let's see...update ahoy! Not much really happens in this chapter, to be honest. there's lots of riku and sora...emotional ness, i suppose. but the end. ohoho. that's a bit revealing, i tell you. read that part carefully. anyhow, thanks for sticking with me and i apologize for the delay of the wait. you know how life gets when finals slither around. anyhow, please leave a review. i'd make me elated and i'd love you forever. so...let's move on

Heavenly

"Riku…" Sora looked away, refusing to cry. Thirteen year old boys did not cry in front of their best friends, nor did they weep in front of their crushes. That was all. "Please, just forgive me. I didn't mean it. I was just…curious. You're just being…difficult. Boys kissing are gross. I didn't know what I was saying, I…I'm sorry?"

Riku barely listened. His mind was reeling at the bad side effects. "Just forget it, Sora. Go home. I don't even care anymore. Just go home before I get pissed off at you. More than I already am."

Sora lowered his gaze. "Why are you always so cruel to me?" he whispered under his breath, tears pooling in his eyes. He resisted them and instead kicked at the ground angrily. "Fine," he grumbled, just loud enough for Riku to hear. "I'll see you tomorrow.

"Maybe," Riku answered and glanced wearily at the brunet.

Sora shrugged. Sora walked off, not turning back. But he always came back, that much Riku and Sora knew.

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When Sora was certain that Riku had retired from the hallway and into the living room, he slipped out of his locked bedroom and into the bathroom across the hall. Quietly, he locked the door behind him and collapsed in front of the toilet. At this moment he had no desire to vomit or cry. All he wanted to do was be nearby, just in case. His blue eyes remained tightly clamped shut, unable to open. His skinny body trembled as his arms clung to the porcelain skin of his companion, as if gripping on to protect his life. Things had gone from bad to worse to the absolute worst in no time at all, and to be quite honest, Sora was not sure if he could handle this anymore.

Sora's small fingers traced the smooth, white texture of the object before him. Eyes remained shut as he sucked in a deep, strangled breath. "He knows," he whispered to himself, a sob sneaking its way in towards the end. "He's known all along…"

Sora's body slumped further down until his hands were firmly pressed down onto the cold, bathroom tiling. His knees remained pressed against the floor and his body began to violently tremble.

Riku's known since the beginning. That means that… he kissed me knowing it was me… He broke up with Leon…because?... Sora's head began to throb and it took everything the brunet angel had not to expel his stomach contents. Don't say he ended things with my brother because of me. Please don't say that. There has to be a bigger reason. A better reason—one that doesn't involve me… His eyes snapped open, the corneas stinging. Does Leon know too, then?

"What am I going to do? What am I going to do?... He's not supposed to know," he rambled weakly, fingers digging impulsively into the ground. "Heaven's going to kill me. He knows, Axel knows, and and Leon probably knows as well…how the hell am I supposed to finish my job now?!"

Would Heaven persecute him for willingly admitting that it was him to both Axel and Riku? Sora's stomach twisted and churned and he felt tears trickling down his cheeks. The inside of his chest felt like it was on fire and therefore was boiling some brew of liquids. It was an odd feeling, to say the least, but it felt horrid.

A loud wail emerged from Sora's lips when a sharp jolt of pain centralized in the pit of stomach. It felt strikingly akin to a gunshot—he would know, after all—but it was constant. It wasn't like a bullet tearing into your skin and body from the outside in, it was the opposite. It was like a ball of pain was trying to rip your body apart, from the inside out.

The groaning from the angel continued. Am I dying again? Is this my punishment? Am I going to die again and end up in the incinerator? Not now. Please, not now. I need to sort everything out. I can't go back. I can't die again.

"No," Sora wailed out loud, his thoughts piercing into vocals.

I don't belong here. Everyone here is alive. I'm dead. I don't belong. Sora was vaguely aware that he kept murmuring incoherent words into the air, trying to control the pain that was throbbing in his stomach. It felt so strikingly similar to the pain he had felt when he died that he screamed out in fear. The scream wasn't pain-induced, it was fear. When you knew what dying felt like you weren't afraid to express your mortification of it.

I don't deserve this. I don't deserve to die again—not like this. I don't…I don't… My life was horrible enough as it was…don't make me go through this pain again. Please don't. I can't do this again. Just let me live one more month. Let me just complete my life in peace, please…

The pain in his stomach numbed, just the slightest, and Sora's head lolled back, eyes fluttering open. He shortly after became aware that a pair of arms was tightly wrapped around his waist and that his body was resting up against another. Blue eyes blinked slowly, staring up at a worried expression. His entire body remained lifeless and limp in the other's hold. His back remained up against the other's chest and legs sprawled out on the floor.

"Sora…are you okay?"

The brunet's lips fell half open as he stared confusedly up at the silveret. His spiky brown head rested firmly on Riku's chest, comfortably beneath the male's neck. "Let go of me," Sora demanded in a coarse, weakened voice.

"You look like shit," Riku commented and stared down at the brunet with bewilderment. His hands slithered from around Sora's torso and wandered upwards into Sora's soft, brown hair.

"Don't…touch me," Sora murmured weakly, eyes falling shut once again to preserve the last shred of dignity that he had left. Although he despised the fact that he was currently leaning up against the man who had landed him into this situation, he could not do anything about it—he was too weak. "I feel like I'm going to die," Sora croaked out numbly.

"I think that'd be impossible considering your current situation, Sora," Riku reasoned with a mock laugh, his fingers raking through Sora's hair. Due to their current position, the silveret could feel every single shiver and tremble that made its way down Sora's body. It was a bit disturbing.

"Shut up," Sora groaned his body stiff against Riku's. "You're the one who got me into this mess."

Riku sighed. "I won't deny that…" he murmured, fingers beginning to lightly massage Sora's scalp. "But I also won't deny that I'm worried about you, Sora. You look like death itself."

Sora snorted in mock humor. "I doubt I look any worse than I did eight years ago, huh?" he murmured disdainfully. "I told you I didn't want to see you until morning. What didn't you understand about that?"

"Guess I just can't stay away," Riku reasoned, smiling faintly down at the angel. "Even though you lied to me and took advantage of what you thought was 'me not recognizing you', I'm still glad you're here, Sora."

Sora tensed automatically. "Me take advantage of you? Hmph," Sora struggled to mockingly laugh. When he did such, his head throbbed and his weak body went through another round of pain. The brunet angel closed his eyes weakly and tried to ignore the jolts of pain in his stomach. Damn, this might even be worse than the incinerator.

After a moment of warding off the pain, Sora's blue eyes lazily cracked open, staring up at the man whose arms he was in. "So…if you hadn't screwed up and said my name, you would have continued calling me Roxas? Even…if things…progressed?"

Riku's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?" His fingers continued massaging the angel's scalp, almost lovingly.

Sora rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean, Riku…"

"No, I don't think I do," Riku answered curtly and then paused. His aquamarine eyes flickered down and met Sora's blue. In that moment he realized that if he hadn't said Sora's name, things probably would have gone farther. And maybe if he hadn't said Sora's name at all, they'd be dating and they would have started from square one. "Oh," Riku murmured, a hot blush appearing on his face. "Well…be glad I did?"

Sora sighed. "Whatever."

"Why are you here?" Riku finally asked, fingers wandering from Sora's hair down to the brunet's face. Once there, they began to gently brush along the angel's cheeks and forehead, kneading the surprisingly soft skin.

"Heaven apparently thinks you're screwing up your life," Sora explained reluctantly. "So I figure, if you already know it's me, I can't possibly mess up anymore…so why not tell you everything?" He sighed exasperatedly. "Ever since I've come back I've been messing up over and over. First letting Axel know it was me, then telling you…and now just everything." His eyes shut, tears leaking out the corners. "Do you realize how hard it is to be near you, Riku?..." His voice fell to a strained whisper.

The silveret said nothing. "You don't have to be around me, Sora. I'll understand."

Sora shook his head weakly. "It's part of my job… Heaven, they're all sadistic idiots up there. They assigned me to you. They probably knew all about our past and," Sora coughed violently, "and now I'm probably dying again because you know it's me. That's…really sad, isn't it?"

Riku shook his head, a sad smile on his lips. "You still hate me, then? The past week or so has just been a lie?"

"I had to put up with you. I had to get to know you again so you'd," cough," trust me. So I could save you from dying before you…were meant to," Sora finished, his body trembling. A moment of silence passed by, the minutes trickling on before dared to speak again. "Everyone keeps telling me you've changed. I don't want to believe it. My heart won't. Not after what you did to me…"

"Sora," Riku exhaled, watching as the brunet squirmed. Within seconds, Sora was resituated. The brunet was now laying in the silveret's lap, his head resting firmly against the other's chest. His arms looped tiredly around Riku, weakly holding him. His legs folded up, attempting to make himself comfortable with the little energy he had left.

"You know…considering I can't possibly dig myself any deeper, I figure I'll just say it all," the brunet angel mumbled, his headache feeling like it was tearing his brain and mind apart. "I only stuck around with you when we were young because I hoped that one day you'd change and like me back."

"What?" Riku blinked, eyes widening in confusion.

"Even though you hurt me, punched me, yelled at me, lied to me, cursed at me, and even ignored me, I still liked you and would have done anything to be with you." Sora buried his face into Riku's chest, inhaling his scent. "And for this past week, I've been forcing myself to hate you. To continue hating you, I mean. Because liking the person you killed you is just stupid and impossible, after all."

Riku couldn't take the words that Sora was saying, even if they were true. "We were young," Riku argued. "I didn't know. I was stupid. I wanted power. Sora, you don't realize what I went through when you died. You have no idea. I…"

Sora spared a glance up at Riku, his chin resting numbly against his friend's chest. "You what? You're sorry?"

"I just need a second chance," Riku finally said, his hands reaching down to cup each of the angel's cheeks. His thumbs idly brushed along the tear-soaked skin, their gazes meeting.

Sora shrunk back a bit, his breath catching in his throat. "We can't do this, Riku," he informed him weakly. "It wouldn't work. I'm dead. Don't you see how wrong this is?... I'm here to save you, that's all."

"You're alive," Riku argued, shaking his head violently. "You're breathing, you're…you're right in front of me. Don't tell me that you're dead, Sora."

"You can't be with a dead person, Riku. Maybe if you hadn't killed me, maybe we—" Sora began bitterly, his voice barely above a whisper. He was exerting too much energy to speak and every word he did speak hurt his dry throat.

Riku didn't answer, nor did he argue. All the silveret did was stare desperately down at the fragile angel in his grasps. "No," he breathed out imperceptibly. "I won't accept that," he growled and forcefully lowered his lips onto Sora's.

The angel's eyes flew open and then shut in the timeframe of one second. Sora swallowed thickly and then aguishly returned the kiss. He thinks that everything will be okay. He thinks just because I know he knows everything will be fine. He thinks that a simple kiss can solve everything. He…he has no idea how hard he's making this for me. Damn it, Riku. Can't you just let me hate you and leave in peace?

"Sora," Riku said quietly, lips lingering against the angel's. "Give me another chance."

Sora didn't answer, nor did he return the kiss once more. The angel just sat there, and within a few moments, passed out, clinging to the only thing that could ever possibly make him feel this damn worthless.

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Sora figured he had passed out close to three in the morning. When ten came around, Sora's body stirred away. Dull blue eyes opened and slowly took in his surroundings. It was dark—there was a lack of windows in this room. A yawn slipped from the brunet's lips. He felt entirely energized—ten times better than the night prior. Just the mere thought of how weak he had been last night sent cold shivers of betrayal down his back. You're weak, Sora. You let him hold you. You willingly told him anything he wanted to hear because you felt sick. God, you're so weak.

Sora winced and quietly shook away the thought. No, I'm trying to be human again, even if I'm only an angel. I'm trying to forgive. Maybe he has changed. I need to see if he has—if he's worth of saving from the incinerator. The brunet sighed and shifted a bit, trying to get comfortable. He figured he'd sleep for another hour and then get up and attempt to make breakfast due to the fact that he was starving and probably had spewed up anything food-related in his stomach.

However, it was not until that moment that realization hit Sora. He was in the bathroom still. He hadn't moved out of it last night. More importantly, though, he slowly realized, was that his body was snuggled up against another. A warm, comfortable, reassuring, and inviting body. Blue eyes widened and then narrowed when Sora realized Riku's arms were tightly wrapped around him. The silveret had the angel's body tightly pulled to his own as they slept uncomfortably, on their sides, on the bathroom floor.

"This is gross," Sora decided, scrunching his nose up in distaste. He sighed once again and squirmed, attempting to remove Riku's arms from around him. When he found the effort in vain, Sora groaned and stopped moving all together. It was pointless; Riku's hold around his thin body was too tight.

With a lack of anything else better to do, Sora's gaze ventured upwards. Riku's right cheek was pressed against the tile as he slept; silver tresses cover his lidded eyes. His arms were looped around Sora's body, keeping them as close as physically possible.

"He sort of looks peaceful when he's sleeping," Sora murmured and continued to eye the slumbering silveret. "If only he was this harmless when he was awake," he mused and exhaled, blowing hair upwards to move his bangs out of his eyes. When the brown locks did blow away they almost immediately fell back into place—resistant strands of hair, they were.

So he knows I'm an angel, okay. He knows I'm Sora. Okay. He knows that I'm here to save him, I guess. But what else does he know? Does he… know that I'm…struggling to not fall for him? Oh gods, if he knew that I'd be dead… well, deader than I already am. "I think he does know," Sora mumbled begrudgingly, his body tense in Riku's hold.

"Maybe…"

Since he's asleep… Sora ducked his head down and cautiously laid it upon Riku's chest. His breath caught in his throat and he shyly pressed his cold nose to the other's clothed torso. A moment of silence passed as Sora's eyes snapped shut. It hurt. Just imagining what things could have been like if Riku had been kinder, if Sora had still been alive…it just hurt so damn much. Sora could not handle all these emotions and thoughts. Why couldn't there be a guidebook on 'what to do when your best friend kills you'?

"You know, if all of this wouldn't have happened, we probably would be together," Sora whispered weakly, hurt leaking from his voice as he impulsively snuggled closer. When Riku slept there was no possible way of him witnessing Sora's pathetic attempts and strives for affection.

Sora laughed quietly to himself. "You…we probably would have dated all through high school…" The brunet's hands pressed against Riku's chest, clenching the shirt between his fingers weakly. "I wouldn't have had the heart to ever break up so I guess…we would have been the longest lasting couple." The angel sighed shakily, tears forming in his eyes. "And…and we would have made love too, I suppose…" Tears began to fall. "Because with you, it would have never just been sex…it would have been l-love…" Sora choked up and began sobbing silently against Riku's chest, his body, heart, and soul aching.

He was tired of feeling this hurt, this often.

"Sora?..."

Sora tensed and dropped his hands from Riku's shirt. The brunet quickly pulled his face away from Riku's chest—he missed the warmth at once—and lowered his head, keeping his brown bangs over his tear-soaked eyes. "What?" he murmured, remaining in the other's arms but refusing to touch the silveret's body.

"I'm sorry," Riku whispered, his arms tightening around the angel. Without a word, he yanked the angel closer and pressed soft kisses to his forehead, his hands massaging the boy's back.

"Let go," Sora stammered, squirming to get away from Riku's grasp. "Don't touch me," he gritted out, arms flailing.

Riku sighed and obediently let go. At once, Sora scrambled into a sitting position and stared darkly at the silveret. "I guess comforting you is out of the question, huh?" Riku groaned absently as he sat up as well, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Pretty pathetic," Sora commented, folding his arms childishly to his chest. "You can't get a living boyfriend so you turn to the dead. Real smooth, Riku."

Riku rolled his eyes and brushed his hair behind his ears. "You weren't objecting earlier last night," he stated coyly and got to his feet. The silveret shot the earth-bound angel a furtive stare before leaving the bathroom, gently closing the door behind him..

Sora chewed on his bottom lip and glared at the closed door. "Well, you're still courting a dead person!" he shouted angrily from the bathroom before ripping his attention away from the door. The brunet sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes. His heartbeat escalated and he found his mind spinning in a million different directions.

Why the hell did he kiss my forehead?... Sora shook away the thought and got to his feet, stumbling a few times. After a moment of effort, the angel ambled towards the sink. Once there, he gazed idly at his foggy reflection in the mirror. Shakily, he raised his right hand and pressed his fingertips to the glass, as if expecting to touch himself through the mirror.

"Do I just forgive him?..." Sora licked his lips and dropped his hand. "What about Leon?... Am I expected to avoid him? What about Axel?" Sora's throat clenched. "A-axel," he repeated and shut his eyes painfully. "H-he… kissed me too and Riku got mad and…"

Was it even possible that two guys were fighting over him? No, that couldn't be possible. He was dead. Why would they even give him a second glance?

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"I'm going out," Sora announced as he left his bedroom after having quickly gotten dressed. The idea of lingering around this dingy apartment, that wasn't even his own, for an entire day with Riku, sent shivers down Sora's spine. The angel decided that the shivers were produced from fear and disgust. Just what would happen if he stuck around?

Riku lifted his gaze from a magazine he was reading. His aquamarine studded gaze surveyed Sora for a moment. "Sora, we need to talk."

"I think we did plenty of that last night," Sora spat and stuck his nose up as he passed the living room and headed towards the front door. "I'll be back around for dinner, maybe, if you're lucky. I don't know. Maybe I'll just go fling myself off the nearest bridge into a river. Wouldn't that be convenient, hm?"

He was mad and just randomly saying whatever came to mind.

Before Sora had a chance to grab hold of his apartment door, Riku's arm had grabbed his own. Sora flinched and spun around on his heels. Angry blue hues flashed up to aquamarine. "I'd…appreciate it if you let me go, Riku," Sora mumbled, averting his gaze. Why did he find it so hard to be cruel when Riku was so close and was staring at him like that?

"Five minutes. Five minutes of talking and you can do whatever the hell you want," Riku suggested.

Sora sighed and nodded. If it would get Riku off his back for today then he'd take the deal. "Okay. What are we talking about? How about pizza? Or something like politics?"

"Sora," Riku stated firmly, his hold on the brunet's arm not faltering. "I'm serious…"

Sora shut up and looked away, a small blush on his face. "Fine…go ahead. Ask whatever. It's not like I can get in any more trouble with Heaven. I've already messed up completely. What could a few more questions possibly hurt?"

"Last night," Riku began, his hand that was on Sora's arm slipping down to rest around the angel's wrist. "You said that if you weren't dead and if I hadn't been a complete ass to you, we could have been together?..." His voice fell quiet and he stared confusedly at Sora.

Sora gulped and began shaking uneasily. "Does that bother you?"

"It does," Riku confirmed. Inconspicuously, his hand slipped from Sora's wrist and onto his hand. Quietly, he interlaced their fingers.

A wave of heat engulfed Sora as the tips of his fingers felt like they were oozing lava or something. Riku was…holding his hands? "What are you trying to prove, Riku? That no matter how big of a jerk you are, I'll always come crying back to you? If that's so, then it's not going to work. Death changes a person…"

Riku squeezed the angel's hand. "Does it even register in your head that I'm trying to prove to you that I'm sorry and that I've changed?"

Sora stiffened and looked away once more. "No matter what you do, Riku, you'll always be the person that shot me. That won't change. I'd say I'm sorry but really, I wouldn't know what I was apologizing for. So please, don't make this any harder on me."

"When we were younger," Riku began, ignoring Sora's statement, "I had dreams about being with you, Sora. I got scared. I didn't know what to do. I told myself that if I bullied you around constantly I would just learn to be annoyed by you."

Sora promptly rolled his eyes, shoulders going rigid. "Riku, do you honestly think I'm going to believe that?"

The silveret opened his mouth to agree but instantly shut it. His eyes stared quizzically at Sora. "Actually, yeah. I did hope that you would believe me. If you won't believe I've changed, then well…"

Sora scrunched his nose up, angrily glaring at his friend. "You haven't changed at all! You're still rude and…weird! And you are somehow completely okay with the idea that I'm dead but here! I think you've gone insane and you're just pretending to be okay with this and to be 'changed'!"

Seriously, none of this made sense. The brunet angel inhaled raggedly, eyes filling to the brim with growing tears. He did not cry, though. He held it back. It was pointless, so he just chewed irately onto his lip. He stared at Riku, waiting an answer—hoping for a reasonable explanation to this whole entire mess.

When no answer came, and Sora had grown tired of staring wildly at the silent silveret, the angel lifted his chin into the air indignantly and muttered, "I'm going to see Axel. See you around."

With that said, Sora left his apartment, slamming the door shut behind him. He needed air. He needed time to think and reevaluate the situation before it turned worse. What he really needed, and wanted, was for Riku to chase after him, apologize endlessly for his sins, whisper his love, and to kiss him until he was blue in the face. He wanted Riku to be sincere and honest and…Sora didn't even know what he wanted from Riku at this point. All he knew was that it wasn't what Riku was giving at this moment. He desired something more—something more real.

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It was then when Sora found himself standing on the corner of the street that Riku worked. The brunet angel sucked in a deep breath, eying the Barnes and Noble that graced that street corner. Really, he had no idea what he wanted to do at this moment. Going to see Axel would be pointless—he would just unfairly distribute his anger. Going to see Leon—his brother—would be even more pointless. So what did that leave Sora to do? Wander aimlessly through the crowded streets until he figured out something to do.

Yet this street corner. It held memories. Memories of when he traveled into the city with his mother, father, brother, and Riku. The brunet lowered his gaze. It might not be exactly this corner—for it was a long time ago—but it was still a corner. He shivered and hugged his arms tightly to his body. Why did Riku have to make everything complicated. Why did he do that…

Sora's thoughts were cut off by a ringing. Curiously, he reached down and snagged his phone, flipping it open. "Hello?" he asked dryly, hoping it wasn't Riku.

His hopes were confirmed. "Kayaki," said the voice, deep and stern. Sora knew that voice. It was that snappy little angel back up in heaven that he had to contend with before he was sent here. What a sound for sore ears. "How is your job going so well?"

"Can't you see?" Sora groaned, holding the phone firmly. "I would think that you guys could see everything, you know?"

"It's best to hear from the employee himself. You know, for that personal touch," chimed the other in that shrewd, prissy voice. "Your time is running out. If you don't have Karada, well, you both aren't going to get that far."

Sora scrunched his nose up. "What does that mean?"

"If you fail, Karada's going to technically fail as well. So, think real long and hard about how you treat your assignment. Listen, I have to go. Paperwork and angels to tend to. I'd say good luck but hey, you'll need more than luck."

The conversation ended.

Sora stood there in a daze, holding the phone to his ear, listening to the static. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder. So…if he failed, if he couldn't save Riku, not only did he fail his job, but apparently Riku got punished for it as well. Did that mean they'd both get sent to the incinerator? A shiver danced down Sora's spine. No. That won't happen. It couldn't…right?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sora arrived home earlier and went to bed. Though, before he went to bed, he was stopped by Riku who had been watching television to keep his mind off things. The silveret gently grabbed Sora's arm, deterring him from moving away. Blue eyes met aquamarine. Sora braced himself. Riku looked like he wanted to say something serious, and usually that rang true.

"Sora," Riku said, his voice gentle yet unyielding. "You didn't tell Leon, right?..."

"Why would I?" Sora responded, his voice uncertain. "Why would I…Riku?"

"He doesn't need any more pain. Knowing that you're somehow alive again would send him over the edge. Hell, it's doing that to me…but I didn't lose my parents recently. He did," Riku murmured and almost instantly wrapped his arms around Sora.

Sora stiffened, trying to resist. "Let go, Riku…"

"Not until you promise not to tell Leon…" Riku muttered, resting his chin onto the boy's shoulder. "Don't tell him. Promise me, Sora. Promise me you won't confuse him like you are to me. Just don't do it."

"Let me go and I might promise," Sora growled, trying to push the other off him. Surprisingly, Riku complied and moved away. The brunet blinked and moved away as well, looking off to the side. He averted his gaze so that Riku would not be able to meet it. "Promise…" he whispered softly.

"Get some sleep," Riku told him, flashing him a rare, flirtatious smile. Sora's heart automatically fell.

Before the silveret moved back to the couch, he leaned close and brushed his lips over Sora's forehead. The brunet tensed and shoved Riku away, though the hot red on his face did not disappear. A blush. Riku snickered at this, tossed a wink over his shoulder, and allowed Sora to go to his bedroom to sleep.

Sora took his leave, rubbing his forehead and growling curses under his breath. He breathed heavily and retired for the night. Tomorrow, no matter what he had promised Riku, he'd go see Axel and Leon. He needed to talk to them. He needed to make these last three weeks mean something. That's all.

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"Leon…Sora, it's…Sora…"

Leon started in utter mortification at the crumbled silveret who sat on the floor. His face was contorted into something that looked like unbelievable joy. Was he holding back tears of…elation? Leon stated irately at his boyfriend. "How…" he demanded, his hard gaze turning sharper by the moment.

Riku's gaze flickered up, his heart beating far too fast. "Sora's…back. I…saw him and I…"

Leon looked away and glared out the window. "You're going to fall for him again, aren't you?" the older demanded coldly. He looked hurt. He looked utterly broken down and hurt. The brunet said nothing and folded his arms to his chest.

"Leon…" Riku quickly got to his feet. "Sora…you don't…it's Sora!"

"I know," Leon deadpanned, fixing his stare with Riku. "I know…"

Riku saw the hurt in his boyfriend's eyes and he felt his body tremble. He knew it was coming shortly. The inevitable truth. "Leon…listen, I…"

"I want to see him," Leon stated coldly. "You and I will meet him together, okay?"

"Leon…please," Riku said, his voice breaking at the realization. He reached out to touch his boyfriend's hand reassuringly but Leon pulled away harshly.

"You love him, don't you?"

Riku fell silent. And silence was the only thing heard, other than the frantic beating of Riku's heart matching the breaking of Leon's.