A/N: Unlike my one-shot stories, this is an actual story. I have no idea how it will end, but I hope you like it!
Genres: Romance, Humor, Drama
Rating: T, for sexual jokes and general teenager tomfoolery.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but if I did, there would be a lot more cutscenes with Riku and Sora together, being cute.
~Stray Kitten~
I'm not exactly sure why I did it. Many people walk on the sidewalk adjacent to the beach on the Florida bay; there was no particularly good reason why I thought he needed a ride, as there was no specific reason as to why I actually pulled over next to him. Was it because he was cute? No, not really, even though he was absolutely adorable. I couldn't see his face in the darkness until he peeked his head into my silver Honda Civic, despite the Third Quarter-full moon beaming down onto us in our tourist town, Destin, Florida. There was nothing odd about him either, and I didn't offer rides to strangers, so why did I stop?
This question remains unanswered unless you believe in fate, but I remember thinking when I saw him 'He needs me,' which actually took me by surprise. Something pulled me to him, but I didn't have time to think about that until I was next to him, window sliding down into the passenger seat door. He stopped shuffling his feet while kicking a piece of concrete, raised his wilted neck and looked upon me straight on. I could only see his silhouette, showing his lean stature; I estimate his age to be fifteen. Great, I think, I decided to pick up a punk, but I know it's too late already.
I clear my throat, suddenly feeling somewhat nervous and apprehensive, but I say despite that, "Hey, need a ride?"
The teen remains still for a long moment and for some reason all I can do is contemplate his head shape; he looks like he has spikes coming out of his skull. When a soft breeze bristles by, the spikes rustle slightly. Wait, that's his hair?
"Uhm, no, it's ok," he says finally with a deeper voice than I had anticipated. He can't be fifteen with that voice… Could he be seventeen or eighteen? I look doubtfully upon him.
"You sure? I'm not in a hurry or anything… I could take you wherever you need to go," I reply honestly, hoping I don't sound like a creeper. That would be a hard thing to do in this situation however; I mean, who in this day and age actually climbs into the car of a stranger? The answer is no one, unless they're asking to meet the grim reaper.
The spiky haired teen (that I nickname 'kitten' because of two spikes on top his head that look like a pair of cat's ears) hesitates again, probably contemplating whether to run, just walk away, or actually get into the car. I start to think that this whole thing was a horrible idea, but then surprisingly, Kitten gets closer to the car and pokes his head in curiously, making my nickname for him stick further into my memory (curiosity killed the cat, ya know).
My eyes widen a bit at how adorable he is. He has an almost girlish face with soft, creamy tan skin that's a little dirty from sand, but I think nothing of it really, considering he probably just came from the beach. Like I suspected his hair is randomly spiked all across his head, brunette in color with lighter high lights glimmering in the light throughout the locks. With the longest eyelashes and the deepest, bluest eyes I've ever seen, he looks upon me inquiringly, innocently and says, "Uhm, well if you could get me to the Crab Shack, it'd help me out some."
The Crab Shack is a restaurant just a couple blocks over from the condo me and my two friends Roxas and Axel are staying in for the week of vacation we're on. It's adjacent to the public beach, where of course anyone can get in, with showers for the visitors connected to it as well. I've only been there once; the food was good, but expensive (not worth the price if you ask me) but I appreciated all the little signs and touches inside, like the ceiling fans being the propeller on a boat. I figure Kitten must be meeting some friends there for dinner.
I shake my head a bit, ridding myself of absurdly sappy thoughts from his beautiful face. "Sure, you meeting someone there? Just warning you though, the restaurant is kinda expensive. But, go ahead and hop in."
Kitten doesn't answer but instead disappears out of my window and opens my car door, clambering into the seat with a slight spring, thankfully reassured I wasn't some stalker rapist. He reminds me of the sunshine; I could tell that he must be a generally trusting, happy person. When he clicks his seat belt into place, I give him a smile and accelerate, intending to go straight to the Crab Shack like the good person I am.
"So… are you a local here or just visiting?" I ask, trying to start some sort of conversation.
"Neither," he says simply, gazing out the window. I glance toward him somewhat surprise and concerned due to his vague answer, but then suddenly realize his clothes are ripped in several places with dirt/sand patches all over. This is unusual for anyone, tourist or not. Is he… homeless? He couldn't be! But it would explain how skinny he is… Is my kitten a stray?
"Uh… can I ask why you need to go to the Crab Shack?" I ask again, keeping my eyes on the road even though my eyebrows remain furrowed due to worry and confusion.
"Uhm, well…" he starts, suddenly sounding uneasy. I hear a soft shuffling; he's fidgeting, trying to come up with a response. My confusion grows. "They have 29 cent gumbo and the public showers right by so I thought it'd be a good place to stop…"
"Why don't you shower when you get home or whatever?" I inquire further, stopping the car at the red light two blocks away from the restaurant.
"I…can't," he replies, reluctantly honest. Because of the red light, I am able to look at him fully, only to find him blushing profusely, making me feel as if I'm melting like butter. If I had any fewer morals, I'd take him home with me (if you understand what I mean).
"Why? …I don't know your situation but… do you need somewhere to stay?" I couldn't help but ask, his blue eyes too haunted to resist. I had no intention to do anything to him; just my conscience was whispering words of care and concern incessantly, and being the push over I am I had to at least suggest it.
Immediately, Kitten sputters, caught off guard by my direct question. But he doesn't defend himself with rapid explanations and excuses, confirming my beliefs. Maybe he really does need me.
The light turns green and I put my eyes back to the road, wondering if I should be offering to take in this random stranger. He may be insanely cute, but I don't know a single thing about him, much less his name, and looks have never mattered much to me. But his honest eyes are entrancingly lonely, and I can't bring myself to leave him unless he wishes it. So I wait for some kind of response from him, driving slower to have more of an excuse to have him in the car.
"Th-that isn't necessary, but thank you," he finally replies, sounding regretful even as he says it. "I don't want to be a burden; you're already doing enough."
Thinking about what Jesus would do in this situation, I sigh, deciding that I can't drop him off at the restaurant despite his 'wishes'. So I take a right at the next light, directing us toward the condo without another word.
"H-hey, where are you going?" he asks, sounding a little panicked. I don't blame him.
"To me and my friend's condo," I explain, "Don't worry, we won't be alone and I won't do anything to you except maybe force you to shower, eat, and let us wash your clothes. You look like you could use a night of sleep on an actual bed too," I added, keeping my turquoise eyes on the road.
Kitten doesn't reply, perhaps too tempted by the offer to argue. When I glance over to him, he's staring into his lap, fidgeting with a rip on his dirty blue jeans. As I drive, we stay quiet together, the awkwardness falling like snow, creating a blanket over us. Unable to take it, I break the silence.
"Well… if you are going to stay with us for a bit, can I at least know your name?" I ask finally, figuring he wouldn't appreciate me calling him Kitten for the rest of the night.
"Sora," he responds, looking up to meet my eyes. "And… thank you," he finishes, his eyes averting to the side.
"No problem… Sora," I reply warmly, catching myself before I call him Kitten. "I'm Riku, by the way."
The brunette smiles. "Riku. Got it."
When we get to the condo, I give Sora a brief introduction to my friends. "My two friends that I'm staying with here are named Axel and Roxas. Roxas probably won't give you any trouble, but Axel can be a bit of a prankster, but I'll do my best to keep him in check for you," I flash him a friendly smile, hoping to relieve some of his obvious anxiety. He smiles back half-heartedly and I insert the key into the lock on the condo's door, continuing, "Axel's the red-head and Roxas is the blonde. They tend to be kinda weird, but they are good people."
Sora nods so I open the door, automatically receiving a loud call from Axel, "Heeeey, Riku, where have you been? Roxas cooked for us!"
Immediately Sora begins to back away, but I flash him a comforting smile and take his hand, leading him into condo hallway. It's rather small, with only two bedrooms (one on the right and the other up ahead on the left), two bathrooms (one across from the first bedroom and the other connected to the main bedroom up ahead), a kitchen (with the works; a fridge, Tupperware, silverware, pots, pans, a toaster, and most importantly, a coffee pot) with a table right outside it, and a living room with two arm chairs and a comfy crème colored couch and a glass table in the middle. Making quick calculations, I'm suddenly grateful the couch pulls out to become a bed if needed.
"Well, there better be enough for two," I reply, stepping into out into the kitchen area, letting go of the frightened brunette's hand reluctantly, scared he might run away.
"Why is that?" Roxas asks, eyes scanning the pages of the book he's reading without looking up. "Don't tell me you're that hungry, are you?"
"No, Roxas, look," I tell him. Complying with a sigh, he puts his book down and looks at me- but only for a moment, until he sees Sora at my side and his eyes widen. Axel walks in just then, wearing nothing but grey sweat pants with his dynamic red hair back in a pony tail. I mentally face-palm but try to look as blank as possible as Axel looks to Sora as well, mildly surprised.
"Who's this?" Axel asks, eyes scanning over the skinny, tattered form.
"His name's Sora and he's going to stay with us for the night." I say with finality. Roxas continues to look confused and shocked but Axel quickly reacts, walking over to the spiky-haired brunette and holding out his hand to shake.
"Well then, new roomy, I'm Axel, got it memorized?" he introduces himself, showing off his most charming grin. The grin is recognized by his best friend Roxas and the blonde scowls, sliding back his chair before shuffling over as well. When Sora is done shaking Axel's hand, Roxas holds out his own. "Roxas," he states, shaking the brunette's hand.
"Sora," the shy one responds quietly, smiling slightly at the warm welcome. I inwardly admire him and melt within again, resisting the urge to bring him to my chest.
"Alright guys, don't crowd him, gees," I finally say, shaking my head at my ridiculous friends, making my silver hair dance in front of my eyes. I flip it back.
Axel turns around, lifting his hand up to dismiss himself, and walks off to the living only ten feet away, plopping himself onto the couch to watch Cops on the television. Sora's eye's follow him for a moment before returning to Roxas who gestures to the kitchen, showing the stove with steaming pots placed on it. "I think there's enough for both of you, but if there isn't I can always make more," the blonde says with a shrug, shuffling off to Axel, sitting unnecessarily close to him on the couch. Both of them automatically lean into each other slightly, causing strong urges for me to roll my eyes.
The urge is too much. I roll my eyes at them before sauntering into kitchen, opening the cabinet above to get out two plates. Sora stands awkwardly at the entrance of the kitchen, want clearly written in his eyes. Breathing in the smell of macaroni and cheese, green beans, and sausage with a responding grumble in my stomach, I realize that Sora must be much hungrier than I am. So I hand him a plate and gesture for him to fill it first, standing as close as I can to the counter adjacent to the stove to let him pass by. Conflicting emotions of not wanting to be rude, nervousness, and desire flit across his face, but instincts prevent him from protesting and he brushes past me quickly attacking the spoon in the hot pot to dump Mac-n-cheese on his plate greedily.
By the time I get to make my plate, there's barely anything left in the pans whereas Kitten's plate is filled to the brim. He speeds over to the kitchen table once I give him a fork with an amused chuckle, praying quickly over the meal before diving into the food. While he eats, I decide that the scraps left aren't worth eating and open the freezer, grabbing the half gallon of Rocky Road Ice-cream within.
I think Roxas has come to recognize the sound of the freezer's door opening and closing because he chides me, "Riku, you're going to get fat if you eat more of the Rocky Road. Can you bear to share any?"
"Nope," I say selfishly; no one gets between me and my ice cream, "and you know I work it off. I have a racecar metabolism." To this, Axel snorts in amusement. "Yeah, right; it's more like a bottomless pit. If I have to go to Wal-Mart one more time, Riku, I swear I will castrate you."
I glare at him in response, thinking quickly of some kind of retort, but rapidly look away when I hear a small laugh coming from the kitchen table. I whirl in Sora's direction, eyes widening at the absolute beauty of his smile and giggles, momentarily stealing away the air in my lungs. I just now noticed how his full, pink lips are so… kissable. Or at least, they look that way. I almost find it hard to believe he's a guy, not a girl; I've never had a reaction like this to someone before. Sure, I can tell when someone is hot, but Kitten is somehow more than that; I want to say beautiful, but how can a guy be beautiful? Maybe it's just him. I guess it's a good thing I never cared about the subject of sexuality (who you love is who you love, no matter what they hide in their pants), otherwise I would be stressed.
"See, Sora agrees with me. Good man," Axel continues, smirking over at me. I glare at him again, watching in annoyance as Axel mouths 'I saw that'. Rolling my eyes, I sit down at the mahogany table next to the brunette who has already gotten half-way through his food and doesn't have the intention of stopping.
Gingerly taking a spoonful out of the rocky road, I observe the brunette stuffing his face. Curiosity getting the better of me, I ask, "How long as if been since you last ate?"
Kitten immediately pauses, swallowing the bite of Mac-n-cheese in his mouth before responding unwillingly, "About two days, I think."
I think my jaw drops to the floor. I don't think I've ever gone twelve hours without food; it's simply unfathomable. "How are you still alive?" I ask, awed.
That cute blush paints the brunette's cheeks and he shrugs, shoveling his fork into the green beans. Smiling softly at his embarrassment, I ask again, "You want a drink? We have water, milk, and mountain dew."
"Milk?" Kitten asks, looking like me might just faint from ecstasy. Laughing out loud, I nod, leaving my ice-cream at the table to accommodate his wishes.
When I get back with the glass of white, creamy liquid, Sora practically snatches it from my hands, gulping down half of it within ten seconds and three loud gulps, a small gasp escaping the brunette's lips when he finishes. "You are such a kitten," I finally tell him before I can stop myself, grinning amusedly at the milk moustache adorning his upper lip.
For a moment he looks offended, his bottom lip jutting out into a pout. "I am not," he argues, scrunching up his nose at me in an adorable way. I nod, arguing back. "Yes, you are."
Before Sora can retort, Roxas comments, "If you're done flirting with him, Riku, you could show him the shower."
Looking aghast toward my blonde friend, I defend myself, "I am not flirting! I'm merely stating the facts!"
"Uh-huh, whatever you say," the blonde continues, smirking slightly while Axel snickers, obviously on his companion's side. So much for supportive friends. But Sora laughs again, finally placing his fork onto the blue plate that once held food. He says, "Oh yeah, as if you're one to talk. What are you doing over there, cuddling?"
Immediately, I burst into laughter, 'ooo'-ing at the comeback, suddenly liking this little stray more and more. "Hey! What was that, Mr. Kitten?" Axel cries, feigning offense, "I thought you were on my side!"
"I am Switzerland," the brunette says smartly, and I laugh again, picking up his plate, empty cup and my ice-cream, retreating to the kitchen to place the dishes in the sink and the ice-cream in the freezer.
When I've accomplished that, I gesture the brunette over, offering, "Haha, come on Sora, let me get you a change of clothes and show you how to use the shower." Smirking at Axel's muttered retort, "Switzerland… more like Riku's hoe-land…" I turn away from my friends as Roxas punches him lightly, rolling his eyes at the pathetic comeback. Luckily, Sora doesn't seem to hear the comment and nods to me, smiling sheepishly.
When he joins me by my side, I take him to the main bedroom, trying to resist all perverted thoughts at all costs. I quickly find him a clean shirt and pants, asking him if he would mind borrowing a pair of my boxers, or something, considering the circumstances. He blushes, but says its fine and I hand him my clothes, trying to suppress a blush of my own. Gees, what is it about this lost Kitten? I never feel this flustered about anything… But I ignore my uneasiness, guiding him to the corner of the red room where it opens into a short hall that leads to the white-tiled bathroom. Wasting no time, I explain where everything is and how to use the shower and such, then finally leave him to his privacy, closing the bathroom door with a relieved sigh; I didn't do anything stupid, thank God.
When I sit down onto one of the plush arm chairs next to the couch in the living room, I finally get the questions. "May I ask what possessed you to pick up a random stranger off the street?" Roxas asks, turning towards me with one eyebrow raised.
"You tell me, man. I just… he looked like he needed me. I don't know, I just couldn't leave him alone," I admit, knowing making up a stupid excuse wouldn't slide. Nonetheless, Axel and Roxas share a significant glance, speaking telepathically in that weird way of theirs that drives me crazy all the time.
"What?" I ask, a bit annoyed. Roxas shrugs, but Axel says, "I personally don't care if he stays or not, but you realize that taking him in now will result in him staying forever? I don't think he has anyone, Riku." He makes a good point.
But, I had already thought about this while Kitten was eating. I sigh and shrug, replying, "I know but… I think this is the right thing to do. He seems like a good guy, but I'll try to get his story soon." Axel nods to this seriously, accepting the answer, but then his trademark smirk resumes on his face and he teases, "Keep the kitten, but I'm not taking care of the fluffball, got it memorized?"
"Whatever," I retort, rolling my eyes, "You know I don't share anyway."