Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/472345. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Category: F/M, Gen Fandom: Final_Fantasy_XIII Relationship: Hope_Estheim/Oerba_Dia_Vanille Character: Hope_Estheim, Oerba_Dia_Vanille Additional Tags: Underage_Sex, First_Time Stats: Published: 2012-07-29 Words: 7054 ****** Teach Me ****** by Sugarbubbleslove Summary Hope finds a hot spring and Vanille joins him, intending on teaching him many lessons… Title: Teach Me Characters: Hope/Vanille Rating: Mature/Adult Disclaimer: I do not own anyone/anything from the forum Final Fantasy. Square Soft/Enix owns Final Fantasy and its characters. There is no copyright infringement intended. I do not make any profit/money or take any credit. Summary: Hope finds a hot spring and Vanille joins him, intending on teaching him many lessons… Timeline: In-Game – FFXIII – Sulyya Springs   'Teach Me' Hope yawned from where he was sitting on a log staring into the fire before him. They had been travelling for most of the day. As night began to fall, Lightning had found a cave near the Sulyya Springs, allowing them the chance to seek rest and wash up if they wanted to. Lightning had gone on her rounds with Snow to make sure the area was clear of any creatures that might attack them during the night. Fang and Sazh had gone off to collect food and more wood for the fire. Vanille had gone over to the spring with Sazh's baby chocobo in a bid to see if she could find any medical herbs that would help them for their journey. Using healing spells were exhausting and they were running low on potions. Hope had offered himself up to help someone but each person had nixed the idea before it could be fully formed, leaving the young man bored as he lifted the stick and prodded the fire to make sure it kept burning. He understood why they weren't willing to push him any further. He could still see the fear that lingered in Lightning's eyes whenever she met his. The grave looks whenever Snow looked at him despite trying to stay upbeat. The way Sazh would give him a smile that was obviously strained. The way Vanille hovered near him whenever they were travelling together to make sure he didn't over do anything. Fang was the only one who was blunt enough to inform him that he had given them enough heart-attacks that they didn't need him finding a way to give them another one before she followed Sazh into the woods, leaving Hope staring after her amused as ever when it came to her attitude. Hope looked down at his brand that resided on his left wrist, remembering the despair he felt when the gang was trying to find out how to help him. Vanille had told them that there was another place they could search but Fang had cut her off before she could reveal the area, asking if she was sure. Hope had been the one to speak for Vanille, saying it was their home place that held the answers. He was still confused to how he knew that it was their home place. He had never been on the Pulse before and there was no history recorded of Grand Pulse because no one on Cocoon had ever stepped foot on Grand Pulse. Vanille seemed to know the answer but she wouldn't talk to him about it at the moment. Said it wasn't the right time. "I'm back!" a cheerful voice broke into Hope's thoughts and he lifted his head to grin at the sight of Vanille skipping her way into his view with a bright smile on her face, her dark green eyes were lit up with happiness. The chocobo chick chirped happily as it flew over to Hope before settling on his shoulder, snuggling up to Hope's neck. There were different green herbs in Vanille's arms; some of them had bright coloured flowers attached while the others were just different sizes leaves. "I see you got your herbs," Hope noticed as Vanille moved closer to him before she dropped to her knees, placing the herbs onto the blanket, they had found it in the airship that they had found after they finally got out of the Fifth Ark, that was next to the fire and sorted them out into bundles. "Yeah, there were some troubles," she confessed as she shifted slightly to place a bundle of herbs up the higher corner. "I ran into some Ceratosaur." Hope nodded as his eyes slipped over her back until he spotted a tear in her top; looking closely revealed that there was some blood. "Vanille! You're bleeding!" Hope shifted off the log, kneeling down beside Vanille, who looked at him startled before she peered over her back, trying to see the wound. "I thought I felt something sharp hit my back but I can't feel anything," she told him. Hope lifted the top carefully as he could away from the wound and winced when he saw the wound. It was a large oval shape. The bleeding was slow which told Hope that it had been somewhat cauterised during the fight but the edges were turning a strange yellow/green colour indicating that it had been infected. Frowning, he pressed a finger near the wound and watched Vanille's face for any pain. "Can you feel anything?" he asked, pressing harder with his finger. "Nothing," she admitted and Hope nodded. "I think they paralysed the wound when they cut you. They also infected you with poison so I need to clean it out before I can heal it," he explained. "Hope," Vanille started to protest only to shut up when she got a determined glare from the young man and nodded. "Fine, but if you feel exhausted at any point…" Hope rolled his eyes, amused. "Vanille, I'm not going to pass out from a simple healing," he reminded her. "My mark hasn't been acting up and I'm been fine since I fought and got Alexander to yield." Vanille blushed as she realised that her actions haven't gone unnoticed by him. Hope raked through his bag, looking for the antidote that he had scored from fighting monsters. Due to the fact that all of them could use Esuna, there wasn't any need to use to use the antidotes but Lightning had ordered them to keep them just to be on the safe side, which had been a good idea as it turned out that Hope had a bad reaction to the spell, forcing everyone to give him all the poison resistant accessories they had in hope that he wouldn't be affected. Picking up the cotton wool, he poured some of the green liquid onto the wool before placing it over the wound. Vanille hissed as the poison slowly faded away along with the paralysis, allowing her to feel the intense pain. Closing her eyes as she gritted her teeth, Hope worked quicker to remove the rest of the poison. Once he was finished, he placed his hand over the wound, closing his eyes as he sought out the healing magic that resided in him and it came out full force. His hand lit up with a soft green glow as it was transferred onto Vanille's wound. Vanille could feel the pain giving away to the pleasant warmth that just seemed to fill her veins. Opening his eyes, Hope watched as Vanille's skin slowly pulled itself back together, the edges of the wound knitting before it was left with soft skin without a blemish. Letting the healing power go, Hope brought his hand down to touch her skin, feeling how soft it was under his fingers. Vanille shuddered with pleasure over feeling the callused fingers as it shot sparks between her legs, causing the dull throbbing to become more intense. Hope didn't notice the reaction he was eliciting in the woman as he was too preoccupied over how soft and silky the skin was. Was every woman's skin like hers? "Hope…" Vanille's voice broke into his thoughts and he lifted his light green eyes to meet her dark ones as they connected over her shoulder. Vanille's tongue peeked out between her parted lips to wet them, making them look more glossier and inviting, causing Hope's eyes to drop down to them, wanting to know what they tasted like. Hope's hand had stopped stroking her skin, his fingers splayed out on her back as he leaned in, his face inching toward hers, eager to taste her lips when a noise broke them apart. "Well…well…well…what do we have here?" Fang's voice cut into their private moments, causing Hope to jerk his hand away from Vanille's skin like it burned him, standing up and stepping backward out of fear of what the older woman would do to him only for the log to trip him up, causing him to stumble backward, falling onto his rear. "Hope!" Vanille squealed as she got up and hurried around to the boy's side, helping him up before she turned to face her adopted sister with a glare, who was smirking in amusement. It was nice to see the boy was beginning to grow some balls…now if he would stop being so skittish around her concerning Vanille, they could get a move on with their sexual tension. "Did I just see what I saw?" Lightning's voice boomed across the area, causing Vanille and Hope to jump, startled while Fang just tilted her head in the ex- soldier's direction from where she came back from her survey with Snow. "Light…" Hope stammered as Lightning came to a stop in front of him, planting her hands on her hips. "Did I just see you heal Vanille?" she demanded, "After we told you not to over-exert yourself?" Hope let out a sigh of relief as he realised that Lightning wasn't talking about what nearly happened. "Vanille had been hurt in a battle. It was just a small wound and I could take care of it. I'm okay," he assured her. Lightning eyed him critically for a moment as Fang walked up next to her. "Relax sunshine. If the boy says he can handle anything that comes his way, maybe you should put a little faith into him," Fang pointed out and Lightning looked at her and she shrugged. "Beside, I have a feeling if we molly-coddle the boy any longer, he'll go out and pick a fight just to prove himself and where would we be then?" Lightning stared at her a little longer before she looked at Hope and sighed. "Fine, but if I see any hint…" she started and Hope nodded. "You'll put me under constant guard," Hope finished. Lightning gave him her rare surprised smile, the one she would give him whenever he did something unexpected. It always gave him a feeling of pride that he could manage to elicit something out of what people would call a stony woman. "Good," she turned to face Vanille. "Are you okay?" Vanille smiled as she nodded. "Yep, Hope patched me up just peachy!" she chirped happily, giving Hope a bright smile as he blushed, scratching the back of his head as Fang chuckled as she walked over to the pink haired girl and ruffled her hair. "And we're going to have a little chat about you getting hurt. Especially after I told you to stay at the camp with Hope," Fang informed her and Vanille shrugged before she pointed toward the blanket. "I went to find more herbs for our potions and such," Vanille explained. "We're nearly out of potions and I didn't want us to be caught off guard." Fang nodded. "Alright, we'll go through them later. First – dinner," she informed them as Sazh pulled the large creature toward the fire. Lightning came forward and helped him skin it before they cut up the meat so it was easier to cook. Hope and Vanille helped them while Fang removed the skin and started cleaning it so they would have more covers and pillows to keep them warm at night. Snow just stood off to the side with a confused look on his face, wondering if he had actually saw Hope trying to kiss Vanille or if it had been a hallucination as a result of being punched too many times by Lightning. Deciding that it must have been a strange hallucination as no-one else made a comment or seemed to have noticed, he headed over to sit down on the log across from where Hope and Vanille were now sitting. Fang and Sazh had found a strange type of boar or a creature that was similar to a boar on Cocoon, allowing them to feed on the meat. Snow was please that it wasn't dinosaur meat. They had tried that once but they had found it too tough to eat so they threw it away only to be pounded on by scavengers wanting the meat. They had barely gotten away in time too. Once they had finished eating, they all rested, enjoying the relaxing atmosphere for once since they had arrived on Grand Pulse. The only noises were the crackling of the fire, the distant howls of the wolves and the faint happy chirping of the little chocobo where it was nestled near the fire, snoozing away. "So Hope…" Hope looked toward the owner of the drawl, meeting the cool blue eyes of Fang and felt dread at the sly smile that curved her lips. "Tell us…how far have you gotten with a girl?" Hope started stammering as he felt his cheeks burn, embarrassment flooding through his body. "Fang!" their travel companion scolded together. "He's fourteen!" Sazh added. "He's a teenager with hormones," Fang shot back before she looked at Hope once more with a waiting look on her face. Hope steeled him against the inevitable teasing that would follow through after his confession. "A kiss on the cheek," he confessed. Fang's eyebrow rose, impressed with the boy's honesty while Snow frowned as a thought came to him. "Kid, you do you know about the birds and bees…right?" he asked, not wanting to be left with the responsibility of having the talk with the kid. Hope's cheeks burned brighter. "Yes!" he hissed out, embarrassed. "Mom told me when I was 12 then Lightning refreshed my memories along with adding new ones." Everyone looked at Lightning, who just glared back. "Like Fang says, he's a teenager with hormones. I wasn't going to let him travel with women without making sure that he knew about sex," Lightning informed them bluntly. Fang snickered while Snow and Sazh stared at the women before looking at each other. Vanille just frowned, curious to what new memories Hope meant. "What new memories?" she asked and Hope groaned, covering his eyes. "She likes to explain things in great details. I guess by not being my mother, she wasn't uncomfortable with talking," Hope muttered. "Do you like anyone?" Fang jumped back into the conversation, seeing the looks on the others' faces as they tried to figure out what Lightning had said to the kid. Hope just stared at her, shocked, causing Fang to smirk. "You do! Who?" Hope blushed even harder as his eyes flickered quickly over to the person in question before he covered his face once more, not wanting to meet the teasing gaze of Fang any more. Fang and Lightning were the only two who had caught the small quick gesture of Hope's eyes. While Fang smiled in devious delight, Lightning just contented herself with a knowing smirk. That had been the reason why she had given Hope the talk, going into great details of a lot of things. The boy needed to know before she tried anything on, potentially sending the boy into a shock. "Who?" asked Snow; feeling out of the loop when he spotted the 'cat who got the cream' smile on Fang's face and the knowing smirk on Lightning before a thought came to him. "It isn't…Lightning, is it?" He asked only to flinch when he got 'you are dead' look from the woman in question while Hope brought his head up and glared as well. "No!" he burst out, startling everyone before he blushed a bit more. "No, Lightning is more of a mother figure to me," he explained in a calmer tone. "Oh," Snow felt awkward as he realised that Hope and Lightning did seem to have a mother/son bond before he eyed Fang and got a smirk in return. "I'm sure I can teach him how to please a woman," Fang teased Snow, getting giggles from Vanille, an eye roll from Sazh and a shake of head from Lightning. Hope just blushed harder while Snow glared at Fang as she moved in closer, running a finger up Snow's arm. "How about it, big boy?" she asked. "Fancy giving the boy a demonstration on how to please a woman?" Vanille laughed even harder, tilting as she fought to keep her balance only to land into Hope's side. Hope rolled his eyes as he helped to keep her balance only to start laughing as her laugher was contagious. Snow just shifted away from Fang as the woman laughed in amusement as she turned to look at Hope and Vanille. "Have you told her yet?" Hope's laughter faded before he shook his head. "I don't think she sees me in the same way," he admitted. Fang chuckled. "Somehow, I get the feeling that you're wrong." Hope looked at her but Fang just turned back to the fire while Snow stood up with Sazh, claiming they were going to check out the area once more. Fang and Vanille headed into the cave to make sure everything was set up for sleeping while Lightning and Hope sorted through the potions and such to make sure they had everything in the correct place so they were in easy reach for when they needed them. Once they were finished, Lightning turned to Hope. "You should head over to the spring," she told him. "You need to relax and the water will help you." "Are you sure?" Hope asked. "I can still help out." Lightning have him a small smile as she reached out and ruffled his hair. "Hope, go to the spring before I drag you there," she told him. Hope grinned before he stood up and made his way through the woods with Lightning watching him just as Fang and Vanille came out. Fang was chuckling while Vanille seemed to be in a daze. Hope reached the spring. Remembering what Vanille had said about there being monsters around, he looked about to make sure that he was alone. Not seeing any monsters, Hope deduced that they had moved on somewhere else and sighed in relief. He really didn't want to get into a battle with any monsters, he didn't know what Lightning would do if it had happened. Hope sat down on the rock, pulling his shoes and socks off before he stood up and stripped his clothes. Placing them on a high rock so they wouldn't get wet or stolen by any mischievous creatures, he still remembered the cactuar teasing Sazh when they bumped into it. Hope climbed into the spring, allowing the warm water to lap against his knees before he sat down, the water coming up to his collarbone. Sighing with happiness as the warm water worked it magic on his tired and tensed muscles; he closed his eyes and leaned backward against the smooth stone and allowed his mind to wander to how far they all had gotten since they had first met each other. He and Lightning had formed a mother/son bond that he had grown to cherish. Even though he knew that Lightning could never replace his mom, who had died fighting to protect him, she was there for him when he needed her and she kept her promise to watch his back. Snow…the two of them had a turbulent start as Hope had believed that Snow had been responsible for his mother's death as Snow's actions had inspired Nora to fight. As a result, it had left a bitter taste in Hope's mouth over seeing Snow upbeat and cheerful despite Nora's death. It had left Hope with a lot of rage and anger to the point it boiled over and Hope had tried to kill Snow with the same knife that Lightning had given him, a present from her sister who was Snow's fiancée. Thinking back on it, it brought a wry smile to Hope's lips. Sazh…he and the older man hadn't spent a lot of time together when they first started out but when they all met up again after rescuing Sazh and Vanille from Sanctum as they had kidnapped them in a bid to execute them in public, they had been able to talk. Sazh had a love for machines as well as Hope, which he found when he first used the dreadnought back in the Vile Peaks. They had slowly progressed to talking about other stuff and Sazh had learned of Hope's mother while Hope had learned to Sazh's son who had been marked as an l'Cie and crystallised after completing his Focus of finding his father. It was from Sazh he had learned the whole truth of Vanille and Fang and it made him feel ashamed as he remembered how he would go off on how l'Cie were dangerous, not knowing that Vanille had already been marked as an l'Cie. Fang…he was skittish around the older woman. She was dangerous; she had proven that on more than one occasion, even when she had threatened to fight them in order to prevent Vanille from turning into a Cie'th but at the same time, she was protective of them, rushing first head into danger to keep them safe. Vanille…she was there when he saw his mother die in front of him, she slapped him to get him to break out of his shock. She pushed him when he needed the shove and held him back when he needed to be held back. She was his comfort. Hope had to admit that he had a crush on the young woman. Not at first, he was still in a shock over his mother but as they travelled and got closer, he saw how attractive she was and began to develop a crush on her. He had managed to keep it hidden, only small sections slipping out every now and then but he was positive that she didn't know of his crush and he was happy to keep it that way. He didn't want to face rejection from the only girl that he liked. "Hey," Hope jerked awake when he heard Vanille's voice. Looking over, he saw Vanille standing off to the side with a smile. "Hey," Hope greeted back, shifting slightly so he was hidden. "Did you need me for something?" Vanille's smile turned shyer as her hands slipped round to her back. With quick fingers, the fur dropped down to the ground and her skirt following. Hope's eyes just widen as he stared at the sight. Vanille removed her shoes and socks as her hands reached up to her top and she peeled it off her body, removing the jewellery at the same time as she did, leaving her clad in just light pink underwear. "V…V…Van…Vanille?" Hope managed to stammer out, feeling confused and aroused, mentally thanking Lightning for refreshing his memories and giving him more information on what to expect when it came to his hormones and arousal as his member began to stiffen up. "I've seen the way you look at me," she told him as her hands slid round her back to the clasp of her bra, causing it to loosen, coming away from her breasts. She let it dropped to the ground and watched as Hope's eyes dropped down to her breasts, taking in her hard light pink nipples. He licked his bottom lip as Vanille's hands slid down her body, caressing the side of her panties. "Do you like what you see?" she slipped her panties off to reveal dark red curls before she stepped into the water, wading closer to where Hope was still sitting, shifting so he could hide how aroused he was getting at the sight of Vanille's body. "Vanille…" Hope tried to talk once more only for Vanille to lower herself to her knees. With a smile, she reach out a hand and caressed Hope's cheek before she leaned in, pressing her lips against his. Hope was frozen with shock under her lips. Never in his wildest dream, and he had a few, had he ever imagined that Vanille would like him back that way. He had been so convinced that she just saw him as a little brother or just a friend. Vanille pulled away from Hope and bit her bottom lip in a bid to stop her giggles from escaping at the sight of Hope's wide eyes. He had never looked more adorable. Hope managed to break out of his state of shock and started stammering once more as he tried to deal with the sudden turnaround, feeling aroused and confused at the same time. Taking pity on the young man, Vanille placed her index finger on his lips, silencing him. "I like you, Hope," she told him and Hope's eyes widen. Vanille giggled as she pulled her finger away from his lips. "So, all those times," Hope started and Vanille nodded. "Yeah, I knew that you liked me too. Fang sorta knock it into my head that I needed to do something about the situation because we were driving her mad," she explained. Hope's eyes widen. "She knows…about this?" he hissed out, his eyes darting over to the forest in a bid to see if he could see Fang hidden between the trees, watching them. Vanille laughed, shaking her head. "She thinks I'm just talking to you. She's with Lightning right now," Vanille assured him and Hope nodded but his eyes still roamed the trees just to be on the safe side. Vanille pouted. "I'm feeling a bit neglected here." Hope's eyes darted back to hers and she smiled. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to." "But…I don't know…" he trailed off and Vanille nodded. "I know, I'm going to teach you," Vanille whispered as she leaned in. "Teach me?" he whispered as her lips brushed against his. This time Hope was ready for it and pressed his lips back against hers. His hand came up to curl in her red locks, holding her close as he parted his lips, his tongue brushing against her lower lips. Vanille parted her lips for him, allowing his tongue to enter her mouth, tasting her for the first time and he groaned. Vanille whimpered as she shifted so she was straddling him, her core brushing against his hardness. Hope tried his hardest to ignore it; he wanted to concentrate on one thing at a time rather than rushing their relationship. He cared about Vanille too much to disrespect her. His other hand went to her hip, feeling the soft skin under his hand. Vanille's hand went down and grasped the hand, pulling it up to her breast. Hope pulled away to look at her but she just smiled, leaning back into kiss him again. Following the lead, Hope slowly massaged her breast; enjoy the feel and weight of it in his hand. His thumb brushed against her hard nipple and she gasped, shifting in closer to him. Curious, Hope brushed his thumb over her nipple again and received the same reaction. Vanille pulled away from him, breathing heavily as she stared into his eyes with her own eyes half-mast. "Pinch it," she ordered; her voice husky with desire. Hope shifted his hand so her nipple was between his index and thumb finger. With a slight tug, pleasure rippled through her body, causing her to moan. His other hand freed itself from her hair, travelling down her body until it reached her other breast and repeated the actions, causing Vanille to squirm in his lap, moaning and panting. Watching as the nipples harden and reddened even more, Hope licked his lips before leaning in, letting one of the nipples go only to take it between his lips. Vanille gasped, her hands flying into Hope's hair, holding him close as he kissed the nipple before grasping it gently between his teeth and tugged on it lightly, "Hope…" Vanille whimpered as his other hand continued to increase in pleasure, his tongue coming into play as he flicked his tongue over the ridged nub. He was just going on by instincts and what Lightning had told him. Vanille seemed to think he was doing the right thing from where she was writhing and moaning in his lap. When he was finished with the breast he was working on, he switched over to her other breast, his fingers taking up the spot he just left, the wetness he left behind helped him to work harder against the nipple. Not wanting Hope to feel left out, Vanille dropped a hand down onto his lap, grasping his hardness, stroking it in the same rhythm he was working on her breasts. Hope began to groan around her nipple, causing vibrations to stimulate her even more. In turn, she grasped a bit harder, running her thumb over the sensitive head before sliding back down, caressing his balls as she did. Hope could feel that he was getting close to the end. He reached down and grasped Vanille's hand, pulling her away from him. Vanille gasped as she broke the kiss, looking into his eyes, confused. "Hope?" he shook his head. "Too close," he admitted. Vanille giggled as she leaned in once more, kissing him as his hands travelled over her back, curving over her ass and down her thighs before one of them rounded her thigh, sliding up to reach her core, stopping a few inches away from her heat as he broke the kiss. "Can…can I taste you?" Hope asked. Vanille's eyes widen. "You don't have to do that," she assured him but Hope shook his head. "I…I want to," he told her. Vanille nodded as she swallowed. They shifted so Vanille was sitting upon a rock. She spread her legs so Hope could slide between them. He cupped the back of her head and pulled her down for another kiss, his hand cupping her breast, his fingers playing with her nipple. Vanille moaned as her arms slipped over his shoulders, pulling him closer so she could feel him pressed up against her. Hope's hand that was tangled in her hair made it way down her body, caressing the soft skin before he reached her curls. Moving slowly, he met her warm lips, caressing the outer lips first before he probed further, causing Vanille to gasp as her hips bucked up into his hand. They broke the kiss so they could breathe, Hope's lips travelling down her cheek, over her jaw and down her throat. Vanille's hand wandered over his back, enjoying the feel of his hot skin against his, the feel of his muscles working as he shifted so he could reach the different areas of her body, searching for any sensitive spots that he could use. Hope slowly kissed his way down her body, stopping to play with her breasts a little longer before he moved further down until he was positioned between her thighs. Vanille's hands were resting on his shoulders as she watched him lean in. Hope pressed his lips against her core before he parted them, his tongue flicking across the sensitive lips. "Hope…" Vanille gasped out only to squeak with shock as Hope's tongue slid past her lips, entering her and tasting her. Her hands flew to his silver/blonde locks, one leg rising higher to lock itself around Hope's shoulder. Her head fell backward as Hope drew his tongue out before entering once more; mimicking the act he wanted to do to her. Hope lifted his eyes so he could see her only for desire to pound harder through him at the sight she made. Her head was back, her lips parted as she fought to breathe. Her chest heaved, causing her breasts to bounce lightly with each movement. "Up," Vanille tugged lightly on his hair as his nose brushed against something hard. Experimenting, Hope shifted his face so his tongue could touch the hard bud, flicking the tip over it only Vanille's hands to tightening as a kneeing whimper escaped from her throat. Hope remembered what Lightning saying about a woman reaching an orgasm and wanted to know what Vanille would be like if she got one. From what Lightning said, it sounded like it was a good thing for a girl to have. Shifting his hand, he slid a finger into her core while his tongue flicked her hidden bud only to groan as she tightened around his finger. "More," Vanille pleaded. Hope slid another finger into her, increasing the pace as her breathing changed; she was beginning to breathe harder and faster. Her hips were moving, forcing Hope to keep up with the pace. His tongue traced a circle around her bud, rounding till it reached the middle and he flicked his tongue with more pressure as he bent his fingers inside of her, feeling a strange section. Vanille gasped, stiffening as her hands clenched tighter in Hope's hair before her back snapped, her hips arched up into his face and she came with a scream of his name, almost pushing Hope over the edge as he continued to lick, trying to draw as much out of her as he could. Becoming too sensitive, Vanille pulled his face away from her, breathing heavily as Hope came back up and kissed her, stealing her breath away once more. She could taste herself on him. It was strange but it wasn't unlikable. "Hope…" Vanille pleaded as one of her hand slid down his chest, over the six- pack that was beginning to develop due to their travels and fighting, and down lower so she could grasp his manhood, stroking it. "I need you in me." "Are you sure?" Hope asked, breaking the kiss as they stared at each other. He wanted to be sure she wanted to go further. He wouldn't be upset if she changed her mind, he would be disappointed, but Lightning told him that a woman had the right to be absolutely sure they wanted it. "Positive," Vanille told him, pulling back into a kiss as she positioned him at her entrance. Fumbling for a moment, Hope managed to slide into her, groaning at the feel of her wet slick heat tight around him. Vanille gasped as her walls stretched to accommodate him. It had been a while since she had been with a guy. 500 years stuck in a crystal stasis would do that you. Hope waited for Vanille to adjust around him before he frowned as another warning came into his mind. "Vanille? What about protection?" Hope asked, pulling his head away from hers to stare at her with wide eyes. Vanille giggled. "It's okay. Some of the leaves I found were also contraceptives," she explained. "I took some before I came here." Hope stared at her as relieve ran through his body. He wasn't ready to be a father and they weren't in a situation where they could risk a baby. And he just didn't want Lightning to kill him because he was thinking with the wrong brain. "You can move," Vanille broke into his thoughts and he lifted his head to look up at her, confused. Vanille squeezed her muscles around him, causing pleasure to shoot through him and he let out a groan. "Don't…don't do that again," he choked out. A sly smile crossed her face as she filed it away for a later date when Hope was feeling more confident. Taking a deep breath, Hope pulled out a bit before sliding back in. He let out a soft moan as her walls tightened around him. Vanille moaned as he picked up speed, becoming more confident in himself. Hope kissed her once more, his tongue thrusting deeply inside her, mimicking what he was doing below. Vanille's nails dug into his back as she held on, her hips thrusting to meet his, her legs tightening around his waist. One of his hands cupped a breast, tugging on the nipple while his other one rested against the small of her back, keeping her steady as he thrusted harder into her, enjoying the way she moaned, the way her nails tightened in his back and the way her walls clenched around him. Vanille reached behind her, grasping Hope's hand and pulling to the front, settling his thumb over the small bud. Getting the message, Hope began flicking and rubbing it eliciting gasps from Vanille as she continued to kiss him. One of Vanille's hands came up to her free breast and started pulling and pinching the nipple to the same rhythm Hope was doing. She could feel the tightening in her womb and knew that she was close. Plenty of practice by herself had given the knowledge of when she saw close. She started thrusting her hips faster against Hope's, pressing their upper bodies close together only to break the kiss as her orgasm broke through. Hope groaned as he stilled, his face buried in her neck as his orgasm took over him before he slumped against her. Vanille sighed happily as she tightened her legs around him, her face buried in his neck as they both relaxed, coming down from their high. Hope was lying on his back, staring up at the star filled sky. Vanille was curled into his side with her head resting on his chest and her right hand tracing shapes on his chest. His hand was caressing her back, sometime venturing to her hair to play with the curls. "Are you okay?" Hope asked, finally breaking the silence that had dawned on them after they had finished. Vanille seemed to shut down somewhere, leaving Hope in the dark. "Hm, I'm fine," she told him, closing her eyes. "You don't seem fine," Hope told her as panic began to run through him. Lightning had told him that some women regret what they have done. "Do you regret this?" Vanille shook her head. "No, I'm glad that I did this," she assured him. "It's just…the last time I did this, it didn't end well." Hope frowned. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. The two of them had become close during their travels. "It's complicated," she confessed. Hope looked down at her head. "There was this guy from our home village. We were together for a short time before Fang and I was marked." She traced shapes on his chest. "What happened to him?" Hope asked. "He died trying to protect me," Vanille whispered as she shifted her head to look up at him. "You remind me so much of him," you have no idea just how much "he was kind, always wanting to protect everyone around him and staying cheerful, no matter how bleak the future looked." "Is that why Fang is over protective of you?" Hope asked. He didn't comment on the guy because it stirred something deep inside of him. Something that was strange yet familiar at the same time. "Yeah, she saw him die protecting me. It nearly broke me but he said something before he died and I hung on to his words. Fang just doesn't want to see me hurt like that again. He also made her promise that I wouldn't turn into a Cie'th due to failing my focus." "That will explain why she was willing to fight us when we were thinking about giving up," Hope said. Vanille nodded. "I…I just don't want the same thing to happen to you," she whispered, taking his hand in hers. "I don't think I would be able to cope losing someone else." "You're not going to lose me," he promised her. Vanille nodded, wishing she could make the same promise. She didn't know what will happen when they reach the end. "Kid? Where are you?" Snow's voice called from the wood, causing Vanille and Hope to sit up with fear in their eyes. Looking at each other, they grabbed their clothes and pulled them on quickly as possible before smoothing down their hair and making sure that they looked presentable. They didn't need the adults trying to kill them or separating them if they found out what happened. Hope sat down on the rocks once more, pulling Vanille down with him before he pulled out a crystal ball that his mother had given to him when they were on their trip, just before they had been selected for the Pulse. Vanille's eyes widen at the strange object, taking the crystal into her hand and admiring it, enjoying the way the moonlight would bounce off the object. "Hey," they turned to see Snow was making his way over to them with a relieved smile that Hope was okay and that Vanille was with him. He and Sazh had panicked when they realised the two teenagers were missing. They even tried asking Lightning and Fang if they knew where the kids were only to get a half- hearted shrug and mutters. "Hey Snow, were you looking for us?" Hope asked as Vanille turned back to the crystal and Snow nodded. "Yeah, it's time to head back to the camp. Lightning wants us up early tomorrow," Snow explained. Hope arched an eyebrow at Snow using Lightning as an excuse. He remembered hearing Lightning was planning on letting them rest a little longer in the morning because they needed to be fully rested before they went head to head with the battles that they would be facing. Vanille looked at him and Hope shrugged as she handed him back the crystal and the two of them got up, making their way over to Snow. Snow waited until they reached him before turning on his heels and leading the way back over to the caves, unaware that Hope and Vanille shared a shy smile before their hands reached out and their pinkies interlocked with each other, pleased that their secret was still their secret. The End Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!