Disclaimer: It's getting boring but, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Hn.

Author's notes: Sorry for the delay, things are really bad right now *sigh* I'm also kinda anxious about this chapter... I dunno if it's any good. Read it and tell me how you liked it, ne? Thanks!

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It was late afternoon when Sora heard the front door open. He was sitting in his room, actually waiting for his mother to come home. Now she was finally there and Sora stormed out of his room with a big smile plastered on his face.

"Mom! Welcome back!" he called, running towards her to hug her. She caught him and laughed, ruffling his hair affectionately until he pulled away.

"Gee, what happened to you? You never greet me like that." She looked around the room, then sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose.

"Hmmmm doesn't seem to be the loss of your innocence yet so what's up?" She grinned at Sora's blushing face.

"Mom…" he mumbled, finding it embarrassing that his mother talked about that stuff like she was talking about the weather. It may have been like that to her but he wanted this topic to be handled more discretely. The woman, however, just smiled and patted his reddened cheek.

"Now, now, don't be so embarrassed about it. You know, it's a natural thing and it will happen once you've found someone." She winked at him and purposely turned to the phone, hinting at his friendship with Riku.

Sora blushed even harder at that but then remembered why he had run out like that. He had to tell her about all the good news.

"Mom, guess what! You don't have to buy dinner tonight 'cause we already have it!" He ran into the kitchen and showed her everything Riku had bought. He had taken everything out of the bags and placed it in the fridge or cupboards, filling the kitchen. It was a very unusual sight to his mother's eyes but that was the way a kitchen normally looked.

"Riku and I were at the convenience store today and he bought all those things for us!" Sora beamed at his mother but as he saw her expression, he abruptly stopped.

She was inspecting the things rather suspiciously and then looked at her son with something that might have been disapproval or disappointment. It made him worry suddenly.

"Did this Riku buy all of it? And you let him do that?"

Sora winced and lowered his head. Of course he knew he wasn't supposed to do that. Especially his mother had too much pride to accept things like that. It was degrading in her eyes. But what about all the food? Sora glanced at it curtly and felt his mouth water again. He hadn't been able to eat these things for years! And Riku had practically forced him to take it, right?

"Mom…I'm sorry. I know it's wrong and I told him so. But I was starving and he heard my stomach growl and so he told me to get something to eat…and he would pay everything. You know, I told him not to do it but he just did and…I'm sorry."

He sighed and awaited some kind of lecture. Not that his mother would do that often, but he was pretty sure that she wasn't very pleased by what had happened. Even though he had been so happy before.

He waited and waited. But nothing came. No hostile words or lecturing. In fact, there was only a chewing sound and Sora finally looked up to see his mother rummage through a box of sushi, chewing delightedly.

"This is so good! You're so lucky to have a friend like him, Sora!"

She ate some more and licked her fingers with dreamy eyes. "There's just nothing better than sushi! Mmmmm!" She heaved a long, pleased sigh, much like a little girl and stretched a little. Then she turned back to Sora and smiled.

"You know we must pay him back for that," she told him, gesturing at the small oven.

Sora cocked his head. "I know. He's coming over tomoroww, and I thought maybe then...somehow... But what do you mean…the oven?"

His mother suddenly beamed. "He's coming over?! Awww so you had the courage to ask him? I'm so proud!" She started bouncing like a little kid might have done, waving her hands around to cheer. Sora just rolled his eyes at her childish behavior. Eventually she calmed and began to look through the cupboards. She mumbled something to herself and then vanished into her room. Sora blinked in surprise as she came out with a sheet of paper.

"Had to get this," she explained as she made her way back to the kitchen. She dumped all the things she had found in the cupboards on the table and looked at the sheet.

"Okay, Sora, look. These are my very special creations." She pointed at a picture on the sheet. It was a photograph clipped onto the paper.

"That's dad…" Sora murmured, looking at the picture in wonder.

His mother chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, that's him. But you see the things he's eating?"

She then pointed at the ingredients she had taken out and Sora lifted his eyebrows.

"Cookies?" he asked in disbelief.

"Not just any cookies! MY superspecial Love-Love-Cookies! And I'm going to show you how to make them so you have something for our dear benefactor." She proudly presented him the recipe and then began to prepare for baking. Sora just kind of stared at her and then looked back at the picture of his father.

"Love-Love-Cookies…?" he asked himself, seeing the expression on the man's face.

"The secret ingredient is the most important thing, Sora," his mother cooed as she started to mix everything.

Sora went to watch her and eventually she let him do it on his own. He was learning fast, copying his mother's ministrations until he knew how to do it.

When they were finished, Sora raised his eyebrows.

"And what's the secret ingredient?" he asked, eyeing the golden brown cookies. They smelled nice, he had to admit. But he really wondered what made them so special that his mother was so proud of them.

The woman just smiled.

"Well, what do you think?"

Sora blinked. "Uh…." What was the secret ingredient? How should he know?

"They're called Love-Love-Cookies, so, it's the love you put in!"

She giggled a little and crossed her hands over her chest. "I made that up myself when I met your father, you know," she dreamily explained, sighing at the memory.

"I haven't made them for anyone else before or after that."

Sora suddenly shuddered, dimly remembering some parts of his childhood. There were times he didn't think much about his father but sometimes it would haunt him to no end. Right now it felt so strange to see that picture when he knew that his father had been gone for over 8 years now.

He felt arms wrap around him and his head was tugged under a chin. His mother hugged him.

"They're really special…so you must give them to a very special person, all right? If you love the person, those cookies will work magic and they will be the most delicious thing on this planet. You'll see."

She kissed him on the forehead then, which was a little unlikely for her because of the motherly feeling it gave but Sora smiled and hugged her once more before letting go.

"Thanks…" he murmured, as she patted his head.

"Awww my baby's growing up so fast…" she pretended to sniffle and rubbed her nose. Sora chuckled and gave her a light, playful shove.

"Heh," she chuckled and hit him upside his head while he grinned.

***

The next day, Riku and Sora met in the morning, both excited to finally see each other in the afternoon. Sora had prayed for classes to end quickly and it seemed to have worked because nothing really happened so everything went by smoothly.

Kairi was the latest gossiping topic because she was supposedly cheating on Riku with another guy. All the crazy fangirls were furious and showered Riku with comfort cards and stuff like that.

When Sora and Riku asked Kairi about the whole thing, she told them what was really happening.

"Well, I don't know why the rest of the school wants to kill me but the thing is I'm friends with this boy. His name is Tidus and he's a year younger...I think you know him?" She gave Riku a look and the silver haired boy nodded. Sora shrugged since he didn't know many people yet.

"Well, and we're just friends 'cause I'm in the cheerleading team with Selphie and he's playing in the Blitzball team." She sighed as she showed the boys the death threads she had received this morning.

"I don't know how they got the idea we're a couple. And now they think I'm cheating on you with someone else. Hell, I'm just friends with you guys," she whined, rolling her eyes.

Riku put an arm around her in mock sympathy and smirked. "Poor Kairi, now you're being chased by the groupies, huh?"

Kairi glared at him and then stomped on his foot. "Shut up! They're going to kill me!"

Sora laughed as the two friends started to playfully beat each other although Kairi was much more vigorous than Riku. She even punched him in the guts. Sora cringed. Better not to make her angry.

Eventually the day ended and Sora and Riku accompanied Kairi, playing bodyguards.

"I'll make sure no one hurts you," Sora proudly proclaimed and Kairi giggled.

"Aw, yes my knight!"

Riku rolled his eyes and smiled. They went to the bus and Kairi got on, waving at them.

"Thanks for coming with me, guys! Have fun now!" She winked at Sora and then the bus took off, leaving the boys alone.

And so they stood.

"So…"

Riku took a deep breath and took Sora's hand. "Let's go." Sora couldn't help smiling and squeezed the silver haired boy's hand.

Finally. The thing they had been waiting for.

***

They arrived and for the first time there was no need to say goodbye in front of Sora's door.

The brunet fumbled with his keys, a little distracted since it felt like Riku was watching him. Finally he managed to open the door and stepped in, showing Riku around.

"So, first, this is the living room. The kitchen is on the left and the bathroom is on the right."

He held Riku's hand and showed him the door to the bathroom. It turned out to be extremely small and narrow and Riku wondered how one could be in there without getting claustrophobic.

The next room was the bedroom of Sora's mother. It was small, too, though slightly bigger than the bathroom. Riku was stunned at the size and furniture of this house. Without exaggerating, he could easily say that his room was about as big as the whole flat.

There wasn't much to show so they got to Sora's room.

The boy opened the door and sighed.

"Tadaa, that's my room."

Riku smiled immediately. It was the room he wanted to see. And it was just as he had imagined it the day before – only that it was surprisingly small. His bed had the size of this room.

On the right, there were bunk beds.

"I thought of taking the lower one out and put the desk there so I get more space…" Sora muttered, gesturing at the practically non-existent space.

Riku shook his head. "No, don't do that." He walked towards the bed and sat down, careful not to hit his head on the upper bed. Sora raised his eyebrows and sat down, too. They were really close due to the size of the bed.

"I like the atmosphere here…it's warm and cosy…" Riku murmured, leaning against the wall.

Sora was obviously confused about that.

"Cosy? It's more like a super little cage."

But Riku shook his head. "Small places are often better than big ones. You'd feel lonely and empty in a huge room."

This got Sora thinking. He had never been in a huge room so he wouldn't know. But what Riku was saying…could it be he was talking about his own room? Was his room so big that he felt lonely? And why was Sora suddenly thinking about being there with him to make him feel less lonely?

'Argh! What am I thinking? Stop, stop stop…' he mentally scolded himself.

And still he wondered what Riku's room was like and if he would see it some day.

'But for now…I have him here…' Sora smiled and unconsciously edged closer, enjoying the feeling of having someone with him.

***

At least twenty minutes passed.

They were sitting close together, since that the bed was so small. Sora didn't mind, though. It was actually kind of nice to be so close and Riku seemed to like it well enough. They hadn't really spoken a word yet but just sat there, leaning against each other in comfortable silence. It was funny, though. Sora had imagined them talking and getting to know each other and now all they did was sit. He looked at Riku out of the corner of his eye and saw that the silver haired boy seemed relaxed, though he also looked like he was thinking about something.

Watching the boy for a while, he noted an unfamiliar scent in his room, only to realize that it was Riku's. He couldn't help himself as he leaned closer, sniffing slightly at Riku's neck. It was something that smelled like flowers…lilies or something. And then there was also something bitter and musky mixed into it, which blended into a tantalizing aroma. It was probably a rude thing to do, Sora thought as he leaned closer, but the fragrance was so intoxicating that he wouldn't stop.

"Mmm…'s good…" he murmured, inhaling more of the enchanting perfume.

Riku tilted his head to the side as he felt Sora's breath on his skin and he chuckled.

"It's called Dreamer."

Sora blinked and pulled away, cocking his head to the side like a confused animal.

"Huh?"

Riku chuckled again and shrugged. "The cologne. Kairi gave it to me on my last birthday. I haven't really used it but today I thought…"

Sora saw how Riku suddenly started blushing and he wrinkled his nose. Riku mumbled something, more to himself than to Sora and he seemed to blush harder at that. Sora just watched him with interest, noting how the wonderful fragrance filled his nostrils. If he were just a little closer to Riku…

Suddenly, however. Riku turned him and leaned in, face hovering over his neck. Sora closed his eyes automatically and sighed as he felt Riku breathe against his throat.

"Mmm…" he heard Riku and it sounded as though he was trying to find a word.

Sora opened his eyes, smiling slightly before he gently pushed the other boy away.

"It's called soap."

Riku, who seemed to be a little dazed, blinked and then chuckled. Sora gave him a big grin, shrugging his shoulders. It was the truth.

"Soap and…maybe some washing up liquid cause I've been washing the dishes and then I spilled some and it got all over my clothes and I haven't found the time to wash them so—" Sora was silenced by Riku's expression.

He simply couldn't speak anymore when he saw the beautiful smile and those peaceful eyes watching him.

Sora blushed and looked down. "…don't look at me like that…it makes me feel weird…" he mumbled, lifting his gaze for a second, just to drop it again.

Riku just continued to smile. They remained silent for a little longer until Sora broke the silence again.

"Shouldn't we be talking? You know...like...getting to know each other?"

He tilted his head and looked at Riku with adorable helpless eyes. The silver haired boy shrugged and moved a little closer so that their shoulders nearly touched.

"Then tell me something about you. I know practically nothing of you." He shifted in his position so that he was facing Sora now. It made the other boy a little nervous although he also enjoyed having Riku look at him like that.

"Hmm…what do you want me to tell you?" he then asked, scratching the back of his head in thought. He didn't know where to start and what to say. Riku just shrugged.

"Anything you want. Or better…everything. Tell me all about you," he purred, or was it Sora's imagination? He gulped at the sound and bit his lip. Riku shifted again and Sora could feel the small bed move which then again caused Sora to move, too. It was really awkward in the little space but no one complained.

Eventually Sora hummed and opened his mouth. "So…errrmm…let's start with the basics…my name's Sora."

Riku blinked and then shook his head, chuckling slightly. "Wow, now I feel enlightened," he answered, smirking at the younger boy.

Sora grinned back and shrugged his shoulders, thinking of something else to tell him. Where to start? What to tell? He couldn't tell his whole life story, could he? But then again, was there anything to tell at all? He didn't really know what Riku would like to know.

"Just anything you think I should know," Riku murmured, as though he was reading Sora's mind.

"But I don't know what you want to know! And it's not that easy to think of stuff to tell!" Sora whined in exasperation, throwing his arms into the air, hitting the bed above. He groaned and sighed, hanging his head. This room was so frustrating. And Riku wasn't helping the situation at all. All the silver haired boy was doing, was sitting so close to him that Sora could feel his body heat invade him. And he was looking at him with those strange eyes – he seemed fascinated or something. Sora shuddered. Why did he have the strange feeling that Riku was going to cause him another nosebleed again?

He sighed again, shaking his head a little to calm himself.

"Why don't you just ask me what you want to know and I'll answer?" he then offered, hoping Riku would agree so he didn't have to think so much. Riku was blocking his brain activities.

Shrugging his shoulders casually, Riku agreed. "Sure. " He then moved again and Sora's cheeks turned pink at the movements. He could feel every move Riku did on that bed and somehow it made him feel so strange that he clenched his hands to fists. It was maddening in this room, in this tiny space – so close to that boy.

"Okay so…how about…um…" Sora watched as Riku put a finger to his lips, obviously thinking about a question. It looked adorable in a way.

The boy drew his brows together and thought, hard. After a few minutes of nothing Sora lifted an eyebrow.

"So?" he curiously inquired, wondering why Riku hadn't said anything yet.

The silver haired boy frowned and narrowed his eyes. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking…" he hurriedly answered, going back into thinking-mode to ponder some more.

Sora laughed right out, shaking the bed with him as he did.

"Told ya it wasn't so easy!"

Riku shot him a glare and snorted. "Yeah, whatever…" he muttered, concentrating to think harder. Finally, he seemed to have an idea.

"Okay. Stupid question but… what's your favourite colour?"

Sora cocked his head and drew his lips together, thinking for a short moment.

"Silver," he then answered, absently looking at Riku's hair when he said so. Noting what he was doing, Sora quickly dropped his gaze and blushed slightly.

"Eh…and blue. Silver and blue…and maybe green…or something…" he mumbled, knowing exactly that those colours were all colours he related with Riku.

The silver haired boy nodded and tried to think of another question, though he was interrupted by Sora.

"And yours? What's your favourite colour?"

Riku smiled. "Sky blue."

And Sora blushed again. What a funny coincidence that his name meant sky. He wondered if Riku knew that.

They talked about various things, then. Riku asked some more of those standard getting-to-know questions and Sora answered them all before asking Riku the same. So, bit by bit, they got to know each other, at least superficially. It didn't matter much for real friendship, Sora thought as he remembered what his mother had said last night. Real friendship had its root in the feelings, not in the information you knew.

"And what's your favourite animal?"

Sora pursed his lips in thought and then smiled brightly.

"Puppies! I love dogs." He grinned, crossing his arms behind his head.

"That fits you…" Riku smirked, causing Sora to glare and then pout. He even stuck out his tongue and Riku chuckled.

"And yours?" Sora asked, as he had done before with all the other questions. Usually Riku would answer quickly but this time he seemed to be at a loss. He frowned and began to think.

"I never really thought about that…" he confessed, tapping his fingers on the bed. "Mmm…something small…I guess… that doesn't make much noise…something like…like…" He looked up at Sora.

"A hamster maybe?"

Sora burst into laughter. "Hamster?" he breathlessly questioned, laughing even more after he said it. Riku frowned and then scowled.

"Yeah, what's so funny about it?" He crossed his arms and looked offended.

Sora sobered a little and smirked, just like Riku had done before. "It fits you!"

He then snickered at Riku's horrified expression – or was it a murderous expression? Sora didn't know and he didn't care, it was just too funny. He only stopped when a thought entered his mind.

"Hey wait…" he murmured, rubbing his temples in an absent manner. "No…a hamster doesn't fit you…but you know what would fit you?" He was grinning cheekily now and Riku shrugged.

Sora snickered again. "You're more like…like…a bunny!"

It was hilarious to see Riku choke at that – and that glare – and oh, Riku attempted to tackle him – and Sora was lost in laughter when he did.

The boys fell against the mattress, Riku's face hovering just above Sora's.

"So I'm a bunny, huh?" he teased, pressing Sora further down. "Then how come I can overpower you so easily?"

Sora was suddenly still and clawed at the bed sheets. Riku was leaning over him with his hands at the sides of Sora's head and his knee between Sora's legs for balance. He watched Riku's eyes widen in realization and blushed when Riku quickly scampered off him, sitting on the other side of the bed again. The fact that the bed wasn't really big didn't help putting distance between them and so they remained still kind of close to each other.

Time seemed to stand still and the whole room seemed so awfully quiet now. There was an awkward silence between them and Sora was still half lying there, clutching to the sheets. He stared at the underside of the bed above as he felt his heart race a million times faster than it normally did. He was sure that if Riku didn't hear it, he could at least see it, that heart that was nearly jumping out of his chest.

Riku on the other hand seemed calm. The only thing that he was worried about was his face and the annoying redness of his cheeks. He also didn't like the way his body reacted. He was partly paralysed – especially his mind was foggy – and he was trembling mildly. Sora was making him feel strange.

The silence seemed to be so loud now that Riku wanted to cover his ears from it. How silence could be loud, though, was a real riddle. Anyway, Riku wanted to cover his ears, or better, hide in the blankets of Sora's cosy bed until that feeling went away. It wasn't like he didn't like it but he didn't know how to react towards it. It was completely new.

"Let's get out of this room for a while," Sora suddenly suggested, sounding cheerful again. He pushed himself up and climbed out of the bed, carefully not to hit his head like he always did.

Riku was still blushing so hard that he had to keep his head low to hide it. He only looked up as Sora extended his hand to pull him up.

There was that smile again, that smile that caused his stomach to twist. Sora's smile was unique.

"I have something for you," he announced, opening the door to pull Riku out.

– To be continued –

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Ending notes: Kay there was fluff! So how'd you like it? Good? Bad? Anything else you wanna tell me?
Next chapter... we'll see Riku's reaction on the Love-Love-Cookies! Yay ^^ And maybe Sora's mom will barge in when they're having one of those nice moments... hehehe... and she'll also get a name now, I think. Since she's going to introduce herself to Riku. Yeah. That's it.