Chapter 10 Truth and Lies
"Well it looks like it is healing nicely," the doctor said as he wrapped Sora's side where the angry red mark left by the boar was now half healed. "You should be back on your feet in a day or two." The doctor finished bandaging and let Sora put his shirt back down. Turning to Cloud who was standing at the end of Sora's bed, the doctor said, "Let me know if you need anything else, but he should be fine."
Cloud nodded and led the doctor out of the cabin. When he came back to Sora's room, Sora was readjusting the pillow behind him to be more comfortable. Cloud immediately moved to help, but Sora swatted his hands away. "You're acting like a mother hen again."
Cloud frowned, but stepped back. Sora instantly felt bad for snapping at him, but he was grumpy from being stuck in bed for the last two days. Cloud had every right to be overly concerned about him as Sora had fainted from shock and loss of blood while Cloud was rushing him to the doctor. A dozen stitches and a couple hours of rest later, Sora had awoken in his own bed with Cloud wearing a hole in the floor from pacing. But Sora felt fine. He felt like he was ready to jump back into his training. Still Cloud insisted on him relaxing for the three to four days the doctor had recommended.
"It is only one or two more days in bed, Sora," Cloud said, the tone of his voice making it clear there was no arguing. Still, Sora couldn't help but make a face. "The Gathering is a days ride away. You want to be strong enough to go, don't you?."
Cloud had him there. The Gathering was the annual meeting of all the Rangers in Kingdom Hearts. This year it would be held in a few weeks time. As it was to be his first, Sora was going to be tested alongside the other apprentices of different fiefdoms to prove they had what it took to continue their training as a Ranger's apprentice. The idea made him nervous and wanted to be training every moment of every day until then, but Cloud was right, he needed to get his strength back.
"Alright, I'll stay in bed," Sora said grudgingly. "But only for one more day."
Cloud gave him a half smile. "We'll see." He glanced out the window."If you're alright with being here alone, I have some business to attend to at the castle."
"I'm fine, go," Sora said and with a nod, Cloud left his room. A minute later, Sora heard the front door slam close and leaned his head back against the headboard of the bed with a sigh. He was in for another long day of staring at the ceiling. He let his mind drift and replayed the memory of Riku apologizing for all the things he'd ever done to hurt Sora. He smiled to himself at the concern and caring he'd seen in Riku's face. Even after the incident on Harvest Day, Sora had never let go of his strong feelings for Riku. Now, after the boar hunt, he felt like something had changed for the better between them. Maybe Riku felt the same spark he did. Maybe, just maybe...
A loud tap at his window, made Sora jump and his day dreams dissolve. He sucked in a breath when he saw it was none other than Riku standing on the other side. Riku gave him a nervous wave and pushed the window open slightly. "Hey, Sora."
"H-hey," Sora stuttered back. He knew he was staring at Riku and checked himself to make sure his mouth hadn't fallen open.
"Do you...mind if I come in?" Riku asked, rubbing the back of his head.
"Uh, I don't mind," Sora said. He never took his eyes off the silver haired boy as he pushed the window open more. Riku swung himself over the sill and climbed through the window in a graceful movement.
Now in his room, Riku looked even more nervous. His hands couldn't stop moving as he fidgeted with the hem of his shirt and his pockets. "I came to see how you were doing," Riku said taking a step closer to the bed where Sora sat.
It took Sora a moment to realize Riku had spoken as he'd been too caught up in his staring. "I'm good," he said quickly, hoping he wasn't blushing. "Cloud said he might let me go back to training tomorrow." Riku nodded and an awkward silence fell on them as neither knew what to say. "Shouldn't you be at Battleschool right now?" Sora asked finally.
Riku started shifting nervously again. "I wanted to see you…you know...make sure you were doing okay, so I told my professor I didn't feel well and he let me leave class."
Sora was surprised. Riku had risked getting in trouble for sneaking away to come see him. "Riku-"
"Sora, there's something I have to tell you," Riku said in a rush. He moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed by Sora. "I want you to know….You see, the thing is….I think….I…."
He trailed off into silence and looked away, leaving Sora with his heart beating fast in excitement. "What is it, Riku?" Sora asked reaching out and touching Riku's arm. "You can tell me."
Riku looked up at the touch and stared deeply into Sora's eyes. He started to lean into him and Sora did the same, both letting their eyes close as their lips touched.
Sora thought his heart was going to explode out of his chest from the feeling, but he never wanted it to end. He wrapped his arms around Riku's neck, pulling him closer as Riku's hands went gently to his hips, careful not to brush against the healing cut on his side. For the first time, Sora got to run his hands through Riku's long silver hair and it was just as soft as he imagined. At his touch, Riku groaned slightly and pressed his lips harder against Sora's.
In too short a time, Sora needed air and pulled away from Riku enough to take a deep, shaky breath. Riku's eyes were wide with the same giddiness Sora felt and Sora pulled him into a tight hug. Riku hugged him back, sighing against his neck. "I was trying to say that I really like you," Riku murmured and Sora smiled.
"I know," Sora said. "I really like you too. I've wanted to kiss you for years now, but I was scared…" He trailed off, but Riku hugged him tighter, silently telling him it was all okay now.
Both turned their heads to bring their lips back together in a gently kiss. But their gentle kiss got more impassioned and Riku had Sora pressed against the headboard. Sora's hand slipped down from Riku's neck to his shoulder and pulled him closer.
Riku gasped in pain, pulling away and muttering, "Fuck," under his breath,
Instantly Sora released his shoulder, letting Riku sit back. "What did I do?" Sora asked worried.
"It's nothing," RIku said, but he kept his hand on his shoulder and Sora could hear the pain still in his voice. Frowning at his denial, Sora started to roll up Riku's sleeve to see his shoulder. "Sora, don't do that," Riku said, trying to push Sora's hand away.
Sora ignored him and continued to gently push up the sleeve. He stopped with a gasp when he caught sight of a dark purple and red bruise that started in the middle of Riku's bicep and continued up to where Riku's shirt still covered it. "Riku, what happened?"
"It's nothing," Riku said again, rolling his sleeve back down before Sora could see that the bruise covered his shoulder all the way to his collarbone. It was the result of Seifer's latest idea on how to torment him. The night after the boar hunt, Seifer, Rai, and Fuu had dragged him out of bed in the middle of the night and taken him to a spot on the outskirts of the grounds where there was a pile of rocks used for training drills. They made him hold the largest one over his head and laughed as he struggled. He wasn't supposed to put it down until they told him to, but one of his arms gave out under the strain and he dropped it right on his shoulder.
"It's definitely not nothing," Sora said crossing his arms. "How did you get that bruise?"
For a moment, Riku considered telling Sora the truth, but along with being physically painful, it had also been embarrassing and Riku couldn't bring himself to relive it to Sora. "Well, Battleschool is really tough. People get hurt. It just happens sometimes." Sora relaxed slightly at his words and Riku moved close again. "It's just a bruise." Sora nodded and smiled leaning towards Riku who closed the space between them with another kiss.
After another long kiss, Riku pulled away and looked out the window where the sun was starting to go down. He sighed. "I have to get back before someone wonders where I went."
"Alright," Sora said and Riku smiled at the pout he made. "When will I see you again?"
"Do you have lessons on Sunday?" Riku asked and Sora shook his head. "Neither do I."
"Cloud is usually at the castle on Sundays," Sora said. "He'll be gone most of the day."
"It's a date then," Riku said and gave Sora a gentle kiss as he blushed.
"A date," Sora repeated, grinning from ear to ear. Riku smiled back as he went back to the window. Once he was outside he looked back in and Sora waved at him. Riku waved back and headed off to the castle with a smile on his face that even thoughts of returning to Battleschool could wipe away.
Sora sat on his bed, stunned by the sudden change of events. Riku admitting feelings for him. Riku kissing him. Riku holding him close. It was a dream come true. He pinched himself just to make sure. No, it was most definitely real. Real and amazing.
Hope you all enjoyed this super extra fluffy chapter! They finally kissed!
