A/N: I am a total Hetalia junkie now. And I love Lithuania. So when I discovered I had three Lithuanian readers I cooed joyously. Thank you, thank you Lithuania for being so adorable.
On another note, I am yet again sorry for the long wait. I hope I can publish another chapter before I am recruited. And to all those who have been wondering about the 'tragedy' tag... Well, I can't say much, it's up to you and your speculations, I'm keeping the story's plot line a secret. Thank you again! All my readers, and my wonderful beta, and my dear, dear old friend whom I love to no end. It's been over a year now since I started writing EFTS, and I hope it takes much less than a year to finish it! We're behind the middle of the story now, so hopefully, it would turn out nice like I wish it could.
Much loves, much affections. KH is not my own.
Sora placed another dry plate into the cabinet upon wiping it dry. "So, did he pass?" he asked, trying to mask his nervousness by busying himself with drying a washed glass.
"He's a nice boy," Sora's mother hummed, reaching some another clean plate. "A bit tense though," she mentioned. "It feels as if he was really trying hard to say the right thing."
"He is a bit hesitant about opening up," Sora smiled to himself. "But if he gets to hang around some more, I'm sure he'd get used to you and have no problem saying what really is on his mind."
"Well, if you say so," the woman chuckled, closing the tap and wiping her wet hands. "Finish drying those and you're free for tonight," she smiled, making her way to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of juice. "Here's for you and Riku, in case you two get thirsty. Dad might sleep on the couch tonight so I wouldn't want the two of you to be bothering him, okay?"
Sora nodded once and placed the last plate in its place on the shelf.
"Night, Mom!" he grinned, hugging the woman tight and kissing her cheek.
"Night Shkoda," Sora's mother chuckled, kissing his forehead briefly and taking her leave towards her bedroom.
The young male grinned and hung the towel in place, turning off the lights at his leave and rushing up the stairs to his room, where Riku awaited.
A few moments later, when Sora was finally in his room, watching Riku as he was picking at the small lint balls on the socks he borrowed from the younger male.
"Riku," Sora chuckled, closing the door behind him with a tiny grin.
"You're back," the other teen answered calmly, a matching smile gracing his face.
"Told you I'd be quick," Sora said as he sat on the bed next to Riku.
"True," Riku discarded the last ball from between his fingers and leaned his elbow on his knee.
"Say…. I was thinking," a small, somewhat hesitant voice came. "After you graduate… What will you do? Will you stay here? Will you go back to live with your parents?" Sora asked quietly, pursing his lips as he waited for the artist's reply.
"Probably move back," Riku swallowed uneasily. "I feel so much better being here but… One thing I did learn in the big city is that dreams are rarely fulfilled… At least not to the fullest," he sucked a long breath in and slowly let it do.
"It's because of the money…?" Sora guessed with a displeased grimace.
"Yeah," the artist snickered somewhat bitterly. "I hate it, but it's a fact, there aren't many options for me here… I doubt I could live off decorating coffee houses and selling commissions."
Sora nodded faintly and pressed closer to Riku. "Will you come to visit, after you leave back to Hollow Bastion?"
Riku's lips curled into a tiny smile. "Whenever I can. It would be hard to part with you," he allowed himself to place his hand around Sora's waist, pulling him into an awkward hug.
"So I won't be the only one that hurts when being apart?" the brunet grinned, easily pushing Riku's leg down flat against the bed and placing his own on the elder's lap.
"Obviously not," Riku smirked, ruffling Sora's hair lazily before locking his arms around the boy once more. "Sora," he whispered, leaning his forehead against the brunet's.
"Mm?" the younger male replied with a soft hum and placed his palm on Riku's knee.
"Can we turn the lights off?" the artist requested in a low tone, his cool nose pressing against Sora's ear.
Sora nodded once, sliding up on his feet and turning the lights off. "Should I open the window?"
Riku nodded.
The window was soon open wide, allowing the pale light of the moon and the stars spill over the frame of the two males sitting near each other on the bed.
"Should I lock the door?" Sora whispered, dragging the soft pads of his fingers against the smooth skin of Riku's hand.
"Please," the artist smiled, curling his toes briefly to help him contain himself. He wasn't really sure what was bound to happen that night, but the warm sensation forming in his stomach told him it couldn't possibly be bad.
With a dull clicking sound, the two boys were left alone in the quiet of the night.
"Earlier on the beach… You said you wanted me to draw you like I drew Namine," Riku murmured, falling back on the bed with his arms spread out wide.
Sora nodded once and crawled next to Riku on the join beds.
"Why?" the artist pondered aloud, inspecting the ceiling with his lidded eyes.
"Because…" Sora gasped. "I want to give you something… You could always look at… Remember me, and know it's yours only."
The artist kept quiet for a long moment. "Sora…" he chuckled finally, rolling on his stomach so he could lean on his elbows and look at Sora from above. "I'm not sure I deserve this gift…"
"You've made me so happy for the little time we knew each other," the brunet whispered, rising his hands up and tangling them in Riku's hair. "You made me realize so much, and appreciate what I have," he bit his lip then, pausing. "You gave me so much… I wish I could repay you somehow… With my trust."
Riku leaned his forehead against Sora's. "You're a miracle, you know…? Making me feel… So good with myself," good enough to forget his far from pleasant experiences of the past, at least for the night.
Sora grinned. "Isn't that part of the whole thing? Of being lovers?"
The older male chuckled and pulled his shoulders. "Sometimes, I guess."
"Hey… Sora," Riku murmured after a few long moments of comfortable silence where the two teens relished the soft sounds on the night.
"What is it?" the youth replied slowly, fingers shifting through Riku's clean, silky hair.
"You think our hearts are beating in unison now?" the artist asked in a whisper, a light blush coating his cheeks and ears.
"In unison why?" Riku blinked, leaning his head against Sora's hand.
"Because," Sora explained quietly. "I thought… That maybe if we were more than just friends at heart…" he paused. "If we were lovers… Maybe we would get so close… Our hearts would start beating together…"
"…Perhaps," Riku answered quietly after a long moment of silence. "That would be… Kind of sweet," he added after another small pause.
Sora smiled gingerly and tangled his fingers within the long strands. "Do you think that's a proof of true love?"
"Might be," the older male snickered softly. "After all, I guess we just melted into our current situation… I never once thought your feelings for me might be fake," he whispered, taking Sora's hand in his and planting tender kisses on his knuckles.
The brunet blushed fondly and hunched his shoulders. "Me too… You're so mature, sweet and accepting it's hard not to fall for you…" he murmured. "On the other hand… You treat me with special care. I'm the only one that gets to know your feelings and secrets, as well as see your soft side."
Riku snickered and averted his gaze bashfully. "True enough, I guess," he sighed, leaning lower to press a feather light peck to Sora's warm cheek.
"Say… Riku," Sora pondered aloud, frowning as he attempted to turn his words into phrases.
"I'm listening," the elder hummed, shifting so he would lie next to Sora under the huge fleece blanket they shared.
"If… You were ever to meet Namine again-.." the brunet began, only to be cut short by the other male a few moments later.
"Nothing," Riku muttered, squeezing his eyes shut and warping his arms protectively around Sora's shoulders. "Nothing would happen…" he repeated in a softer tone. "Namine is… In the past now. She's where I would like her to stay, at least for now."
Sora rolled on his side and looked at Riku curiously. "Does it still hurt? The memory?"
"Obviously, yes…" Riku swallowed, uneasy feeling registering in his throat. "I… Don't like being alone for too long," he admitted in a gasp. "So it was a big decision for me to move here on my own," he took a shaky breath in. "At first, when I just arrived, I tried calling her few times each day, but she wouldn't answer, so I had to talk to my parents and some of my other friends instead but…"
"But?" Sora licked his lips once, scooting closer to Riku.
"But it wasn't the same. Nobody could understand me like Namine did, I couldn't just tell my other friends about my frustrations. They didn't know how to say the right thing just like Namine did…" Riku bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, taking a few deep breathes in.
"Although… I have you now, it still hurts when I think about her," he breathed out, leaning close to Sora and pressing their foreheads together. "You're so warm and accepting that sometimes I have to ask myself if you're for real…"
The brunet smiled back at him and kissed his nose. "Heh.. It's up for you to decide.."
"I'd like you to be," Riku smiled, scrunching his nose slightly.
Sora shrugged once. "Then I will be, for you."
The artist sighed with content and raked his hands through Sora's spiky hair. "You're so beautiful…."
Sora chuckled and shook his head. "Look who's talking," he whispered back at him, allowing the pads of his fingers gently graze against the back of Riku's hand.
"I don't care about myself all that much," the older teen admitted, toying with the loose strands.
"You should," Sora laced his fingers with Riku's and squeezed them lightly. "I wouldn't like you to get carelessly hurt…"
"Well, if you insist," Riku chuckled and bit his lip shyly only to plant a delicate kiss on Sora's lips a moment later. "Hey… Wouldn't like you to get hurt either…"
The youth grinned and scooted closer. "I'll try my best," he sucked a deep breath in, returning the light peck.
"Hey… Sora…" Riku murmured in a somewhat husky voice.
"What is it?" the brunette licked his lips and slid their adjoined fingers down to the level of their chests.
"Remember when we talked on the phone, and I told you to imagine me being there….?" the older breath out, looking at Sora with expectation.
Sora nodded back at him, cheeks drenching in a soft shade of red.
"I'm here now," Riku smiled, snaking his hands around Sora.
The youth chuckled bashfully and placed his knuckled hands against Riku's broad chest. "True," he said quietly and slipped his eyes shut. "What are you going to do about it, though…?"
Riku tugged Sora closer and pressed his warm lips against is forehead. "Hold you as close as I can."
Sora gasped and bit his lip. "I never knew you could be so sweet…"
"I never knew it either," Riku smirked against Sora's forehead.
The brunet grinned and slid his hands around Riku's neck. "So will you hold me tonight, like you promised me on the phone?"
"I was meaning to ask that," Riku whispered back at the boy, soft lips moving against warm skin. "Would you… Like me to touch you that way?" he said with a quiet, reassuring tone.
Sora nodded once. "Not too far… I'm still scared but.." he bit his lip, smiling. "I would… Like to show you more of me…" he breathed out shyly, cheeks reddening to a shade of a ripe tomato.
Riku frowned with thought. "More of you?" he pondered aloud, aligning his hand with Sora's waist.
The brunet sighed and swallowed, placing Riku's hand on his own hip. "I'll let you touch wherever you want… Almost," he explained in a bashful tone.
Riku actually smiled at that. "You could always tell me where to stop, you know…"
Sora nodded eagerly, scooting closer to Riku and pressing his nose against the older teen's chest. "I will, trust me," he chuckled, allowing his fingers to slowly brush over Riku's back.
The artist hummed with content and rubbed Sora's side with the pads of his fingers. "May I call you Sunshine when we're alone?" he snickered, tracing his thumb in a curved line against Sora's ribcage.
The youth huffed softly and leaned his forehead against Riku's collarbone. "When we're alone," he agreed and pressed his hands to Riku's chest.
"Obviously," Riku grinned, allowing his index finger to draw incoherent shapes over Sora's chest and shoulders. "I wouldn't want anyone else to know how I call my own treasure…" he whispered. "It's our own secret…"
Sora mewed and hunched his shoulders, his face feeling warm against Riku's firm chest.
"I'll hold you dear like the sun itself," the artist promised quietly and moved his fingers to Sora's nape, rubbing the knuckle of his index finger back and forth against the sensitive skin.
"Rikuu…." Sora whined softly, rolling his head back, "It tickles there!" he gasped and sucked a deep breath in through his parted lips.
"That's the whole idea," Riku chuckled and kissed the corner of Sora's mouth. "Doesn't it feel good though?" he smiled, flattening his hands against the back of Sora's neck.
The brunet sighed with ease and looked up at Riku, face skeptical. "How..?"
"Well…" Riku pursed his lips. "Something like… This…" he breathed out, planting a delicate kiss on Sora's earlobe.
Sora bit his bottom lip and squeezed his eyes shut, "Rikuu…" he whimpered quietly, folding his knees slightly.
"Nn?" the artist pondered as he gave the lobe another kiss, a longer, more persistent one.
"It's… Ah… A… Bit… Overwhelming…" Sora muttered in a single breath, pressing flush against the older boy.
"You'll get used to it," Riku insisted, smiling against Sora's ear before turning to rub his nose against the curve of Sora's ear.
The brunet let a soft mewl and folded his limbs in a vain attempt to contain himself. Riku was almost too much for him and his inexperienced body. "Riku," he whined again, swallowing the small knot of nervousness and excitement that was forming in his throat.
"I… It's.. My first… Time like this…" Sora bit his lip and curled his fingers around Riku's cotton shirt.
A throaty, thoughtful hum escaped the artist's throat. "I… Kind of expected that," he whispered, his arm curling comfortably around Sora's waist.
The brunet eased some and squeezed his eyes shut, releasing Riku's shirt in favor of pressing his knuckles against his warm cheeks.
"Better?" the older male assumed with a faint, though content smile.
Sora nodded once, shifting to lye more comfortably next to Riku. "A lot," he admitted, shrugging shyly and leaning his forehead against the other male's chest. "Could you stop with the ear thing though? It's a bit… Scary, when you do that."
Riku chuckled softly, cupping Sora's cheek. "I could hold back for now," he assured Sora and kissed his forehead lightly.
"Thanks," the youth breathed out and relaxed his body.
"Hey… We have all the time in the world, right?" Riku snickered. "I'm sure you'll get over your fears someday, with little persuasion…" he winked at Sora and ruffled his hair.
Sora shifted uncomfortably, cheeks turning into a shade of a juicy cherry.
"Sora… I was just kidding," Riku sighed, kissing the boy's forehead and easing back on the bed. His hands were now loosely locked around Sora's back, cradling the smaller teen close to him.
Sora relaxed again, smiling and pressing his lips against the center of Riku's chest. "Heartbeat," he stated, his hands already snaking under Riku's shirt and tugging it up gingerly.
Riku smirked, unwrapping his hands from around Sora's form and helping the boy slip the shirt away from him.
"And I like your smell, too," the brunet whispered offhandedly, inhaling the fresh, salty smell of Riku's skin before kissing it shyly and pressing his ear and cheek to the broad, welcoming chest.
Riku swallowed and tangled his hand in Sora's hair. "I'm glad you do," he snickered, relishing the feeling of the springy spikes under his fingers.
Sora made a small sound as he leaned into the familiar touch. "You've had lovers before me, didn't you?" he asked in a small voice, feeling a small part of him regretting he asked the question.
"I did," Riku answered simply, his fingers treading still through the brunet's unruly mane.
Sora sighed quietly, pressing closer to Riku in a somewhat possessive manner.
"They never got too deep under my skin," the artist added a few moments later, his teal eyes wandering to the room's low ceiling. It gave the place a domestic atmosphere, he decided.
"How about me?" Sora's gaze crawled up and his eyes filled with expectation.
"You…" Riku chuckled, shifting so Sora was now lying flat underneath him. "I don't even know where to begin. You are a special case all over," he hummed with a low voice, his palm drawing Sora's bangs back from his forehead.
"You reach so deep in without even trying," the artist chuckled, shrugging once. "You're a natural talent, you make everything feel different."
"Just like Namine?" Sora murmured, albeit somewhat bitterly.
"Nothing like her," Riku decided a moment later, leaning his weight on his elbow as he reached his hand out to place flat on Sora's chest. "Where she made me feel uncomfortable with myself, you made me relax and… Just enjoy," he confessed with a lopsided grin.
Sora raised his chin to look at Riku's hand, his mouth hanging slightly open. A small sound escaped his throat before he rolled his head back and looked at Riku's lidded eyes. "You can't be serious," he smiled, reaching his hands up to wrap around the elder's neck.
"Dead serious," the artist smiled back, pressing his forehead down against Sora's.
The brunet hummed and slipped one hand down Riku's shoulder, to his chest, where it came to halt. His fingertips were spread out like a fan, each pad connected to a different patch of war, bare skin, feeling the quick pulse drumming underneath.
"It seems you are," he let out a small breath he had been holding and slipped his eyes shut. "It feels nice, your quick heartbeat."
"It's yours you know," Riku whispered, his own hand caressing Sora's chest with slow, circular movements.
A small grin sneaked to Sora's face, making the artist's breath hitch slightly.
"And you do hold me dear like the sun itself," the youth decided, turning his hand so now the back of his palm was laying against Riku's smooth chest.
"I could offer nothing less to you," Riku murmured, his nose pressed against Sora's.
"Then… Could I hold you like the moon?" Sora chuckled quietly, his voice not louder than a whisper.
"I would be endlessly grateful if you did," Riku breathed back at him, his own eyes closing. His lips ghosted over Sora's, leaving a slim trail of warm air behind.
"You could be my guiding light when everything is dark," Sora smiled, pressing the tip of his lips against Riku's. "My eyes when I cannot see…"
The other male smiled, cradling Sora's jaw and pulling it up lightly for a kiss. "You… Could be my warmth and inspiration… My clear blue sky… And soft purple sunrise…"
Sora's lips parted against Riku's, sipping the warmth offered. His head was swimming and body light. "'kuu," he murmured in between kisses, his back arching up against Riku's form.
"Mm…?" The older male groaned back at him, toned hands rolling up and down Sora's back.
"Lo… Love…" Sora mewed at him, his fingers digging against Riku's shoulders and tiny, blunt nails leaving shallow marks as they sank in.
"I… Love you too," Riku gasped, pulling back and licking his wet lips with a goofy grin.
"Why?" Sora grinned, opening his eyes once again to lock gazes with Riku.
"I just told you why," Riku snickered, poking Sora's cheek with his knuckle.
"So?" the youth teased back at him, his grin widening and two small dimples forming on his cheeks.
"So just go to sleep," Riku snorted, kissing the tip of Sora's nose and rolling off him to lay close to his side.
"Perhaps," Sora decided, sucking a deep breath in and rolling on his side to face Riku. "Wouldn't it be nice… If we could live in our own place?" he blushed, pursing his lips shyly.
"Are you sure?" Riku blinked. "Living together requires a lot of compromising," he pointed out, frowning.
"I know," Sora smiled. "And I didn't mean live together… As of now. I could spend a few nights over," he decided. "And when we feel closer, I could spend some more time, right?"
"…I guess," Riku's expression softened into that of affection. "It's a nice thought, Sora," he chuckled. "Plus, it would make me get rid of some bad old habits."
Sora cooed and warped his arms tightly around Riku's built form. "It could be something to dream about…" he chimed, smiling.
Riku sighed and closed his eyes, pressing his lips against Sora's head and humming a quiet, calm tune.
"Sleep tight, Riku," Sora smiled, his own eyes slipping shut with a tiny, sheepish yawn.
"Sweet dreams, Light," Riku murmured back at him and cradled the smaller brunet between his arms.