CHAPTER FOUR
Riku gazed at the phone in his hand, then jabbed the green call back button. It was spontaneous, but Sora made him feel that way. Part of him wanted to get the answering machine, but the other, larger part of him wanted to speak with Sora.
"Hello?"
"Sora." Riku was pretty sure he was salivating.
"Riku, is that you?" Sora sounded happy to hear him, but Riku realized he didn't know Sora well enough to be sure.
"Yeah."
"Oh, Riku!" He heard… sniffling? "I'm so glad you called!"
"Me too."
"D'you want to go out with me?"
"Uh." Riku froze. "What?"
"On a date, silly! Let's go dating!"
"I don't think it's phrased quite like that."
"Whatever. Irrelephant much."
"Irrelevant?"
"Let's go on a date. Come pick me up at six tomorrow."
"Okay."
"Okay." Sora said. "Did you hear how I mocked you just then?"
"Yes." Riku frowned. "I'm supposed to ask you out. You—"
"Tough luck, I beatcha to it."
"It's not a competition!"
"Maybe it is. I won this time." Riku heard the teasing in Sora's voice. "I'll text you my address."
"Hey, wait—"
"Ciao, tonto." And Sora hung up. Riku stared at his phone, a bit bewildered. Wasn't this boy ill? Was this what he was like normally? What the hell had he gotten himself into?
"Where do you want to go for dinner?" Riku asked Sora, hands buried in his pockets. If he took them out, he might accidently (my ass!) molest the adorable man next to him.
"Oh, anywhere is okay. I just moved here, so I don't really know any places by name." Sora replied jovially. And was he ever so pleased! Riku still wanted him after two weeks of separation after a single meeting in which Sora screamed at him like the pregnant man he was. Obviously Sora still had his good looks and charm and Vanny was just an asshole who didn't appreciate him.
The two walked in silence towards Riku's car. It wasn't anything fancy—Riku was a poor student, remember? Actually he was worse than a student—he was a damn secretary. But Sora didn't need to know that yet.
"Do you know where we're going?" Sora asked Riku, once they'd settled into Riku's crappy Hyundai.
"Uh, no? I was thinking about a restaurant but I hadn't come up with anything."
"Do you know a good seafood place? I need conch."
"Conch?"
"Yes." Sora replied, deadly serious. "I need it."
Riku hummed in response. "What about Mickey's?"
"Is it far?"
"Maybe twenty minutes."
Sora huffed. "We'll need a conch appetizer, then."
Riku nodded, bemused. "Whatever you want."
Mickey's was a semi-formal place that Riku liked in comparison to some of the other date restaurants in the area. It wasn't over the top or swanky, just nice. Good food, a reasonable price, and pretty private tables. A quieter, more romantic atmosphere suitable for couples.
Mickey's was split into two floors: the more casual downstairs, and the slightly more elegant upstairs. Riku knew where he wanted to sit.
Their waiter took the two to the stair table, positioned on a small balcony overlooking the bottom floor that branched from the staircase. It was a really unique spot, and very private because there was only room for a small table with two chairs. It was a good spot for people watching as well as intimate dining.
Riku wasn't sure why he felt the need to impress Sora so badly, but he was sure trying.
The two got comfortable situated on the stairs, and Sora smiled again.
"This place is nice." He commented, looking around at the interior design.
"Yeah." Riku replied. "I like it."
"Do they have conch, though?"
Riku smirked. "I wouldn't have brought you here if they didn't."
And sure enough, Sora almost bounced out of his seat when he saw the menu. "I'm ready to order!" He proclaimed, jabbing his finger at the item. "This!"
Riku selected his usual—red grouper—and listened to Sora's excited babble.
"Conch! I can't believe I just ordered it. It's been a really long time since I've had conch, probably not since I lived in Destiny Islands."
"You lived in Destiny?" Riku asked, surprised. "So did I!"
"No way!" Sora exclaimed, delighted at their connection. "Did you go to Papou elementary?"
"Yes." Riku smirked again. "It was the only elementary."
"I don't remember you, though!"
"Well, how old are you?"
"Twenty-one." Sora replied.
I'm twenty-three." Riku said. "And I moved to Hollow Bastion at the end of elementary school."
"Ah." Sora leaned back in his chair. "We missed each other!"
"We're here now." Riku counter, leaning forward and pressing his chin into his propped up arm. "What brought you to Hallow Bastion?"
"My brother lives here." Sora replied. "And I needed to get away."
"Bad memories?"
"Something like that, yeah." Sora answered, staring down at his cutlery.
"I see." Riku said. He wouldn't pry, but Sora obviously had some baggage. "Your house was very nice."
Sora grinned. "It's my brother's. I live with him and his boything."
"Boything?"
"Yeah, named Leon. They're pretty serious; it's cute." Sora smiled fondly. "It kind of makes me…" He cut off.
"Makes you jealous?" Riku finished.
"A bit, yeah. It's just, they're so compatible. I never would have guessed that Cloud needed a serious guy, because he's already a serious guy, but somehow their relationship isn't just serious business. It's like they lighten up around one another."
"It's nice to have someone that brings out the best side of you."
"Yeah. I guess I'm more than a bit jealous. I've never had a relationship like that."
"I haven't, either."
"I'd like to, though."
"Me too." Riku and Sora smiled coyly at one another.
"So what do you do with your life?" Sora asked.
"I want to be a lawyer." Riku replied.
"So you're in law school?"
"I'm currently working in a law firm to gain some experience." Riku stated with a small grimace-smile. "It's really not enjoyable and I plan to begin law school next semester."
"Ah, I see." Sora replied. "Well, I'm an elementary education major!" He grinned. "I want to teach kindergarten, I think, or first grade."
"The little kids?" Riku smirked.
"We get on pretty well."
"I can see that. You have enough energy to keep up with them."
"Yep." Sora nodded. "I don't know if I'll ever get a class of my own though."
Riku gave him a questioning look, but couldn't continue his line of conversation because the waiter brought out their meals at that exact moment. Riku found Sora's lustful gaze at the conch quite amusing.
"Is conch your favorite food?"
"What? Oh, no. I never liked it as a kid, actually." He dug into the meal with enthusiasm.
"I don't like it at all."
"Well, I was craving."
"Like a pregnant woman?" Riku teased.
Sora gave him a weird look. "You have no idea."
The dinner went well. Like, really well. Sora had no idea that he and Riku had so much in common. They both were from the Islands, so they shared a strong love of seafood. They both really liked blitzball. They both loved Lady Gaga and could recite her songs from memory. Sora had almost died at Riku's version of "Love Game", especially the disco stick part.
Sora was fidgeting in Riku's car. It was seriously one of the best dates he'd ever been on, and his best first date by far. But was Riku going to kiss him?
They arrived at Cloud's townhouse with Sora still fretting. Riku got out of the Hyundai as well and walked Sora to the steps.
"Thanks for dinner." Sora mumbled shyly.
"You're welcome." Riku lightly ran his fingers down the side of Sora's soft face. And Sora clenched his eyes shut with anticipation.
Then his face relaxed as Riku pressed a kiss to his forehead. Sora looked up with surprised expression.
Riku gave him a rare grin and ran his hand through Sora's spikes. "You think you won." He smirked. "You haven't seen the last of me. This isn't over."
And Riku was gone.
"He sounds like some creepy movie villain..." Sora muttered. He was blushing profusely, anyway.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm afraid I haven't had much free time this week (hence the short, fluffy, and no-plot-really-at-all chapter) but hopefully I'll get around to it. Thanks for reading!
