Disclaimer: I do not own Loveless or any of it's characters, I just slash it terribly.

I woke up this-morning feeling unusually positive. You would think that three years was more than enough time for my mind to rest on the subject of what happened in the final battle against Seimei, but it seems like it might take more than just the end of a nightmare to start a new dream. I've finished with college, finally. There isn't much I'm doing with my life just yet, but that doesn't really bother me. I'm still coming to terms with the idea that I /can/ live a life for myself, I'm not even completely sure what I want to do. Ritsuka remains my top priority, but he is always encouraging me to think more about myself. I think it's a silly notion, but he's always had a unique way of thinking. It's been around four years altogether since the day I met the peculiar young boy, and he still manages to surprise me. Speaking of which, my sacrifice's life seems to be constantly changing. He's finally heading into his first year of highschool, and is really starting to grow. It still hurts a little to see how much he resembles his older brother, but I can't say it's a bad look on him. He's made a commitment to 'graduate' from therapy; this week is his last scheduled visit. As for his family life, I finally felt the need to step in. His mother never really stopped being abusive, she's beyond help. One night, when Ritsuka messaged me to tell me that things were getting bad, I stole him away. Of course, I went about it the proper way. He's been emancipated, and is /legally/ living with me in my new apartment. It isn't much, but I have to admit that I really like it. Our relationship has changed since moving in together, we have officially become lovers. I hadn't set out to make this change so suddenly, but I'm glad that it did. It's an interesting feeling, having mutual affection. I wasn't even really aware that I needed it, but it feels like something in my life has been corrected. I guess I should explain in better details. Believe it or not, it happened on a valentine's day. . .

We had been living together for only a week. The rooms were still littered with boxes, the only free desk space was littered with homework supplies, and the two of us were having to share the only clean bed. I wanted to make cleaning my top project until we had settled in, but the entire week was a busy mess. Ritsuka had to have his new home approved of by a caseworker. He was technically independent, but it was still required for him as a student. I'd also had deadlines on several gallery entries, and commissions to work on. On the evening of the 14th, when I heard the door creak open, I wasn't even aware that it was a holiday. I was in the kitchen, busy working on dinner, when he quietly approached me from behind. The first thought to enter my head was out of curiosity, what was he up to? I could sense a bit of tension in the room, and was about to ask him what was on his mind when a quivering voice broke the silence. "H-happy valentine's day." Ritsuka muttered. He sat a small box on the counter beside me, and retreated off to the bedroom without another word.

More than anything, I was surprised. I picked up the box hesitantly, looking it over before opening it. It was small, and made of soft crushed red velvet. Upon opening the box, there were two items. One was a small charm on a simple chain, a half of a little heart. The other item was a note scribbled on lined school paper, it read ". . I'll wear the other half."

I don't know how long I stood there looking at the contents of the box, but the sound of the contents of a frying pan sizzling snapped me back to reality. I took the necklace, looking it over in my hand while I returned to tending to dinner. It wasn't something very expensive, and it was hardly what another person would call unique. However, from him, something like this was surprisingly sweet. We'd mutually acknowledged our feelings several months ago, but things had seemed to just return to normal soon after. Ritsuka was his normal self, if only a little more accepting. He rarely pulls away when I want to hold him these days, and on occasion he'll tell me he loves me too. Of course, it's still quiet, and he doesn't look me in the eyes when he whispers that dear little reply, but it's a step forward all the same. I haven't really been pressing for things to change between us, I'm generally satisfied with the little glimpses of affection. I hadn't even bothered to plan anything for Valentines day. . . It had crossed my mind that I should do a little something as a surprise, maybe some candy next to his pillow or a card, but I didn't want to scare him. In fact, to be honest, I've been unusually careful with him. I've found myself drawing back a little, holding in words that would have come out easily in the past, and feeling unusually nervous. Now that I know I have his feelings in return, I've been hesitating more and more often. That's normal, though, isn't it? When you don't know someone's feelings, it's easy to try and push the truth out of them. Once you hear what you've been hoping for in words, something changes. You want to protect that feeling. You want to nurture it. The thought of doing anything to scare that person away disgusts you, and you'll take great measures to insure that it won't happen.

After finishing with dinner and setting the dishes in the sink to soak, I placed the necklace in my pocket. I had been deep in thought for awhile, and feeling incredibly guilty. I wasn't expecting Ritsuka to remember Valentine's day, and in fact it hadn't even occurred to me that it was already here. I hadn't been able to decide on what to do for him, since we'd never celebrated the holiday together before, and had ended up not even remembering to do anything for it at all. As I set the table, those thoughts ate at me. His present hadn't been much, but it really touched me. I heard the door to the bedroom creak open, and Ritsuka appeared at the end of the hallway. He didn't make eye contact with me, but I heard him ask "Is dinner ready?" I watched him for a moment, still working out the current issue in my mind. He had given me something thoughtful and romantic, and I didn't have anything ready to give him in return. The only answer to this problem was for me to do something in return, but what? As I watched Ritsuka, the thought crossed my mind that he had really grown. He was getting quite tall now, and his pin-straight black hair was close to reaching his shoulder-blades now. Ritsuka was still slender, but there was a bit more tone to his figure now. Under his black knit turtle-neck, I could make out just the slightest outline of muscle. Thankfully, despite how much he'd grown, he wasn't looking much like his brother at all. I'd always had a fear that, once he'd gotten a bit older, it would be hard to look at him. Ritsuka, however, was his own person. He was still uniquely /himself/, though not what I would consider a child anymore.

I heard a bit of a sigh, and Ritsuka began to walk towards the table. Apparently, he'd seen the food set out, and decided that there wasn't really a need to wait for an answer. When I stepped between him and his seat, Ritsuka gave me a puzzled look. Before he could speak, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I nuzzled against his forehead, and gave him a soft kiss. "Happy Valentine's day. ."

Ritsuka's posture was stiff at first, but he seemed to relax into my arms upon hearing those words. "You aren't wearing the necklace. ." He mumbled, nesting his head against my chest. I ran my fingers into his hair, brushing my lips over the top of his head. After a brief silence, I edged into the chair behind me, pulling Ritsuka into my lap. "I wanted you to put it on for me." The answer seemed to be satisfactory to him. His violet eyes fixated on me, searching the way they always did for any signs of dishonesty. I dug my left hand into my pocket, retrieving the gift. Slipping the necklace into his hand, I gave Ritsuka another little kiss.

What happened next took me by surprise. I'd only intended to press my lips against his for a moment, more from affection than anything else, when I felt his hand grip the back of my head. Ritsuka pulled me into a deeper kiss, his tongue firmly pushing past my lips. He slip up from my lap, his legs straddling around the sides of the chair, and continued passionately with the kiss. Ritsuka's tongue explored my mouth countless times over the next few minutes. He nipped possessively at my lips, and pressed our mouths together with surprising force. I felt his arms slip around my neck, and heard the click of a small metal clasp. Those warm lips escaped me for a moment, and I stared with what must have been disbelief.

"When I said I loved you. . I meant it."

At first, all I could do in response was smile. All of the time I had spent worrying. . I'd tried so hard not to push him away, when he was right here waiting for me.

The two of us were mostly quiet through dinner. Ritsuka said that he had some homework to finish afterwards, and it was my night to do the dishes. When I was done, I sat down to some paperwork of my own. Time seemed to fly by, and it was late by the time I finally finished up. By now, Ritsuka was probably already in bed. I'd heard him turn off the TV in the bedroom around thirty minutes ago, and the lights were already off. I returned to the bedroom quietly, trying to be courteous. I saw Ritsuka's form on his side of the queen-sized mattress already, and felt a little disappointed. I wished I'd had the chance to tell him goodnight at least. I slipped into the bathroom to brush my teeth and put on some pajamas, and got sat down on my side of the bed. Watching Ritsuka, I thought about the kiss earlier. If I had anticipated it. . Would I have just left it at that? He certainly wasn't a child anymore. My finger's trailed over the top of Ritsuka's head, gently stroking one of his ears. If I'd continued, it really wouldn't have been unfair. As I went to withdraw my hand, one of his own stopped me. His slender finger's wrapped gently around my wrist. Was he awake, or simply reacting in his sleep? My question was answered by a quiet voice. "You're late. . I waited for you."

In a swift motion, Ritsuka pulled me on top of him. The two of us kissed, his arms wrapping around the back of my neck. For the next several minutes, the two of us were lost in one another. Ritsuka grew more passionate, kissing and nipping at me, and I gladly responded to his advances. I began to explore under his shirt with my hands, smoothing my fingers first over his toned stomach, and then across his chest. I rubbed my finger-tips over one of his nipples, eliciting a soft moan from him. Encouraged, I played with that spot a bit. I felt him shiver against my lips, and broke away from the kiss for a moment, pulling his nightshirt up and continuing the stimulation with a soft lick. Not hearing any complaints, I began to suck and nip a little. Ritsuka bucked his hips a little, and I raised my head to watch his expression. He was staring at me, mixed emotions in his eyes. I slipped a hand under his pants, pushing my fingertips over his growing arousal. "Are you ready. . For something like this?" I asked, giving him a serious look. As passionate as he was being, I still doubted that Ritsuka was already completely prepared for something like this. Yes, at the age of 16 /most/ boys were more than ready to loose their ears, but this was something to take seriously. If we did something in the heat of the moment /before/ he was ready for it, he might regret it.

Ritsuka was silent for a moment, and eventually nodded. "I think. . I've been ready for a while. I want to be closer to you." I couldn't help but smile, and pulled myself back up to give him another kiss. "Sex isn't the only way to be closer to someone. What you're wanting has more to do with your heart than your body."

For the second time that night, Ritsuka grabbed the back of my head and pulled me into a heated kiss. I felt his other hand meeting the one I was teasing him with, pulling my fingers around his member and coaxing me to stroke him. "I want this." He replied. "I want you to be the one that takes my ears, and I want you to make a new kind of memory with me."

It was surprising to hear those words, but at the same time I /should/ have been prepared for them. I'd always imagined that, one day, we might be in this situation. Smiling, I nuzzled into his neck and planted several kisses. I worked at his erection with gentle strokes, and eventually he retrieved his hand to wrap his arms around my waist. I tugged Ritsuka's pants down with my free hand, and scooted back a bit. I started kissing and licking behind my hand's strokes, and from the groan's I heard Ritsuka apparently approved. When I began licking at the head of his penis, he roughly grabbed a handful of my hair. It wasn't difficult to guess what he was asking for. I took his shaft into my mouth and started to gently suck at it, my hands going to his thighs and lifting his knees over my shoulders. His grip on my hair relaxed a bit, but I hadn't minded the bit of forcefulness. After all. . Even if we hadn't had a fight since his brother's last disappearance, I was still Ritsuka's fighter. I wanted him to be able to order me.

I felt Ritsuka begin to shudder a bit in my mouth, and pulled away. There was a disappointed moan, and I felt his fingers curl a little tighter into my hair. ". . Don't stop." His voice was quiet, but I heard a bit of a longing rasp to it. Smiling to myself, I kissed along one of his thighs. Spreading his legs apart a little, I started licking at his hole. It shocked Ritsuka at first, and I felt his whole body shiver in response. Both of his hands were now in my hair, and it seemed like he was battling with the idea of letting me continue or pushing me away. After a few minutes of gently lapping at the tense ring of muscles, I felt him start to relax. Ritsuka's body began to open up a bit, and I pressed a finger against his opening to test it. Ritsuka gasped in response, but the finger slid in without any problem. Repositioning a bit, I started kissing first over Ritsuka's stomach, and then his chest, gently working a second finger into his body. Finally kissing my way all the way back up to his face, I gave him a reassuring grin. "Relax. ." I purred into his ear, kissing at his neck playfully. "It's starting to feel better, isn't it?" He had been groaning and squirming for the first few minutes that I'd used my fingers, but his body had started to relax around them. Id's located a very sensitive spot, his prostate, and began to massage it. The moans he'd been voicing his discomfort with had begun melting into content purrs and sighs. I took that as the cue to go a step forward, and started to slip my pajama's down. By now, I was more than ready to continue. This entire time, I hadn't done anything to care for my own need, and pushing into Ritsuka sent shivers through my body. The both of us ended up gasping at the same time. Ritsuka arched back, his fingers entwining in the bed sheets as I proceeded to thrust the rest of the way in. I took hold of the backs of his knees, and started to gingerly rock in and out of his warm body. The more times he took me in, the easier it became, and he started to relax. "S-Soubi!" He called, reaching his arms out at me. I shifted forward a bit, pulling him up for a kiss and allowing him to wrap his arms around me. Brushing my lips against his, I whispered "I love you. ." My strokes started to center more on his sweet spot, and his body began to tighten around me with each brush. I whispered into Ritsuka's ear, "Tell me how you want it. ." I wanted him to order me, to tell me what he wanted done to him. "Faster. ." He purred roughly. "I want. . More. ." Giving him another kiss, I obeyed. My thrusts became rougher, and my pace faster. Ritsuka cried out, his nails digging into my back. Before ling, I felt his entire body shudder, and warm cum sprayed between our stomachs. The convulsions of his orgasm squeezed me to my own climax, and I melted inside of my dear Ritsuka. The two of us collapsed into a pile, snuggling into one another and working our way back under the sheets. Holding him close to me, I repeated his name over several times and petted his hair softly. Ritsuka looked up at me, his eyes unfocused, and I caught a glimpse at a rare smile. He fell asleep against me without a word, while I laid awake watching him. I really did feel a little guilty. Now, he'd given me /two/ meaningful things for Valentine's day, and I hadn't given him a single thing. Oh well, he seemed to be happy. That mattered more to me than anything else. On a sad note, I wondered if he was still going to be as cute /without/ the ears.