Pre A/N Hohoho! It's me, back from vacation and here with my brand-new KH Fanfic, a Shounen Ai pairing Riku and Sora. I'm a big fan of Yaoi, but having read loads of it, I've found one thing in common with almost every fic: they meet each other and two days later they are humping each other in an alleyway. So I decided instead of jumping to the whole smex thing, I wanted to write a fic about how they actually fall in love.. And maybe have some smex after that... Or during. (Oh, and do me a favor. This chapter was written a long time ago, and I plan to rewrite it eventually, but for now at least get to chapter two before you judge the book!) Anyways, now that I've told you my reasoning's for writing this little fic-let, lets get on with it!
(And I think I need to warn you about (some) colorful language!)
Winning in Third Place
Chapter I
"Riku!"
The word was spoken is a hushed voice, followed by the light tapping of fingers against glass. The owner of said fingers crouched awkwardly outside his best friend's window, his knees pushed painfully into his chest as he tried pathetically to keep his unruly brown hair from getting caught in an inconveniently placed bush. "Riku," The boy hissed again, pressing his frame against the clear glass of his friend's window and whispering more urgently, "if you're awake let me in."
A few seconds later a thunk could be heard from inside the room, followed by a rather provocative string of curses as the white-haired boy named Riku appeared in front of his window, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Sora?" Riku asked, sliding his window open and glaring at the spiky-haired teen. "What the... its two in the morning!" Sora grinned and shoved his friend to the side; he eagerly scrambled through the window and rolled onto Riku's plush carpet, kneaded it through his finders as he sprawled on his back.
"I know… but I couldn't sleep." He lifted his head and watched his friend, almost as if he was checking to see if Riku had changed in the last day. Sora rolled onto his knees and shuffled across the carpet, eyeing Riku carefully as he circled around him and finally stood. Face to face, Sora leaned towards Riku with an unmistakably perverted grin on his features as he asked the question that had kept him up for two days straight. "So… How was it?"
Riku just stared, fully understanding the question but not wanting to answer it. Two days ago he and his girlfriend had left town for a romantic day together. Riku had planned all sorts of activities, but the most important had been his first time, which he had spent many hours gloating about to his virgin best-friend. Now gloating was the last thing he wanted to do, so he vainly tried to hint that Sora should change the subject, "Uhh, how was what?" He asked, sheepishly running a hand through his icy locks.
Sora dropped his jaw comically, stumbling back and almost tripping. "You're a bastard Riku," He playfully accused, folding his hands over his chest and mimicking Riku's voice, "I'm Riku and I'm too cool to remember the most important event of my youth, even though it only happened a day ago." Riku tried to suppress a laugh as Sora straightened his posture and angrily poked him in the chest, "Now we both know what I'm talking about, so spill!" Sora set his hands on his hips in an 'I-won't-leave-'till-you-tell-me' manner.
Riku raised his hands in defeat, "Okay, you got me." He said, playfully hanging his head. When he finally looked up, Riku plastered on the fakest smile he could force and tried not to sound too pitiful, "She changed her mind."
Sora deflated, he dropped his hands to his sides and flushed with embarrassment at having assumed everything went great. Riku continued, his fake smile still in place, "She dumped me too, but besides that it was really fun." He took a shuddering breath, "The hotel had this awesome water slide, and…" Riku paused to wipe his eyes, "And…" his voice broke off into a sob. "God!" Riku yelled angrily as he pushed past Sora and collapsed onto his bed, grapping one of his dark blue pillows and burying his face into it. Sora watched as his friend was reduced to a pile of sixteen-year-old-angst, breathing rapidly as he dry-heaved into a pillow.
This was awkward. All his life Sora had believed that Riku didn't express his emotions… couldn't really. And here he was, not just 'expressing' but literally sobbing, and Sora didn't know what to do. He fought the urge to run over and do something; something like pat his back or even worse hug him, but if he did anything as mushy as that he'd be breaking the boy code and Riku would probably punch him for it. Instead Sora crossed the room slowly and sat on the edge of Riku's bed, he folded his arms behind his head and flopped back over Riku's outstretched legs. "Well, no wonder she didn't want to do anything with you! No offense, but dang Riku, when did you become such a pansy?"
Riku stopped shuddering and shot up, fixing an angry glare at his so-called friend. "Shut up." He said gruffly as he used the now soaked pillow to hit Sora over the head. Sora shielded himself with his arms and grabbed the pillow from Riku's grasp, "Wow, you even hit like one!" He accused, watching as a grin spread over the older boys features. Sora nodded vigorously in his mind, proud that he had so easily changed Riku's mood. "I guess I better stay over and make sure you don't start cutting yourself," Sora said as he threw the damp pillow back at Riku and flopped onto his back, folding his arms back behind his head and grinning at his flabbergasted friend.
Riku muttered something about stupid people inviting themselves over before he too flopped down onto the bed and flipped his pillow over to the dry side. He rolled onto his side and stared across the dark room, listening to Sora's breathing and repeating the younger boy's words through his head. "Hey Sora?" He whispered, letting the words float around the room. Sora's only reply was a soft grumble. "Do you really think that's why she dumped me?" Riku asked, unable to resist the temptation of self pity.
Sora pushed himself up on one arm and glared down at Riku, who continued to stare across the room and not look at him. "Riiiiku," Sora slurred his friend's name with an exasperated sigh, "Any girl who doesn't want to be with you is just retarded." Sora leaned down and purred into Riku's ear, "And she's missing out, 'cause you're just one sexy piece of man meat." They both burst out laughing at once, and Sora collapsed back onto his side of the bed and rolled over to face the wall, "Now shut up and let me sleep!"
Riku kicked Sora in a calf, but said nothing more. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Riku awoke to the not completely uncomfortable feeling of the sun warming his skin. He cracked one eye open, and immediately regretted it as he was blinded by sunlight. Groaning, Riku moved to bury his head back into his pillow, only to find that instead he was snuggling into his shag carpet. "What the hell?" He thought out loud, angrily pushing himself up off the floor and scrambling over to his bed. Riku growled as he saw an annoyingly peaceful looking Sora sprawled across his bed. The boy was holding Riku's now dry pillow under one arm like a teddy bear, and he wore a blissful smile on his features; had Riku not been completely pissed at having been kicked out of his own bed, he might have thought it was cute.
Instead, Riku tiptoed across his room and into his adjoining bathroom where he fished a cup from the cupboard and filled it with cold water; grinning evilly Riku sauntered back across his room and held the cup over the peacefully snoozing bed-hog. He tipped the cup and watched in satisfaction as the water sloshed over Sora's face. Milliseconds later Sora sputtered and shot up in the bed, wiping the water from his eyes and gagging, "What the hell?!" Sora yelped, "Riku, that went up my nose!" the younger boy wiped his nose for emphasis before swinging at his white-haired friend.
Riku leaned back slightly and Sora's fist met nothing but air, making the boy growl and cross his arms across his chest. "What time is it anyways?" Sora asked, watching as Riku checked his watch. "It's around noon." He confirmed, running a hand through his hair. Sora fell back onto the bed and grinned, "Good, that means I can get a few more hours in before my mom calls from work." He moved to curl up in the bed but was stopped by the seething glare he could literally feel on his skin. Sora turned to look at his angry friend and asked sheepishly, "What?"
"Don't you even think of going back to sleep in my bed, or else I'll get ice water this time." Riku crossed his arms over his chest and Sora shuddered at the thought.
The brunette raised his hands in defeat and leaned back, "Okay, okay I get the picture. Lets not be hasty Riku." He said, accompanying his words with a large grin. Sora shuffled out from the warmth of Riku's bed and realized he was still fully clothed, shoes and all. Sora groaned, "I hate sleeping in cloths; it's so uncomfortable!" he exclaimed, trying to shake the wrinkles from his shirt.
"Not as uncomfortable as sleeping on the floor," Riku said dryly, walking to the wall opposite from his bed and digging through his drawers for something to wear; unlike Sora he had PJ's on. Finding something simple he began to pull his shirt over his head before remembering he had company. Riku sent Sora a sly grin, "Do you intend to watch?" He asked playfully, laughing as Sora simply rolled his eyes and headed towards Riku's bathroom, "We're both boys Riku, and it's nothing I haven't seen before." Sora said smugly as he slid the door shut. The white-haired boy could remember running around with Sora as a five year old, he barely contained a snort at the memory of going to the beach together and losing their swim trunks to the tides; they had spent the entire day running around naked.
Riku quickly pulled his cloths on and threw his bed together; then he collapsed into one of his lounge chairs and rubbed his sore neck. Sora stepped out of the bathroom and glanced at his friend before running a hand through his messy locks and coughing loudly to gain Riku's attention. "Don't forget, Kairi's birthday party is tonight and it starts at seven, so don't show up an hour late like last year."
"What's the point? There's no real celebrating, her birthday parties are just an excuse to get completely hammered." Riku asked, rolling his neck from side to side. It was true, ever since age thirteen Kairi had been able to talk her brother into supplying her friends with a hugekeg, making her parties the stuff of legends. "I know; it's great right!" Sora said gleefully, bouncing on his heels. Riku snorted, the only reason Sora like those parties at all was because Kairi would get so drunk that they'd end up having one serious make out session, and the two weren't even dating. That's what everyone did; her parties were like one big orgy, which was great if you had a girlfriend, but not so good if you were dumped two days beforehand.
Riku sighed, Kairi was his friend and there was no way to get around it; she would be completely offended if he didn't show up. "Whatever, I'll see you then." Sora walked across the room and poked Riku in the forehead, "Seven o'clock sharp. Don't be late." He reminded as he slid Riku's window open and stepped out into the grass. The brunette slid the window shut behind him and practically danced across the grass and into his own house. Riku waited to see if Sora would poke his head back around the corner and remind him one more time not to be late, but the younger boy did no such thing.
After a moment Riku went back to rolling his neck before deciding if he was really going to stand around and be bored at Kairi's then he defiantly needed a heating pad… and maybe a few aspirins.
Kairi's house was ablaze with colorful lights and pumping music. Riku could feel the base from across the street at his house, it thumped through his chest and rattled his bones in an exhilarating way that heightened his mood and made him actually look forward to crossing the street and having fun with his friends. Riku checked his watch and grinned, it was seven-thirty and just late enough to make Kairi mad, which he always enjoyed doing. Carefully, Riku tucked her hand-wrapped present under his arm and set off across the street, weaving in and out of the cars that lined the sidewalk and went down at least two blocks.
Riku waved at a few friends from school as he walked up the curving pathway that lead straight to Kairi's front door, which sported a sign that read 'No shoes, no shirt, no service.' Riku laughed as he swung the door open and stepped inside.
A wall of sounds and smells hit him. Outside the music had been loud, but now it pulsed against his eardrums and circled through his chest so powerfully it made Riku dizzy. People had to yell to talk over the music, and those who weren't dancing were drinking out of red plastic cups and laughing with one another. The smell of alcohol swirling through the air was so pungent Riku felt slightly intoxicated by just breathing. He was already deafened by the music, but the blaring lights that swirled overhead blinded him and made him bump into several couples. The sixteen-year-old was completely overwhelmed, like he always was whenever he walked into such crowded places. Riku groped his way across the room and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes a taking a few deep breaths before looking up and trying to locate either Sora or Kairi.
Doing so didn't take long. The second Riku let his eyes wander over the crowd he saw a cherry head of hair speeding towards him. Moments later Riku was impacted by an ecstatic Kairi, she threw her arms around his neck and squealed, "Riiiiku! I was scared you weren't going to come!" She pulled back and looked him straight in the eye, "And I heard about your girlfriend… She's a whore." The redhead nodded vigorously to herself before she caught sight of the medium sized package under his arm. She put her first squeal to shame as Kairi pointed to the shiny wrapping paper and questioned, "Is that for me?" She didn't wait for an answer and grabbed it from under Riku's arm.
"Where's Sora?" Riku half-yelled over the music as Kairi shook the box back and forth and held it up to her ear. The girl shrugged and focused on ripping of shiny silver paper off the box. Once it was finally open she peered inside and grinned, "Oh Riku! It's just what I wanted!" She fished the twenty dollar bill out from the box and stuffed it into the pocket of her short pink dress. Someone in the crowd caught her eye and Kairi waved wildly at whomever and was gone before Riku had time to blink.
She is definatly drunk, He thought with an amused smile.
Sighing, Riku nudged his way back into the crowd and towards what he hoped was the keg. Next to it, he could barely make out the image of a spiky brown-haired boy and a dark haired girl he didn't know. To his disappointment, the boy wasn't Sora and the only refreshments on the table were a bowel of punch and a plate of chips and sauces. Grumbling to himself, Riku turned around and searched for a much needed alcoholic beverage. "The keg is in the kitchen." A familiar voice slurred from behind him. The white-haired teen swung around and came face to face with a flushed Sora, the boy had obviously had one too many. Sora's smiling face suddenly scrunched up into a glare, "I thought you said you would be here at seven?" the brunette wobbled on his feet, "You know how Kairi gets…"
The older of the two nodded, his shaggy hair shaking along with his head. "Sorry about that, but I had to make myself look nice." Riku said, a sheepish smile lighting up his features. Sora gave his friend a once over, the sixteen-year-old wore his favorite loose-fitting white shirt with horizontal lime stripes and baggy denim pants.
"You look exactly like you did when I left this morning." The brunette examined with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, but I brushed my hair," Riku smiled cheekily and turned abruptly in the direction of the kitchen. He disappeared into the crowd and Sora lost sight of him a second later. The boy frowned to himself and said under his breath, "It doesn't look like it." Before running in the general direction Riku had gone and yelling, "Bring me one back!" He could only just see Riku nod across the congested dance floor.
The teen in question was currently elbowing his way towards the kitchen. It seemed as if Kairi had managed to stuff the entire population of their island into her living room, and he had to force his way past them if he ever wanted even a drop of alcohol. Riku finally erupted from the haze of grinding bodies and intoxicated teens into the momentarily blinding white light of the kitchen. He blinked, disoriented for a moment before rubbing his eyes and looking around. This room put the last to shame. The keg seemed to attract his peers like flies; they swarmed around it and buzzed with conversation as they filled small plastic cups to the brim with the tart amber liquid Riku craved so much. Without hesitation the white-haired boy hiked into the mob of drunken hooligans and clawed his way to the keg. Swiping his own plastic cup off the table, Riku leaned forward and filled it to the rim. As an after-thought he grabbed another cup and also filled it with the bitter drink; he was too nice to make Sora brave these hordes alone.
Now all he had to do was get back.
Riku was mildly disturbed by the people he saw on his way to Sora; he saw two boys chained together at the wrist dancing, and behind them and girl with pink hair was downing what looked like a soda, but judging by the swagger in her step and the color on her cheeks it was probably alcohol. Riku shook his head and side-stepped a girl in a slinky silver dress with cropped blond hair, but almost ran into the boy trailing behind her. Beer sloshed from the brim of his cup and onto his wrist as he jerked to the side to avoid impact. The boy started to apologize but was tugged away by the girl leading him. Shaking his head, Riku weaved between the grinding bodies around him and finally made it back to the wall where he had left his friend.
Only Sora wasn't alone. Crouched together, Riku watched his two best friends practically devouring each others faces. Sora had his back pressed into the wall, his hands circling Kairi's waist as he pulled her closer into him. The redhead had her head tilted to the side, her arms drooped over Sora's shoulders with her fingers entwined in his hair. They shifted together and appeared completely oblivious to the fact that half of their school was here to watch them consume each other.
Flushed, Riku shuffled back and averted his eyes. He suddenly felt sick; his stomach tied itself in knots as the teen looked over the crowd of couples. Riku was in a room of cooperating gears and he had just become one big third wheel. Angrily, he brought the bright red cup to his lips and threw it back in one gulp. The teen crushed the flimsy plastic in his hand before throwing in over his shoulder and tipping back the beer he had gotten for Sora. Apparently his friend was too busy to need it. His throat was on fire as Riku shoved through the throngs of people and back into the kitchen. He sat himself down next to the keg and grabbed another cup; filling it to the brim the teen happily downed the beverage and let the sting of alcohol distract him from the freshly opened wound in his chest.
Riku grimaced as he placed his cup back under the nozzle of the keg; he was going to need a lot more of this stuff to get through tonight.
Post A/N: Woop! Finished chapter one and managed to get over 3,500 words! That's a new record for me. I hope it was long enough, and not boring and uneventful. I know much didn't happen, but it's going to take time to get into the real plot of the book. Anyways, by the time I post this I'll have at LEAST three other chapters written. And I'll post them regularly. Please review! I love reviews and they keep me going.
---EDIT! --- I did some work on this chapter. Not anything important... just took out alot of the curse words. I felt like they really took away from the story, and I've been meaning to delete them for a long time. I hope this will make reading more enjoyable for everyone. :D Oh! And I DO realize this was short... The chapters get longer the farther you read!
Flames will be used to roast marshmallows
