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Be My Last

-Chapter 9-

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I'm never going down
I'm never giving up.

I'm never gonna leave
So, put your hands up.

If you like me, then say you like me.


Mornings are terrible things.

All the light and the grogginess and those annoying little crusty things in your eyes…and the damn light.

It had taken Riku several blinks to finally adjust to the level of brightness that peeked through his blinds, shining with a spontaneity that he was obviously far too tired for. It was going to be a while yet before actually he actually thought about attempting to move. But even as he let his head rest against the pillow, a strange and warm weight moving against his chest forced his eyes back open.

Oh yeah.

Sora.

They were sharing a bed now… That thought alone made him happier than he cared to admit, but he wasn't so sure it was a good idea if it continued—seeing as how Sora gravitated towards him at whatever point in the night. With his usually weakened and slightly inebriated state in the mornings, Riku had no idea how his self-control would hold up.

No, wait, he did know. It would crumble and crash and burn at his feet. So not at all, really.

He hadn't been paying much physical attention to the other male until he felt the soft tufts of breath hit his neck. Sora's head shifted to rest on his shoulder so that he could still feel the warmth from his breathing along with where their bodies touched, and it was driving him fucking nuts. But that was okay. Sora was drooling on him, but that was okay, too. Everything was okay, because the stillness and warmth of feeling Sora next to him was enough to ease him into a strangely content state.

It continued that way for a while until Sora made a noise in his sleep, laughing at something in his dreams a moment later. Riku snorted.

"Are you ever not attractive?" The silver-haired male pulled the other male and a little closer, telling himself that he could be selfish every once in a while. Sora wouldn't mind because he was still asleep, anyway. At least, he was until his thin form began to wiggle around and stretch, those clear irises slowly revealing themselves a moment later. They fluttered shut again for a few moments before cracking open once more, confusion evident in the gaze he leveled Riku with.

"Morning," Riku spoke with a hurried yet soft tone, hoping that Sora hadn't heard the preceding comment and that he was too disoriented to realize how snugly fit together they were.

"Good morning to you, too. Oh, crap. S-Sorry for sleeping on you again," Sora muttered and Riku tried not to laugh as the other sat up, looking reluctant as he did so. "It's cold…" He whined, shivering to prove his statement after the covers slid off his shoulders with his movement.

"Eh, a little. I didn't mind it. Was nice because you kept me warm." Riku admitted, watching in suprise as Sora coughed and returned to the place at his side. Not knowing what else to do, Riku wrapped a tentative arm around the younger male and inhaled. Then he subsequently relaxed as Sora practically slumped against him.

"Mmm. In that case, I don't want to get up… Hey, you're the warm one." The brunet's eyes fluttered shut and he laughed before moving even closer to the Riku's body and he wrapped his own slender arms around the other.

"See?"

Riku laid still, very much startled by his friend's bold and increasingly affectionate behavior.

Oh, but he didn't mind it one bit.

They could stay like this forever for all he cared.

It must have only been a few minutes later when a low creak from the other end of the room made Riku open his eyes.

"No. no. The longer you stay in bed, the better. This is just perfect." At the sudden and interfering voice, Sora's eyes flew open and he sat up, grabbing hold of Riku's arm and bringing him up with the motion as well. Disoriented for a moment, Riku's let his eyes wander the room until he could focus. Both immediately noticed the figure perched on the dresser near the bedroom door. With her red hair tied back into a low, neat ponytail and her glossed lips parted, Kairi laughed.

"Why are you on my dresser?" Riku asked, squinting his eyes as if he was faced with a difficult equation in need of solving. Sora didn't looked quite as perplexed—just startled and embarrassed beyond belief.

"Never mind that, what are you doing in our flat? Just—How?"

"I let myself in. You guys should really lock doors more often. I could have offed you both and ran away with anything I could carry." At this, Riku groaned but said nothing, allowing her to continue. "Besides, it's not like you were doing anything other than sleeping… Right?" She smiled and Riku rolled his eyes, but glared off to the side when he felt his cheeks redden slightly.

"O-Of course not!" Came the muffled response from Sora. His eyes were also narrowed, but his brows were raised in embarrassment as he covered his mouth with a hand, the other fisting in the sheets around him. The bright red colour of his face made Riku curious, however, and he reached for Sora's hand, pulling it down.

"You're face is—"

"It's nothing!" Sora yanked his hand away, turning to look at Kairi while Riku remained obviously baffled. Kairi smiled to herself, waiting for her friend to speak even if she had a clue on what he would say. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated a moment to spare a brief glance at Riku as his hands wrung together. "S-So why are you here? You didn't really tell us."

"Well, to be honest, this awfully kind woman came down to the café pretty earlier this morning, and we chatted for a while before she had to take off. She clearly knew you because she rambled on and on about you. After she left, I figured I'd see what you were up to. Or not up to, seeing as how you're both still in bed." She smiled again, but this time there was a deviousness behind it that made Riku nervous. That nervousness was quickly replaced with dread as he retained her words.

"Mother." Riku's hand was immediately at his temple and a long sigh escaped his lips. He sluggishly rolled out of the bed while Sora remained half-hidden under the sheets.

"Lira? She left?" Sora frowned as he pushed the sheets off of his legs in order to join them at the door. When he didn't spot her as he look towards the sofa, he felt a bit disappointed. She didn't even say goodbye…

"Apparently. Here's the sticky note I found on the floor outside your door. You guys probably wouldn't have even known she was gone, considering how long you were spending your time there." She mentioned towards the bed and Riku ignored the look on her face as she handed him the note and he read over it. At least she had the grace to leave something.

"She's such a…" Riku's shoulders slumped, but he furiously shoved the piece of paper into his pocket while Sora swiveled around him and peered at the alarm clock, finally making note of the time.

"Wha—! It's already pastone?" Sora squeaked, grabbing the fabric over his chest tightly. Kairi suppressed a laugh, not even bothering to remind him that it was the weekend—and they had nothing to do.

"Yeah. You guys slept pretty late… Long night?" She glanced at Riku's indifferent expression before her azure eyes studied Sora's embarrassed one. Oh, if only they were doing what she hoped they'd been doing. It would be about damn time and Selphie would owe some serious cash.

Riku cleared his throat.

"So, you're here now. What were you planning on doing after this visit?" Riku's hand twitched in his pocket against the note, ignoring Sora's time-related worries droning on in the background in favor of listening to Kairi's answer.

"Good question. I tried getting Selphie to go shopping, but she's with Tidus and Wakka today. So, either of you want to come along? We could grab a bite to eat. I don't want you guys going stir crazy." Her eyes were bright, and Riku's growling stomach was leaning towards the option more than he knew at the moment. With one glance back at Sora, he laughed and grabbed his shoulder. Pulling him into a headlock, Riku looked back at Kairi.

"Not like we've got much else to do. Right, Sora?"

"Riku," Sora coughed, effortlessly tapping the other's arm around his throat in the hopes that he'd let go. To his dismay, it only tightened and Kairi snorted at him.

"You wimp!" Kairi poked her friend's forehead while he did a lot of struggling and not much else. Riku only laughed loudly at Sora's now limp form, but his grip loosened and his hand slid around Sora's shoulder amicably—until Sora sighed in relief and leaned in towards him.

"You try to break out of these arms!" Sora rolled his head up to look at Riku, his breath failing him at the lack of space between their faces. Riku watched him carefully and eventually decided on a light grin, the emotion in his eyes turning to fondness as Sora returned the smile. Kairi seemed to be the only one who noticed Riku's arm pulling Sora closer, his fingers shaking as he did so. But he didn't make the move Kairi'd been hoping for.

Which was utterly disappointing.

"Hey… Can I ask you something?" She questioned softly, startling both of her friends out of their moment—which was totally what that was. She knew them so well by now that she just wanted to make everything easier for them, because gods help her if they weren't doing the opposite. If only they could see how stupid in love they were. And quite literally living up to the 'stupid' bit of the expression.

Somehow Riku seemed to know what she had planned to asked. His heart leapt to his throat at her serious look and he pleaded to her with his eyes. She opened her mouth, her gaze shifting from Sora's oblivious and curious look to Riku's panicked and begging one. Her mouth closed and she inwardly sighed.

"Are we going out or not?" She asked with a forced laugh, still feeling oddly disappointed. But Riku's grateful smile lessened that and she supposed it really was none of her business in the end.

But she'd be damned if she didn't give them a few nudges here and there.

"If there's food involved, I'm in~!" Sora smiled, trying his best not to feel down when Riku's arm slid off of his shoulder as he got up. "I'll just go take a shower now, okay?" Kairi nodded as she watched Sora smile at Riku before exiting the bedroom. The doorframe suddenly creaked as Kairi leaned against it, giving Riku an all-knowing look as soon as she heard the water begin running in the other room.

It took him a moment to realize she'd been staring, but one he did, his hands went into his pockets and he turned around.

"What?"

Kairi took a moment to study him. It had only been a few short months since they'd first met, but it seemed like a hell of a lot longer. There was something about Riku that Kairi felt…magnetizing. Like he'd been missing from them their entire lives and now that he was there it was all falling to place. Maybe even more so for Sora. She had a feeling that was why she felt so happy about the whole thing.

"Kairi. You're staring." Riku raised a brow, looking amused and slightly embarrassed at the same time.

"No, it's nothing you should worry about," she paused. Her smile widened a bit as she elbowed Riku, getting him to turn his gaze back at her. "I just knew you would be all over him. He's fun to sleep with, yeah?" Riku choked as he inhaled and furrowed his eyebrows. He was clearly at a loss for words.

"I… Shut up." She smiled at his bashful response and then turned around as she glanced around for Sora.

"Really, though… How are you holding up? He's not teasing you too much, is he?" The redhead stopped and glanced back at her friend, worry etched into her features. She took notice of his insecure expression and then urged him quietly, touching his arm. Riku hesitated, but the calm look he received helped ease the tension a bit.

"I'm fine. He's fine. Everything's fine. What, do you really expect me to just push him down and molest—" Just as the Riku dropped his arse down on the bed and frowned, Kairi shook her head and interrupted, "That's not it, calm down. I only wanted to make sure you're okay. I can't be easy. With the one you love right there…yet still out of reach." Kairi whispered the last words to him, her brows furrowing sympathetically. He could admit that those words struck him because of the cold truth. Riku could still feel the unease gnawing at his insides now more than ever. Sora was near, and having this conversation while in such close proximity to him was making him crazy.

"I…" It wasn't that he couldn't admit how he felt, it was just…terrifying. He'd never had to say it aloud until now. It made feelings well up in his chest—both good and nerve-wracking at the same time.

"Riku, can I ask you something now?" Kairi asked as she sat down next to him. His slumped for relaxed a bit and he removed his elbows from his knees so he could look at her. With a nod, he urged her on. "Can you see the way Sora looks at you?" She asked, Riku sat up a little straighter. At first, Kairi thought he'd gotten it, but the confusion in his eyes made her shoulders fall a bit.

"Huh?"

"Okay… How about… Have you ever wondered just why Sora lets you so close? Really close, I mean. I haven't even been as close to him as I've seen him let you, and I've known him for a lot longer. My point is that there's something between you two that just…clicks. It works and it's real. Even if you can't personally see it, a lot of other people can. Sora adores you, Riku."

Riku turned his head away, staring hard at the floorboards. "And I adore him. But our feelings are on different levels, Kairi. You understand why I can't approach him with this. I can't… If I…" Riku bit his lip as he looked at his hands. The sound of a shampoo bottle falling and a loud curse from the bathroom made him laugh to himself before he hung his head in his hands. "If I ever did grow the balls to tell him and it ruined everything, I'd probably lose it. I don't think I'd be able to function without him. I'm pathetic… When did it get this bad, Kairi?" A comforting hand on his head pulled him closer and he leaned on Kairi for support. She sighed.

"I know it hurts…and Sora's an idiot, so he's never going to notice. But everything will get better, you'll see. I can't shake this feeling that if you were ever to part ways, the world would turn on its head and spontaneously combust. What you two have—I've never seen it before, Riku. Ever." Kairi petted his hair and nudged him away.

"Right…"

"Besides, Sora'd never let you get away," she laughed. "I told you; he's so far gone I think he'd chase you forever if you decided to run."

Riku laughed at the thought. It seemed impossible, yet so Sora-like.

"Then I guess I'm worrying for nothing?" He laughed again as Kairi made a funny noise. But she looked relieved and he felt lighter.

"You worry about as much as a woman, if not more." Kairi grinned when his brows furrowed and he elbowed her lightly. "Still, whatever you decide to do with what I've just told you is your choice. Don't forget that." They sat in silence for a few moments before Kairi huffed and rose to her feet.

"Gonna go ransack the kitchen," she smiled and gave a little wave as she walked to the door.

"Okay," Riku sighed, running a hand over his face. A soft smile eased his tense features as he heard the shower shut off.

"My choice, huh? Why does it have to be mine?"

His smile turned a bit rueful as Sora stepped out of the room—all glorious and glistening and wet and God have mercy.

He was definitely still wet.

Suddenly everything Kairi had just said to him turned on its head and combusted, leaving him wonder if he really did have the will to keep his goddamn mouth shut.

"U-Uh," Riku rolled his eyes away, hoping Sora didn't notice him staring. He must not have, because the sound of a towel dropping and a drawer opening gave Riku a sudden heart attack. Rising off his feet swiftly—daring not to look back—he kicked the door shut and fisted a hand against it as he pointedly stared at the hard material.

"D-Do you want Kairi to see you naked?" Riku asked, shocked when he realized that Sora was, in fact, naked behind him somewhere. Stumbling around trying to get his knickers on, by the sound of it. Sora only laughed at his stuttered question.

'Don't turn around, don't turn around, whatever you do, don't. Fucking. Turn. Around. For the love of all that is fucking holy—'

"You worry too much. I heard her say she was heading for the kitchen. I knew she wouldn't be in here." Sora said, fumbling around and getting his underwear on, by the sound of it. A few moments later, the sound of a few zippers made Riku cautiously glance over his shoulder, relieved and oddly disappointed to see Sora fixing the hood of his zip-up sweatshirt happily.

'No shame.' Riku almost wanted to bash his head into the door, but Sora was staring at him and smiling.

"Ready?"

Riku swallowed, wiping his forehead off subtly in the hopes that Sora wouldn't notice how he'd been sweating.

"Yyyyep. Good to go. You?"

"As I'll ever be. C'mon." Sora grinned as he trotted past his friend and shouted something to Kairi that Riku was too distracted to pay attention to. His was still fixed on the fact that Sora was so open around him now. That was new—and a little nerve-racking if that meant he'd just drop his drawers whenever the hell he pleased.

But Riku loved it.

No, he adored it, because that meant they were growing closer still. Sora felt comfortable around him and trusted him, clearly.

What more could he ask for?


...

"Why did I let you drag me along…?"

It was more of a question to himself, but he still spoke it out loud.

Riku found himself asking this particular question nowadays more than he ever had in the past.

"Suck it up, Riku. Can you actually walk around out here and say you're not having fun with us?" Kairi smiled sweetly at him and twirled her small purse around her wrist.

"No! That's just it! We've been walkingaround these stores for hours!" Sora muttered and folded his arms as he leaned against Riku. The silver-haired male could tell that his friend was annoyed and exhausted and that thing he was doing with his lower lip made him want to lean down and—

"That's because the ones I want to go into are all next to each other."

"But my feet are killing me! We've only been to girly stores, Kai. What happened to getting food? Why do we have to shop for clothes?" At the poor brunet's languid form, Kairi laughed and shrugged.

"Woman," she said, pointing to herself.

"Clearly," Sora pouted and Riku muttered something under his breath too low for anyone to hear. Kairi elbowed him and he wheezed.

"Seriously, can we please get some food? I'm starving here." Sora groaned and, once they'd left the store, dramatically fell into the bench nearest to him. This time Kairi had a blank face as she halted to wait for him.

"You know we haven't been out here that long, right?" Kairi folded her arms, propping her hip out as she shifted on her feet. Riku took a seat next to Sora and let out a breath. All the walking was getting to him, despite what Kairi had said about their minimal time there. If an hour wasn't that long to her, Riku wanted to cry at the thought of spending more time waiting for her to try on everything she laid her eyes on.

"But this is the fourth store… I know there's a fast food place coming up." Sora sat up, smiling and trying to drop his best 'I'm hungry, woman' hints. Kairi frowned, so clearly it wasn't working.

"One more store. Then food," Kairi smiled when Sora groaned, but rose to his feet. He dragged Riku along and they looked at each other.

"Well, at least we can be miserable together." Riku tried, trying not to laugh at the look Kairi shot him over her shoulder. Sora had laughed anyway, nodding and stuffing his hand in his pockets.

"I said just one more store. My god." Kairi laughed.

And by one store, she meant the rest of the block.

Riku had never been so upset with his decision to move so close to the town. But when Sora smiled and grabbed his hand, nodding towards the big OPEN sign on the bistro door, he realized that the decision had more pros then cons.

"The next time she promises food before shopping, I'm not buying it… I will run and never look back." Sora muttered as he followed Riku to the door to the bistro. He let go of Riku's hand to point towards the door, letting Kairi know that they were skipping out on the shop that she'd just started going into.

"Did you always go shopping with her before?" Riku shot the brunet a sympathetic look when he walked up beside him and nodded.

"When Selphie isn't around, unfortunately," he spoke as his eyes darted to the menu and Riku snorted. "I can't tell you how many shops and sales I've been dragged to." Oh, Riku felt the brunet's pain. When he was young, he got hauled everywhere with his mother—and everywhere really did mean everywhere.

"I don't know how you're still able to function," Riku muttered and handed the brunet his lunch once it was paid for.

"Me either. But really, I'm so freakin' glad that you're here. Since my excuse of being deathly sick has been over used, I can say I'm hanging out with you next time." The brunet revealed a toothy grin and bit into his oversized burger. Riku gave him a blank look before rolling his eyes.

"I'm so glad I'm able to be of use to you," he spoke sarcastically, frowning in mock-hurt before ruffling Sora's hair. He let himself smile widely as Sora laughed before devouring his food. They ate in silence and Riku was surprised at how comfortable he felt. And judging by the content way Sora was sipping his drink, the brunet clearly felt the same.

As Riku stood to take away their trash, he met along the way and she giggled at his look of awe.

"Do you usually buy this much stuff?" Riku asked, eyeing the slew of extra bags around Kairi's forearms.

"Of course! Why do you think I brought Sora along? He wasn't that much help, honestly, but now that we have you I can shop a little longer next time." A look of utter satisfaction spread across her pretty face and she whipped her cell phone out, typing away and missing Sora's look of defeat as he came up behind Riku. He didn't say anything, but sipped at his drink irritably.

"You're implying that I'm weak?" Sora finally spoke, lips pursed around the straw of his drink. "First Riku calls me fat, and now you're calling me weak. Gotta love my moral support team." He pouted at his friends' cackling laughter and batted Riku's hand away after he messed up his hair.

"Oho, don't be so sensitive." The redhead reached over and pinched her friend's cheek and he opened his mouth to protest. "Trust me, you're better off staying like this. I don't think you'd look that great with bulging muscles, to be honest. What do you think Riku—his body is perfect the way it is, right?"

Riku had only been partially listening but after he heard his name and the last line, he had stumbled forward and almost lost his balance completely.

"W-What?" Sora's felt his face heat up while Riku made an effort to compose himself. Why the hell did he even bother trying to keep cool around them. Oh, she was probably going to tease him every chance she got. It was already bad now, and he had the sinking feeling that it was only going to get worse.

"Kairi, you're not playing fair. You know Riku has a better body than I do! You're just making fun of me." Kairi laughed when Sora tried to hold back a gasp resulting from what he hadn't realized he'd just said.

"See, at least he's honest. Isn't it nice that even Sora thinks you have a nice body? But then again, I bet my weight in gold that half the world does." She laughed lightly, missing Riku's smile fall a bit.

"Looks aren't everything, you know." Riku teased, trying not to sound like he'd had this conversation before, but by the looks on his friend's faces it seemed like he failed.

"Riku," Kairi started, sounding apologetic.

"I think the person's looks have nothing to do with love. Sure they might be a little bit important to some, but I think that the person's heart and how they treat you and everyone else really matters more than anything. People are so focused on image. It's like they're to bothered or scared to look for something deeper. I guess that's why I'm so iffy about 'love at first sight' and things like that." Sora spoke up with a soft, gentle expression and swayed back and forth, beginning to take some of the bags in order to help Kairi out.

Riku couldn't help but keep his gaze on the brunet as he spoke. Everything Sora said, he made it seem like he believed in his words so faithfully that Riku couldn't help but feel a tug at his chest. There weren't many people who could be as striking on the inside as they were on the outside. Especially not like Sora was. He had both a stunning body and soul—and it amazed him to no end.

"That was very philosophical of you. But I'm with everything you said." Kairi did agree whole-heartedly, noting the longing way in which Riku was watching Sora.

While Sora walked a little bit ahead, she edged closer to Riku and elbowed him. He shrugged at her expectant look and she sighed when he turned his head away and focused on not getting hit by the car that just sped past him. With a sigh, Kairi shook her head and she retrieved her keys from her purse and sidled up by Sora.

"Hey, since we're done here, why don't we just hang around for a while?" Kairi suggested and brought the conversation out of its previously awkward-ish state.

"What, you mean at my—I mean, our flat?" Riku caught his mistake and glanced at Sora.

"I'm up for it. It could be like a movie night or something. We haven't done that in a while, so I think it'll be good to just lay around with some food and movies." Sora smiled when his friends nodded. Riku shrugged at the question and almost dropped the bags again when Kairi elbowed him, harder this time.

"I like how you had to include food in there. You bring the fat jokes on yourself." He said, watching Sora open his mouth wide to protest, but snapped it shut when he clearly had no comeback. He hit Kairi in the arm when she started to laugh and his action only made it harder for her to stop.

"I hate you guys," Sora said through pursed lips. But he smiled at his two friends afterwards and hurried towards Riku's car.

"You love us and you know it." Kairi smiled as she claimed the back seat for her and all of her luggage.

"I'm not talking to either of you forever." Sora slouched against the seat and kicked his feet up onto the dashboard when Riku snorted and started the car.

Sora ended up talking the entire drive home.


...

"So… what's this movie called again?"

Riku had snapped out of his daze and glanced over at Kairi, ignoring the loud snore that Sora let out.

"I don't remember. Some horror flick. Remote's over there if you want to check the info." Riku laughed the next time Sora made a garbled noise and pinched his nose. All three managed to fit on the sofa, thought Sora was laying mostly across the two of them and making rather odd noises in his sleep.

"I don't believe him! Who nods off during a horror movie?" Kairi laughed, but then she turned curious as she leaned over the brunet, "Wait. Do you think he passed out?" The question somehow made Riku want to laugh out loud, but he only snorted.

"I don't think it's that scary…" Riku tried.

"It's lame, yeah, but… That's odd. Well, no, not really. He hates horror movies." She nudged the brunet and he grumbled. He didn't stir, however.

"He does?" At Riku's question, Kairi nodded and folded her arms over her legs.

"Yeah… They give him nightmares. There was one night where…he wouldn't wake up from his dream. He just kept calling out for his mother. That was a long time ago and he hasn't had any that bad, to my knowledge. Has he?" Kairi looked at Riku with a bit of concern in her eyes before idly shifted a hair out of Sora's face with her pointer finger. She was visibly relieved when Riku took in the information and shook his head.

"No. Not one that I know of. He has had some rough spots but he managed to get through them." Kairi smiled and watched Riku's eyes linger on Sora's face.

"With your help, I'd imagine." Riku looked away, a bit uncomfortable. It was a touchy subject now, and he really didn't want to have to explain himself just yet.

"I try. I try so hard," he hesitated, leaning forward on his knees and wiping his hands over his face. "I just don't know anymore. What do I do when he's clearly in pain and won't tell me why or what I can do to help? Sit there and let him suffer? Like I could." Riku twitched when Sora shifted on the sofa, his arm falling off the side. Kairi bit her lip and touched his shoulder reassuringly.

"I don't know. I'm sorry, I know you want answers, but I can't give them to you." Kairi scooted away and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Don't give me that. I only want to be able to help. What could be so terrible that I wouldn't be able to look at him the same. You know I'm not like that."

Kairi simply shook her head, refusing to break the promise she had made to her sleeping friend. "If you want to know about his past so badly, then ask him—it's not that hard. But trust me when I say it's not going to be something that's easy for him to talk about. He hasn't even told me that much." Riku calmly nodded and glanced at the window when he heard the light taps of the rain against the windows. With all the rain, it made him wonder how long it would be before it turned to snow.

"Can you just…tell me one thing?" When the redhead nodded slowly, Riku's hands tightened in the fabric of his loose jeans. "Something Sora said has been bothering me. It was about how his father…abused him."

Kairi gave a hesitant nod.

"Then those scars on Sora's body…?" Kairi sighed as Riku pieced everything together. Sora hadn't harmed himself—Riku knew that—but there were a few possibilities, mainly dealing with Seifer and bullying, but Riku should have realized that Sora's father had been the center of everything. All of Sora's trauma began with that man, it seemed.

"You can't see them as much as before, can you? The scars—well, the ones on his body." Riku ran his gaze up to her again and his chest tightened at the fallen look on her face.

"Please, ask him yourself if you need to know. You've already done so much that I'd hate to see you pull out now." With a light grunt, Kairi struggled to her feet and smiled at Riku, then Sora's sleeping form. "You're the only one of us who can get through to him."

Riku blinked at her smile. The only one?

"Ah, it's late. Time for me to get lost. I wouldn't want to keep you any longer from your cuddling with Sora. Goodnight, guys." She watched as Riku nodded before he nudged Sora's arm. When his friend didn't stir, Riku rolled his eyes and lifted Sora up and held him warily. He finally looked to Kairi to find her smiling.

"Thanks for tonight," he smiled in return.

"You take care of him. Oh! And let him know he's working late tomorrow night." Kairi gave a final wave before disappearing through the front door. Riku took in the silence for a moment before he eased his way into the bedroom, placing Sora onto the mattress carefully and throwing the sheets over him. He took over the entire bed in a manner of seconds.

"Sleep tight," he smiled slightly, brushing aside a bit of his friend's bangs so that he could poke his forehead. Laughing softly, Riku returned to the living room and turned off the lights. He also switched off the television before snatching a blanket and flopping down onto the sofa.

"God knows it'll take me a while to fall asleep." Riku sighed, but after a while the sudden loud buzzing of his cell phone made him jump. He sighed, letting his head fall back onto his pillow. What sane person texted at this hour? It was definitely now past two in the morning or so, and his phone wasall the way in the kitchen on the table…

"Not checking that until tomorrow." He ignored the echoed buzzing of his cell until it stopped. Then rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

"Aw yeah, I love the sofa." He muttered to himself, throwing his blanket around him a little tighter as he tried to at least make himself feel somewhat tired.

'Stupid lumpy cushions.'

It was going to be a long and restless night.


...

"Riku."

"Riiiiiiiku."

"RIKU!"

'What is that?'

At the highly unwarranted and irritating noise, Riku groaned and rolled over. He was in the process of waking up and the indistinguishable voice made him wonder if it was part of the dream that was just coming to an end. God, he just wanted to sleep.

"Wake up, goddammit!"

Though, the voice did sound very familiar now.

"I swear to Satan that if you don't wake up now, I will trash your flat, steal your shit—and maybe even Sora—and then drive off in your car. And I'll smile doing it." Riku's eyes slipped open and he groggily, but quickly, sat up and caught a glimpse of red hair as he heard two other voices angrily protest—well, one was angry.

"Axel," Riku hissed and glared at the innocent expression his cousin was giving.

"Yes?"

"…What the flying fuck are you doing here?" Riku glanced at the clock and groaned, "You couldn't have let me have some peace for a little longer?" Riku could have cried. Why were people always marching into his house—uninvited? How the hell did they even get in?

"Uh…" Riku lefted himself up with his elbows to see Sora scratching his arm, looking guilty. The two intruders hovered around the brunet and Axel shot Riku a broad grin.

"Hey, don't take it out on us. I sent you a message but you obviously didn't get off your arse to check it. More important things to do?" With an elbow he nudged Sora, who flushed and protested by shaking his head. The silver-haired male's lip curled back and he growled in irritation. Axel's smiled didn't fade.

"At two in the morning?" Riku asked, his voice flat.

"Busy night. I understand." The redhead shrugged innocently.

"Axel…" Riku and Roxas warned at the same time.

"Sorry, Riku. I let them in a while ago since they promised to let you sleep," Sora shuffled his feet slightly and sent Axel a half-glare until Riku smiled at him.

"It's fine. But really, why are you both here? Again." Riku sat up and groaned at the cracking sound that came from his back. That did not sound any kind of good.

"I like bothering you. And I'm bored." Axel grinned as he propped down on the sofa armrest. But he began examining his fingernails idly when Roxas glared at him.

"We were actually visiting my friends that live here in Dublin."

"Yeah, at the ass end." Axel said with so much contempt that Sora had to laugh.

"Anyway. He got into a fight with my friend Hayner and was overall just being a dickhead. I told them I'd come up another time—without Axel—and we pass through the area, so we just figured we'd say hi." Roxas snorted as Axel made a noise before he rolled his eyes and grunted. The redhead looked wounded, but still slid an arm around Roxas' waist when he got close enough.

"You can't take him anywhere," Riku laughed.

"It's not even my fault! Everything was all fine and civil until he touched your ass. I had no problems with the pretty girl or the fat kid." Axel said in his defense.

"What? It's entirely your fault. You seriously creeped Olette out—and Pence is not fat, god damn it! Leave them out of it. In fact, leave everyone out of it. Hayner's my best friend; why the hell would I take him over you romantically? He didn't touch my arse, by the way. You were imagining that, moron." The blonde rolled his eyes and caught the smile Sora had on his face.

"So if I touched your ass…?" Axel teased, putting his arms around the short blonde's waist and brought their bodies closer together. "Oh, don't look so angry. You love me."

"For reasons entirely unknown." Roxas sighed against his lover and kept his arms crossed, ignoring the chuckles from the taller male.

After Riku had re-entered the room—he'd left to get a drink once Axel and Roxas had started bickering—Axel smirked at him and leaned down to give Roxas a kiss.

"I love you too, by the way," he spoke next to the blonde's ear and nipped at the outer shell, taking it between his teeth, and knew that his lover was greatly suppressing a moan when he kissed the sensitive spot behind his ear. The blonde attempted to push the pyro away, trying to be careful not to let the redhead's actions excite him, and fought with the redness lighting his features.

"L-Let go! What the hell is your problem? There are people watching." His eyes caught sight of Riku and Sora's features; the latter's being fully covered with a nice red colour and the former's looking rather green.

"Get a room. Preferably in a hotel far away," Riku muttered while Sora jumbled around with his hands. He was red in the face, but his smile grew and gave the couple an envious look.

"You guys have such a good relationship," he laughed when Roxas kept his face blank as Axel stroked his head and his arm.

"Don't we? I know Rox would never leave me. It's just way too fun to tease him." The red-haired male squeezed his boyfriend tighter to him and Sora chuckled as he looked at the two.

It was almost funny at how much taller Axel was than Roxas. Despite their different structures and heights, they looked so right together that Sora was a little envious. Sora found himself wondering if there was anyone he'd look so good with.

"Why were you being such a douche to my friends if you knew this, then?" Roxas asked around a frown, looking upwards. Axel smirked at the blonde's grimace and poked the crease between his eyebrows.

"What do you want me to say? I'm a jealous guy. Why wouldn't I get a little upset at you smiling and laughing with another man?" He said raising his hands to his love's face and attempted to kiss him again, but Roxas pushed away early.

"S-Stop, you're probably making Sora uncomfortable." Roxas bit his lip, punching Axel in the side as he hoped that he wasn't scarring the poor boy.

"No, it's okay. PDA doesn't' gross me out or anything. I think it's great that you two are like that. I mean—not caring what others think. Or something…" Roxas listened to Sora's quiet voice with a smile and he nodded.

"That's a good thing to hear! But really, all this talk about us is getting boring. What about you, shorty? Anyone out there get you all fired up?" The sudden question earned him a smack on his arm from his lover.

"Don't be so damn nosy. Sora didn't come out and force us to talk about our relationship, did he?" Roxas asked and leaned his head against Axel's chest. Axel laughed at this and started making gestures with his hands.

"No. But, clearly, we are gay." Axel lost it when Roxas went completely red in the face and blurted a jumble of words out. Sora couldn't tell if he was angry or just embarrassed, so he tried to lighten the mood.

"I hadn't noticed." Sora laughed. It took a few moments, but once he realized their questioning gazes were on him again— he couldn't focus.

"Anyway, as I was asking. I'm really curious now. Let me know if I'm being a nosy arsehole, though." Axel prodded on. Sora swallowed and bit the inside of his cheek as he folded his arms. Now, especially with the way Riku's eyes glimmered with curiosity, he was even more nervous. No one had ever really asked him a question like that and looked so interested while doing so.

"I…haven't really thought about it, to tell you the truth." Roxas nodded and Axel smirked when he saw the silver haired teen look away as if he hadn't been interested in the brunet's answer.

"That's a shame. I'm sure there are some people who've got their eyes on you." Axel's smirk broadened when he caught sight of Riku's glare.

"I don't think so," Sora laughed. Axel stared at him for a few moments, trying to gauge if he was serious or not. He had to admit; the kid was adorable. While no one compared to Roxas in his eyes, he could see how Riku had grown so attached. The redhead slid his legs over the armrest to plop down onto the sofa, while pulling a protesting Roxas with him.

"I don't think anyone would be attracted to someone like me that way. Not with… I'm not as interesting as you think." Sora looked down as Riku watched him with an incredulous expression on his face. Alarm bells went off in Riku's head because of the way Sora's hands immediately wrapped around himself defensively.

"Hey, come on now. Have some self-esteem. You really don't think that, do you?" Sora shook his head and waved his hands at the two male's concerned features.

"I, no, I just…" Sora frowned and backed up slowly, and Riku suddenly understood what he was so self-conscious about. He prayed he was wrong, but he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"It's those…scars, isn't it? Is that what you are talking about?" Sora's eyes opened up a little bit wider, but he nodded after a long moment. His arms twitched towards his stomach and sides reflexively, but he held back and crossed them instead.

"So you remember… They're disgusting, aren't they? I'm pathetic. I know. Just look at me." The brunet forced a laugh and closed his eyes when he felt them stinging with the tears he struggled to hold back. Even Axel sobered at the tone of Sora's voice.

"No, those scars aren't you're fault! Anyone who's put off by something like that doesn't deserve a damn second of your time." Riku defended, looking into Sora's eyes and trying desperately to cheer him up and make him see how utterly beautiful he was. He touched his shoulder lightly. "You aren't disgusting or awful. Don't say that. How can you say that so readily? It's not true."

Riku bit his lip when Sora's head dropped and he frowned at the floor.

"What scars? Is it something you want to talk about, Sora?" Roxas took the opportunity to ask after the room had drifted into silence. His azure eyes locked with the brunet's when he looked over at the two, and he smiled reassuringly.

"I don't really want to talk about it… I'm sorry. I don't want you all to see me so…" Riku stepped closer to Sora, not once breaking eye contact. The brunet stared up at him and tried to smile, the brokenness of the expression tearing Riku up inside. He didn't wait; he simply placed his other hand on Sora's shoulders and pulled him in for a hug.

"No one's going to force you." Sora's wide-eyed gaze turned into confusion.

"What?" When the brunet's voice cracked, Riku locked his arms more tightly around his stunned friend.

"Whatever happened to you, no one is going to make you talk about it. What happened to your mother and…your father… I want to know because I want to help you. But I don't want to hear it if it makes you hurt."

The room was silent for a while, until Sora inhaled deeply and hugged Riku back a little tighter.

"My—" Sora brought his hand up to rest on his friend's back and he placed his head on his shoulder, his expression oddly calm despite the anxiousness he felt. "My father was a terrible man. He was the one who killed my mother and my… "

Riku's stomach dropped rather painfully when he felt Sora's fingers bury into his shirt. From somewhere behind him, he could hear Roxas inhale and Axel hiss out a curse.

"Sora, you—" The brunet pushed away from Riku and had a hard time keeping eye contact.

"Please, I just can't say anymore right now. What good will it do if you know?" Riku gritted his teeth together as he watched Sora keep a blank expression on his face.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry I forced you to explain. I had no reason to do that." Riku embraced Sora tightly and gritted his teeth, hating himself for causing the brunet even more pain. Despite everyone's warnings, he didn't think it would be as serious as it was. He should never have played down Sora's feelings like he did.

"It's not your fault—you didn't force anything. I want to tell you, so you don't have to worry anymore but…it still hurts." Riku slowly slipped his hands up to touch the sides of the brunet's face and drew them closer together.

"I understand. I won't ask anymore; not until you're ready to tell me, okay? God, just—I won't bring this up again. Can you forgive me?" Sora laughed a bit, though his eyes stung, and he reached up to let his fingers touch Riku's hand.

"Nothing to forgive," Sora leaned into the touch with a small smile.

"Weeeeelp, I was not expecting this when I walked through the door today. Drama all around—" Axel said as he awkwardly rose to his feet. Roxas elbowed him harshly and Sora had to laugh at the face he pulled afterwards. He didn't blame them for feeling awkward—clearly, he should have been apologizing.

"No, don't take it out on Axel's fragile spleen. I was acting like such a baby, and for that I'm sorry." Sora apologized, sending his friends an rueful smile. Roxas shook his head and returned the look, walking over to ruffle Sora's hair.

"Everyone has things they're not proud of. Things they want to keep inside. You had every reason to react the way you did. Don't worry about it now." When he pulled away, Sora gave him a grateful look, almost wanting to hug him and never let go.

"Now that you've ruined the moment, I'm taking this time to ask how long you're planning on staying." Riku glanced over at his cousin, frowning when the redhead shrugged and glanced at his lover before answering.

"Actually, not as long as I had hoped this time. Roxas seems to be gettin' a little homesick." Roxas elbowed Axel and interjected, "No, I'm not. We've actually been thinking about moving in somewhere around here, so we weren't going to take up too much of your time. I'm sure they've got places where we can afford. I did just make assistant manager, so that helps." Axel grinned and leaned his chin on Roxas' head. They both caught Sora's look of excitement and Riku's look of despair and laughed.

"Smashing…" Riku muttered and subconsciously linked his hands together behind the brunet's back. Axel noticed the look on the brunet's face when he silently realized that Riku wasn't planning on letting go. If he'd had a camera with him, he'd have gone crazy.

"Yo, cuz. I think Sora's getting a little tired of your brohug." Axel spoke tauntingly. It took a moment for Riku to look at Sora and freeze. He slowly unwound his arms and backed up, coughing when he realized that Sora still looked embarrassed. Fucking Axel.

"Just think of how often we'd get to hang out with you guys," Roxas said, trying not to laugh at the look on Riku's face.

"That'll be great, Roxas. I can't wait." The blonde's eyes softened as he stared at the brunet.

"It was great to see you again, Sora." Roxas moved to pat the brunet on the back and Sora laughed before enveloping the blonde in a tight bear hug.

"What about me?" Axel cried, reaching out to Sora. Riku scowled as he watched the exchange, but tried to play it off when they all looked at him. He hadn't even realized he was tapping his foot rapidly until all eyes were on him.

"Hey now, you don't even want us here. You should be smiling right now." Axel threw an arm around Riku's shoulder and the shorter of the two groaned.

"Besides, we'll leave you two alone. You looked pretty intimate a few moments ago." The redhead whispered, giving a wink and a cackle at his cousin's expression—which he was trying so hard to form a glare to send to the red-haired male, but his fire-red cheeks wouldn't allow it.

"Come on, dickhead." Roxas said dragging Axel by the arm.

"Sora! Don't forget me, my love! I'll think about you every day! Even…no, especially in my dreams!" He called to Sora as Roxas dragged him out of the flat and the brunet blushed.

The two teens heard a loud and probably painful noise from outside their door and Sora winced. "Ouch, damn it!" The redhead's shout was shortly followed by loud and rapid footsteps and then, "Roxas, wait! I was just kidding. Ow—what—Jesus Christ, that hurts!"

With the slight bit of red still on his cheeks, the brunet let out a laugh and combed a hand through his hair. "They're the weirdest couple I've ever seen in my life. How do I put it… They're perfectly dysfunctional together." By the humored look on Riku's face, Sora guessed he agreed.

"It's funny because they started out seriously hating each other. Well, Roxas hated Axel and his annoying self. They fought for a while, but in the end I guess it was one of those love/hate things. Everything worked out." A genuine smile etched itself on his face and he watched the brunet fold his arms over his stomach.

"Though they still seem to fight." The brunet laughed and Riku nodded in exasperation.

"That's all Axel. Despite that, it's not hard to see that they're crazy about each other. Those two have been joined at the hip for as long as I can remember. Axel's twenty-five, and Roxas is twenty-three, just in case you were wondering." Riku's informed Sora, who blinked widely.

"They're older than us? I couldn't even tell. Holy crap, I actually thought Roxas was younger." Sora threw a hand to his forehead and his obvious bewilderment make Riku almost laugh.

Sora grew silent after that, looking down at his hands that he'd begun idly playing with. Riku didn't know whether or not he should interrupt or leave him be. After a few more seconds of waiting, he moved closer so that he was hovering over Sora's shoulder. His eyes scanned over his best friend and noticed the brunet's hesitation after he realized Riku was there.

"You okay? You're quiet, and I know you enough to know that that means you're probably hurting yourself up here." Riku prodded Sora's forehead and smiled when he got a laugh out of him. But Sora sobered a moment later and looked off to the side, his features wistful.

"No, it's just that… When they fight, I know that they don't really mean it and all, but it was different from the way my parents acted and I can't help but compare them. I remember… We had tried to get away – my mother tried so hard to protect us." Sora dropped onto the sofa and Riku slowly stood over him with an eased, understanding expression.

"But then he found us," he put his head in his hands and swallowed thickly. As he dropped onto the sofa "…And I ran away."

Riku watched with that familiar earlier sinking feeling in his stomach as the brunet continued to speak. "I just ran like a damn coward. I couldn't even save my mother after all she had done to prevent it." Riku quickly sat next to the brunet and eased and arm around him steadily.

"It's not your fault. You were just a child, right? There wasn't anything you could've done." Riku soothingly massaged the brunet's back and he tucked his head under his chin. A few moments after Sora wiped at his eyes, he pulled back to look at Riku and the older male couldn't stand to see such an agonizing expression.

"Sora, don't cry." His silky voice struck at something inside the brunet as he ran his hand softly up the side of Sora's face and wiped away the few tears that actually managed to escape. "You don't have to say anymore if it's this painful. Come on, didn't I say not to force yourself? It's okay now…" Riku put his arms around Sora and pulled him close—nearly onto his lap.

"I promise that I will tell you." Sora pushed Riku away and frowned. "S-Sorry—I'm getting you all wet." He said, wiping at his eyes and Riku chuckled.

"No harm done. Look, why don't you take the day off. There's no way I'd be able to let you leave knowing how upset you are." Sora looked up at his friend's and nodded at his offer, chuckling. It almost felt like he was in high school again. Half of the students skipped anyway, so he figured one day wouldn't hurt. Especially not when it gave him time alone with his friend.

"Could we maybe, uh, maybe just hang out here for a while?" Riku flicked on the television and turned back to Sora with a smile.

"That a good enough answer? I'll get the drinks. Stay here and relax, okay?" He grinned when Sora looked visibly relieved as he grabbed the remote, setting the channel on what looked like a children's show. The sudden switching of stations snapped him out of his daze and reminded him that he had drinks to make and an evening to enjoy with his best friend.

With a smile on his face, Riku took to the kitchenette. He took the time to make his friend's drink and tapped on the counter until it was done, idly listening to the rapid flickering of the television as Sora continued to repeatedly change the channel. He let out a soft chuckle.

Making the decision to let Sora live with him was probably the best one he had ever made in his life. Before that, Riku's life seemed so dull and boring and he didn't know how the hell he motivated himself to do anything. He struggled to find inspiration for his artwork and he hadn't really made an effort to do much else—especially nothing having to do with being social.

But he also didn't need to make extra cabinet space for the extra boxes of hot chocolate Sora had bought.

After the steaming drinks were done, Riku slipped into the living room to find that Sora was curled up in a blanket, watching some cartoon that made him laugh.

"Oh, god, I have the sense of humor a middle school kid does." He snickered at the television when Riku took a seat next to him.

"What are you watching?" Riku's eyebrows arched in curiosity as he handed the Sora his mug and was thanked graciously.

"It's uh, Avatar, the Last Airbender." He explained taking a small sip but almost choked because he started to laugh again. Riku bit his lip at the expression and simple clutched his mug a little tighter. "It's a cartoon for kids, yeah, but I think it's really good."

"Never heard of it. Not complaining though, if you say it's good."

Sora couldn't help but smile as he situated his hot chocolate down on the coffee table. Somehow, sitting on the sofa and watching cartoons with Riku was the highlight of his whole life at the moment. He felt excited, yet calm at the same time. He never had anyone who really understood him until Riku. And as he watched the older male laugh, he was glad that he'd finally found someone he could be a complete retard with.

"Riku. Come here," After his command, the silver-haired male raised an eyebrow. But he complied and hesitantly scooted over, a cushion closer to his friend. When Sora wrapped the blanket that Riku had left on the sofa around both of them, Riku blinked. Sora could see that he was startled, and he started to panic when he thought the action might have been too forward.

"I-I, uh—"

"Well. This is definitely warmer than sitting alone." The low, hesitant voice that Riku spoke in made a pleasant shiver run down Sora's smile. He was positively beaming now.

"Can't watch cartoons without curling up in a blanket."

Riku laughed softly at this, trying not to wrap his arms around the brunet.

"Agreed."


...

Riku had been absentmindedly watching the cartoon for a while before he heard Sora's quiet, even breathing beside him.

It was still rather early, but that didn't stop Sora from dozing off. Riku could only guess that explaining what he had earlier really tired him out. He didn't blame him, either.

Riku carefully moved so that Sora could lie comfortably on top of him, and the silver haired teens arms rested on the small of the brunet's back, fingers intertwining contentedly.

"No, don't…eatthesheep." He heard the low mumble from Sora as he shifted in his arms, then he quickly held onto Riku as if he were a pillow. The way Sora's cheek was smashed up against Riku's chest and the trembling of his furrowed brows made the older laugh softly.

"What are you doing to me?" The older male brushed a strand of hair from the brunet's face.

Slowly, before he realized it, his hand caressed the brunet's face and he drifted down to place a brief, soft kiss on the brunet's cheek. He inhaled as a jolt shot through his chest and he knew. There was no way he'd feel something like that so intensely if he wasn't serious.

"God… I love you, Sora." Riku inhaled again and hoped that the pounding of his heart would not wake the brunet. He then glanced at the clock on the dvd player before turning back to his friend. Riku slowly and carefully sliding out from under him.

Running another hand over the brunet's face before he fixed the blanket around him, Riku almost wanted to laugh.

'I've fallen so irretrievably in love that it isn't even funny.'

After that, Riku moved to grab his jacket before he slipped open the front door and out of the flat.

Taking a stroll was the only way he'd be able to clear his head.

.….

End - Chapter 9

.….


OHOHOHO.

Hello, loves. I… I know this is super duper late. But I have a life and it has been being stepping all over the part of me that likes to update on time. Somewhat on time. Okay, I have no 'on time' when it comes to updates OTL (UGH. I hate the way it looks on . It looks so much prettier on my Word...)

I also recently picked up Final Fantasy XIII-2 and…haven't gotten to play it as much as I'd like with work and all /crey. But guys… Guys. Noel.

NOEL, GUYS.

NOEL.

All of the feelings for him. HE TOOK ALL MY FEELS FROM ME ;n; Should I somehow force him into the story? /shot

On another note, I'll also put up the 10th chapter here in a day or so because…I actually re-wrote/edited that one first because I thought that I had already posted this chapter. I AM AN IDIOT. Herp derp.

So yes. All characters © Tetsuya Nomura and Square Enix and the quote in the beginning is from the song Say You Like Me by We The Kings. I make no profit from this. Which is fine, because reviews and favourites are more than enough /heart

And…you know…you can follow me on tumblr if you want. *coughcough*

http: / / endeavor-to-freefall. tumblr. com/
Yeah. Just take out the spaces and what not :Db
With that said…Iloveyouall.