Promise
Theme #2 - The Feel of Silk
"Seimei?"
Ritsuka's voice was a muted whisper in the dark of their room. Against his back, Seimei felt the stirring of soft child-limbs. "Mm?"
"You're going to be a grown-up soon, right?"
He considered that. Ritsuka probably thought that as soon as a person was old enough to live on his own, that was what made him an adult. "Yes. In a few years."
"That soon?" Disappointment hummed in Ritsuka's sleepy voice. The warm body next to Seimei's snuggled closer. "I don't want you to, Seimei!"
"Why not?"
"I like petting your ears."
Seimei smothered laughter in his pillow. "My ears?" he asked when the humor of Ritsuka's innocent statement had passed. "They aren't going anywhere, Ritsuka. And neither am I."
"But, won't you lose your ears when you're grown up?"
"Probably not. At least, not that soon."
Seimei was surprised when two fingers rubbed along the edge of one velvety, soft ear, Ritsuka's warm, moist breath puffing on the back of his neck. He had to fight down the thoughts that came to his mind, instinctual desires the touch awakened that he had to resist giving in to. Seimei prided himself on nothing if not his strong will, but his little brother tested it every day. "They're so soft," Ritsuka sighed, petting a little more boldly, toward the base of the ear where it vanished into Seimei's thick black curls. "Like touching silk. I wish you'd keep them forever."
A smile parted Seimei's lips in the dark. "That would be really hard, Ritsuka. How about this instead? We'll lose both of ours at the same time. Would that make you happy?"
"Yes," Ritsuka enthused, having no idea what he had just agreed to.