A/N: Thankyew, Serenitydenied, for betaing... And finding my many silly mistakes in this chapter (which, in fact, I am very fond of ).
BIG FAT WARNING: Cliffhangers ahoy. Seriously. I can see the people with the torches chasing me and locking me in a small, stuffy room, with a laptop that only has word on it. They even deleted mine-sweeper and solitaire, the fiends!
So yeah. Beware of cliffhangers XD. And have fun:D I'll try updating asap, promise.
Sora yawned and rubbed the back of his head. "Will you come to the beach tomorrow?" A small question was thrown into the air, making the artist cock his head in thought.
"Maybe.. I need to rest a bit. You're quite demanding." He snickered and crossed his arms, sending the brunette a teasing look. Sora rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Seriously, Riku. Are you coming?" The youth inquired, nose scrunching with dismay.
"Sure. Just call me and tell me when to come." Riku sighed, relaxing back and stretching. "I guess I'll be seeing you later then, hmm?" He yawned, offering the other male a soft smile.
Sora nodded in reply and placed his small bag beside the door, leaning forward and locking his arms behind Riku's back. He leaned his head against his wide chest and sighed, "It's gonna be boring without you..".
"Same I guess." Riku chuckled, ruffling the brunette's hair, smile lingering on his lips.
"Can I call you later this evening?" Sora looked up, fingers grasping the fabric of Riku's shirt. Riku nodded in reply, hand soothing Sora's bangs back.
"Good." The younger male concluded, his arms tightening around Riku. "I don't wanna go.. You're fun."
"It's okay. We still have summer ahead, remember?" Riku chuckled, leaning his cheek on top of Sora's head. His let his eyes close as he playfully poked a brown spine with his nose, chuckling with amusement.
"What's so funny?" Sora huffed, scrunching his nose and tugging Riku's shirt in a demanding manner.
"Nothing special.." Riku replied, a smile creeping on his face as he playfully nipped on said spike once.
"Hey! Don't eat it!" Sora growled playfully, shaking his head so Riku couldn't hold onto his spikes.
Riku chuckled and set his head back, smirking at Sora. "Tch, didn't your mom tell you to share?" He mock huffed, fingers shifting slightly over Sora's back.
The younger teen rolled his eyes and sighed. "Anyway.. Riku.. I really gotta go, or else my mom's gonna be mad." He pressed his lips together and offered Riku an apologetic expression "I'll see you tomorrow, right?".
"Yeah. Tomorrow." Riku agreed, giving Sora one last squeeze before smiling warmly and ruffling his hair. "Now go. Remember, take a left and then walk straight until you see the main street."
Sora saluted and quickly took off, leaving Riku to lean against the frame of the door and smile down at him as he left.
"…Heh. Cute." The elder snickered, shaking his head and shrugging once.
Sora frowned and chewed on his lip thoughtfully, his hand pressed to his forehead. "And that's it? You sure Kairi?"
"Positive." The girl chuckled from the other end of the line. "Love is when two people are drawn to each other, and feel so close and warm when they are together they just want to stay like that forever.. It isn't that hard."
"But I feel close to you too sometimes, but I don't think I'm in love with you…" Sora insisted, scowling at the thought.
"Okay.. Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough.. Love is when two people feel special to one another, and close and warm together.. And they're attracted to the other person.. Like, really drawn to them!" She nodded, chuckling at Sora.
"I see…" Sora frowned and shifted slightly, cocking his head up and licking his lips. "Hey Kairi, have you ever been in love?" He murmured, hand now resting over his stomach. His fingers fiddled with the hem of his shirt, meshing it absentmindedly as he shifted the phone from one ear to another.
"I don't know Sora. I don't think I did.." Kairi frowned thoughtfully and tapped her fingers over her knee. "Anyway, Sora, I gotta go help mom make dinner. Unlike you lazy bum, I actually have to do stuff around the house." She chuckled and stood up, stretching and straightening her knee-long pair of shorts. "I'll talk to you tomorrow? Oh, and don't forget, my birthday is in three days so make sure you're free on Saturday!" She chimed, sticking her index finger up in the air.
"I won't." Sora chuckled and rolled onto his stomach, jabbing his pillow with his free arm. "Now shoo before your mom tells my mom I'm keeping you on the phone again."
Kairi saluted to her reflection in the mirror, fixing her hair and shirt. "Talk to ya later." She grinned, rubbing her foot against the back of her knee and hanging up.
Sora pressed the disconnect button and sat up, ruffling his hair and staring at his desk. Mm.. Riku. It always came back to him, didn't it? And his last conversation with Kairi didn't help. This needed further investigation…
Sora needed to know if he was indeed falling in love.
Riku licked his finest, most delicate brush, dipped it in the droplet of dark purple color resting on his palette, and swirled his autograph in the lower left corner of the drawing, grinning at it. Yes, Sora's visit was most beneficial. He was back on track, full of inspiration and energy.
Three drawings rested in front of the young artist. Not one, but three.
Kairi, Sora, and a lovely bowl of sweet coconut soup. Yes, he was proud of himself for a work well done, so he scooped the phone up with his free hand and dialed Sora's number.
Pressing the phone to his ear, Riku licked his lips and slumped back against the couch. Slowly, he slid back into a laying position and taking a deep breath in, smiling as he recognized Sora's scent among the furniture's dry aroma.
A few rings after, an absentminded brunette answered his cell, leaving whatever he was concentrated at a moment earlier and humming a small 'hello'.
Riku smiled and tucked his arm below his head, using it as a makeshift pillow. "Hey."
Sora quickly shoved the small stock of colorful papers aside, grinning. He stood up and turned off the small light on his desk, moving to his bed. "Riku! Heh, hi.. What up?" He hummed, slumping back on his bed and resting his feet against the wall.
"Oh, nothing much.. I finished Kairi's portrait and thought you might want to take it lessay.. Tomorrow?" The artist hummed, licking his lips with content and grinning to himself.
Sora blinked once and quickly stood up, straightening his clothes and making it back to his desk. "Really? That's great!" He grinned, standing up on his toes and reaching for his piggy bank and shaking it once.
"Sora?" Riku blinked, sitting up and folding his knees to his chest. "Whatcha doing?"
"Emptying my piggy bank.." Sora hummed, placing the pale green pig on his desk and remocing the plug at the bottom of his stomach away.
Riku snickered and shook his head. "You're not serious, right?" He frowned, hand resting across his stomach and fingers drumming against his side. "I feel like robbing a child.."
"Nah, it's okay." Sora grinned, shaking the piglet and collecting the coins falling out before digging out the few bills resting inside. With a triumphant grin, he gathered the money and placed it in his wallet.
Riku sighed and rubbed his forehead, smiling warmly and taking a deep breath in. "So.. We meet tomorrow?" He murmured, shifting on the couch and curling his toes once. Meh, talking to Sora always made him feel so warm and nice…
Sora confirmed with a swift nod and a 'Yes', placing the walled on his nightstand and moving to curl ontop of his bed. "So.. How are you, aside of finishing your drawing?"
Riku sighed and hung his head sideways. "Bored.."
"And lonely?" Sora guessed, snickering.
"…You could say so, yeah." The artist pressed his lips together momentarily, smiling at Sora's guess.
"It's strange.. I tried to talk to Kairi and stuff, but I still feel lonely. Usually the feeling goes away when I talk to my friends, but I'm still restless even after talking to her for like.. An hour." Sora concluded, scrunching his nose with dismay.
Riku chuckled and slid into a laying position over the couch, folding his arm under his cheek and smiling. "Same here.. Only I was drawing instead." He murmured softly.
Sora kept quiet for a few moments before pressing his legs to his chest and licking his lips. "You know.. Your voice sounds really nice when you talk like that.." He murmured shyly, cheeks gaining a pale rosy hue.
"Really?" Riku smiled, pulling his shoulder and dragging a deep breath in. "Like this?" He snickered, voice remaining soft and warm.
"Yeah.." Sora sighed back, curling further and closing his eyes.
"I see.." Riku whispered, smile widening slightly. "Glad that you like it…"
Sora swallowed, blush deepening. "You know.. I really.. Really miss you.." He murmured, pulling his shoulders up and pressing his free hand against his pillow.
"Well.. How about you imagine I'm there then?" Riku hummed quietly, tracing incoherent shapes over the velvety fabric of his couch.
"Hugging me?" Sora whispered, toes curling as a small smile made it to his lips.
"And running my fingers over your back, drawing those tiny circles and swirls with them.." Riku sighed, cheeks warming up slightly.
"That.. Would feel nice.." Sora concluded with a sheepish smile. "I'd.. Hug you back then… And maybe run my fingers through your hair, because it's so nice and soft.."
"And gently squeezing your sides…" Riku hummed, feeling the nice pressure in his chest swelling and making breathing quite a task.
"Oh.. That would feel nice.." Sora purred and shifted on his bed, a wide grin on his face.
"Tickling your stomach a bit.." The silver haired teen sighed, pressing his palm against the cushion and licking his lips.
Sora sucked his stomach in and let a tiny gasp. "T.. That too.." He murmur shyly, nodding to himself as the blush registered over his cheeks.
"And over your chest.. To feel your beating heart.." The artist tensed, eyes squeezed shut and cheeks burning.
"My… Heart.." Sora repeated, blinking once and biting his lower lip. "I wanna feel your heart too, Riku.." He admitted, rolling on his other side so he was now facing the wall.
"It's okay you know… You don't have to be ashamed." Riku let a tiny smile on his face. "I'll tell you what.. We meet tomorrow, and go to that old shack near the beach. You know, the one near the cliff. I'll… Let you feel my heart there." He nodded, swallowing thickly.
"You will?" Sora whispered, cheeks flush and lips swollen with unacknowledged need and lust. "I'll be waiting for that." He sighed, letting his own hand absently slide under his shirt.
"Me too.." The artist lowered his head, a wide grin smeared over his face. "It would be great."
"Hey… Riku? What… What if.. I let you feel my heart as well? Will it be okay? I kinda… Like it when you touch me. It feels fluttery and warm…" Sora took a deep breath in, closing his eyes.
Riku pursed his lips again, nose pressing against the cushions. "I'll be waiting for that too…"
"So.. This is a good night?" Sora cleared his throat and squeezed the pillow between his fingers.
"Guess it is.." The artist nodded to himself. "I'll see you tomorrow at… Ten thirty?" He murmured, smiling and squeezing his eyes shut.
"Ten thirty's fine." Sora confirmed, toes curling and uncurling with anticipation.
"Good night then, Sora." The older teen sighed, relaxing back on the couch and leaning his head against the armset.
"Sweet dreams Riku.." The brunette offered back, voice soft and affectionate. "See you tomorrow…"
"Yeah, tomorrow." Riku nodded to himself.
Sora kept quiet for a few moments, just listening to Riku's breathing. It felt so calm and alluring.
"Sora… We gotta hang up…" The artist whispered, licking his lips sheepishly.
"Oh right." Sora blinked, instant blush spreading through his cheeks. "Sorry Riku, night."
"Night."
And with that, Sora pressed the disconnect button, quickly making his way under the blanket and kissing the back of his phone with a blush.
Riku.
It was about ten when the brunette arrived to their appointed meeting spot, only to find Riku sitting there on the floor with a small canvas on his knees and some oil pastels.
"Riku!" He exclaimed happily, coins rustling with a low metallic sound inside his large side pockets.
"Hey." The artist smiled back, gesturing Sora to come and sit beside him.
Sora slumped and crossed his legs on the floor, leaning against Riku's shoulder. "Whatcha drawing?" He grinned, curling his toes with excitement.
"A painting for some coffee house. They said they wanted a new design for the place, so I offered them my services." Riku hummed, smiling at Sora and kissing his head briefly.
The brunette smiled and shrugged once. "That's good then. The money with help you get into that college, right?"
Riku nodded and placed the drawing aside, cleaning his hands from the oily stains against a napkin and hugging Sora with a smile. "Anyway… What's your excuse for being early again, hm?"
Sora blushed and hunched his shoulders. "Just didn't want to be late.." He swallowed, pulling his knees to his chest.
Riku snickered. "You're half an hour early."
The younger teen growled and turned his look aside. "Fine. I wanted to see you because I figured you'd be drawing here anyway…"
The artist smiled and tightened his arms around Sora's back, leaning his cheek against his head. "Really?.. That's.. Good to hear." He hummed softly, rubbing Sora's back gently with slow, circular movements.
Sora sighed and curled up closer to Riku, resting himself against him and giving into the elder's touch.
"Like it?" Riku hummed, rubbing his nose against the top of Sora's head with a smile.
"Yeah." Sora nodded hastily, tightening his arms around Riku as a delicate blush made it to his cheeks.
Riku's smile widened. "Good." He concluded, shifting so he could pull closer to the teenage brunette.
"Hey… Riku?" Sora swallowed, blush darkening. "How do you know you're in love?" He whispered, voice soft and hesitant.
Riku frowned thoughtfully. "Well.. Love is when you're willing to give the world's most beautiful sights… Just to make them smile with realization." He answered quietly, feeling his chest swelling inside him.
Sora's eyes clamped shut as he pressed impossibly closer to the artist.
The older teen took a deep breath in and accepted the embrace, hands sliding back and forth over Sora's back.
Sora's eyes opened to a tiny crack. Was that it? Was he really falling, or maybe have already fallen for the kind stranger he met a few days ago? But… Riku was so different; He made Sora want to do things for him, and only have a happy smile in return. To make him happy each and every time.
"Riku…" Sora half moaned half whispered. "Can I hear your heart again?" He swallowed, toes curling with anticipation.
"Mmhm." The older teen replied, hands now resting on his sides instead of Sora's back.
"Aren't you gonna take that off?" Sora swallowed, fingers shifting slightly as he pointed over Riku's shirt.
"Nope. Wanna help me?" Riku chuckled, kissing the top of Sora's head. "You wanna do it?"
Sora swallowed and nodded, shyly placing his hands over the zipper of the navy blue sleeveless shirt.
"Is it okay?" He gulped, meshing the cotton fabric between his fingers.
"Yeah… I trust you." Riku reassured, placing his hand on Sora's nape and scratching once, making the younger teen gasp softly and hunch his shoulders.
The older teen chuckled and slowly leaned back, allowing Sora to easily unzip his shirt and slide it off his shoulders.
"I never noticed this before but… Why is your skin so pale, Riku?" Sora blinked once, soothing his hand up and down Riku's bare arms and chest, starting from his palm until he reached his collarbone.
"I usually draw when it isn't too sunny, so my skin doesn't get burnt." Riku hummed, relaxing under Sora's soft touch and leaning into it.
"Really? Why not?" The brunette whispered, hands sneaking to Riku's shoulders in order to give them a nice rub.
"I don't know… I was always searching for something exotic, something that will take your breath away when you look at it… Daylight is just too plain." He paused. Gods, trying to express himself in words was just too hard with Sora's hands all over his back, making him feel so damn good. "And… The feeling of intimacy… And warmth… Just isn't there…" He sighed, frowning with thought.
"Really?" Sora whispered, mind registering only a third of Riku's words.
"Yeah and… The colors… Are too… Plain.." Riku swallowed, shifting a bit closer to Sora so their foreheads touched. "Too dull…" He swallowed, lips parting slightly.
Sora let his eyes shut as he slowly closed the tiny distance between their lips, hands shakily moving to rest around Riku's neck. Why did he kiss him? Hell… He didn't even know. It just felt right and proper at the moment.
Riku groaned softly and warpped his arms around Sora's waist, fingers gently toying with the light fabric of his shirt. His lips shifted gently, milking a gasp from his younger companion.
Sora gently squeezed Riku's silvery strands between his fingers, needing something to help him contain himself. He mewed quietly and pressed closer, now hugging the elder's shoulders, his cheeks ablaze. His mind was slowly registering what exactly he was doing.
Was this how first kisses were supposed to feel? This bundle of warm and pleasant feelings, making him feel so light and close it was…
Riku gently took Sora's lip between his, sucking on it almost shyly and hunching his shoulders. It was true, this wasn't Riku's first kiss, at all. But it most certainly felt like one. The rapid heartbeat, the excitement, the slight nervousness, heat spreading all over your body. Fluttery feeling and intimacy… It was all there, it was…
Perfect.
The artist gently let his fingers trace oval patterns over Sora's back, smiling softly each time Sora tensed in his arms, proving that Riku hit a sensitive spot.
Sora shivered and pressed closer, chest glued to Riku's. Perhaps if he tried hard enough, Riku could feel the youth's heartbeat against his own.
Riku gently slipped his lips away from Sora's, panting softly as their bodies remained close. "I… Wow.." Riku tried whispering, licking his lips quietly.
Sora smiled back, planting a soft kiss against Riku's lips and curling closer, hands tightly woven behind his back.
Riku smiled and kissed the top of Sora's head, sighing peacefully.
The brunette shifted slightly and lowered himself so his ear was now resting over Riku's chest. He smiled at the rapid heartbeat, now a familiar one, and purred with contentment.
"Heh… Yeah, I'm excited too, I guess." Riku murmured sheepishly, inhaling the delicate scent of Sora's hair. "Been a while since I felt so close to someone." He frowned, gently squeezing Sora's shoulders.
"On second thought, I think I haven't felt so close to anyone at all." He reasoned, frowning with thought. "I don't know… You're special." He chuckled, kissing the top of Sora's head with a quiet sigh.
Sora mewed weakly in return, curling inside Riku's secure and welcoming arms.
"Mm? What is it?" Riku hummed softly, hands gently massaging Sora's shoulders.
The brunette swallowed and closed his eyes.
It took him a few moments before he managed to look back up, face flushed with a delicate shade of red.
"H.. Hey… Riku?" He whispered, voice a mixture between fear, and excitement. Yet he sounded happy…
"Yeah?" Riku replied gently, offering Sora a small, warm smile.
"I think I'm in Love with you…"
Some more A/Ns: Wooh. I was so scared I wouldn't be able to revolve their transformation from friends to well... More than that. No, they're not lovers yet, not in this chapter, but most probably on the next one :D
From next chapter on their bond is just gonna deepen, so stay tuned, and review please! It's always good to have a second opinion over things... So yeah. Plus, it motivates writers like woah:3
One more thing- I'm starting a new story soon (SoraxRiku as well with possible side pairings), lighter and more comic than this one. Hopefully, it will be equal to EFTS, if not better. And thank you for reading again!