This is a 'get well soon' fic for PyRo-the-fanboy. He's had some tough times, and only a few people who will stand by him. If you run away sweety, can you take me too?
Warnings: homophobia, gay bashings, unsympathetic and abusive parents, words that shouldn't exist.
Silver Lining: Soriku, light Cleon no kairi-bashing (at least by me), fluff and a handful o kisses
Kingdom Hearts is the property of Squeenix and Disney. Not Jaffa-chan. Though the butt grabbing scene at the end of KHII? Yea, that would totally stay =3
feedback is more then appreciated.
-
Who We Are
..xx
-
Oh, that's right, homophobia.
It's funny that they could be themselves out there, with the heartless and the soldiers and the whip of magic and the threat of death.
And when things are quiet, things are peaceful...
Sora gets his arm broken and his ribs kicked in for holding his best friend's hand.
Riku gets beaten black and blue, kicked out of home for telling them he had a boyfriend.
Kairi gets called all kinds of filthy names, just for still accepting them.
Tidus wont talk to, or look at, them anymore.
Wakka acts like it was a lie he ever did.
It's when he isn't saving them, that they treat him like a peice of filth. An unholy thing, with nothing of worth to offer.
Riku sometimes believes.
His face is hard to read, emotionless expression.
But Sora can see the hidden rage, the lingering snarl of darkness hinting in the twitch of his brow as words are thrown like weapons.
It's himself that rage is aimed at, but it turns to violence if Sora is attacked with him there, not that the brunet couldn't fight for himself, the smaller boy's concience would just remind him at the worst times that these were people hurting him, not heartless anymore, just people who didn't understand.
It's Sora who sneaks the boy into his room every night. Through the window, in the middle of the night, Riku isn't quiet homeless, at least until Sora's mum finds out innocent Sora is sneaking a boy into his room every night.
It's Sora who holds the boy tight, even though Riku isn't crying, Sora knows he needs the comfort.
"Rii, they're wrong, not us," Sora whispers into his lovers hair, almost in tears himself, no matter how convinced he is that he's speaking the truth.
"Sora, how can they all be wrong? How could they? What i've done to you-"
The brunet scoffs. Throws a hand to the side and let's the glimmer of the keyblade prove his next words.
"Strongest heart right?" he questions, "the keyblade wouldn't take an impure heart."
Riku frowns further, "God doesn't control the keyblade Sora."
Sora shifts even closer, "I don't believe in God Riku-love," he promises, "all I care about is loving you, cause it's what I live for."
Riku tightens his hold, willingly sharing the comfort only they can offer each other.
They fall asleep like that, Riku wrapped around his boyfriend, Sora's heavy cast on Riku's waist and their feet twined around each other.
Riku awoke alone, but he could hear voices.
Sora's voice a lower growl then he'd ever heard, and his mothers was equally strained and heated.
The silver haired boy sat up slowly, blinking in confusion. He'd never heard them fight before. Sora was a good kid with less then perfect grades, with plenty of friends who helped his mother with the groceries.
"Mum, I love him. You might not understand that, hell most the world doesn't seem to get that, but I love him more then anything in the world, i'm not giving that up because a few kids think i'm going to hell and want to send me there themselves."
"Sora, you're confused, you don't understand the difference between hormones and love," his mother assured him, "you're seventeen, that's to young to decide to throw your life away for some lust driven emotion."
Riku frowned, how could Sora be to young? After everything he'd been through, after everything they'd both been through, they understood the power of the heart more than anyone.
"You know what, it's nice to know where I stand in this family. We'll, give dad a call, tell him to come beat my head in and kick me out. I'd rather be homeless with Riku then here with someone who doesn't love me for who I am."
Sora slipped into his bedroom, ignoring his mothers call for him to come back.
He rubbed his face, trying to wipe away the frustration before startling when he noticed Riku was awake and aware.
He smiled, a bittersweet echo of his usual grin, "eavesdropping isn't very polite Riku-love," he teased, padding back over to the bed and resting his forehead against his boyfriends shouder.
"Did she find me here?" Riku inquired softly, clearly already berating himself for staying the night and putting Sora's family ties on the line.
Fabric shifted as Sora shook his head against the soft cotton of Riku's sleeve, "some one called up to make a threat and it freaked her out. I didn't tell her how I broke my arm, but after that she knows she's not the only one that disproves...I'm sorry she woke you."
Riku snorted, curling his unoccupied arm around the small brunet. "I'd rather be awake, to see you, then asleep, to dream about you."
Knowing without seeing that the keybearer had a terrific blush on his cheeks, Riku smirked softly, pressing a kiss to the mess of spikes resting against him.
"I should go, I have to drop Kairi off at the station today, do you wanna come with?"
Sora shook his head slowly, "I have to talk to dad. Mum's gunna call him, and i'd rather have my say when she has hers... Give Kairi my love though, and tell her to call me when she gets there."
Riku stood, smiled softly, and leant in to share a proper kiss.
"I'll miss you," the silver haired teen promised.
Sora smiled, a little dazed. "I'll meet you by the pier in a few hours," he promised, "and i'll try and smuggle some lunch."
Grinning, the older of the pair straddled the window sill, "love you."
"Love you too," Sora beamed.
-
It's three in the afternoon when Riku really starts to worry.
The pier is void of crowds, most people spending the day at the strip mall, or hurrying through homework left until the last minute.
Kairi had left five hours ago, on a train heading for a new school, away from the nasty names and the two boys she loved closer then her own brothers.
She had left with tearful apologies over her overprotective parents, and Riku had laughed a little dryly and promised that distance wouldn't mean a thing. She still accepted them, and that was what they needed most.
But Sora hadn't met him. Surely a phone call with a work-aholic father couldn't take five hours. Even given the subject of the conversation, no one could hold Sora's attention that long without a plan of attack and a stifling desperate atmosphere. Not even Riku.
Riku rose from his spot slowly, mind whirring through all the things that could have happened, all the places someone could have ambushed his boyfriend to finish of the job they'de started on his arm.
And then, as if apearing through strength of will alone, the boy finally was there.
Glistening with sweat and tears and with his keyblade sparkling with threat.
That was enough to have Riku in a panic. Sora had excellent control over his keyblade and he never, never used it on people. He'd let his arm break and his ribs fracture without once summoning the legendary blade for help.
Riku ran to meet him, eyes searching for pursuers and danger. He found none.
Sora let the blade drop from his hands, reaching up to encircle Riku's neck with his arms, the cast heavy and awkward, but barely given a thought.
"I made them do it," he sobbed, "It's my fault... it's all my fault."
"Sora what happened? The keyblade, are you okay? Who hurt you??" Riku's words were slurred with worry and almost saturated with regret he hadn't been there to help.
"I turned them, Riku, I made them break," the younger boy tried and failed to explain, "is it really so hard for them to see I love you?"
Riku pulled the boy away, tugged him into his car resting where he'd parked it some hours before.
They sat in the backseat, Sora curled against Riku's chest, sobbing out the fear and whatever else he was feeling.
When he was calmer, Riku asked again, "what happened?"
"T-they saw me from the arcade when I was walking passed... cornered me by the alley between Gordon and Achilles..." he sniffled a little, and tightened his hold on Riku's shirt despite the pain it must have caused the broken bone. "I thought I was just gunna be beat up again, but the guy in charge, he started twitching and stuff... and then, there was heartless there, I didn't see the nobody, maybe he wasn't strong enough for one, but the shadow tore into his friends one at a time. I had no choice then, I had to kill them, but I knew who they were Riku! I turned them i-into heartless. That's how much they hated me."
Wide-eyed, Riku cooed and rocked as Sora began to sob again, "It's not your fault Sor, it's not. They were just to weak to fight of the darkness is all..." he huffed against the boys head, "and if they didn't turn against you, they would have changed into a heartless against someone else, someone without a keyblade."
"But they were people Riku, and I made them change, and I k-killed them."
Riku thought alot of things he didn't say. Like the fact that all the heartless they killed were people once too. Or like the thought that Riku could have proberly killed them without them being heartless, if they'd hurt Sora enough.
"Sora, it's okay, you didn't do anything wrong."
"They have families Riku," Sora whimpered, "families and friends who don't remember anything about the heartless and the nobodies. What are they gunna think? That they ran away? That they were kidnapped?"
Riku sighed sadly, "Sor... it's not your fault they turned into heartless. If you hadn't killed them when they changed, they would have turned their friends and family into heartless too."
Sora fell silent, his boyfriends words finally getting through, "and eventually they would have attacked our parents, our friends."
The brunet sniffled again, against Riku's chest, "yeah.. I guess so.. I just wish," he looked up, meeting the concerned eyes watching him, "I wish it never had to come to that. That the light moments, with you and me and loving you, wouldn't bring the darkness too."
Riku frowned.
But Sora was burrowing into his chest again.
They sat in silence for a long time, the sun had set and the air was cooling down around them.
"Dad told me to stop seeing you. Told me that you were using me, and that I was to naive to know any better," Sora laughed, the bitter edge foriegn and hopefully fleeting, "I told him it was me who kissed you first, and he started saying something about you being able to convince me to do it. He has no idea what he's talking about. He's gunna come home as soon as he gets the next contract signed, to try and keep us apart, I told him I wasn't going to be there to see him, if that's all he can think about."
"Uh oh, my telepathic ability to control you is no longer a secret," Riku gasped in mock worry, "how will I convince you to make me P and J sandwiches now?"
Sora laughed properly this time, "well.. I guess you'll have to think of something to convince me Riku-love," he tilted his face upwards, a bright hint.
"I think you're the one manipulating me," Riku chuckled, leaning forward to push butterfly kisses across Sora's cheeks before finally landing on his mouth.
Sora smiled dreamily, and they shared kiss after kiss in the backseat of Riku's junkyard worthy car.
"We should run away together," the brunet murmured, "I'm sure there has to be someplace where I can love you were no one else will care."
And Riku's mind whirs into life, even as Sora laughs off his own wishful thinking.
-
Yes.
-
It's three days after the heartless that Sora's dad pulls up in his driveway.
It's three minutes later that Sora is screaming and shouting with tears running down his cheeks.
It's three hours before his voice is lost from all that noise, and he fades away as his parents discuss him to curl up with Riku in his bedroom.
"I don't care what they think, what they say, I don't care if people hurt me, or if I hurt them. I would die for you Riku-love, I live for you, I love for you, they can go to hell for all I care."
The husky painful words were beautiful in all there angry honesty.
Riku was flying higher then a kite, blissfully loved and in love and okay with everything else as long as he had his boyfriend with him.
"Wanna run away together?" he whispers, as the shouts from downstairs rose and fell like music.
Sora blinks, looking up with hope in his tear stained eyes, "yes."
-
There's another attack, a week after the first, and this time Riku is there to see the twitching.
Riku is there to see the sick twisting of bodies as the bully turns into a Heartless.
This time it's the dual swings and songs of keyblades that counters the attack, this time they are both shivering with almost regret and anguish.
Riku's car hold witness to their pain, and when Riku drives Sora home it bears witness to the first hit Riku receives from Sora's father, instead of his own.
Sora swears and scrambles and growls at his father like he himself was struck.
He kicks and hollers and waves his arms, broken and not, until the hold on his scruff is released, and he runs back to the shell shocked Riku, "let's run away together! I don't love anyone like I love you!"
And his parents stay on their lawn, protected by the unspoken agreement that they were childless again.
-
They wait in Riku's broken down car, which has serves as their home for the last few nights.
They sit and they wait and they whisper and they kiss.
And when the ship arrives, just over the tree's, they shout in glee and run for the brightly colored array of blocks.
Leon is all but silent, with a small sympathetic smile to them as he opens the ship up to let them aboard.
They fly off the second they can, and Sora's so goddamn happy that he can hold Riku's hand and no one seems to mind.
-
"Welcome home!" Yuffie's voice sings, pulling the two boys close, and squeezing them until they were fit to burst, "we missed you!"
She pulls back far enough to look them over, clicking her tongue at there ragged states and their broken and bruised places.
"Aerith!! Sora and Riku are here!" She calls out over her shoulder, towards the door she'd left open in her haste.
Aerith obediently appears, smiling like the angel she was usually called, and immediatly the green glow of magic overtook them, enveloping them in a warm safe place.
The bruises and gashes healed swiftly and Sora gasped as the steady ache in his arm faded.
He ran forward and hugged the woman, laughing as free as anything.
Riku smiled, an honest to goodness smile and felt muscles he hadn't realised held stress relaxed.
It was all gunna be okay now, they were gunna be okay.
-
There were only a few heartless left in the world now. Only the little shadows that broke free of people's hearts when they were pushed to the edge of there rope and broke.
It was enough to keep Riku and Sora fit, if nothing else, and it served to make them feel less like guests and more like a part of Radiant Garden.
And Riku held Sora's hand when they walked through the streets during the day.
And Sora watched Riku's back as they patrolled the streets at night.
And they walked through the door to the house they shared with Aerith and Cloud, and were greeted with a warm hello from the former, and the occasional smile from the latter.
They left the table together at dinner, and went to the room they shared together, without any sneaking or window crawling or nasty comments.
Cid made the occasional crude comment, but he stopped when Aerith scolded him for that kind of talk at the kitchen table and threatened to take away his apple pie.
It was like heaven, this peace, it was unfamiliar in times of peace, and it was beautiful for the ease in which it was offered. Not a second glance from people, not a nasty look or cruel action taken against them.
"Hey Riku!" Sora's voice echoed one day from his perch on top of the observatory Cid was building as he saw Riku leave the house.
Riku looked up, squinting against the sunlight.
"I LOVE YOU!!!" he shouted, grin more vibrant then the light above him, and loud enough that the entire world must have heard him.
Riku grinned back, "I LOVE YOU TOO!" he bellowed, chuckling softly at Sora's display.
Sora waved his arms, both whole and undamaged wildly, "SORA AND RIKU SITTING IN A TREE! K.I.S.S.I.N.G!!!"
The silver haired teen laughed in responce, then lunged forward, climbing up the drainpipe to reach the younger boy who yelped and laughed and moved away just slow enough for Riku to catch him and pull him into a kiss.
"Shouting your love from the rooftop Sor, honestly," he chuckled.
Sora grinned, pressing a soft kiss to Riku's nose to watch it crinkle, "I only do it cause I can," he assured his boyfriend, "I know you know it."
Suddenly Cid appeared, frowning all the while, "Sora! You ain't menta be playin' tonsil hockey with yer Romeo there! Getcher ass back in gear boy!"
Laughing softly Sora pulled away from Riku. He turned to get back to work, then paused, looking back at Riku over his shoulder.
"Yanno what Riku-love?" he informed the boy, ignoring Cid's glare-of-immenant-cussing.
"What Sora?" Riku chuckled, stopping before he slid from the roof.
"I'm so happy here it's silly," he confessed, grin crooked, "but you're still all I live for."
Riku grinned, unable to remember when anything but those words were needed.
-
Cloud,
You remember when I caught you and Cloud in the pantry together? And you promised me a favor if I never told Tifa?
I'm using that favor, and anything else you want.
I'm in love with Sora. Hopelessly and completely in love. And he loves me too.
No one here wants us to be happy like we are.
Can you help us? We need to get away.
I'll give anything I have, if you could help us. No matter what anyone thinks of us, we're in love, and that's all that matters to us.
Riku.
-
Cloud shifted, finally finding enough strength to pull away from the paper he'd received what seemed like forever ago. He padded away from it, back to the bed.
Leon blinked awake at the shifting of mattress, then smiled seeing who it was.
"Still thinking to much?" the scarred brunet inquired.
"...I'm gunna tell Tifa," the blond informed his lover.
Leon blinked, clearly not expecting that, "but-"
"She needs to know... besides, you heard them today...."
Leon's lips finally tilted into a smirk, "are you going to declare your love from a rooftop Cloud?"
Cloud frowned sharply, but his lips twitched as though fighting off a smile, "...no..."
The older man chuckled, pulling the younger onto the bed, "then?"
"I was just thinking.. it would be nice if I could..." Cloud finally caved, "the only thing keeping me from making sure no one touches you... is Tifa's reaction."
Leon sat up, nipping at Cloud's neck, "if you tell her..." he chuckled again, sucking at a sensitive spot on his lover's neck, "i'll be here to lick your wounds."
Cloud hummed in content, leaning towards his lover's soft touch.
Yeah... they had it easy compared to Riku and Sora, it was about time they stopped taking it for granted.
-end-
p.s: homophobia pisses me off. love is love and no matter how worth pain it is, it shouldn't be neccesary to be beaten up so you can express it.