SNAKE'S POV
(THE SAME DAY KRIS WAS MATURING)

    I hummed softly when I began to wake up, turning over and wrapping my arms more tightly around Ryu's slim waist. He sighed and the tip of his nose ran down the line of my jaw, poking and prodding at the sensitive flesh behind the bone. I smiled and tangled my legs through his, feeling the warm length of his calves smooth against mine. 
    "Morning." Ryu grumbled quietly into my collarbones, his lips tickling my skin as he pulled me closer to him with hands on my shoulders. I let him press his chest to mine, inhaling a deep breath of his scent mixed with mine and sighing happily. 
    "You want to go somewhere with me?" I asked quietly, his hair tickling my chin. Ryu fidgeted, tossing one leg over my waist and pulling himself so I was lying on my back and he was on top of me, his elbows hooked under my arms. Ryu hummed a little, raising his head to peer at me with half-closed eyes. 
    "Nurgh?" Ryu asked, tilting his head to the side with a sleepy pout on his full lips. 
    "We could grab breakfast, and then maybe hit that water park we visited a few months ago?" I asked, feeling an answering throb from my hand. Keeping the burn in water would help it heal faster, and this way Ryu and I could spend the day together. 
    "M'kay." Ryu smiled, leaning forward to kiss me softly. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer to me, but Ryu rolled away with a teasing smile. The material of his shirt slid through my fingers and I let him go, smiling at him as he stood and stretched.     
    Ryu had a habit of kicking off his sweatpants while he slept and he was only in his boxers now, yawning. He was wearing one of my grey shirts and the collar of it pooled softly in the crook of his neck when he stretched his arms over his head. Ryu gave a rough shake to his head, sending his hair sticking up in wayward waves and falling into his eyes. I chuckled and got out of bed, brushing his hair out of his face with careful fingers.
    I bent to dig through the sheets tangled at the bottom of the bed and pulled out his sweatpants, handing them to him and stretching out my shoulders while he tugged them back on. 
    "What do you want for breakfast?" I asked, lacing our hands together and tugging him to the kitchenette. Ryu shrugged, hoisting himself onto the countertop and sending his shirt slipping off one creamy shoulder. I reached out and snagged it, pulling it back in place and feeling his warm skin under my fingertips. 
    "What do you have?" Ryu asked, hugging one knee to his chest and letting his other foot swing in lazy circles underneath him. 
    "Hmmm..." I frowned as I reached above him, narrowly avoiding hitting him in the head with the cabinet door, and dug through my cabinets. 
    "Snake. There's nothing there." Ryu said dryly, one eyebrow raised. I scoffed, crossing my arms. 
    "Yes, there is! There's that dusty can of god-knows-what at the very back!" I said defensively, gesturing to the grime-covered can. 
    "That was there when you moved in!" Ryu rolled his eyes, pushing off the countertop to catch at my hand and carefully uncurl my fingers. 
    "It doesn't really hurt—ow!" I shrieked, glaring at him when he pressed on the red burn. 
    "It's not looking good. Look how crusty it is...it's bleeding too." Ryu said, prodding with morbid curiosity at the gash in the middle of the burn. 
    "Would you stop poking it?!" I exclaimed, yanking my hand back and turning on the kitchen sink's faucet. The cool water helped a little, but I still dug through my drawers with my good hand. 
    "Here." Ryu said, holding up the bottle of ibuprofen I had been looking for. He carefully unscrewed the lid, shook two pills into his hand, and then handed me a glass of water.    
    "Thanks." I smiled, gulping down the pills and water before shutting off the sink and dabbing my hand dry on my sweatpants. 
    Ryu clattered his way through my designated 'random ' drawer and finally pulled out gauze and tape, making a thick pad out of the gauze and taping it carefully to my hand. He smoothed out the makeshift bandage with gentle fingertips, kissing my palm and giving me a soft smile afterwards. 
    "Let's get changed and then pick up some breakfast on the way to the park." Ryu suggested, hooking one finger in the hem of my pants and pulling me back to the bedroom. 
    "Do you have a bathing suit here?" I asked, digging through my own drawers. Ryu had pretty much a full wardrobe at my apartment, but I didn't recall him buying another swim suit after he grew out of the last one. 
    "I don't think so..." Ryu mumbled, walking up next to me. He leaned against me, his wrist brushing mine as he patted down the clothes I had just messed up. 
    "You can just borrow one of mine and tie the strings tight." I offered, holding out a pair of blue patterned trunks. Ryu shrugged and accepted them, changing quickly and cinching the strings so tight I was afraid he was going to cut off the circulation to his legs. 
    I changed into a black pair of trunks and tugged on a t-shirt, running my hands through my hair until it stuck up straight. Ryu was busy loading towels and sunscreen into a small backpack, zipping it shut and slinging it onto his back.  
    "You want me to carry that?" I asked, ping the backpack to slide my wallet inside along with a light sweatshirt. 
    "You know I like backpacks." Ryu reminded me, hooking his thumbs under the straps and smiling at me. I nodded, ruffling his hair and chuckling at the pouty death glare he directed my way. 
    "Come on, let's get going." I shuffled into a pair of old sneakers and pulled Ryu after me, locking the door to the apartment while he leaned against me sleepily, his face buried in my back. 
    I turned, one arm sliding habitually around his waist and pulling him flush to my side. His flip flops smacked against the cement steps and I shivered a little, looking up at the overcast sky. 
    "Maybe this wasn't the best day for a water park." I said uncertainly. Ryu pulled me along, tiny rain drops sprinkling over my shoulders and cooling my bare neck. 
    "It'll be fun!" Ryu grinned, tugging me down the street a little ways to a food vender selling breakfast burritos. 
    I ordered the food and Ryu filled a cup of coffee for me and one of hot chocolate for himself. It was cozy huddled together under the awning of a nearby bookstore, pressed against each other for warmth while we gulped down our breakfasts.  
    "Do you want to go in here real fast?" I asked, noticing Ryu looking longingly at the bookstore door. He waved me away, shaking his head, but I smiled and grabbed his hand. 
    "Come on," I chuckled, tossing our rubbish into the bin outside the store and pulling him through the doors. It was warm inside the store and I smiled at the bored looking teenager at the cash register, looking past him. 
    There was a small coffee shop in the corner of the bookstore, and I wandered over for another cup of coffee. Ryu was long gone in the shelves and I smiled, sitting down with my paper cup at one of the tables provided. 
    After I had finished my coffee I set off in search of Ryu, finding him balancing on his tiptoes, trying to reach a book on the top shelf. There was already a stack of books on the floor next to him and I smiled, stepping forward to help him. 
    I found myself being brushed aside by a tall teenager with a black leather jacket and an eyebrow piercing that he pulled off unfairly well. He leaned close to Ryu and plucked the book off the shelf with fingers weighted down by rings, flashing a brilliant smile at Ryu and offering the book. 
    "This series is the best. Have you read it before?" He asked, one side of his mouth quirking higher than the other. , even his voice was attractive, low and silky. 
    "Nope." Ryu said brightly, apparently oblivious to the boy's flirting. He turned the book over, reading the back, and the boy looked at his stack and laughed. 
    "Are all those yours?" He smiled, stooping to rifle through some of the titles. 
    "Yeah, I read a lot." Ryu said, a