this chapter was amusing. i wrote it five times until it was acceptable.
you'll see why.
Anyhow, thanks for all the reviews! hopefully you all are enjoying it so far!
it'll start to pick up some more in the next few chapters, i promise!
just blame riku's hormones!

Incurable

"That's…that's…monstrous!"

Riku chuckled in amusement as his brunet friend bounded ahead of him. Brown spikes bounced arbitrarily upon his head from side to side. The skinny teenager stopped a few feet before the colossal fountain. The Trevi Fountain stood at approximately eighty-five feet or nearly twenty-six meters high. The fountain resided comfortably in the juncture between three roads. Many forms of men and woman lined the marble fountain. The circular base seemed to extend forever. Lights glimmered out from beneath the surface of the water, illuminating the figures that towered above. A soft, yellow light radiated off the fountain, drawing attention from everyone that passed by. And the building behind it, serving as a backdrop, was just as marvelous and breathtaking as the fountain itself. There were no real words to describe the gorgeous sight.

"How tall did you think it was?" Riku posed as he walked over to Sora.

The brunet had somehow jostled his way through the small crowd to the rim of the fountain. The teen was down leaning against it, staring at the artwork with a stupefied expression all over his face. He was flabbergasted. "Not this…huge!"

"The Romans built in bulk," Riku chuckled as he walked up beside Sora. The silveret leaned casually against the edge of the fountain and stared in. There was a nice breeze coming off the elongated surface of the fountain along with a slight breeze from the north. "Wanna make a wish?"

Sora, who was lost in the minor details, wrenched his head off the fountain briefly. "A wish?"

"That's normally what people do at a fountain," Riku explained with a soft laugh as he dug into his coat pocket. Moments later he emerged with six coins. "There's a legend around here. If you throw three coins with your right hand, over your left shoulder, you'll have good luck. And more so, one of your three wishes will come true."

Sora blinked a few times. His gaze dropped to the shiny quarters in Riku's palm. "Does American money work?"

Riku deadpanned. "You seriously just asked me that?"

"No," Sora lied quickly. Greedily, the brunet snatched three quarters from Riku's hand and turned to the fountain. He inhaled deeply, turned so that his back was facing the magnificent water, and closed his eyes. His lips moved as he mentally made three wishes. Carefully, Sora tossed each coin over his left shoulder with his right hand, holding his eyes shut noticeably harder with each throw. Once he was done, he turned his head to Riku and allowed his eyes to flutter open.

Riku was in the process of making his own, lengthy wishes. Wish number one was obvious—he wished that Sora did not have cancer and would live for a long, long time. And in flew a coin. The second wish was on a more personal note—he wished that his mother could find a new man to wed. She was becoming increasingly lonely and Riku knew, deep down, she was yearning for another lover. And in went the second coin. The last wish took Riku longer. His hand clenched the quarter tightly, certain that the president's face would become engraved, and then tossed it over his left shoulder. He wished that he would have the courage to confess to Sora and for Sora to accept him with loving, open arms.

"Whatcha wish for?" Sora questioned as he tilted his head.

"If I told you that, my wishes wouldn't come true, moron," Riku responded nonchalantly. "That'd be like me asking you what you wished for."

"Good point," Sora answered and scrunched his nose up some. The brunet inhaled deeply and looked out at the beautiful night cityscape. "God, it's so beautiful here."

"I know," Riku mused as he leaned against the wall near the fountain.

"I'd love to live here," Sora whispered into the cold night, hugging his arms tightly to his chest.

"Maybe someday you will," Riku pointed out. He was smiling up until he noticed the frown scribbled onto his best friend's face. It took the older a few minutes to realize just why Sora was frowning. Oh. "Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, pushing off the wall to stand closer to his spiky friend. "Sora, I'm sure that you'll be fine. The doctor didn't sound too concerned, right?"

Sora shrugged and emotionlessly closed his eyes. Despite the action, his body shook.

"Sora…" Riku gently wrapped his arm around his best friend's waist. Carefully, he pulled Sora in for a hug. At once, Sora leaned against the taller, resting his fatigued body flush to Riku's, head on his chest. Riku sighed and placed his chin in the mess of brown, unruly spikes, all the while inhaling Sora's alluring scent. And deep down he wished this was more than just a conciliatory action.

"You okay?" Riku questioned after a moment of silence.

Sora looked up from his hiding place and stared at his best friend. "Oh, yeah I'm fine."

Riku nodded and watched as Sora pulled away from the warm embrace. He sheepishly smiled at Riku and rubbed the back of his neck. His gaze drifted down to his feet which he was shuffling uneasily. "That was probably really awkward for you, right?" the brunet guessed with an impromptu cough.

"Its fine," Riku reassured and forced a chuckle. He offered a smile and ruffled Sora's hair. "Maybe we should head back. We can head back and watch movies all night, if you'd like."

"Sounds fun to me," Sora stated as a smile appeared.

The two teens turned their back on the Trevi Fountain and headed down the road that they had taken to get to the marvel. On the way back, as the cold wind nipped at them and the city lights blinded them, a blonde girl accidentally ran into them. And by them, more specifically Sora. She was carrying a large amount of books and boxes and had lost her balance, tripping over her own long scarf and feet right into the tired brunet. The cliché meeting progressed as Sora toppled backwards onto the sidewalk, followed by the young girl falling beside him, landing on her bottom gracefully. Her things fluttered in the air and landed haphazardly throughout the area. Riku arched a brow as the scene played out in front of him.

"Graceful, Sora," Riku commented as he chuckled uneasily. The silveret slipped down into a crouching position beside his fallen friend, eying him for a moment.

Sora coughed and then spat. He shuffled his body up so that he was resting on his knees, body awkwardly bent over. His blue eyes widened when he realized that a girl was sitting a few feet away from him, rubbing her scraped knee with a large, but beautiful, frown.

"Are you okay?" the brunet questioned quickly. He scrambled away from his best friend, temporarily forgetting his own soreness, and over to the girl's side.

"Hm?" The blonde girl looked up from her bleeding knee and to the boy beside her. Her shoulder-length blonde hair clung to her sweat-covered face as her blue eyes stared at Sora with a mixture of dull pain and surprise. The white dress she wore appeared to be ruined from the fall. The hem was tattered and ripped in multiple places. Also, her blue heels appeared laid beside her, snapped in half from the fall.

"Are you okay?" Sora repeated.

"Oh," she laughed embarrassedly and lowered her gaze. "God, I'm so sorry, " she began, looking at the slight rips in the boy's clothes. "I don't know what possessed me to attempt to carry so much wearing heels."

"I don't know," Sora laughed and glanced at her fallen belongings. Without warning, the brunet began collecting them, placing them in a neat pile beside the fallen girl. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you need us to call the hospital?"

The blonde girl laughed and looked between the flustered brunet and the rather indifferent silveret. She shrugged. "I've had worse," she admitted and brushed off her legs from small stones. "I just need to get this nasty scrape cleaned up and I'll be good."

"Yeah. Don't want to get it infected," Sora replied and smiled as he finished collecting the girl's things. "I'm Sora, by the way. And this is Riku." He gestured behind himself to the now standing silver-haired teenager.

"Pleasure to meet you both," the girl laughed and carefully got to her feet, ignoring the sting on the bottom of her bare feet. "I'm Naminé, the ungraceful," she added in jokingly.

Sora chuckled and sheepishly smiled. Riku rolled his eyes and went back to remaining silent. He wasn't going to intrude—how could he? Sora seemed to be completely enthralled by the pretty stranger. Or maybe that was just Sora's sex-drive talking. Riku wasn't in the mood to place mental bets with his heart and mind regarding his unrequited love.

"Do you live here, or?..." Sora began and arched a brow. Both were now standing: Naminé with her books and boxes in her arms, and Sora with his hands awkwardly in his pockets.

"Visiting," Naminé responded with a beautiful smile. "You know, for college break."

"Oh, so you're in college? Where do you go?" Sora asked curiously.

"Penn State," she answered and shifted around on the sidewalk, slipping on her broken heels. They were now technically flats. Oh well, good enough to walk back to the hotel in.

"Oh, awesome," Sora said. "I'm graduating this year from High School, at last!" he beamed brightly and offered another famous smile. Riku's stomach churned. "Do you need any help getting back to your hotel? Or wherever you're headed?"

"You know, that'd actually be nice. I have a bad feeling I'm going to trip," she joked and smiled friendly at Sora. Her eyes batted and she appeared quite pacific.

"Of course," Sora chuckled and inhaled the cool breeze into his body pleasantly. "Where's the hotel?"

"The Cicerone," she explained with a wide smile and then paused, the pretty smile disappearing. "Is that too far from where you're both headed?"

"We're at the Selene, so no, I don't think it's that far," Sora said and laughed. He paused as well, remembering his best friend. "Riku, do you want to come or are you just going to head back to the Selene?..."

Riku frowned. He wouldn't intrude. Sora obviously had something on his mind. And it totally contradicted everything Sora had always told him about love. The silveret shrugged. "I'm a bit tired so I'm just going to head back. I know my way back. Just don't get lost." He tossed Sora an extra card key. "Have fun."

Sora blinked in confusion as his friend began walking away, hands buried in his jacket pockets. The brunet cocked his head to the side and frowned some. He sighed, inhaled deeply, and turned back to Naminé. "He kinda looked sick, so it's good that he went back." He smiled and gestured to the open road, gingerly stealing a few books to help the beautiful girl.

And then they walked off, eagerly chatting about each other's life, under the bright stars of Rome. Very few looks were exchanged, but the words spoke volumes. However, the entire time Sora walked with Naminé, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about what awaited him. Naminé was naturally pretty, she seemed to be interested in similar things, and was extremely kind. What would it lead to? Despite those thoughts, another one clung to Sora's mind. When Riku had left, why did he look so damn…distraught?

xxxxxx

"Riku, dear, where is Sora?"

Riku lifted his gaze from the hotel floor as he entered a half hour later. His aquamarine eyes rose and met his mother's questioning one. The silveret casually bit his bottom lip and shrugged. When he watched her eyes turn from questioning to flustered, he decided to change his answer. "He's with some girl he met at the Fountain," Riku explained as he closed the door behind himself and removed his jacket, still feeling incredibly cold, even inside the stuffy hotel room.

Sondra frowned. "Some girl?" she repeated, as if scandalized. "And why did you let him run off with some girl he just met?"

"He was flirting so much that I almost got sick," Riku explained shrugging again. "He kept blushing and smiling and I thought, 'hey, why not let Sora enjoy himself and score? It's obvious I'm not going to during this vacation.'" He scoffed miserably.

"So our conversation at dinner helped nothing?" Sondra questioned skeptically. She removed her earrings and held them gingerly in her palms, eyeing her son with complete stun. She thought she had gotten through to him, and here he was, letting Sora spend his nights with a girl he had just met.

Riku shrugged yet again as he leaned against the entryway wall. "Mom, it doesn't matter. Sora's straight and—"

"You're going to just let him have sex with some random girl when you could be spending time wooing him?" Sondra questioned and furrowed her brows. "Riku, I have failed to bring you up correctly. It has become obvious to me that you do not have one ounce of common sense." She dramatically fainted against the wall.

"It's not funny, Mother," Riku grumbled and crossed his arms to his chest. "Maybe I'm just selfless."

"Or maybe you're just letting your fear drive you," Sondra suggested and stood back up. She removed her necklace and stared into the doorway to the bathroom, as if inspecting herself.

"Maybe," Riku mused and then shook his head. "Listen Mom, I just want Sora to be happy and enjoy this trip." You have no idea how little of life he probably has left… "Just let Sora do as he pleases. I'm not going to intrude and make him pissed at me. If he didn't want to do what he's done, he wouldn't have."

Sondra grumbled to herself, as if stating something important under her breath. Regardless, the woman walked down the hall and placed a reassuring hand onto Riku's shoulder. "When Sora gets back tonight, I want you to do something. Perhaps not confess or kiss him or whatnot, but do something, Riku. Don't giveaway your chance to some girl."

Riku sighed and smiled beguilingly at his mother. "Okay.."

"Good." She patted him on the head and gestured to the bedroom door. "Now go in there, think of something, and get some sleep."

Riku nodded and wearily did as he was instructed. Just what could he do? He groaned and closed the bedroom door behind himself. He leaned against it and moaned out loud. He was so fucking stupid. He just let Sora spend the night at a girl's hotel. And that meant sex and… Riku lowered his gaze, fists clenched by his sides, refusing to break down. He had just given Sora away to someone. And it hurt so god damn much.

xxxxxx

It was seven in the morning when the brunet finally did return. Riku was fast asleep, cuddling a pillow close when he was poked awake. With a groan, aquamarine eyes slipped open and were met with cloudy blue ones. The tired silveret cocked a brow, yawned, and sat up. He rubbed his eyes and allowed reality to sink back into him. Sora was standing next to the bed, fully clothed, with wilder hair than usual and hazy eyes. It was seven in the morning and Riku was only clad in boxers. The silveret yawned again and paused, meeting his best friend's gaze again. Okay, something was totally up with him.

"Don't tell me you just got back," Riku stated drowsily, lips quivering.

Sora laughed awkwardly and lowered his gaze. Cautiously, the brunet slipped onto the bed beside Riku and breathed in deeply. He stared at his feet and finally decided to speak. "No. I slept out on the couch in the main room. I didn't want to wake you up when I got back… but, I need to talk to you, Riku."

Riku's heart leapt with hope. "Go ahead, I'm listening."

"Last night…"

"Yes?" Riku questioned curiously, sitting up straighter so that he could meet his best friend's gaze fully.

"I kissed her," Sora breathed out deeply. He blew air awkwardly out of his puffed out cheeks, watching in tedious amusement as his locks of brown fluttered faintly at the breeze. His hands locked fretfully in his lap as he rested beside his best friend since birth.

"Oh, Naminé?" Riku guessed lamely. His lips pursed into a thin line and he remained stoic.

"Yeah, of course her," Sora huffed and awkwardly rubbed the nape of his neck. "I helped her bring her things back to her place. We had hot chocolate together and then I said I had to get going. She kissed me goodnight and I just stood there. I didn't kiss back and I regret that, I suppose. I was too stunned." A hefty blush danced onto the youth's cheeks at the mere recollection.

"Call her?" Riku suggested with a yawn. The silveret leaned back against the headboard and resisted the primitive urge to bash his skull against the carved wood. Being barbaric with Sora in the room was obviously a no-no.

"She did give me her number," Sora mused and thoughtfully removed the slip of paper from his pocket. "See?"

Riku peered across the bed at the paper. Aquamarine eyes wandered enviously along the neatly written numbers. "That's nice. Sounds like somebody is going to get laid," the silveret hummed as he leaned back once more, arms coming to rest across his chest.

Sora scorched a hot scarlet shade. "No!...I barely know her! I wouldn't do that, Riku! I'm not a…slut."

Riku sighed out deeply. "Sora, I know you're not. I know you're a very emotional person. I was just playing with you," he murmured and then proceeded to explain. "I just thought that if you got to know her over this vacation, you two may decide to before you leave…" He trailed off.

"…I don't think that'll happen, Riku. I don't see us getting that close." Sora bit his lip and stared out the window of their hotel room. "I'm sorry for waking you up this early," he began again. "My back was just starting to hurt and I couldn't keep last night off my mind and…" Deep breath. "I wanted your advice."

"I'll always be here for advice, Sora," Riku murmured as he finally shifted so he could lie down once more.

Sora remained sitting beside his sprawled out best friend. Blue eyes swarmed over the reposing teen. "Is it all right if I sleep for another few hours with you?" he asked quietly, fingers pinching together apprehensively.

Riku cracked open a tired aquamarine eye and observed the brunet. "Sora, this room is half yours. Lie down and get some rest. You don't need to ask me, moron," he yawned and patted the spot between their bodies. "If you still want to talk, just lie down and we will. Seeing you sitting up is weird."

"Afraid I'm gonna rape you?" Sora teased as he peeled his shirt off and tossed it onto the floor. He sat up a bit more and went to unbuttoning his jeans.

"…Considering you're stripping, I vote yes," Riku muttered and kept his gaze glued to his lithe's friend body.

"I'm not going to rape you," Sora pouted and slid his pants off. He slipped under the blankets and sighed in pleasure. "Besides, you'd enjoy it," he teased.

"Oh really? Since when?" Riku chuckled. Since ever, he added on mentally and smacked himself, mentally, as well.

"Since…I started stripping!" Sora laughed and stuck his tongue out at his friend. Brown bangs framed his face perfectly and the pair laid, side by side, in silence for a few moments. Sora's perky blue eyes dulled with exhaustion as Riku stared back at him, eyelashes being the only thing keeping him from spilling his guts.

"I love how we just lay around until nine," Sora laughed quietly, eyes soft.

"Yeah, we're cool," Riku agreed and offered a weary smile. "Maybe you're cooler, considering Naminé is hitting on you."

Sora blushed harshly. "Stop it!" he pouted and hid his face under the blankets. He mumbled a few muffled words and remained hiding, his butt sticking up straight in the air beneath the sheets.

Riku snorted in amusement and playfully swatted the elevated bump. He heard Sora squeak. The brunet's face emerged from the blankets, stained a dark crimson. "W-what'd you do that for?!" he demanded, rubbing his behind where he had been smacked.

"It was sticking in the air. It was impolite," Riku mused. "Taught you a lesson."

"Didn't have to smack my ass to teach me it," Sora pouted and continued rubbing his slightly sore rump. "What if I smacked yours? Would you be upset?"

Riku paused. No, I'd pin you to this bed, grind our hips together, and ravish you senseless… "You wouldn't do that."

"Oh really? I'm no chicken," Sora huffed and scrunched his nose up. "Anything you can do I can do better," he sang and smirked some at the end, hair sticking out in every which direction.

Riku chuckled. "So if I did a guy, you'd do a guy as well…better than I did?"

Sora flushed and then paled. "Excuse me?..."

Now would be a lovely time… "What? I said do a guy. As in—"

"I…I know what you meant," Sora clarified and sheepishly looked away. "I meant, why would you do a guy?"

Riku sucked in a deep breath. It'd be quite hard to confess and hit on Sora if the brunet didn't even know he was gay. Maybe just that tidbit of information would be alright to divulge. But then again…would Sora allow their playing still? He groaned some. Telling Sora he was gay wasn't like he was telling him he was in love, or lust, or whatever. It was simply stating where his interests were. And maybe that'd be a good thing. Maybe he could take baby steps towards his heartfelt confession.

"Because that's what gay people do?...Guys?"

Sora blinked a few times. "S- wait. You're gay?" He blinked and blinked and arched a brow. When no response came, the brunet slowly licked his lips and lowered his gaze. "Geez, Riku, thanks for lying to me this whole time. What happened to telling your best friend everything?"

Riku bristled at that. "Yeah. Telling your best friend you're gay is definitely as easy as telling him you cheated on a test," he scoffed and rolled his eyes. The silveret rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, slightly irked at how Sora was responding to such a deep confession. Wasn't he supposed to understand and support him?

"But…I thought you liked girls," Sora stated stupidly. "You know. You were the one that always talked about girls'—"

"Don't go there, ever again," Riku groaned as his hand sifted through his hair. "I realized that the woman genitals are not attractive. Whatsoever. And I'd prefer to not touch two giant mounds of tumor-looking objects. There's no appeal. Whatsoever, okay?"

"…Two mounds of tumors?" He laughed softly. "…and you find, uh…cock attractive?..." he whispered.

Riku shrugged. "It doesn't have to be attractive to be appealing. Besides, it's the personality and demeanor that attracts me. Girls just lack something in that department. It isn't all physical, Sora."

"Oh…" The brunet trailed off and played with the hem of the sheets. "You don't…you haven't taken…"

"No, Sora, I haven't taken it up the ass, nor have I given it, nor have I ever kissed a guy," Riku explained, feeling the need to get everything out there. "So before you go assuming your best friend is some sort of gay man whore, just listen to what I said, okay?"

Sora took in a deep breath. "You're mad now…" When Riku didn't answer, Sora's heart dropped. The brunet winced some. Slowly, he eased closer to his best friend who was breathing harshly, eyes tightly shut, and hands clenching the sheets. Sora quietly laid his head against the side of Riku's torso and wrapped his arms around the older in a sideways hug. Blue eyes slipped shut and he nuzzled close, his leg tangling with his best friend's. "I'm sorry…"

Riku's eyes shot open and he felt heat course through his body. The silveret gulped and eyed Sora. "…And you're clinging to me like a koala…why?"

"I didn't mean to yell at you," Sora mumbled into the other's chest, his hot breath tickling the bare skin. "I just wanted to understand you completely. I've never had any good relationships with anyone gay. I wanted to know more about it; I'm sorry for being over curious and stuff…"

"Sora, I wasn't mad," Riku breathed out and ruffled the youth's hair. "I was startled by your onslaught of questions. I thought you were patronizing me."

"Never," Sora corrected and closed his eyes. "Listen…can we just sleep? I haven't slept in over twenty four hours, it seems, and I'd love a few hours rest before we go attacking the city."

"All right," Riku said quietly and brushed his hand through brown locks of hair. His hand slid away, afraid it had been there too long. "Have a nice rest. See you in a few hours."

"You too. Sleep well, Riku," Sora whispered and shut his eyes again, body relaxing.

And as Riku lay there, he realized one thing—Sora hadn't moved out of the embrace. Since when did Sora enjoy cuddling as he slept?.. The older's heart swelled and he kept his arms stationary. He refused to hold Sora. And so he just fell asleep, body frigid from terror and confusion.

xxxxxx

"I didn't know you text," Riku noted as he fixed the bed, silver hair pooling over his shoulders rather annoyingly.

"Ah. Naminé texted me so I figured it'd be polite to return the gesture," Sora explained calmly and gestured to his cell phone. "She says that she'd like to have lunch with the both of us. Is that all right, Riku? Do you think your mom would mind another guest at lunch?"

"As long as she paid for herself," Riku murmured as he pulled the sheets up to the neck of the bed. I don't want my mother paying for some random girl that's stealing my best friend from me. Sorry if that's cruel, Sora, but you have no idea.

"I'll pay for her, then," Sora decided as he tugged on a clean shirt and went to finding clean pants. "Hey Riku, what shirt should I wear?"

"I don't know. One that covers your chest?" the silveret suggested as he peered over his shoulder. He watched in silent entertainment as Sora fumbled through drawers, deciding whether or not to change for the third time. He tugged on a pair of shorts and looked over at Riku, stunned to see him watching.

"You're not going to change again, are you?" Riku muttered as he sat down, acting as if his staring was no big deal.

"Maybe not," Sora finally decided and walked over to the bed. He plopped down beside Riku and stared at his phone. "…You sure you're not upset? I feel like I'm ignoring you."

"I'm fine. Hormones are a natural part of life…" Riku explained and smiled affectionately. "Now, let's just go get my Mom and head off. Make sure you put on some cologne. Women apparently are enamored by that stuff," he elucidated and got up off the bed. He grabbed his jacket and headed towards the door of the bedroom.

"Uhm…Riku, wait."

Riku paused and glanced over his shoulder back at Sora. "Yeah, Sora?"

"What you said earlier…about being gay…you must like someone, then. I mean, if you didn't, then you wouldn't know that you're gay," Sora decided in a quiet, almost fearful voice. Blue eyes stared at Riku, pleading for the truth.

Riku shifted uncomfortably and rested his hand on the door. "And if I do?"

Sora bit his lip. "…When we get back from Rome I'll help you. I don't want you to be lonely."

Riku's heart nearly collapsed. "…of course…"

And he left the room to go fetch his darling mother and cuss out the heavens above for being so god damn cruel to him.