another new story? well, yes. i promise this one will be short. definitely not as long as my others. this one is fluffier and more ...fun than the others, yes?
I know the first chapter may not seem all that happy and fluffy, but i assure you the next few will be.
and yes, more background information and details will come in the next few chapters.
because, after all, when in rome

Incurable

"I don't want to hear it, Riku. I already know it's going to be fine. I mean, I have all my hair," Sora stated and poked his brown spikes that were sticking out arbitrarily, "I feel fine," he patted his body, remaining seated, "and my bruises go away. I'm fine."

The silver haired teenager (nineteen to be precise) who sat beside Sora quirked his thin, silvery brow. Twinkling aquamarine eyes watched the brunet beside him with growing curiosity. Sora promptly folded his lanky arms across his chest, slumping further back into the chair. His friend, the silveret, Riku, slouched back as well, an amused glimmer dancing across his green eyes. Sora noticed this and instantly pouted at the silver haired teenager, sitting up a bit straighter on the uncomfortable bench of the clinic.

"It's best to check, isn't it? I mean you've been sick a lot, so—," the silveret had begun in a calm, neutral voice. His eyes averted themselves off the clinic's bleach white wall and back over to Sora beside him, "—I figured it'd be better to know now instead of constantly being nagged at by your mom to be checked."

Sora's lips fell into a deep frown. "What are the odds, Riku?" the brunet demanded, continuing to pout at the older teen. He was quite good for that.

"Your father had it…so the odds are high," Riku explained casually and then went on to say, "Though I hope you don't. I mean, you are right about not showing all the symptoms. Maybe I'm the one paranoid."

"Precisely!" Sora retorted with a nonchalant smirk. "I'm fine. All we're doing is wasting my mom's money on a stupid test that I already know the answer for! And yes, you are paranoid."

"Don't get cocky," Riku said, warning the brunet teen beside him. Sea-green eyes filled to the brim with amusement as Sora rocked back and forth on his seat, pretending to listen to what the older of the two was saying. He did not mind it much, though. As long as Sora was in a good mood, he didn't care what his friend did. Then again, he did have his limits.

"I'm not cocky. If anyone is, it'd be you," Sora stated with a soft smile, tearing his gaze off the walls. Blue hues settled upon Riku instead—which was really a far more gorgeous view.

Riku arched a brow. "You're calling me cocky?..."

"In a backwards sort of way, yes," Sora answered and then promptly nodded, "I mean; you do flaunt your good looks and smooth moves all the time." Sora made bending finger motions, as if to show that he was quoting the other.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Are you jealous?"

"Jealous that you have STDs? Of course," Sora answered simply and then combusted into a fit of giggles. He lifted his right hand and curled it into a fist. He covered his mouth and attempted to stifle his laughter. After all, he didn't want to disrupt the others in the friendly clinic.

Riku rolled his eyes, again. "I don't. Ever heard of protection?"

"Doesn't always work, you know!" Sora pointed out, still laughing. "Then again, I wouldn't know 'cause I'm a virgin, unlike somebody in this room." Sora then pointed the accusing finger in Riku's general direction. "I'd rather save myself for when I fall in love! Which won't be for awhile because I'm fine and I don't have cancer, so can we please just leave?!"

"Sora," Riku stated sternly, placing a hand onto his jittery friend's knee. "You already took the test. Not sticking around to hear the results would be pointless. It'd be like, oh I don't know, wasting your mother's money?" he quoted, eyebrows knitting together in determination. Determination that only Riku Karada could make look so damn appealing.

"Riku!" Sora whined, balling his hands up. "I already know the results. I don't have it! Can we please just leave?"

Riku blinked and then teasingly leaned closer. Sora instinctively froze and then proceeded to drain of any color. "Are you acting like a smartiepants because you're afraid? You're usually not this loud and obnoxious and just plain whiny, unless of course, you're nervous. Which, honestly, I think you are." He placed a hand onto Sora's shoulder, smirking. "Now, please take a deep breath and calm yourself."

Sora did as he was instructed. Hurt, blue eyes flickered away from Riku's. "Riku, you're my best friend…you're supposed to agree with everything I say or do. I mean, that's what best friends do and all. You're breaking the mold, you know."

"Sora," Riku said firmly. "You're talking too much again."

Sora shut up and closed his eyes, nudging his shoulder away from Riku's warm touch. "So what if I'm afraid?... I have the right to be, right? I mean… it's not every day that your best friend and mother insist you take a test to see if you have a deadly disease."

Riku frowned sympathetically at his younger friend. "We care about you, dork. That's why."

Sora shrugged his thin shoulders, eyes cracking open. He watched as a young girl walked by cheerfully, sucking on a lollypop. Her eyes twinkled happily. Sora absently wondered if he would come out of this clinic looking just as happy as that youthful girl. For some reason, Sora highly doubted it, despite his optimistic demeanor. "Okay, so you care," Sora repeated, "But…"

"No but's, Sora," Riku said with a shake of his head, silver hair falling into his slim face. "There will only be butts if there is sex involving two guys."

Sora quirked a brow and turned his attention and gaze back to Riku, the clinic surroundings seeming to melt clear away. "Excuse me?... What kind of lame pun is that?"

Riku frowned once more. "A witty one, you ass." He stuck his nose up and pointedly turned to the right, mockingly ignoring his friend. If it cheered Sora up and kept him from worrying, then Riku would do it.

"Oh but Riku, I thought you said the only butts would be during sex. Are you suggesting that you want me?" Sora teasingly jabbed his finger into his own chest. His eyebrows waggled and he soon after burst into another fit of giggles at the expensive of his older, teenage friend. Sometimes their friendship was unbelievable. So abusive, but amazing.

"Oh yes, Sora," Riku mocked, placing his hand on Sora's leg, upon his inner thigh. "I want you so much that I'm going to pin you to this bench, suck you dry, and then fuck you senseless, making you scream my name so loud. And we'll break the bench too."

Sora tensed and gaped. "…Riku, we're in a public place," he whispered harshly, cheeks aflame. "People are going to think we're gay," he deadpanned, keeping his gaze averted as he uneasily laced his hands together in his lap. Talk about awkward conversations in public. Only Riku could pull off such a thing.

"Oh well," Riku said with a shrug. "It wouldn't be the first time someone thought that about us."

Sora covered his mouth once more, fighting back another round of laughter. "I know," he said in a muffled voice from behind his hand, "remember that time at the carnival when that old couple kept staring at us?"

"Mhm," Riku stated simply, leaning back against the uncomfortable bench. "The old lady was probably saying, 'Look, Carlton, those two boys are pretty close. I bet they're going to sneak behind the goldfish stand and have a little fun'," he mocked in his best old-lady-voice impersonation.

Sora held back a fifth laugh. "And her husband was probably like, 'Wanna watch?'"

Riku cocked a brow. "So you're implying that the old guy was some creepy pedophile who would have wanted to watch two amazingly hot teenage guys do it?"

"Did you see the way he was staring at you? He was practically raping you with his eyes!" Sora stated, dramatically making hand gestures. A smile appeared on his thin lips as he watched his best friend. "I had to keep glaring at him to keep him in line."

"How could you? You were staring at my ass the entire time, Sora," Riku answered, jabbing Sora in the forearm with a deep chuckle. "Don't think I didn't see you." His aquamarine eyes twinkled mischievously as he lowered his hand.

"Idiot," Sora murmured, folding his arms to his chest as he planted his feet squarely down onto the clinic floor. "I wasn't staring at your behind, I was staring at the hot girl in front of you that your fat body kept blocking." A soft blush appeared on his cheeks as he looked away. Hopefully the blush would go undetected.

"Oh, you mean that Marissa girl?"

"That her name?" Sora looked over to Riku, glad that the silveret had taken the bait.

"I think so. Blonde?" Nod. "Then yeah." Pause. "What? You want to date her or something? She's a total whore, Sora," the silveret reasoned, shaking his head in disbelief. Carefully, the lanky teenager placed a thin hand onto Sora's shoulder. "I wouldn't want my best friend to date some girl who'll just use him for sex. Then again…you did say you were waiting until marriage so…whatever."

"You're confusing me, stop talking," Sora ordered, eying the boy beside him. The smile never once faded from his youthful, round face.

"And you're—" Riku began but was cut short when a tall blonde carrying a chart entered the waiting room of the clinic. Her bleach blonde hair was pulled back neatly into a bun and she seemed entirely plastic—fake. Her blue eyes stared emptily at the pair for a long moment, as if surveying them, before they lowered themselves to the sheet of paper on her clipboard.

"Sora Kayaki," she read, her pointy nose tilting upwards as she scanned the room for the designated person.

Sora sat up a bit. "Oh, right here," he said quickly, getting to his feet. He offered her a friendly smile, as he always did with strangers. She didn't return the gesture, and instead averted her gaze.

"Follow me," she murmured under her breath, turning on her black heels.

"Can my friend come with me?" Sora interjected quickly, not wanting to leave Riku behind in the waiting room.

"Relatives only," she stated astutely, beginning her descent down the eerily white hallway.

Sora winced and looked over his shoulder to Riku. "Hey uhm…I'll be back," he said, pointing out the obvious. He tossed his friend a small smile before hurrying down the halls after the nurse, not wanting to get lost in the clinic he had only been to two in his life.

As the pair walked, Sora's mind began to race. The first time he was here he couldn't remember, simply because he was an infant. His mother had brought him here for his shots and a physical. After that, Sora's mom found another doctor for herself and Sora. The second time he walked through these halls, though, was fresh in his mind. It was two years ago. His mother had been walking beside him, her small hand in his own. She didn't say anything as they walked.

When they had reached the room, their father greeted them with a jovial smile and hug, as he always did. The man was full of energy, even in the sick state he was currently in. Then the news had come. Sora's mother had closed the door and taken a seat in one of the vacant chairs. She had ushered Sora to sit beside her. Within moments, the doctor had told the family that their beloved father had a mature case of cancer and that he only had half a year to live. They had lied. He was dead within three months…the cancer rapidly ate through his body and killed him from the inside out.

Sora snapped out of his memories as the blonde nurse stopped before a door—not the same door as that time four years ago, thankfully. "Go in," she urged, motioning for Sora to enter the room.

"Thanks," Sora murmured graciously as he entered. He watched as the nurse stalked away, refusing to make any further eye contact.

Sora sighed and closed the door, allowing the silence of the room to absorb him entirely. Now that he was away from Riku, the fear began eating away at him. What would he do if by some odd chance he did have cancer? What would his mother do? He gulped painfully and took a seat on the examination table. It was so cold, so unforgiving.

Uneasily, Sora began twiddling his thumbs together, attempting to keep his breathing even. When his mother had suggested he get tested, he vehemently rejected the idea. Not because he thought it was a waste of time or money, as he had told Riku, but because he was just that damn afraid. He saw the pain his father went through, and he saw the grief on his family's face when he died. He didn't want that to happen again, but to himself.

He was only eighteen. He was an adult, but yet he was still a child. What if he did have cancer? Was he just going to die? Sora held his head weakly in his hands, trying his best to think positively. He didn't really have any symptoms, other than that annoying bruise on his ankle he had had for awhile. He treated it more like a scar than anything, simply because it looked like one. It wasn't a bruise; he told himself over and over, it just wasn't.

Of course, if he had told Riku about that mark, the silveret would have freaked out. The last thing Sora wanted to do was to upset and worry his best friend of ten years. Riku had always been so understanding and humorous and just…Sora didn't want to see him anything but. He didn't want to see him grief-stricken. But, if he did have cancer, who else could he tell?...

"Sora Kayaki?" asked a man in white who had seemed to magically enter the room. His big, sympathetic brown eyes were covered by black rimmed glasses.

"Yeah, that's me," Sora answered, lifting his head up from its position. He offered the doctor a friendly smile, despite how horrible he was feeling inside. If only Riku could see him now, he would realize that his cocky and irritable state in the waiting room was only a façade to hide his trepidation. If only.

"You're here for your test results, correct?" the large man asked, sifting through a folder that had Sora's name written on it in Arial font.

Sora nodded slowly.

"Are your parents here?" the doctor wondered, removing a few papers. He glanced over them for a moment before looking back up to Sora, awaiting an answer.

"No, my mom's at work," he answered quietly, lacing his hands together in his lap. "I'm eighteen so I just came here by myself," he murmured, adding that last bit on. He didn't want his mother involved.

"Ah, right," the doctor said with a nod. He began analyzing the results for a long moment; so many numbers, so many words. Why couldn't they just say Yes or No? Then again, nothing in life was that simple.

"Is it…bad?" Sora found himself asking, feeling as if he was in one of those bad medical movies his mother often watched.

The doctor frowned, removing his glasses. Carefully, he brought them to his shirt and gave them a quick wipe down before looking to Sora. His eyes met the brunet's and silence fell over the room yet again. "Have you been feeling weak at all, lately? Light-headed? Overly lethargic?"

"Not particularly," Sora admitted, shaking his head. "Maybe a bit sleepy, but that's not unusual for me. I love to sleep." He laughed restlessly and scratched the nape of his neck, doing his best to continue smiling.

"You see this number?" the doctor questioned, pointing at a rather ambiguous cluster of numbers.

"Yeah?" He didn't really.

"It's low."

"Is that…bad?" Sora wondered, eying the paper and then to the doctor again.

"It means your count is low…"

"Oh…" Sora stared at the doctor for a long moment. And it hit him, quick and hard. He wouldn't be telling him that if it was something good. The brunet paled, suddenly feeling a bit faint and fatigued. He gulped a few times, having difficulty swallowing and breathing. He couldn't…he just couldn't have it. No. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair.

"I'm sorry," the doctor murmured, closing the file as he looked to the right. "It's…developed quite rapidly. I'm not quite sure if there is anything we can do to stop it from progressing any farther." Pause. "We're quite booked this month, but I assure you we can get you in early next month for another test. Bring your mother then, and we'll go over procedures we can attempt to stop it…if at all possible. If it's fatal, it'll be too far mature by then. If it's curable…it'll be treatable then. Right now, it's too hard to tell."

Sora stared blankly at the man. "So I…I…have it, don't I?"

"Yes," the doctor stated carefully, and that was simply all Sora needed to hear.

xxxxxxxxxx

Sora requested that the doctor make his appointment in the examination room and not in the waiting room at the desk. He didn't want Riku to see that he needed another appointment. When the doctor was finished, he offered to bring Sora back into the clinic's waiting room and gently tell whoever was with him the bad news. Sora declined and told the brown-eyed man he could handle it himself. So, as slowly as possible, Sora made his way back up the hallway, being the only living person in that corridor.

Sora arrived at the main room four minutes later, his eyes glued to the floor. He heard Riku set down a magazine from across the room and walk over, eyes trained on him. If it was possible to hear fear, Sora heard it loud and clear. Weakly, the brunet lifted his gaze and looked wearily at his friend. He forced on a smile.

"Hey," Riku greeted, offering his own rare smile. "You okay?"

Sora shivered down to the core. He figured it was because it felt wrong to hear Riku speak so softly and worriedly. He had no idea. "I'm…fine at the moment, yeah," he stated carefully, averting his gaze at once. He couldn't bear to stare at Riku any longer, knowing the pain he was going to inflict in a few simple words.

Riku wasn't going to ask any questions just yet. "I'll drive you home," he said quietly, reaching out to touch Sora's shoulder. His aquamarine eyes widened when Sora didn't flinch or move away, as he usually did when they playfully did such things. That was all he needed to know the verdict.

"Can we go to your place?" Sora suggested in a coarse whisper, struggling to keep it all together. His mind was numb and his death sentence had not set in yet.

"Sure," Riku said and brought his arm around Sora's shoulders. He offered the quiet brunet another smile and began leading him outside, ignoring the heavy thumping in his chest. "My mom's at work so we'll have to make dinner ourselves," he explained as they walked, hoping that the conversation would lighten Sora's dreary mood.

"Right, she works late during the week," Sora remembered as he nodded. "That's fine. I'm a pretty good cook," he whispered.

"I'll cook," Riku interjected in way of correction.

Sora blinked and eyed his best friend. He said nothing more and allowed Riku to lead them outside of the clinic. It was raining, lightly. The small, wet drops of precipitation hit his head repeatedly as they hurried through the crowded parking lot towards the back. Once at Riku's car, the silveret's arm slipped off Sora's shoulders and opened the door for him. "Here," he offered.

Sora wasn't used to Riku being so kind…hell, he didn't even know that being this gentle was possible for the cocky boy. "Thanks." He got in.

Riku got in the car as well and shortly after started it. He didn't bother turning on the radio. Instead, he drove out of the parking lot and straight home, not bothering to start a conversation either. The humid and quiet air clung to Sora's shaking body and it was hard to keep awake.

They arrived at Riku's ten minutes later. The rain was starting to fall harder and the pair of teenage boys had to run to Riku's front door to keep from getting drenched. Riku quickly opened his front door and held the door open for the brunet. His manners seemed as prominent as the icy rain that plundered down from the angry heavens above.

Riku closed the front door and kicked off his wet sneakers. He laughed under his breath and shook his head, allowing the water to dispel from his silvery locks. The warmth of his house shrouded both him and the brunet at once. "Some storm, huh?" he commented, peeling off his jacket and placing it on the nearby coat rack.

"It is," Sora agreed with a soft, forced laugh. He bent down and carefully removed his own shoes, placing them on the doormat. He wasn't wearing a jacket so he didn't have to worry about removing one.

"Wanna head up to my room?" Riku suggested, casually tilting his head to the side. His aquamarine eyes twinkled as they usually did, but not with humor, but with sadness.

"Of course," Sora answered. He watched with a sad smile as Riku trekked up his stairs and towards his bedroom. Sora followed faithfully, his stomach churning with guilt and anxiety. He had to verbally tell Riku. He just had to. Riku was his best friend, he deserved to know.

Riku entered his bedroom silently and took a seat on his bed. He watched as Sora entered. Silence.

"So, uhm…" Riku began.

"Riku…" Sora whispered weakly. He stared at his best friend and fought back a barrage of tears. He released a weak noise and sat down quickly. He averted his gaze and dug his fingertips into his soft palm, trying his best not to cry. He hated to cry and didn't want to appear weak before Riku.

"Are you going to tell your mom?" Riku murmured. He draped an arm around Sora's shoulders and watched him sadly. All their jokes seemed so insignificant. Now was not a time for teasing or joking, now was a rare time to be serious.

"No," Sora admitted, biting his bottom lip. "At least, not until next month. I…have another appointment. I'll know…then if it's fatal or not." He hung his head low. "What a way to start summer vacation, huh?" he asked spitefully.

"Sora…" Riku brought his other arm around Sora as well and tugged the weak brunet towards him. At once, his best friend collapsed against the taller, burying his brown head into Riku's chest. "I'm sorry," he suggested, voice quiet and gentle.

"Why me?...Why?" he murmured as he clung desperately to the older. "Why now? Why, Riku?"

"I don't know," Riku admitted, stroking Sora's back sympathetically. "I don't know, Sora. If I did, I'd tell you."

"It's not fair," Sora groaned as he began trembling uncontrollably.

"I know," Riku answered and rested his chin to the top of Sora's head. "I know, Sora." His hands continued massaging the younger's back. "I'll go with you next month, as well, okay? I promise I'll be there for you."

Sora nodded dully and remained against Riku, absorbing the other's comfort and warmth. "I don't want you to tell my mom…please, don't. Not yet," he begged, his body tired and exhausted.

"I won't," Riku assured, eyes closing. Was he holding back tears of his own? "…You said the appointment is next month, right?" Sora nodded dully for a second time. "I know now is a really sucky time to be asking you, but I was wondering if you wanted to come with me and my mom to Rome for two weeks?...You'll be back before your appointment, I assure you. I was going to ask you tomorrow but…I wasn't really expecting any of this to happen."

Sora peeked up and eyed Riku. "…I can't. I can't possibly accept something like that, Riku. Plane tickets are expensive. As are hotels…"

"Don't worry about the price," Riku laughed quietly and gave Sora a small smile. "I want you to come, all right? I want you to have fun. Can you do that for me?"

Sora sighed miserably. "I'll have to ask my mom," he murmured and averted his gaze. "After I tell her that the results were good…"

Riku appeared perturbed. "Why are you waiting to tell her?"

"I need to think of a way to do so it doesn't completely devastate her," he mumbled as he buried his head once again into his friend's chest. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Riku. I can't leave my mom. I just can't die."

"You'll be fine," Riku said uneasily as he breathed irregularly. "We'll go back in a month and they'll retest you and they'll say that it's easily curable and you'll be fine, okay, Sora?"

"I wish," Sora scoffed and closed his eyes, indulging himself yet again in Riku's arms. "You sure you want me with you guys in Rome?"

"Of course," Riku answered automatically. "It'll keep your mind off things…and it'll be fun."

"Yeah…" Sora fell silent and instead settled upon relaxing. Maybe the test results would prove to him that he was going to live. But right about now, he didn't feel any shred of hope. It felt like his whole world had suddenly been turned upside down. The only person that currently knew was Riku and his doctor…his mom couldn't know. Not yet. And now he was going with Riku to Rome? He should be excited, elated, even…but the misery overcame the excitement. Perhaps in the morning he would feel better.

"Wanna make some dinner?" Riku suggested, hands stroking Sora's back continuously.

"In a bit…for now…can you just hold me?" Sora whispered, no longer feeling obligated to appear strong and cocky. Right now he just wanted Riku to hold him.

"Of course…" Riku smiled sadly and buried his nose into Sora's locks of brown.

"Thank you, Riku. Really, thank you…"

Too bad neither of them knew that the test results were inaccurate…