. Hope tried as hard as he could to make the kiss enjoyable. He relaxed his muscles and tried to follow Light's lead, gently tracing invisible patterns on her lips and trying to avoid bumping her nose. When he felt a hand clasp at hairs on the back of his head he reciprocated with a hand on Light's cheek. Hope wasn't quite sure what he was doing - it was his first kiss after all - but he enjoyed taking little cues from Light, and she seemed to be enjoying it too.
Unfortunately their mutual need for air got in the way of things. They separated, breathlessly, and gazed deeply into each other's eyes. They both knew. The first kiss was just a formality. Now's where it would get interesting.
Leaning forwards, Hope could feel a sense of urgency from Lightning this time but wasn't quite sure what to do about it. So he tried running his tongue along the edges of Light's lip and felt her mouth open to him. Ecstasy filled him as Hope deepened the kiss, teasing Light's tongue with his won. It felt a little weird to have something warm and slimy inside his mouth, but it was something Hope easily felt he could get used to - especially with more training from Light.
Needless to say, he was no match for Light's technique and skill but he tried to give as good as he got, mimicking her movements and sensually holding her chin. Hope just couldn't get over how incredibly soft she was, and her taste kept pervading him in the most seductive manner. He was putty in her hands.
Hope wasn't quite sure how long the kiss had lasted - minutes and hours had lost all meaning. But what he did know for certain was that he never wanted it to end. Unfortunately his lungs objected again and he had to take in air. Staring into Light's eyes, he couldn't explain why he felt this way but he knew deep in his heart that he loved her just as much as she loved him and would gladly give his life to protect her.
Sometime later they fell backwards together onto the sofa and sat in each others arms, a comfortable silence looming.

"I wish this moment would never end Light."

"It's Claire."

"What?"

"My name - it's Claire. I figure if you love me and want to be with me, then you deserve to know my real name."

"You're certainly right about that. I do love you Claire."

"And I love you too Hope."

It took a long while but they finally knew how they felt about each other. They would stand by each other come hell, high water or any Fal'cie foolish enough to cross their path. From the outside in, it might have seemed twisted and perverse. They knew, however, that it was the greatest and best thing that ever happened to either of them their whole lives.
In an insane world, it was the sanest choice.

And that's all folks.
I might be tempted to throw in some sexual content if there's any call for it, but it may take me a while to come up with something of sufficient quality.