This is my ever first fanfiction! It's Akuriku (because I am akuriku trash). I Like dialog so a bit of talking in the first two chapters. Still trying to figure out my style.
Prepare for dramu!
The Radiant Garden University [RGU – Or cunningly pronounced 'Ruges' for short] was one of the busiest, and largest, scholarly institutions in the area; hardly coming second was Twilight Town's local community college, 50 minutes' drive away and considered the hipster hotspot. Not that Ruge's didn't have its own arty atmosphere, but it was more suited to the sciences and practical multimedia courses.
The university was separated into 4 major buildings, the AC for design and multimedia, the BA for business, the SA for sciences, and finally, the LIB.
The library was one of the more visited places on campus, despite the decline in actual book borrowing; it was just across from the SA, separated by a large undercover food court and seating area. Students often used the lower levels for study, computer access and group meetings, leaving the actual books-and-quiet-reading areas upstairs fairly empty, and making Riku's job much easier.
Riku himself was a quiet and generally aloof person around people he didn't know, making the Library assistant job all the more appealing to him. It helped he was tall; reaching books for shorter students had become his main calling, although sometimes his appearance made it hard to fit into the role. Shoulder length white hair, which he pulled into a pony tail most days ["Man bun!" Namine called it] – with a fringe that almost covered his quiet, aqua green eyes. Almost never seen wearing anything different to his pull over muscle shirts and black Capri pants, Riku could be intimating.
"You're not very approachable" Namine, the blonde, blue eyed clerk had worried when Kairi dragged him in for an interview. Well, as much as asking your best friends-girlfriends-cousin for a job could be called an interview.
"It's yours guns" Kairi had sighed, poking his arms.
"Not my fault" Riku had mumbled back, eventually convincing Namine that it would be ok if he just wore a university hoodie everywhere to hide them.
Since he'd started working at the library, most of his free time was spent there, keeping him "out of trouble" as Kairi had sighed when he accepted the position.
"Sora is worried" She had said, crossing her arms and peering up at Riku from behind her red-brown bangs.
"Sora's always worried about me" Riku had replied, rolling his eyes at his best friends concerns. It had been a whole year since then, and it seemed to Riku that whether he was working or partying his friends would worry anyway. The only thing really nagging at him right now, was, well,
"Still hasn't returned my fucking book!" Riku exclaimed, staring at the name and 3 week over due date on the screen. He heard Namine giggle behind him.
'It's not your book, Riku. Besides, why are you so worried about some old psychologist's personal diary anyway?" She walked over from the counter and stared at the screen with him.
"It's not just some personal diary!" Riku said, exasperated, flicking his hair out of his eyes, "Its Ansem the Wise's Red Book! It's cool, you know? It's what you get when you mix madness with genius and let them write about it for 5 years" Riku glanced at Namine's face. She was giggling again. The Red book was essentially a diary written by one of the top psychology masters during a depressed period of his life. He had taken drugs, experimented with sleep, and among other things been completely mad while writing it. It was supposed to be an incredibly insightful look into human nature, and Riku wanted it.
'I'll take your word for it" Namine smiled. "Oh, this Lea character is going to be in trouble when you catch her, though" She added, raising her eyebrow to the name on the screen.
Riku scowled, glancing back at the name. Lea. R borrowed the book over a month ago and still hadn't returned it, sitting on a $500 fine for holding the only copy of the now very overdue book. Riku had been trying to imagine what such a book hog would be like; probably a first year psychology student, the type that sat in the food court drinking coffee half the day, chatting with her friends about all the people she was going to help once she had her degree. Riku frowned deeper. Ok, maybe he was a little bit bitter; he'd been on the waiting list for The Red Book since the beginning of the year, and it was almost September now, his patience was running out.
"Riiiiikuuuu" Namine was staring at him. "You're doing that angry stare thing again."
"Sorry, yea, I guess. What did you ask?"
"Are you sure you're ok to work here over the mid semester break? I could get Pence in"
"Yea, I already said it was fine" replied Riku, leaning against the desk. "Besides, you hardy drop shifts, and Kairi is super excited to have a girl's week from what Sora tells me." Not to mention, Riku thought, the book hog might try and sneak in over the break to return it. Riku was hoping he'd be able catch them in the act and give them a mouthful about return times and the fines associated with it.
Namine smiled "Ok, well, I guess I'll see you in a bit over a week" She said, picking up her bag. "Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to leave my art stuff here, I have no room in the dorm right now" She motioned to the pile of sketch books behind her.
"It's fine, I'll protect them for you" Riku said with a laugh, "Have a safe trip, OK?" He motioned for Namine to come closer and gave her a goodbye hug. She patted him on the head and pulled away, blushing.
"You know, one of these days you're going to break a girls heart with your random displays of affection"
"Probably already have." Riku said, raising a guilty eyebrow. It wasn't his problem if the fact he was gay didn't come across in his dress or mannerisms. It wasn't like he openly hit on women, either.
'You be safe too, the Library can be creepy when you're alone" She said, walking towards the staircase that lead to the ground floor.
"I'll karate chop the ghosts away" Riku laughed back, watching as Namine waved goodbye. He sighed and went about putting the last of the returned books back on the shelf.
No one came in for the rest of the night, so Riku ended up leaving early, waving goodbye to the cute night guard and making his way back to the apartment he shared with Sora. He had known his best friend since, well, before he could remember. They had been neighbours, and naturally in the small coastal community he grew up in, they had become friends. He'd be lying to himself if he said he'd never had a crush on the blue-eyed, mousey brown haired man. But even so, Riku was past it now, seeing him more like a mildly over protective younger brother than anything else. Sora had been there to see Riku go through a part of his life he didn't like to dwell on, and since then had taken it upon himself to keep Riku on the, well, not so straight and narrow [Riku chuckled at his own musings], but the right path.
As he walked up to the apartment entrance he noticed Kairi's car parked a little down the street. He wondered if he should wait out walking in, in fear of interrupting anything he'd rather not see; but just as he made to text his friend out of caution, Kairi came strutting out. Wearing jeans and a crop top, her red hair swishing in its ponytail and her bright blue eyes full of determination. He wondered how she hadn't frozen yet in the cool night air. She was balancing two bags under her arms and had Sora's camera hanging from her mouth by the band.
"Need a hand?" Riku called out, pacing up to his other childhood friend. Kairi glanced up, a smile coming over her face as she re positioned her belongings.
"thoughtidmakeittothecarbut-" She was speaking so quickly and with half a mouth of leather that Riku had to take a moment to figure out what she was saying.
'You told Sora it was fine and now you regret it?" He asked, taking the large bag from under her arm.
"Pretty much!" She sighed, tilting her head in defeat, putting the camera down. "Thanks" She smiled suddenly, motioning to her car. The two of them walked as she spoke.
"Did you see Namine at work?"
"Yea, she seemed excited"
"Good, cool, I'm gonna go get her as soon as we get these in my car." She shook her bag for emphasis. "Just said goodbye to Sora" She added, smiling, as if she'd read Riku's mind. Growing up with the same friend group and keeping them through university meant the trio could easily finish each other's sentences. They were lucky, Riku often thought, that Kairi and Sora's dating hadn't broken them up, mostly likely due to the fact Riku wasn't competing with Sora; at least not in a way that would ever actually lead to anything.
"You drive carefully, ok? The roads aren't great at this time of year, especially not towards home" Riku said, glancing at the sporty black coupe Kairi lovingly named Mickey.
Kairi rolled her eyes as she opened up the boot and threw the bags in, Riku followed suit. "Yes mum, I'll be careful!"
"Better be, Sora will die from heartbreak if you get hurt"
"Yea, I know" Kairi dropped the sarcasm and nodded in agreement, "Hug goodbye?" She pouted and opened her arms in welcome.
"Nah I don't hug girls" Riku teased, pulling her to him and hoping she would actually listen to his advice. He felt her sigh as he let go.
"You give the best hugs"
"You sound like Namine, accusing me of breaking girls hearts"
"A serial hugger, you are, those big arms of yours just lure us in"
"Wish they'd lure in some cute guys…"
"Maybe if you actually looked for commitment rather than sex, you'd find some" Riku blinked at that, he hadn't expected, or wanted dating advice; or a reminder of his freshman years. To say he had had a drinking problem was to put it lightly, using the alcohol and sex to cover up whatever empty feeling had been growing inside of his since, well, since the events of his teens. After one night in the hospital from alcohol poisoning, Sora had forced him to see a psychiatrist. Self medicating they had said, and Riku had gone cold turkey off the drinks, and along with it the sex. Not that he felt much better, the growing feeling of emptiness still filled him from time to time; and yet the thought of an actual relationship terrified him more than anything else. The idea of sharing himself with someone, letting them know the "real" Riku wasn't something he wanted, at all. Riku sighed at Kairi.
"Hey, it's been like one year since my last one night stand. I've been good" Riku pouted.
"Well, just saying" Kairi looked him up and down. "Hands off Sora" She winked finally, hopping into the car with as certain kind of grace only she had.
"No hugs for him to fill the void you'll leave?" Riku smirked.
"None!" Kairi shouted over the engine, waving as she pulled away, leaving Riku feeling more anxious than anything. She'd just had to mention Sora.