AN: Almost two years ago now, I read Hidamari Ga Kikoeru. I loved it so much but I wanted more. I was so inspired to expand upon the themes and the story. At the time, only a small handful were reading my wattpad stories really, so I thought, what the heck, and started writing what I felt like.

I never expected the explosion of reads and the following that Loud and Clear got and I am so happy that you all have read this far and stuck with the story until now. I am so incredibly happy and I can't believe that we are now here in the last chapter... :'( I don't want it to end...

I suppose that's why, I've started a small spin off featuring Blake as the MC of his own story. I am just playing with that one, but I hope that you give it a chance as well and thank you guys again.

If you'd like to read Blake and Alex's story, it's called Steam and the first chapter is up :)

Love you!

~Sienna

~

William watched Lucas.

He always watched him, for one, because he was beautiful, but also because he couldn't believe his eyes. Even after a week.

Lucas was really here, really smiling at him, like he always did, really taking his hand whenever he felt like it, really kissing him until he was breathless.

It was weird. He had been gone for a few months, yes, but the amount that Lucas had changed seemed like too much for such a short time.

The confidence in him was different. There was a sureness about him, a deep sense of security and strength that William hadn't consciously realized was even missing before.

Now, Lucas was aware of everything.

He looked William straight in the eye when he leaned in to kiss him, like he knew exactly the effect he had on him and honestly, it made William's heart race every time.

William wanted to ask about it, he wanted to know what brought about such a drastic development, but didn't even know where to start.

Lucas glanced over, finally catching the scrutinizing gaze that William was giving his profile.

He smiled, a slow, knowing smile, that made William's heart skip. He wanted to look away but couldn't as Lucas leaned slowly toward him, not breaking the gaze until their lips touched--and if felt like time slowed down, like Lucas dragged the last second on so long that William was aching for it by the time it finally happened.

He nearly moaned from the press of those soft, warm lips against his own and swallowed down the noise before he made a complete fool of himself.

Still, an awkward breathy laugh left him when they parted and he couldn't meet Lucas' gaze again, his cheeks felt so hot he knew they were blazing red.

"Riiiiight," his mom said loudly from the arm chair. "That is my que to go to bed."

She got up, walked over to the couch and gave William and Lucas each a quick peck on the top of the head.

"Goodnight," Lucas said innocently.

The second she was around the corner, he pounced on William, jumping on him with a wicked grin and pressing their lips together before William was even flat on his back.

William huffed a laugh, but Lucas' tongue cut it off and he quickly could think of nothing else. His hands slid up, feeling the skin of Lucas' waist, lingering there long enough to get warm before they rode up higher, weaving into his boyfriend's soft hair.

Every now and then, all week, a pang of surprise and disbelief filled William. It made his chest ache and his stomach feel empty. It was like part of him still thought this wasn't going to work.

All of the old arguments were still there. All of his doubts and fears, save the most important one; Lucas was happier with him than he was without him.

Sure, he may be ruining the other boy's life by latching to him... but at least it was what Lucas wanted too. Maybe, if he was lucky, Lucas would always cling back, just as hard.

Suddenly, Lucas pulled back, just far enough to look William in the eye and attempt to read him in the light of the television and whatever the hell they had been watching.

William swallowed, realizing at once, he'd been caught.

"What are you thinking?" Lucas asked suspiciously.

William shook his head.

"Nothing," he said, trying to reach Lucas' lips with his own.

Lucas leaned just out of reach, his eyes narrowing further.

"You know you stop moving when you start thinking too hard, right?"

William cringed.

"Yes, you've mentioned that."

"So?"

"It's nothing," William insisted. Yet another change in Lucas was that he didn't seem to ever let things go where William was concerned.

William liked being honest, that was the only way he'd won Lucas in the first place, but before, everything had always been on his own terms... and he'd handled it all terribly, so maybe doing it Lucas' way now was the better option, after all.

"I just started thinking about everything that happened between us and--now we're here," he finally said. "It just all seems too good to be true, don't you think?"

Lucas' gaze was impenetrable, but his words gave it all away.

"Are you going to run away again?" he asked.

"No," William said, seriously.

"Good," Lucas said, heavily. "Because that would be really stupid if you did."

William's fingers tightened in Lucas' hair.

"I don't want to lose you," he said. "I never wanted that."

There was a lot they hadn't spoken about yet, a lot that William wondered if they would ever say. That day in front of his house was the main one that plagued him. He remembered Lucas' face so vividly; the hurt and betrayal in his eyes, the way he pleaded with him, but most of all, the way he'd kissed him.

For months that kiss was burned onto William's lips. He'd felt it there every time there was stillness, every night before bed, every day in the shower, between classes, in school, in his room. It was a desperate goodbye and William hadn't ever wanted it to end.

And now it confused him even more, because they were together and all of that pain he'd felt and all of those tears he'd caused were for nothing, because now they were together and he wasn't willing to say goodbye ever again.

Lucas brushed a hand softly through William's hair. It was comforting, like he knew everything William was thinking.

Maybe he did.

When he finally kissed William again, it was a relief.

Between them, they were still working everything out but with their bodies, no words were needed.

William felt like with one kiss, Lucas was saying I understand and me too and you're not alone and William did his best to pour out his own feelings. He hoped that every touch meant I love you and I'm sorry and stay with me to Lucas, but he was too afraid to ask. So he just wrapped his arms around Lucas, pulled him in tightly and just kept kissing him until he couldn't breathe, let alone think straight.

When Lucas pulled back the second time, William moved with him, following his swollen lips hungrily. He managed to get in another kiss before Lucas pried them apart.

"William," he gasped. "Stop, stop."

It took a few seconds for William to follow that something was happening.

"What? Why?" he asked. "My mom went to bed."

"I don't want to wake her up," Lucas said.

William chuckled.

"We wont. You don't mind my bedroom, what difference does it make?"

"Well, we're in the open for one--"

"Okay. You wanna go to my room?" William asked, confused. He was pretty sure that Lucas had jumped on him first, so he didn't quite follow what the issue was. And now was probably not a good time to point out that his bedroom was actually closer to his mother's room.

"I don't want to go to your room."

William blinked.

He could feel how hard Lucas was, his erection was pressed into William's abdomen, occasionally dragging against his own when they moved. Lucas was giving him a look though, as though he was suggesting something sexy while shutting William down.

"We can be quiet," William reassured.

"I don't want to be quiet," Lucas said.

When William continued to stare at him, he sighed.

"Let's go to my place," he said.

William frowned.

Lucas wanted to walk or bus halfway across town right now?

"But we always do it here," William said, still lost.

Lucas groaned and dropped his face into the crook of William's neck.

"William," he said, painfully. "I don't want to do what we always do."

"Oh... Oh!"

"Did you just figure it out?" Lucas asked, lifting his head, shyly. "Or are you going to make me say it?"

"Are you sure?" William asked.

His heart was suddenly racing and he realized that he was probably the one in need of asking that question. After all, at least Lucas had had sex before. William had never done more than what he and Lucas did together and even though it had never come up in conversation before, he'd just assumed that Lucas knew that this was already further than he'd ever gone.

"I'm sure," Lucas said, softly. His hand, again, did that comforting thing against William's temple. "If it's what you want, too."

Of course William wanted to. He thought about it loads of times before, but always as a fantasy, never as an immediate reality.

The thought was surprisingly scary, but, with Lucas by his side, there was no better time to face his fears. He was knocking each of them off the list, one by one.

"It is what I want," he said.

The bus ride was tense.

William was pretty sure he wasn't breathing. The anticipation was killing him and he knew Lucas felt the same because he was gripping William's hand so tightly, it kind of hurt.

They went into his building in silence, only through the door did William break the silence.

"Where is the coffee table?"

"I decided it was a safety hazard," Lucas said. "I got rid of it before you came back."

William laughed, remembering more than one occasion that the table had gotten in their way. Warmth filled him, washing away every nervous flutter.

Suddenly sure, he pulled Lucas close.

Lucas was smiling but considering that he'd suggested this, he still seemed nervous, his whole body tense.

"I love you," William said.

Lucas smiled and pressed his face into William's neck with a sigh, his whole body sagging.

"I love you too," he said.

His hands slid around William's back, and just like that, it was like there hadn't even been a pause.

They made it to the bedroom, which was good because William would have kicked up a fuss if they traveled all this way for the couch.

His fingers were trembling when they stopped long enough to get undressed and then, so badly he could barely get the condom on, and then, even more so when he held Lucas' hips in his hands and slid into him.

William didn't last long and Lucas didn't come, but he didn't seem to mind, because William slid down and sucked him until his mouth was full.

They both fell onto the bed, breathing hard and though the impulse to pass out was taking over him, William suddenly had a million things he wanted to say and ask.

"Did it hurt?" he asked.

Lucas shrugged and then nodded sheepishly.

"It stung," he admitted. "But that's probably normal, right?"

William shrugged, guilt filling him.

"Maybe we should have gone slower."

Lucas smiled at him, warmly, his eye lids starting to droop.

"We can try that next time."

William watched Lucas' eyes close, silently promising that next time Lucas would love every moment of it.

He'd thought it would feel close enough to what they already did, but it didn't. With Lucas spread out beneath him, the look in his eyes and the fact that he trusted him enough for this...It was more like a shared experience and even though it was a physical act, somehow, it felt like doing this together reached somewhere deep inside of him, like it was the final proof he needed that they were going to do this together from now on. In fact, all week William had been thinking it; that being with Lucas completed him.

He'd brightened up William's life from the start, he'd helped him out of his shell, he'd stuck with him and fought for him even when William tried with all his might to push him away. He'd always been there. Just like the sun, William thought. Sometimes, you couldn't see it behind the clouds, waiting patiently to warm you.

What that made William, by default, was too cheesy to say out loud. He knew though. If Lucas was his sunshine, he should have known from the start, that only with him, would he learn to bloom.

William reached out and took Lucas' hand, and even though he was pretty sure that his boyfriend was already asleep, he said quietly, "Lucas, did I ever tell you that you're like the sun to me?"

Lucas' eyes fluttered open.

He fixed his hazel gaze on William and William would have blushed if not for the fact that Lucas squeezed his hand gently.

"William," he said seriously. "You're the same to me."

END