Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to the characters. Depressing, much?
This is a companion piece to 'Signs that you're in love with your best friend' although you don't have to read that to understand this one-shot. At least...I don't think that you do. Er...yeah.
Enjoy, guys!
Assumptions.
Sora stared at the sight of a very drunk Roxas in front of him and began to rethink his earlier decisions.
The point in getting Roxas drunk was so that he would forget about his problems, but Sora was starting to think that maybe he should have listened to all those stupid documentaries that his teachers in high school had made them watch all those years ago. Those documentaries that tried to prove that alcohol was never the answer to our problems and that we should all try to find a constructive hobby instead.
But how was he supposed to know that Roxas turned into a huge, emotional wreck when he was so intoxicated?
"And I'm so fucking tired of being his dirty little secret, you know?" Roxas said, slamming his drink onto the table with more force than was necessary and causing the liquid in his glass to spill over the sides so that some of it landed on his hand, "I mean, I love Axel, I really do, but I don't want to do this whole 'affair' thing anymore."
Sora had had a few more drinks than he was used to as well, so even though he felt as though his thoughts were completely clear he knew that if the spinning floor beneath his feet was any indication, he would probably not remember any of this the following morning.
"Yeah but..." Sora frowned, trying to remember what he was going to say and running a hand though his spiky and unruly brown mop of hair, "you... you agreed to the affair as well. Takes two to waltz and stuff. So it's kinda your fault too."
"Tango."
"What?"
"The saying is 'it takes two to tango'." Roxas replied, scowling at his drink and not looking at Sora.
"Whatever, you totally understood what I was trying to say so don't be a smartarse about it."
Roxas sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking very sober for someone who probably had more alcohol than blood in their system.
"I loved him. Still do, actually. And it's sick... but that love made me selfish, I guess. I wanted Axel, and if the only way that I could have him was if I had to have an affair with him then, hey. Affair it was. But not anymore. I keep trying to tell myself that I did the right thing by ending everything."
There was a lapse in the conversation as Roxas stopped talking and Sora realised that his blonde counterpart probably expected him to say something in response to his speech.
"Axel's an ass." Sora replied, nodding his head and then rethinking the sudden movement when the whole room became a blur.
A wide grin broke out on Drunk Roxas's face.
"Yeah! Axel is an ass!" Roxas brought his drink to his lips again before placing the glass onto the wooden table once more. Sora watched as a ring of condensation formed on the dark brown surface from the glass that contained Roxas's drink. He wasn't even sure what they were drinking anymore.
Roxas continued to speak.
"I love these heart to heart conversations that we have, Sora."
"Hmm, me too." Sora replied, blinking his eyes slowly as the lights in the bar that were in suddenly became too bright. "Okay, I think that we need to get some coffee into our bodies."
Roxas looked at him with wide eyes before dropping his gaze to the drink that he clutched desperately. "But why!? I like this bar, and all the alcohol, and the fuzzy feeling in my head!"
Sora giggled. "You said 'fuzzy'. Okay, but really now. We need to stop drinking." He stood up, regretting the action almost immediately when the floor refused to stay still and his head felt like it was pumped full of helium. He grabbed onto the edge of the table.
"Woah."
Roxas frowned, grabbing his wallet and keys off of the table as he tried to stand up as well. "You okay there?"
Sora nodded slowly, trying his best to put his jacket on while keeping a hold on the table. "Yeah, let's go find that coffee."
XxXx
Roxas and Sora were walking home, sipping at their third and fourth cups of coffee respectively. The cold night air was being turned into white clouds of carbon dioxide as they breathed out, and they were trying their best to try to appear more sober than they felt.
Sora took another tentative sip of his black coffee and almost dropped his cup when the scalding hot liquid touched the tip of his tongue. He looked over to where Roxas was walking and the alcohol that was still residing in his blood decided to cause his brain-to-mouth filter to malfunction.
"What made you think that you were gay?"
There was a silence then, in which Roxas stared at Sora with widened eyes and Sora stared at Roxas in shock. Roxas opened and closed his mouth a few times and Sora was ready to apologise and tell him to forget about it when the blonde finally started to speak.
"It... Er, it wasn't really something that I thought about, really. I just kinda... knew." Roxas said, staring into the depths of his cup as he spoke. They had both stopped walking at this point and Sora could just see, with the lighting from the streetlight that was situated above them, the pink that coloured Roxas cheeks as he spoke, "It just was... there. I guess I always kinda knew it but I didn't really acknowledge it until Axel kissed me. And when he did, it really didn't freak me out, which I guess I was straight it would have. But it didn't feel wrong or uncomfortable, it felt normal. And then all the feelings that I had for Axel made sense."
"Oh." Sora replied, staring at the ground with a strange expression on his features as he tried to process what Roxas had just told him.
Roxas rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly, smiling at his friend. "This probably isn't making as much sense as I want it to."
Sora continued to stare at the ground with the same curious expression and didn't reply.
"Sora?"
Sora finally looked up. "I think that I like Riku. As in... More than friends. Which should weird me out since Riku's a guy but it really doesn't?" Sora laughed, his cerulean eyes crinkling up at the edges as a wide smile appeared on his face, "I guess that means that I'm gay."
Roxas looked at Sora in confusion. "But... you're dating Kairi."
It was Sora's turn to look at Roxas in confusion.
"I'm not dating Kairi." He said.
"You guys broke up?"
"No... We were never dating. WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK THAT WE ARE?" Sora cried and almost spilled scalding hot coffee all over himself. The two friends began walking again slowly as Roxas snickered quietly at Sora and Sora pouted at the situation.
"Hey, you really can't blame me for thinking that you two are dating. You sure as hell act like a couple."
"Well, we aren't."
The two walked in comfortable silence, and Sora tilted his head up to look at the stars that littered the sky. Twilight Town might be a small place where practically nothing happened, but if a person appreciated the little things, like the sight of a sky filled with stars on a night such as this one, then it was a perfect place to live.
"So..." Roxas started, taking a final, long sip of his coffee before throwing it into the bin that they were walking past "Have you told Riku?"
Sora swallowed, and even through the alcohol influenced haze that he was experiencing, he felt the tiny tendrils of fear begin to creep themselves into his heart and clench at his lungs.
"No, not yet."
XxXx
Sora was seated on the floor of his bedroom, tossing his phone gently from one hand to the other as he mulled over all the events of the previous night.
He had just gotten off the phone with Demyx, Axel's roommate and close friend, and he had been made to promise that he would keep Roxas in the apartment for the duration of the day as Axel was going to come over to patch things up with him. Sora was happy that Axel was finally going to do something about the situation that he had placed himself in with Roxas, but he was also worried about how Roxas might react if all the ranting that he had done the night before was anything to go by.
Roxas had way more to drink than Sora had, so everything that was an alcohol scented haze to Roxas in his memory banks was almost complete clarity to Sora. Especially the whole 'liking Riku' deal.
Realizing that he liked Riku was the easy part; actually doing something about it was not something that Sora wanted to deal with. Riku was his best friend, the person that was always there when he needed a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on when life got shitty and unbearable.
But after that talk with Roxas, Sora realised that the way that he felt for Riku probably passed the borderline of 'just friends' years ago. And liking Riku as more than a friend didn't scare Sora, really it didn't, in fact... even the prospect of a relationship didn't scare Sora. No, what really scared Sora and made him practically want to piss himself was getting to the relationship stage. Or not getting there. Simply put, Sora was scared of the 'R' word.
Rejection.
Also, how does one even announce to their best friend that they're in love with them?
Do you make them a card? 'Hey, this is kinda crazy but... when I got really drunk with my roommate last night I kinda sorta realized that I really, really like you, bro.'
Sora sighed as he unlocked his phone and typed in the number that he knew so well. He might not know what to do, but he knew that it started with Kairi.
XxXx
"I don't understand why I'm under house arrest." Roxas said as he finished his third cup of coffee that morning and then proceeded to close every curtain in the apartment, "Since when has a hangover been a reason for house arrest anyway, mother?"
"I don't have to explain myself to you." Sora replied, grinning at the state his friend was in. Sure, Sora felt like shit and even the meagre light that was shining through from the slightly cloudy day outside was enough to make him want to dive for cover, but it made him feel a little better knowing that Roxas felt much, much worse.
"Yes you do. So, please, explain to me why you're going out with your girlfriend for lunch – "
"She's not my girlfriend." Sora muttered.
"AND," Roxas continued, sending a glare at Sora, "I have to stay here."
Sora was about to answer with a brilliantly thought out lie when Kairi, thankfully, walked through the door with the sweet smile that had practically become her trademark over the years.
Sora loved her smile. He loved the way that all Kairi had to do was smile and hug him when he felt like nothing was going right, and he suddenly felt safe and warm. She was his anchor and for the longest time Sora had thought that the way that he felt around Kairi was love. That he was in love with the auburn haired girl and that they were going to get married one day and live an average and happy life. But it wasn't long before he realised that what he felt for Kairi didn't venture past the feelings of brotherly love. The thought of doing anything romantic with Kairi made him feel uncomfortable. But he still loved her. He loved her like the little sister that his parents never conceived and he was okay with that. Even if his mother kept asking him if he was sure that Kairi wasn't 'The One'.
"Kairi." He said, walking over to her and hugging her, breathing in the scent of her familiar perfume and shampoo.
"Hey there, sweetness." Kairi said, pulling away from Sora's embrace to smile at him and then at Roxas. "Hi, Roxas. Did you two have a late night? Both of you have bloodshot eyes."
Roxas snorted and was about to answer when he saw the frantic hand gestures that Sora was making. He coughed. "Yeah... Late night."
Kairi continued to smile. "I just need to use your bathroom quickly, and then we can get going."
"Sure," Sora replied, leaning against the wall next to the wall after he had grabbed his wallet off the coffee table.
As soon as Kairi had started walking in the direction of the bathroom there was a knock at the door. Sora glanced over at Roxas nervously.
"Just a minute!" He called, walking over to open the door. However, before he could place his hand on the door knob to let the person in, Roxas had placed himself between Sora and the door.
"Yes?" Sora asked, his face a portrait of perfect innocence.
"Sora, I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer it honestly," Roxas said, keeping his voice low, "Who is on the other side of this door?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I said 'pizza guy', would you?"
"Sora."
Sora sighed, hanging his head in defeat. "It's Axel."
Roxas's eyes widened and he grabbed at Sora's wrist, his whispering becoming frantic.
"The fuck is Axel doing here?!" Roxas hissed, tightening his grip on Sora's wrist.
"He's here to talk to you. Don't be a pussy, let me open the door and let him in."
Roxas narrowed his eyes, letting go of Sora and crossing his arms across his chest. "No."
"Fine! But you're dealing with it!" Sora cried out, grabbing his jacket from the table next to the door and pushing Roxas out of the way so that he could leave the apartment.
His eyes widened slightly when he saw Axel standing there and looking at him in slight shock. Sora forced a smile onto his face. And he honestly felt like going back into the apartment and punching his roommate in the face when he saw the shaky smile that Axel sent him in return. Which was completely unjustified, Sora knew, since Axel was just as much to blame in this equation as Roxas was.
Hell, both of them had fucked up royally. But they needed to sort things out on their own, without the interference of their friends.
Besides, Sora had his own drama to deal with.
XxXx
"Sora? Honey, what's eating at you?"
Sora snapped out of his daze to the sound of Kairi's voice and realised that he had been staring in the direction of a man that now looked very uncomfortable. The brunette rubbed at the back of his neck before smiling at Kairi sheepishly.
"Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind." He said honestly.
"I realised," Kairi replied, placing her spoon, which she had been using to eat the slice of chocolate cake that she had ordered, down next to her plate. She looked at Sora expectantly. "You did say that you wanted to ask me about something, so... shoot."
Sora's mouth suddenly felt really dry, and even after taking a long sip from his glass of water, he found that he couldn't get his words to leave the confines of his mouth. It had been easier last night when alcohol had basically made everything into a black and white picture. But he didn't think that getting wasted in the middle of the day in a nice restaurant was really the path to take. So, instead, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before trying to speak again.
"I think that I might have feelings for Riku." He spat out, hating how unsure he sounded of himself and his feelings.
There was a long pause but he refused to open his eyes and see the expression that Kairi was wearing.
"Feelings?"
Sora finally opened his eyes and smiled at his best friend hesitantly. A laugh escaped from his throat but it sounded wrong and out of place.
"Yeah... feelings. Like, more than friendly feelings." he said and paused before speaking again, "I'm gay." He added unnecessarily, but he felt that he needed to say it. It needed to seem real.
When Kairi failed to respond, Sora looked up and when he saw the look on her face he felt that strange and out of place laugh threatening to escape from his throat again. He saw the way that her bottom lip trembled and tears that pooled at the corner of her eyes.
"But Sora..." her face crumpled and her tears started to roll down her cheeks, each trail of water making Sora feel more and more like scum for doing this to her. "I love you." She whispered, the words barely audible over the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.
He knew.
He had always known that she loved him. Her love for him was one of the reasons that he tried so hard to look into his heart and see if he might harbour something for her that wasn't sibling-like love. But you can't make yourself love someone. And Sora couldn't make himself love Kairi that way that she wanted him to.
She picked up a napkin from the table and, after dabbing at her eyes, began to shred it between her fingers. She refused to look him in the eyes, no matter how hard he tried to catch her gaze.
The tears were still making their way down her cheeks, leaving little circles of dampness, on the collar of the pale pink dress that she was wearing, when they fell from her face before she could wipe at them with her hands.
"I thought that we were soul mates."
"Kai..." Sora didn't finish what he was about to say when he saw Kairi shaking her head. He began to fidget with the cutlery on the table and waited for her to say something. He didn't blame her for being upset but it still hurt to have his best friend look at him like her just shattered her heart.
"Why didn't you tell me before, Sora? Why did you lead me on for so long?" she demanded, her voice tainted with a desperate replica of anger.
He looked up in surprise, staring at her. "But I never did anything to lead you on! I thought that we were just friends."
"We were just friends!" she cried, her jaw tensing as she fought to keep from breaking down in a public place. They had already gained the attention of the patrons who were seated closest to their table but she tried to pay them no heed and kept her eyes trained on the wide eyed brunette seated across the table from her.
"But I was hoping that you just needed time to sort your feelings out. That you needed time to see how amazing we could be together and so that you could realise that I love you." She continued, rushing to get her words out, "I was so sure that you were going to ask me out eventually. That we'd be a couple like I always imagined. But I didn't want to rush you and..." she broke down into sobs, her whole body shaking with the intensity of her sadness and despair.
Sora couldn't take it anymore. He got up from his chair and walked over to Kairi, his arms wrapping around her as if to fend off the sadness that she was feeling. He didn't think of the fact that he was the one that had made her hurt this way, only that he wanted to protect her.
Her crying finally calmed down and she was left with those hiccup-like intakes of breath that one is left with after an intense crying session.
Sora could feel his own eyes prickling but he forced his voice to be steady when he began to speak softly into Kairi's ear.
"Kari, you're gorgeous, and funny and basically one of the most amazing people that I know. And I'm so sure that you'll find someone who will love you unconditionally. I'm just not that person. I can't love you the way that you need me to."
Kairi pushed him away gently, picking up her handbag from where it had been hanging off of her chair before she stood up. Her eyes finally met his.
"I need some time away from you, Sora."
And then she walked away from him, leaving him with his heart clenched in pain and the bitter taste of sorrow in his mouth.
XxXx
Riku really looked like a girl when he had his hair tied up in that loose manner that he seemed to like so much. And the pink apron that he was wearing at the moment was not helping the image. Sora giggled as he continued to stare at his silver haired friend who was currently preoccupied with dicing up a carrot.
"That pink apron really brings out your eyes." Sora teased, grinning when his friend looked up from his task to send him a narrow eyed glare.
Riku put down the knife that he had been using and held up two fingers before he replied to Sora's teasing.
"One: this apron belongs to that roommate of yours that you tried to set me up with without my consent." Sora grinned sheepishly, "and two: why am I in your apartment cooking you dinner when all you do is insult me?"
Sora laughed as he walked over to the fridge and retrieved two beers, one of which he handed over to Riku and the other which he kept for himself. He watched as Riku unscrewed the cap and took a long pull of the beverage, his conscience telling him that watching your best friend's throat as he drank a beer and getting slightly turned on by the action was creepy as hell. But Sora chose to ignore that voice and stare instead.
"Aw, come on Riku." He said, looking up from Riku's throat with an almost audible gulp. The smooth expanse of skin was covered in a thin film of perspiration due to the heat from the kitchen appliances that he was using to prepare dinner and the fact that his hair was tied up meant that Sora's eyes travelled there whenever he tilted his head slightly back to take a drink from his bottle. Someone drinking a beer should not be that hot to watch. Sora was just glad that he was seated behind the kitchen counter.
Sora took a large drink from his own bottle before he continued speaking. "You know that Roxas normally does all the cooking but he's been out this whole week with Axel. I can only eat noodles for so long before they start to nauseate me."
Riku rolled his eyes but Sora could see the little twitch of his lips that showed that he found his brunette friend's statement amusing. "Huh," he began, picking up his knife and getting back to preparing dinner, "I'm like your 'call-in cook' in that case?"
"Yeah." Sora replied, smiling widely, "Except that I don't pay you with money, I pay you in friendship!"
"So, you're telling me that I cook you dinner and all I get is friendship? Something tells me that I got the raw end of the deal here."
"Aw, Riku, that's mean."
They sat in comfortable silence while Sora watched Riku place ingredients into various pots for the pasta that he was preparing for their dinner, and Riku tried to figure out why Sora was watching him so intently. And what was up with the pink that would taint Sora's cheeks whenever Riku smiled at him?
Soon, the dinner was complete and they were seated on the couch with steaming plates of amazing smelling pasta. The television played the usual crap but it was on mostly for background noise anyway.
"Have you spoken to Kairi yet?"
Sora winced, stabbing at a piece of pasta with his fork. "No, I'm kinda too scared to."
Of course Sora had told Riku about what had happened with Kairi. Riku was almost a part of him like Kairi was, if not more. He had, however, left out a few parts. Like the part about his feelings for the silver haired male. He had told Riku about what Kairi had said and the reason that she was so upset.
Riku waited until he had fully chewed and swallowed before speaking again. "You're going to have to speak to her soon, Sora. She's one of your closest friends, and even though you didn't really do anything wrong, you need to reach out to her and be the first one to apologise."
Sora scowled. "That's easy for you to say."
Riku smiled gently. "Yes, it's easy for me to tell you what the right thing to do is, since i'm not really involved in the situation, but that doesn't mean that what i'm saying is wrong."
"She told me that she needed time away from me, Riku."
"It's been a few days. I think that constitutes as 'time'. The longer you leave this, the worse it's going to become."
Sora sighed, placing another forkful of pasta in his mouth before answering. "Fine. Damn, I really hate it when 'Rational Riku' makes so much sense.
Riku chuckled before turning his attention to the reality show that was playing on the screen.
"Hey," Riku said glancing over at the glass in Sora's hand, "did you know that Cola can reduce a man's sperm count by thirty percent?"
Sora nearly choked on his mouthful of Cola.
He stood up. "I er...I think that I'm going to get myself a glass of water instead." Sora said, walking over to the kitchen with his glass.
Riku grinned.
XxXx
"I can't believe that you're taking my roommate away from me again."
Axel raised a red eyebrow as he walked through the door to Sora and Roxas's apartment, looking over at where Sora was laying on the couch upside down, his hair brushing against the carpet covered floor.
"Hello to you too, Sora." Axel said, taking a seat on one of the couches in their lounge as he waited for Roxas to get ready for their date, "And... He is my boyfriend, you know. I kinda want to spend time with him."
Sora pulled a face and readjusted himself so that he was sitting on the couch correctly.
"I haven't eaten a proper meal in, like, three days!"
Axel looked at him in confusion. "How is that my fault?"
"Roxas cooks in this roommate-ship! But he hasn't been home to cook in ages since you're always hogging him!"
"Well, it's nice to know that you didn't want me home because you missed me or something insane like that." They both turned to look at Roxas who was standing behind the couch Sora was sitting in with his arms crossed over his chest. He walked over to the mirror that was placed on the wall next to their television and began to fix his hair, his hands attempting to get the unruly blonde locks to stay in place, "Why don't you call Riku over to cook for you? You know how much he likes trying out the recipes that he sees on the food channel on you. Since you basically eat whatever he feeds you."
Sora laughed awkwardly. "Ha ha, uh... yeah, Riku's been busy."
"Really?" Roxas frowned, turning away from the mirror to study his roommate.
Sora ducked his head and tried to fight the stupid blush that was starting to crawl up his cheeks from the mention of Riku's name. "Yeah, really." He grinned, trying to shift the attention away from Riku for a moment. "I do miss you though, Roxas. You better watch out, Axel, I might kidnap your boyfriend soon."
Axel folded his arms behind his head casually as he smirked at Roxas and Sora. "You telling me that I have competition, Sky-boy? You lookin' to make my Roxy your wife so he can cook for you."
Roxas stared at them in shock before it quickly turned to annoyance. "WIFE?!"
Axel grinned, standing up so that he could drape an arm over Roxas's shoulder. "You do look really pretty in an apron, Roxy."
Roxas shook his head, his lips twitching into a smile despite how pissed off he tried to act at Axel's words. He reached up to place a quick kiss on his boyfriend's lips and ignored the fake gagging sounds that Sora was making at their display of affection. Sora didn't really mind it as much as he pretended to. He knew that they were at that annoying 'honeymoon' stage that all new couples experience. That beginning point in their relationship where they feel as if they can't keep their hands off each other and feel the constant need to show each other affection and in the process manage to nauseate everyone around them.
"You don't need to stress anyway," Roxas said, looking over at Sora, "Sky-boy isn't gay."
As soon as Roxas said the words, however, his eyes widened slightly and he looked at Sora as his eyebrows furrowed together in thought.
"Axel... I'll meet you at your car, okay?"
"What? I could just wait here for you, I don't mind."
"No, I need to talk to Sora real quick." Roxas said, directing his words at Axel but keeping his eyes glued on Sora the entire time.
"Okay...?" Axel looked at his boyfriend in complete confusion but allowed the blonde to push him towards the door before placing a chaste kiss on his cheek and closing the door in his face.
"Right." Roxas said, walking over to stand next to the couch that Sora was occupying, his arms crossed over his chest. "So I either just remembered a really weird dream that involved you telling me that you have feelings for Riku, or... I just had a drunk flashback. And I don't know about you, but I'm really leaning towards flashback."
"Oh, you remember that conversation."
"Yeah. Mind telling me why you haven't told Riku yet?"
Sora frowned. "How do you know that I haven't told Riku? What if I told him and he rejected me?"
Roxas's expression softened into a smile that conveyed the fact that he knew more than he was letting on before he placed a hand on Sora's head, messing up his chocolate brown hair. "You really are a giant squid of ignorance, aren't you?" He said before walking towards the door, shaking his head as if he still couldn't believe what Sora had said to him.
"What?" Sora said to his retreating back, getting off the couch to follow his roommate to the door, "What are you talking about?"
Roxas turned around, that knowing smile still present on his lips as he studied Sora's face. "Talk to Riku, okay?" and then he walked out the door, letting it shut behind him.
XxXx
'I can show you the world,
Shining, shimmering, splendid
Tell me, princess, now when did
You last let your hea – '
"Hello?"
"Hey, Sora...it's Riku."
"Riku!"
"Yeah... hey listen, I'm house-sitting again for my brother so I just called to ask if you want to come over and keep me company or something. It's just that, well fuck, we haven't really spoken for a while and I don't know if it's something I did or said but you should come over and we can talk. Or not talk. Whatever you want to do. I just... need to see you. I sorta kinda miss you, maybe."
"Ha ha, 'sorta kinda miss me maybe'? In that case, when do you want me over?"
"Come over now, you remember where the house is, right?"
"Yup, need me to pick up anything on the way?"
"Some chips maybe? And ice cream? Yes, definitely ice cream."
"Ice cream and chips, got it. See you in a few."
"Cheers, Sora."
Sora groaned in frustration and leaned his forehead against the wall, enjoying the coolness of the wall in contrast to his red face. If talking to Riku on the phone brought this kind of a reaction out of him, how was he going to survive spending the night with the guy?
"Is he okay?" he heard a voice ask.
"Yeah, if he starts banging his head on the wall then I think that's when we're meant to intervene and do something responsible like stop him or something." Another voice answered. A voice that he was sure belonged to his blonde roommate that was currently seated on the couch in front of the TV with his boyfriend sprawled over him.
There was a lull in conversation then as the two on the couch continued to watch the movie and Sora continued to stare at the white wall that his forehead was becoming acquainted with.
"Hey, Sora... why is 'a whole new world' your ringtone?" the voice that belonged to his roommate's annoying boyfriend asked, said boyfriend's head was resting on Roxas's lap as Roxas trailed his fingers through fiery red hair, the opening scene to 'Superbad' playing on the television screen.
"Only because it's, like, his favourite song, like, ever." Roxas replied before Sora had a chance to answer Axel's question.
"Really?"
"Yup. You should hear him sing it in the shower. He even makes his voice go higher for Jasmine's parts."
Sora groaned again, pushing himself away from the wall and falling into the one other unoccupied couch.
"I think I preferred it when you two spent less time here."
"First you want me here, now you don't..." Roxas teased, grinning at his roommate, "You going somewhere?"
"Yeah... Riku is house-sitting, so i'm going to keep him company."
Axel grinned, raising his eyebrows as he looked at Roxas. "Did you hear that, Roxy? He's going to give him some 'Company'"
Roxas and Axel then proceeded to laugh like they were conspiring in some diabolical plan, glancing over at Sora before bursting out in laughter again.
"Okay, I don't know what you guys are thinking, and i'm pretty sure that I don't want to know... but keeping him company is not code for anything. Now, you two enjoy your cuddle session because I am leaving."
"Do you think we upset him?" he heard as he fetched his wallet off the kitchen table.
"Nah, he's just scared that he's going to jump Riku's bones when they're alone together."
Sora sighed as he walked out of his apartment and closed the door. As much he would have liked to, he knew that he couldn't argue with Roxas's statement.
XxXx
"Why is choosing a flavour of ice cream so hard..." Sora muttered, staring into the freezer section of the supermarket that he had stopped by before going over to see Riku.
Blueberry Cheesecake was amazing. But then again, so was Chocolate Fudge Ripple. Maybe he should just stick to chocolate? But the Cookies and Cream looked so good...
"Sora?"
Sora swivelled around to stare at the person that had said his name. He had missed the sound of that voice so much, and it was only when he heard it that he realised the void that the person had left in his life.
"Kairi." He said, dropping his shopping basket before embracing his best friend, closing his eyes when her scent assaulted his senses. "Oh my word, I've missed you so much."
She laughed in surprise, wrapping her arms around his neck in order to return his hug. When she spoke, her words were whispered against the skin of his neck. "I've missed you too."
Then they broke apart and looked at each other with shaky smiles, tears threatening to spill from the corner of their eyes. Finally Kairi shattered the spell, laughing again before running a hand over her eyes.
"I have to go, but we'll meet up soon, right?" She said, a look of uncertainty crossing her eyes.
Sora smiled, "Of course."
That brilliant smile of hers reappeared and she started to walk away from him slowly, walking backwards so she wouldn't have to break eye contact with him. "Bye Sora." and then she turned around and walked up to the cashier. Sora inhaled deeply, smiling at no one in particular. If his life was a Glee episode, this would be the part when he would break out into fantastically choreographed dance moves while singing an upbeat song that would somehow fit into the situation.
Well, that was the Kairi situation sorted. Now to deal with Riku.
Sora winced.
XxXx
"Why would you make a DVD machine THIS complicated?!"
"Actually," Sora said, lying on the floor with his arms folded his face to hide the smile that was rapidly forming. "I think that we're just technologically impaired."
He loved seeing Riku flustered like this. His best friend was normally always so perfect all the time that it was nice to see him get annoyed with an inanimate object and prove that he was human after all.
Riku groaned in frustration and joined Sora on the floor, laying on his stomach and burying his face in his arms. They lay like that, in comfortable silence for a while, while Riku cooled down and tried to quell any murderous intentions towards the infernal DVD machine and Sora just enjoyed the moment.
"Did you know that in the last episode of Tom and Jerry, they both commit suicide?" Riku asked, looking at Sora from beneath his silver bangs.
"Yeah?" Sora reached out without a thought and gently tucked a lock of hair behind his friend's ear so that those blue-green eyes, that he loved so much, were visible.
Riku didn't even react to the intimate touch. Sora didn't expect him to.
Riku and Sora had passed the boundaries of friendship years ago and were now just dancing around the issue that neither of them wanted to face. The tentative touches, from a gentle stroke to the cheek or holding hands when they watched a movie alone, had become the norm. Yet they both wouldn't accept what it actually meant.
"Well," Sora continued, "what do you want to do now?"
"Let's play a game."
And that was how they had ended up playing a stupid game of secrets.
"This is retarded," Riku complained, taking a swig from his bottle of beer. "You know everything there is to know about me."
Sora rolled his eyes before taking a drink from his glass of wine. "I don't think that you're meant to call the game stupid if you came up with it."
Riku stuck his tongue out.
"Very mature."
"Yeah, whatever. It's your turn."
"Okay." Sora positioned his glass on the coffee table, placing a coaster underneath it when Riku raised an eyebrow. "Well, I think that it's pretty awesome how you seem to know facts about the most random shit ever."
Riku laughed, shifting on the couch and unconsciously shifting closer to Sora.
"I thought that you looked adorable as Little Bo Peep on Halloween." He said, a grin spreading across his lips as he watched Sora's cheeks begin to colour.
"Stupid dare." The brunette muttered, glaring at his glass of wine.
That was the first and last time that he ever made a bet with Larxene. That woman had... ways of making herself win the bet. And the consequences were embarrassing. Roxas still had the pictures stored away to use as blackmail when the mood strikes him.
"Okay," Sora started, deciding to see how far he could push the game. "I think that your smile is the most amazing thing ever."
He mentally fist pumped when the faint pink tinge appeared on Riku's cheeks, Riku himself turning away so that Sora wouldn't notice.
"I love the fact that you still can't watch the scene in The Lion King where Simba's dad dies." Sora realises that Riku's voice dropped an octave, so that the words, although slightly teasing, have a gentle tone to them.
"It's effing sad, okay!" Sora exclaimed, "I mean, his dad dies! He watches his dad die! I haven't watched that scene since I was eight years old and I don't plan to change that anytime soon."
Riku raises an eyebrow, watching Sora as he sulked. "You'll have to face it sooner or later."
"I choose later."
"Well, continuing with the game..." Riku said, "I love the fact that you still light up like a little kid when you see snow."
And if Sora didn't know better he would have said that the smile that Riku was wearing could be described as 'shy'. But Sora did know better, and he knew that Riku never was unsure of himself of shy. It was one of the reasons that Sora had been drawn to Riku when they were kids, why he had walked up to him one day at the beach in Destiny Islands, where they had grown up, and asked the silver haired boy if they could be friends. After that, and after the addition of Kairi, their little group had been inseparable.
But Sora had began to realise that the feelings that he could never feel for Kairi, no matter how much he tried to make himself feel them, he felt in abundance for Riku. Sora felt like he was living in a romance novel when he looked at Riku sometimes because of the way that his heart swelled up with just plain... Love for his best friend.
"I think that I'm in love with you."
The words seem too loud to his ears, and he almost wants to reach out and try to reel them back into his mouth and forget about the whole thing. But it doesn't work that way, and the words were out there and Sora felt like disappearing in the silence that followed his announcement.
He sinks to the floor, hugging his knees to his chest and clenching his eyes shut.
When he was a little kid he believed that if he curled himself into foetal position and closed his eyes, then he would be invisible to the world.
It seemed like simple kid logic now but it made complete sense to him when he was younger. If you can't see the world, then it obviously can't see you.
It felt like he sat there on the floor, hugging his knees and cursing the world, for ages before he felt Riku's presence next to him.
"For how long?" Sora almost wants to look up and look at the expression on Riku's face because his voice betrayed nothing.
Would it be disgust? Or fear? Fear at the fact that Sora was voicing the feelings that he was so sure Riku knew about.
Sora inhaled deeply, trying to keep his voice steady even though it felt like the only thing that he was really aware of at the moment was the sound of his heart gushing in his ears and his heart pounding in his chest. He swallowed.
"I don't know." He answered, "I really don't know. I just know that one day I realised that i'm in love with you. That I love everything about you and that the thought of being with you doesn't scare me. That being just your friend isn't enough anymore." Sora shook his head, preparing himself to stand up, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anyth – "
"Sora." Sora finally met Riku's gaze. His eyes widened slightly when he felt hands cup his face, and before he fully registered what was happening, he felt lips gently brush against his own.
Riku pulled away, a brilliant smile that lit up all of his features was present on his face and he trailed his thumb over Sora's bottom lip.
"I've been in love with you since I was fourteen, you idiot."
Aww, all the fluff!
Okay, this is the first non-AkuRoku thing that I've done for fanfiction and I'm scared.
Scared of what?
Failing.
I love this pairing and I really hope that I did Sora and Riku justice.
This story has been sitting on my laptop for weeks. It just seemed like whenever I wanted to work on it I either had a major case of writer's block, or life just got too hectically busy.
Thank you to my Beta Daniel Jasper for reading over this, and to Jocknerd23 for providing all the Hallmark card worthy inspiration.
Feedback is greatly appreciated :D