Bonjour! ChiiRyeeBiee here. Goodness gracious me, I'm a terrible person and I'm not even gonna deny it ( ´Д`)y━･
You know that moment in writing where you have an idea or something, and you try to expand it, then it ends up taking twists and turns and you're just like, "THIS IS NOT WORKING!" then you crumple everything up into one giant ball of doom, start again, and the same stupid cycle repeats? Well, ya. I normally plan things ahead so developing this plot was and is still complicated to me. It's soooo weird! ((((；ﾟДﾟ))))))) Oh woe my perfectionist personality.
Here is what I have so far for Chapter Three. Please please please tell me how it is, along with pointing out my silly errors and grammatical mistakes. :D I also need to fill my idea bank even with a kind of chronological chapter plan, but it's so vague it's hardly a good plan to begin with sooooo... ideas are gladly welcome :)
Oh, and one more thing! My last minute comment — I dedicate zis chapta to A Lonely Dreamer, who is undeniably the nicest person on earth. Thank you so much for encouraging me to finish this! I finally got through Chapter Three which tormented me for two whole months... *cries more tears of joy*
Zis is shounen-ai if that wasn't already clear, and I don't own Kingdom Hearts at all. Expect more OOC and cliché fluff because that is what defines my weird-thinking mind right now. With that said, smile with me as you read Smile A Little, Will Ya Chapter Three! (That was a cool rhyme. Hehehe.)
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Smile A Little, Will Ya?
o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
"Roxas..."
-~-~-~-A voice; familiar yet unbeknown.-~-~-~-
~o~
"Look at this Roxas! Isn't it pretty?"
-~-~-~-Calling out, like a reminder of a cry.-~-~-~-
~o~
"Roxas, I love you."
-~-~-~-Desperate, calm. Reaching out, waiting.-~-~-~-
~o~
"We'll always be together, right?"
-~-~-~-He'll always be there.-~-~-~-
~o~
"You're the awesomest, Roxas. I'm so lucky to have you."
-~-~-~-Don't ever forget him.-~-~-~-
~o~
"...why the long face... where's that pretty smile you have?"
-~-~-~-He wants you to be happy.-~-~-~-
~o~
"Oh come on. Don't give me that nonsense. Smile a little, will ya?"
-~-~-~-So let him go and be free.-~-~-~-
~o~
"Y-you. R-r-roxas. K-k-know you. L-love R-roxas. M-me l-l-love R-roxas."
-~-~-~-Don't cry no more.-~-~-~-
~o~
"S-s-s-smile for m-me."
-~-~-~-Smile.-~-~-~-
~o~
"M-m-me. A-a-always h-h-here."
~Chapter Three: Count On Me~
The early morning rays of sunlight proceeded to shine down on a red-roofed house not far from the local college of Destiny Village. A venturing ray seeping through viridian curtains and the constant cockadoodledoos of neighbouring chickens awakened an early-rising teenage boy from his slumber. Greeting the morning with a big stretch and loud yawn, he looked for the small calendar on his bedroom wall; cerulean eyes squinting as he read the current date off of it. Sigh. It was yet another day spent living in his temporary home — the home he had been staying at by himself for almost two months now. Heh. His normally protective mother would be worried sick by now. Letting her only living son move to a neighbouring town was hard for her, but she understood that Roxas needed to get away from home for a while. All the memories were there, so there was no way he'd be able to move on if he was constantly surrounded by them. On the plus side, maybe he could make friends in this new town like he was slowly doing so, and learn how to live a life of independence. Maybe he could forget about the past that still haunted him, courtesy of the company he found in that class clown Sora as he originally thought.
Tch. If only it was that easy.
Roxas had to contemplate for a moment about whether or not he should get out of bed, but then again he remembered he had something to do on this fine Saturday morning. A decision was made as he put on his fuzzy slippers and made his way towards the kitchenette of his small home to have some breakfast. As he ate, a longing look from wandering cerulean eyes trained on one of the cramped storage rooms — a room he hadn't entered ever since he moved in. He organized the place yes, but not once had he set foot in that room for fear of breaking down at what he would see. Roxas knew it was irrational to bring That Thing with him in the first place, but he couldn't help wanting to hold on to that last piece he still had of Him, a treasure He did not even know of or see.
Once his toast was consumed and his cereal and glass of milk devoured, the blonde boy got changed and left his home as quickly as he could. A piece of paper reading library sat beside the bowl he ate from, recently crumpled and marked with strawberry jam.
o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
"So Sora, how's the 'plan' been going on, huh lover boy?"
It was finally the weekend and Sora, Riku, Kairi and Naminé were walking along the busy streets of Destiny Village's ever-so-popular shopping side of town. It wasn't too bad a day as cumulu-cirrus clouds rode the sky, while birds flew from branch to branch, tweeting for all it was worth. The breeze was mild and gentle even in the shopping areas of Destiny Village, picking up fallen leaves and carrying them wherever they would go.
"What are you talking about?" The brunette inquired, hands in his pockets as he led the group along. He was the one responsible for taking his friends shopping today. Despite it not being a school day, his plan to make a certain blonde classmate smile was still on his mind, and while he was on a break from school, Sora figured that he may as well proceed with working on the next thing on his list.
There weren't many bookshops in town since the village was small and solitary, appropriate for those who preferred to live quiet and stress-free lives. There was, however, that one bookshop the blue-eyed brunette knew was always open around the corner of the internet café, and the four of them were heading there as of the moment.
"Oh, you know. You and your plan to make our good ol' pal Roxy smile. I don't suppose you brought us here to go walking to a bookshop for no apparent reason, hmm?" The sardonic silver-haired teen claimed, his voice pitchy and mocking. The two sisters who brought up the rear of the group merely rolled their eyes at the neverending annoyance that was Riku. There goes his daily "infuriate Sora" comments again...
"Well, yeah I'm working on it!" Sora hissed, displeased with his supposed best friend's attitude. Goodness, it's like the silverette had a problem with Roxas! What did the blonde ever do to him? Riku hadn't been as disapproving with his plans to make other people smile before. He knew Riku was supportive of his actions, but sometimes Sora didn't even know if the boy had a grudge on his new found friend or he was just being a bastard as always.
"...I'm heading over to a bookshop right now to get him a book he may like." The azure-eyed boy explained, turning a head towards the aquamarine-eyed male for a brief moment before directing his attention back at the road before him. "You know the guy. He's always reading. Maybe if I get him a good book then he'd at least have one tiny reason to smile."
"Awww. That's so sweet, Sora." Naminé cooed, giggling with her sister Kairi who was thinking the same thing.
"You're way too nice to him. He's so lucky to have you as a friend." mentioned the red-haired girl. "But then again, everyone's lucky to have you as a friend..."
"We're not even kidding, bro. It's like you have a crush on him. Seriously." Riku scoffed, trudging while he kicked the hard ground nonchalantly.
Sweet.
Lucky.
Crush.
Pffft.
What was with Sora's best friends thinking he had a crush on Roxas? Gaaaah! Didn't they get it at all? He. Was. Just. Trying. To. Make. Roxas. Smile. They should look at the guy and see if he didn't bring their spirits down by frowning like there was no tomorrow. Life was good! Everyone should have every reason to smile! But there they were, his best friends, more focused on the fact that his being kind to the blonde was some sign of personal affection for him. Ridiculous!
"I do not have a crush on Roxas!"
An azure eye twitched irritatedly to accompany the teen's protesting response. But of course, his best friends didn't believe him, since they looked at him with this "err, ya you do" kind of creepy smile on their faces, signalling to the brunette of their none-too-friendly wordless teasing.
"Sure, sure. Have it your way. You don't like him. You're just trying to make him smile. End of story." Riku voiced ever-so-satirically. It seemed that Sora didn't pick up on his tone because the class clown immediately yelled, "EXACTLY!" to the older male's face before turning around and continuing his journey towards the bookshop.
"He so likes him."
"Hmph. It's not everyday he goes around buying gifts for everyone he wants to smile. I'm his best guy friend, and he's never bought me anything to make me smile!"
"I CAN HEAR YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW!"
"I guess, but the way he always acts cute to charm out Roxas is the biggest giveaway yet... it's basically got "I LOVE YOU" written out across it."
"GUYS!"
"Can't I at least have the latest replica model of a Lamborghini? That would make me smile!"
"Riku...!"
"What? I'm just saying!"
"Oh, hey. We're here."
The four friends were soon standing in front of a very crowded bookshop, where groups of business people and teenagers of different ages were crowding up the counter with a pile of books at hand. Sora was really the only one interested in reading, so he wasn't too surprised at how desperate these people looked - pushing in line or shouting in phones as they boasted about grabbing the latest popular novel first.
"Gee. I never knew so many people in Destiny Village read books." said Riku, not believing the sight before him.
The girls nodded in agreement. Kairi scanned the place for any good books on sale her youngest male friend could purchase and was met with a conveniently displayed sign screaming, "POPULAR READS! LIMITED EDITION SERIES COLLECTION!" above one of the shelves near the front of the shop.
"Hmmm... Hey, Sora. It looks like they've just released a new series, and it's hot on the sales right now. Looks popular too. I mean look at the line — they're all getting the same thing." the blue-eyed redhead pointed out. Naminé saved the brunette some time by walking inside the shop and getting a hold of the limited edition series pack, proceeding then to line up and ushering the other three with a hand gesture to come inside.
"Maybe Roxas will love this, Sora. It was the last one, so we're lucky I grabbed it." she grinned, showing the sixteen year old the same series pack everyone in the shop seemed to be drooling about. There were already complaints and death glares being thrown at them for grabbing the last of them all, but Sora ignored this and took a hold of the books instead.
"Glass of Ember Series by The Enflixer... It's a sci-fi dystopian novel with an academy award. I guess he'd like it." Sora mumbled to himself, soon searching for the price tag to see if he could afford it.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTT!"
~o~
After their hour-long line up in the bookshop, the four friends exited the place looking like they'd just been trampled on by a stampede of buffaloes, with their hair sticking out in places and their clothes acquiring more creases than possible. They dusted themselves off before heading to a food court, intent to eat something after going through such a suffering.
"You owe me for this, Sora." the silverette roared furiously, still frowning at how painful his legs felt for standing so long. "No, actually, I take that back. Roxas owes me for this, Sora. He better smile or I'll kick his legs out to see how he likes being in a line for sixty full minutes!"
"Oh come on, Riku. It wasn't that bad." Naminé shrugged, glancing at Sora for confirmation. The brunette didn't look so happy himself.
"I'm never eating out for three months. Oh my gosh. What am I gonna do? How can I even pay for food right now!?" whimpered the azure-eyed boy who was walking like a hunched zombie.
"Hey. Sometimes we need to sacrifice for love, right Naminé?"
"Yeah. Kairi's right. Roxas will love it, and it'll be worth it in the end." The blonde girl stated, putting a hand on each of her male friends' shoulders to comfort them.
"Oh come on! For the ten-millionth time, I do not have a crush on Roxas!"
"You do, Sora."
"I don't!"
"Do."
"Don't!"
"Riku, Sora, this argument is getting nowhere."
"Sora, Roxas, sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G..."
"Noooooooo shut up shut up shut up! No KISSING, no ANYTHING AT ALL! I don't like Roxas and I will never like him that way, ever ever EVER!" The happy-go-lucky but not-so-happy-right-now teen pouted, crossing his arms with a huff to show his evident irritation. Aww. The supposedly always-smiling Sora was mad! What a sight! The three didn't even bother to comfort their friend as they were way too amused by their youngest's failing attempt to act all serious and very "Roxas".
Maybe it was better for Sora to be in denial, Riku thought. At least he wouldn't have to worry about his best friend, whom he was very protective of despite what others said, crying about someone who didn't return the same feelings for him. He could see the future now — the brunette and the blonde holding hands, the brunette and the blonde hugging, the brunette and the blonde kissi— okay maybe he shouldn't be thinking about that, but it was still a possibility! Then they would break up, or Roxas would leave, and Sora will cry, cry, cry — something he didn't like seeing, and never wanted to for as long as he lived.
Unbeknownst to the eldest male of the group, the twin girls were thinking the exact same thing as they observed Sora acting like a spoiled brat in front of them, excepting all pessimistic thoughts and replacing them with fluffy clouds of happiness and cute, colourful rainbows of love. The sixteen year old just needed a little time, maybe a push towards the finish line if that helped. They knew Sora had never been with anyone as he was always selflessly thinking about others before himself. The blue-eyed male professed to never have time for it, quoting, "gotta make everyone happy, y'know?" as much as he could. They'd never seen Sora smile so bright before Roxas came around. The blonde certainly needed someone as bright as Sora Leonhart, so they were glad that they had each other. Besides, they didn't think Roxas would dare break Sora's heart. If he did, well, there was always Riku.
The eldest girl spoke up, making the decision to change the subject before their little Sora lost his temper in the feud between the silver-haired male and himself.
"You know, we still have extra pocket money left over, right Naminé? We could grab sushi and hit the road. Our treat. Maybe we could have a picnic at the beach before the sun sets!"
"Yeah!"
"Sounds good. I'm in." Riku uttered.
The three best friends waited for the male sixteen year old to reply, staring at the free-spirited boy to scrutinize him for his opinion.
"Mhhmm... okay. But no more, "I'm in love with Roxas" remarks! S'not trueee and never will beeeee!"
"Fine with me. Kairi?"
"Yup! Riku?"
"Whatever."
Tch. Friends. It was nice to have them around, Sora thought, despite their constant nagging about the class clown's supposed feelings for a certain sunshine-haired teen. Maybe the three wouldn't mind Roxas tagging along the next time, since hanging out with friends was yet another way to make one happy. Come to think of it, Roxas hadn't been socializing with anyone but himself, and sure the guy was an antisocial freak, but that didn't mean he completely hated company here and there, right? Yep. The next thing on Sora's list demanded having friends around. Sooner or later, Sora knew, Roxas would be smiling beyond compare!
o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
Commencing Phase Seven: Read It Till You Grin!
As always, Roxas was the first to arrive at their table, waiting for Sora to bring in their lunch like he always did. It had been a good month or so since they first started hanging out, and so the cerulean-eyed boy had gotten used to his brunette friend's way-too-happy personality and his not-so-discreet plan to make him smile.
Roxas was still as quiet as usual when it came to their everyday hangouts, though. He had no idea what it meant to become a "friend", so he frequently kept his mouth shut and let Sora do all the talking. There were times, however, when he wouldn't even say hello to the class favourite, and they'd be silent the whole lunchtime. Sora was trying to give him some time of his own to adjust, and Roxas would mostly be reading since he didn't even know how to act. Things would be much easier for the Twilight High student if He was here. But He wasn't, and there was no way He'd ever come back, so Roxas really just had to deal with it.
A weird thought which constantly niggled at the back of the blonde's mind was that the brunette hasn't taken action in his "smile plan" for a while now. Maybe Sora gave up? Maybe he was giving him space? Well, whatever the situation was, Roxas was okay with it, since it was difficult to make him smile. But then again, he wasn't even trying.
He didn't like seeming heartless for not appearing to appreciate Sora's advances, even if in reality Roxas was grateful for the boy's kindness despite not really deserving it. It would be cruel to dampen his friend's spirits, since Sora has been nothing but warmhearted towards him. The azure-eyed boy was way too kind to him for nothing, and Roxas didn't like it.
"ROXAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!" called out a certain hyperactive brunette from afar. The boy was sprinting as fast as he could towards their table even though he appeared to be carrying another one of his mysterious gift bags. Guess he spoke too fast about the "giving up" part. Roxas just hoped it wasn't something he'd need to repay the guy for.
When Sora arrived, he brought two containers of lunch with him - a scrumptiously healthy serving of homemade tacos this time. How Sora could make lunch for the both of them everyday during his own spare time, on top of getting himself ready for school was a mystery to the Twilight High student.
"Thanks for lunch as always, Sora." The blonde muttered quietly before taking a first bite of his taco. He thought something was a little off when he didn't get a reply, but his doubts were eliminated when he was greeted with the loudest outburst imaginable.
"GUESS WHAAAAAAT! Guess what guess what guess what GUESS WHAAAAT!" The chocolate-haired teen yelled to the sky, attaching himself to the right arm of his companion.
"Err...what?"
Sora took a few deep breaths before making yet another shrill of excitement. "I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU! I got it during the weekend and I hope you'll like it. Open it open it open it open it open it OPEN IT!" He beamed, thrusting the mysterious gift bag he carried after detaching himself from Roxas. Inside it was a heavy-looking rectangular package, and it wasn't perfectly gift-wrapped which indicated to Roxas that the brunette wrapped it up himself. A blue ribbon sat on top of the cream-coloured box; the colour of Roxas' eyes.
"You know, my birthday isn't in another five months. Why give this to me?"
The younger sixteen year old flashed his companion with yet another typical grin and an accompanied peace sign. "Hehe. That's easy. I just want to make to happy! Now open it up, Roxas! I hope you'll like it!"
"...hn."
Moving aside the taco container, pale hands reached out for the present, delicately peeling off the wrapping paper and folding it all into one big square. The previously wrapped gift soon turned out to be a tightly-packed series of books with black covers; fiery images decorating the first book. For a moment it was as though time has stopped because the sunshine-haired teen was rendered speechless, and Sora could only wait and see what his friend thought of his present.
Silence.
...
Silence.
...
And yes, more and more silence.
...
This wasn't what the Destiny College student was expecting.
"Err, Roxas, are you okay?" Sora dared to ask, a little worried about turning his blonde-haired friend into stone. A faint reply broke through the noiseless air, serving as reassurance to the blue-eyed brunette about the matter of Roxas' condition.
"I didn't hear that, sorry. What did you say?"
Roxas had to clear his throat a few times until he could finally speak in an audible tone. If Sora was looking carefully, he would have seen the stoic boy hold on closely to the series collection, arms wrapped around it like a protective hug.
"You didn't." Roxas hissed almost faintly, his voice quiet yet a little too alarming.
"I didn't what?"
"I can't believe you, you weirdo. I can't believe you got me this."
"Huh? You don't like it?" Sora mumbled, his previous bubbly self slowly depleting to a depressing state. Oh no. Did he seriously get the wrong present? Was it really that bad?! He couldn't tell if Roxas liked or hated it, since the Twilight High student had his eyebrows furrowed like he was angry about getting this particular present or something. And Sora even worked so hard to get it... He thought Roxas would smile about it or like it at least... Oh man, what a bummer.
The brunette was snapped out of his reverie when Roxas spoke up after minutes of just staring at the series collection before him.
"God, Sora. What am I gonna do with you? How am I supposed to pay you back for all this?" The Twilight High teen's voice cracked in the process, laced with shock and appreciation.
"So... you do like it?"
Roxas nodded his head slowly, once again hugging the series collection into his arms.
"I've been working so hard to get this forever. The Enflixer is one of the most well known sci-fi writers out there, and I was really looking forward to these..." The blue-eyed blonde explained. "They're crazy expensive. Borrowing these from the library would keep me waiting for a whole year, and one book costs a lot of dollars as it is."
"Really?" Tanned arms travelled to the back of the younger's head, posing like one of the popular jocks at his school. "Heh, I guess I got lucky then. That was the last stock in our local bookshop, and the fact that it was on your wishlist made it all the more lucky!"
Yup. Lucky indeed. He was expecting a worse reaction, but now everything was alright! Phew! The panicked turmoil the chocolate-haired teen carried within himself dissipated progressively as he mentally breathed a sigh of relief.
On the other hand, the Twilight High student looked to be conflicted on whether or not he should fully accept the highly thoughtful present. "...This is really mine, right? You're not joking or anythi—"
"Hey... No returns allowed~ S'yours now, Roxas." Sora interrupted, throwing his arms around the very agitated blonde. The Destiny College student couldn't help but grin at the priceless (albeit subtle) exclamation of happiness Roxas had. Naminé was right. It was worth all his pocket money and that long hour of waiting outside the bookshop if he got to see this softer side of his newfound friend. The only thing missing was the blonde's actual smile. Though his voice and the way he held his present as though it was fragile Roxas' happiness, the guy still managed to keep a straight face. It was a little peculiar to the brunette.
"Thank you, Sora. Thank you so much."
The addressed teen turned to look at his companion with azure eyes that sparkled cheerfully. As much as he loved making others smile, somehow making Roxas happy made Sora gladder than anything else. He didn't know why it was so, and he didn't really need to. As long as someone was glad and it was he who made them so, nothing else mattered to Sora Leonhart.
"Heehee, it was nothing, really." the younger boy scratched away at chocolate hair as though he was trying to look innocent. There was no way he was going to reveal what he went through to get the books - that would be like saying Roxas better appreciate it since Sora got it especially for him. And for some reason thinking about this conjured the thought of a devil Riku, quoting about his pained, pained legs from two days ago. At least Roxas did like his present. He'd ought to tell that to the complaining silverette.
~o~
Roxas was already browsing through the first book when the brunette finally returned to reality. The blonde was multitasking with eating and reading food again, but this time at least Sora could understand why.
"How'd you get this anyway? I doubt it costed less than a hundred dollars. One book alone's about thirty dollars max. And since there are six in here plus the extra epilogue story that would be around two hundred and ten dollars..."
Cerulean orbs widened as he tried to comprehend how his friend could afford for something so... expensive just for him.
"...Uuuhh, it really wasn't much, Roxas. Don't worry about it...! Hehe, umm, yeah..."
It was all Sora could say (with a rather suspicious tone at that too) without revealing any more. He remembered the way his friends looked at him when he was about to return the series back to the shelves to find something a little bit lighter on his wallet. Before he knew it, all three pulled out a pile of cash each, contributing to the small cause that was the blue-eyed brunette's plan. Riku was the one who walked up to him, clapping just enough bills on his palm which Sora could use to pay for the monstrosity of a present.
"It's the least we can do to help. Even though Roxas is a know-it-all nerd who I'll probably never like for you. Ever."
Sigh. Sora could never understand Riku. Even if the guy was his best friend.
When the blonde finally finished eating and gave up on reading, Roxas was suddenly staring at a bush somewhere to his right as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. Sora noticed the older boy's inattentiveness and decided to voice a quiet "Roxas?", concerned with the unhappy aura his friend was currently surrounded with.
"I used to smile, you know. Three years ago, before everything changed for me..."
The sudden confession surprised the athletic boy, but the fact that his quiet companion was finally opening up ever-so-slowly to him was a good thing and he vowed to listen to his friend's problems in hopes to make him feel better.
"...but just because I don't smile, doesn't mean I'm always sad and never happy. I really appreciate the gift — don't get me wrong about that — but I don't think I can just smile again."
Sora took this opportunity to reach out for a pale hand and squeeze it endearingly.
"Hey... just because you can't smile, doesn't mean you will never be able to. As the class clown of 11-2 and your newfound friend, I promise I would do anything I could to make you smile!" The Leonhart teen beamed. "That's my goal this year, and if I have to shout out freebies for you or use up all my free time planning for it, well I don't care. I just want to see you smile."
...
"...Roxy... I just wanted to see you smile, I really didn't mean mess your project up, I swear. I thought you'd like it. Please? I'm sorry?"
"...please..."
"...where's that silly little grin? The one you use when you're watching The Nobody Show and you piss yourself giggling when Saïx gives Xemnas a hiding? What was that joke again — errr, "Why didn't you do the house chores," Saïx would say and Xemnas would reply, "Because I have nothing to do" or something? There... there! Yep, I win. Hey! No hitting! I just wanted to see you smile! Ow ow ow ow okay I'm sorry leggo of me ow ow ow, please don't be mad anymore..."
...
At that very moment Roxas wanted nothing more but to hug the brunette for his extreme selflessness and care towards him. But of course the blonde had a reputation he had to uphold, and this didn't include being sappy and emotional like Sora usually was. Instead of choosing the first option, he opted for squeezing back at the younger's hand while searching for that interesting bush somewhere-out-there once again. It was Sora who ended up hugging the cerulean-eyed boy, and Roxas really didn't mind the Leonhart teen's clinginess anymore. He had a friend — someone who believed in him, someone who would do anything to make sure he was alright. A friend, who was just like Him.
"I'm counting on you then, Sora." Roxas murmured, inaudible enough so that Sora wouldn't hear it.
I'm counting on you to help me smile once again.
o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
Commencing Phase Eight: So You Think You Can Dance?
Everyone loved games.
That is, Sora hoped everyone did, anyway. The first two months of school guaranteed every Destiny College student a highly stressful time, so it was fortunate that their mid-semester school holidays were approaching very soon. Their teachers had been giving out bucketloads of homework for their so-called, "two weeks off school resting time", claiming that "it wasn't too much to do" and that they should "go have a good rest from schoolwork too". Talk about contradictory!
During the final week of the first semester, the brunette made it a goal to finish all his holiday homework in the library along with his best friends every lunchtime so that they could go out and have some fun in their grand vacation. After all, that was what they were for. Resting. Sleeping. Having a holiday, for goodness sake! It wasn't all about "study" and "school" and "reading ahead for the next topic". That was what school was for! Sheesh!
The highly-favoured class clown was in the middle of finishing a Biology-related question when his mind drifted off to lala land. Riku, Kairi and Naminé agreed that they would all go to a game center with Roxas and himself on the first Monday of their vacation. It was only normal for him to be super excited, since it was going to be their first real hangout as new friends together. He knew Kairi and Naminé liked the Strife teen, but he wasn't too sure about Riku. He hoped they wouldn't be thrown out of the game center for starting a useless fight on who had to go first.
"Oi, Sora. More work, less daydreaming." The sharp tone made the athletic boy snap out of his reverie. Looking up at people across him, he could see Kairi and Naminé scrawling answers to their homework, their finished pile getting higher and higher by the minute. The silverette looked to be at the last paragraph of his Geography essay, tapping a pen on his head as he thought of alternate words for climate.
'I wonder how Roxas is doing...' Sora voiced inwardly, finally writing down the solution to his question. Even though his friends didn't mind him hanging out with Roxas so much, the blue-eyed blonde still somehow felt uncomfortable hanging out with other people. The latter decided to skip their homework session for the music room, declaring that he wanted to listen to the lunchtime concert instead. Roxas wouldn't ever skip out on their hangout day, would he?
Eventually the school bell rang and the four friends had to pick up their things and head to last period. Thursday... Friday... It would be just two more days until the school holidays came! The chocolate-haired boy could hardly wait! In a week's time, he'd be versing his friends in a shooting match, vowing to take the victory for himself!
~o~
"Oh come on! You've got to be kidding me! Roxas WON AGAIN?!"
The flustered yet still competitive silverette whined, throwing his arms up in the air in frustration. And mind you, Riku never whined. Complain, yes, but never whine. He also never lost to anyone in any game, be it dodgeball or paper-scissors-rock for that matter. This then takes us to the current scene of a stomping, exasperated aquamarine-eyed gorilla demanding for his ninth rematch in a row — the other players in the game center doing their signs of the cross for protection while his other four companions shook their heads in disbelief.
Sora was the one who spoke up first, patting his male best friend on the back with a calming hand. "Riku, you're scaring everyone. It's just a game."
Neck crack. Eye twitch. Complete and utter silence...
...
...
...
"...what... did you just... SAY?"
The Leonhart teen rolled his eyes at his infuriated best friend, not even slightly intimidated by the feral gritting of teeth or the dangerous narrowing of aquamarine orbs. "I said... Riku, you're scaring everyone. It's. Just. A. Game."
...
...
...
Oh no he didn't.
"NOBODY BUT NOBODY SAYS THAT DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION IS JUST A GAME, YA HEAR ME? Now where are my tokens?!"
Digging through his pockets, Riku took a handful of coins, growling animalistically when he tried to lodge them forcefully into the machine. "You up for another match, blondie? There's no way I'll accept defeat, you sneaky, cheating bastard! This time, I'll crush you for sure!"
"...hn."
GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME, ROXAS WASN'T EVEN TRYING! THIS DEMANDED A CRUEL DEATH REMATCH FOR SURE!
~o~Two Hours Earlier~o~
After struggling to get all their homework done in a limited amount of time, the four students from Destiny College greeted their holidays with lots of smiles and happy faces. The aquamarine-eyed teen even dared to walk up to everyone he passed by, boasting, "SCHOOL'S OVER, SUCKERS!" like the weirdo he was. Kairi and Naminé were just glad to finally have enough time to work on their hobbies of drawing, cooking and designing clothes, and Sora, well, he sure as hell was looking forward their hangout day and his big opportunity to see the blonde smile.
The first two days for Sora involved the typical binge eating and sleeping and watching tv with his father Leon and his mother Tifa. Sora inherited his love for food from his father and cooking talent from his mother, and so everytime the two were home, they'd all have cooking competitions with each other to see who could be the next Leonhart Master Chef. Sora was usually in the lead just before Tifa, but lately his father had been doing research on pastas and prepared the sweetest spaghetti created by all mankind. At the end of the day, the eleventh grader would go to bed dreaming about tomato sauce and meatballs, and for some reason, there was always the furtive addition of a particular blue-eyed blonde he knew.
Destiny Village, being the small suburban town it was, only had one game center. Because it was the holidays, teens from all over the town would usually flock at the entrance but thankfully enough today was a fairly quiet day. Kairi, Naminé, Riku and Sora were first to the entrance, standing out of line to wait for the rather late Strife teen to make his appearance. As expected, the eldest male started spouting off doubtful comments, betting that Roxas was probably "way too lazy to get up" or "preferred a book over games anyway". It was then that the Twilight High exchange student walked up to them dressed in a black hoodie and skinny jeans, not even slightly offended by the rude remarks Riku made.
"Hn." The boy shrugged, which Sora knew was the blonde's gesture of hello.
"Hah! I knew Roxas would come! In your face, Riku-bastard! Now let's go go go inside so we can all play! Oh this so exciting!" The chocolate-haired boy cried, desperately dragging all his friends to finally enter the game center. Riku was still muttering profanities while Roxas kept his mouth shut; Kairi and Naminé once again giggling to themselves about some random yet mysterious girl thing.
Meeting five curious pairs of eyes were game machines of all types - target shooting games, racing games, whack-a-squirrel games - you name it. The arcade was also well lit with disco-like lights of red, green, blue and orange, making the place seem welcoming and lively and joyous to be in. There were candy winning machines, teddy bear clamping machines, bouncy ball dispensers and even the typical girly photo booth located near the game center entrance. At the right most part of the place was an ice cream stall and the main desk where players could purchase their gaming tokens and exchange their winning tickets with any fabulous prize put on display.
Compared to other game centers, Destiny Village's one had a unique four-dimensional movie ride where one is strapped on to a seat, taking twists and turns according to the roller-coaster-like adventure on screen. Sora also enjoyed playing with the Deal or No Deal machine, the basketball game and his utmost favourite - a game called ReaXion, where one had to hit a number of lighting buttons as fast as they could whilst competing with another player.
"What do you want to play first, Roxas? You can choose! Anything to make you smile!" The chocolate-haired boy decided, glomping the blonde from behind. The twins reacted with a quiet "aww" in the background while the silver-haired teen snobbishly "hmphed" to himself, not pleased with his best friend's choice of a partner.
"...hn."
"Err, how about we play basketball? You can win lots of tickets through that!"
"I thought you were supposed to make Roxas choose, not you choose for him, Sora!"
"M'not choosing for him! I'm just suggesting!"
"How about the Wheel of Fortune game? That's pretty simple and easy."
"That's way too boring, Nam. I think these boys would prefer some action."
"Err... the San Francisco Racers game?"
"...hn."
"Radical Rally Racers tops SF Racers without a doubt."
"I think we should all just go participate in that Motion Master thing over there."
"...that one."
"No way! That should be our last choice!"
"Oi guys, Roxas already made a decision!"
"There are other better game machines around here, you know!"
"Riku, Sora! Roxas has already chosen the game he wants us to play!"
"He has?! What is it then?" Sora and Riku said in unison, turning their heads towards the silent sunshine-haired teen to confirm his choice of game.
A pale finger pointed at the very popular machine sparkling and shining with an invisible angelic aura somewhere at the back of the arcade. To Riku, some kind of choir music played in the background as he set eyes on the inexplicably remarkable game. A shocked gasp escaped from the silverette's lips before he proceeded to approach the machine with utmost caution, hands shaking profusely as though he was resisting the temptation to worship the superficial thing.
"You, Roxas, are my new best friend." He proclaimed, aquamarine orbs threatening to water at Roxas' ultimately perfect choice. Unfazed by Riku's emotional reaction, the blonde managed to reply with a simple "hn".
"Hey! I'm Roxas' best friend!"
"Nuh-uh, Sora. Not anymore, you aren't! Come, my prudent partner in crime! Let's ditch this yapping brunette and seize the day!"
The particular game machine the five teens were interested in had a large screen displaying a neverending playlist of songs, and on its platform were four distinctively-coloured arrows. A yellow banner was intermittently flashing the words, "Insert Token Here!" on the screen, accompanied by some kind of dancy background music.
Well, Sora did say that Roxas could choose any game he wanted, and if Dance Dance Revolution was his key to see the blonde smile, then so be it.
"Seriously, Riku? Prudent partner in crime? You've definitely gone wacko haven't you? I mean, didn't you hate Roxas thirty minutes ago? What are you now, his knight in shining armour?" Kairi mocked, hands on her hips as she attained her "serious mother" pose. Sora took this opportunity to facepalm at the silverette's pathetic choice of words, the blonde girl following suit.
"Pfft. You guys are just jealous of my and Roxas' astounding game preferences and our undoubtedly obvious awesomeness. Never underestimate the masterpiece that is DDR. It is the god of all arcade games! Besides, I bet you can't even beat me at this game at all! One round of Baby Baby Gimme Your Love right now! Winner has to admit that they're Roxas' best friend. You up for it, huh, Sora-poo?"
The Leonhart teen didn't even stop himself from doing another facepalm in response to Riku's weirdness. But heck, who knew that the guy had a closet obsession of DDR? Certainly not Sora of course. The guy has never shown interest in the game for as long as they lived to visit the arcade. Being the athletic azure-eyed boy he was however, there was no way Sora would ever turn down a challenge, even if it was against the "almighty" Riku! Besides, maybe this time around he could win against the aquamarine-eyed teen and impress Roxas with his amazingly hidden dancing skills!
"Heh. Bring it on, Riku-bastard! Just you wait... You're going down!"
~o~
Inevitably, Sora was left panting at one of the chairs near the main desk after two straight rounds of tap dancing to Britney Spears' songs, plus three at random selection. The madman that was Riku couldn't help but flaunt his wins, still singing Toxic in a rather deafening manner. The twins were nowhere to be seen - possibly at that girly photo booth they'd been talking about non-stop ever since they entered the place, and a small audience was gathering around the DDR machine - some rooting for Riku and some rooting for Sora.
Roxas looked as serious as always, but he didn't hide his worry over the azure-eyed teen's poor condition. Walking over to the brunette, the cerulean-eyed boy took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to the younger teen to wipe himself.
"You okay? That was some dancing you had to do back there. If I do say so myself, you were definitely better than Riku in terms of technique."
An appreciative smile was directed at the Strife teen before Sora made his response.
"I'm alright. It's just Riku... Heh. Was he always that good at DDR? I never even knew he had an unhealthy obsession with the thing!"
"...hn. Sorry about picking DDR in the first place... now you're on the receiving end of Riku's game-obsessed wrath."
Sora chuckled at the Twilight High student's remark. "It's alright. I've never had this much fun playing in an arcade before. At least we're all happy right? I just hope you're not bored or anything."
The sunshine-haired teen sat down next to his friend, providing company for the exhausted chocolate-haired boy. Nope. He wasn't bored. It was kind of amusing seeing the two verse each other like cats and dogs over a typical game. It kind of reminded him of...Him, really.
"You know, I've been to many game centers before. There are hundreds scattered all over Twilight Town, all varying in games and prizes. One day, there was a DDR competition held in the closest arcade to my house, and I decided to enter it."
"Really? Did you win?" inquired Sora curiously.
"Nah. I lost to another person who was better than me, but I achieved second place overall. Guess I was just affected by the memories..."
A far-off look from cerulean orbs was shot somewhere in the vicinity of the arcade. The Leonhart teen sensed the tension around the blue-eyed blonde, proceeding then to give the guy a comforting cuddle.
"You miss Twilight Town, don't you?" He concluded, leaning on his friend to let him know that he wasn't alone. Sora knew he was getting a little attached to Roxas. It was hard to imagine that by the end of the year, this friend of his would move back to the place he came from. After all, Roxas was only a temporary exchange student. Ever since childhood, he'd been together with Naminé, Riku and Kairi, so the brunette didn't really know how painful it would feel if one of them ever went away. Roxas was far from home, and surely he must have friends there who miss him just as much as he would by the time the year was over. He knew he couldn't be with Roxas forever but hey? It wasn't even the end of the year yet! No use getting sad about it if they were in a game center to have fun!
"...hmm, I guess I do miss home. That and so much more..." Roxas admitted, thoughts drifting back to the memories he should be forgetting. They stayed in that position for a while before the Destiny College student stood up, holding a tan hand out to help his companion.
"Well, at least you can be assured you're going back at the end of the school year. Not too long from now; just three more semesters and we'll be on the jackpot day! And I promise to you that I would make you smile by then so that all your wonderful friends from home can see it once more. You can count on me!" encouraged Sora, grinning like always from ear to ear. At this, the Twilight High student nodded back, taking the offered hand before the two returned to the DDR machine together with the still-gloating Riku-bastard.
"Thank you, thank you, my lovely fans and DDR lovers. Now after our long-awaited break, we must delve back into action with me as your hero, fighting all evil known as Sora-poo the Devious. You ready to lose to me again, Sor? Our audience is waiting to be pleased."
Indeed. The guy finally converted to "wackonism". Roxas knew the blue-eyed brunette was still tired from his previous rounds, and despite his athletic abilities the guy wouldn't allow Sora to push himself so hard.
"As if Riku-bastard! If there's anyone who can destroy you it would be-"
"Me. I'll be your opponent in this round Riku." The Strife teen spoke up, cutting Sora off in the process. With an "I'll handle this, go rest up" look shot at him, the youngest male complied, opting instead to sit down and watch.
"Very well, my fellow DDR fan. I'd be honoured to accept your challenge."
The silver-haired teen condescendingly sauntered over to the machine, taking his stance after inserting a token into the game. He ushered Roxas to take his position as well before selecting the hardest song, Paranoia Dreams, the hardest level known in all of DDR history.
"Just so you know, Roxas - I won't go easy on you just 'cause your Sora's friend. I'm winning this no matter what." Riku scoffed, eyes trained on the screen, ready for action. He didn't know the background of Roxas' skills but he probably didn't need to, since he was a DDR master after all. Little did the silverette know that there were just others who were ultimately better than him, even at his specialty of Paranoia Dreams.
"...hn. There's no way I'm losing to you."
There's only one person I'll ever lose to, and that's to Him...
~o~Present Time~o~
...
"Yosh! I win again, Roxas! Woohoo!"
"Hey, why the long face? Don't tell me you're sulking because you lost to me again! Okay okay ow ow ow ow ow ow I'm sorry I didn't mean it! Hey stop that, I'm telling on you if you hit me one more time!"
"Thanks a lot for always losing to me, Rox. You're always helping me out even though you don't like it. Hey, next time, won't you help me practice for the talent quest at school? I'll be showing off my dancing skills this time!"
...
"No way! I CAN'T B-BELIEVE I L-LOST AGAIN! You're r-really something aren't you, Roxas?"
"...hn."
The silverette was finally down on the ground on all fours, trying to catch his breath after what seemed to be an intense marathon run. The girls who made their return two rounds ago were holding what seemed to be a folder of photos plus an addition of ice cream cones.
"Wow. Riku the DDR Master actually lost? Not such a "knight in shining armour" now, are ya?" Naminé commented, exchanging sapphire looks with her sister before the both of them started cracking up.
"Hey! How was I supposed to know Roxy here was an even better DDR player than I was? Oi! Stop laughing! And you call yourselves my best friends..."
The Twilight High student extended an arm out to his previous opponent, which the aquamarine-eyed teen gladly took and help himself up with. Clapping in the background was Sora, who was overjoyed at seeing his supposedly antisocial friend break out of his shell and have fun with the people he grew up with. Sure, Roxas' face was still plastered with the same austere expression he always wore, but no rush right? A little time and they'd all not be able to live without the other, just like how he'd feel if Riku, Kairi and Naminé were to ever separate ways from him.
For the rest of the day the five teens continuously ran around the game center, trying out every game there possibly was. The girls soon discovered a secret talent for ReaXion, beating the boys five-three as they versed each other on the game over and over again. Roxas and Sora teamed up together against Riku and Kairi on the infamous Radical Rally Racers, opting for the red Porsche instead of the yellow LaFerrari while Naminé cheered for them all in the background. Of course, there was the Deal or No Deal machine (which the silverette played solely to stare at the holographic girls holding one of each of the thirty cases), attempts at the whack-a-squirrel game and the Test Your Strength hammer contraption, some hyperactive rounds at table hockey before ending their experience with the dizzying 4D Motion Masters ride.
When they all went out for lunch at a nearby food court, Sora thought he almost saw the corners of the sunshine-haired teen's lips rise up for a millisecond. Riku was still sore about his DDR losses as the twins teased him repeatedly, earning themselves new nicknames of "old hag" and "twisted lass".
"Let's do this again sometime guys." the free-spirited boy called out, leaning on Roxas who was munching on his kebab silently. On Sora's lap sat a new extension to his growing plush toy collection: a yellow-furred bunny courtesy from the blonde male's winning tickets in DDR.
"Yeah!" concurred Riku. "But next time, I'm winning against you, blondie!"
Roxas merely nodded. "Okay. I look forward to it."
"Ooooh... this is so amazing... all of us being friends." Naminé whispered dreamily, nudging at her sister who was thinking the same thing.
"Hey, don't forget that sooner or later Sora will confess to Rox-mmph!"
"No no no no! Show's over Kairi, thank you very much goodbye." A panicked Sora dared to clamber over the table to shush his red-haired friend. The Twilight High student merely raised an eyebrow at his new group of friends, not understanding their weird antics at all.
Roxas could actually get used to this "friend" stuff. It was all so new, but it wasn't a bad new at that. Who knows, maybe someday he'd be able to appreciate just what others called a "true friendship". Looking at Sora bicker with the twins and the older male made him feel relieved that he was surrounded by people who cared enough about him to want to see him smile like he used to once again.
Maybe... just maybe...
o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
"Hey Roxas, we'll always be together right?"
"..."
"Roxy~! Why aren't you answering me!?"
"Always, you big buffoon head, you. Now shut up."
"Awww... Hey! Watch the hair! It took me three hours to style this, you know!"
"Heh. You're becoming like me."
"I know..."
"..."
~o~
"I love you, Roxas."
"...hn."
"What, too man to say it back?"
"No."
"ILOVEYOUILOVEYOUILOVEYOU mwa mwa mwa lemme give you a kiss~"
"Get away from me, you weirdo."
"You love me. I know you do..."
"Whatever."
"I love you, you love me, we're a happy family~"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love you too and you know that. You happy now?"
"Yup."
"Weirdo."
"Your weirdo."
"...hn."
o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
Maybe he really could count on these people to help him out.
Who knows.
Time would just have to tell all tales.
Yup. That was a little longer than usual, and it may take me a while to get the next one up. Why does assessment week have to be so sooooooon?! I hope that wasn't too shabby. Weirdo Riku was so fun to write...
I actually ended up liking this one compared to the many other drafts I've done. Let me know what zhu think! But for now, tata~!
*exits towards the door to HomeworkVille"