Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.
Strawberry Shortcake
xXx
"Ahhhh!" Sora cried as his face was racked with terror, his hands flying to his gravity defying hair in frustration. This spunky little brunette doesn't look like much, but he's actually quite a gambler. Just moments ago, with a straight hand, he just bet away his pride in a game of rock, paper, scissors.
"Ohhh tough luck," a similar looking blond sympathized as he raised his 'scissors' between their faces, "looks like it's your turn to take the mission."
"Roooxaaaas!" Sora whined, stomping his foot childishly onto the padded ground of the local park playground. "But I just did one yesterday!"
With a smirk, Roxas only shook his head and teased Sora more. "Then you should get better at rock, paper, scissors."
"But that's a game of luck!"
"Heh, that's what you think," the blond murmured as he turned his head away. From his elusion, Roxas was able to catch a glimpse of a tall redhead making his way through the many picnics scattered around the area and the kids running around him, an elusive smirk appearing once they made eye contact. "Ah, looks like I've got to go. Don't forget now, Sora."
"B-But-"
Roxas skipped away happily from Sora, a smile already attached to his face. The cheerful blond took a hold of the taller boy's arm and clung onto it, despite the teases of the nearby kids at the odd couple. Being a bit possessive, he would every so often swat away a little kid's hand when they attempted to cop a feel of Axel's hair or his pale face or even his long legs. Tsk, tsk. Kids these days really.
Sora let out a sigh as he tried to remember what the mission was exactly.
Here's the deal. Sora, Roxas, and even his boyfriend Axel, are part of a little group of misfits (only after school hours though). Just to pass the time during summer, they would post up a mission, sending a text message about that mission to everyone involved. Whoever decided to take on that mission, would reply.
Now the missions ranged from easy-peasy to "omg-you-want-me-to-what" kind of assignments. The very first mission Sora got was, "Steal a flower from Ansem's Flowers." OoOoOhhh, that's so bad right? Well, another mission was, "Give chocolates to a teacher on Valentine's Day and confess." Now that was embarrassing. Oh, and let's not forget the "steal Demyx's underwear and parade with it down the street like a flag" incident. Ugh... There were two very embarrassed people that afternoon.
What happened just now was an exchange. Every so often, one member of the group would send out a mission for one person. If that person doesn't comply, they lose a bit of their pride and their credibility in the group. What they can do to get out of it though, is to do an exchange.
An exchange is done through a one-on-one showdown. Just as long as it was one-on-one, anything goes. Of course, the other participant in the exchange has to agree to it as well. Most of the time, Sora is that other participant, so he knows the rules to an exchange like the back of his hand. If the instigator lost, they would have to do that mission; the group only allowed one exchange per mission. If the instigator wins, then they're off the hook and the loser has to do the mission.
Like the initial target, the loser also gets a chance for an exchange, but unlike the initial person, if they lose the second exchange, another mission is piled onto their to-do list, normally worse than the first. That's why most members never went for a second exchange, in case they lost again the second time around.
"Now what was the mission?" Sora fished out his cellphone easily and slid it open, searching for the text message dreadfully.
He hadn't bothered to look at it beforehand since it was already specified for Roxas to do it, but he probably should have guessed that the blond would have gone to him for an exchange, seeing as though he had a date with Axel today and all. He also said something about Axel killing him in his sleep if he accepted it. Not that Sora would really mind losing Roxas, he was a bit of a showoff since he hooked up with Axel.
Upon entering the message, Sora's face paled in horror. Yup, if he's ever lost his pride before, it was a lie. Today would be it.
Goodbye, Sora's pride! You were great while you lasted!
'Mission: Crossdress as a schoolgirl and eat at the Café Kokoro by Twilight St. and Sea Salt Lane. Stay an hour and flirt with the infamous silver-haired waiter; get the phone number that so many other girls were denied. ...Oh, and buy some strawberry shortcake for us tonight.'
Sora collapsed onto the grassy area, crossing his arms and legs in his well known pouting position. "Urghh, where am I even going to borrow a schoolgirl uniform?"
xXx
"Thanks Kairi," Sora mumbled, accepting the girl's uniform and even a prepared wig to hide his bird's nest of hair, probably compliments of Demyx, who was the one who sent the mission to Roxas (probably taking revenge for that underwear incident).
"Hey, so Sora, I was thinking." Kairi fumbled with her words a bit, twisting her foot coyly on the carpet floor, the kind of pose she'd do if she wanted to ask for something she wanted. "Could I... go with you? Y'know to see him?"
Sora blinked, wondering if he really heard that right. Kairi. This Kairi. The Kairi he liked for... how long has it been now? Oh, yeah, forever! ...She wants to come with him to see that guy? The only thing that guy would be flirting with is death by the time Sora was through with him.
"I don't know..." He let out in a quiet voice, trying desperately to hide his anger.
"Please, please, please Sora?" She batted her eyes pleadingly at him, a trick that always got Sora to do what she asked, even if it was the most ridiculous of requests.
Sora took a step back, his knees getting weak as Kairi leaned forward, putting their faces only mere inches apart. "F-Fine. I get it. You can come. Just don't get in the way of the mission." Yeah, don't you dare flirt with him Kairi.
Kairi squealed and rushed up the stairs, causing a ruckus before racing back down to Sora's side, breathless, yet beautified. "Let's go!"
Sora stood in front of the cafe, his eyes wide with wonder at the amount of girls eating inside. Not a single male. Not one. Well, there was one couple there, but the boyfriend left soon after his girlfriend kept ogling at the many prince-like waiters, disregarding him completely.
"This cafe is..." Sora trailed off, avoiding the fuming boyfriend by a hair's width.
"Heaven!" Kairi exclaimed as she clasped her hands together and skipped inside, her eyes already forming the shape of hearts.
"...I was going to say 'a couple killer' but I guess that could... No, that doesn't work at all." The brunette shook his head, his arms rigid at his side, praying to the heavens that no one was trying to check out what was under his short skirt.
A sweet scent hit Sora like a heavenly blanket, capturing him in its intoxicating aroma. Sugar. Sweets. Cake. Chocolate... His mouth watered momentarily before he hurriedly wiped it away with his hand secretly. Ahhh... he was going to be here for an hour, might as well buy something... Maybe a triple chocolate cake... Ohhh coffee cake... Brownies... Madeleines...
On insitinct, Sora shoved his hand down the side of his leg, expecting his pockets to be there, but only succeeded in brushing his skirt up a few centimeters, much to his horror. With a slight blush, Sora shook his head and remembered the bag Kairi had provided for him, matching with his uniform mind you. Gotta have some style if you were going to be a girl for an hour.
The brunette pulled out his wallet and stepped beside Kairi, apparently waiting to be seated at a table for two. Sora hoped the second person was him and not that waiter; boy would he be angry if she sat with that guy instead of him. ...Where was he anyway?
"Let's see. Silver hair. Aqua eyes. Gentlemanly. Can't miss him." So says heartstruck crush beside him.
Was she saying that for him or for herself? Sora wondered sincerely, getting more irritated by the moment. He didn't even know the guy and he was already starting to act like Roxas when he was single! ...He was happier with Axel around. Sora could only assume that it had something to do with Axel's mission one night, sent by Roxas of course, saying "steal something precious from Roxas." Something precious, hm?
"Well aren't you just precious?"
Sora blinked cluelessly, completely forgetting where he was. "H-Huh?" The brunette looked around and came face to face with a silver-haired, aqua-eyed beauty, but the voice didn't belong to him. Though it was certainly directed to him.
Kairi giggled as she turned to Sora, pulling him down slightly so she could whisper into his ear inconscpicuously. "That's him, that's him." She nodded her head ever so slightly in the boy's direction, captivated by his flower boy image all the while.
"They weren't kidding," Sora murmured in awe, refusing to pry his eyes away from his newly found shining toy.
The flirtacious voice had come from a customer ahead of the two, who was also waiting for a table. Sora mused as she continued to talk to... er, try to talk to the busy waiter in her "seductive" voice. He was that good huh? He was even able to capture the hearts of fine women and still turned away.
"Now that's a man," Sora grinned as he watched the boy spinning in every which direction gracefully, answering to each customer that called his name or asked for his service.
"Yeahhhh," Kairi sighed in delight as he made his way over to us, a heart-stopping smile presenting itself on his face as he neared.
"Table for two?" He asked in a husky, yet sensual voice. He took a piece of paper from the desk with the names of the people on the waiting list and looked up at Kairi. "Kairi?"
Sora's female companion practically melted at his voice, not to mention him saying her name. Kairi felt weak in the knees and nearly collapsed if it weren't for the strong hold Sora provided once he noticed her sudden sway.
Sora cursed mentally as he realized how they looked from the waiter's position. Here was Kairi, a girl leaning against her friend like a needed support with an obvious blush across her cheeks. Then there was Sora, who was a boy in girl's clothing (but it's not like he knew that) and got the privilege to look like a couple with his crush only when he was the same gender as her.
Even so, the waiter's expression didn't change much. He assumed that he was talking to the right people when they didn't protest and began to walk away, expecting them to follow.
The two... girls were lead to a booth by a window seat with a great view of the horizon past the hills. Another good thing about Café Kokoro was the placement, a suitable area for a place of relaxation indeed.
"What can I get for you girls today?" The waiter asked professionally as he handed each of them a menu.
Okay, Sora. This was it. Forget about Kairi; you need to do the mission. Breathe. Flirt. Eat. That's the plan.
Breathe.
Sora inhaled deeply.
Flirt.
"What's your name?" Sora asked, a smile playing across his lips.
"Riku." He replied without much emotion, probably itching to get away and aid his fellow workers.
"Are you on the menu?" The usually innocent brunette licked his lips before whispering the boy's name in his most provocative voice. "Riku?"
For a moment, the waiter didn't respond, completely frozen in his upright position. It was quick, but Sora caught a slight twitch of his hand as he held the other menus in his arms. The bait was set.
"Would you like something to drink in the meantime?" He asked in a gruff and perturbed voice, his entrancing eyes avoiding Sora's big blue orbs.
With a sickeningly sweet smile, Sora gently took a hold of Riku's free hand, slipping his underneath the puzzled waiter's warm ones, just barely interlacing their fingers. "I'll tell you... only if you're the one to serve it to me." Seductively, Sora led the boy's hand to his lips and pressed them together, kissing the boy's knuckles lightly. Not quite pulling away yet, Sora asked, "Can you promise me that?"
Riku looked down at Sora looking completely unphased by the brunette's attempt to seduce him. "Of course. What would you like?"
Sora frowned, wondering why it didn't work. Why was this guy so tough to crack? Most guys would have already been trying to molest him after that move! ...Not that he wanted him to, but it does sound kind of nice... No! He liked Kairi! Right, Kairi! ...What happened to her?
"I'll have an iced tea, what about you, Kai- ...ri?" Sora released Riku's hand from his and looked around in all directions, finding no trace of Kairi at all. She wasn't sitting in her seat the way she was when they first arrived at the table, but Sora didn't remember seeing her leave either. The worried brunette stood up from his seat, a crease settling itself between his eyebrows. "Kairi? Kairi?"
"I'm sure she'll be back," Riku said, ushering Sora to sit back down. He pressed a hand against Sora's shoulder and pushed him down gently, making sure he landed on his seat alright. Before pulling himself away, Riku whispered to Sora in a teasing voice. "Perhaps you shouldn't hit on men when you're out with your girlfriend."
Sora whipped his head in Riku's direction, an expression of shock and anger mixed into one appearing on his face. With his sudden movement, the brunette just barely missed the waiter, much to Riku's relief. Sora could feel a heat rise to his cheeks, contaminating his angry face.
"She's not... She's not my girlfriend." Sora grimaced as he said the words, a hint of depression hitting him.
Riku didn't say anything. Instead, he got right back to work. "An iced tea right?" He asked in a monotonous tone, completely masking any reaction he would have had to Sora's change in demeanor.
Sora's blue eyes searched the waiter's face before nodding in affirmation. "Yeah," he grumbled, sitting back down in a calmer manner. A frown replaced Sora's anger as he continued to look for Kairi in the small cafe, yet not finding her anywhere.
Just as the brunette pulled out his cellphone to call her, the sound of an ambulance averted his attention. The ambulance stopped right in front of the cafe, the EMT rushing out of the van and into the store, each one calm and collected... except for one. He recognized one of them as Namine, Kairi's older sister. Namine's expression was that of a worried parent, her eyes furrowed together in obvious distress as she made her way through the masses and into a hallway.
Sora stood from his seat, his nerves telling him that he had to get up and see what was wrong. Something told him he didn't want to see it, but...
"Namine hardly ever looks like that," Sora said to no one in particular as he too made his way after her. It was true. Namine hardly ever showed emotion anymore due to the job she had, but whenever Kairi was involved, she would-
"KAIRI!"
Fear flashed through Sora's eyes as he heard Namine's shriek. He rushed to the origin, his heart beating like crazy as he pushed and shoved people out of his way. When he arrived, his heart sank.
Kairi was lying face down, a pool of blood surrounding her head and Namine crouching down beside her. She turned the girl over and checked her vitals, her fear never leaving her side, her trembling hand being proof of that.
When she confirmed that her sister was alive, she let out a sigh, her usual expression back on her face, at the same time releasing Sora's own distress. In a soft voice, she whispered to her, "Kairi, Kairi honey, can you hear me? Say something?"
Kairi stirred within the arms of her sister, mumbling a few incomprehensible grunts. "Sora..."
Sora's heart skipped a beat as he stepped forward, feeling an adrenaline rush as his name slipped past her mouth. "I'm here, Kairi."
The elder blonde turned to look up at Sora, momentarily blanking as she saw his attire. She shook her head in disapproval and reverted her attention to Kairi. She held the younger girl in her arms, her head cradled securely in place.
Kairi's eyes opened halfway, a smile forming at her lips. "I'm glad..." As she continued to gaze into Sora's feminine form, her face suddenly flushed a light red, causing a similar reaction to Sora as well. "Sora... I..."
Sora could feel his inner self bounce around, ready to explode. Was she going to say it? Was this her confession? Would he finally hear her say the words he so longed to hear?
Would she tell him... 'Sora, I love you?'
"I..." She paused a bit before slapping her hand over her face, covering her nose and mouth, a few drops of blood escaping between her fingers. "I allow you to date Riku."
...
Sora understood now. The escape. The disappearance. The blood. The 'I allow you to date Riku.' It all made sense now. Kairi was never going to confess to him; life was never that kind to him. Before all else, she was... she was... a...
"Fucking yaoi fangirl!" Sora yelled as he threw his cellphone at the bleeding girl, missing her by a miniscule length. Ignoring the hateful glares from the crowd and the protective sister, Sora stormed out of the bathroom, taking his seat back at the booth, not wanting to flunk his mission after all that.
He slammed his head onto the desk, shocking the other girls around him, but didn't bother to apologize.
"Ugh, why did I ever think she fell for me?" Sora grumbled into the table. "Especially when I'm like this. When I'm a girl."
"What's wrong with you being a girl?"
Great, just what he needed. Some curious jerk that wants to get in other people's business to "help them" but really only wants to laugh at them.
He slid his face so that his cheek was pressed against the cold table, only to see the uniformed black apron wrapped around a thin waist and a glass of iced tea a little ways off from his head.
Riku.
"Go away, would you?" Sora groaned as he returned to his original position, yet making no real effort to shoo away the stranger.
He could hear the shuffling of the apron and the thunk of his notebook hitting the table, but wasn't sure what he was doing. Not like he cared anyway. Kairi might have seen something in his guy, but he didn't. He was just some pretty boy that liked to get into other people's business and show off his looks.
So unattractive.
"Leon, I'm going to take a break. Cover me, will you?" Riku asked, taking the seat opposite of Sora, the seat Kairi was sitting in earlier that hour. When Sora peered up at him, the kind waiter had ridden himself of his black apron, the gentlemanly uniform showing in full now, causing him to look even more like the prince everyone claimed him to be.
Sora kept his eyes on him, curious as to why he stayed. "What do you want?"
"I'm the type that usually doesn't like to get involved." Riku stated, ignoring Sora's question. "But I have the feeling that this was partially my fault."
'It is your fault,' Sora thought bitterly, raising his head from the table and leaning back in his seat to show his "I'm-not-intimidated-by-you" stance.
"So what do you want?" He asked again.
Riku stayed silent, his eyes wandering over Sora's features. He took note of the innocence in his eyes, the stray strands of brown hair that were shorter than the others and the small frame he held.
"Stop trying to strip me with your eyes." Sora glared as he had so irritatingly observed Riku's eyes go over his entire figure like a man in heat. There was something about irritation that drove Sora to act unlike himself. Sometimes he reminded himself of Roxas when he was angry, adding swear words in sentences like sprinkles on ice cream and taking on a crude way of speaking, never looking at the lighter side of things.
It was moments like these where he hated being so blunt.
Riku blinked, surprise overtaking him for a moment. "That's not what I was doing. Forgive me if that's how it seemed." He closed his eyes to regain himself. "I don't suppose I could treat you to something."
Sora 'hmph'ed and looked away, crossing his arms in defiance. "Just leave."
Much to Sora's delight, the boy slid out of the booth and walked away. Truthfully, Sora actually liked to watch him. He was graceful and beautiful. His hair flowed down nicely, though spiked in the back, it looked unexpectedly tame, suitable for his personality if he did say so himself. His eyes were another thing. Sora actually felt unnerved knowing the boy's eyes were on him. They seemed to see him for himself and not the girl he was supposed to be. Riku's eyes scared him.
But he loved it.
Thinking of Riku's eyes on him again, sent a cold shiver down his back. He closed his eyes and inhaled, trying to calm his nerves.
The light clatter of a small plate sounded in front of Sora as he began to lose himself in the idea of Riku once more. The brunette blinked several times before comprehending the slice of cake in front of him and the waiter seated across from him.
"You're back?" Sora asked, his voice not as stern as he would've liked it to be.
As if catching Sora's change of heart, Riku let out a small yet brief smile. "Strawberry Shortcake. On the house."
Sora glanced at the cake, his mouth watering at the sight of it. Ohhh no no no... To put it simply, Sora's number one weakness, angry or not, was and always has been... cake.
The sweet aroma of the cake entered Sora's system, igniting his old self into action. Forgetting about the older boy for a while, the brunette picked up his fork and took a cautious bite of the cake, melting the moment the delicious parcel went down his throat. In record time, the slice was devoured with Riku having blinked only once the whole time it took Sora to demolish the cake into measly crumbs.
The brunette let out a rather content sigh and licked his lips. "That was good cake." He grinned, his anger and depression gone with his apetite.
"I'm glad you liked it."
Riku smirked amusedly as he watched Sora realize that he'd been there the entire time. The aqua-eyed waiter chuckled as Sora fumbled with his words, unsure of whether to say 'sorry' or 'get lost.' When the boy finally uttered a small 'thank you' while a blush creeped onto his face, Riku felt a tug at his chest. Unlike Sora, he didn't shove it to the back of his mind. He embraced the idea in its entirety.
"Please stay for as long as you like." Riku said as he pushed himself out of the booth, taking his notepad back and smiling at Sora kindly. "I will cater to you today."
Sora nodded, his eyes large and adorable as he followed the boy with his eyes for the remainder of his stay, not once resisting the urge to call him to his side. He didn't call him to take revenge or to let out his irritation; Sora continued to call him so he could talk to him, even if it was 'I need another refill' or 'get me another slice of cake.' He continued to call him so he could see his face up close. And above all, he continued to call him so he could feel the same tug against his chest that Riku felt in his whenever they were near each other.
By the end of his stay, Sora was left to wonder if he had acquired some kind of heart condition due to the amount of cake he requested... Or maybe it was Kairi cursing him for throwing his cell at her? Whatever that feeling was, Sora wanted more.
For the first time, Sora felt the irresistible desires of addiction.
xXx
"Roxas..." Sora breathed as he sat across the blond and his boyfriend at their kitchen table, a stress mark form at his temple. "I'm trying to ask for your advice and all you do is make out with Axel? Do I mean that little to you? Huh?"
The group was to meet at Roxas' house this night for the Strawberry Shortcake that Sora was sent to get. It was still early so the only ones there were the three of them, but it might just end up being two once Sora gets fed up with the two lovers.
"Sorry, sorry," Roxas pulled away from the redhead and turned his head in the opposite direction of Axel's needy lips. "Axel, move. I need to talk to Sora."
"How about you talk later?" Axel asked in a seductive whisper, brushing his lips against Roxas' exposed neck.
The blond shivered slightly, and as much as he wanted to continue their game, he jumped off of Axel's lap and sat next to Sora on the opposite side of the table, the second farthest seat from Axel's position. The redhead frowned at the loss of his Roxas, but accepted defeat, deciding to lounge on the couch until Roxas came to him for more.
"So what happened earlier, Sora?" Roxas questioned, shaking himself of his urge to pounce on Axel.
The brunette stared at Roxas' fidgeting. "You want him, don't you?"
"Yes, but I'll listen to you first," Roxas smiled as he sent Axel glances from his seat.
Sora rolled his eyes, waiting for his friend's attention to be completely on him. "Are you going to listen?"
"Yes, yes, sorry. Please continue." Roxas motioned for him to start.
"About today's mission..." Sora trailed off. "Thewaiterwassupersuperhot. I'mnotgaybutIwanthim. HethinksI'magirlbutI'mclearlynotso... WhatdoIdo?"
Roxas blinked. "Sora... You're gay?"
"I'm not!"
"Didn't you have the hots for Kairi?"
"I did! -I mean I do!"
"But now you're gay?"
"I'm not gay!"
"But you want that guy!"
"I-Well-No-Yes-I... AGH."
"You. Are. So. Gay. For. That. Waiter."
Both pairs of blue eyes were wide as they stared at each other, even Axel poked his head up from his position on the couch to anticipate the brunette's reaction. Sora gulped as he let the reality sink in.
"Dude, Roxas, I'm gay."
Roxas rolled his eyes, a grin beginning to form. "Now you have no reason to run out of the room while we-"
"No, I'd still run out of the room when you and Axel decide to get frisky." Sora laughed as Roxas frowned and pouted. "I might be gay, but that doesn't mean I want to watch you and Axel eat each other's faces."
Axel laughed from the living room. "Let it go, Rox. We'll let him keep his innocence... until that waiter steals it away."
Roxas grinned as Sora's face contorted in disgust. "Ewwww! Mansex!"
"Alright, alright. So you said he thinks you're a girl." Roxas changed the subject, waving his hand as if to shoo away the previous topic.
Sora nodded, worry exposed on his face. "I don't know what to do." The brunette sighed and rested his head against the table, trying to think of the possible reactions Riku might have to his news of being a guy. "He might not like me anymore."
"Just try to talk to him tomorrow, Sora," Roxas assured him, clasping his hand over the other boy's, "I'm sure he'll understand. If all else fails, you have his number right?"
The brunette felt his front pocket for the slip of napkin that held Riku's cell number; Sora himself wasn't even sure how he managed to get it, but he did, thus fulfilling his mission and getting first dibs on the waiter's unseen phone number. He cackled inwardly at his success; he was the great Sora! No man, nor woman could resist him! ...Except for maybe Kairi, but she didn't qualify for either group.
"I suppose you're right. I'll tell him tomorrow."
xXx
Sora stood at the head of the line, arriving at the cafe at the same time he did yesterday, only this time, he looked like a proper teenage boy. He looked around, but found no trace of his silver-haired crush. Disappointed when an older brunette man came to seat him, Sora decided that he would call him instead. It might be better that way. He wasn't sure if he could face him anymore anyway.
"Ugh, why'd I have to be a guy?" Sora cried as he slammed his head onto the table.
"What's wrong with being a guy?"
Feeling a sense of deja vu, Sora shot his head up and sure enough, there stood his prince, acting as if he'd been there the whole time. He smirked at Sora as the boy gave him a dumbfounded stare.
"What can I get you today?" Riku touched the tip of his pen to the notepad, ready to take down whatever Sora wanted order.
Sora pursed his lips cutely and contemplated a bit before grinning at Riku. "I'll have an iced tea for now."
The waiter nodded and left the table but not before casting Sora one last glance.
The brunette looked outside the window and caught the sun's absence, which was absolutely infuriating. Just earlier that day, he had gone for a run to gather his thoughts before he told Riku that he was actually a 'he' and not a 'she' and during the whole run, the sun emitted a blistering heat that increased with every passing minute. Now here it was hiding itself behind clouds! Talk about unfair... It even looks like it might rain! I mean, does it even rain in the summer?
"Why does the sun have to hide now?" Sora grumbled as he drew invisible pictures on the table with his finger. "It should have done that earlier... Hiding just to spite me... Tch."
"Perhaps it's angry at you." Riku mused as he set a cool glass of iced tea in front of Sora as well as a slice of cake, Strawberry Shortcake to be exact.
Sora's eyes widened as his expression turned into mock horror, then turning into a childish pout. "Then I'm angry at it too!" He crossed his arms to further show his anger, but broke out into smile when Riku let out an amused laugh.
"Well here's your iced tea," Riku said, a smile still on his face, "and a slice of Strawberry Shortcake on the house."
Sora nodded, allowing Riku to leave the table, but something didn't feel right. He frowned as he continued to stare at the slice of cake, which would have normally looked incredibly enticing, but right now he just wanted to toss it out the window. He felt like throwing a tantrum and he didn't know why. Something was just... wrong.
As Sora continued to stare the cake down, a revelation came to him.
He had felt special last night for getting free cake. He thought that he had an influence on Riku when he smiled at him, because he never saw him smile at anyone else. He really thought that there was a spark, or at least an attraction between them.
Riku didn't know that he was... well, a he, but Riku was treating him exactly as he did last night. So did that mean that he wasn't special after all? That Riku was just kind to every person he met and easily gave out free cake?
He felt his heart fall into the pit of his stomach, feeling as though any hope of being with Riku was lost. He didn't mean anything to him.
Sora slammed the palms of his hands onto the table, startling most of the customers and the waiters, even Riku. With his eyebrows slanted in anger, Sora headed for Riku, his eyes locked onto the silver-haired boy, never once letting him out of his sight.
"You... You're a jerk!" Sora yelled as he shoved Riku by the shoulders.
Before Riku could comment or even grasp the situation, one of the girls he was currently waitering to stood up in his defense and slid between the two boys. "Watch what you say to Riku! No one here is just going to let you push him around!" She growled, and only then did Sora take notice of the angry female customers sending him death glares from their seats.
"I'll do as I please," Sora growled right back with more bark than she did. "Back off." The brunette turned his attention back to Riku, who stared at him in worry. No longer being able to standbeing under the inspection of Riku's eyes, Sora clenched his fist, and before anyone had the idea to stop him, slammed his fist against Riku's jaw, sending him to the floor.
The girls screamed, shouting insults at Sora and throwing various items: purses, wallets, anything they could grab their hands on, all the while missing Riku who stood back in the same place. Sora, for the most part, avoided anything breakable, his anger being fueled even more.
"Hey! Watch it!" Sora exclaimed, catching a large vase with both his hands, only an inch separating the glass and his face. The startled boy set the vase down on a nearby table, but as he made sure to not drop the vase, he forgot to dodge any more flying items, such as the glass cup making it way through the air and toward his head.
Sora's eyes widened, freezing at the sight of the cup coming toward him and the vase still in his hands. He shut his eyes waiting for the painful impact.
The glass shattered against skin, causing cuts as the glass slid across the skin and painful marks as stray pieces embedded themselves on his skin. Riku winced unnoticeably as he straightened himself in the slightest, bothering the new injuries forming at his back.
"R-Riku!" One of the girls cried in horror as she brought her hands to her face. She trembled heavily, her eyes dilated and scared. "I'm so sorry!" She raced out of the cafe and onto the street, most likely never to return.
Sora didn't move against Riku's embrace, afraid to hurt the boy. His heart fluttered excitedly, feeling Riku's warm breath against the nape of his neck and the pressure of his weight against his back.
"R-Riku..." Sora squeaked, turning to face him, careful to not push him in any way. "You're hurt..." For a moment, Sora's eyes melted into sadness as he touched Riku's arm affectionately, hating himself for causing his pain.
Riku shook his head and winced from the movement. "No, it's alright. I couldn't let you get hurt."
Sora's breath hitched as Riku gazed into his eyes silently, making him feel that tingling of his nerves again. Then he remembered. Riku wasn't treating him this way because he mattered. Riku didn't know that this Sora was the Sora from yesterday. He didn't know.
Blue orbs began to burn again, and just as quickly as it had faded, it came back, this time more intense than before. "Damn it, Riku! I hate you!" Sora shoved the boy away, causing him to fall on his back in absolute agony. "I hope those wounds scar you!" In a flurry of brown and blue, Sora rushed out of the cafe without ever looking back at Riku.
As if the sun had overheard their conversaton earlier, sprinkling raindrops showered over the town with rays of sunlight peeking through the rainclouds. It was bright, but it was raining. The rain fell above Sora's head, yet the sun was out.
Sora slowed his pace after several blocks, ignoring the strange glances and the call of his name behind him. Wait, calling his name?
The brunette shifted on his heel and looked behind him, only to be rammed into the same silver-haired waiter that he had tried to escape. Riku wrapped his arms around the small boy and pulled him close despite the sweltering wounds on his back.
"Sora, don't hate me," Riku panted, his breath feeling cold against the wet droplets of rain on Sora's neck. "Please don't hate me."
Sora kept his arms at his side, his face still cross with anger. "Let me go, Riku. I never want to see you again." He hated him. He played with him. Lead him to believe that he mattered. Then, the very next day, he does the same thing to another person. First he flirted with him as a girl, then he messed with him as a guy. Sora wasn't anything to him except a toy to play with.
"Why?" Riku asked, holding him closer.
Sora bit his bottom lip, wondering if he should say it. "Because..." Was he really going to say it? It's not like it mattered anymore. He already knew that Riku didn't care. "I'm Sora."
No response.
Riku pulled away from the brunette, but kept his hands on the boy's shoulders, a strange expression on his face. "...You're Sora?"
Sora nodded. "Yes."
"...Is that all?" Riku's face contorted even more. He looked around, wondering if he was on a TV show and someone would just jump out and shout 'you've been punk'd beeotch!'
It was Sora's turn to pull up a funny face. "What do you mean 'is that all?' You didn't know I was Sora and yet you treated me like I was!"
"Sora, didn't you hear me calling you earlier?"
"..." Now that he mentioned it, he never once told Riku told his name as a boy today. He only knew Sora as a girl... but then if he knew his name then... "You... knew." Sora's blue eyes widened as he stared at Riku in awe. "But how?"
Riku smirked... beautifully, if Sora had any say in it. "Simple. You flirt like a guy."
"Huhhh?"
"I've never seen a girl grasp a man's hand and kiss it." Riku laughed as he observed Sora's face changing from confused to horrified. "It's alright though. At least now you know it works." He leaned in close, pressing their foreheads together. "I'm yours now, Sora."
Sora's face reddened as he looked up at the boy. "Same here." With the rain falling against them, Sora became entranced at Riku's wet form, from his drenched locks to his soaked uniform. The rain enhanced him, and the sun made him glimmer with each drop on his body. Without a doubt, Sora was also captured by Riku.
The few raindrops that decided to fall began to evaporate as the sun came out of the clouds again, taunting Sora with it's heat. "Ah, the sun really hates me. I was really starting to like the rain..."
Riku chuckled as he looked up at the sun briefly. "The sun doesn't hate you." He ruffled the boy's hair as he grinned at him. "It just wanted to see you smile."
Sora grinned as he thought about it in Riku's perspective; he rather liked the idea.
"Let's head back?" Riku asked gently.
"After we head to the hospital!" Sora cried, seeing a spreading blood stain on Riku's white uniform shirt. He grabbed Riku's wrist and tugged on it lightly, a meek little smile forming as he looked up at him. "Then we can get more Strawberry Shortcake, deal?"
Riku let out a soft laugh. "Deal."
And so, with Riku at his side and the sun watching them above, Sora smiled.
xXx
TA: Hm... SoRiku or RiSo, I don't know what people call it, isn't really my pairing, so I'm not very confident in it. Every now and then, a bit of Roxas peeked out of there since I'm used to writing about him more, so sorry if Sora seemed a little too serious. Not used to writing in Sora POV for long periods of time...
Anyway, Monkey asked me to write this oneshot for her, so... yeah. It's not really funny... and not very impressive, but meh... not my thing. I don't know how to do crack with Sora and Riku... Well, no, I take that back. Yes I can, I just wasn't sure if that's what she wanted. Specify next time, would ya? DX
Oh and, this is on my TA account because I think it's only fair that there's at least one SoRiku story on this account and not just on Cookee's. LoL