This needed a face-lift so badly.
Warnings: Shonen-Ai, possible lemon, possible gore... I don't really know yet.
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts. Not mine. Disclaim, disclaim.
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"So I says to him, 'What do you mean there's no-' Riku, you gotta hear this. I sai-...Riku. Are you paying any attention?"
Axel glared at his companion, whose gaze was distant. Another waved a hand in front of his face.
"Helllo! Riku? Anyone home? Hello?" Zexion, without glancing up from the yellowed pages of a lengthy novel, cut him off.
"Knock it off Dem, he'll come around." Demyx pouted all for a moment, before his eyes swam out of focus, and he began to hum mindless tunes as he played with strands of his hair.
Axel, however, was not as easily pleased.
"Riku!"
That was the shout that brought him back with a jolt. He looked around, and, upon confirmation of no dead bodies, glared at Axel.
"What do you want? What do all of you want from me?"
"What's got your panties in a twist? My amazing heist is amazing- what're you lookin at?"
Axel paused to contort his body in a comical effort to appear casual. After looking over the stream of heads to the bar section of the restaraunt which, for a Wednesday, was scarcely occupied, he slowly, almost mechanically, turned his head.
"No. No. NO. You were not just staring at...him, were you? Were you?"
Axel jerked a thumb towards the bar. Riku shifted in his seat, not meeting Axel's incredulous gaze.
"Umm..." He decided, after a moment of pondering the pale, angry face, to play dumb. "Who, that kid? Nope...But now that you mention it-"
"Riku."
"What? Can't I look around the bar at the lovely...people?"
As Axel opened his mouth to say something, the waitress came back to their table, asking if there was anything else she could do for them. After a little while of Demyx stuttering through the desserts, she left, muttering about the "smoking like a chimney."
Axel breathed in a long drag of a cigarette, before blowing smoke and saying quietly,
"He just about killed me."
Riku was unsure what to make of it. He took a breath to speak, and exhaled, dumbfounded on what to say to a statement like that. He looked over Axel's shoulder again.
The young man was sitting at one of the bar stools, his right hand holding his forehead as he bowed rich chocolate locks, spiked in every which direction, shrouding his face from view. A stout, clear glass with a similarly clear liquid was held in his left hand.
"So...what? Is he a psycho or something?"
I'll make it look like an accident...Now get out. I don't ever want to see your face around-
Axel shook his head, stealing a bite of Demyx's freshly delivered cake before speaking,
"You wouldn't believe me...Let's just say I had the same idea as you-to get some hot brunet tail-"
"I'm not going to do that!"
Axel gave him a look, folding his arms across his chest, nodding.
"Uh huh, I'm sure. Anyway, hot brunet tail, I had the same idea. Don't get me wrong, he's nice, and, despite that baby-face he's got, he's legal. But it's just not right- he's just not..."
Riku looked past Axel, vaguely listening and nodding when appropriate. He stared at the young man at the bar, wondering how anyone like that could have passed him by. The Island sector of Midgar wasn't the largest by a long shot. Riku kept staring, just waiting to see that man's face.
And, as if reading his mind, the young man turned around and stretched. Flawless smooth skin on a sun-kissed face, lightly dusted pink cheeks, a little baby fat—enough to make him look like jailbait. Riku couldn't even start on those eyes.
After ogling for a few minutes, with much difficulty, he tuned back to the unamused Axel, who was giving him this look and nodding. Yes, he was right. Riku suddenly found the floor very fascinating.
"I knew it. Riku, I want you to repeat after me."
". . ."
"I will not go near, attempt to communicate, or have anything to do with that man."
Axel was stern. Riku said nothing.
"Riku."
He stood from the booth, and walked briskly from the table, ignoring Axel's cries of,
"No, Riku! Dammit!"
Cautiously, after running a hand through his hair, Riku approached the man. The stools beside him were empty, and he had put his face back into his hands.
Riku racked his mind for a good pick-up line, something that wouldn't make him look like a complete sleazeball ass. He thought of Axel. He was a great men- and ladies -man. What would he do in this situation? How would he break the dreaded ice of unfamiliarity?
"I'm feeling a little off today. Would you like to turn me on?"
Of course, Axel was not the best person to think of when trying not to be an ass, Riku remembered.
Sluggishly, the young man moved his gaze from the bar to Riku's face.
"Wha?"
The boy sounded confused, very tired. Probably a little drunk. Riku tried again.
"Sorry, I'm trying to figure out what line would get you in bed with me."
'Damn that Axel.'
Riku crinkled his nose, closed his eyes, and waited for a punch in the nose. Instead, he was shocked to hear snorting, of all things, coming from the man. A stunning grin that made the man's head tilt to the side a bit made Riku feel as if he had seen the sun for the first time.
"Is that right? Well, got any more, or what?"
The voice was surprisingly manly. He looked like a teenager, but his voice told a different story. After standing for a moment with a slightly gaped mouth, Riku took a seat at the stool next to the man, smirking as he conjured all of the pathetic lines Axel had ever told him.
"Want to play fireman? We can stop, drop and roll. "
The man laughed, cheeks flushing a light pink.
'He likes it...'
"I wish you were a screen door, so I could slam you all night long."
That brought on a series of poorly disguised snorts and laughs. The man looked at him, laughing again and shaking his head. Riku held out his hand,
"My name is Riku. That's so you know what to scream. And you?"
The man laughed again, grinning and shaking his hand.
"Sora."
"Sora...Sora..." He repeated the name, liking the way it felt on his tongue. "Well Sora, I've got the FCK, all I need is you."
He had to think about that one for a second, but Sora soon laughed as soon as the pieces clicked together.
"Riku, this is fun. I'm sort of drunk though, and can't really...drive. Could you drive me somewhere?"
"Where to? Your place?"
Sora smiled at some little secret, and shook his head.
"Definitely not. Somewhere else. You don't live with your mother, do you?"
Ignoring the seething glare from Axel, Riku left with Sora.
After a brief, comfortable ride in the Sora's Geo Prism, Riku found that the 'kid' was actually twenty two, just one year younger than himself. And, through a series of random questions, Riku discovered many other interesting facts about him.
"What were you doing in there tonight?"
Sora often went to that bar to relax from both work and,
"-stuff at home. You wouldn't get it."
They pulled into Riku's apartment lot. Riku held Sora's hand as he led him to the apartment. Sora mouthed at his ear as he unlocked the door, and when Riku shoved him into the door to bite and nip at Sora throat he sputtered out,
"Drinks. Music. Now."
Riku was in the kitchen for maybe ten minutes. When he came out, Sora had curled into a ball, and fallen asleep on the couch. Riku covered him with a blanket, and turned off the lights.
Riku awoke the next morning to find Sora groggily waking up.
"Morning." He said, moving to the coffee pot as Sora blinked up at him, scratching at his messy bedhead.
"Did we...?"
Riku shook his head, staring at the slow drip of his Mr. Coffee.
"I don't take advantage of people like that. So, do you want me to take you home-or? We used your car last night."
Sora waved a hand,
"Too hung over. Could you drive? I'll show you where..."
They talked through breakfast and on the drive there. Sora showed serious regret about spending the night, about going to the bar in the first place. He said he had commitments at home, that it was stupid for him to do something like that. Riku listened, and nodded, and even talked about himself.
Sora's cellphone rang, and he looked at it with disgust,
"Hi Kairi. " Pause. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry." Pause. "I'll be home in a bit. Thanks."
Riku didn't ask, but it seemed as if Sora was relieved to have an ear to talk off.
"It's Roxas. His name is Roxas... Wanna meet him?"
Riku pulled up to an apartment building in downtown Hollow Bastion, where most of all buildings were enormous and black, lit only by neon signs and the occasional streetlight. He considered Sora's offer and, in a moment of hope that 'Roxas' was not a boyfriend, said,
"Sure."
Bleak clouds looked as if they were about to unleash a wet, cold hell. They covered every bit of sky.
Hollow Bastion was in the news frequently: for murder, burglary, gang activities, rape. Riku was surprised such a not-scummy guy like Sora would be living anywhere near this deadly part of the city.
Sora smiled, and took Riku by the hand.
"C'mon."
They turned a few corners before entering one of the gloomy buildings, just as the rain began to pour.
Only to be greeted by a cheery lobby.
The walls were a sickly peach color, the border being an even worse clam pink. Gold colored tiles, gold and oak receptionist desk, benches in that sickly sweet pink. Elevator doors painted a creamy yellow. Riku almost opted for running out of the horrid place, back into the rain.
The young woman sitting at the receptionist counter smiled towards Sora.
"Welcome back Sora. Oh! My, my, bringing home a friend?"
There were similarities between the two, to say the least. She seemed to have a heart of gold and a tongue of silver, and talked to Sora in quite an intimate way.
Sora tried sputtering out his explanation,
"Umm...Well...He's..."
Riku saved him.
"His friend."
Sora gave him a look, while the young woman smiled.
"A friend? That's nice, dear." She nodded slowly, "Yes, I just hope this friend is better than the last one you brought over."
The woman shook her head as she fiddled with cluttered pages.
"Never trust redheads. I've learned this with both Reno and that Axel man." Sora rolled his eyes, folding his arms.
"Here I thought you liked Kairi."
The woman frowned,
"She doesn't count. Obviously. I thought her hair was brownish purplish—a complete brunette, the first time I saw dyes her hair sometimes anyway."
The two laughed, and continued to talk. Riku felt awkward in meeting an old friend of Sora's. He had known her for all of 10 minutes, and already he had lied to her. Finally, the holy words were finally spoken-
"See ya' Aeris!"
She nodded back, giving a little wave,
"Bye Sora!"
Sora led Riku to the elevator, and punched the top-floor button. The ride was filled with silence, unlike that of the car ride. There was something in the air that made Riku feel as if he had done something wrong.
"So..." Sora said at last, staring at his feet with a noticeable pink blush. "did you mean what you said...that you were just my friend? I mean, last night I wasn't really thinking, and I thought I was going to... but if that's all it is, if it is something at all even..."
Sora continued to babble, until Riku said,
"Your name is Sora Strife, you're twenty-two years old, enjoy going to 7th Heaven bar when you aren't with this mysterious Roxas person. You don't like to get drunk, because of this Roxas person. You're in your second year of going to Twilight Town University to get a degree in nursing- a very kinky job choice, by the way. You live in this hideously pink apartment building, alone, aside from Roxas.
You love to hear pick-up lines because they're funny. You're favorite color's blue, you hate Mondays and Wednesdays, and think Friday night as it's own day.
And you think I'm sexy."
After listing all of these, they were silent for a few moments. This Sora would be a wonderful keeper, Riku thought, and it was a wonder he was single.
"Sora, I kind of know you. I would really like to make this more than a one night thing."
"Alright, but I never said you were sexy!"
"Not out loud you didn't."
Sora smirked at the comment, before saying, nervousness thick in his voice even with his attempts at stopping it,
"But really? I would like that, a lot. I'm not used to really doing this- I mean, no one's ever-"
Ding!
The elevator had stopped, thick doors sliding open with creaky squeals.
The visible walls were painted black with a light dusting of gold, like stars scattered in a night sky; the carpet too was gold.
"Which room's yours?"
Sora grinned, letting go of Riku for a brief second to stretch out his arms.
"I get the whole floor, because Aeris and Zack love me. I also may have helped get Zack out of a bad way a little while back. Anyway, though, it's just me and Roxy, although friends stay over sometimes."
Sora's face brightened, and he reclaimed Riku's hand,
"I can't wait until you meet Roxy.
A muffled, girly voice cry from the other room,
"Sora? Is that you?"
"That's Kairi- my abused baby-sitter."
Sora strolled down the hall, his upbeat demeanor giving Riku a reason to smile.
He stopped upon reaching a pair of dark double-decker doors. Muffled squeals came from inside. Sora chuckled lightly, before throwing them open by the silver handles.
"MOMMY! MOMMY!"
The cheerful screams pierced Riku's eardrums, making him shudder. There was a thump as Sora was bombarded to the carpet by a streak of blonde, laughing and smiling all the way.
Accurate to Aeris' description, a girl with dark tinted red hair stood a few feet back, grinning. After a bit of giggling, she noticed Riku, and cocked her head to size him up.
"Oh, Sora? Who's that?"
The small figure was snuggling and rubbing it's face against and wrapping it's arms around the brunette's chest, making it difficult for Sora to move. A slight glance to Riku, and he smiled.
"That's Riku...he's my..."
"Boyfriend." Sora pursed his lips together, and nodded, propping himself up by the elbows now that the small figure's attacks had become a little less aggressive.
The child stopped and stood up, and allowed his eyes to widen at the new man's face. Riku noted the exact same eyes as Sora, small, slender figure, and Spider-Man footie pajamas. A few seconds later, the screeching and attacking began again.
"Mommy! Mommy! Stranger! STRANGER! He's gonna' eat me!"
"Oof!" Sora was knocked to the ground yet again, the boy curling up on the Sora's stomach, nuzzling his face in Sora's chest as he slurped on his thumb. Sora rubbed his back, and shrugged,
"Riku, this is Roxas. He's my son, and he doesn't like strangers much."
"Your son? I thought you were...?"
Sora's eyes widened, and he sat up, holding Roxas' against him, shaking his head,
"No, no, He's not exactly mine, but it's complicated."
Kairi shifted her weight between her feet, feeling out of place. She said,
"Well Sora, I gotta' go. Naminè's probably going to kill me for being gone so long without texting. See ya'."
Sora half waved at her, keeping his eyes on Riku.
The door clicked as she left.
"Your son, though?"
Sora nodded, holding Roxas by the back of the head, stroking his hair.
"Yeah. I adopted him when his real mother and father, my brother and his wife..."
Roxas lifted his head, cutting Sora off with his stare.
"Mommy. Who's he?"
"This is my friend, Roxy. His name is Riku. Why don't you say hi?"
The boy peered over Sora's shoulder to look at Riku. He frowned, and turned back to his 'mother', pouting, his arms crossed, shaking his head.
"Mommy I don't like him. Make him go. He don't look so nice."
Sora ran his hand through Roxas's hair again, and smiled, enjoying Roxas's adorable child rebellion.
"It's okay Roxy, he's nice. I promise."
Sora kissed the boy on the forehead, whispering,
"Why don't we get ready for lunch?" He paused, and looked around, his eyes filled with mock-fear. "Uh-oh...What's that? Do you hear it too?"
Roxas's eyes went wide, his mouth open as he concentrated, as he listened.
"What? What?"
"I think," Sora said, as he gently set Roxas to the ground, "I hear...THE TICKLE MONSTER!"
Roxas squealed in a mix of joy and excitement, running and screeching. Sora roared, chasing the him down the hall.
Riku listened to their play, smiling and laughing when shrieks of laughter came.
Roxas had been caught by the 'tickle monster.'
. . . . .
The day was spent inside, playing board games and watching TV. It was around nine forty-five when the kid had finally been declared asleep. Sora turned off the lights, and walked back to the sleek iving room, where Riku had made himself at home.
Sora approached the couch. Puzzled, he asked,
"Riku...why are you watching 'Ghost Adventures'?"
Riku held up a finger, tuning in closer towards the television.
"Shush! This is the good part; they're about to pick up signs of the ghost."
Sora laughed, moving a hand towards Riku's pretty hair, stroking it gently.
Riku smirked, and waited for a few seconds before grabbing Sora's arm, pulling him over the top of the charcoal leather couch. Surprised, the Sora let out a shocked yelp, and punched Riku in the nose.
He was taken aback,
"Alright, alright. You win."
Sora grimaced, reaching out to touch Riku's face, but pulling back,
"I'm sorry, I just- I'm not good with surprises, I guess. I'm sorry, really, I am."
"Hey."
Sora shifted uncomfortably.
"Hey, Sora, it's fine."
Riku brushed his nose along the side of his neck, and kissed it gently. Sora squirmed, and smiled. Taking one last nip at his pulse, Riku let up a little, leaving about four inches of space between them.
"If you don't like it, say the word, and I'll stop."
Sora grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in for a kiss. Riku grinned, moving towards his ear, nipping it and whispering. Lips brushed back down, passed the suckable nape, to the collarbone. Hands at Sora's back rubbed in small circles, massaging, calming.
"Riku."
The small moan made victory bells go off. The squirming increased, as Riku began to slip off Sora's shirt, and Sora's breathing became a little hectic.
"Riku!"
The sounds of his name made Riku smug. He bit down on Sora's pulse point.
Snap! Cling! Crash!
The sound of something shattering, glass or porcelain, came to them from the kitchen. Sora sat up and looked around, eyes wide as he panted lightly. He hesitantly readjusted his shirt, and held a finger to Riku's face.
"I...have to, um, get...that. Stay."
Sora stood, tried to get his breathing under control as he staggered towards the kitchen.. Riku smiled, and put his hands behind his head and he laid back onto the couch.
"Wi-ku."
He turned to see Roxas staring at him with a look that was years ahead of him.
"Wiku. What do you want with my Mommy?"
Riku frowned, puzzled.
"Roxas? What are you doing up?" Roxas rolled his eyes, and kept a solid, contemptful look on his face.
"If you don't tell me the truth, I'll cut your ear off. Or worse, I'll get angry. I didn't want to so soon."
"What do you mean 'this soo-'"
"Sorry about that Ri...ku?" Sora's voice transformed Roxas's disgusted stare into one of fear. Riku sat, mouth gaped in disbelief.
"Roxas? Little man, what are you doing up?"
Roxas blinked, before he teared up.
"I-I haded a b-bad dream Mommy! I-It was about W-Wiku!"
Sora smiled sweetly, approaching and picking Roxas up.
"It's okay Roxy, Riku isn't going to hurt you. Say good-night."
Whimpering, the blond, looking pathetic, lifted one tiny hand and wiggled the fingers.
"Nighty-night Wiku."