I don't own Loveless

Ritsuka and Soubi fell into a pattern quite easily and quickly.

Ritsuka would come to find Soubi gone or see Soubi on the way in, he'd play with Bean, train him for a while, eat the prepared lunch, play a little more and then leave.

One day as he was leaving, Soubi stopped him.

"Do you want to stay for a while and drink something warm? It's awfully cold out there today." Ritsuka checked the time. He had some time before his curfew.

"Alright," he agreed and sat down at one of the stools at the kitchen. Soubi put some milk on the stove and he sat across from Ritsuka, resting his chin on his hands. Ritsuka stared at the milk slowly bubbling, ears twitching, letting Soubi know he knew that he was looking at him.

"When's your birthday?" Soubi asked softly.

"December 21," Ritsuka responded. Soubi said nothing and turned off the fire and began pouring the milk into a cup with cocoa powder. He mixed it evenly and handed it to Ritsuka. He sipped it slowly, wondering why Soubi was holding him back. Did he have something to say?

"Do you want to watch something?" Ritsuka nodded. The silence was about to suffocate him. Soubi made his way to the large, flat screen T.V and turned it on. "What do you like? Spongebob?"

"Um... Can we watch National Geographics? I prefer that." Soubi masked his slight surprise; children of all age usually watched Spongebob. No one really watched the National Geographics.

"Sure. Come on over."

Ritsuka clutched his cup and made his way over to Soubi, who was reclining on his brown, leather couch. The couch was softer than it looked, Ritsuka realized as he sank in, and he made himself comfortable. The two watched a hawk eating a snake in comfortable silence, the only sound being the narrator explaining the hawk's behavior.

All too soon, the blissful moment was over, and Ritsuka returned home, shivering at the biting, icy winds.

After a couple of weeks, Ritsuka decided to change his schedule so that he would be there for the night time, instead of the morning. The school schedule had changed, forcing him to change all of his other schedules. Soubi happily complied.

Ritsuka, however, nearly died from shock.

When he first knocked on the door, the door swung open to reveal a topless Soubi drying off his hair with a damp towel. A pair of gray sweatpants were riding low on his hips, revealing the band of his black boxers.

"Welcome in, Ritsuka."

Ritsuka could only stutter and try desperately to look away from the deliciously toned abs. Why, oh why was Soubi doing this to him.

"Y-you should put a shirt on next time. What if it wasn't me?" Ritsuka asked, fighting down the blush that was threatening to make its way onto his face.

"I knew it would be you, Ritsuka," Soubi said lightly, laughing. "Why, does it bother you that someone else might see me like this?"

"N-no! Of course not! Why would that bother me?"

"Just teasing," Soubi said, heading back into his room, "I'm going to be working, so you do your stuff here, okay?"

Ritsuka nodded and began with his job, but could only focus on the turmoil of emotions in his chest. It was cheesy and cliche, but the only way Ritsuka could describe his feelings at the moment were through his heartbeat and the word "warm".

Ritsuka likened his situation to an old romance movie.

Ritsuka was in love with an oblivious man who was not only attractive and rich with a deep personality, but impossible.

Oh, what a sad life.

On Ritsuka's birthday, he was surprised to see that when he walked in, Soubi was already dressed and ready to leave.

"This late in the night?" Ritsuka asked.

"It's only seven."

"Still," Ritsuka chided.

"Well, no matter. Let's go." Ritsuka cocked his head to the side slightly, his ears twitching.

"What? Go where?"

"Out. It's your birthday isn't it?" Soubi watched Ritsuka's ears perk up in excitement, although the boy's face showed nothing but a slightly confused expression.

"Why?" Soubi's thin eyebrows arched so high until Ritsuka thought they would disappear into his hairline. "Okay, okay. That was dumb. But what about Bean?"

"She can take care of herself for one day, don't worry. Now come on!" Soubi dragged Ritsuka out the door and into the city.

The sky was already nearly a deep, midnight blue. The wind was chilly but Ritsuka was close enough to feel Soubi's heat. Soubi led them to a small, comfortable cafe that practically radiated warmth and happiness. They found a small booth near the windows, where they could watch people passing by, their noses hidden in the comforts of their clothing.

"What would you like?" a waiter dressed in a simplle striped brown and white outfit approached them, menus in hand. When she noticed Soubi, she tucked her hair behind her ear and took special care to make him notice her.

"Spaghetti with no meatballs," he said, handing her the menu.

"What about you?" she asked, still gazing at Soubi but directing her words to Ritsuka. He sighed.

"What he got," he muttered, "if you can even remember with all that staring." The waiter shot him a deadly glare before returning to her ministrations.

"And would you like a drink?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

"Coke, for me. Juice for Ritsuka."

"Alright. I'll be right back." Ritsuka rolled his eyes at the annoying, dumb waitress and turned his attention to Soubi.

"Didn't you even notice?"

"Of course I did. But you're far more important right now." Ritsuka's heart beat began to pick up at the words. Was that a... subtle confession? "You know, it is your birthday today. So I should shower you with love," he continued nonchalantly. Ritsuka's blood froze and he could feel a wave of disappointment crashing into him.

Soubi watched as Ritsuka's tail drooped slightly before draping itself on Ritsuka's legs.

"What's wrong? Did I say something weird?"

"No... It's nothing," Ritsuka said, staring out the window. "Look, it's snowing!" Soubi turned to his right and sure enough, small flakes of white could be seen falling onto the emptying crowds.

"It's snowing on your birthday. Aren't you happy?" Soubi asked.

"Of course I am! This is the first time, ever!" Ritsuka's eyes were shimmering with excitement and his tail was swaying from side to side.

The waitress returned, balancing the food on her arms like the professional she was. She set the food down, making sure to display her assets to Soubi before carelessly setting down Ritsuka's food.

Ritsuka sighed but decided a snobby waitress wasn't going to ruin his day. He dug in, content with the way things were going. Soubi smiled at the sight before eating his own food.

When they finished, they stepped back outside, to see that a thin layer of snow had blanketed the city. They walked back to Soubi's home slowly, taking a stroll through the park nearby. It was quiet, for once, and they talked about random things, enjoying the presence of each other.

At Soubi's home, Ritsuka was presented with yet another surprise. Soubi had a wrapped box and a small cake ready for him. The box was as long as Ritsuka's forearm and as wide as his torso. It was wrapped in a pink and white polka dotted soft fabric which he ripped eagerly. Underneath was a shiny, expensive looking camera. At a closer inspection, Ritsuka realized it was the exact camera he had been dreaming about for the past few weeks.

"How...?"

"You used my computer, silly. I can see what you search up you know." Ritsuka blushed in what seemed like a record time but he ignored the heat and chose to hug Soubi tightly instead. Soubi was surprised-he knew the boy would enjoy the day but he didn't expect him to be so happy.

"Thank you," Ritsuka whispered, "today has been the best birthday I've ever had."

Soubi patted his back gently and ruffled his hair.

"For my favorite boy, of course." Ritsuka ignored the darker shade of red that blossomed on his cheeks and broke away.

"Is this chocolate?"

"Chocolate mousse. My own personal favorite."

"I love chocolate mousse!" Ritsuka exclaimed, before taking a quick bite. The mousse had the perfect ratio of bread to chocolate that he enjoyed. "This is perfect!" He grinned brightly.

Soubi knew, even if Ritsuka hadn't told him, his joy. His ears were straight on his head, and his tail was wagging from side to side so quickly that Soubi would think he was a dog.

"I'm glad you enjoy it," Soubi said, and smiled.

"I haven't been this happy in such a long time," Ritsuka said, "Thank you so much." Soubi smiled again.

He hadn't been this happy in months either.

Hello! Well, a little more progress. I just wanted to say that this is the same world with Fighters and Sacrifices (as you will see in the next chapter (spoiler?)) but Ritsuka and Soubi have perfectly fine parents, and they don't know eachother or anything. None of the incidents in the manga have occurred.

I want your feedback and comments, because, like I said, it really, really brightens up my day. And it makes me sad when I see the number of people who don't review because that must mean my writing is terrible terrible terrible.

The next part will be the last part!

Please, review!

-Blackberry