Rewritten July 1.
Sora groaned as he turned onto his back. Every little rustle of the sheets echoed inside his head. And why was the light so freaking bright? Throwing the blanket over his head, he tried to figure out just why he felt so terrible. He had been fine yesterday...
The blanket flipped back down as Sora stared at the ceiling. Yesterday… He cursed loud enough that any one home would hear. "Damn you all!"
Unfortunately, this caused the ringing in his ears to amplify. "Ugh. I'm gonna kill them."
About a minute later, the door slowly cracked open and Riku's head peered around it. "Uh, morning Sora."
"I despise you."
"Oh, don't be like that." He entered the room, holding a large glass of citrus juice. "Here. This will help."
"I don't want that." Sora pulled the blankets back over his head. "Just let me die in peace."
"You're not going to die, you're just hung over."
"And who's fault is that?"
"Hey, you didn't ask what was in those drinks." Riku countered calmly. "You drank them as fast as Faye made them."
"They didn't taste like alcohol!" Sora protested, wincing at the sound of his voice.
"They're not supposed to." Riku flipped the blankets down and held out the glass. "Now, trust me, this will help. Eating a little toast wouldn't hurt either."
"Ugh, I don't even wanna think about food." Sora very slowly sat up, his head swimming. He carefully took the juice and cautiously drank it down. The last thing he wanted was to start throwing up. He then gave Riku a worried look. "I didn't do anything stupid, did I?"
Riku shrugged. "Outside of rocking Leon's world, not a thing."
Sora's jaw dropped in horror. "Wha- what?"
Riku laughed. Sora's reaction was so worth the beating he knew was coming. "I'm kidding. Your virginity is intact."
Sora flushed. He did not like how Riku said that but was too messed up feeling to do anything about it now. Instead, he turned the conversation around. "Did you sleep last night?"
The circles under Riku's eyes answered the question but he wanted to make Riku admit to it. "No. Leon stayed up with me most of the night. He's dozing on the couch right now."
The brunet gave a brief nod.
"We talked a little." The seventeen year old explained. "Not about anything important... it was nice."
"That's cool."
They sat in silence for a while. "Well, uh, you wanna try some toast?"
"I guess."
Riku stood. "A shower sometimes helps, too. It will at least help your body feel better. I'll make you something to eat while you do it."
"Okay." Sora reluctantly swung his feet over the bed side. "Roxas is pissed."
Riku stared at him. "You can still hear him?"
"Not exactly. It's more like I can feel him here." He pressed a hand to his chest. "He's me but he isn't me. It's hard to explain."
"Oh," Riku turned. "Well, go wake yourself up."
Sora got to his feet. He wobbled a touch but managed to stay completely upright. "Man, I gotta pee."
Riku chuckled. "I'm not surprised."
He left Sora, going back down the hall. Leon was still asleep on the couch, head casually propped on his left arm to which the elbow of rested on the armrest. Riku admired him for a moment before entering the kitchen. Not only was Leon a great looking man, he had an immensely strong heart. He was so totally dedicated to his goals that Riku knew the others worried about him burning himself out.
His past had been a near complete mystery to Riku until last night. As the pair had sat around, simply hanging out, Leon had slowly opened up. He told Riku about Balamb Garden and SeeDs, chuckling when he pointed out that unlike Cloud he had completed his military training. He spoke about Rinoa, whom Riku got the impression he had not really talked about to any one before.
It had been an interesting night and one that made Riku feel better than he had. It had also depressed him further. He was thrilled that Leon felt close enough to him now to begin confiding in him; he felt privileged by it. Conversely, now that they'd reached that point, he was terrified he was going to lose it. If he did not have Cloud, how could he possibly remain friends with these people?
He pulled bread out of the panty, lightly toasting it and putting a thin layer of butter and honey on it. As usual his timing was near perfect. Sora emerged soon after he finished, his damp spikes already trying to stand back up.
"Thanks." He mumbled, taking the toast and leaning against the counter. He glanced over at Leon. "It's probably a good thing he's playing hooky today."
"Yeah, I told Cid he wouldn't be around. He replied with 'bout fucking time he took a day off'"
"Maybe I'll go out and do some stuff, help out a little." Sora mused. "I'm sure I can move rocks at least as well as Cloud can."
He suddenly looked at Riku. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"To what? Talk about him?" Riku shrugged, turning to wipe the counter. "It's fine, Sora. It's not like he stopped existing and I am capable of hearing his name without totally falling apart."
"I know, I just…" Sora trailed off.
Riku's lip curled and he rubbed Sora's soft, damp spikes. "I know, you're just trying to make things easier for me. I appreciate it but don't."
Sora nodded. "You were right about the shower. Now I've just got this throbbing headache."
"Not much can be done about that I'm afraid." Riku tossed the rag in the sink. "You really want to go do some work?"
"Yeah. Leon's been so helpful."
"He has." Riku agreed. "All right, we'll go do some clearing by the castle. Maybe then when he wakes up, he won't feel like he wasted the day away so much."
--0—0--
The hard labor helped keep Riku focused but after a few hours, the two nights without sleep began catching up to him. He kept his movements slow and precise but he knew Sora saw his fatigue. He refused to stop however and it was not until he dropped his fourth rock that Sora finally took charge.
"All right, Riku, we've done enough. Let's get out of here." Sora placed his fists on his slim hips when Riku opened his mouth to protest. "I said we're done."
Riku merely nodded.
Sora wiped his dirty hands on his shorts. "Ugh. Filthy, filthy. I need another shower."
"Hey, Sora?"
He looked up at Riku's odd tone. "Yeah?"
"You ever been to the river?"
"Uh, no." He hadn't even known there was a river until Leon mentioned it the other morning.
"It's fed by the Rising Falls."
Sora remembered those. There was an open courtyard there. That was where Riku had taken the Keyblade from him and left him with a simple wooden sword. Believe it or not, that was the one thing Sora still had difficulty getting over. Not the Keyblade part, but the act of using an object that had always had fond memories for them as an insult.
It was the cruelest thing Riku could have done at that moment.
"Let's go."
"Huh?"
"To the falls. We can walk down along them and you can see where the river starts."
Riku wanted to go to the falls? Sora was not sure he was up to that. He hadn't even actually gone to the castle since the fight with Ansem- Xehanort. But he somehow knew that Riku really wanted to do this. For Riku, he would face any bad memory. "Okay."
They walked around the castle grounds until they reached the falls. Riku did not seem to be paying them any mind as he lead Sora along some of the more stable platforms and to a small break in the wall of water. Sora had never noticed it before but then again, actually looking at the falls had been the absolute last thing on his mind when he had last been here.
"We can get some of this grime off in the water." Riku lead the way through a small labyrinth of tiny streams. Up ahead, there was a blockage of tall rocks. "There's this really nice spot I want to show you."
Sora followed curiously. Riku seemed really excited about where they were going. He was not usually this energized. The younger boy really had no idea what this was about.
"Here we are, just over this ridge." Riku climbed up and disappeared behind the rock.
Sora, feeling a bit show-offy, took a bit of a run and glided over the edge. He smirked at Riku's shake of head, then turned… to see one of the most beautiful views he had ever seen.
There were dozens of small waterfalls surrounding the space with multi-colored stone jutting around. The way the light filtered in caused a rainbow effect in the misting air. Only the sound of running water could be heard. It was as if the outside world had disappeared.
"Whoa." Sora breathed out.
"Pretty cool, huh?"
"How'd you find this?" Sora could hardly believe the scene around them.
"The first few weeks I was here, I explored everywhere I could. Maleficent didn't let me wander too far but I went as far out as I could." Riku went to sit on one of the purple-pink rocks beside the pooling water. He casually began stripping off clothes. "As soon as I found it, I started coming here every chance I could. I just feel so calm here."
Down to his boxers, Riku looked at Sora. "Well, come on. I'm not gonna be the only naked one in here."
"What, oh, ah…"
Riku rolled his eyes. "Sora, how many times have we seen each other naked? Jeez, stop being such a girl. I'm the fag around here."
"Least you don't look like one." Sora muttered. He really did not like his small stature. He felt rather girly, especially compared to Riku with his tall frame and wide shoulders, long legs and lean muscled chest… okay, time to get off that tangent. He gave Riku a mischievous look. "Much."
"Hey! You saying I'm girlish?"
"Well, your face and hair are rather feminine." The younger teen had worked up the courage now to remove his clothes. The second his boxers were off, he was in the water.
"Oh, you're gonna pay for that!" Riku threatened with a laugh, kicking off the last of his clothes and diving in after Sora.
They roughhoused for a good half-hour before calming down. The best friends floated idly in the surprisingly buoyant water, both feeling a great deal more relaxed now. They remained close to one another, just looking at the sky above.
"I'm glad you made me come here, Sora."
"Really?" Sora said skeptically. "Cause you seem pretty miserable most of the time."
"I'm not miserable." Riku countered. "I'm completely petrified and bouncing all over the emotional spectrum but I'm relieved that this is out in the open finally."
"Well, that's good I guess." Sora replied.
"Yeah." A long pause spread between them. "I always wanted to bring Cloud here but never had the chance. I think he'd of liked it."
"He'll love it." Sora up righted himself to study Riku. Although the older teen's body was still loose, tears were in fact running from his eyes. He had never actually seen Riku cry. "Don't worry, Riku. You'll still get to bring him here."
Riku's lips tightened a little and Sora noticed how worn he looked.
"Come on, I've had enough of the water. We should dry out a little before it starts getting cold."
Riku wordlessly followed him out of the natural pool and on to the shore. The pair sat together naked, close enough to the edge for the little waves to touch their feet. Riku kept his head down while Sora gazed up at the evening sky.
After a few minutes, Sora grinned. "Remember the last time we sat like this on a beach?"
"Yeah."
"I really was ready to stay there with you forever." Sora turned his face down and watched the water race up then down. "I still would."
"I know." Riku spoke softly.
They kept a companionable silence. By unspoken consent, they eventually got dressed and headed back for town. There were a few on the street still, greeting them good evening and some making them promise to visit sometime. Sora quickly noticed that Riku seemed to have as many admirers as he did.
"Just how long were you here?" Sora mumbled after Riku's fourth 'good to see you, too'.
"Little over a month. I did a lot of volunteer work while I was here." He chuckled. "Guess I still am."
He looked over at Sora. "But you'll always be their hero."
"I only helped clear out the Heartless and Nobodies." Sora frowned. "What Leon and the others and even you have done is so much more meaningful. Because of you guys, these people have new lives."
"If it hadn't been for you, they wouldn't have any life." Riku spoke sternly. "I think that carries quite a bit of weight to it."
"I guess."
"Hey, where's my little mister sunshine?" Riku nudged him. "You're the cheerful one, I'm supposed to be the emo. You're getting us backwards again."
Sora laughed loudly. He rubbed his head before placing both hands behind it. They again fell quiet as they continued their walk. Once at the house, Riku stifled a yawn which Sora immediately noticed. "Get undressed and meet me on the couch."
"Why?" Riku asked as they walked in the front door.
"Just do it." Sora ordered, shoving Riku ahead and ducking into Leon's room. He quickly threw on pajamas and came back out to find Riku was still standing in the hall, hand on the doorknob. Walking over to him, he placed both hands on the back of the taller one's shoulders. "On the count of three, okay? One, two, three."
Riku actually opened the door and stepped in. He did not look around, simply going directly to his bag, routing through it a moment, and pulling out a pair of worn cotton pants. He then turned and left with Sora right behind him.
He did not realize he had been holding his breath until he released it.
Sora steered him into the bathroom, waited for him to change and then brought him back down the hall. He sat himself on one end of the couch and beckoned Riku to join him. When he did, he went to sit on the other end. "Nught uh. Feet there, head here." He pointed to his lap.
Riku raised an eyebrow.
"You will sleep at least a little tonight."
"Sora-" He was cut off with a simple glare. Sora did not do it often but when he did, well, Riku knew exactly where Roxas had gotten his from.
Without another word, he positioned himself as Sora wanted. "Your leg's bony."
"Shut up. You're so tired I bet you're out in under ten minutes."
"I'll take that bet."
"Fine. Now just lay here and close your eyes."
Riku laid but he would not close his eyes. He vowed this even as Sora began softly stroking his hair. He repeated it to himself as Sora made quiet humming noises reminiscent of a lullaby Sora's mother often sang. He felt so… tired.
--0—0--
Sora smiled down at Riku. He knew this would work; stroke Riku's hair for a little while and he was out like a light. He wondered idly if Cloud had discovered this little fact yet.
"You got him to sleep," Leon commented, coming in from the back. "Good."
Sora watched him go into the kitchen. "Any word?"
Leon took a beer from the fridge and cracked it open. "Cloud saw Aerith this afternoon. Apparently they talked at length but she promised she wouldn't say anything. She wasn't even supposed to tell me about the visit but she knew we were worried."
"And?'
"No idea, he disappeared right after." Leon took a long drink. "But Aerith looked uneasy."
"Great," Sora whispered. It was never good when Aerith worried, especially when it was about Cloud. "I wish he would just, figure out what he wanted and talk to Riku. It's this not knowing that's killing him."
"I know." Leon shook his head. Steel-colored eyes fixed on the boy. "By the way, thanks for working by the castle. I guess I did need the break."
"Oh, no problem." Sora replied dismissively before narrowing his eyes, "Though I'm still mad."
"Hey, you didn't ask what was in those drinks. It's a bar, you should have figured it out."
"Whatever."
"……….."
Sora glanced down at the head of silver in his lap. "How long you think he'll manage to stay asleep?"
Leon shrugged. "He feels safe with you so who knows."
"Well, I'm not moving until he does."
Leon nodded and went into his room. He came back a moment later with a light blanket. He draped it over Riku, making sure it fell a little on Sora's legs also. "Night."
"Night."
--0—0--
Sora opened his eyes slowly, casting them about the room trying to figure out where he was. Oh yeah, the front room.
Sora glanced down to check on his friend. Riku was still sleeping in his lap but he had turned and wrapped an arm around his waist. His face was now practically in Sora's crotch.
Trying not to flush, Sora shifted a bit in an effort to distance his privates from the older teen's mouth two a bit. This just made Riku move closer. Groaning, Sora let his head fall back.
"I think you're stuck." Leon commented dryly around his coffee. He set the mug down and poured a glass of juice.
"Yeah, I noticed." Sora took the drink Leon brought him. "At least he didn't have any nightmares. Must have been too tired."
"He has nightmares, too?"
"Yeah, they're pretty bad-" Sora cut himself off and tilted his head. "Waddaya mean 'too'?"
"Cloud has terrible nightmares, wakes up screaming sometimes. I can usually calm him after but sometimes it's rough. He never has them when Riku's with him."
"That makes sense. That's probably true for Riku too."
Said person stirred a little, enough so that Sora could slip out from beneath him. "Thank the gods, I've gotta pee."
A brief smile crossed Leon's face as Sora practically ran for the bathroom. When he came back out, the sable-haired man had a plate of eggs and sausage ready for him. "Here, to make up for your hangover."
"I'm not really that mad." He took the plate from him and brought it to the table. "But thanks."
Leon sat with him, watching him eat while sipping on his coffee. "Any ideas for today?"
Sora shook his head. "We could always see if Cid wants more help. I don't know if I'm up to any more hard labor."
"Leon's a slave driver." Riku almost croaked out from the couch. "What we did yesterday was nothing."
"It's got to get done." Leon responded smoothly.
Riku stood and stretched out his torso, arms flexed behind him. "How long was I out?"
"About six hours." Leon motioned toward the kitchen. "There's food. Eat it."
Riku did not protest, getting a small amount. He sat beside Sora and once again picked at what was on his plate. The other two watched him with a detached eye. Once he had eaten a satisfactory amount, Leon stood. He rid himself of his coffee mug and turned to the teenagers.
Before he could speak, the front door opened.
Disheveled blonde spikes framed a wary face and dulled blue eyes. Simply put, Cloud looked terrible. For a long moment, he stood in the doorway staring at Riku.
Riku likewise was a bit worse for wear and he gave Cloud the exact same expression.
"Sora." Leon softly called.
"Right with you." The boy quickly stood and with a brief glance over his shoulder, left with Leon out the back.
The troubled lovers remained motionless for a small eternity, neither sure what should happen next. Riku did not dare speak for fear of the other man turning around and leaving. Cloud seemed just as uncertain, as if he had no idea what he was about to do. Maybe he didn't.
Finally, Cloud managed out a soft. "We need to talk."
