So this one is for someone special! Kaoru Gal! Happy Birthday!!!

She inspired me to write and helped me start my first story.

She's amazing and I luvz her sooo much!

So here's to you Joh!!! Love you and thanks for the past year and a half! ^^ xD

*inspired by the Airborne Toxic Event: Sometime Around Midnight and Death Cab for Cutie: Cath…*

Warnings: Yaoi, kissing, language

**********

THOSE THREE WORDS

There was laughter. The room was filled with teens around his age. He clearly smelled smoke and cheap booze all around him as the adolescents danced all around him. Many pushed and bumped into him, but he didn't mind.

Drunken bodies clashed with one another as the party members danced, holding either a drink or a smoke. But he just stood there in the arched doorway, leaning on the wall, book in hand.

Sometimes he didn't know why the hell he even came to these events. He didn't really know any of these people and he didn't really feel like he had to. But all of these kids knew him. He was supposed to be the "cool kid" to everyone else.

He was quiet and kept to himself. He wasn't shy, just indifferent. He never smoked or drank like all the other kids and he had never hooked up with anyone. He had been single all his life and tried to keep it that way. No one really interested him and he didn't really find himself very interesting.

But he wasn't rich and he wasn't a jock. So why was he cool? He actually had no idea himself. He guessed something about how he acted or looked made people come and greet him.

The quiet teen stood by the house entrance, as if waiting for someone. It wasn't very practical to be reading a book at a party but he had nothing else to do. He didn't dance nor did he do any drinking or smoking of the sort.

A young man approached him, stumbling and spilling the drink in his hand all over the floor. "Hey man!" the boy mumbled, slurring his words together. He was clearly one of the drunkest at the party. "Hey great party right?" he slurred.

"Yeah. Great." The quiet boy said, but was interrupted by the other boy's body collapsing face first to the floor. No one seemed to notice. They continued their partying and drinking as if he wasn't even there, those who walked by simply stepped over him instead of moving his body.

So the indifferent teen simply moved to the other side of the door's archway. He detested those annoying kids who tried to get drunk and be popular.

"Riku!" a voice called. He recognized it immediately. It was a girl he had met and grown up with. The girl who continually stole what was precious from him, who he disliked more than anyone in the entire party.

"Hi Kairi." Riku said flatly. She wore a button down shirt and a skirt. She held a drink in her hand, though unlike the other people at the party, she wasn't drunk. Kairi was the "cool kid" of the girls. She was in with all the fashion trends and never followed, only led.

Since she was so cool, it was a given that boys would always chase after her and other girls would admire her, and Riku could have cared less. She was pretty and had a great personality. But he could never forgive her for what she stole from him.

"Riku! Are you enjoying the party?" she asked. Riku cringed at her voice. To him, it was like nails on a blackboard. She approached him, red cup in one hand and a cigarette in the other. On her way, guys turned and stared at her, eyes wide open in awe.

"Hey Riku, have you seen my lover? I can't find him anywhere." The girl asked. She stood in front of Riku, hand holding her cigarette on her hip. "I don't know Kairi." Riku said calmly. He tried to control his temper. "If you love him that much, you should keep track of him better."

Kairi dismissed the comment made by her "friend" and checked her cell phone for god knows what. After not finding what she wanted, she closed it and sighed.

Suddenly she perked up as the door by Riku opened and in stepped a slightly smaller boy. Riku's heart started to beat faster and faster. In an instant he knew who it was.

Riku knew the short brown hair, the cerulean blue eyes, and the irresistibly cute personality. He knew the clumsy boy he grew up with, spending nights together on their beach, staring at the stars and always wishing to get the hell out of their little world. He even recognized the nervous smile the boy gave, like a call that he didn't want to be at the party at all. He knew he had lost this boy one year ago to Kairi.

The boy came into the house, smiling and greeting everyone. He shook hands and gave high fives to the guys while hugging the girls who came to say hello. No one could tell he hated being here except Riku. Kairi took a step forward to come greet the boy who had just walked in.

As she stepped forward, she leaned in to kiss him, but ended up missing his lips and pressing hers on his cheek. He had turned his head to greet some other guest. Kairi looked disappointed, but hadn't given up.

The boy noticed Riku out of the corner of his eye and his eyes lit up. He suddenly smiled like he meant it. In turn, Riku, too, smiled for a change. "Welcome home, Sora." Riku said cheerfully. Whenever he was with Sora he would always feel, happier.

"This is my house?" Sora asked jokingly, "I couldn't tell with all the drunken people." Riku laughed for the first time during the party.

Kairi, though, did not like being ignored, especially by her boyfriend. "Hey, Sora, do you want to go somewhere quieter? Somewhere we can be alone?" she asked. She was envious that Riku was so close to her boyfriend while she wasn't.

"No, I'm fine here, thank you." Sora replied cheerfully. He was an airhead at times, but that's what made him so cute. Riku chuckled at his friend's obliviousness. Unfortunately, Kairi didn't find his comment very funny and grabbed her boyfriend's wrist sharply and pulled him out the door.

From the inside, Riku observed the couple intently. Kairi was yelling and tearing up. But Riku knew that was merely a ruse to make Sora feel bad.

Sora had a blank, uninterested expression on his face. He didn't speak and simply took his girlfriend's harsh as he always did. He never spoke up to Kairi and was usually just something for her to beat upon when she was sad or angry.

So Sora stood there, still as a statue, hoping this would end soon. Riku could hear faint bits of Kairi's ranting. "Sora….. Your party…… can't disrespect me…… over…."

And so at that, Kairi stormed back into the party, only stopping in front of the door to compose herself and wipe the tears from her eyes. As she reentered the party, like the door was some portal, she changed completely. Instead of the angry, bitchy, selfish teenager Riku had just seen outside, she was back to her nice, composed, fun loving self.

Sora just stood outside, staring at the starry sky. It was winter yet at the island, there was never any snow, and never any cold.

Riku turned and pulled the door open to see Sora smiling. It was a faint, weak smile though. Like one of the ones you give to fool others. "Heh, I got dumped." the boy said very plainly. He simply smiled at Riku. He didn't cry and run to his friend and want to be held like all the other guys and girls who had been dumped and then come to Riku for comfort.

No he stood in the middle of his yard and stared at the sky again. Riku looked up too, not saying a word to his friend. He didn't know what to say. He felt sorry for his friend, yet happy too.

Sora turned his head again, this time with a more normal reaction. He had tears in his eyes, yet they didn't stream down his face. He didn't seem all that sad considering he had just been dumped.

"Hey let's leave." Sora said. He looked towards the street, eyes fixed on the road. "Uh but isn't this your house?" his friend asked, puzzled at the boys strange behavior.

"Is it?"

And at those words, Sora took off down the street, sprinting towards the busy city. Riku desperately chased after his friend, calling his name. But he got no reply. The boys rushed past people, knocking into their shoulders and getting angry complaints and yells as they faded into the night life of the city.

In the end, they both ended up exhausted. The boys sat in a small park they found in the middle of the city. They sat on a bench, panting and sweating, staring up at the bright night sky. Riku looked at his watch, it read 11:30. He wondered when they would get home, since he didn't particularly enjoy chasing Sora around the city.

No one else was in the park except young couples out on dates. Riku watched one couple sitting on a bench not too far from where he and Sora sat. They talked to one another as they held hands and then kissed under the dim streetlight. Riku recognized this scene from one of the predictable dramas that Sora liked so much.

Another couple walked by, holding hands and walking in time with the other. Riku was jealous. He wished that could have been he and Sora holding hands, walking together on a romantic night. He had always wanted that, but it somehow always had a way of avoiding him

He heard Sora let out a soft sigh. Riku recognized this sigh. It was the one that Sora always let out when he was bored. "Hey Riku, I'm bored. Wanna go do something?" the boy asked cutely.

Immediately, without waiting for an answer, Sora grabbed his friends hand and pulled him along out of the park. Riku was helplessly dragged into an ice cream shop. Sora stood at the glass, marveling at all the different flavors.

"Riku which should I get…?" Sora asked, "They all look so good… except that green one. But all the others look tasty!"

He seemed more excited than Riku had seen him in a while. And it was simply over ice cream. The boy always had such a sweet tooth.

Again, Riku noticed couples splitting ice cream cones and again he felt that jealousy rise up in him. He turned around to see his friend staring up at him with a pink ice cream cone in his hand. "It's strawberry." The boy said happily.

Riku smiled and watched his friend slowly lick his frozen treat. As Riku turned to leave with Sora, he noticed two people sitting at a table sharing a light blue ice cream sundae. One was blonde and about his age while the other was older looking with long red hair trailing.

At first glance Riku could have sworn the blonde boy was Sora, but only for a second. The red haired man leaned back in his chair and slung an arm casually behind him, resting it on his chair.

"Ah Roxas!?" Riku heard Sora yell. Suddenly, his friend rushed past him to go see the blonde boy. The blonde stood up, but was tackled back into his chair by Sora. The red haired man simply watched and smirked, an amused look across his face.

"I thought you moved!" Sora said happily. "Yeah well I'm just visiting, ok? So could you please get off me?" Roxas pleaded as he tried to get the clingy brunette off of him.

Sora reluctantly got off, but continued to fire questions at his confused blonde friend. "Ah! We should go back to all the places we used to hang out!" Sora cried excitedly.

The red haired man and the blonde boy looked at each other and shrugged. They had almost finished their ice cream anyway. The two got up and all four left the ice cream shop, the two younger boys up ahead while the older ones trailed behind.

Sora dragged Roxas just as he did to Riku before. Riku and the red haired man walked behind them, barely speaking. "So I don't even know your name yet."

"It's Axel."

"I'm Riku."

"Nice to meet you."

"……."

"……."

"So are you Roxas' friend? Riku asked. Axel gave a faint smile and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you could say that." He replied.

"What do you mean?" the boy asked questioningly. He was puzzled by what Axel had just said. The two walked in more silence as Axel tried to form words to explain himself. There were barely any people on the street as the two walked, watching the younger boys run in and out of stores.

Axel looked up at the sky, pondering what he should say. He couldn't seem to find the words to describe what he meant.

After another moment of awkward silence, Axel seemed to find what to say. He smiled and looked towards Riku. "Well I guess you could say I know him better than anyone else, because I care for him more than anyone. So I guess I'd say I love him."

Riku was taken by surprise at Axel's words. They were complete strangers to one another, yet this man had just said something that normal people wouldn't have the guts to say to their closest friends.

"W-what? Wait, then you-? And he-?" Riku stammered. Now he was the one who couldn't find the words to say. He stopped and tried to comprehend what this stranger had just said to him.

"Is there something wrong?" Axel asked, tilting his head slightly to the right. He seemed confused at Riku's reaction. He didn't understand the power of what he had just said. The boys entered another store, Roxas starting to look tired while Sora was still full of energy.

"Ah no! it's just that you surprised me. I don't normally hear those things so…." Riku said, embarrassed that he had been taken aback so easily. "Actually, I know how you feel…"

"I noticed." Axel stated simply. Again, Riku was taken by surprise. "W-what!? You did!?" the boy said, tripping over his words out of sheer embarrassment.

"It was sort of obvious. Your smile to him just seemed to say it all."

Riku couldn't believe he had been that obvious. And more importantly, if Axel, a total stranger to him except for his name, could tell, then what about the people at school?

Axel could tell he had distressed the boy with what he had said and tried to make up for it. He leaned down and patted Riku's shoulder sympathetically.

"Ah I mean it wasn't that obvious! I could just tell because I've felt the same way!" the red haired man said, doing his best to comfort Riku.

The boy tried to believe the man, and was gracious for the comforting hand on his shoulder.

"RIIIKUU!!! We got candy!!" Sora's voice suddenly chimed. Sora ran towards the two, dragging the exhausted Roxas behind him. The brunette held a large bag of candy in his hand, filled with sugary treats for him to eat.

"Sora you're going to get sick if you eat all those." Riku said as he raised a hand to take the bulging bag of candy. But Sora jerked his hand away, avoiding losing his goodies.

"No their mine!" the young boy said playfully. He smiled cutely and pulled a blue lollipop out of the bag, unwrapped it, and popped it in his mouth.

Riku sighed and lightly shook his head. He knew he couldn't separate Sora from his candy even if he tied the boy up. Sora lifted the bag up to offer a piece to Riku. Reluctantly, Riku reached inside and pulled out a red lollipop.

Sora then offered to Roxas and then Axel. Riku looked at his watch which read 1:30. 'It's getting late…' Riku thought to himself, wondering if he would be able to get Sora home. The boy didn't look tired at all, but he knew that the sugar crash would come soon.

Shops began to close as the city began to sleep. No one was out now except for the four friends and bar owners. Suddenly, Sora got a face as if he was remembering something. "Roxas! We have to go to that place!" the boy said excitedly.

The blonde boy looked at Axel as if he needed permission to go. The man simply smiled and nodded his head, causing his friends face to light up happily. The two boys looked at one another and then bolted down the street.

"Do you know where they're going?" Riku asked the red haired man. Axel watched the two boys continue to run and held his smile. Riku assumed he did and started to walk after the boys. Axel got up and caught up to Riku.

"They're going to the place they first met." Axel said. Riku was never told of Roxas, yet Axel seemed to know plenty about the two boy's relationship. Riku felt alone being the only one uninformed.

The two older companions told each other about themselves and about how they met their friends. They talked about how they lived and told funny stories and Riku told Axel what had happened earlier that night to Sora.

By the time the two had reached where Sora and Roxas had gone to, Riku was fully aware of the relationship between Axel and Roxas.

And frankly, he was jealous. He had always wished he could have what they did. For as long as he had known Sora, he had wished he could have loved him, kissed him, even held him close like lovers did. But he never had and thought he never would.

The four ended up in an outlook on the beach. There was a little sand and the moon shone brightly over the ocean. A faint ocean breeze blew, sending the scent of the sea salty water. Riku saw the shape of the island.

At first Riku thought it was a crescent as he always thought, but as he looked closer, he noticed there was a small part of the island that connected the two ends of the island. It formed a heart.

"Hey Riku? Do you see that small part that connects the ends?" Sora asked cutely. "Well do you know where that is?"

Riku was puzzled. If he hadn't even known there was a connecting part there, how could he know what it was? "Sorry, Sora, I don't know. Where is it?"

"It's our island." Sora stated proudly. Riku was astonished. He had never known where on the island he had lived, just the street names and the island's name. Destiny Islands was where he lived, 7105 destiny lane was his address. So how had he not known the part of the island he lived on?

Riku turned to Roxas, about to ask where he had lived on Destiny Islands, but he and Axel were in the shadows. Axel held his friend close to him, his arms wrapped around the boy's waist. Roxas looked up at his companion and smiled lovingly.

Riku remembered that Axel had said he and Roxas had first met at a beach opening where the islands connected to form a heart. The confused boy just realized where it was he had been talking about.

Sora looked out at the beach, the moons reflection illuminating the water. From where they stood, waves could be faintly heard crashing against the shore. Riku, too, stared out at the small island. Memories rushed him as he thought about all the sand castles, sword fights, adventuring, and growing up that happened at that beach.

Unconsciously, Riku stepped towards Sora and gently wrapped his arms around the boy's neck, leaning his head against his friend's. The brunette let out a small gasp, bringing the solver haired boy back to reality.

Riku jumped back, surprised by his own actions. He was at a loss for words. His mouth gaped open, yet no sound came out. Sora, too, stood still, staring at his friend. There was silence.

"I'm sorry… I don't really know why I did that…" Riku murmured, blushing lightly as he looked elsewhere.

Suddenly, Riku felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and a head bury itself in his chest. He looked down to see a face buried in his shirt. Riku, again, couldn't speak. He had always wanted this. He wanted to wrap his arms and hold Sora forever.

The brunette looked up at Riku with his innocent blue eyes. The silver haired boy looked over at Axel and Roxas. They were kissing. Riku could see their tongues clash and writhe in their mouths.

"Riku…?" Sora called quietly. The boy clearly blushed and his face became hot. "Um… well I… uh…." The boy struggled with his words.

Riku took the initiative. "Sora. I love you."

He couldn't believe what he had just said. The words repeated over and over again in his mind as the silence grew and grew.

Sora looked relieved. He then buried his face into his friend's shirt and stayed like that. He didn't move nor did he say anything.

Riku felt a warm feeling on his shirt and noticed there was a mark on it. It was growing and he noticed Sora was crying. At first it was a silent cry, and then it grew and grew until Sora was wailing.

"I never loved her! So why am I crying?" the brunette asked, tears streaming down his face. Riku couldn't resist anymore.

The older boy lifted his friends chin and pressed his lips against the boys to silence his crying. Sora gasped a little, but gave in.

The two boys kissed, pressing their lips together, still lightly. Riku could have stayed like that forever.

The brunette felt a hand reach under his shirt and place itself on his hip. After a moment, he pulled away, eyes red and still tearing.

"Riku? I'm tired, can you take me home…?" the boy asked quietly.

"Sure." Riku replied willingly. He bent down to allow Sora to get on his back.

The brunette climbed on wearily and wrapped his arms around his friend's shoulders. Riku turned to Roxas and Axel, but they had fallen asleep in the sand.

As the boy carried his friend through the sleeping city, he touched his fingers to his lips. They still tingled and he could still remember the feeling if the kiss. He never wanted that feeling to leave. Suddenly he heard Sora whisper something he had always wanted to hear from his friend. With those words, he felt his eyes tear up.

"I love you too, Riku…" the brunette said before he fell asleep for good.

Riku walked, carrying his friend on his back as the sun slowly began to rise.