Sometimes, Being Your Friend Hurts -- Traverse Town 2nd District [Open/COMPLETE]

[noster_nostri]

Traverse Town had changed a lot since he was fourteen. It had lost much of its innocence. The whole world seems to be geared towards fighting the war and defending the people who appeared everyday. It was supposed to only be a way-station, a place for people to learn about the different worlds and then travel to them, but more and more of the

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[crimson_apathy]

What Sora thought may’ve been too much, Lea felt like it wasn’t enough. And it was always like that with him. Wants and needs were limitless, and while he absorbed all of it like some kind of shameless glutton, his belly always had the space to eat up a little more. He drank up all of the brunet’s words, maneuvering himself so that his feet were flat on the ground, elbows resting on his knees while his head was propped up in his palms. Those cat-like green eyes stared up intently at Sora’s body language, giving the other the impression that Lea had given him his undivided attention.

Even when he was through with his speech and looked for the redhead’s consent, Lea could only continue to look onwards, feeling as if words weren’t really enough explain his reaction for what Sora said. It was a bunch of simple opinions, but they were strung together into a long chain that wrapped around and bound him entirely.

But quietly, the Nobody slowly arched back up, spine popping noisily like a steady drumming beat, echoing all along the wall as if there was something final about it. He stopped only when he was sitting completely straight, finding it a little painful but nonetheless endured it and pushed those unwanted thoughts in the back of his mind. At that position, Lea was now a good inch or two taller than Sora.

It reminded him when the Keyblade Master had been several inches shorter, and he practically towered over him when they first encountered each other. But the years have come and gone, and he was a fool if he didn’t see what Time had morphed the brunet into.

“…” His hands moved simultaneously into the air, fingers curling besides the fore, bringing them high enough for Sora to see without strain. The gloved tips touched, the Nobody sitting there frozen for a moment almost like he was concentrating on something.

And then, quite suddenly, the tips parted to reveal a line of flame, following wherever the digits went. Lea’s hands were lagged, and they curved and created a curl into the air. The hazed darkness that usually surrounded Traverse Town shuddered away at the illuminating glow of the flame.

He was careful in drawing out the symbol, the tips of those forefingers enlarging the curling flame, and only ceased any further growth when Lea’s hands met again, clasping together after a moment and set to lay on his lap in a relaxed position.

Two symmetrical humps that met together at the bottom: He had drawn a flaming Heart in the air.

It floated there listlessly for a few seconds, before the redhead blew it towards Sora’s direction.

It immediately parted before connecting with any portion of the brunet, the broken pieces floating passed his shoulders before disappearing all together.

“Warmth is always a wonderful thing to have in Love. Whether it be superficial or not.” Lea chuckled.

“I think… I’m content with your explanation.”

For now at least.

[noster_nostri]

Sora was dazzled by Lea's show of magical aptitude. He was used to spells and talents, and he had even seen it used artistically before. That didn't mean that he wasn't delighted each time someone did something like that. It was like watching a firework show every year but never letting them get old.

When the heat of the fire heart brushed him and shuddered slightly and hugged his arms. He hadn't realized how cold it was in Traverse Town until just then, and that realization reminded him of the gripping cold that had almost paralyzed him.

"Only content?" he asked, smiling and rubbing his bare arms to cause friction. "Anyway I can make you satisfied?"

[crimson_apathy]

Yet unlike spells, who looked nothing but superficial in his mind, Lea's own element was naturally in tuned with his entire body; fused practically as one being that surged into his veins. The flames that he conjured up at will were just as intimate as if Lea had sliced himself all over and used his very own warming blood to fight with.

Fire was also another element what defined who he was in the desolate land of Nobodies, and even more properly clothed than Sora for the chilly weather he couldn't help but shiver involuntarily when the cold nipped all over his thin frame. His hand finally reached into the air, thumb and forefinger creating a notion like it was letting something drip from their edge; the very action causing a lone flame to calmly flicker into existence.

This was repeated several times, the redhead absent-mindedly dotting the air around them with warmth that lit up the area they were in more brightly. And he only paused when Sora imposed his own question, causing him to stop and calmly sit back, almost in thought.

"..."

And then, without warming, Lea leaned over to him, passed the brunet's plausible boundary of personal space. His wiry fame inched closer, and what seemed like one thing had shattered into something completely different when his head inched right over Sora's left shoulder, his spiky tresses rubbing up against the brunet's cheek.

He reached an arm out and began lining the area behind Sora with floating flames, unconsciously moving forward and letting their shoulders touch when he tried to reach every spot.

"Nothing that I can think of." He murmured in response, face near Sora's ear so he didn't find the need to speak up so loudly.

Already, the flames grew to warm up the air all around them.

[noster_nostri]

The increasing heat around them made Sora a little more comfortable. He never complained about the weather, but he was a boy who had grown up on a tropical island and therefore he was a little fonder of being warm. He didn't have to be warm all the time, and he traveled in space a lot (space was cold, despite all the environment controls in the gummi ship), but he still loved it when his body was comfortable. He sometimes missed the days when he could sleep on warm sands under a hot sun.

Lea came forward and at first Sora was too stunned to do anything but stare. He sat there and felt a little relieved (without knowing why) when Lea only started to warm up the air behind him. However... the warm breath on his ear... It was a very strange sensation. The skin seemed to tickle, but it was more than that, it was almost as if Lea's breath was reaching something inside of Sora that hadn't been touched before.

The sensation spread much further than just his ear though, it went all over his body. He gasped, taking in a shaky breath, and shuddered despite the fact that Lea had made him much, much, much warmer.

[crimson_apathy]

At first Lea wasn't paying attention to Sora's body language as he went about his business, his fingers opening as if commanding the small balls of heat to grow and practically fuse with one another. But from the corner of a green eye he watched the latter's body shudder when he gasped, earning the Nobody's eyebrow to rise in curiosity.

But he didn't pull back from the brunet, very much comfortable from his spot overlooking the latter's shoulder.

"Is there something wrong, Sora?" His head tilted away from Sora's shoulder, giving his breath more access to invade the teenager's side, murmuring his innocent question without deducing once that it was these actions that were coaxing that specific reaction.

And why would it seem odd? Sora looked like the type of person who didn't seem bothered by personal space.

[noster_nostri]

Sora made a very small sound that was almost a moan and tried to move his head so that his ear was away from Lea's mouth, but this only made him press into the cloaked man. This surprised him only because he hadn't been paying enough attention to figure out on his own it was going to happen. So he pulled back again, back into the position that had caused this whole mess.

It didn't bother him that Lea was so close, he was a tactile person after all, it just made his whole body feel... something.

"Uh..." Sora began, feeling embarrassed, yet again. "My ears," he had to clear his throat. "Are kind of sensitive. So having you close to them kind of makes me feel weird."

[crimson_apathy]

"Oh?" He emphasized the sound heavily, causing a rush of warm air with probably around ten times the force of how he was conversing before to spread all over the side of Sora's face and neck. Yet right afterwards, the redhead finally pulled back, lightly brushing away a flame that was, quite literally, nestled in his spiked tresses.

"I'm sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable. I honestly didn't know you were sensitive..." Lea confessed, tilting his head and gave a small smile.

[noster_nostri]

Sora gasped again and when Lea pulled away he touched his ear and rubbed carefully, getting rid of the tingling wake of sensation. He coughed and shifted uncomfortably (perhaps the only sign he was going to give about how this was really affecting him).

He shook his head and grinned. "It's okay! I, uh, didn't realize how sensitive they were until just now too. To be honest no one has ever just breathed on my ear like that before." Sure he had been told secrets and stuff in that near childish way, but it have never been anything close to that.

Sora decided it was much better to change the subject. "So how did you learn to do all this stuff with fire? How long did it take? I can cast fire spells, but nothing like this!" His own magic skills seemed clumsy in comparison.

[crimson_apathy]

Lea caught the leftovers of Sora's reaction with a careful eye, his hand cupping itself over his mouth for only a second to hide the growing chuckle and save the poor brunet any further embarrassment. It was sort of funny with how careful he was trying to make himself appear.

If this was Riku? He would've gladly not given a damn.

The redhead respected Sora's change of subject, nodding a little when he wavered towards something else. And he found it surprising when he mentioned about his abilities with fire. Honestly, Lea thought nothing of it, but listening the Keyblade Master be so curious about it, it was hard to hide the small grin on his lips.

"I don't think there was ever any time where I really had to learn how to do it. For as long as I can remember I've had a great affinity for it. Everything that I do with fire is practically second nature." His hand had absent-mindedly reached up to capture a flickering flame nearby. He let it roll all over his fingers, expertly letting it dance over the gloved surface before Lea suddenly turned his head away from Sora and blew forcefully at it.

Immediately it dispersed into several identical pieces, freezing in mid air after barely a few feet and grew until they were the same size as the others.

"You can probably compare it to summoning the Keyblade."

[noster_nostri]

Sora nodded at that. Summoning the Keyblade had become a second nature to him. When he had first gotten the Keyblade he had been very confused by it, but now fighting with it, summoning it, casting magic with it, and locking Keyholes was just as natural to him as breathing.

"Donald once told me that some people just have so much element in them that it comes out as magical ability." The mage had explained different schools of magic to him a long time ago while, and Sora had remembered at least half of them. "Maybe you are one of those? You have so much fire that you can actually control it and use it." He looked around at the flames around them. "I wish I could do this though. It must be nice to create your own heater whenever you need it!" He sounded more than just a little impressed.

[crimson_apathy]

It was a logical conclusion, yes, but Lea often found his element as something else. He had to wonder if he had gained it out of something as seemingly innocent as what Sora said, or gotten it from some kind of treachery he committed before he lost what he valued and strived for the most.

Either way, it was gushing through his vessels like the fire in itself was the source for him even being alive in the first place.

He did laugh, however, at Sora's own conclusion, relaxing back and waved a few more flames that blocked off any portion of the Keyblade Master in his vision.

"You become more sensitive to the other elements that coincide or conflict against your own. Sometimes I can feel frozen while just strolling in the night."

[noster_nostri]

Sora frowned slightly. "That's got to be tough. Sometimes I just feel too cold because no place is as warm as home." He thought about the Islands and the way that even the nights seemed so warm and comfortable. It was like being wrapped up in a blanket.

He sort of felt that way now, with Lea's flames surrounding him. It made him feel warm inside as well.

He grinned embarrassingly. "I guess that sounds kind of funny, doesn't it? I've been to deserts and other tropical places but none of them feel the same way that home does."