It was cold out, and snow had just begun to fall. I was late coming back from my doctor's appointment and I knew my regulars would be wondering where I was at. Pulling my cap closer around my ears I finally made it to my small coffee shop.
Stopping I pulled my bookbag off and rummaged through searching for my keys. My eyes spotted silver and I turned to see a man about my age sitting on the ground just a few feet away from the door I was about to open.
"Hi," I started. "Are you cold?" My god I was an idiot! Of course, he was cold! It was twenty eight degrees out and snowing.
Snorting he nodded. His eyes were the most beautiful shade of turquoise.
"Would you like to come inside?" I asked gesturing to my shop.
Closing his eyes for a moment I could see the wheels turning. I needed to sweeten the deal perhaps?
"It's warm in here. I can make you something to eat. We've got coffee, hot chocolate, and apple cider." I offered.
His eyes opened and a smile graced his face. Nodding he stood up and followed me inside. He was wearing two bulky coats one was brown the other black. It looked like he was also wearing a holey blue sweatshirt and gray sweat pants with stains on them. His shoes were riddled with holes and he was wearing a black knit cap that silver hair was spilling out of.
He took a seat in a nearby booth just as my regulars started trickling in. Aqua was first with Namine close behind. They were both in deep conversation as they made their way to the back to grab their aprons.
Xion came next with Cloud and Leon escorting her in. They kissed the top of her head and watched her walk to the back before they left. Terra was last stretching as he came in.
Xion was out first wearing a golden apron with her name tag on the left side of her apron. Namine and Aqua were out next wearing a red apron with their name tags on the left side. Terra was once again last wearing a gold apron with his name tag on the right side. I chuckled; the name tag always changed on Terra's apron.
I grabbed muffins, blueberry, chocolate and banana nut. I made apple cider and coffee. I grabbed creamers and put them on a tray carrying it to my mystery guest. Sugar packets were on the table lined neatly in a little black holder.
He was done within minutes. I had Terra whip up some eggs, bacon and toast and I brought him that to. After he was finally done, I asked something I'd never ask anyone else.
"Would you like to go upstairs and take a bath? It's getting awfully cold out there, you could even stay the night if you'd like." I offered.
Once again, I could see the wheels turning in his mind. He nodded after a few minutes. Standing up I led him through the kitchen and outside where another door sat about two feet away. Inside was a staircase that we ascended until we reached the door to my apartment.
Unlocking it I led him inside to the small apartment. Through the hallway was the kitchen. Then there was the living room. The couch was facing the tv which was setting in a small cabinet. It held all my gaming consoles which I barely used anymore except to watch tv with.
There was a bathroom just down the hall which held a toilet and shower. My bedroom had a queen-sized bed and bathroom attached to it. The bathtub was large, so I hurried in and started the water.
"Oh, I'm Sora by the way," I said as the man followed me into the bathroom.
"Riku." He said voice low and rich.
I stood there for a minute just staring until Riku cleared his throat.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Here's the bath I'll uh look for some clean clothes." I stammered.
The door closed behind me and I hurried to my dressers to find something clean. I had a pair of sweat pants that were too big for me, but I figured Riku could fit into them.
Looking at the clock I noticed it was nine in the morning, things were about to get crazy.
"Hey Riku, will you be alright?" I called through the closed door. "I have to get downstairs and help with the rush. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"I'll be alright." He called back.
Before I left my apartment, I stopped by the mirror and made sure my hair was perfectly in place. Satisfied I hurried out and back to the shop.
Terra was manning the register and calling out orders as Namine and Aqua were quickly making them still in their heated debate. Xion was walking the floor with a fresh pot of coffee stopping every few seconds to chat with a customer.
Grabbing a pitcher of water, I started wandering the floor lost in thought. After making my rounds Mrs. Higgins raised her hand and beckoned me over. After making sure everyone was taken care of I made my way over.
"Hey Sora, how's it going?" She asked patting the seat beside her.
Sitting the pitcher down I sat beside her in the booth and sighed.
"My ears are messing up again." I grumbled.
"What did the doctor say?" She asked.
Groaning I buried my face in my hands and started mumbling. Somehow, she understood every word and patted my back telling me it was going to be ok. I grumbled that it wasn't, and she assured me that it was.
"Do you know how hard it is to find someone?" I cried.
"Oh, sweetie you're still young you'll find someone." She chuckled.
"Thanks Mrs. Higgins always glad to talk to you." I said standing up and grabbing my water pitcher.
Reaching over and laying her hand on mine she smiled at me and assured me that everything would be alright. I headed back to the counter where Terra started getting swamped. As he rang orders in, I grabbed pastries and helped the girls make drinks.
Xion finished her rounds and came over to help as well. Finally, after about an hour and a half thing settled down. I made sure everyone was going to be ok before I left to check on Riku.
Back upstairs I headed back into my bedroom and to the open bathroom door.
Riku was sitting on the floor rubbing a towel through his silver hair. He was naked but that's not what drew my attention though it was his silver colored tail flicking back and forth. His ears flicked back as he stood quickly wrapping the towel around him.
"You're a Cat." I said.
"I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon." He murmured.
I headed to the bedroom and grabbed the clean clothes I had laid out and handed them to him. The door closed and he quickly changed. When the door opened again, he came out carrying his old dirty clothes.
"I'll just uh leave." He said hurrying past me.
"Wait!" I cried reaching out to grab his arm.
He twirled around eyes not meeting mine.
"Stay, please? It's going to be below freezing tonight. I can take you back to your owner tomorrow. Or wherever you need to go." I said.
"I don't have an owner. I'm homeless alright?" He cried staring at the hand that was holding his arm.
Letting go he made his way over to the couch and sat. I took his clothes and went to the laundry room that was adjacent to the half bathroom. I wanted to throw everything away because it all had holes in it somewhere. I could afford new clothes, but I wasn't sure how that would be taken.
I threw everything in the washing machine added detergent and turned it on.
"I'll stay the night." He said when I returned.
Grinning I helped him with the tv before heading back to the shop to make sure everything was running alright. It was, it was always running smoothly whether I was there or not.
I stayed downstairs for a few hours until the mid-shift started to trickle in. Axel was the first one in, with Demyx and Zexion trailing behind. They went to the back and emerged with gold aprons on.
Zexion wasn't a Cat, in fact besides me he was the only employee here who wasn't. He was Demyx's owner and was working here while he attended college.
Zexion was my mid shift manager and the only one who happily stayed on mid shift. I switched everyone else around week to week so Zexion was the obvious choice for the position. After explaining that I had a guest upstairs and I'd be gone until closing I hurried back to Riku.
He was curled up on the couch fast asleep. Now that I could stop running for five minutes, I stared at Riku. His hair was down to his shoulders and the sweats he was wearing were practically hanging off him.
His ears were flat against his head and his tail was lying on his leg. I wanted to rub his ears. I'd always wanted a Cat, but we could never afford it. His face was sunken in and was he always this pale?
Fighting the urge to rub his ears I stood up and headed to the kitchen to start dinner.
It was a quick chicken stir fry, nothing special but Riku devoured it like it was his last meal. He'd woken up halfway through my cooking starving. Finally, at nine I went back to the shop to help close. I thanked everyone and made sure they were picked up if they had rides.
I made Riku sleep in my bed. He protested the whole way but after he climbed in and the covers were pulled up, he was gone.
He didn't leave the next day, or the next. I didn't mention his leaving hoping that enough time would pass that he would want to stay permanently.
I enjoyed cooking for him and after a month he started to accompany me downstairs to meet the regulars. I was still careful around him, trying to not ask him how he came to be homeless. I made sure my hair was still carefully in place and tried to make sure I was the first one up.
I didn't want him to know. It was too embarrassing no matter what Mrs. Higgins said.
We ate breakfast downstairs together and at night we headed back to the apartment where I cooked dinner. After two months Riku started talking more. Riku was still a man of few words but at least he was saying more than one sentence.
"I know you're curious. I ran away from my owners. I've been on my own now for six months. I'm not going back." He murmured.
"I won't make you go back." I answered as we sat down on the couch together after dinner.
"The courts won't see it that way. They'll send me back. I've been trying to document everything so when they do find me maybe I'll have a chance of getting away." He whispered putting his face in his hands.
"You can stay here as long as you like." I said.
His head snapped up and he turned to me. His turquoise eyes were wide. Shaking his head, he turned away mumbling a thank you.
"Uh, also we could use the help if you think it'll help your case any you could work for me. You'd also live here with me to of course, unless you don't want to." I stammered.
"No, I'd like to stay I mean. I would like the job. Thank you." He said not meeting my eyes.
"Collar, you don't have a collar. How have you not been picked up?" I asked. Then it dawned on me as he started laughing that he'd been hiding his ears and tail.
"Thank you." He said. "When can I start?"
"Whenever you'd like." I answered.
"Tomorrow." He said. "I'd like to start tomorrow."
I agreed and afterwards he headed back to my bedroom to go to sleep. When morning rolled around, he was up in a pair of jeans and blue sweater that I'd bought him after his week of living with me.
We headed downstairs at eight exactly. Xion was the first one to be let in. Axel was next and Namine was last. Aqua had been sick for the past two days so she had the rest of the week off. Namine and Xion gravitated towards Riku and helped him set up.
He'd watch me open enough times that he knew what he was doing. I headed to my office to get some paper work done. Before we opened the doors Riku made his way back to me ears flat against his head.
He had a look of disinterest, but his tail was twitching nervously.
"Red or gold?" He asked.
Confused I stared at him trying to figure out what he was asking. Then it dawned on me. Red or gold apron.
"I'd like you to have the gold but it's completely your choice." I answered trying to pick my words carefully.
Smiling he took a step forward, "Gold please."
Turning I fished around in the boxes behind me for the box with gold aprons. I found one and quickly turned to hand it to him. I'd also talked to my brother who had a collar made for me after I'd seen Axel's.
After two months I was hoping to present it to him at home. I wasn't expecting him to want to work for me least of all today. Axel had just dropped it off when he came in for the morning shift.
"Hey Riku," I called as he turned to leave. I pulled the small box out and presented it to him.
He opened the box and smiled. I hadn't even had a chance to see it myself. It was a sky-blue collar with pictures of what looked to be the beach. There were clouds, palm trees and the ocean on the small collar.
"Did you..." He started but stopped to unlatch it and put it on.
"No, my brother made it. He made one for his Cat Axel, I asked him to make one for me. He just got done with it." I explained.
"This means I'm yours now." He said sauntering over. "Are you prepared for that?"
I thought I was. I mean I knew I was! I'd wanted a Cat since I was very young. But we were poor, and it was either get a Cat or help me. Roxas and I voted for the Cat, but my parents had other ideas.
"Y-yeah." I stammered.
"You'll be sleeping in your bed again but with me." He murmured coming over to pull my chair back.
He was wearing the gold apron and the new collar as he sank down in my lap. He kissed me first. His arms wrapped my neck as chapped lips met mine.
My hands which had previously been lying on my desk now had a chance to roam. He'd filled out since coming to live with me. His skin was as pale as when we'd met. It was smooth and hard. I wanted to feel more.
I could get up if I wanted, close the door to my office and we could continue. Riku had other ideas. He pulled away smiling and crawled off my lap.
"Tonight." He murmured walking away.
Sighing I let my head thunk on the table.
"Do I have to sleep with the boss in order to get a new apron?" A voice asked.
Pulling my head off the table I looked up to see Axel trying to stifle a laugh.
"I mean I will if I have to but Roxas will be pretty pissed." His face was as red as his hair as he tried to hold it in. When he couldn't take it anymore, he burst out laughing.
He calmed after a few minutes and headed behind me to rummage through the box. Finding what he was looking for he headed back out calling that he and Riku both needed name tags.
I made them; it took me thirty minutes, but I made them. When I handed them to Axel, and Riku I was sure my face was beet red. Axel was grinning and Riku was chuckling.
I helped Xion make rounds with the coffee pots. It seemed Riku had gotten popular along with Axel, so we had a full house. People stopped me to ask about Riku's gold apron and if he'd be changing it in for a red one anytime soon. Axel mostly stayed in the back making all kinds of deserts but he came out occasionally to fill up the refrigerated display case.
I knew they wouldn't have even given him a second glance if they'd saw him two months ago. With a little bit of food and regular bathing he looked like a whole new person. He seemed more confident, full of life.
Mrs. Higgins grabbed me as I was filling her cup. Since she was the last one to be topped off, I sat in the booth with her to chat.
"What did the doctor say?" She asked reaching out to touch my hand.
"Need new batteries. He told me where I can find them. He says if that doesn't fix the problem, we'll have to order new ones." I sighed looking around to make sure no one was listening. "We could barely afford the ones I have now. I can't get new ones!"
"Sora!" She cried grabbing my hand in hers. "Do not worry about this. You'll get it figured out. You know I'll help you if you need it."
"Mrs. Higgins no! You're on a fixed income! I'm not putting you in a bind just to help me! We've known each other for years besides if I have to go a few months without them I will." I growled.
"Alright. But have you told him?" She asked pointing in the general direction of Riku.
"No, I'm still to embarrassed besides this is the first guy to like me in forever!" I cried.
"You'll have to tell him sometime." She said.
Nodding I stood up and grabbed my coffee pots to make another round. I knew I would have to tell him; it was only a matter of time after all. It wasn't fair. The first guy to like me in forever and only because he didn't know.
If Riku was serious about tonight I'd need to tell him. Around dinner time we headed upstairs after Riku clocked out. I made tacos that night. Quick and easy.
He was quick to pick up where we left off that morning. Sitting on the couch back on my lap arms wrapped around my neck.
"I have hearing aids!" I cried pushing Riku's chest.
He stopped ears flat and then perked up. "Yeah I know already. I heard them when we first met. They made a weird whistling noise."
When I didn't say anything, his ears flattened again.
I took in a shuddering breath before laughing. Riku was confused his tail was swishing and one ear was twitching. The other was still. I brought him in for a kiss.
"I've been secretly going to the doctor about that. They think they might be dying so until I get the money, I might have to go without them for a little while." I finally answered. "I didn't want you to know. You're the first guy in forever to be ok with this."
"What happened?" He asked.
"I wasn't deaf when I was born but I'm hard of hearing. They tried everything they could before the doctors said I'd need hearing aids. My parents saved money for years until my grandparents helped with the rest." I snorted. "It's not like they had the money either, but they loved us."
Riku's arms tightened around me as he pulled me in for another kiss.
"It's alright. You can tell me." His breath was warm against my face and smelled like coffee and tacos.
"They made fun of me. At school they teased me because I couldn't hear. Now they teased me because I needed help hearing. It was awful. I used to beg Roxas to tell me what everyone was saying, now I knew. I stopped wearing them, I hid them for months and went back to signing everything I said. My parents finally found them and made me wear them again. Few people wanted to date me, and those that did were ostracized." I explained.
Curious now Riku tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and looked at the small hearing aid.
"Huh so that's what they look like." Pulling away he smiled and leaned back in to kiss me.
When he pulled away again, he pressed light kisses to my neck.
"I was teased for my ears to, so I understand what you're going through." He murmured.
I was itching now to pick up where we left off. I wanted off this subject! I brought him back in for a kiss and this time we didn't pull away. Grabbing Riku's sweater I began trying to rid him of it.
He laughed in the kiss as I failed miserably at it. We finally broke it long enough for both of us to take our shirts off. When Riku's shirt came off his ears flicked back up and I wanted to touch them. So, I did.
They were as soft as I'd imagined. He lifted his tail so I could pet it to. I was captivated. It took Riku lifting my chin to face him before I stopped.
"Would you like to take this to the bedroom?" He asked eyes glittering.
"Y-yeah." I stammered.
"Is this your first time?" He questioned getting off my lap and offering his hand.
"W-what? No! I mean I've had sex before it's just been a while." I cried taking the offered hand. "What about you?"
Chuckling he pulled me to the bedroom. "I was homeless for six months; I did some things I wasn't proud of. So, no this isn't my first time."
He was so calm and collected, being homeless must have been better than where he came from. By the time we made it to the bedroom Riku was already down to his underwear. Jumping on the bed he made himself comfortable while I shimmied out of my pants.
It was freezing outside, and I was trying to save money by not turning the heat on to high, so it was cold inside as well. We dove under the covers holding and touching each other. We started to warm up and the kissing resumed.
Riku's hand which was touching my hip moved now to the waistband of my underwear. Sucking in a breath I pressed my face in his throat and moaned. We were going to do this. His fingers dipped under rubbing my thigh. My face started heating up and Riku's chuckle told me he knew I was blushing.
He took it slow rubbing my thigh before his hand dipped down to rub against my cock. Shuddering he pushed me down on the bed before crawling on top.
His lips devoured mine, needy and insistent. Both of us were still wearing our underwear but I could feel his erection rubbing against mine. It wasn't as good as skin on skin, but it still felt wonderful.
"Ride me," I groaned breaking our kiss.
"That's what I was waiting to hear." He murmured pressing our foreheads together.
Rolling off me he quickly rid himself of his underwear while I did the same. Leaning over I found my nightstand and rummaged through it. I came back with a bottle of lube. It'd been so long since I'd last had a partner, I didn't have condoms.
Riku's arms were wrapped around my waist and he was kissing my neck. I wasn't too concerned right now with condoms so after getting the lube I rolled back to into Riku's arms.
Popping the cap, I spread the lube on my fingers and searched for his entrance. He sucked in a breath when I pushed my finger in. I added a second immediately after and began scissoring them. He grew accustomed to the digits fast. I added more until he groaned and pushed away.
Sitting up he crawled on my lap grabbing the lube from me. Squirting some in his hands he rubbed the cool gel on my cock. I hissed at the contact.
Once he deemed me ready, he held my cock in place before sinking down. We both moaned. He was tight.
I held Riku's hips as he started to move. He lifted himself up and then sank down. His tail which had been still now moved to curl around my wrist. Rolling his hips, he mewled and begged for more. Rolling us over so that I was on top I grabbed one of his legs and put it on my shoulder, for deeper penetration. The leg I was holding I peppered with kisses. Arching his back, he moaned eyes glazed as he watched me.
Rolling my hips, I put on a show practically making love to the leg I was holding. Head falling back, he gripped the sheets as I nailed his prostate. When I was sure he was about to cum I took it slow purposely missing his prostate.
He whined letting the sheets go and reaching to stroke himself off. I kept it slow until he was whimpering for me to pick up the pace.
"Sora please!" He cried. "I can't cum like this."
Chuckling against the leg I was holding I angled myself and hit his prostate once then twice. He kept whimpering until I picked up my pace switching the leg, I was holding for the other one. I gave it the same treatment as the first. He was almost sobbing at this point telling me he wanted to cum.
"What do you need?" I asked.
"Kiss me please!" He whimpered.
Letting his leg go I leaned forward thrusting as hard as I could. Our lips met in a clash of teeth. His tongue pushed past my lips and tangled with my own. His arms wrapped around my shoulders as he rocked against me. He was almost sobbing when he finally released spilling his seed on his stomach.
I couldn't hold on for much longer so with a few final thrusts I emptied myself inside him.
His stomach was a mess, but I didn't care. After I'd cleaned us off, we snuggled back under the covers and talked.
"I love you Sora." He whispered burying his face in my chest.
His ears were flicked up, so I kissed the fuzzy appendage. His ears lowered at the sound and I apologized for the noise.
"I love you to Riku." I murmured.
Leaning up he kissed me slow and sensual.
"You're never going back." I whispered wrapping my arms around his waist. "You'll stay here with me forever. I'll fight for you."
"I'll fight to stay here." He said.
Everything was good after that at least for six months. My hearing aids failed. The batteries were fine, but they kept shorting out, alternating between working and then screeching. My insurance was going to cover more than half, but the hearing aids were still going to be expensive.
I had the money that wasn't the problem. But it was going to set me back for a while. They'd ordered them for me, but it'd be a week before they arrived.
I didn't want to go downstairs and see everyone. They all knew but my hearing was awful. I was almost completely deaf. Unless someone was screaming at me, I couldn't hear them.
Roxas my twin was supposed to come over and spend the week with me until my hearing aids came in but he'd gotten sick and couldn't come. Riku had even found a white board and was writing messages to me to as he couldn't speak sign language. I was teaching him, and he was doing well. But it wasn't enough yet to make full sentences.
Talking was hard to do. I spent most of my time in the bedroom hiding under the covers. On one of Riku's days off he stayed with me curled behind me. His fingers were absentmindedly running through my hair. When they stopped, he parted the hair behind my ear and tapped my shoulder.
Rolling over he motioned behind his ear with a confused look. It took me a minute before I realized what he was getting at. Taking the small white board, I began writing to him.
It was a small tattoo behind my ear. Roxas and I had gotten them together, it'd been his idea. They were both speaker icons like you'd find on a computer. Mine had a slash through it signaling that I was deaf or hard of hearing. I had them behind both of my ears. Roxas had the same but his had little bars indicating that he could hear.
Curious Riku crawled forward to take another look. His tail flicked back and forth in my peripheral vision. When his curiosity was satisfied, he pulled me in his lap and kissed me.
We went to bed early that night. Once I slept, I slept hard barely waking for anything. I wasn't surprised that it took Riku a while to wake me up. What woke me was him practically dumping me on the floor.
He looked terrified grabbing my arms and tugging me up. When I didn't respond quickly enough, he grabbed the whiteboard and wrote FIRE in all caps.
Fire? Fire! Where? Grabbing my wrist Riku pulled me to the window right by our bed and opened it. He pushed me out onto the fire escape and was behind me a second later.
Thankfully we were both dressed. Riku produced my phone from seemingly out of nowhere. I'd given him my passcode long ago. While he was dialing and pulling us to a safe place I watched as my store burned.
The firefighters were there in ten minutes. At that point I was on the ground sobbing while Riku held me.
Things only got worse from there. The damage wasn't irreparable, with the insurance money I'd gotten everything that could be rebuilt. Within a week I had my hearing aids back. Within three what damage had been done to the cafe was repaired.
One of the espresso machines wire had short circuited and started the fire. It was an old machine and one of my employees must have left it on by accident. Riku had smelled the fire and got us out quickly enough that not a whole lot of damage had been done.
But things only got worse. It was about a month later when Riku came back from work and he walked into the bedroom to see me curled up on the bed crying.
"Hey, Sor what's up?" He asked ears flicking back.
I silently held the letter out. Sinking on the bed Riku took it and read it. He was up and shredding it before I knew it.
"I won't! I'm not! Sora I can't do this!" He cried.
"You won't! You're not we'll talk to Zexion ok? He's going to college to be a lawyer. Maybe he can help us or recommend us someone. I won't send you back ok?" I said reaching out.
He nodded his breathing had picked up and it took him a moment of pacing around the room before he came to me. Crawling on the bed he pushed me down and kissed me.
"Take me, right now!" He growled.
Nodding I did as he asked. We kissed and fucked like it was the last time we'd ever see each other. At this point it was a real possibility.
When we talked to Zexion after closing he sighed reaching a hand out for his Cat. Demyx grabbed it and moved closer to his lover.
"I won't be taking my bar exam for another year. But I do have a friend who just passed his and is graduating. He's like a shark in court. I can talk to him for you if you'd like and see if he'd be willing to take your case." He offered.
"Yes please! Thank you." I answered.
Riku and I wished the pair goodnight and headed back upstairs. Zexion was short with periwinkle colored hair that kept falling to cover one eye. He was extremely intelligent. Demyx was his Cat with sandy blond hair. His ears were hidden by his mohawk/mullet hybrid. He was always upbeat and excited. Tonight, he quietly held his owners' hand not saying a word.
When he didn't call the next day, we stayed in bed. If they really needed me, they'd call me. We ordered take out having it delivered to the apartment. We barely got out of bed, only to answer the door or go to the bathroom.
Riku was distraught and so was I. He held me tightly, whimpering if I had to leave for even a second. I realized this could be our last days together. Since I didn't surrender Riku in the allotted time, we were sent another letter. At the end of the month we'd have to go to court.
We only had two weeks left before we were due. We didn't get a call the next day either. By the end of our first week Zexion's friend still hadn't called.
"We can fight this." I said.
He laughed without humor. "If they'll even give me a chance to talk, we might be able to. I just remembered I have something."
Rolling out of bed he walked over to one of the dresser drawers that was dedicated to him. Rummaging through it he pulled out his old black coat. Fishing around in one of the pockets he pulled out a slim black phone.
"I washed that when you went to take a bath!" I cried.
"Yeah, I know, I put it in a bag of rice. I left it on the bedside table for like two days. You never saw it?" He asked.
Shaking my head, he rolled his eyes and laughed. Finding the charger that was plugged into the wall beside our bed he plugged it in and waited. It finally turned on after ten minutes.
After putting in his password and pecking around he wordlessly handed over the phone.
There were pictures of him, wearing a bejeweled collar. It put the collar I'd given him to shame. Finally, I stopped staring at the collar long enough to look up. His eye was black and blue. I swiped through them. Bruises littered his body. His arms, legs and sides. I wanted to cry.
Who had done this to him? Why had they? Each one I swiped through broke my heart a little bit more. Finally, when I'd come to the end I wordlessly dropped the phone and pulled Riku into my arms.
His ears flicked back as he took in a deep breath. I murmured soothing words to him. He began trembling in my arms before finally releasing a sob.
"I don't want to go back." He whispered.
I was barely able to make out what he said even with my hearing aids in.
"I won't let you go back." I murmured. "I can't let you go back. You mean too much to me. I... Riku I love you."
"I love you to." He answered.
Pulling me down Riku kissed me his hands threading through my hair. We jumped apart when my phone started to buzz. I didn't recognize the number, but I answered it anyway.
"Hello," I started.
"Hi, yes I'd like to speak to a Sora uh..." He paused for a moment before I picked up for him.
"Sora speaking." I said.
"Hi! I'm sorry for taking so long to call you, I'm Zexion's friend and I've been reading over some cases and I'm happy to say we're going to win this case." His deep voice sounded optimistic.
"Oh, um thanks," I started not sure where to go from here. What cases was he reading up on?
"I'm very sorry, please forgive me would you like to meet up. Tomorrow maybe around lunch time?" He asked.
"Yeah, that sounds good. I own a small coffee shop you could meet us there. It's called Cozy Coffee." I said.
We finished the conversation and after hanging up I felt better. Well maybe not better but I felt relief that he'd at least contacted us. I didn't have to relay anything to Riku as he'd heard it all. Besides that, I kept my phone turned on high so that I could hear better. Riku insisted it sounded like someone was screaming.
Tears were still streaming down his face, but he seemed more at ease now. Finally, when the tears had stopped, we curled back under the cover's exhaustion sweeping over us.
We slept until early the next morning. I headed downstairs just as everyone began to show up. Riku let them in and then headed to the back with everyone else to grab their aprons. I headed to the office to get some much-needed work done.
Axel met me in there a short while later to bum another apron off me. I swore he was doing more than losing them.
I was left alone until Riku came and got me saying our lawyers were here. Taking his hand, we headed to the front to meet them. I figured he was our lawyer when I noticed the open brief case on the table. His silver hair spilled around him as he looked at the papers he was holding.
A Cat sat beside him clearly uncomfortable but not saying a word. His tail was swishing, and his ears were flattened against his head. His blue hair looked like a rat's nest and there was a large scar in the shape of an X on his face.
The silver haired man looked over and reached for the blue haired man's hand. He said something to him. The blue haired man smiled. Riku led us to the table and we sat waiting for them to notice us.
The blue haired man noticed us first and nudged the other man until he stopped reading over some papers.
"Hello gentlemen I was just going over a few things." He started grabbing a stray paper and quickly reading it over.
"Drinks, snacks um one second sorry." I cried standing up and heading over to grab some coffee, cider and hot chocolate. I grabbed a plate and loaded muffins, scones and cheesecake onto it.
Hurrying back over I slid in beside Riku and presented the spread. The silver haired man was busily browsing through Riku's old phone.
"This will certainly help our case." He murmured.
"Xem, we haven't even introduced ourselves yet." The blue haired Cat said nudging him again.
"Sorry, my name is Xemnas and this is my Cat Saix. Your owners were once Saix's. I would very much like to make sure they can never own or harm another Cat again." Xemnas explained looking at his Cat.
There was a scar in the shape of an X on his face and I understood. I felt a hand grab my knee and I looked over to see Riku give me a small smile. He was trying to reassure me.
"Will they get him?" I asked. "If for some reason we lose will they get him again?"
Sighing Xemnas looked to Saix. His expression soured and he nodded.
"So, we don't lose." Riku said trying to sound cheerful.
"Let's talk about the case. Our judge is a Cat lover, so we have that going for us. With what Riku's given me we have a strong case. May I take this phone with me?" He asked.
Riku turned to me for an answer. I didn't have one to give. On one hand I wanted to trust this man that Zexion had set us up with but on the other I wanted to guard that phone with my life. If anything happened to it then how could we prove that Riku had been abused? He had even gone so far as to even put timestamps so he could prove the abuse was when he was in the custody of those monsters.
"I backed them up on your computer last night after you went to bed." He whispered.
Saix's ears twitched and I knew he'd heard Riku, but he didn't say anything. Riku turned back to Xemnas and nodded telling him he could keep the phone.
"Thank you, we've got what a few days before the trial?" Xemnas asked hunting around the cluttered table for something.
Saix who been slowly attacking the scones reached in his pocket and pulled out a sleek gold colored phone. He typed in something and started pecking around before nodding.
"Yes, six days to be exact." He said.
"We've got a judge who loves Cats, so he'll probably want to talk to you as well." He said pointing at Riku.
We talked well into the afternoon with plans to meet once more before we were due for court. We thanked them both and headed back upstairs to talk in private. As soon as the door closed Riku's arms wound around my waist. His head rested on my chest as I turned to face him.
"We might just make it out of this mess." He murmured.
"We will make it out of this mess, alright? I know we will." I said kissing his forehead.
"How are you so sure?" He asked.
"I have to be. I won't lose you Riku not to them, not to anyone!" I cried.
After a few minutes of silence, he pulled away with a real smile this time.
"Thank you, Sora. I've never had anyone fight for me before." He said.
Heading to the bedroom we curled up on the bed in silence. I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him in a for a kiss.
"That's just what you do when you love someone," I started. "You fight for them."
He kissed me this time. Slow and sensual. We would make the most of what we had for the next six days. We wouldn't waste a second. If this was all we had then I wanted to make it count. He insisted on going to work the next day. I was against it in favor of lounging in bed all day.
"If this is it for me, I don't want to be cooped up. I've been cooped up most of my life. Even if this is it, I just want to spend my last days working at this coffee shop and enjoying its people. I want to spend every night with you." He said reaching out to cup my face. "I want to wake up next to you every morning."
Nodding I brought him close. After we finished our breakfast, we headed downstairs to start setting up and letting our workers in.
Six days passed by faster than I thought possible. We'd gone out two days before to find something for Riku and I to wear to court. We decided on suits. Better be safe than sorry.
We had to slit a hole in Riku's pants so that his tail would come through. His ears flicked back when he saw himself in the mirror. Reaching a hand out he touched his reflection in the mirror.
"Remember when I first got here?" He asked.
I thought back to how dirty he was, his face sunken and how his pale skin was stretched over his body.
"Yeah," I finally answered.
"Now look at me. I'm healthy. I don't think I've ever been this healthy before. I'm happy for once. It's all thanks to you Sora. We'll win this I know we will." He said turning his back on the mirror to face me.
We met with Xemnas and Saix at eight o'clock that morning. Xemnas was still going over some paperwork. Saix was sitting on one of the benches outside of the courtroom. He was fidgeting. Riku paced and I sat with my head in my hands.
Finally, we were ushered inside where I saw for the first time Riku's old owners. They looked angry, well the two men did. The woman however was doing a wonderful fake cry.
"The guy with brown hair, that's my owner." He murmured. He was older early fifties I guessed. His brown eyes were hard as he stared us down. Riku didn't give me his name and I didn't ask.
"The younger boy that was my owner's son." He whispered. He was maybe mid-twenties with cropped blond hair. I just assumed the older woman was his owner's wife.
We were led to sit beside Xemnas and Saix. Riku reached under the table to hold my hand.
The judge was presented, and we stood until instructed to sit. He went over why we were here, because Riku had escaped and how the owners wanted him back. The paper had published an article about my coffee shop burning and how Riku had helped us escape before any major damage was done. That's how they knew where Riku was.
When asked for evidence they couldn't produce any that showed that they were looking for him. No Missing fliers, no ads online, there was nothing. They swore they'd been searching but could prove nothing. They couldn't even produce records from the local Animal shelters saying they had called.
They asked us a few questions before talking directly to Riku.
"Tell us what happened," The judge said.
Standing up he took in a breath and began to talk, "They beat me. They starved me. Why wouldn't I run away? The only time I was allowed out was when there was company and that was just to parade me around!" He cried. Turning to him tears streamed down his face. His face was red with embarrassment.
"Then I met Sora. Before he knew I was a Cat he offered to let me rest in his coffee shop. He took me upstairs and let me take a bath. When he found out I was Cat he treated me no different. He fed me and let me stay for the night. He even offered to let me stay for a while because it was so cold out. He offered to call my owners, but I told him I'd run away and I didn't want to go back. He gave me a job and a place to call home! Please Your Honor I don't want to leave! I have evidence of the abuse I have pictures! Look at them and then look at me now I've gained weight, my bruises are healed and for once I'm clean." He cried wiping at the tears.
The judge looked at the pictures on Riku's phone. He was angry. With every swipe he shook his head.
He wanted to talk to me next before he made his ruling.
So, I stood and my voice refused to work. All that came out was a terrified squeak. So, I decided to talk the only way I knew how, with my hands.
At first everyone looked around as if this was a prank. But after a few seconds of silent embarrassment Riku stood and began to translate for me.
"I was born almost completely deaf. As a child all I ever wanted was a Cat. Instead I got hearing aids. I met Riku outside of my coffee shop and offered to let him come inside to warm up before we opened. I offered to let him rest upstairs in my apartment. I didn't want him freezing to death, so I told him to stay for a while. I got to know him, I fell in love with him and I can't imagine my life without him. I've never had someone love me like he does. No one's ever accepted me like he has." My hands started shaking so bad that it took Riku a total of five minutes to translate the last line. We'd been working for months together on his sign language. I hadn't realized he'd gotten so good.
Taking my hand in his he brought me into his arms and kissed the top of my head.
"No matter what, I'll always love you." He whispered.
Nodding we broke apart and sat back down. The judge made his ruling next. Riku would stay with me. He was angry face going purple as he told us about his two Cats. Both still children that he and his wife cared deeply for.
If they were ever seen with a Cat again, they'd serve jail time that money wouldn't get them out of. The wife had by this point dried her fake tears and the men acted as if this didn't matter at all to them. We were the first to leave. Xemnas tugged Saix along who was close to having a panic attack, while Riku was practically leaping for joy.
We offered them drinks on us at the coffee shop. Saix accepted and they said they'd meet us there.
When we made it to the coffee shop, I knew I had closed the store down that day. I remembered telling everyone who worked they would be paid for the day. The lights were still on and the sign was turned to Closed.
Parking the car, we headed towards the shop. The door was locked, which was a good thing. Unlocking the door, we headed inside where we were greeted with some of our regulars and my employees.
Roxas came around the corner hand in Axel's.
"We knew you'd win." Roxas said. "So, we decided to throw you a party."
"Congratulations you guys! Also, can I get another apron?" Axel asked with a nervous laugh.
"Yeah," I breathed.
Roxas brought out a cake that said Congratulations Sora and Riku. Riku's cheeks were turning bright pink as he looked at the cake and then everyone else.
"Thank you everyone." He said as Xemnas and Saix came in.
They cheered as the door closed behind them. Champagne was passed around to celebrate and the cake was cut. Riku stayed close to me until the Cats came for him. They swarmed him and took him off plates piled high with cake.
He laughed with them and I settled on finding my twin. He was sitting at one of the tables alone watching his Cat talk animatedly to Kairi.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there. Axel's afraid of courtrooms and I didn't want to leave him alone. I knew you'd win though. So, I figured I'd throw you a party to celebrate." He said.
"What if we didn't win though?" I asked sitting down beside him.
"Oh, there was no way you'd lose." He said nudging my arm.
Looking at my brother he smiled and patted my hand.
"Besides you have a great catch." He said.
"He accepts me. I love him Roxas." I said.
Grinning my twin pulled me into a one-armed hug. "I love Axel," He replied.
We stayed in the corner just the two of us talking while watching the celebration. Mrs. Higgins made her way over to kiss the top of my head and tell me how happy she was that Riku was mine. She sat beside us with her glass of champagne and chatted happily. Axel made his way over with Riku in tow a little while later.
She wrapped an arm around each of the boy's waists as they fawned over her.
Giggling she blushed, "You boys make me feel so young."
Riku and Axel grinned as they each took their place next to us. The party lasted for another hour before everyone was saying their goodbyes. Riku was yawning so I sent him upstairs while I finished cleaning.
There wasn't much left to clean. Axel and Roxas had stayed behind to help so most everything was done. After wiping down the last table I headed upstairs. My Cat was nowhere to be seen so I headed to the bedroom. Curled up under the covers was Riku. His white ears flicked once, twice and stilled as I quietly made my way over.
It was only three in the afternoon. A nap couldn't hurt. Curling up behind Riku I wrapped my arms around his waist and fell asleep.
I was the first to wake up about two hours later. Since Riku was still fast asleep I got up to make dinner. He resurfaced just as I finished pulling the potatoes out of the oven.
His arms wound around my waist. His tail curled around my arm; his breath warm against my neck. Turning in his arms I stood on tip toes and kissed him.
"Thank you for fighting for me." He whispered when we'd finally pulled away.
"I love you too much to give you up." I answered reaching up to cup his face.
Grinning he sniffed the air leaving me for food. Chuckling I followed him grabbing plates and cups to set the table. Riku loaded our plates full of food as I placed down the forks and knives.
With his stomach growling I couldn't blame him. Ever since I'd taken him in, I made sure he ate. I made sure he was warm and had a place to sleep. His owners didn't do anything for him. They put an expensive collar on him and that was it. He had gained weight since he started living with me. For once he looked healthy.
He smiled a lot more to. He was extremely affectionate as well. I knew I couldn't live without him. After we ate, we curled up on the couch, Riku in my arms. His tail swished and finally stilled after about five minutes.
We were warm and safe, the tv was low just a background noise. His eyes were closed, and he was asleep again. Wrapping my arms around him I closed my eyes to, a nap before bed couldn't hurt.
A/N: Let me know what you think and go check out Saving Axel.