A/N: In case you've happened to read any of these books, this fic is riddled with allusions to Lauren Kate's Fallen series.

The Use of Alcohol

Hope didn't know how his mother was able to convince him to go to Bodhum to see the fireworks every year. But somehow, each time, he'd end up at the same beach resort, same events and scenery, different room. His mother would make a wish on the rainbow of explosions above them, and he'd make an indirect one for the time to pass as quickly as possible. More times than not, his father -whom he had estranged himself from in years past- was absent due to his job.

This year, he was old enough to get a drink and forget about it all, which he relished in after the show of fireworks. He sat at a nearby café, glad to be free of the aftermath of the child's show outside. He could hear the stupidly gleeful shouts carry in through the ajar door, which made him grimace at the shot glass in his hand. He hated the taste of it, but loved what it did to his mind.

"I can't wait for next year's prank! Yuj's expression was absolutely classic!" A short blond teenage boy bounced into the café behind a large, muscular man. Hope glanced back at the two, his eyebrow twitching with drunken annoyance. The man sat down at the bar and waved at Lebreau, the raven-haired owner of the café; the blond boy plopped down next to his companion, waving fervently at his older female friend in front of him. "Guess what we did this ye-"

"As long as it doesn't ever take place in my café, I don't really care, Maqui." She smirked at Maqui and threw a dish clothe at him. "So what did Yuj think about your surprise?" She obviously enjoyed Maqui's tale, which Hope hated because it made his head throb.

After finishing his third shot, he gulped down a frothing, yellow mug of beer. It made the nonsensical boy's story-telling less irritating. It also made the bar wobble and the building tip from side to side as if it were precariously balanced on the tip a triangular block. He belched, then attempted to stand, but fell over, knocking two stools down. Lebreau groaned, and Maqui exclaimed, then laughed at the spectacle.

"Yoouu better shut up, Mackey! Sh-tupid boy," he grumbled, groping for the bar, which taunted him by moving out of his reach. "Bar- stop- here- now…"

"Hey, buddy," Lebreau said in a faux chipper voice, "you need a cab, huh?"

"No. Mat the resort." Hope accepted the woman's help. He gave her a stupid and grateful smile, then turned to Maqui. "Friggin' kid needs to stay out of the barrr!"

"Hey now. Don't yell at-"

"I can yell if'a want! He was!" Hope pointed at Maqui, who was now clenching his stomach as he howled with laughter. The hulking man beside him glared at Hope, daring him to make one threat against him or his friend. Lebreau shook her head at Hope's behavior, then pulled out a cell phone and began dialing a number.

Hope let out a battle cry, then picked up a bar stool and threw it at Maqui, who he then declared a mortal nemesis. The red-haired man easily smashed the bar stool with a round kick. Lebreau screamed and tossed her phone to the counter, then ran to her friend, putting a forceful hand on his chest.

"Gadot, don't!"

"I said stay outside!" A woman with rosy hair stormed into the café, a second young woman with the same rosy hair tip-toed to see over the guardian corps. soldier's shoulder. "Serah, I-"

"Hey, little help here, Lightning!" Lebreau waved with one hand, keeping her larger counterpart Gadot from attacking Hope with the other, who was wobbling from side to side, his head held low to his breast bone. Lightning quickly interceded, looking to Hope, then Gadot.

"What's going on?" Her face was stern, voice laced with irritation.

"This gentleman here got drunk and decided to throw a bar stool at Maqui over there. That upset Gadot, who thought he could solve the whole thing with violence." Lebreau sighed, acting as if all of this was completely normal.

"Take care of your friend, and I'll escort…hey, kid, what's your name?" Lightning took a few heavy steps to Hope, who arched an eyebrow at her.

"'Ope."

"Ope, huh? Alright, well come with me, Ope. I'll take you home." She motioned for Hope to follow her, then grabbed his arm. Serah held her hands at her chest, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes.

"No, I'm not finished with Mackey!" Hope yanked his arm from Lightning's grasp, then took a step toward the young blond boy, which incited Gadot's rage once more. Suddenly, Hope found himself on the wooden floor, his arm twist painfully behind his back, and Lightning kneeling on top of him. "I could get used to you on top o' me," he said as he laughed in to the floor, saliva dripping down his chin. Lightning shook her head with annoyance, then pulled him to his feet.

"Come one, Ope…," The rosy-haired woman said as she guided the young man from the bar.

"Hey Serah, tell Snow I said hi!" Lebreau laughed nervously and waved at the younger fair haired woman. Serah nodded and waved back.

"You're not seriously going to come with me as I take this guy home, are you?" Lightning cocked an eyebrow at Serah, who held her arms behind her back.

"Nothin' else to do tonight…." Lightning laughed at her sister's words, then yanked Hope around to face her. "Where do you live?"

"Resort…." Hope's head fell to one side.

"Ope, look at me. Hey, which resort-"

"Excuse me! Excuse me, miss!" A middle-aged woman with hair the same color as Hope's ran up to the trio, out of breath and obviously worried. "My name is Nora Estheim. That's- my son." She took her son from Lightning's grasp, then replaced Lightning's empty hand with her own, shaking it fervently.

"Your son nearly incited a fight just now. Please keep a sharper eye on him. Even if it is my job to keep the peace here, I have more to worry about than an underage drunk stumbling around a bar." Lightning glared at the boy in his mother's arms.

"He's not underage. In fact, he just turned legal last month. I'm so embarrassed right now, I can't even…. I'm just so sorry, officer. Please forgive my son." Sighing, Nora waved at the two young women and steered her son away. "I'm so disappointed in you, Hope Estheim…."

"Let's go 'ome, mom," he sighed into her shoulder. Nora couldn't help but smile at her son. She shook her head at the both of them, hustling the two bodies toward the elevators inside the beach resort.

Six Months Later

Hope woke up on Saturday morning, as usual, at six a.m. He stubbed his toe hard on the black standing fan as he got out of bed, coughed in the middle of brushing his teeth, which nearly killed him, and sneezed as he was pouring hot sauce onto his eggs, pouring half of the hot sauce into his breakfast. He grimaced when he realized, only after he was done with his business, that the toilet was stopped up. He sucked his teeth sharply with his lips, then flipped the lid down.

Hope was excited that today seemed to be starting off so well.

Arriving promptly at six-thirty, Hope began to open up the sweet shop he worked at. It was a quant little stone building stuffed between an over-priced souvenir shop on the left, and a store that sold the necessities of travel on the right (which was over-priced just the same). Hope would have been a liar if he said the sweet parlor that employed him didn't sell over-priced cup cakes and éclairs daily.

He flipped the plastic sign on the front door from Sorry, We're Closed to Yes! We're Open! with a tired flick of his wrist. The morning rush wasn't much of a rush. More or less, for three hours there was always at least two customers in the shop at any given time. When the stream died, Hope's employer, a stout woman with pale skin and shiny black eyes that bulged dramatically who seemed to have more of a waddle than a walk, came in and sat down at her desk behind the counter.

"Good morning, Doreen," Hope gave her the nicest smile he could muster. The aging woman was as mean as she looked. The freckles dotting Doreen's face pulled upward with her smile that was all lip.

"Today been busy?" Her voice reminded him of an oblivious old lady. Hope hummed for a moment, propping his chin up with his hand; he was leaning against the counter, watching the passers by pass this sweet shop by without a second glance.

"No more than usual." He sensed her nod at his words. Just as Hope opened his mouth and was about to turn to ask Doreen a question, something pink outside the shop in his peripheral vision caught his attention, nagging at him from the back of his head. The sight gave his mind an itch that spurred him around the counter. He was half way across the shop when Doreen seemed to notice his intentions.

"Hey, what do you think you're-" But he was already in the throng before she could finish her sentence. The door closed behind him with a tinkle of bells as he left the unremarkable shop behind.

Hope shoved through the crowd, grabbing the shoulders of random tourists and pushing them side. He tripped as many times as he caused people to trip, if not more. He nearly ran over a toddler, but he could care less. His heart pounded in his ears, just as uneven as his footsteps.

A second flash of pink caused Hope to stumble through a couple's plastic sacks. He didn't so much as glance back. He was breathing heavily, nervous about what he would do when he encountered the pink. The itch in the back of his mind felt inflamed. It was screaming at him to catch up to the pink, catch up to the beautiful color, catch up to it and…. And what?

Another glimpse of pink.

"H-Hey!" His voice faltered, but he didn't care. He had to approach the pink, had to address it and figure out what it was and why it ached so terribly in the back of his mind. "Hey!" He shouted over the shoulder of a middle-aged man, who looked behind him with a furrowed brow.

No. He couldn't see the pink anymore. No! Where had it gone?

Hope threw himself into the backs of three teenagers, throwing them to the ground, slamming his knee hard into the sidewalk himself, but he didn't care about a scuffed knee. The pink was getting farther and farther away.

"Wait a minute!" He threw his arm out, desperate and pained that an opportunity like this might not ever happen again. He felt like his heart was about to burst from his chest if he didn't grab the pink…the pink…. It consumed his vision, so tantalizing. "Pinky, wait!" His heart thudded in his ears one last, loud time before he skidded to a halt in front of a glaring figure with a beautiful mane of shining pink hair surrounding a head like a halo. The woman took his breath away. One arm seemed poised behind her, the other held her hand out, ordering him to stop.

"Civilian, what's the problem? Is something wrong? You've passed at least a dozen-"

"You," was all he could say in that one breath.

And it was. Her. An angel. Her soft porcelain skin, delicate plush lips…set in a grimace. Why wouldn't she smile? She needed to smile. She didn't deserve such a frown on her face. Not someone so lovely as her. "Why are you frowning?" Hope wanted to wince at the sight. He stood, dumbfounded, feeling as if he'd been struck by lightning. He felt alive, his skin tingling, his face hot and flushed.

"Excuse me?" She folded her arms across her chest and cocked an eyebrow.

"I- Um- I mean…," he didn't know what to say or where to start. So he thought from scratch would be best. "Do I know you?" He scrunched his eyebrows together and tilted his head in confusion. Somewhere, somewhere before he had definitely seen her. They had definitely crossed paths. That, or he had an insanely vivid dream that suddenly popped to his consciousness.

"No. If that's all-" She started to turn around and leave, but Hope grabbed her elbow.

"No, please don't go! Who are you? We've met before, I know we have!" Hope was persistent, determined to figure out why this angel was so familiar to him.

"Let go, civilian," she said sternly. Her glare deepened. "We've never met. Let go of me, or I'll be forced-"

"You do know me! You do, stop saying you don't. You're so familiar." His face burned with embarrassment. Was he wrong? She looked at him more closely, sighing as she caved in and decided to see his side of the story. She mouthed his name. "Yes! Yes, exactly! My name!"

"Ope?" Her lip curled to one side in a confused scowl. Hope let out a barking laugh.

"Ope? Who told you my name was Ope?"

"You did. Six months ago in Bodhum. You got drunk and started a fight. You told me your name was Ope."

Hope blanched. They had met, and he had actually spoken to her? He told her his name was Ope? Why would he do such an idiotic, senseless thing like that? You got drunk and started a fight. Why would he do such a thing? He stammered, trying to figure out a way to correct her, but unable to do so to such a beautiful angel.

"It doesn't surprise me that you don't remember. You were drunk like it was the end of the world." She smirked at him.

"I-I was?" He felt humiliated. His first encounter with such an amazing person and he'd left that kind of impression? "Is there any way I could, I don't know, make up for you having seen that side of me by going out on a date with me later sometime, maybe if you would like?" As soon as the horribly long sentence tumbled from his mouth, he cursed himself in his mind. His attempt to sound somewhat intelligent made him sound less smart than he honestly was.

"I don't think so. I'm sorry, Ope-"

"Hope," he strained, trying to correct his drunk self's mistakes. Hope heard a one syllable laugh in the soldier's closed mouth.

"Hope…. You were seriously drunk," she said in a sarcastic, hopefully sardonic, tone that might have been playful. Her gleaming teal eyes analyzed him, looking him up and down. In laymen's terms, she was straight up judging him.

"What are you-"

"Count me in on that date, Hope." She watched his eyes widen and shine with sheer joyful astonishment. She paused, smirked, then called out as she swiveled on her heel, "4216 Southwest Lauren Street. Seven p.m." If he wanted her as badly as he seemed to, he would remember everything she just said.

As shocking and frustrating as it was, Lightning found herself a nervous wreck at six o'clock in the evening. She was worried that her brown and white dress made her look more aggressive than she cared to appear. Sure, a little ferocity did a woman good, but she seemed unable to dress less that way now. It was the opposite of the problem she had faced every since she could remember. Everyone who didn't know her assumed her to be a weak, delicate flower. She had worked hard for the reputation she held to this day. But tonight, she just wanted to be…well, civilized, if not a little lady-like.

"Wait, wait, wait! These shoes match better- these shoes, Light, these ones!" Serah scrambled across Lightning's bedroom with a pair of white high-heeled sandals, in place of the ballet flats she had shoved on her older sister's feet just minutes before.

"Why are you even here?" Lightning growled through her teeth as Serah tightened the straps on her feet to the point where Lightning thought she'd lose them before Hope even arrived. Serah smiled fondly, readjusting the straps to fit more comfortably.

"Because in your mindless anxiety you decided it was a good idea to call in for back up. Which was a good idea, even if you don't think so." She huffed and stood a few feet back from Lightning to get the whole picture. "Yeah, that's definitely better. I like the fact that this shirt has a high belt. It makes your legs look gorgeous and so long." Serah's breath was taken away. Lightning scowled and turned to face the gold-rimmed mirror hanging on her wall.

"Stop staring…"

"No! How long has it been since you've dressed up so nice? And to go on a date! I'm so happy for you, sis, I can't even-"

It was all Lightning could do to not strangle her sister. Why was she acting like it was such a big deal for her to be seeing a guy tonight? She'd been on dates before. Shaking her head, Lightning hoped to be rid of the headache that threatened to ruin her evening. As if she expected it to be any good. She didn't know this boy, this man, whose first impression on her was a drunken brawl in a Bodhum café. Why did she agree to go out with him? There was no proof he was a decent person.

A flash of Hope's mother slowed her doubts down. Someone with a mother so kind and caring couldn't be a terrible person…she had to trust that he was good. Based on Nora Estheim, this young male Estheim had to be a good person. How disheartened she would be if her weren't.

"Claire Farron, are you not listening to me? There's someone at the door!" Lightning's heart suddenly exploded to a rapid pace she thought should have been humanly impossible. The burning organ was rattling around in her ribcage, threatening to break all of the bones in her middle.

"What?" Lightning looked at Serah with a stunned expression.

"You can't even process what's going on. Dear heavenly…," she shook her head and shoved her into the bedroom. "You're lucky I love you so much! Get in there and pull yourself together within the next five minutes, or something horrible is going to happen!" That was such a wonderful way to look at things.

Hope would be in her house? She hadn't expected that. In her mind, she was cool and aloof, slamming the door behind her before Hope even had the chance to glimpse the entrance. What if he stole something? Or worse, attacked Serah. After all, he was a complete stranger. She knew nothing about him. The last time she had seen him, he was a violent drunk.

She shook her head and nearly yelled at herself out loud. This wasn't pulling herself together. This was making everything worse. The beige carpet pushed up against Lightning's feet with such dainty pressure, she was jealous she couldn't feel the same, as odd as that sounded. She looked at the door as if a horrific beast stood just outside the frame. What was the first thing she should say to him? She had already forgotten the lines she rehearsed, the calloused approach she had wanted to take.

"Psst!" Serah peeked in through a crack in the door. She held a large and blue insulated mug out to Lightning. "Here, drink this! It'll ease your nerves."

"What is it?"

"Magic pixie dust!" And suddenly, Serah was on the other side of the door, giggling her head off. Lightning was worried, but trusted her sister enough to take a drink from the mug.

And spit it out, choking, onto her carpet.

"Liquor!" Lightning said with an accusing tone. What was Serah thinking, trying to get Lightning drunk before a date?

Lightning's face relaxed just then. Maybe it would help ease her nerves…and with this thought, acting on impulse, Lightning downed as much of the drink as fast as she could before she started coughing. Her throat burned and her eyes were watering by the time she set the blue mug on her hickory night stand. Letting out a deep breath she'd been holding, she wiped her eyes on the fringe of her comforter and shook her head. She felt alive and buzzing. A knock on the door startled her.

"Li-"

"Yeah!" Lightning yanked the door open and saw Hope about to tumble into her. She caught his shoulders and held him steady. She blushed at their closeness. She could feel his breath hot on her neck. His face was a soft square, framed by lovely silver hair that seemed messier than it should have been. She had to get her concentration elsewhere. "Where's Serah?" She looked around the corner into the living room, but found no sight of her. She narrowed her eyes at Hope, suspicious.

"She went home. She said you'd be out in a second, but I, uh…got impatient." He blushed, which Lightning couldn't help but find cute.

"So, where are we going?" Lightning locked the front door, then stuffed her keys into a discreet pocket. Hope smiled wide at her.

"You look really nice." She eyed him carefully, wondering what his angle was. She stuck her nose into the air and began to walk down the stairs.

"You're deflecting," she said evenly.

"Fine. It's a surprise!" As innocent as he sounded, Lightning had to rain on the young man's parade.

"I don't like surprises." The deadpan tone caused Hope's previous weightless joy to obviously fall. "You know what, I can make an exception."

"Thank you, Lightning."

"How do you know my name, anyway?" Lightning brushed the tips of her fingers against the white peonies that lined the side walk along the apartment building. She did this every time she passed them. Her parents, before they had died, begged the manager of the apartment complex to let them plant and tend to these flowers. As many things as Lightning let go from her past life, she couldn't let this one thing go.

"Serah said it." Hope scratched the back of his head. It was obvious he felt awkward and didn't know how to proceed. Lighting didn't blame him. She incited that in people. The sharp sound of Lightning clearing her throat caused Hope to jump. He seemed so small, and she knew it was her fault, so she felt guilty and ashamed. She had to fix this or she would never forgive herself.

"Do you go to school?" It was the first thing that popped into her mind.

"Yeah, I do. I'm working toward a double major- a business degree, and a culinary degree." His eyes fell on the cracked sidewalk before them. They were approaching a small black car that had obviously seen better days, but didn't look all bad. He pressed his thumb against a small black square as he grasped the handle. The car chirped, then allowed Hope inside. He reached over and unlocked Lightning's door, opening it slightly for her.

"Thank you. What kind of business are you thinking about?" Her interest had been peaked. It was an obvious career for any citizen of Palumpolum to enter this field, but what did this one have in mind?

"Um, a bakery business, actually." His face flushed pink when he said this. To avoid looking at her, he looked all over the road, looking at the cars and every street sign they passed.

"Hm. Interesting." She looked over at him and smiled. "I like sweet things." Lightning almost couldn't believe she'd said that. How bold! Hope obviously understood the double meaning, which caused him blink rapidly, then slam on his breaks at a red light.

"Wow! I am so sorry, Lightning. I didn't mean to- I mean, and I'm not normally- I don't-" His face was pained as he glimpsed in her direction every other second.

"I've been through worse," she said coolly. Hope seemed to feel like he threw her a lifeline.

"Oh yeah, like what? Not that I don't believe you! Because I do, I do believe you, Lightning, believe me." Sweat seemed dampen his brow. Lightning smiled on the inside. As guilty as she felt for making him feel this way, even though it was truthfully on accident, she loved how he was so painfully obviously nervous because of her. It was flattering. Most men either hated her, treated her like one of the guys, or threw nasty and perverted comments her way.

"Um, well I worked back in Bodhum as a sergeant six months ago, but this was long before that. There was a hostage situation, and me and my team were closest, so we got the call. It turned ugly. The man used his wife as a body shield, gun to her head, demanding to have 'a little privacy with his children.'" Lightning shuddered at the memory. "Long story short, he shot the wife, so I bolted into the house before he could hurt either of the kids- neither of them were above the age of twelve. He shot me in the side, but I tackled him and that was that. Oh. The, uh, mom survived. Somehow, the bullet splintered inside her skull, didn't do fatal damage."

Hope was stunned. He hadn't expected a Mother Goose tale from her, but he certainly hadn't expected that. She had been shot. Saving the lives of innocent people. Barreling into danger for the well-being of others. She really was an angel. A fierce guardian angel.

"Whoa," he breathed.

"Yeah, that's a little heavy for a first date…," Lightning looked down at her legs, tugged her white dress further along her thighs, then sighed and looked outside the passenger side window.

"No, that's- that's amazing. You're a hero, Lightning." He chanced a look at her, awestruck, then focused on the road once more.

A hero. How many people have said that to her? How many people did she brush off because of saying that one four letter word? Now her face felt hot when he called her a hero. She loved the compliment coming from him, his approval. Her heart fluttered inside her chest, causing her to gape at herself.

"Here we are." Hope was parked behind an impossibly long row of buildings that broke only once for an on-ramp to a nearby super highway. "My workplace!" He let out a nervous laugh, then unbuckled himself and abandoned the car. He walked over to the other side of the car in time to open the door for Lightning. She smiled at him, surprisingly at peace.

"So where do you work? An over-priced souvenir shop?" She teased Hope as they walked to a small set of stairs leading up to a thin, glossy pink building. This was the hands-on shopping district for tourists, Lightning's sector of the city to monitor. Hope laughed, pulling out his keys to unlock the door.

"No. Try an over-priced bakery. We sell all sorts of sweets and stuffs to people. In case you're interested, we're hiring a mascot. You'd be perfect! Pink hair and all that." Hope laughed aloud, smiling kindly to Lightning as he opened the door and let her in. She cocked an eyebrow at him, but gave him an approving smile.

"Nice one. Haven't heard the Baker Mascot one before." Hope laughed again, feeling giddy like he hadn't in so long. His mom was wrong. There was no reason to not be fond of this pink-haired young woman. She was a stranger, but a lovely one nonetheless.

The kitchen smelled so sweet to Lightning that it was breathtaking. She had been in bakeries before, but being behind the scenes was something else entirely. The air around her was sweet and warm. She could taste the cakes that were baked back here, the meringue that was whipped, the dough that was kneaded, the icing that was squeezed. Hope.

"Ta-da!" Hope pushed open the swinging double doors that opened to the front of the building, his arms spread wide in the air.

The half a dozen or so tables that usually dotted the front of the shop were now replaced by a single circular table, a thick white table clothe draped over it, set up with silver dinnerware. The area was bright and open. Hope walked up to the chair on the left and pulled it out slightly, motioning for Lightning to sit down.

"If you'll have a seat, miss, I can begin filling the plates with food." Hope gave Lightning a playful grin, scooting the seat in behind her as she smoothed out the bottom of her dress.

Hope was back quickly with a white bowl rimmed spring green, filled with spaghetti. He scooped two ladlefuls of the pasta onto each of their bowls. Lightning was ecstatic at the quant, adorable simplicity of the date. It was such a change from the normal humdrum of her life. She liked this disruption. He then poured wine into two glasses.

"I hope you like the spaghetti. It's my mom's recipe, which is delicious when she makes it, but I've only tried making this a couple times, so. Cheers!" He clinked his glass against hers, took a small sip, then began to chow down on his meal.

Lightning wasn't sure whether she should drink anymore alcohol. Her head felt light and her cheeks were warm. Then again, that could have been the fact that she was near Hope Estheim. She looked at the glass filled with the red liquid, thought about her current state of mind, then took a smaller sip than Hope had. She spun her fork around in her spaghetti, then looked up at Hope.

"Does it ever feel weird when you say your name like you did just now?"

"I'm not that self-absorbed!" He said with a great laugh, rubbing the corner of his sauce stained mouth on the back of his hand. He bit a chunk out of his garlic bread and spoke with his mouth full. "What about you, Lightning?" He said, with emphasis on her name.

"Lightning isn't my real name, so I don't think about it that way." She finally took a bite of Hope's spaghetti and nearly moaned. It was ambrosia! "This is amazing."

"Thank you! So, um, Lightning isn't your real name? What is?" Hope smiled at Lightning's comment, but then smiled at the prospect of learning more about her. After all, he really knew nothing about her.

"That's part of my past. Telling you would conflict with my motto: never look back." Her tone was light, but her face was very serious. Hope decided this was far enough, so he simply nodded and continued eating his dinner and drinking his wine.

"So, you've been in Palumpolum for six months, you said?" Lightning nodded at Hope's words.

"Yeah. I was offered a job here, same tier as back in Bodhum, but better pay. The choice was obvious." Lightning was unable to help herself from stuffing the spaghetti in her face. It was the most amazing meal she had eaten in years. "Really, this is very good, Hope. I can't even…." Hope laughed at Lightning as a faint glow of red graced her cheeks. He thought she looked lovely.

"And your sister was okay with it? Just up and leaving? But yeah, I can see that. She seems so perky and capable." He thought back on Serah, how she had shared some insightful words of wisdom with Hope before she left. No matter what, don't give up, because she honestly cares too much. And: If she's hostile when she's with you, that's a-okay! That means she's thinking about you. And the one that Hope was excited about the most right now: If she smiles, you've won. Count on her opening up a little. Serah was like a prophet.

"Serah's…special." Hope nodded and wanted to say the same about Lightning, be as bold as she had with her sweet-things comment. But for some reason, he couldn't find the confident in himself. He blushed and focused on spinning his fork in the spaghetti, stuffing his mouth with it.

"Do you have some sweets for dessert that you made yourself?" Lightning was hopeful as she set her fork down and took a sip of wine. She didn't want to leave him so soon. She was enjoying herself. Hope blushed and smiled wide on the inside. He felt his heart skip a beat.

"I was hoping you'd want to make some cupcakes with me." His voice was low and embarrassed.

"Well, it's not like I lied when I said I liked sweet things." She cocked her head at her date when he looked up at her. They both smiled.

"Okay."

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Between the delicious meal and the wine that made her more and more light-headed as time progressed, Lightning was extremely content. She enjoyed the ambience of the bakery, but mostly of Hope. He had an air about him that Lightning could practically taste, he was so sweet. Of course, that might have been the wine. Either way, he smoothed out the wrinkles of her inward tension, sent waves of relaxing contentedness throughout her body, and possibly made her happy.

"I'm glad you got drunk and started that fight in Bodhum, Hope." She focused more on her food as she said this. She almost couldn't believe that she was actually saying it. What was getting into her? Hope didn't know how to take this at first, so he coughed and choked on his spaghetti, but Lightning quickly corrected herself. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be on our first date right now." The silver fork clinked against her teeth as she put it in her mouth. Hope looked up at Lightning, blushing brightly at her words. He realized he felt the exact same way just then.

"Me too. I don't know what I would've done without you tonight." That was the honest truth. What would he have done tonight if he hadn't chanced upon this angel in a drunken brawl six months ago? He couldn't think of anything he'd rather do.

"I'm sure you would've found something to do. What do you normally do on a Saturday night?" Lightning found herself genuinely curious. As Hope thought on this, he simply thought, oh.

"Well, there's this really cool cooking show that comes on at seven. I never miss it. I always learn something when I watch it, whether if it's a better way to prepare meringue, or alternative ways to make icing awesome." Hope was obviously elated about the conversation topic. Lightning thought it was adorable, sweet, and somehow oddly attractive. "It's a sweets show, obviously. I remember watching it with my mom when I was younger. I actually hated it at first! But then we started using some of the tips and recipes, and I fell in love with it; it's actually the reason why I want to own my own bakery business one day. It was a habit of ours to watch it every Saturday night. We don't do it as often now, but I know we both watch it together in a weird cosmic way." He smiled broadly at Lightning, then his face fell. He blushed brightly and shook his head, laughing at himself. "I'm so sorry, Lightning. I bet that was totally boring, I didn't mean…," he sighed.

"No, Hope! Don't think that. Please. I liked it." She gave him a reassuring smile, tipped her empty plate in his direction. "Ready for dessert?"

"Absolutely!"

Hope had set up the kitchen just before he left to pick up Lightning. The cupcake pan was set up to the left of a large silver oven that took up an entire space of wall. On an island in the center of the kitchen was a large white tile-topped island covered in the necessary ingredients. They were going to make the cupcakes from scratch. After they picked out the flavor they were going to use for the cupcakes, Hope fetched the last of the ingredients and turned to Lightning.

"This evening, miss, you will be my assistant chef! We're going to make cupcakes that'll blow your mind." Being ordered around the kitchen wasn't something Lightning was used to. Dinner was usually her thing to take care of; that or Serah's, depending on the occasion.

By the end of it, the both of them were covered in flour, batter, and butter. Laughing like he never had before, Hope carefully placed the cupcakes in the oven, then dusted his hands against each other and faced Lightning. He smiled proudly at her, who was messier than he was.

"Noobs. They never know how to keep clean." He held his stomach when he laughed. Lightning cocked an amused eyebrow and smiled so wide it hurt.

"You better watch your mouth," she said with a playful tone, "I'm a soldier, remember?"

"Who could never withstand my wrath!" Hope spoke in a deep, conceited tone. He placed his fists on his hips, sticking his lip up at Lightning.

"Watch your mouth!" She scooped a spoonful of butter in a serving spoon and hurled the yellow mass at Hope. It hit him square in the face, splattering across his cheeks, forehead, and even found much of itself in his hair. With a pinched face, Hope grimaced. He opened one eye and saw Lightning with a shocked expression. She was about to say something, but then Hope ran at her and shook his hair at her, then wiped some of the butter from his head into Lightning's hair.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Hope said as sternly as he could between fits of laughter. "We have to start making the icing now!"

"This is gonna be good," was the nerve-wracking response Lightning gave. Hope found himself slightly worried, but pulled together the ingredients none the less.

As tipsy as Lightning was, she was glad she had drunk as much as she had. How else would she have been loosened up enough to have such a wonderful time? How long had it been since she felt so care-free and happy? Happy? She told Hope she would be right back with more wine, then left him to start the icing himself. If alcohol had done this much good, what else could it do? She downed a glass of wine before she went back into the kitchen and presented Hope with his own, then filled herself up with her umpteenth drink.

They both drank two glasses together while waiting for the cupcakes to finish baking. In this time, they scooted closer and closer together. And when the cupcakes were on the cooling rack, waiting to be iced, the two found their hips touching, their arms grazing against the other's, and their breaths mingling. And when the time came for the cupcakes to be iced, they both reluctantly separated themselves and finished making their dessert.

"Here, I have an idea," Hope said quietly as he handed Lightning a cupcake and kept one for himself, "let's hook our arms together and take the first bite of the cupcake."

"Okay."

They hooked their arms together at the elbow, both bodies inches apart. Lightning could feel Hope's body heat, and she found herself wanting to wrap him around her like a blanket. Being drunk made her think odd things, she decided with a smile. They locked eyes when the first bite of the cupcake had been taken. For a moment after both had swallowed, they just looked at each other. Then Lightning saw something in Hope's expression that spurred her into action.

She shoved her cupcake, icing first, into Hope's face, who did the same thing a split second later. They both laughed and leaped backwards from each other, gathering as many cupcakes as each could into the crooks of their folded arms, then threw them at each other.

The first cupcake landed in Hope's silver head. The next found Lightning's neck, then her cheek. The next few painted Hope's body with their sweet icing. Giggling like the drunk children they were, the kitchen quickly came to look like a cupcake battlefield. The sweets gore was gruesome and disgusting. Corpses were strewn everywhere, their bodies smeared along the floor, counter, wall, and even one or two on the ceiling. The last cupcake landed in Lightning's dress, hidden in her bosom.

"Hey!" She shouted with laughter at Hope. He blushed and swayed to the side ever so slightly.

"Oops," but he obviously didn't regret his actions. Lightning reached for the last cupcake on the messy island, but Hope stopped her. "Wait! We need to eat at least one, Lightning." He held his hands up in surrender and walked over to it. He cut the cupcake in half, giving a piece to his friend. They clinked their glasses once more filled with wine, then gulped it down. Lightning decided she could easily be considered obliterated after that. Hope might have been, too. His eyes were half-lidded. A light drinker.

"Hope. Do you even know how to drink?" She accused, placing her hand on the counter to keep her balance.

"Yeah! Course I know." He sputtered at her as if she were insane.

"I don't," Lightning said, dropping her chin to her breast bone and laughing. "I haven't had a drink in years."

"Really?"

"Really." She sighed and looked up at him. He was so beautiful. "You're so beautiful." Immediately, she clapped her hand over her mouth. No longer able to hold her balance, she began to fall backwards, her arms flailing wildly. Hope reached out for her, taking both of her hands in his, but then fell with her and landed on top of her.

Hope smelled exactly like the most delicious sweets in the world. His smile was gentle, kind, just like his eyes, which sparkled with blissful anxiety, seeming to ask Is this okay?. She never wanted him to be further than arm's length away, if only for the fact that he smelled like coming home. She felt so good and warm inside she thought she might explode.

"Ow, you're hard," he mumbled.

"You are, too."

"What?"

"Your boner. It's poking me." Lightning spoke to Hope as if she had this conversation every day. He sure didn't. He blushed fiercely, then started to lift himself from their heap of bodies, but Lightning caught his shoulders and kept him in place. Her breath was hot on his face and smelled like wine and cupcakes, so delicious. He felt her breasts against his chest, so warm and soft. He wished he could take them up in his hands. "I like it," she whispered, then kissed him.

At first, Hope wasn't sure how to react. He kissed her back, of course, but he was hesitant, soft, nervous. When Lightning's tongue brushed against his bottom lip, his eyes snapped open and he froze.

"What are you doing?" Lightning seemed hurt.

"I'm not- I don't- We just- I mean-" Lightning pressed her lips against Hope's, trailing a line of soft kisses and occasional nips along his jaw and neck.

"Hope- you need- to relax. Okay?" She held tightly to his shoulders and forced him to look her in the eyes. He was blushing brightly, which Lightning found as adorable as it was attractive. Hope nodded fervently, wanting her to continue kissing him.

Hope ran his hands across Lightning's shoulder, down her side, and her thigh, delighting in her curves. He kissed her deeply, putting as much of his body into it as he could, desperate to be closer to this angel. He slipped his hands up the bottom of her dress, the soft skin of her leg burning against his finger tips.

She moaned as he licked and sucked the icing from her neck, slowly moving down to her perky breasts. He nudged them gently with his nose before licking the icing. She shuddered underneath his touch, pleading for more with her body and greedy hands that ran along his back beneath his shirt. Lightning reached down and took his hand in hers, then pulled away from their kiss and looked up at him with a lop-sided smile.

"We can't do this here," she whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's go back to my place. I think a bed would be more comfortable." She looked up at him hopefully, begging him with her eyes. He kissed her again, holding the back of her neck. She arched her body into his, her entire being humming from the rush of heat that overtook her.

"Mh," Hope assented in the middle of kissing Lightning. She laughed a little, slipping her tongue into the warm cavern of his mouth, allowing him to take the lead.

"Just be there when I wake up." She looked up at him. Hope was dazzled by her sparkling teal eyes. He felt like he would have drowned in their beauty, had she not blinked.

"No where else to be tomorrow."

They jumped up from their place on the floor, hand in hand, giggling, and ran through the rain outside to Hope's car. And as he drove with one hand on the steering wheel, the other in Lightning's hand, he couldn't help but think that she was his angel, the one he was meant to be with. The way she made him feel…complete, content, at peace. She made him forget the mess they'd left in the bakery. She made him forget that there was pain in his life that might always be there. She made him forget that his life was pointless, because she made it okay now. She made it meaningful.

"Lightning…," he breathed into the cool, dark air of the car.

"Yeah?" She looked over at him expectantly, smiling.

He just smiled back.

A/N: Hm. I think this was okay, right? Yeah, I know, long. The story made itself that away, it was completely against my will. So blame the, uh…idea…. Yeah. Unless it was good. In which case, I totally did it. Ha-ha.

While I do not condone the use of alcohol, I find it an extremely useful tool (read: handy cheat) to use to get characters to interact.

I hope this satisfied you, Khronology. I'm quite terrified it won't.

Everyone, I hope you enjoyed this. Please review.