Dedication: Kuraii Koneko
As always, me and Kaimxyu did some plotting based off of the theme 'clouds'. That girl is wonderful, I swear it on my life. We're the riku x sora masters … er, something like that. Anyhow, this is a birthday oneshot for my darling Kuraii. Happy Birthday and whatnot! So yeah, leave a review, people.
Overcast
"Hey Riku, what do you think clouds are made of?" a somnolent brunette asked.
The brunette's sapphire hues were glued to the sky above, inspecting the puffs of white that went by. Locks of chocolate-brown hair swayed carelessly in the docile breeze that covered the island. The brunette boy's lips were curved up into a good-natured smile. Sora, the brunette, wore a black jacket over a barely visible red shirt. It was comfortable, and that's all that mattered to the teenager.
"Water vapor," nonchalantly replied the teenager beside Sora.
This teen possessed aquamarine eyes (the colors of the sea blended together where green was the dominant). Said sea-green hues were also fixated on the mobile white bursts. Silver strands of hair, that rivaled the elegance of the clouds above, swayed freely in the air.
"Really? Tidus told me clouds were made out of cotton candy," Sora explained.
Riku's eyes instinctively widened. What a preposterous idea! "He said that?" obvious skepticism /drenched/ in the silver-haired male's voice.
"Yes sir," Sora clarified with a wide smile. "If they were made of water zapper it'd always be raining!"
"Water /vapor/," Riku corrected. "And water collects in the atmosphere."
"But it's /cotton candy/," Sora argued stubbornly.
The brunette teenager shifted positions so that he was sitting on his knees. Blue eyes narrowed the slightest at the older teen. Sora then promptly poked his friend in the chest, as if to insist that he was right and Riku was wrong.
Poor Sora, Riku was /never/ wrong.
"It's /evaporated water/," Riku retorted with a grunt, as if to show his discomfort at his friend's new position.
"I bet you if I could reach up and grab a cloud it'd be cotton candy. Cloud and cotton candy both start with a c, so there!" Sora declared triumphantly.
Riku's brows drooped. "How long have you been sitting on that one?"
Sora flushed a dark red. Sora looked quite flabbergasted and a tinge embarrassed. "Do you have to be so rude?"
A pout ensued.
"I can be a lot of things, Sora," Riku said with a faint hint of mock seduction. Silver eyebrows arched shortly afterwards. "Trust me, Sora. Clouds aren't composed of cotton candy."
"Are you /sure/? Have you ever tried eating one?" Sora teased.
By now the spiky-haired brunette was practically in his friend's lap. Sora's upper torso leaned towards Sora (whilst he balanced on his knees). Benevolent blue eyes watched Riku intently with a blush brushed onto his cheeks. Carefully, as if to make sure he did not fall, Sora placed both his hands on either side of Riku's torso, pressing firmly into the grass beneath them.
"No, I haven't," Riku answered, extending his own hand to press it up against Sora's chest. The gesture was to tell Sora to give him some space, but Sora was never good with body language.
"So they /could/ be cotton candy," Sora whispered with a grin tugging onto his lips. The boy leaned his head closer, suppressing a laugh. "You know I'm right/Ri-ku/."
"You're wrong," Riku said, engrossed by their close proximity. Aquamarine eyes stared at sapphire hues that were within inches away. If Sora moved any closer their breaths would intermingle and Riku would surely be lost to his desires. If only he could just touch perfection, if only he could touch Sora…
"Do I have something on my face?" asked Sora, scrunching his nose up in confusion. The brunette did not move from his position.
No. But you'll have my face on yours if you don't watch yourself, Riku thought brightly before scowling at his immature friend. "No," he stated simply, not realizing that his hand was still on Sora's chest. As if he had been burned, he withdrew it and continued glowering at the younger.
"You're no fun," Sora drawled and finally pulled away.
And Sora's version of pulling away involved collapsing onto the ground beside Riku. The brunette's back hit the ground as giggles elicited from his lips.
"You're weird," Riku grumbled, looking away.
"I'm still right," Sora whispered under his breath, mischief in his eyes.
"Sora," Riku emphasized his friend's name. "When we got to the mainland this week for vacation, I'll personally drag you to the top of a mountain and show you that it's /water vapor/."
"We'll be surrounded by clouds!" Sora declared, the grin turning into a beautiful smile.
"That's the idea…" Riku trailed off, eying his friend with an underlying uncertainty.
"Then we can have a snack! I wonder what flavors the cotton candy comes in… I bet the dark clouds are the blueberry and the white ones are like raspberry!" Sora rambled, locking his hands together. He then proceeded to put them behind his head as he lay on the grass.
Riku sighed. "Sora… it's water vapor."
"Cotton candy," Sora argued cutely.
"Let's just get off this subject for now," Riku mumbled and shifted.
The silver-haired male laid down beside his brunette best-friend. Sea-green eyes glanced to the left, taking awhile to stare at the teen next to him. The smallest of smiles materialized on Riku's lips as he laid there, quite content. After a moment of peaceful silence, Sora turned his head to the right to stare at the other teenager (Sora being eighteen and Riku being nineteen). "Hey, Riku?"
"Hm?" asked the silver-haired male, cracking open an eye he wasn't aware he had closed.
"We're still going snowboarding, right?" Sora wondered, blinking a few times.
"Of course," said Riku pointedly.
"Kairi and Selphie told me that they're going to ski instead," Sora explained.
"Then they'll be on a different slope than us," Riku hummed quietly. His silver bangs flew in his face as he lay there, fingers digging through the blades beneath him. "That gonna bother you?"
"Nah," Sora answered, closing his eyes. "We'll be sharing a room, right?"
"Unless you and Kairi plan to shack up," Riku explained teasingly, eyebrows arching as he stared at the other.
"N-no," Sora stammered, his face heating up. Warmth and color quickly spread across tanned cheeks at a rapid rate. "You know that she's like a sister to me," Sora groaned in continuation, making sure to keep his gaze from meeting Riku's.
"That's what everyone says about their crush," Riku retorted with a frown. And for all Sora knew, it was to further nag the brunette, but in reality it was actually true sadness. And jealously.
"I'm sharing a room with you and that's final!" Sora declared, crossing his arms to his chest as he laid there.
"What if in the middle of the night you get a bad dream?… Am I expecting to be receiving a sleeping partner in my bed?" Riku asked, tentatively arching a brow.
"No," Sora mumbled, blushing again. "I'm not a little kid, Riku."
"Adults have nightmares," Riku argued, sticking his tongue out at Sora.
Once again, Riku was right.
"…Shut up," Sora sighed in defeat.
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"Is this really it?"
"Yes, Sora. That's it," Riku said indefatigably for the fifth time within five minutes. Aquamarine eyes stared at the brunette who had his face pressed up against the glass of the cab. Kairi and Selphie were, supposedly, a few cars ahead of them. Who knows, by now they could already be at the snowy resort and be skiing.
"It's like … huge!" Sora declared bluntly, fingers resting against the cold window-glass. "And we're gonna ride down it?" Sora turned his head so he could look back at Riku who was in the seat beside him, not looking amused at all.
"Yes, Sora," Riku breathed in slight annoyance. "We're going to go up on the lift and then ride down on our boards. I've gone over this a thousand times," Riku murmured.
"Won't we like … die?" Sora asked, pausing midway for dramatic effect.
This only earned a glare from his older friend.
"No, we won't die. As long as you don't act stupid and cocky, we'll be fine. All you have to do is get on the board and go slow at first and get adjusted to it. That's all," Riku explained, sea-green eyes fixed on the mountains and slopes behind the resort.
"What if I fall face-first into the snow?" Sora asked worriedly. By now the brunette had returned to sitting properly in his seat as they neared the entrance.
"Then your face will be cold," Riku replied nonchalantly, rolling his eyes.
"I won't be able to get up," Sora groaned, covering his eyes with his hands.
"…You keep thinking that, Sora." Riku looked out the window, sighing in defeat. There was no way to convince Sora of anything. Sora was just too stubborn and dense to understand anything. Oh well, Riku liked him that way. It made things interesting.
"..I'm still gonna prove you wrong, Riku," Sora whispered stubbornly under his breath as he began to rummage through his bags. Looking for what? Riku wasn't really sure.
He didn't bother asking either.
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"You should bring Sora on the bunny-slopes first. You know, to get used snowboarding and all," Kairi advised Riku.
The four of them were in the lobby, attired in jackets, boots, and whatnot. Sora wore a particularly furry winter jacket where the cuffs and collar were exploding with an abundance of fur. The color accented Sora's sapphire eyes - it looked quite nice on him. Riku stood close to his shorter friend, eyes never once removing themselves from the boy's form. Riku's trance was only broken when he heard Kairi's suggestion and then noticed the large pout forming on Sora's face.
"Those are near the bottom, though!" Sora said, pointing out the obvious.
"They're safer and easier," Selphie explained, holding her skiing equipment tightly.
"But then I can't prove Riku wrong!" Sora pointed out. A frown appeared on Sora's face soon after. Sapphire eyes drooped down before they diverted themselves over to Riku. "Riku! Tell me you aren't seriously gonna bring me to the bunny slopes."
An old idea struck. "Of course not, Sora."
Selphie and Kairi gave Riku a skeptical look. "He's gonna get himself hurt, Riku."
"He's with me, he'll be fine," Riku grunted stubbornly, placing his free hand on Sora's shoulder. The hand that wasn't on Sora's shoulder held his black snowboard protectively. "Just go have fun skiing," Riku said to the pair of girls, sending them a slightly possessive look.
Kairi noticed this, laughed apprehensively, and grabbed Selphie by the wrist with her free hand. "I…have to call Hayner before we go to the slopes. We'll be seeing you guys." Kairi nodded off to Riku and Sora and then promptly dragged her best friend towards the pay-phones.
"Oh…" Sora said quietly, watching Kairi and Selphie disappear into the crowd.
"Don't feel bad," Riku said encouragingly, his fingers stroking the shoulder beneath his grasp subconsciously. "Hayner and Kairi have been flirting for ages."
"I'm not jealous," Sora groaned, narrowing his eyes at Riku. "I don't like her," Sora went on to say, shrugging off Riku's hand. The loss of contact was temporary because Sora then promptly grabbed Riku's hand (not his wrist, which was a surprise to the silver-haired male) and dragged him outside towards the lifts.
Riku, all the while, blushed deeply.
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"We're…really high up, Riku…"
Sora scooted closer to Riku, though he coughed in an attempt to make his movement seem less obvious. He hoped his cough would distract Riku … but it worked to no avail. Sora frowned when he felt Riku smugly wrap his arm around his brunette friend's shoulders.
"You scared?" Riku asked teasingly.
Blue hues glanced wearily to the right and then to the left. They were really high up. Almost near the top of the mountain. Was Riku really going to bring him to the highest part accessible? Sora felt his stomach twisting and churning as he spotted the lodge on the ground. It now seemed like a dot decreasing in size by the moment.
"N-no," Sora lied in a stammer, screwing his eyes shut.
"You're afraid of heights?" Riku questioned, arching a brow as the cold breeze swept past them.
"No. But we're up really high. Human-beings aren't meant to be this high up on a stupid cart-thing," Sora groaned, shakily looking at Riku. "We…aren't going to fall, right Riku?"
"Of course we won't," Riku replied with a helpful smile. A brilliant and handsome smile, to be exact, as arms fell away.
"Thanks," Sora sighed in relief, closing the distance between them.
Now they sat there, side-by-side, thigh by thigh. Riku glanced off to his left, staring at the horizon in the distance that was visible beyond the peaks of the mountains. It took his mind off his and Sora's close contact - even if it was only just for a moment. Sora shifted uncomfortably, lacing his hands together in his lap. Blue eyes wandered around the lift, fixating themselves on their snowboards that were resting in the vacant seat across from them. Riku's black (as earlier mentioned) and Sora's dark blue.
"You're gonna see that it's water vapor," Riku hummed, breaking the awkward moment of silence.
"Cotton candy," Sora retorted, determination flashing in his eyes. "And it's gonna be so tasty."
"You're going to be disappointed when you see you're wrong," Riku murmured, crossing his arms as they neared the top.
Ever since he and Sora had become friends (which was well over ten years ago), Riku had discovered that Sora had an issue with let-downs. If anything let Sora down, whether it be a friend or just life in general, he got awfully sad. More than most people. But he bounced back quickly - thankfully. A depressed Sora was quite the sight … and a rare one at that. Only Riku really ever saw Sora when he was truly sad, simply because they were best friends forever.
"I'm right," Sora concluded, rolling his eyes. "Tidus and I both know they're cotton candy. We've gone over this, Riku. Don't be redundant."
Riku arched a brow inquisitively. "Whatever, Sora."
"Riku!" Sora whined after a pause. "You're my best friend. You're supposed to agree with me!"
"Uh… not when I know I'm right and you're wrong," Riku answered intelligently, reaching over to tap Sora on the nose. He was utterly surprised when Sora blushed. Riku chose to not mention that.
"Ugh," Sora grunted. Blue eyes stared at Riku for a long while before closing. "It's really cold up here. Definitely not like the islands…"
"You cold?" was the compulsive answer Riku gave.
"Duh," Sora replied, eyes still shut as he hugged his arms closely to his body, trying to maintain his body heat. "Why couldn't it be warmer?"
"Because the snow would melt, smartie," Riku replied brightly.
Sora stuck his tongue out at his friend. The muscle retreated back into its cavern when he felt Riku wrap his strong arm around his waist, pulling Sora's upper torso closer to his own. "Body heat," Riku explained.
"…That's what they say in all those cliché romance novels my mom reads," Sora murmured, eyes slipping shut once again.
"You read your mom's books?" Riku asked with a teasing grin.
"Er…No!" Sora recovered quickly, nuzzling into Riku's warmth. He could even smell Riku. Riku always smelled so nice and clean and fresh… and downright alluring.
"Right," Riku hummed with a smirk, not pushing Sora away, but instead embracing the moment and savoring it. He did not know when he would be able to hold Sora like this. The boy he loved as a friend and regretfully more. The boy he'd do anything for.
For once, he was actually thankful for the frigid weather on this part of the mainland.
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"Okay, Sora… be careful," Riku advised, watching as Sora bounded to the beginning of the slope. Riku was a bit frightful that the brunette would tumble or trip over his snowboard - but no, Sora was somewhat graceful. Surprisingly.
Sora grinned. "I'll be fine, Riku."
"This is your first time," Riku tried to reason with the brunette, making hand gestures in the air to tell Sora to slow down and just stop and listen. Of course, Sora was having none of this. Sora had been waiting for this trip for months and he wanted to snowboard now.
"I'll be fine!" Sora reassured Riku, locking his feet on the board before he managed to get into position. And then he started sliding downwards… down the slope…
"He's actually doing it…" Riku said with amazement.
And that was when Sora's arms began flailing. Seconds later Sora had fallen off the board, onto his behind, feet up in the air with the board connected. Riku frowned and made his way down to Sora. Ten feet … how great.
"I told you so," Riku spoke nonchalantly, crouching over beside Sora with a smirk.
"Shut up and help me up," Sora mumbled embarrassedly, fingers digging into the cold snow.
"What's the magic word?" Riku inquired.
"…Er… Love?"
"What?" Riku's face went pale.
"Isn't the magic word … love? I mean, love is magical so…" Sora trailed off, realizing that he was wrong by the look of Riku's face.
That was a close one. "It's please, Sora."
"Oh! That one!" Sora blushed darkly and gladly took Riku's hand that was now by his side. The taller teenager helped Sora to his feet with ease. "Thanks…" Sora whispered, brushing off the snow and unlocking his feet from his board.
"Sora," Riku said quietly, raising his hand in the air. His board remained dejectedly on the ground ten feet higher up the hill. Their original starting place.
"Hm?" Sora asked, eyes watching Riku's hand with fascination.
"The clouds," Riku stated, fingers curling around the air. "They're all around us. Well… the low-level ones, at least. I'm glad that there are some around here so I can prove my point."
"Cotton candy!" Sora beamed as he charged back up the slope and began jumping at the air, trying to grab the levitating misty-like substance. Figuring that doing such wouldn't work, Sora opened his mouth and began bouncing about.
"…It's water vapor," Riku muttered, walking up to his energetic friend. "See?"
"… It's just air flavored cotton candy," Sora answered with a frown, licking his lips. A frown appeared when he found no taste or sticky substance.
That suggestive action made Riku wince a bit and look away. "Told you."
"I swear it was cotton candy, Riku! Maybe these aren't the right clouds, you know? Maybe they're-" Sora began, waving his hands frantically in the air as if to usher the 'cotton-candy' clouds towards him. The frown grew over time.
"Sora… I…I've been meaning to…" Riku began in a quiet ramble, hoping that perhaps what he was going to say would cheer the other up… or devastate him. Besides, he had been planning this confession for over a year now. And where else better than on vacation on a mountain?
"It's gotta be cotton candy…I mean, Tidus wouldn't lie to me-" Sora continued in a ramble, small tears prickling at the corner of his eyes. He pushed them away and continued grabbing at the air, wishing that something would collect in his hands.
"Sora…" Riku's eyes suddenly narrowed when he realized Sora wasn't even listening. The brunette was too absorbed with trying to prove Riku wrong. A tinge of anger spread through the silver-haired male as he grabbed both of Sora's wrists.
"Huh?" Sora looked to Riku with a mix of confusion and sadness.
"I'm trying to tell you something and you're too busy trying to make me look like an idiot to listen," Riku seethed, narrowing his eyes further at this best friend.
"…S-sorry?" Sora stammered nervously. "What'd… you wanna say?"
"I love you!"
Perhaps he had said it a bit too loud, because when he shut his eyes painfully, afraid to see the gleam of rejection that would surely present itself in Sora's eyes, he heard the phrase echo off the mountains. Never scream your proclamation of love. Especially when you're in a high elevation. Riku further cringed when he heard no response, just uneasy breathing from Sora. So… all that teasing and crushing and wanting had gone to waste?…
"E-excuseme?" Sora slurred in a squeak, cheeks turning a dark red.
Riku's eyes remained shut as he glanced off to the right. The echoes slowly died down.
"Y-you, l-love me?" Sora repeated, stammering still.
"Don't make me repeat it," Riku breathed darkly, not being able to open his eyes.
"Heh… I'm … honored?" Sora said, which sounded more like a question than a statement.
Riku cringed. "Now would be the time you called me a flaming homosexual or throw snow in my face. Or even punch me."
Sora frowned. "Riku," Sora whispered uncertainly, taking a step closer. "I dunno if I love you… but I like you."
Riku's eyes snapped open as he stared at the brunette. "Like as in?…"
"Heh…" Sora blushed and stared at the ground before he leaned up on his tip-toes and pressed a chaste kiss to the surprised lips of his best friend. "That kind of like," Sora murmured against their lips, cheeks radiating a warmth that rivaled fire.
Riku smiled against the delicate kiss. But they both were growing older and a simple kiss was nice … but sometimes that wasn't enough. Especially when you're harboring a love so strong for someone that you're willing to declare your adoration on the top of a mountain.
"Wanna.. Head back…?" Sora asked in a mumble, lips nipping playfully at his friend's, though his cheeks were stained a dark red.
"Yeah," was the only logical answer Riku could supply at this moment.
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Refined lips met smaller ones in a heated embrace. Nips and bites were given as needy arms began removing bothersome clothing, dying for some skin-to-skin, long-awaited contact. Aquamarine and beautifully blue eyes were shut tightly, relishing in the pleasure the other was giving. Kissing only was enough for the first five minute until it became apparent that they needed more. And more was exactly what they got.
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After a round of hot chocolate, heart-felt confessions and compromises, and … a not-so innocent trip to the bedroom… Riku laid beside Sora, an arm wrapped tightly around his now-boyfriend's waist.
"I'm really sleepy…" Sora mumbled, nuzzling his face against Riku's broad chest. The brunette rolled onto his side, openly accepting the warmth that Riku always emitted.
"You feeling okay?" Riku wondered, playing with a few strands of Sora's hair. "I'm sorry if I did anything wrong or if I forced you or-" Riku began in a out-of-character ramble. Sora cut him off by reaching up sleepily and placing a tender kiss to Riku's lips.
"Shh… you." Sora smiled against the kiss and pulled away, exhaling deeply.
"So, you're okay with this, right?" Riku asked worriedly.
"You ask me that after we have sex…smart, Riku," Sora giggled the words and rested his head against the nape of the taller's neck.
"Well…" Riku trailed off as a thought occurred. "Hey," he whispered softly into the quiet air. "Tell me, what are clouds made of?"
Sora blinked in utter confusion. The brunette pulled away slightly and stared into aquamarine eyes. "Why… are you asking me that now?"
"Just answer," Riku groaned, pulling Sora closer so he could rest his forehead against the younger's.
"…water vapor," Sora mumbled distantly and then paused. Mock horror flashed in his eyes before he overdramatically stated, "Oh my god, Riku! I'm sleeping with my teacher!"
"What?" Riku arched an eyebrow.
Sora laughed weakly, still worn out. "You taught me… about clouds and stuff.. All right… it was a lame joke, shut up."
Riku chortled. "Only you," Riku mumbled, running his hand through Sora's hair. "You might not be able to snowboard tomorrow. You know that, right?"
"Neh… I only came along because I was gonna be in the same room for a whole week with you," Sora muttered with a yawn, nuzzling against Riku. "I hate snowboarding," Sora concluded as his eyes slipped shut, his breathing slowly evening out.
"Goodnight," Riku whispered with a chuckle, placing a tender kiss to his boyfriend's uplifted cheek.
"G'night, Riku," Sora answered in a whisper and fell into the realm of dreams.
Sora Kayaki learned three things that day. One, Riku loved him. Two, Riku was always right. Three, clouds were not cotton-candy at all.
Kairi and Selphie learned that allowing Riku and Sora to share a room was not the best idea after all.
And Riku Karada learned two things. One, that Sora liked him back, and two; Sora was surprisingly amazing in bed.
review please