Chocolate - HopexLightning

Valentine's Day. A wonderful day for couples and lovers, a day to write love letters and give chocolate to your secret love interest, the perfect day for exchanging words of affection and loving looks with your beloved, holding hands in the street to let everyone know that you had someone you care for. A perfect day for a confession.

A day Hope dreaded.

At seventeen he was experimenting all new kinds of feelings, love was one of them… but perhaps love was a strong word for now, it was more like a tremendous crush, he thought. Then again he was young and therefore didn't know what to think about it, he had to admit he was very confused with his feelings right now.

Having a crush was nothing out the ordinary for a teenager like him, but his mind had a turmoil going on. Valentine's day was coming and he didn't know what to do, he couldn't possibly ask her out on a date; not once in his life had he thought it would come to this… it would be easy if it were any of his classmates, why couldn't have a crush on Vanille? That would be easier; he could ask her out without feeling so awkward about it.

No, life wasn't that easy. He had to fall for his teacher.

He didn't even notice when he started having these feelings towards the twenty-four year old woman; one day he was taking physics notes and the other he was getting lost in her icy-blue eyes, her pale skin and light strawberry locks of hair… He groaned and rolled on his bed, placing a pillow on top of his head in a failed attempt to smother himself. He really didn't know what to do! Valentine's Day was only two days away and he couldn't possibly… he couldn't even think about it without getting all red and flustered!

It sucked being him.

He sighed and stood up; he walked to his bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He frowned, he poked his hair and fixed his shirt; he took a long, hard look at his face and promptly turned around to bump his head on the nearest wall several times with a groan.

A chuckle came from his doorway but he didn't flinch.

"It looks like you really want to get a headache," A woman who was the splitting image of Hope laughed softly. "Can I know the reason why my son wants to get a sore spot on his forehead?" Nora smiled and walked closer to him, placing a small, delicate hand on his shoulder to keep him from smashing his head to the wall again.

"Mom…" He groaned. "I don't know what to do!" He groaned and walked back to his bed; he sat down and leaned his head on his palms just as he placed his elbows on his knees.

Nora giggled under her breath and sat next to him. She remembered what it was to be a teenager and knew exactly what was bothering her son. "So who's the lucky girl to have caught your attention?" She said while running her fingers through Hope's hair lovingly while trying to fix the messy strands.

He groaned again and let out a sigh. "Will you promise not to get mad at me?" Hope pouted slightly. He couldn't help but feel like a spoiled kid when he was with his mom… it was her fault anyways; she still treated him like a baby.

"Why would I get mad?" She smiled slightly. What could possibly be wrong with the girl?

"Well…" Hope cleared his throat awkwardly. "She's… my teacher."

Nora blinked. "You like… Miss Farron?" She asked a bit incredulously.

Hope groaned and let his body fall flat against the mattress. "Yes." He muttered and covered his face with his hands, he already felt it heating up and he knew he was blushing. He was just waiting for his mom to tell him how wrong that was when he heard a small chuckle, he frowned and turned to look at her.

She was laughing softly and placed a hand against her cheek. "My, my…" She smiled and closed her eyes. "My son is growing so fast!" Nora said with a smile while standing up. "Dad!" She chuckled. "Honey, guess what? Our Hope is in love!" She said loudly.

If Hope's face was already warm due to his blush it was now burning up. "Mom!" He hissed and stood up. "Don't say embarrassing things!"

Nora laughed softly and turned to look at her son. "You'll be married in no time and your dad and I will be left alone!" She chuckled. "You're already turning into a man and I didn't even notice it." She sighed and placed a hand over Hope's cheek, only now did she notice how much he had grown, he was so much taller than her now!

Hope pouted slightly and looked away. "See? You're saying embarrassing things again," He muttered, still blushing. "Wait," He frowned and looked at his mom. "You're not mad because I like my teacher?" He asked, dumfounded.

Nora practically snorted and let her hand fall from Hope's cheek. "Of course not," She smiled and hugged her son. "You can't help who you fall in love with, Hope," She said with a smile. "If you really like her, then I have no reason to be against it, you love who you love," The woman laughed softly. "Besides, you never know what the future may hold for you."

He smiled at her and hugged her back tightly. "Thanks mom," Hope murmured under her breath and then let go of her. "It means a lot to me but… please don't say any more embarrassing stuff." He chuckled.

"Alright, alright," She smiled and placed her hand on her hips. "So what are you planning for Valentine's day?" Nora smirked.

Hope's smile faded quickly and was replaced by a frown. "I don't know!" He groaned and threw himself to his bed.

Nora chuckled and shook her head. "Men are so clueless," She sighed and sat down. "Well, this might seem weird since it usually the girl giving the presents but how about some handmade chocolate?" She suggested. "I'm positive you won't be the only one giving her a present…" She chuckled. "She is a very pretty lady after all."

Hope's eyes widened. She was right! There were probably tons of other guys chasing after her! For all he knew maybe she already had a boyfriend… now that he thought about it he had seen her with a tall blond man before, he picked her after school once or twice before, what if… what if he was her boyfriend?!  He groaned. "I'm no match for him..." He whined quietly.

"Who?" Nora inquired.

"…No one." He muttered. "I'll probably go with chocolate… But what if she doesn't like chocolate?" He hummed. "Or maybe flowers? But what if she's allergic?" He groaned. "What about-"

"Hope!" Nora laughed. "I think the chocolate is fine, what about if I pick up some tomorrow from the store for you?" She smiled. "I'll even help you make it, alright?" She giggled and stood up, brushing some wrinkles off her skirt with her hand. "I'll go make dinner before your dad goes crazy and tries to order something." She smiled.

"But-" Hope tried to protest but proved to be useless when his mom placed her index finger over his lips to silence him.

"It'll be alright, dear." She chuckled and left the room.

Every day he thanked the heavens for his mother.

Xxx

The next day, Hope was even more fidgety in his seat, tomorrow was Valentine's Day. He sighed and looked out the window lost in thought; he didn't even notice he had been spacing out before a familiar giggle reached his ears. He turned to his right and saw Vanille laughing at him, he then looked up and finally noticed her. Oh no.

"Care to tell the rest of the class what's so interesting out there, Hope?" Lightning –Or so she liked to be called like that instead of her real name, Éclair– asked him with a raised brow.

"L-Light-san!" He slurred and felt his face instantly heating up, he was already red, he just knew it.

"Well?" She asked again.

"I-I was just…" He bit his lip to stop himself from saying something stupid like 'I was thinking about you.' "I'm sorry, it won't happen again…" He said under his breath, bowing his head low.

"It better," She said before walking back to the board. "Meet me after class." She called over her shoulder.

There were some amused murmurs around the classroom and a poke from Vanille. "What were you thinking about?" She asked sweetly, Hope had to admit he loved her accent; she sounded a lot like Fang, the physical education teacher so he assumed they were from the same city… he wondered if they knew each other, they did seem very close…

"Hope!" Vanille chuckled. "You're spacing out again." She giggled.

Hope blinked and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry… I wasn't thinking of anything special…"

"Quiet back there," Lightning called from the front. "Or do you want extra work for tonight?" She smirked and this cause a shiver to travel down the silveret's back.

"Sorry!" He said.

Vanille glanced at him and smiled knowingly. He was so easy to read.

"Guys, I know most of you think I'm heartless and all that, but I do remember tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and I was your age not so long ago," She chuckled lightly while erasing the board. "I hope you'll be grateful because there is no homework for tomorrow, you can go and get your chocolates ready," Lightning murmured and turned around with a tiny smirk. "Remember I don't like almonds." She joked.

There were some quiet laughs as the bell rang and the sound of shuffling books and bags. The room emptied and only Hope and Lightning remained. He fidgeted a bit and stood up, walking slowly to her desk, his eyes glued to his shoes. "You wanted to see me…?" He slurred a bit embarrassed.

"Hope," Lightning sighed softly while removing her glasses she wore during class. "You're a good kid and a great student, your grades are the top of the class and your behavior is good but I've noticed that you get easily distracted lately," She leaned her chin on her hand. "What is it that you think about that distracts you so much?" She asked with a little hum.

How was he supposed to answer that? He couldn't even start to think about a good excuse for that question without thinking of something stupid.

"Is it a girl?" Lightning asked.

Hope almost choked as his eyes widened, he cleared his throat and looked away. He nodded his head and kept his gaze fixed on the wall.

"Ah…" Lightning frowned slightly "I see, well then… tomorrow's your chance." She said and lowered her eyes while fixing some papers on her desk, some tests that she still needed to grade.

Hope frowned. There was something about her voice that didn't seem quite right. "Light-san?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and turned to look at him. "It's nothing, you may go now," She said softly. "Please don't get so distracted anymore." Was the only thing she said as she motioned for him to leave.

Hope exited the room with a small frown and undid his tie with a sigh. Great, now what was he supposed to do? Whatever chance he had of ever leaving a good impression was now gone.

He walked to the faculty room to pick up some papers for his entrance exams for university and headed for the school gates, still frowning over behaving like an idiot in front of Lightning. She probably thought of him like a spoiled kid by now… But really, it wasn't so far from the truth and Hope hated to admit it.

When he was about to leave he noticed her walking out the gates to greet the blond man, he laughed and threw his arm over her shoulders. Hope frowned and averted his eyes; he was probably her boyfriend, right? It was impossible someone as smart and beautiful as her was single.

Hope hurried and walked past them with a small 'goodbye' and almost broke into a sprint.

Lightning frowned slightly and watched as Hope's back became smaller as he ran, she felt a nudge on her side and turned to look at the man with an annoyed look before brushing his arm off. "Let go, Snow."

"Oh, come on sister! It's a day to celebrate!" He laughed and hugged her again.

"Don't call me that," She grunted. "Let's go already."

"Right! Don't want to be late to my own engagement party, right? Serah wouldn't like that," He chuckled and swung a leg over his motorcycle. "Let's go!"

Lightning rolled her eyes and climbed on the bike as well. Why would the gods give her such an annoying brother in law?

Xxx

Hope was having a difficult time. He never imagined making heart-shaped chocolate could be so hard. It was impossible to get the stupid hot chocolate in those tiny molds. Nora wasn't helping much since she was just laughing at him because he was so frustrated.

"You need to do it slowly, Hope," She chuckled and took the spoon out of the boy's hands. "Or else you'll make a mess, see? You're stirring too fast."

"I've never done this before," He grunted and crossed his arms, he glanced at a mold and picked it up, he tried removing a piece of chocolate but proved to be useless since it crumbled apart almost instantly. Hope frowned and threw it into his mouth… at least it tasted nice.

"So what's bothering you? You're usually not this clumsy in the kitchen." His mother smiled at him.

He bit his lip and sat on a nearby stool. "I saw some guy picking her up today after school." He said with a sigh.

"Ah, I see…" Nora hummed with a nod. "Well you never know, you can still try, right?"

"But-"

"Stop right there young man, I didn't raise you to give up so easily!" She chuckled and shook her head. "Now keep making those chocolates."

Hope stared at her for a moment and let out a small laugh. "But I'm no good for this," He muttered bitterly while poking a deformed chocolate. "It's too hard to make heart-shaped things."

Nora smiled and patted his head. "Then why don't you try making another shape?"

Hope lowered his eyes. "It won't be as nice…"

"You never know." Nora smiled.

And right then, the greatest idea came to Hope's mind.

Xxx

Valentine's Day. A day for couples and people in love. A day for giving the woman you love some flowers to show your affection, something meaningful to show them you care. A day to surprise your beloved with a candle-lit dinner. A day to share your feelings with that one person that means the world to you.

A day Hope really wished he could fast-forward.

He was nervous and sleep-deprived. He has spent almost all night perfecting his chocolates and now he was feeling like he couldn't even give her the present he spent so much time and effort making. He was a coward… he was embarrassed. What would everyone think? No… they wouldn't think anything, her desk was probably already filled with presents, right? It'd be impossible for it not to be.

He clutched the small blue box in his right hand and sighed. He picked blue because he thought it would go great with her eyes… he didn't want to be one of the many guys giving her just a simple red-themed gift, that color was too overrated for Valentine's Day. He eyed the two white lilies in his left hand and let out a long calmed breath.

He could do this. He could do this. He could do this.

Hope walked to his classroom and peeked inside, she wasn't here yet but just like he imagined, her desk was already full of small red boxes, bags and roses. He knew he had made the right choice, he didn't want to be just like the rest.

He only hoped she would like it.

Vanille noticed him in the doorframe and waved at him, he smiled and walked in the room.

"So, is that for Sensei?" She smirked deviously.

Hope almost choked and looked at her with wide eyes. "Why… how did you know?"

She giggled softly and shrugged. "It was written all over your face yesterday."

He groaned and rubbed his forehead. "I'll just leave it on her desk." He sighed a bit miserably while he walked next to Lightning's desk and placed it delicately on top of the other boxes, he attached the lilies on the bow and then retrieved a small note from his pocket, he wrote his initials on it and left it between the flowers.

Hope bit his lip and walked back to his seat, he sat down and slumped his shoulders. It was done.

"I like how you wrapped it," Vanille said softly from beside him. "It stands out from the rest."

He smiled at her and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… I was kinda hoping it would."

She smiled knowingly and stood up. "Well, I'll be back soon, alright?"

Hope blinked. "Where are you going?"

"To visit Fang, of course." She giggled.

He chuckled softly to himself, he knew those two got along. He looked at his watch and only then noticed it was still really early, he didn't usually come to school at this time since his house was nearby. He leaned on his elbows and placed his face between his hands. He closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath.

He really… shouldn't have written his initials! His eyes snapped open as he turned his gaze to the Lightning's desk. Damn it!

She was already there browsing through her gifts with a small smirk on her lips. Only then did she notice the blue box, she raised a brow and picked it up slowly, her delicate fingers removed the small card from between the flowers as she read the two letters written in black ink, H.E. She blinked and after a second her eyes widened slightly with realization.

Lightning lifted her eyes from the card and directed her gaze directly at Hope's seat. Their eyes met briefly before he looked away, he glued his eyes to his desk and remained like that until the bell rang.

Vanille came back and sat down next to him. She frowned slightly and poked him with her pencil. "What's wrong?" She whispered.

"I'm an idiot." Was Hope's response.

"Why would you say that?" She giggled softly. "I don't think you are…"

"I was stupid enough to write my initials on the card!" He hissed under his breath.

Vanille smirked slightly. "Well personally I think that's better." She said smugly.

"Yeah but-"

"Quiet you two," Lightning raised a brow. "I won't go easy on you next time."

They instantly shut up.

Hope groaned and slammed his head on his desk; he remained like that for a while and sighed. He leaned back up and his eyes met icy-blue. A chill went down his spine and he felt his face heating up. Why did this always happen to him?

"If you have time to sleep in my class I assume you have time to stay after class, right?" She said smugly with a smirk on her lips. "Meet me at the faculty room, please."

The classroom filled with giggles as she walked back to the board. Hope really wanted to die right there.

He was pretty sure she didn't want to discuss his sleeping habits, not after the look she gave him when she noticed the blue box had his initials on it, just what the hell was he thinking when he wrote them?! No one else in the class had his same initials! Stupid, stupid!

But why him and not any other guy that gave her a present? She received at least twenty of them! Did she like torturing him? She wasn't that kind of teacher was she? No, he was pretty sure she wasn't. Did she dislike lilies? She didn't like the blue wrap?

Why?!

The rest of the day was a blur; he only remembered the bell ringing and the classroom emptying. He was nervous and he couldn't keep his hands still, he fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he loosened his tie… how he hated the school uniform. He sighed and decided it was time to meet with her… or maybe he could run away without her noticing?

No, that was impossible, the faculty room was in front of the only way out of school, she would notice for sure… wait what was he thinking? He couldn't run away just like that, she would eventually see her next day! Damn it all. Hope looked at the clock on the wall and his eyes widened, he had spent one hour thinking of ways to escape?!

He walked to the faculty room and stood in front of the closed door, she probably wasn't here anymore… she probably assumed he wasn't coming this late anyways; he closed his eyes and slowly let out a small breath he didn't know he was holding. A determined look flashed through his features for a brief moment before he knocked the door. No response.

He knew it; of course she wouldn't be here anymore… an hour was too much time to wait for a brat. Hope sighed and opened the door slightly to peek inside, his eyes widened when he noticed her sleeping on one of the desks, she was leaning over the table on her arms and the afternoon sunlight made her look angelical. His breath caught in his throat as he opened the door completely but quietly.

Hope walked over to her and pulled a chair next to her to sit down making an effort not to make any noise to not wake her up. He had never seen her like this… he had never seen someone as beautiful as her in his entire life. His eyes wondered over her face, gazing at her delicate features and the cascading light-strawberry locks over her cheek.

He noticed she was holding the blue box in one of her hands and he felt his face heating up for the hundredth time that day. She was… holding onto his present? Why?

Without thinking he moved his hand forward, brushing some strands away from her face. She stirred slightly and he removed his hand like it was on fire. Her eyes opened slowly and she looked up drowsily to stare into Hope's eyes.

He swallowed slowly and stared back; he breathed softly and felt like he could look into her eyes forever.

"I thought you wouldn't come." She said softly while sitting up and fixing her hair.

"I'm sorry… I lost track of time," He admitted quietly. "A-About the gift… I'm sorry if you didn't like it I-"

"I haven't opened it yet," She interrupted. "I wanted to open it in front of you."

Hope's eyes widened and his light blush deepened tenfold. "N-No! It's embarrassing… please give it back..." He muttered pitifully.

"Of course not," She smirked and gently removed the lilies from the bow while she undid it at the same time. Lightning placed the flowers on the desk and the ribbon fell right next to them. She lifted the box's lid and peeked inside.

Hope looked away and squeezed his eyes shut; he could already feel the rejection coming. He heard a small laugh coming from her and he dreaded the worst.

"It's very creative," She chuckled softly whilst picking a small piece of chocolate between her fingers. "Much better than the bunch of heart-shaped ones I got."

Hope blinked and turned to look at her. "You like them?" He asked incredulously.

"You obviously made them especially for me," She smiled. "I would have never thought of making small lightning bolt shaped chocolates for valentine," Lightning laughed under her breath and popped the small chocolate in her mouth. "It tastes really good… I liked the flowers, too."

Hope let out a relieved sigh and pressed a hand to his chest. "I was afraid you were gonna…"

"What? Tell you off because I got chocolate for Valentine's Day?" She smirked. "I'm not as mean as some take me to be… you should know that, right?"

"But what about your boyfriend, won't he get mad?" He grunted under his breath, not letting his eyes meet hers or she would see the tremendous amount of jealousy in them.

Lightning blinked. "What boyfriend?" She asked with a raised brow.

Hope's brows furrowed. "The guy who picked you up yesterday…"

There was a small silence and then the most unfeminine snort was heard. Hope stared. She was laughing. She was laughing hard, so hard that tears were starting to swell in her eyes.

"What?" He asked a bit annoyed.

"Snow is not my boyfriend," She said while trying to calm her laughter. "He's my sister's fiancé."

Now it was Hope's turn to be quiet, then the longest groan came out of his mouth while he hung his head in shame while his already gone blush reappeared on his cheeks. "Well… this is embarrassing."

"But really…" Lightning said softly. "When I asked you if you liked a girl yesterday I would have never imagined it was me."

"What's so hard to believe?" Hope blurted out without thinking before slapping his hand over his mouth and looking away. "Just… ignore me." He said, his voice muffled by his palm.

"Oh, so the shy guy can speak up," She smirked while placing her elbow on the desk and leaning her chin over her hand. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Hope stayed quiet and fingered the ribbon on the table nervously; he closed his eyes and sighed. This was not going well was it? Damn it, he should have never written his initials in that stupid card. He clutched his fist tightly and squeezed his eyes shut.

Lightning sighed softly at Hope's reaction and smiled warmly at him even though he couldn't see it. She placed her hand over his and squeezed it slightly. "You know?"

Hope's eyes snapped open and stared at her hand over his. This wasn't happening was it? He was dreaming, this had never happened, he was still sleeping in his bed, it wasn't even Valentine's Day yet. Good! That way when he woke up he could-

"I really liked you present." She smiled.

He lifted his eyes to meet hers and he stared. It wasn't a dream. It was really happening, he was awake and she was right there in front of him smiling, she liked his present… those stupid chocolates he had spent the entire night making. She was holding his hand and was looking right into his eyes. She was smiling!

Hope's breath hitched when she noticed her leaning forward. No, this had to be a dream, he was one hundred percent positive this was a dream, his heart beat fast and he could hear his blood pounding in his ears. His eyes fell halfway and he started to lean in as well, he watched her through lidded eyes and noticed she was still smiling. She was so-

"Oi, Light!" A woman's voice echoed in the room while the door opened violently making Hope flinch and lean back like a scared cat. "Oh… Sorry for interrupting." The woman said with a wide, mischievous smirk.

"Fang…" Lightning hissed irritably while she threw a venomous look at the other teacher.

"I-I uhm… I think I'll… head home?" He slurred embarrassedly while gathering his stuff and stood up, the chair making a less than majestic sound when the legs scraped the floor. "B-Bye Light-san, Fang-san!"

"Hope!" Lightning called for him and he froze on the spot. "Don't leave, Fang was about to do that herself." She said while glaring at the other woman.

"Yeah, yeah," Fang said with her thick accent. "I only wanted to let you know that I was heading to your house since Snow asked me to go, so yeah… I wanted to see if you wanted to head there together but I see you're… busy," She smirked and then turned to look at Hope. "Take it easy kid, she's a though one." And with that, she was gone.

Hope was frozen still. What had just happened? Did his teacher try to kiss him? Lightning tried to kiss him? No, he had to be dreaming, this had to be a dream.

"Just ignore her; she's always been like that… interrupting in the important moments." She sighed while standing up and brushing her skirt with her hand.

He turned to look at her with a small frown and walked towards her; he grabbed her arm and squeezed it slightly.  Hope pursed his lips and looked at her intently. Should he be angry? Happy? Confused? He didn't really know.

"Hope…?" She frowned.

"Why are you teasing me like this?" He said under his breath. "I really like you, you know? I really do!" He hissed and turned to look away. "You have no idea how much I've been through… all the things I've thought about… I'm afraid." He admitted, his eyes cast down.

"Hope I'm not-" She tried to say but was cut off by another pair of lips. Her eyes widened as Hope retreated, only now did she notice that he was at least a head taller than her.

The kiss wasn't gentle or passionate, it was just a simple brush of lips, it was in no way the way Hope expected to have his first kiss; not once had he imagined this would be it, such rash action, blinded by confusion… however it couldn't have been more meaningful to him.

"I fell for you a long time ago, I didn't even notice how it happened, one day it was just like that… and I know it's wrong to love my teacher, I know it's not right!" He said with a determined look in his eyes. "But I can't help feeling this way, it just happened and there's no way I can stop now."

Lightning looked at him with a worried expression which slowly turned into a warm smile. "I'm glad." She said softly as she felt his grip becoming weaker; she raised her hand and placed it over Hope's cheek lovingly.

"…What?"

"Hope," She said softly while her hand fell to her side. "I'm really glad that you like me and not some other girl." Lightning chuckled slightly under her breath while shaking her head.

"Wha… Why?" Hope asked, his eyes wide with confusion.

"Because I don't think anyone is good enough for you," She smirked. "You're a wonderful person, and I have to say, I really like you, too." Lightning smiled then, lovingly at him.

Hope remained quiet, he stared at her and frowned slightly. "Then…" He sighed. "I suffered for nothing?"

"It's wasn't for nothing," She said with a tiny smirk. "I would have never approached you, you know? I am your teacher after all, and you're way younger than me."

"You're only twenty-four." Hope retorted.

"And you're seventeen," She raised a brow. "The reason why I didn't approach you at first was because if the school knew, they'd fire me you know?" Lightning sighed slightly and crossed her arms over her chest. "That would be a problem so I decided it was too risky-"

"Please go out with me," He interrupted her. "Please! I'll study hard to get into the university and then I will take care of you!" Hope said with a determined look. "Just… wait for me  until I can become a man worthy of you."

Lightning was speechless for a moment and then smiled warmly at him. "You're too sweet, Hope… But there's no way the school would allow something like this."

"I don't care!" He frowned and took a step forward, closing the gap between them a bit. "We'll keep this a secret, graduation is in three months and then I'll be free… we'll be free." Hope said and placed his hands over her shoulders. "Please give me a chance to prove myself to you."

She looked away briefly and sighed. This was harder than she had expected. "You don't need to prove yourself to me…" Lightning admitted quietly and turned to look at him in the eye. "I believe everything you just told me, and trust me… nothing would make me happier than corresponding to your feelings."

Hope's face lit up and he embraced her tightly, he felt her arms traveling up his back to hold his shoulders from behind. He buried his nose in the strawberry colored locks and inhaled her sweet scent. He had to be dreaming right? This was just too good to be true and stuff like this… only happened in dreams.

"We'll have to keep it a secret until you graduate," She murmured and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. "I don't want to get fired or get you expelled…" Lightning said with a small chuckle. Oh boy this was so wrong and dangerous.

"What about Fang-san?" Hope asked leaning his chin on her head. "She saw."

"Well… let's say she has her own secret to worry about," Lightning smirked. "She won't tell."

Hope frowned slightly and then it clicked in his mind. Vanille. He let out a small sigh and then chuckled. "I get it now."

"Will you be able to wait?" She asked softly.

"I waited almost three years and as long as I get to have you in three months I don't care waiting a bit more." He chuckled as well, leaning out of the embrace slightly to look down at her. She was so beautiful.

"Don't say embarrassing things," Lightning huffed and looked away, the faintest pink blush over her cheeks. "…Of course you'll have me."

Hope raised a brow. That was new. He smirked slightly and pressed his hand to the side of her face, tilting it to make her look at him. He looked at her for what seemed to be an eternity, surveying her features, her beauty, every small detail he could, committing it to memory… The silveret looked into her eyes for a moment and leaned in to press his lips to her once more, this time slowly and lovingly.

It tasted like chocolate.