Disclaimer: I don't own KHII.
Summary: Riku+Tifa. Because they need love too.
..:Seeking Comfort:..
It was well past midnight when Riku finally stepped out into the cold air of Hollow Bastian. The streets were silent, save for the distant bark of a dog. Stars glimmered brightly overhead, and a soft breeze picked up momentarily. He turned around again as he heard footsteps behind him.
"Thanks, I really appreciate it." He said quietly, nodding at the older man as he put a cigarette to his lips and leaned against the doorway.
"You could stay the night here if ya want." Cid replied, eyeing him carefully. Riku shook his head, and there was a momentary flash as Cid struck his lighter.
"It's alright, I'll be fine." He couldn't even fake a smile at this point, but Cid nodded in response as he took a drag from the cigarette.
"You talk to Leon yet?" He asked as Riku started to walk away. He paused and looked back with a guilty shrug.
"No, I didn't talk to anyone…" He said softly. Cid exhaled sharply.
"Does Sora even know you left?" He asked suspiciously. Riku smiled grimly and shook his head.
"I see… Good luck kid, if ya need anything just ask."
"Thanks." Riku waved and continued down the street. The cold breeze kicked up and bit into his skin, but he couldn't bring himself to care. His shoes scuffed lightly on the cobblestone walkway, it was the only sound echoing off the houses around him.
He couldn't move for a long time, couldn't even tear his eyes away. His hand still clutched the doorknob in a deathgrip.
Sora's eyes were locked on him, and he could see several emotions passing through them all at once. Shock quickly turned into horror, and finally guilt.
Kairi moved slowly, pulling the blanket up around herself. Her face was burning red,
"Oh my god…" She murmured quietly, her voice wavering gently as she refused to look up at him.
"Riku, I…" Sora started, leaning back quickly.
His movement nearly pulled the blanket from Kairi's grasp, and he let out a hurried apology as the girl cried out and clutched the harsh fabric to her chest. It was just enough distraction, though, and Riku was thankful for it.
He was already back out the door. He walked down the hall, ignoring his two best friends as they called after him. He didn't want to see them, didn't even want to think about them. As soon as he opened the front door he took off running.
That was the last time he saw either of them.
"Riku..?"
He turned slowly when he heard his name, relieved to have been distracted from his memories. It was dark, but there was just enough light for him to recognize the worried face peering up at him.
"Oh my god it really is you!" Yuffie beamed happily, leaning toward him to get a better look at his face. It didn't take her long to realize something was wrong.
"Wait… Where's Sora? Are you alright?" Concern filled her voice and he shrugged it off.
"I'm fine, just needed some time away." His voice was quiet and harsh, and Yuffie stared at him with concern.
"Umm… What are you doing out here? Do you need somewhere to stay?" She asked quietly, sensing the amount of distress he was in.
He wanted to say no, but couldn't bring himself to. He let her tug on his arm and followed her reluctantly down the street.
Ten minutes later he found himself sitting rather awkwardly on a couch, with three women fussing over him.
"You didn't even tell them you were leaving? They must be so worried!" Aerith put her fingertips to her mouth in surprise.
"That bad, huh? It's okay, you can stay here for a while if you need to. Or Leon would probably let you stay with him, if you don't want to be surrounded by girls all the time…" Yuffie couldn't help but giggle, and Aerith chided her.
"It's fine, stay as long as you need to." She sighed gently and looked at the clock.
"Well I'm exhausted, I'm going to bed. There's blankets right here for you, sorry we don't have a spare room… Goodnight, Riku." Aerith gave him a hug, and he watched her go rather awkwardly. He wasn't used to people being so friendly toward him.
"Yea, I'm gonna hit the hay, too. I had a long day. Tifa should be back soon. Don't mind her, she probably won't bug you. Night!" Yuffie waved quickly and started up the stairs, leaving Riku to sit uncomfortably in the living room.
x:X:x
He was sitting on the front step when Tifa finally came home. She stopped a few feet away and eyed him carefully.
"Who the hell are you?" She asked flatly.
He took the cigarette from his lips and glanced up at her, quickly noting the bottle of vodka in her hand.
"I'm Riku." He stated with a small grin. She leaned in closer and he watched as her eyes got wider.
"Riku? I remember you! You were just a kid last time I saw you, what happened?" She laughed softly and sat down next to him. He gave her an odd look and snickered.
"I saw you a couple of months ago…" He said quietly. She just laughed and shook her head.
"I heard you were kind of serious, but really… We call that a joke, lighten up kid." She grinned over at him and examined the side of his face as he leaned his head back and took a long drag from the cigarette.
"You don't look old enough to smoke." She said softly. Riku lowered his gaze and let his eyes slide over to her. What was her problem? Was she really so friendly that she was going to sit here until they got familiar? Well, he supposed she was probably drunk. And if not, then she was getting there in a hurry. He just smiled.
"I know people." He said simply. He wasn't quite old enough, he was a year too young and Cid had given him a pack before he left the man's house. Said he looked like he needed them. Which was true, he'd finished the last pack he bought on Destiny Islands on the trip here.
"I'll trade you this vodka for a cigarette."
He looked over at her sharply. What the hell kind of trade was that?
"Why?" He asked simply. Tifa grinned.
"Because you look like you could really use a drink."
He stared back ahead at the shadowed buildings around them. Drinking was for losers who were too pathetic to deal with the reality of their own lives. He thought about that for a long time while Tifa sat beside him silently.
"Yea, whatever." He tossed the pack into her lap, and she gently handed him the bottle.
"Have you ever been drunk before?" Tifa asked out of curiosity.
Riku held the bottle up to his nose and sniffed it. It smelled very much like rubbing alcohol, and he imagined that was how it was going to taste. Taking a deep breath, he leaned it back and managed to swallow several mouthfuls before his gag reflex began to kick in and he paused to keep from coughing.
"Nope. Gotta start sometime, right?" He winced slightly and grinned over at the older woman. She just laughed.
"I'm sorry, I'm being a terrible influence tonight." She waved a hand in the air beside his head, as if to pardon her. He just chuckled lightly to himself.
"Do you always come home drunk?" He asked quietly. Tifa didn't respond for a long time.
"No. Actually I always frowned on drinking until I came here." She whispered it, and Riku paused with the bottle at his lips to look over at her. She hadn't planned to continue, but when she glanced over and saw those amazingly blue eyes on her, she felt herself blush. For the first time in a long time, Tifa blushed.
"I'm sorry, I'm sure you're in no mood to hear my sob story." She said lightly. Riku set the bottle down and the resulting clunk echoed off the walls around them. She felt her blush darken and couldn't help but feel a bit confused.
"If you don't want to talk about it that's okay…" He said softly.
She was quiet for a long time before she broke the silence once again.
"I've been in love with Cloud ever since we were children. He finally decided to tell me he didn't feel the same way, and never would…" She said so quietly Riku almost didn't catch it. "He wanted Aerith instead…" Tears started to well up in Tifa's eyes, and Riku thought quickly.
"Well…" He said cautiously, hoping she was a rational female. "Fuck him! Any guy that makes you cry isn't worth crying about." He said simply. Tifa paused mid sniffle to look over at him. The first thing he caught was the look that clearly said "you are full of shit…", and the second was the look of realization when she actually began to accept his words.
"…You think so?" She asked cautiously.
Riku nodded. "Yea I heard that somewhere. If a guy can't even have the decency to let you down gently, he's not worth wasting time over. I mean really, you're way better than second place! Come on…If he can't see what you're worth, he's just a shallow bastard and you can do way better." Riku stated.
Tifa thought for several long moments. Then she laughed.
"I suppose you're right." She giggled for a moment, despite Riku's confused looks. "Let's go inside, it's cold out here." He nodded as she lead the way.
It was at this point that he found them sitting on the couch together. She was staring uncharacteristically at the TV screen, and he couldn't help but stare at her…
After what seemed like ages, she looked over at him.
"Just what the fuck is your problem?" She asked sharply, and he realized at that moment just what kind of woman he was dealing with. Not that he had a problem with it…
"I walked in on my best friend having sex with the girl I've been in love with for the past few years…" He blurted out. He immediately wanted to slap a hand to his mouth, and couldn't figure out if he had or not as Tifa began laughing.
"You seriously haven't been drunk before… My god, that is adorable…" She murmured gently. He started to complain when she pressed the bottle to his lips again.
"I'm already shitfaced, it's only fair…" She said harshly, giving him a distant glare as her eyes glazed over slightly.
A stupid grin crossed his face and he let her force him to take another drink. Maybe being drunk wasn't so bad… It was really pretty interesting, he'd never felt this way before. Almost as if a cloud had picked him up and was giving him a tour of the universe from his seat on the couch. The sat together in silence watching old cartoons for a long time before he felt himself hit the cushions and could hear Tifa's adorable laugh echoing in his ears.
"You are such a child…" She giggled softly and swayed over to take the bottle from him. He grabbed for it pathetically and she chided him.
"I think you should wait a half hour or so, it is your first time and all. You don't want to get completely fucked up your first time! The hangovers are definitely not worth it." She said gently, helping him lean up again so he could stare blankly at the TV screen.
For the next few, long minutes all he could really do was stare at Tifa and think about how overwhelmingly beautiful she was.
"What the fuck was Cloud thinking?" He blurted out, suddenly unable to move his hands to cover his mouth. Tifa's head turned slowly to glare over at him, but her gaze softened as amusement washed over her.
"What?" Her voice was low and husky, and sent a shiver down Riku's spine.
"Um… You know… You're so beautiful, what the hell is wrong with Cloud that he wouldn't want to be with you?" He said bashfully. He really expected Tifa to hit him or something, but instead she just let out a low chuckle.
"Excuse me?"
Now he was really embarrassed. He cheeks flushed red and he knew by her expression that she had realized that.
"Oh god…" He mumbled, putting his head in his hands. What the hell did that alcohol do to him anyway? He couldn't keep his thoughts to himself!
"No, tell me what you meant. I'm all curious now!" She grinned widely at him and he felt himself melt a little more.
"I just meant… You're so pretty and you have such an energetic temperament…" He said seriously, his voice soft. Tifa just scoffed.
"An energetic temperament?" She couldn't help the entertained laugh escaped her lips and she pushed herself to her feet, bobbing slightly from the alcohol.
"Well now I need a smoke."
He followed her to the door, wondering what the fuck might be going on with his body that he couldn't even control himself.
When he finally made it to the door she had already lit up a cigarette and was taking drags from it as if nothing embarrassing had happened at all. He simply shrugged and accepted a new cigarette, taking a seat beside her and pulling out his lighter.
"So you ran away because your best friend was nailin' the girl you liked?" Tifa asked flatly. Riku almost coughed, but held himself back and simply nodded.
"Yea. I guess that's the jist of things…" He said simply, really uninterested in reliving the memories. Tifa nodded.
"Yea I've walked in on that too many times…" She said distantly. He glanced over at her, but she was absorbed in the cigarette she was smoking. She stared at it for a long time before putting it out on the sidewalk and staring over at him.
"I'm not gonna butter this up… But I will ask, are you a virgin?" Tifa stated seriously.
Riku's blood nearly ran cold. That was simply not something you asked on Destiny Islands… He found himself shaking his head anyway.
"Nah, I had a girlfriend for a while before the whole Kingdom Hearts incident… Don't tell Sora…" He said quietly. Tifa smiled.
She stared at him for a while and he shifted uncomfortably beneath her gaze. He had a hard time keeping his eyes focused on hers, the look on her face was so serious and determined.
"Uh… Why?" He finally found his voice and couldn't help but ask. Her expression softened slightly.
"I was still a virgin when I walked in on Cloud and Aerith. I guess you could say I'd been waiting for him, and it just hurt so much to know that everyone was moving on with their lives but me…" Her voice was low, and she glanced away to stare out into the darkness.
Riku wasn't sure what to say, or if there was anything he could say to try and make her forget. The look of pain on her face deepened and he felt a slight surge of panic at her suddenly vulnerable state. When Kairi was upset, he had always left her to Sora… He mentally shook his head, letting himself slide into depression would definitely not be helpful. Thinking quickly, he tried to think of what he'd done to cheer up girls back on Destiny Islands whenever they were upset. His mind kept doubling back to one thing, and the more he tried to think about it, the less he could remember why it really wasn't something fit for the situation. Tifa's lips parted slightly and he could see the pain rising up to the surface. He'd let her think too much, and before the broken sob could escape her he reached forward and took her face gently in his hands.
She went perfectly still as he pressed his lips to hers. He moved gently, making up for the fact that she couldn't move at all, and after a few long moments waiting for rejection, he relaxed. He hesitated for a moment before deciding that it was working, and slid his tongue along her bottom lip.
All at once, Tifa shoved him away, unable to control the laughter bubbling up inside her. She paused suddenly when she looked up to see a smug look on Riku's face rather than the sting of rejection.
"What the hell was that?!" She choked out, brushing her fingers against her lips hesitantly. He just grinned for a moment and she felt her own amused smile break through.
"I was trying to distract you." He said simply.
She paused completely and stared at him, she knew she must have looked strange with that giddy smile on her face, and shook her head to try and clear her mind.
"Riku… How old are you?" She tried to compose herself, but that damn grin wouldn't go away.
He leaned back for a moment and contemplated lying to her. Instead, he met her eyes and smiled innocently.
"Seventeen." And she laughed.
"Let's go back in the house…" She mumbled, shaking her head as she stood up and wandered back to the door.
She hadn't realized he'd followed her until she heard the door click shut behind her, and he brushed past her to sit comfortably on the couch. He looked up at her expectantly and she wondered for a moment how he could keep himself so well composed. She glanced at the clock and sighed.
"I'd say it's probably time for one of us to go to bed, but it's not very late…" She said a bit awkwardly. His confidence was making her nervous. "And I suppose it would be rude to leave you down here by yourself, so…"
She wandered over to the TV and rushed to choose a movie. The moment it started playing she spun around and wandered over to find the bottle of vodka.
Riku was waiting patiently on the couch, obviously trying to be a gentleman to make up for violating her personal space. She stood in front of him for a moment, weighing her options. Finally, with a confident grin, she curled up against him on the couch. He didn't seem to mind at all, and she let his arm fall gently across her shoulders.
When Yuffie found them early the next morning Tifa was sprawled comfortably across Riku's chest while he was spread out on the couch.
Hollow Bastion was certainly going to be more interesting with Riku around…
The End
