Chapter 20: And the Anecdote of After

*Note: This chapter has explicit sexual content. If you do not wish to read that, I have marked where it starts and stops with asterisks, so if you want to still read the epilogue, you can skip the smexy bits. Otherwise, enjoy!

Sora steps into the empty apartment, mentally exhausted but content from the day of learning. How satisfying it is, to learn about topics he actually cares about instead of the many, endless, subjects the state required for a high school diploma! Though not intentionally, despite his tiredness, Sora still emanates contentment just by the trace of the smile on his face. Even the apartment is a source of joy as he surveys the damage; sweaters, papers, movies, games, grease-stained pizza boxes, and computer paraphernalia all liter the floor, the couch, and the coffee table. He notes with amusement that one of the sweaters is most definitely Axel's; despite having his own apartment with Roxas a few doors down, he still manages to make his presence known everywhere he goes. Just as well. The reminder of people residing in his life is a comfort.

He discards his book bag on the kitchen table unceremoniously on top of some old pencils and papers, heading unflinchingly to the master-bathroom for a shower. He knows that a certain someone will irritable about the mess, and especially that the brunet had contributed to it, but hopefully he can pick a few things up out of the array once he is clean, dry, and dressed. Quickly his good intentions toward apartment hygiene are replaced by his own personal cleanliness as he mechanically strips his clothes, making them into a formless pile onto the bed. And then he is in the bathroom, eager for the water to warm and let his feet escape the cold bath tile.

He ponders the evening lineup; Roxas asked for some calculus help, of which he couldn't say no in reply… Though at some point he needs to chip away some of that history project. It's simple enough, and he still has a week to do it, but it'll be easier to handle if he works on it little by little. And of course, he always has to have time to go get coffee for him and Riku when he gets out of class. It's their form of dates during these college crazy times. Which is nearly always. It's a busy life, but a happy one he concedes. He also needs to set an alarm to wake himself up earlier tomorrow so he'll actually go to the gym… Maybe Riku will go with him… Oh, and he needs to text Demyx, make sure he has a place to crash for the night. The brunet wishes he would get a job, but the "travelling" musician simply refuses to do something useful.

Before he knows it's he's already washed his hair and half his body, his hands working while his mind mulls over his personal timeline. Two more years and he will have his masters… Riku will get his bachelors and then hopefully he'll stick with the five year masters plan and get his too… And then they can move into a house together and build their lives… Or at least, that's the fantasy Sora has. His bubbling hope for their future makes the struggle of college worth it. He just wants them to be successful and happy together. But most importantly together. Even now, life after college (or rather, after college when Riku is done, too) is still an unwritten, blank page, without even an outline to guide them. Even so, he doesn't mind; one day at a time. And that's okay.

A slam of the apartment door jars Sora from his future fantasies and general peace. He assumes that Riku must have come home, but isn't it early? He hasn't been in the shower that long has he? He wishes the bathroom had a clock, but he supposes that its incessant reminder of reality would kill the relaxation that showers provide. Feeling rushed, he cleans himself faster, hoping that either Riku came home early or that Sora isn't too terribly late.

Soon after the initial slam of the front door, he hears small sounds escaping from the bedroom; Sora assumes it's the echoes of Riku's normal routine: drop his book bag on the bed, shrug off his jacket, kick off his shoes, put his glasses carefully by his alarm clock, dropping his keys onto the bedside table. He's only seen this routine first hand a few times by some mishap in the normal weekly schedule, but knowing that Riku is a person of habit makes him easy to imagine. Finally, he hears shuffling movements nearby, meaning the silveret has relocated to the bathroom. He imagines the silveret brushing out his ridiculously long hair (not that Sora is complaining, because he isn't). Sora smiles; even the littlest things that his boyfriend does makes him feel at home.

"Sorry, Riku," Sora speaks up, "I'll be out soon." The brunet feels bad for interrupting his normal schedule; Riku probably takes a shower after coming home, like he does.

The brunet waits for a reply, attempting to wash his back with his blue scrubby-thing. The effort is largely unsuccessful. When there is no reply, Sora frowns again. "Riku…?"

Right at that moment, the shower curtain is pulled aside behind him, making a high shink sound that momentarily scares him. He twitches, twirling around automatically to face the source of the intrusion. Of course, as soon as he sees familiar creamy skin, the fear completely abandons him.

"Riku! Couldn't you wait?" he says exasperatedly. He crosses his arms to add emphasis, though in reality it only makes the pouting qualities of his argument stand out. Riku chuckles in reply.

"Welcome home to you too, Sor."

Sora begins to say something, but then blushes and backs down, realizing his own ridiculousness. Riku brings him into a welcoming embrace of which Sora melts into, always willing to indulge in his boyfriend's soft, ever warm skin. "Welcome home," Sora mumbles, still feeling a little silly. Perhaps it would be more predictable to be embarrassed due to the nude hug, all parts exposed and fronts touching, but at this point, all the awkwardness has left their relationship. Now their bareness is really just a blessing that they can see one another. There is no point in shame.

Riku kisses his forehead and releases the shorter male. The brunet smiles up at him lovingly. "Hey could you wash my back?"

Riku huffs, theatrically pretending to be annoyed. "Fiiine, but you have to switch places with me."

Sora sticks his tongue out. "Don't burn yourself," he replies, squeezing past Riku as he heads toward the steaming water.

The silveret curses under his breath as he submerges under the water. "Damn, Sora, the water is scalding."

"Sorry," Sora says cheekily, smiling. "I warned you though."

The soaked brunet is not disappointed by the change in positions. He unabashedly watches as Riku stands under the water, unflinchingly embracing the hot rivulets streaming down his body. This never gets old; his light silver hair turning into a shimmering darker gray, and his involuntary groan as the warmth envelops his skin and sinks in. Riku tilts his chin up to the water faucet and slicks his hair back, releasing a contented sigh. So much for the water being "scalding".

It honestly takes every ounce of Sora's will to hold his hands back from palming Riku's smooth yet toned chest and stomach (which reminds him, Sora really needs to start working out again. This is getting embarrassing no matter how much the silveret insists it's cute that he's soft). Instead of touching him, he ogles to let the silveret enjoy the moment of relaxation that showers provide, thanking God for the ridiculous Camp Hawkeye as he does seemingly several times a day. So lost is he in his admiration that he almost drops his soapy, blue bath scrunchie.

When Riku returns Sora's gaze, his eyes are bright and rejuvenated. With a half-sincere-smile-half-smirk, he holds out his hand for the sudsy thing. It takes a moment for Sora to come back down to earth but then he at once blushes, hands over the scrunchie, and turns around, waiting for his back to be washed.

"Please don't tickle me," Sora simultaneously warns and pleads. Riku chuckles, replying, "Oh I wouldn't dream of it."

"Pfft even the phrase taken literally is a lie!" In retaliation, Riku gives him a poke in the ribs. After a small, giggling protest, Riku sets to work on Sora's back with soap, immediately gaining forgiveness. The brunet sighs, letting himself melt from the faintly outdoor-sy scent and foreign pressure on his back, the delightful combo surely thoroughly cleaning him.

"So how was physics?" Sora asks, taking advantage of the extra time they have to small-talk.

"Pretty fun actually," Riku replies enthusiastically, "I used my catapult to terrorize some squirrels."

Sora laughs in appreciation. "Well, no wonder I never see of them any around."

Riku chuckles, but then interjects as if suddenly remembering, "Oh, and we got let out from class early; that's why I'm back."

"Oh," Sora replies, having completely forgotten about his earlier anxiety on the topic. "I wondered about that… I'm glad though." Sora tilts his head back, sending Riku a happy smile. Riku, still ever taller than him (both hit a growth-spurt during senior year, but Riku grew about three inches whereas Sora only grew about two, much to the brunet's disappointment), gazes down with a small smile back.

"Me too," he says, implying his gratefulness for their extra time by moving his soapy hands to wrap around Sora's waist. The brunet gives in to the moment, leaning his tilted-back head onto his boyfriend's shoulder. *****

Sora releases a small appreciative "hmm" as the silveret grazes his thumbs over the slight protrusion of Sora's hips, a testament of Riku's enjoyment of the body he has the honor to touch. Though the brunet's skin is already soft, the suds compliment it nicely, faintly reminding the silveret of their cotton tie-blanket Namine sent them last year for Christmas. Continuing on in his affections, Riku innocently kisses Sora's cheek softly. The silveret can remember when he first started showing affection like this, and how surprisingly overjoyed Sora was to receive it. He had always been worried that the brunet would be wary about even that much PDA, but in reality he turned out to be completely unabashed by the notion of skipping the surreptitiousness. Thinking back almost makes him wish they had lockers like they had in high school, just so Riku would receive Sora's little love letters again. It is astounding to him how Sora has not seemed to love him less on any day, even the worst, and Riku too has not lost even a drop of adoration for the brunet. For him it was a most fortuitous miracle.

When Riku looks up again, immediately the brunet replies with a playful kiss on the elder's jaw. It quickly escalates to kiss-tag, a game that they engage in more often than they'd admit. Riku kisses Sora's temple; Sora kisses Riku in the crook between his jaw and neck; Riku kisses Sora's ear. Already impatient with his disadvantaged position, the brunet turns around and faces his lover, kissing his chin teasingly. Riku, uncomplaining about the shift, returns the favor and kisses Sora's nose.

Sora huffs. "Dangit."

Then, without further comment, Sora ends their game by kissing Riku firmly on the lips, the collision giving him a shiver down his spine. Riku, bolstered by his victory, kisses back eagerly, almost instinctually bringing Sora closer into his embrace. Sora accommodates, placing one hand on Riku's shoulder with the other almost casually resting right above his ass, accustomed to then slipping his hand into the back jean pocket as if they were only holding hands. Obviously now that is not an option, but the familiarity is too strong to be overcome when they are too focused on each other. Like a learned dance, the brunet takes the next step and licks Riku's lips, leading into a deeper lip-lock.

Their kisses are ambivalently comforting and arousing, the second perhaps amplified by the hot water soaking them and the steam surrounding them. Riku aggressively turns them, shoving Sora up against the shower wall. Riku's pressure prevents Sora from falling despite the generally slippery situation they are in. Sora gasps at the sudden contact between his back and the chilled tiles of the wall. Why the tiles never, ever seem to get warm, the brunet may never know—neither does he care. A hand travels up to silver hair, sliding his fingers up different paths into the wet locks, gripping lightly.

Riku's kiss cuts off the brunet's gasp, slipping in his tongue teasingly, though perhaps tainted with apologetics, to which Sora replies by grazing his teeth over his lovers tongue as it exits. Sora knows all too well it is a dirty trick; in fact, one of those things that make his silveret tick. His aqua eyes open from the kiss, brilliant and nearly glaring.

"I can play that game too, you know."

Sora smiles. "Maybe I want you to."

That is the only reassurance Riku needs before resuming their heated lip-lock, one hand in Sora's hair and the other on his hip, massaging the area right beside his hip bone. Quickly, though, the silveret progresses, spontaneously pulling Sora's hair; instinctually the brunet tilts his head to the side to accommodate the act and the silveret immediately attacks his exposed neck. As soon as Sora feels the slight pressure of his boyfriend's teeth in that oh so perfect spot (which is practically everywhere on Sora's sensitive body), the brunet cannot help but release a small moan. His grip in Riku's hair tightens.

Riku continues up, nipping at Sora's jaw line and up to his ear, licking the cusp and intentionally breathing just a little heavier for his brunet to hear. Sora gulps, knowing that he is already seduced just by these small ministrations. Obviously, he does not want to be the only one in this predicament. Retaliating he pulls on his lover's silver strands to guide his face back to his own, kissing him hotly. Riku's always been a sucker for kisses, and Sora is not one to let this weakness go by unnoticed. He licks and bites his lover's lips, earning him a small groan of appreciation. Sora can already feel that his wet kisses are turning Riku on, and really, who can blame him. Wanting to continue this, Sora breaks from Riku and kisses down from his chin, down his neck, and to his collar bone.

There he pauses, scraping his teeth across the silveret's collar bone. Riku shivers lightly, but alas Sora is not satisfied with that. He moves a devious hand down, unhesitant to grab his lover's half-hard length. The contact again earns him a shaky exhale.

"Ss…" Riku starts, but cuts off when Sora gives him a few firm smooth strokes, and the silveret immediately defaults to a small, anguished, "Mmph." Unable to resist the temptation to see his lover's face whilst shocked in pleasure, Sora, with a devious smile, looks up at Riku. The silveret has turned his face to the side, biting his lip with brows slightly furrowed as if trying to control himself, a few long locks of his hair falling over his shoulder and upper chest. The brunet silently adds another mental snapshot to his inner gallery of images dedicated to the silveret. All Sora can think is the simple desire to force those lips open, but not perhaps in the way most would expect.

He continues to stroke his boyfriend, though focuses his attention elsewhere; he kisses down Riku's chest, only pausing at the silveret's nipples. He licks and nips at them, finding it difficult not to smile as he watches Riku's turquoise eyes open in conflict: Sora knows that Riku likes the attention to his chest, but does not want to admit that he likes it to even himself in the first place. Ironically, Riku's conflicted face, in this context, still manages to be beautiful and sexy to the blue eyes below. Having had his little fun, Sora softly giggles at his mischief and continues his journey down, kneeling onto his knees. His little pecks down his abs make Riku twitch involuntarily, but the silveret hardly seems to notice. When Sora reaches Riku's hips, he makes a show of licking from the lower valley of Riku's hips upward; sure, the brunet rather be licking more southward, but the paradise lost is enticing in its own kinky way. His efforts are rewarded by a lusty groan from his silveret.

"Oh, god, Sora…" Riku's eyes are boring down toward him, a cloudy aqua in his anticipation and awe.

"Yes, baby?"

"You are so unfairly hot."

"I try."

Before Riku can reply, Sora relocates his mouth and lets his tongue sensually fall on the hilt of Riku's now fully hard length and glides it lavishly down to the tip. He gives it a childish peck.

"Ahn… shit," Riku breathes, letting his bored hands rest in Sora's wet hair. Satisfied with such a response, the brunet slides the head in between his eager lips, sparing no wetness to reach his cock. He invites Riku's length in as much as he can take before bobbing his head, tongue massaging the underside.

"Nn, Sora, uhnn…" Riku groans, melting under Sora's intensely skilled care. The hands that were resting on his brunet's hair clench the drenched locks, reflecting his body's complete engulfment in bliss. With each oscillation of Sora's head comes a wave of pleasure that seems to build a pool in the pit of Riku's stomach. He can barely even think past more. Riku nearly loses it when Sora begins massaging his balls with his free hand, the titillation making the entire situation almost overwhelming.

And yet it is his desire for more that compels him to stop his lover. Right before he loses all control, he manages to pull Sora from him. The brunet proves to be just as reluctant as Riku is to end his attentions to the silveret's dick, purposefully leaving a trail of saliva as his mouth makes its way back to the head. Sora releases the sensitive length with a wide lick on the head, the image itself sexy enough that it is tempting to let that small, hot mouth orally fuck him until he does in fact release. But Riku has other plans in mind.

Riku bends down, lightly guiding Sora to turn so that he sits against the back of the tub. Falling into habit, the silveret finds himself in between his lover's legs, arms on either side of his shoulders as he hovers above familiar and yet still stunning blue eyes. There is a momentary pause of which they merely stare at each other, breath just a little more labored and hearts beating faster. Though fleeting, it is the reminder that their actions are not thoughtless. This is love, that when they make love it is more than physical, more than desire: it is promise; promise that there is no adversity of which will separate them, aside from death. And even then, in the event of death, the adoration will not—would not— lessen. Truly, that fulfilled condition is the only way they would ever trust another person with their bodies and desires. Their silent trade of I-love-you's is equally passion and security; a gift doted on and held tight.

Riku dips down and kisses Sora sweetly, though quickly it transforms into one of passion when the brunet kisses back. Wanting to return some of the pleasure he had received, the silveret begins teasing the flushed brunet, not wasting any time to begin stroking Sora's erection.

"Mm— nyah… Riku," Sora vocalizes richly, becoming as clay in his lover's hands. Riku's lips travel to Sora's left ear, letting his breath ghost across it not unlike earlier. It still works, revealed by Sora's unsteady exhale. Riku chuckles in response. After teasingly biting his earlobe, the silveret trails love bites down his neck, adding to the little red marks already present. By the time he gets down to Sora's collarbone, the brunet is already fidgety.

"Riku…" Sora pleads, "Let's do it already."

In between nips traveling back up, Riku replies in amusement, "You know—I can't—just—do—it." And yet, despite Riku's words, as soon as his lips reach the top of Sora's neck, Riku quickly turns from Sora and pulls the shower curtain aside, grabbing quickly the bottle of lube that he had placed there earlier. Trying to keep the warmth (though the water is definitely cooler than it was before, much to his dismay) inside the shower, the silveret yanks the curtain back to touching the wall before turning back to his brunet, who looks shocked as if Riku had pulled a bunny out of a hat.

"You planned this?" Sora asks, pretending to be scandalized. Riku shifts to his previous position, smiling at the unintentional misunderstanding

"No, I just know us— and I really didn't want to have to get out of the shower to get it," Riku explains. He kisses his boyfriend, and then adds slyly, "Or maybe I just missed you."

"Pfft," Sora giggles, buying the line yet rejecting it simultaneously, "Whatever, you're still a pervert."

"Says the one who asked for it."

"Shh…. I was just seduced. It's not my fault."

"OoOoOh, okay, well in that case…" Riku smirks, playing along, "Then let me seduce you again."

Sora rolls his eyes as if to point out the silveret's ridiculous line but gives in to the kisses that follow his words, slipping his tongue to his boyfriend's into his mouth for a quick taste. Riku grunts at the intrusion but then retaliates, quickly gaining the upper hand, literally, when his grips wet brunet locks and tugs, breaking their lip-lock. Sora gasps, and so the silveret uses the moment of heated distraction to snatch the lube tube again, pulling away from Sora just long enough to pop up the cap and liberally coats his fingers in the clear, slippery substance. He uses his other hand to gently guide Sora's knees further apart to which Sora complies.

The brunet is still surprisingly hard after their silly conversation, but it proves to Riku's advantage. He strokes the erect cock a few times as he adjusts on his knees to make sure his own balance is secure. Sora shudders under the silveret's distracted care, aware of the direction these events are going and wholly enticed by the idea. The silveret leans down and licks Sora's tip, earning a full out moan. Then, without warning, Riku inserts the first finger into Sora; the brunet's moan takes a higher pitch momentarily out of surprise and the slight discomfort that always comes with this. Riku pumps the slick finger in and out, a sexual plea for his lover to relax. Once the brunet gathers his bearings, his attention back on Riku's mouth on his cock, Sora does relax.

"Uhn, Ri— ah!" Sora cries, toes curling from the silveret's generous licking and sucking. He allows himself to be so distracted that he barely notices the transition from one to two and two to three fingers. The rhythm becomes an additive to his arousal, teasing his desire for those fingers to be Riku's cock instead, for Riku to hit that spot that makes him scream—

And then of course, the fingers disappear right as they actually add to Sora's mental experience. Even the mouth leaves his throbbing cock. The brunet pouts, momentarily forgetting why they had to stop, but the expression slips off his face when his eyes meet Riku's smoldering eyes, full of want and neediness. Sora gives a rare smirk, still feeling the pleasure still settling in small waves from under his skin. He grabs the lube bottle from where the silveret had let it drop, pouring liberally into his palm. The silveret hisses when the slick, cool liquid hits his skin, ambivalently enjoying Sora's loving strokes but hating the cold. Luckily the lube warms swiftly and the mood recovers.

"Let me ride you," the brunet purrs, clambering sensually forward. Sora touches Riku's chest softly, pushing him back. The water still pouring from the shower head re-soaks Riku's hair; the water is still warm enough to be pleasant, so he tilts back his head to let it wet his forehead. The brunet uses the opportunity to clamber forward and straddle his lover, pulling him into a heated kiss. When Sora pulls away, Riku sends him a questioning stare to which the brunet smiles to in reply.

"I got it," he says reassuringly. Riku concedes, gazing lustfully as he watches Sora adjust himself to prepare for the pleasurable impalement.

Riku does decide to help him slightly by cupping his cheeks and spreading them. Instantly a shiver crawls up Sora's spine. After an appreciative "Mmm," Sora lowers himself down. Facilitated by the lube, inch by inch Riku is engulfed. The warmth and tightness causes Riku to rolls his eyes back and exhale carefully, embracing yet grappling with the pleasure to control it. Sora pants precariously as he is filled until he places his entire weight on Riku, once again sitting.

The silveret considerately gives Sora a few moments before moving, making small noises as the brunet wiggles on him, trying to alleviate the slight discomfort. Slowly the wiggles become more circular, rolling against Riku and his cock. Even the small movements make it difficult for Riku to think.

"Oh god, Sora…" Riku groans, leaning forward again. His hand cups the back of Sora's neck as leverage to bring their lips crashing together. The kiss is clumsy and hard, yet arousing; Sora reflects the kiss with his next move, letting himself fall on Riku with a little less control. The sharp impact affects both of them, a cry tumbling from both their abused lips. Sora's more comfortable enthusiasm reassures Riku that he can now move and he thrusts up in time with Sora's descent, reaching deeper into his lover.

"Uhn, Riku!"

Sora falls on him faster and faster, hardly lifting himself at all. Over time his breathy, quiet moans become mewls. Riku, ears eager to hear more, begins to pump Sora's hard length in time with the thrusts. Instantly the brunet's voice increases, a symphony to the silveret's ears. Riku meets his lover's rolling thrusts as much as he can, also trying to shift his hips ever so slightly differently each time in hopes of finding that perfect spot. If they were in the bedroom like they are normally are he probably would have found it by now, but the change of scenery and situation has made it a mystery.

It is obvious when the silveret hits it, though, because Sora gasps and moans brokenly, caught off guard. Instantly the brunet places a hand on the silveret's shoulder for support, bracing for continued mind blowing pleasure. Just the sight makes Riku want to swap their positions so that he can hit it over and over again, but it would be tedious to not only flip them but turn 180 degrees so they don't accidently choke on the water overhead. Well, that, and it is flat out sexy to watch Sora ride him, his hips rolling and skin glowing, his wanton gasps and moans. It's beautiful to see him this way and even more incredible to think that only his eyes have seen it.

Riku keeps his hips in that certain position and guides Sora to meet him so that the spot is exploited and abused. The brunet obviously does not complain, allowing the pleasure to spread through his body like the ripples of a pebble dropped into a lake. The brunet moans unabashedly, filling the room with sound, amplified by the acoustics of the bathroom. Despite his attention to Sora, the heat is building in Riku too as Sora's tight heat continues to work magic.

The kisses are endless. Riku's hand becomes more steady when Sora finds that glorious spot for himself so that Riku doesn't have to guide or thrust with him. The passionate build up just keeps rising; it's almost intolerably endless and yet it is only their bodies that beg for the climax. Yet as they reach their limit, they can hardly hold back the inevitable release.

"Mmn! Riku… ah— can't—"

"Uhn, me too baby—Come with me," Riku replies, gritting his teeth.

Riku's command is the catalyst for Sora; the permission actually makes him want to cum and by this point his body is most ready to oblige. With a definitive high pitched cry, Sora releases even as Riku continues to stroke him; his white essence squirts onto Riku's chest while his tight hole spasms involuntarily. The suddenly increased tightness and watching Sora cum sends the silveret over the edge with his lover. His whole body tenses as it is taken over by a flood of ecstasy. Riku pulls Sora into a euphoric kiss as he releases into his lover, both lost to the consummated love and sea of lust.

Riku, though mostly absent from reality, holds the two of them up even as the brunet collapses against his chest. Like a wave passing them in the ocean, the high winds down. They breathe heavily, the creeping exhaustion sending them nearly into slumber. What keeps them awake is Riku's instinctual and affectionate scratching of Sora's back; it would be an exaggeration to call it anything more than soft, but it serves the purpose of a comfortable fall from ecstasy.

"Mm," Sora hums, "so much for getting clean." He lightly traces the contours of Riku's chest.

Riku snorts with a smile, "The water bill is gonna be a bitch later." Sora shrugs.

"We have a lot saved up anyway; we really don't spend a lot." The silveret nods, resting his temple against the top of Sora's head.

****After a thoughtless, content moment of silence, Riku says, "I love you, Sor."

The silveret is forced to lift his head as Sora looks up at him, a huge, beaming smile on his face. "I love you, too, Riku." They share an innocent kiss.

Slowly, lazily, they detangle themselves. Riku chuckles at his and his lover's state. He grabs the discarded, still soapy, scrunchie from the rounded corner of the tub. He holds it out for Sora to take when both are standing. Blushingly, the brunet takes it.

"Think this time we'll actually get clean?" Riku asks in amusement. He turns toward the barely lukewarm water, letting it wash away the remnants of their love-making.

Sora laughs, wiping off a drop of cum from himself. "I kind of hope so, I'm supposed to tutor Roxas at six." They switch places, Riku moving to get the shampoo while Sora submerges himself in the water pouring from above.

The silveret shrugs. "I doubt he'll mind if you're a little late." A small snap of the cap of the shampoo bottle, and Riku is washing his long hair.

"You're right. He's the one usually late anyway," replies the brunet simply. He uses the scrunchie to clean his body as he waits for the hair products.

It's simple and clean— the way they live, the way they love. And yet both enjoy every moment of it, for the struggles of the day have purpose and there is always something— or rather someone— worth fighting for a few inches away from them in bed every night. Life was never meant to be easy for them, or any of their other friends, but they have the fight in them to face the challenge day after day.

"By the way," Riku casually says after a contented silence, "My dad invited us to visit him for the holidays. He offered to pay for our round-trip flight; we just need to tell him when we want to go."

Sora had never been so proud of him.

A/N: Well… excuse my French but holy shit, I can't believe that I did this. I finished Miracles. *faints*

It has been a CRAZY year and a half. Thank you, everyone, for sticking with me through all of it. I can't tell you how many times that I thought about Miracles in my darker moments, and decided to keep going just because I wanted to finish this story. I didn't want to disappoint anyone or disgrace the happy ending of this story with a terrible ending of my own. I hope that Miracles did not disappoint (though honestly, for the sex scene, I am SO rusty. If it sucks, I'm sorry I tried Dx).

As far as long-term, truly long stories goes, I think this was a good first go. If I were to go back and rewrite it, I honestly don't think a lot would change. The memories I put into this, the people and characters… They all mean a lot to me. I have changed a lot over the course of writing this, so I apologize if the beginning of the story really doesn't match the end. But I can't change it. This is what I've wanted for a long time. It was a fun ride.

So, to the most important part: Once again, thank you to everyone who has been reading. Thank you for all the feedback I've gotten! I can legitimately say that through this story I have made new friends, and I appreciate it just as much as Sora does :). That said, thank you to: SorRikuRox, Justice Tokidoki, SilverWingDragon, Digimatic, SkyFallXIII, SailorNeoAngel, MySweetOblivion, Nachos, SkylarLight, OlivJuice, PerpetualxLight, MaxInu23, all the Guest reviewers, DreamsComeFromTheHeart, AnimeFreak4261, nidoarisato, Soko-chan, Sable-Reiver, Amy, youknowily, ChocolateChocobo2017, CrazyHighLunatic, Kilala2Tail, AuTheSpirit, EeveeRoseRunner, Emmarose13, EternalDarkness96, GermanysLeftTesticle, LucifernSatan, MisfitMisaki, My Sweet Oblivion, PopularCloth, RikuxHeart, Ruby Warrior Girl 730, SasuIchi4ever, ShafiraHatake, ShaokiUzumi, Small-Cherry-Wolf-XIII, SoraAndRiku4Ever (I agree.), Strawberry cake with Yaoi, TeukieWookie, Yumi-Ulrich4ever, bookgirl111, buzzkill-bob, darkwaterwolf, kittinolegs, koolkid9875, loatheyou100, snowbunnyhd, xacexz, zyla1998, AlexaMoon, Naruta13, Neliayui, Skate95, SorceressKyrsty, StrifesLove, Tangletalon393, Tazael, The Balckened Abyss, , ZSAngel, animeluvv679, ayatori, beeabeeon49, dragonfire1237, kingdom of tsunderes (sounds sexy), mikepd, myfandomsandi, and pyrobookwyrm.

JFC. THANK YOU THIS IS A LOT OF NAMES. I cannot express my gratitude (ironic since yesterday was Thanksgiving… Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!)

Lastly, looking to the future: I do have more story ideas, but a lot of them are for Attack on Titan fanfiction. I don't know if I will return to Soriku anytime soon, though if anyone has any requests, feel free to contact me. And with KH3 coming out soon, I'll probably eat these words and get inspired again. One can hope! I'll probably take a break from writing now for a little bit, but I'll be back. Happy fan-ficcing to everyone, keep it alive! I love you all, so much!

Ugh I don't want to say goodbye. *deep breath*

Sincerely,

Hannahble