Sora sat on the couch absently flipping through channels when there was a knock at the door. He checked the clock on his cellphone, 11:32 it read. Who would be here at this hour? He thought as he walked th the door. He took a moment to look through the small peephole to see that on his porch stood a wary looking Riku. Sora opened the door immediately.
"Riku! What's up?" The brunette moved to the side to Riku to enter. The silver haired boy ignored the question and made his way to the couch, dropping his backpack and a ratty leather bound book on the floor. Riku stretched across the sofa covering his his eyes with his arm.
"Riku what's wrong?" Sora pressed again, panic creeping into his voice.
"Can I stay here?" Riku asked, ignoring the others question again. Sora was slightly taken aback, but nodded.
"Sure. Let me just go tell my mom." He took off towards his parents bedroom. The silverette allowed a quiet sob to escape his lips. He wiped the few stray tears away before inhaling deeply and replacing his arm over his eyes. He made no move to sit up when he heard two sets of feet emerge from the hallway.
"Riku? Are you alright?" Asked the sweet voice of Sora's mother. Riku sighed and sat up, revealing his red rimmed eyes to the people in front of him.
"My parents kicked me out." He said quietly, refusing to meet her eyes. She gasped quietly and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Oh Riku, I'm so sorry. What happened?" She sat next to him, her forehead creased with concern. He laughed bitterly.
"Somebody from church told them I'm..." he looked to Sora, who nodded in reassurance.
"Somebody told them I'm...gay." He felt a lump rise in his throat at the memory. Coming home to find his parents sitting with their arms crossed. Being ambushed with questions. Sora's mother snorted and shook her head, muttering something that sounded like 'disgusting'. He shrank away from her hand, fearing her reaction. Her eyes widened and she shook her head again.
"Oh Riku. Honey, I didn't mean you. I just feel it's so...disgusting that someone could do that to their own child." She gathered him into a hug.
"Riku I am so sorry. I'll call your mother tomorrow. Maybe I can talk some sense into-"
"No. No, I...I don't want them to know where I am. I'm going back tomorrow to get rest of my stuff and then...I don't want anything to do with them." He tried to sound angry, but his voice broke and he put his head into his hands. The three of them said nothing as Riku tried to control his tears. Sora left and returned with a glass of water which he sat on the table in front of Riku. His mother stayed next to Riku, rubbing his back occasionally. When the sobs finally subsided Riku reached for the water, not meeting anyone's eyes. Sora's mother hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I'll take you to your house tomorrow then. And Riku, you are welcome to stay as long as you need-"
"Thank you. But I won't be long. I'll just crash here until I find somewhere to-" his voice faltered and he shook his head. Sora's mother smiled sadly but patted his leg and left the room without another word.
Sora sat cautiously beside Riku, not entirely sure of what to say. After a few moments of deliberation, he decided.
"Um, you look really tired. C'mon. You can crash in my room. Just like old times, huh?" He laughed and grabbed Riku's bag off the floor. Riku snorted softly behind him. The brunette turned to see Riku looking at him with a mix of concern and disgust on his face.
"You sure you don't mind the fag sleeping on your bed?" He spat bitterly. Sora dropped the bag and threw his arms around the other boys neck.
"How could you say that?! Riku, we've been friends since we were like five. Nothing's changed!" He squeezed Riku's neck for emphasis. the silverette hesitated before wrapping his arms around Sora's waist and returning the embrace. He breathed in the brunette's scent; honey and cinnamon. Riku wasn't fond of sweet things, but this was different. The smell was homey, comforting. He breathed deeply, squeezing Sora before releasing him. There was a moment where the two looked into each other's eyes, their faces only inches apart. Sora broke the gaze, his cheeks turning a light pink. He coughed
"W-we should get to bed. We have to move all your stuff tomorrow so-" The smaller boy grabbed Riku's bag off the floor and raced up the stairs. Riku chuckled and climbed the stairs slowly.
Sora's room was exactly as Riku remembered it; small, cluttered, and terminally messy. Messy but not dirty he noted in his mind. Apparently there was a difference. Riku didn't think so, but according to Sora and Axel, there was a great difference between the two. He shook his head with a low chuckle and walked into the room.
They pulled out the spare bed from underneath Sora's, shaking the dust from the sheets.
"Sorry. It's been awhile since I had company." The brunette said apologetically. Riku waved his hand in dismissal.
"It's fine, Sora. You did take me in in the middle of the night without any warning, after all." He laid out on the bed, putting his arms behind his head and staring at the ceiling. Sora laid on his side, supporting his head on his hand. He stared at Riku, an unfamiliar feeling tugging at his heart. His brows furrowed in confusion at the strange sensation. Riku glanced at Sora and couldn't help laughing. "What?" Sora asked, his cheeks turning pink again. "You looked like you were thinking really hard. I didn't want you to rupture a vessel or something" A broad smirk lit up Riku's face. Sora stuck his tongue out at the silver haired boy. "Shut up Riku." Riku laughed again. "Hey. Keep it in your mouth if you're not going to use it." He joked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Sora's face was so red it rivaled a tomato.
A sudden idea popped in Sora's head. He smirked before jumping on the bed Riku was occupying. The silverette was flat on his back, staring up at Sora. The smaller boy leaned forward, bringing his face only an inch away from Riku's. "Sora? What are you...?" Riku said nervously, his heart beating rapidly. The brunette said nothing, but leaned in and licked the tip of Riku's nose. He giggled madly, springing back to his own bed. "Good night Riku!" He said in a cheerful voice, and then turned out the light.