Note: Well, howdy. This fic idea has been rolling around in my head for quite some time, thought I'd finally get a chapter up to celebrate the most awesome holiday...Halloween. Enjoy all.
Warnings: Slash, boylove, horror/death and all the things in between.
Pairings: RikuxSora, AxelxRoxas, more on the side.
Disclaimer: Nope, not a thing. I do this for no profit, only for my own demented fun.
Chapter One: Creaking
"Hush little baby,
don't say a word
And never mind that noise you heard
It's just the beast under your bed
In your closet, in your head."
- Metallica, Enter Sandman
"Your eyes aren't closed, babe," a laugh was heard then a humorous sigh. "You're such a cheater."
"M'not cheating! They're closed!" the other huffed, though most of its effect was lost in his wide grin. He dramatically pinched his eyes shut again. "There, they're shut," he announced. He laughed when he felt to hands slide up his shoulders to cover his eyes with long fingers.
"For now. Can you keep 'em shut for five more minutes, Sora?" the other's fingers of his left hand moved slightly to pinch a rosy cheek.
"Riku!" Sora all but giggled. It was quite unbecoming of a nineteen-year old boy to giggle in public.
Riku hummed in response. And a smirk grew across his lips. And he let his fingers trail back to completely cover Sora's eyes again.
The driver of their cab, a homely man with a graying blonde beard, looked back, but only shook his head with a grunt. It was an old cab, creaking along every uneven portion of pavement traversed. The quiet clattering of the motor had been driving the two boys insane, yet it was not yet enough to put them at ill ease.
Riku peered over the top of the brunet's unruly hair and out the window. There were a few children riding up along the sidewalks, their bikes not nearly as fancy as the ones the neighborhood hooligans back where he used to live had.
The place seemed quiet. An occasional car passed by, a jogger, a young woman walking her small dog, and of course all the children.
It seemed the perfect place to start a life. Or at least that's what Sora had told him when he first brought home the add. Everything seemed far too perfect. They were young, but Riku had a good-paying job and Sora worked on the side. However it was Sora's folks that had pushed them to get their own place. They said it built fine character. They offered to help with the finances, something Riku didn't entirely agree with, but he knew that Sora had been rather spoiled. It was useless to argue.
The house they finally settled on was quaint. Bit further from their jobs then they would have preferred, but it drew them in immediately. The suburbs of Radiant Garden were a dramatic change from the busy city streets of Hollow Bastian. And the house was a picture-perfect landmark, deserving to be placed on one of the postcards found in the small corner-stores that lined the streets.
Riku still felt a sense of surrealism about it all. After knowing each other for nearly fifteen years, and being a couple for five, he and Sora were finally moving in together. They're own home, just the two of them.
"Oi, Riku? We there yet?" Sora drew him from his musings.
"I 'dunno, has the car stopped yet?" Riku smirked again, even though he knew Sora couldn't see it.
The brunet groaned and he crossed his arms with a pouting frown playing across his face. But it quickly was replaced with excitement again when he felt the car slowing. "Stop sign, babe," was whispered in his ear as Riku laughed into his throat.
"Arg," Sora voiced out.
"Relax, we just passed that crooked tree, remember? Maybe, a minute more, tops," Riku shifted so he only needed one hand to cover Sora's eyes. The other ran down his shoulder, squeezing his upper arm. "You Miyamoto's, no patience whatsoever."
"Heeeey," the younger drawled out. "Leave my family out of this." The threat was easily ignored for it came still with a smile. "'Least m'not an effeminate Yamada!"
"Such a vocabulary you're getting, Miyamoto-kun. Must have taken my advice when I told you to find something else to call me besides girly," Riku laughed when Sora tried to elbow his side.
Any remark Sora had was cut off when the cab came to a complete stop. Sora all but bounded out of his seat, but Riku's arm around his eyes and upper shoulders prevented most movement. "Riiikuuu…!" he whined.
"No peeking while I give this nice man the money," Riku replied while dropping his hands down slightly, hovering as if they'd snap back in place at any second. When he was sure Sora wasn't opening his eys, he drew his wallet from his pants pocket and handed the driver a few bills. The cabbie grunted his reply, and Riku responded with his own.
"Let's go Sora, keep 'em closed," Riku said, his index finger tapping between Sora's eyes once. Sora gave another exaggerated sigh, but grabbed onto the other's hand tightly when it was offered. Riku carefully maneuvered him so as he wouldn't trip or bump his head.
A few minutes later, much to the displeasure of the cab driver, both had made it out of the car and Riku had taken both they're bags from the trunk. All the while Sora begrudgingly kept his eyes pressed closed. His shoulders slumped when he heard the cab speed away.
"Ne, Riku? Why do I have to keep my eyes closed? It's not like I haven't seen the house before!" He grumbled. Surprisingly, he had yet to peek. He would give himself a pat on the back later, he noted.
"Why do I put up with your impatience?" Riku laughed as Sora tried to swing a hit at him, but obviously missed by a huge margin. The brunet scrunched up his nose and the pout was there again. "Who says the surprise was the house, babe?"
Immediately Sora's excited and happy air was back as if it'd never left. "There's something else?" Sora exclaimed, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. "Can I look? Can I?"
"Just like a kid on Christmas day," the silver-haired boy shook his head with a sigh, grin plastered on his face that wasn't quite as large as Sora's. "You really have no self-control. The neighbors are already calling the men in white coats."
"Riiikuuu….!" Sora whined again. "Quit teasing!"
"Alright, alright," Riku drew his hands up over Sora's shoulders as he stood behind him. He laughed, turning the other in place for the best view. He looked over the spiky crown of Sora's hair, "Welcome home, babe."
Sora took that as his cue to open his eyes. With vision swimming only slightly while adjusting to the sunlight, his blue eyes were instantly met with the surprise in the driveway. In front of their new small garage was an orange Beetle. The very same orange Beetle he'd been calling on for months, hoping the owner would knock down the price.
But here it was, in his driveway, their driveway. "…Riku," Sora all but mouthed, then he was screaming as he ran to the car, running his hands over it as if to prove it was really there.
Riku shook his head, grinning, while watching the younger boy hopping around the driveway and laughing hysterically. "Riku! Riku! I can't believe it!" Sora laughed, then he threw open the door and slid into the driver's seat. He ran his fingers over the wheel and let loose another laugh.
The silver-haired one walked over and leaned in, elbow on the top of the door. "Riku, you…you bought this for me, why? I thought you were saving for that truck?" Sora looked toward him. He wasn't smiling anymore, but the air around him still vibrated with that contagious excitement.
"That's just what I told you," Riku smirked, reaching over to ruffle the brunet spikes. "And even if I had been telling the truth, I'd have definitely still bought this if I had known the dance you'd do in the driveway because of it."
Sora laughed whole-heartedly, and he didn't protest when Riku reached out for his hair again. "No way…," he laughed. "You have any idea how much I wanted this pile of junk?"
"At least we agree that it belongs in the scrap heap," Riku chuckled. "Now why don't you take this pile of junk for a spin and I'll see how many boxes I can get unloaded without you causing trouble?" Riku produced the key to the car from his back pocket, waving it slightly in front of Sora's blue eyes.
Instead of making for the keys, Sora grabbed Riku's neck, pulling him down. Riku gave a startled yelp, nearly falling completely in the car. But Sora quickly had silenced any further noise when he met his lips to Riku's.
The older one groaned, using his left arm which was still holding the keys to brace himself from diving head-first into the seat and wrapping his right around the brunet's shoulders. Sora pulled away after a few moments, but not after nipping four or five times at Riku's bottom lip with a smile. "Thank you, 'Ku," he placed a small kiss to Riku's lips again before pulling away completely.
Riku was left still leaning on the doorframe in a daze. "I should buy you trash more often," he grinned. "Didn't know that was such a turn on."
"Riku!" Sora laughed, smacking Riku's arm softly. "Just gim'me the keys!"
"Alright, alright," aqua eyes sparkled. Riku handed the keys to waiting hands and waited until Sora started the car before he moved to shut the door. He leaned into the open window, managing to place a small kiss under Sora's ear. "Mm, now let's hope you don't leave the motor three blocks down the road."
"Yeah, yeah," Sora huffed, pushing Riku's face away.
"Oh, I understand. You and your car are having a moment," Riku smirked again, standing straight. "Alright, I know when I'm not wanted."
Sora had turned the car on and was revving the engine. He turned to look out the open window after finding a decent radio station. "Bye Riku! Be back in a…well, I'll be back!" And with the, he pulled out of the driveway, luckily avoiding a tree.
Riku sighed. "Well, then," he said looking back at the house. "You and me." He picked up both the bags and headed for the door. Scrounging in his sweatshirt pocket for the house key, he shoulder the bags and opened the door. Using his foot to push it open wide enough for him to get through, he entered the house, feet making the old wood floorboards creak. He shut the door and toed his shoes off.
Dropping the bags by the door, he sighed looking over all the boxes in the living room. It was surprising how much stuff two young boys could collect. But he was a pack-rat and Sora had a knack for buying trinkets he didn't need.
Riku thought it best he'd sort the boxes into their respective rooms, something the movers hadn't cared to do, before he started opening boxes. He picked up two that read they belonged into the kitchen and kicked another one through the doorway before him. The box slid into the middle of the kitchen and he stacked the other two nearby.
After placing one of the last boxes in the bedroom, Riku ran a hand over his brow and sighed. It was time to actually start unpacking. Heading out the door, he was stopped by a sudden feeling of being watched. He looked behind him, raising an eyebrow when no one was there.
A creaking sounded from above him then. He trailed his light eyes up, slowly following the sound. It sounded as if something was walking above him. Riku shook his head when it stopped suddenly, "Old houses."
He headed back into the living room, rubbing his upper arms surprised how cold the house had gotten. He made a detour into the kitchen to check the thermostat. Finding it proper order, he shrugged it off, "Fucking old houses."
"Riku?" he suddenly heard, followed by the front door closing. "Riku, where are you?"
"Kitchen, babe," he said. Giving the thermostat one last look, Riku stepped into the living room to see Sora heading his way. "Back already?" He wrapped his arms around the brunet's waist. "Not that I'm complaining."
"I would have felt bad letting you do all the work," Sora said, swinging his hips a bit so they knocked into Riku's. He blew out some air, and began rubbing his arms, "Why's it so cold, Riku?"
"It's an old house Sora, there's bound to be drafts. I already checked the thermostat, it's fine, and I'm not putting the heater on, so don't say it!" Riku laughed as Sora closed his mouth, cutting off his request. The brunet crossed his arms and his infamous pout returned.
"Come on, Sora, help me unpack," Riku shook his head, moving away from him. "The pout does nothing to me anymore."
Sora watched Riku smirk, "You suck."
"Mm, yeah, I must. 'Cause I bought you a car, saved you all the heavy lifting, and put a present for you in the bedroom," Riku nodded, trailing a hand over his chin. "Yes, I suck. Agreed."
"A present!" Sora all but sprinted into the bedroom. "Another one?" The bedroom wasn't much of a bedroom yet. The mattress and the frame were placed against the wall, and some of the bedroom furniture from Riku's old apartment had been placed on the opposite side. They hadn't unpacked the sheets yet, so the bed was unmade and bare.
So, it was quite easy to see the black box sitting in the middle of the mattress. Confused, but still excited, Sora quickly took it in hand and opened it, recognizing the velvet feel of a jewelry box. Inside was a necklace, a very expensive looking chain with a large crown pendant attached.
"Do I still suck?" Riku's voice came from the doorway. Sora turned to see him leaning against the doorframe wearing an amused expression.
The blue-eyed boy was in near shock. "Riku…this…" he stuttered, unable to fully express himself through the jittery motions of his tongue and how heavy his limbs felt.
"You don't like it?" Riku looked serious as he moved from the wall toward Sora. "Thought of you the moment I saw it. I knew you'd kill me if I got you something as cheesy as one of those lock-and-key necklaces. And you'd just lose a ring if I got you one. So…" he trailed off.
Sora grabbed him into a tight hug. Riku moved his arms around the other in turn, one making slow circles against his back and the other resting in brunet spikes, as soon as he realized that Sora was crying.
After a few moments, Sora turned his sniffling face upwards. "Why are you…why are you buying me all these nice things? I d-didn't get you anything!"
"I need a reason to buy you things?" Riku smiled, running his fingers over where tear-trails had formed. "And you don't have to get me anything, Sora, you know that."
Sora drew his lips into a small, albeit happy, smile and he rubbed his nose into Riku's chest. Riku and all their friends always used to call him the sappy, love-sick one, but if anyone saw what happened behind closed doors they'd know it was the older one who was the hopeless romantic.
"Thank you, Riku," Sora pulled away. He held out the necklace to Riku, wearing a larger smile than before. "Put it on me?"
The silveret just smiled in return, gently taking it from Sora's hands. He waited until the other had turned around then he reached around, wrapping it around Sora's neck. After checking the clasp, he leaned in and left a kiss on the nape of the brunet's neck, pulling away and blowing a light breath against it.
Sora immediately tensed, pressing his head back, trying to cover the spot. "Riku! That tickles—knock it off!" He laughed. Blue eyes met aqua as he turned, grinning, "Now what's this about unpacking?"
"Ah", Riku pulled back so he was standing at full height again. "That's right. Almost forgot." Sora followed him back out to the living room, looking around and wondering where they should start. But before they even had opened one box, the chill was back and the lights blinked once and then went out completely.
Sora jumped a bit, he wasn't afraid of the dark, no, he just preferred the light. "Ne, Riku…?"
"Old house, Sora, remember," Riku raised an eyebrow at the overhead light. He moved over to the switch, flicking it back and forth. "It's probably the breaker. You forget no one's been in this place for ten years. Switchboard is in the basement, I'll go have a look. You remember where you stuck the flashlight?"
"Oh, geez, Riku…" Sora sighed, eying all the boxes. "There's no way we'll find it!"
"Pessimist," Riku smirked. He pointed toward the kitchen, "Well, it was either in that stuff, or I threw it in with the bedroom boxes. You take the kitchen?" Riku didn't wait for a reply as he sauntered back the way the two had come.
"M'not a pessimist," Sora grumbled to himself, picking his way through the boxes with care. He picked the first box he came to in the kitchen and sat down beside it, cross-legged. Ripping it open, all he found was pots and pans.
With a sigh he scooted across the floor a little ways to the next nearest box and found similar items waiting inside. Each minute he felt the room getting colder. He could have sworn he saw his breath a few times. Drawing his eyebrows together in confusion, he stood and he headed toward the thermostat on the back wall, subconsciously fingering his new necklace at the same time.
The thermostat was working fine, apparently. It read a comfortable seventy-eight Fahrenheit, and yet it looked as if the small digital screen was fogging over. Sora rubbed his eyes and blamed it on the darkness. "No way it's anywhere close to seventy in here…s'not even sixty I bet!" he mumbled to himself, snorting at the screen one last time before turning back to the boxes.
However, Sora's hands fell straight to his sides at the sight before him.
Every cabinet door and drawer was opened, wide open.
Now Sora knew when he had first come into the kitchen, none of them had been open. "…Riku? " he called first, thinking it must have been him playing some sort of trick. But then he heard the response from in the back of the house.
So he shouted louder , "Riku!"
"I said what," Riku breathed walking into the kitchen. A brow rose when he noticed the cabinets, but his attention focused on Sora. "Hmm? You find it?"
"R-Riku…" Sora simply pointed at the cabinets.
The other drew his attention along Sora's arm and to where it pointed. It lingered there for a moment before it followed back to Sora. "What?" Riku asked.
Shaking his head slightly and turning only a little away from the cabinets, so he could still see them out of the corner of his eye, Sora looked at Riku who was wearing an exasperated smile. "I swear they weren't like that before! I-I turned around and they were open! At first I thought it was you, but it wasn't because you were in the bedroom still, right? That means they had to have opened on their own! But I didn't hear anything, and no one was here but me, and—"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Riku reached out to put a hand out on Sora's mouth to stop his rambling. "You have to remember I have trouble processing Sora-thoughts when they're coming at me a mile a minute. Now, what happened?" Riku drew his hand away, leaving it on Sora's shoulder instead. He could feel how the other was shaking.
Sora took a deep breath before he began again. He looked at the cabinets quickly, "Those were shut when I first came in here. I turned around for a second to check the thermostat, and when I turned back around they were like that!"
Riku's hand slipped away as he put it on his own forehead, wiping slightly over his eyes so only his grinning lips could be seen as he spoke. "You have…hell Sora, I thought something was actually wrong," he chuckled, bringing his hand down.
"There's not?" Sora's voice had climbed a pitch or two in fear.
"No, you need to calm down," Riku laughed again. "Look, didn't I say this is an old house? It's probably the same damn draft that's making it so goddamn cold in here. Blew 'em open. Ah-" he paused for a moment, "I just remembered where I stuck the flashlight."
With that he headed out of the kitchen, leaving Sora in his wake. The brunet stood in the kitchen, one arm came across his chest to rub the other trying to alleviate the uncomfortable feeling that had seeped into his body.
This wasn't a draft. Sure, maybe a draft could have explained the hinged cabinet doors opening, Sora wagered. But there was no explaining how air pulled open the drawers. Sora moved cautiously over to the cabinets and began closing them. He was relieved when he noticed the chill and the odd feeling in the room had left.
With one last look at the kitchen, Sora followed Riku out the door. The other was emerging from the bedroom as Sora came into the hall. "Got it," Riku raised the flashlight with a grin. Together the boys made their way to the last door in the hall which lead to the basement.
The door opened with a loud creak, dust clouding off the unused frame. Sora coughed, "You're really going down there?" He looked as Riku shone the light, revealing an old wooden staircase. "You…you want me to come to too?"
Riku had moved to the second step, foot pressing down on the third to check the stability. He looked back up to Sora. "Mm, I don't know," Riku smirked as he raised his arms and pinched his fingers together above him. Sora looked on with a strange look running over his face until the silveret held out his hand.
"Riku!" Sora shrieked when he peered over to see what he was offered. Riku held a rather large spider and was wearing his usual smirk again. "G-Get that that thing away!" The brunet backed up, arms raised up slightly in defense.
"So, not joining me after all?" Riku laughed shaking his hand to remove the spider. He huffed in amusement as Sora jumped at the action. "Just wait here then. Keep the door open. I went down here once with the realtor and the damn thing shut on us."
"Alright, be careful," Sora replied.
Riku hummed an agreement, picking his way down the stairs. Each one gave a questionable groan as he rested his weight on them. About halfway down the steps, the flashlight began to blink and then finally went out. Riku hit the side of it, but it didn't light again. He sighed.
"Ne, Sora?" he called.
"Yeah?" came the immediate answer from the top of the stairs. "You okay?"
"Flashlight's dead," Riku called back. He took a step back up, already trying to remember where batteries would be. However, as soon as both feet touched the stair above him, the flashlight blinked back on.
Riku raised an eyebrow at it, turning back around and continuing his descent. But again, when he reached the next step, the light gave three blinks and went dark. In his confusion he barely heard Sora telling him he had put in new batteries before they packed. All his focus has been drawn to the flashlight.
He took a back-step up the stairs, keeping one foot on the lower step and his left on the one above. Riku shifted his weight so that it was above the upper step and the light came back. He blinked, head shaking slightly, and then shifted again so he was now on the lower step again. And as he thought, the light died.
"Riku?" Sora called down, his tone sounding a bit on the worried side. He began to shift his weight from foot to foot as he did when he was nervous. "You're okay down there, right? You need me to come down?"
"I'm alright, Sora," Riku answered. Dismissing a thousand different ideas as to why the flashlight was acting so weird, he continued his way down the stairs. He'd been here before, as he had said. And he guessed he could find the switchboard in the dark if he had to.
He gave the flashlight another shake before giving up on it completely. Riku turned to face where he remember the electrical box being, silently thanking that the basement had been free of debris. Reaching out the hand that wasn't holding the flashlight in front of him, he took careful steps toward the wall. His eyes had begun to adjust to the darkness, but he still could only see shadows.
After what seemed like an eternity, Riku's fingers brushed up against the wall. He trailed them a little to the right, finding only the rough surface of the foundation. Moving again, this time to the left, he came in contact with cold metal.
Dropping the useless flashlight to the ground, Riku removed the covering of the electrical box to gain access to the switchboard. Bending slightly, he set the cover leaning against the wall at his feet.
That's when he felt the soft brush against his neck. Sucking in a breath, and turning slightly trying to make out a figure in the darkness. "Sora? I thought you were waiting upstairs?" he asked, voice shaking a bit.
He didn't get an answer. "Sora, come on this isn't funny," he said a little louder, voice taking on the annoyed air as it usually did during Sora's pranks. "Look, I'm sorry about the spider."
Again there was no answer right away. Drawing his eyebrows together, he bit the inside of his cheek, patience thin.
"Riku? You're taking too long!" Sora whined.
Riku blinked. Sora's voice still held the same echo as it had when he had been talking to him on the stairs. That had to have meant the boy was still waiting at the door. Running a hand over the place on his neck where he had felt the touch, he searched for what he hoped was a bug, or maybe a web. But there was nothing.
He turned back quickly to the switchboard, fingers seeking frantically the one that had been blown. But switch after switch, he found none.
All were still in the on position.
Heart in his throat, Riku could only stare ahead at them, hidden in the darkness. Then, in a sudden flash, the light as his feet returned and he could see the lights from the hall filtering down the stairs. "Hey! Riku! They're back on, you did it!" he heard Sora call happily. And he could almost see the grin he knew would be on his lips.
But Riku's heart had yet to calm, and he had yet to stop shaking. He took a deep breath, eyes looking for any sign of movement in the newly illuminated basement. It took a few seconds until he was able to move again, body slowly slinking toward the pull chain in the middle of the room.
He grabbed the chain, and the small light bulb clicked bringing with it a clear view of the room. Riku looked around again. The water heater…the switchboard…his flashlight…
The room was utterly empty of life other than his own. Riku moved a hand to cover his eyes slightly, taking another deep breath. His fingers trailed down his face and he let out the air in a deep sigh. He had to be going crazy, he thought to himself.
Riku put back the cover of the electrical box and picked up the flashlight again only to find that it was on. He flipped the switch on it a few times, watching as the light came on and disappeared each time. It was working perfectly again.
"Old fucking houses," he repeated to himself again. And he continued to repeat it as he clicked off the light and moved up the stairs. Refusing to look back again, he glanced up the stairs to see Sora's back-lit silhouette.
"You fixed it," Sora said again when Riku came through the doorway. He watched as the other leaned against the door, shutting it in the process. Sora blinked, smile vanishing. "What? What is it?"
He knew Riku well enough to know when something was bothering him. His face had changed. And it looked as if he was deep in thought. Sora waved his hand in front of Riku's face experimentally, "Earth to Riku, come in Riku." He whistled slightly, "Do you copy?"
Riku blinked back to Sora. Just one look at him, and remembering him in the kitchen just a few moments ago, had the older boy wondering if it was best to share what had transpired in the basement. Instead, he reached out and gave a small tug on the necklace he gave Sora, "Nothing. Come on, let's see if we can get unpacked without any more adventures."
The day went by quickly after that. Nothing else out of the ordinary happened, and Riku found he could almost forget the entire basement fiasco. Surprisingly enough, they got quite a bit of their stuff in place without Sora complaining too much.
Dinner came in the form of ordered take-out. Thankfully the place delivered, although Sora had made it clear several times he would definitely not mind driving to pick it up. Riku refused to let him go however. He didn't even fully understand why, but for some reason, letting Sora out of his sight bothered him. He blamed it on it being their first night together in their house.
The two showered, changed clothes, and Riku dug out a blanket since their sheets were still packed away. Sora had managed to find their pillows at least.
Riku lay on his back, left arm folded under his head. Sora had made little use of his pillow since the two had clambered into bed, preferring to rest his head on Riku's chest. The blanket was haphazardly draped around their knees. Both were drifting in a half-sleep, neither ready to end their first day together just yet.
Sora was slowly being lulled into sleep by Riku's heart when a noise startled him just enough to where he cracked open one eye and looked about. The sound came again, followed by another creak. "Riku…? You awake?"
"Mm," Riku grunted sleepily.
"Did you hear that?" he asked. Raising his head when a different sound came from above him, Sora listened as the distinct sound of footsteps moved across the ceiling. "There it is again!"
"Mm, it's an--"
"Don't give me that 'it's an old house'! Do you hear that? It sounds like someone walking!" Sora said a bit louder than before, but still just under a whisper.
Riku groaned and rolled so he could see Sora's face. He listened a minute for the sound, both eyes still refusing to open. When it sounded again, Riku sighed. "I heard that before, it's probably an animal or something in the attic…I'll, I'll check it out tomorrow." He yawned, "Now shut up and sleep."
Sora calmed a little after that. It did seem logical after all. He lowered himself back onto Riku's chest, adjusting his arms so they could curl comfortably between the two. A few moments passed by, and Sora was almost asleep again when he realized something.
"Riku…we don't have an attic…"
"Hey Cloud, come here for a sec."
An older blond, hair much like Sora's turned to face the brunet, hands still moving around various bottles. "Hmm?" he replied, hands still busy.
Sora set his dirty tray on the counter close to the other. He had met Cloud a couple years back in high school. The blond was a fair amount older than him, but not even the stoic Cloud could resist Sora's charm for long. Coincidently, the two had taken jobs at the same restaurant two years ago. The brunet now saw the older man as a brother-figure more than anything. He'd like to think Cloud thought something similar of him, but most times he couldn't tell.
It had been three days since he and Riku had moved in. He hadn't told anyone about the incident in the kitchen, although it still bothered him greatly. He couldn't talk about it to Riku. He seemed to deny that anything happened at all.
There hadn't been anything abnormal since the first day either. So it was not as if Sora had more to work with besides the cabinets opening on their own. No strange noises, no chills or creepy feelings, nothing.
Sora had really been thinking on it too much and he wanted to put it behind him, yet he couldn't. Blue eyes turned up to Cloud. "Can I ask you something and you promise you won't think I'm crazy?"
Cloud snorted, finishing mixing a drink and handing it to a waiting server. "I already think you're crazy," Cloud responded simply, reaching for an empty glass and pouring another drink mix. "So ask." He gave his full attention to the other, turning from the counter and leaning on his hip.
"I'm being serious," Sora cracked a smile. Then he shook his head, taking in Cloud's amused expression, "And don't say it! I know what it is, so no." Sora tapped his fingers restlessly against the tray. "Do you," he paused, trying to think of the wording, "Do you believe in like…ghosts?"
"Ghosts?" Cloud repeated clearly not expecting the questions. "No, not really, why?"
"I…I don't know, just wondering," he bit his lip. An order was placed under the lamps behind him and Sora took a fresh tray out to deliver it with a sigh.
Cloud watched him go with an uneasy expression. The boy was acting weird. He moved back around to the bar, taking an older gentlemen's order before uncorking a bottle of red wine. Sora had returned by the time he had poured the man a glass, so he intercepted him before he had the chance to skitter off again.
"Sora? Is something wrong?" Cloud asked. Sora sighed, turning to look at the older.
"No," the brunet replied, shouldering the empty tray. "No, not really. It's just weird things happened at the house when we moved in. Riku thinks it's just 'cause the house is old and all, I guess, I guess I'm just overreacting," Sora pursed his lips together in thought.
Nodding his head, Cloud clapped Sora across the back lightly. "You always did worry too much," Cloud said. "You sure that's all that is bothering you? You look tense. And you haven't tripped over that fold in the carpet by table five all day."
Sora laughed at that. "Are you a part-time psychic or something, Cloud?"
"Hit the mark?" Cloud smirked.
Sora dug in his pants pocket, finally putting down the tray. His tongue stuck through his lips in concentration until he withdrew a small black box then he turned with a smile to Cloud. "I'm giving this to Riku tonight."
Cloud took the offered box, wiping his hands on the towel hanging out of his pocket beforehand. He opened it, revealing a simple silver-colored ring. Cloud's eyebrows instantly rose, "Is this what I think it is?"
Sora turned about five shaded of brilliant red before protesting, "No! It's not like that! It's just a gift!"
"Oh," Cloud simply said. A hint of amusement was still visible on his lips when he handed back the box. "Special occasion?"
"No," Sora turned the closed box in his fingers before dropping it back in his pocket. "He got me this really nice necklace," Sora pulled it from the inside of his collar, showing it to Cloud. "And then yeah, I told you about the car already. I just thought I should get him something too, you know, as thanks."
"You scared me for a minute there," Cloud smirked. "You'd tell me before you popped the question right?"
"Who's popping the question?" came a voice from behind the counter.
Cloud and Sora moved around until they had a clear view of the front of the restaurant. Greeting them was the grinning face of a familiar raven-haired man. "Hey Zack!" Sora greeted with a wave.
Zack was another friend of Sora's, but both were so insanely alike in personalities, it was a wonder if they weren't somehow related by a distant, crazy, relative. They met through Cloud. He was two years older than the blond and Sora, as well as almost anyone who saw them together, could tell they were just as in love with each as he and Riku were. However, neither of the men had admitted it yet.
"Heya, squirt," Zack grinned, reaching over the bar to ruffle brown spikes. His attention turned on Cloud, "Well, if it isn't my most favorite bartender in the world. Wanna make me something special?"
"No."
Sora laughed at the exaggerated pout moving over Zack's face. "What are you doing here anyway? Cloud said you were working."
Zack, oddly enough, was a police officer for Hollow Bastian's second district. If someone spent any time with the man, they think he was much too kind-hearted and good-natured for the job. Others would see him as a bit too irresponsible. But he took his job seriously, and thrived on the action, but never cared too much about the paperwork.
"On break," Zack said simply. "Had to stop in a say hello to my best buds. Besides, saw this really questionable orange car in the lot, and thought I should do the city a favor and have it towed." He grinned when all the color in Sora's face drained, leaning back slightly, hand moving to absentmindedly shine his badge.
"You what!" Sora all but shouted. He made to dive over the counter and out the door when Cloud caught his arm.
"He's being a dumbass, don't pay attention to him," Cloud said, throwing a glare Zack's way.
"You ruin all my fun, Cloudy," Zack sighed.
"You didn't really tow it did you?" Sora asked, ignoring the growl Cloud gave at Zack's familiar nickname.
"No way, kid, Cloud told me about you getting the car of your dreams and all," Zack laughed. "You need to dream a bit bigger!" Sora pouted a bit, and would have tried to slug him if there was not a counter in between them.
"Closing time, Sora, Cloud!" the three heard the manager call. Zack checked his watch, seeing it was nearly seven already. He sighed, he really disliked his shift. He looked up to see Cloud already cleaning up, Sora doing the same.
"Hey Cloud, want me to drive you home in the cruiser? Wouldn't want some pervert to rape you on the way to the bus stop! We can turn the lights on," Zack called out to the other a bit too loudly. The few customers that remained looked up with disgust and began muttering.
"Will you be quiet?" Cloud appeared at his side, grabbing his ear and dragging him outside. He called a quick goodbye to Sora over his shoulder. Sora watched with an amused grin as Zack let out his discomfort clearly but didn't struggle against the hold at all.
A few minutes later, Sora left out the same way the other two had and plopped down in the driver seat of his Bug with a sigh. Half of him wanted to get home quickly to see if Riku liked his present, and the other half wanted to take the side streets to avoid giving it to him for as long as possible.
Gaining a bit of confidence, Sora started the car and began the drive home.
It took about an hour to finally arrive in his own driveway. Sighing while shutting his door, he untied his apron on the way up the porch, slinging it over his shoulder when he fit the key in. He was surprised to find the television on but the living room empty.
"Riku?" he called, locking the front door behind him. Looking around the room, he didn't see any trace of the other boy. He toed his shoes and picked up the remote to turn off the TV. "Riku?" he called again, this time heading toward the bedroom after checking the kitchen.
His hand had found the box in his pocket and he brought it out, staring at it for a moment. Rolling it in between his fingers, Sora pushed open the door to their bedroom. He saw Riku's form sprawled on the bed.
Thinking him asleep, and that it would be a nice surprise if he slipped the ring on Riku's finger while he slept, Sora slowly crept over to the bed. Removing the ring from its box, Sora faced Riku finally.
But he stopped dead in his tracks. Riku's eyes were open, glazed over, and his chest was still.
The ring clattered to the floor.
Note: Did you all fall out of your chairs just now? No? Oh well. My quickness in updates will be directly related to the response, no foolin'.