Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy characters. Or any name brands/restaurants/retail places used.
Chapter 18: Bittersweet Reunion
Kairi felt like her heart was about to burst. For weeks she'd been hoping that Sora would come around and want to get back together—she'd spent night after night fantasizing about how their reunion would be. She'd made mental checklists of everything she would do differently if he just gave her one more chance. She'd given herself dozens of pep talks about what needed to be done differently between both of them if they got back together, so that this never happened again.
It was surreal that she was finally staring at a text that read the words she'd been craving for Sora to say to her.
I still want you, Kairi. Do you still want me?
She was almost convinced that she really had fallen asleep and that this was a dream. A hard pinch to her skin assured her that she was not dreaming. This was real. Sora was really texting her, really telling her that he still wanted her. There was only one thing to say back. Yes.
Come here.
She gasped to herself. It was 11 P.M. Her dad had been in bed for hours and he'd be worried sick if he got up for work in the morning and her car was gone. She blushed as she realized that she had assumed she'd be spending the night with Sora if she left to go to his apartment. She texted back: Right now?
Right now.
Nothing more needed to be said. Kairi got up and freshened herself up, then took off out of her house like it was on fire. She felt bad about not leaving her father a note and decided she would text him later that night to let him know she was okay.
The 30-minute drive to Sora's apartment felt longer than ever, but at the same time, she relished it. It felt so good to be driving there knowing that they were going to put everything behind them. She turned the radio in her car up as loud as she could stand it and sang along to the songs that played. She envisioned how he would react when he saw her; how he would touch her, kiss her, hold her. She imagined what he would say to her and what she would say to him. She constructed an entire conversation in her mind and knew exactly what she needed to say.
Finally, she was there. She danced her way to the floor with Sora's apartment. She wasn't sure if she should knock, because she didn't want to disturb Roxas or any of the neighbors at such a late hour. She pulled out her phone to alert Sora to her arrival.
She didn't need to. She had just opened her text thread with him to start typing when the door opened. He stood before her in the doorway, and even though he was dressed in sweats, his hair messier than ever, his cheeks and nose rosy with the evidence of sickness, he was beautiful.
"S-Sora," she stammered, and the speech she'd memorized for herself in the car was suddenly lost to her.
It didn't matter, though, because he wasn't ready to talk. Before she knew what was happening, he was kissing her, scooping her up in his arms and pulling her inside the apartment. All train of thought left her, and she just focused on the familiar taste of his lips and the euphoria it brought her. His fingers were already lightly dancing their way all over her body, softly stroking her sensitive skin, and she nearly convulsed from the pleasure of his touch.
He moved away from her mouth and nibbled his way from her earlobe to her collarbone, walking her in the direction of his room. His kisses felt like little shocks of electricity, and her nether region was already throbbing with the desire for him to take her.
Her brain was trying to remain in control, trying to tell her she needed to put a stop to this. She wanted to ignore it because this just felt so good—she never wanted him to stop, but one fearful thought jolted her into reality. What if he was just horny and had called her over here knowing she was a sure thing? What if she slept with him and he kicked her out again the next morning? She loved him, but at this point she couldn't trust that his intentions were pure.
"Sora," she panted, clawing at his hair to force his teasing mouth away from her, "wait."
"Nuh uh," he mumbled into her neck.
"Seriously, we have to talk about this."
Sora sighed, visibly frustrated. "I know, and we will, I swear. But I missed you so fucking much." He ghosted his lips over the skin on her neck again. "Let me show you how much."
Kairi was trying to stay strong but her willpower to resist him was fading fast. He knew all the right places to touch and he was taking full advantage of it.
"Let me show you the things I've been wishing I could do to you," he whispered huskily into her hear, making her shudder. Now he was just cheating. He knew she loved it when he talked dirty to her, and he knew she loved it when he took control.
He flicked the button on her jeans undone. "Take these off," he commanded, and she obeyed without stopping to think about it. He trailed his fingers lightly down the front of her panties and down to her inner thighs, lightly teasing just under the elastic of her panties.
She couldn't help but let out a frustrated groan. She'd given up on trying to stop him, now she just wanted him to stop teasing her and touch her. Every touch, every kiss, and even every sound he made was sending an electric shock straight to her groin. Turned on was an understatement.
At last, he finally granted her wish and yanked her panties down to her knees. When his fingers made contact with her sensitive area she cried out, and he responded with an appreciative moan.
"Oh, my goodness," he sighed into her ear, "you're so fucking wet."
The fire in her belly roared even stronger at his words, and she snaked a hand down into his sweatpants, finding he was already hard. She wrapped her hand around him and gave him a tug, grinning to herself as she felt his knees buckle.
He responded by driving two fingers into her wetness, continuing to rub light circles over her sensitive nub with his thumb. She wanted to scream but remembering that Roxas was sleeping in the room next door, she silenced herself by pulling him into a kiss, engaging his tongue in a wrestling match with her own. She felt the pressure in her belly continuing to build to a peak, and when he used his free hand to give her a firm smack on her bottom, she crashed over the edge of pleasure. She kept her lips pressed against his to muffle her moans and her legs turned into jelly as the orgasmic waves overtook her entire body.
Sora withdrew his fingers from her core and lewdly licked the remnants of her wetness from them. "You're delicious."
Kairi spent a few seconds recovering her balance and her breathing, and dropped to her knees before Sora, pulling his sweats and his underwear down with her. She was so high off the euphoria from her orgasm and her own libido that she wasted no time feeling nervous or embarrassed about her actions as she swiftly took him into her mouth.
Sora grabbed a fistful of her hair and gently guided her motions, verbalizing his appreciation for her in low, sexy groans. Admittedly, she hadn't done this for him very often before their breakup, and she found herself wondering why. She loved listening to his sounds of pleasure; she loved seeing him lose his mind; she loved knowing she was making him feel as good as he'd made her feel.
Sora tugged at her hair, causing her lips to release him with a comical pop sound, and pulled her to her feet.
She pouted. "I wasn't finished yet."
"Don't wanna cum like this." He led her over to his bed and laid back on it, beckoning her to join him. "Get on me."
She climbed on top of him obediently, straddling his hips, but didn't let him enter her just yet. Instead, she sat atop him, his hardness pressed against her, and gently rocked her hips, creating a delicious friction between them both.
"Oh my god, Kairi," Sora groaned through gritted teeth, bucking his hips up to meet hers. "Stop teasing."
She smiled slyly and continued her movements, letting her hands wander across his chest and up his neck to his ears, enjoying the way he shivered beneath her. He gripped her hips with his hands and tried to maneuver himself to slide into her, but she lifted away from him before he could succeed. "Nuh uh, Sora. Not yet."
"Dammit," he whined in utter frustration, still rolling his hips even with loss of contact with her. "You're so mean."
"I just came to a realization, that's all," Kairi said, and she leaned down and brushed her lips against his collarbone. "I kinda like being in charge, too. Teasing you…making you wait…it's so much fun." She lowered her hips to meet his again, allowing her slick folds to brush against his tip, and then moved away again.
"Gah," Sora squeezed the flesh of her hips and did his best to glare at her, his eyes full of lust. "Come on, just fuck me already."
She giggled, deciding she'd tortured him enough, and positioned his member at her entrance and sank down onto him, causing gasps to emit from both of them.
Sora maintained his grip on her hips and aided her movements, allowing her to ride him at a pace that drove them both mindless with pleasure. "I love this," he said. "Watching you ride my cock is the sexiest sight on the planet."
His words turned her on even more and she sped up her movements, doing a sudden corkscrew motion. Sora hissed and gripped her hips roughly, forcing her to still.
"Mmm, Jesus," he sighed, drawing in a deep breath. "You're gonna make me explode, woman."
She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Isn't that my goal?"
"Not yet." He turned his head to capture her lips. "You first." Still keeping his strong hold on her, he started to rock her hips against his so that his pelvic bone was grinding against her clitoris.
Her mouth fell open in a silent scream as the pressure began to build in her core and pleasurable tingles began to spread down her legs. Less than a minute later she was coming undone, digging her nails into Sora's shoulders and stifling her moans with a pillow. She felt Sora stiffen and shudder beneath her, and the warm sensation of him emptying himself into her followed. She collapsed on top of him, completely spent, feeling her breathing and her heart rate begin to return to normal as she allowed herself to relax.
After a brief recovery period, the two snuck across the hall to the bathroom to clean up, then quickly returned to the bed. Once snuggled into Sora's side, safe and warm, Kairi decided to attempt to bring up "the talk" again.
"You changed your mind," she began timidly, her voice coming out mousier than she intended.
"What do you mean?"
"The last time we spoke…you made it pretty clear you didn't want to reconcile. I was sure that we were over. That we'd never speak again."
Sora kissed the top of her head. "Well…to be honest, there was no changing needed."
She peered up at him. "Really?"
He chewed his lip. "I was angry. And don't get me wrong, I know I fucked up. I understand why you reacted the way you did. But it still hurt me that you were so quick to assume that I would cheat on you."
"It hurt me that I wasn't good enough for you." Kairi whispered.
"Kairi, you were never not good enough for me," Sora protested. "I'm an asshole. I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I'm sorry that my mother made you feel that way. And don't say she hasn't, because I know she has."
"She means well. She loves you, more than anything. She wants to make sure I do right by you," Kairi said, mentally going over her many conversations with Heidi. As she said it, she realized it was true. Even when Heidi accused her of punching Sora, she was only trying to protect her son—she wasn't trying to be malicious.
"As soon as I hung up on you that one day, I wanted to call you back right away," Sora confessed. "I was mean because I was hurt, and scared, and I was trying to seem like I didn't feel those things. And when you sent me that message that said you were going to start dating…it destroyed me. But I felt like it was already too late, so I didn't say anything." He sucked in a deep breath. "I don't want to say this is the first time I've experienced heartbreak…because…well, you know. But it is the first time I've experienced heartbreak like this."
"Me too." Kairi nuzzled his chest. "It's the worst feeling I've ever felt."
"Do you have feelings for him?" Sora blurted out.
Kairi raised her head, looking at him with shock. "What? For who?"
He was blushing now. Obviously, he hadn't meant to ask that question, but it was too late to take it back. "Zidane," he mumbled. "Or whoever. The guy you were seeing. Yes, I stalked your Facebook page."
Kairi wanted to laugh more than anything, but she realized it was not the time and forced herself to hold it back. "Honestly, I would have done the same, if you ever posted anything. And no. I mean…Zidane's a nice guy, but he's just a friend. I don't feel romantically about him."
Sora eyed her suspiciously. "You sure?"
"Do you have feelings for Rikku?" Kairi shot back.
Now he was glaring at her. "We talked about this. She's my employee."
This time, she let herself giggle. "Calm down, Sora. I was messing with you."
He looked relieved. "Good. And if it settles your mind at all, there's no way I could ever develop feelings for her, either."
It was Kairi's turn to look at him with suspicion. "Why do you say that?"
"Because she's annoying."
They held eye contact silently for a moment, and then both dissolved into laughter together.
Kairi held a hand to her mouth in an attempt to stifle hers. "Oh, I forgot about Roxas! I hope we didn't wake him up."
Sora waved her off. "Please. He sleeps like the dead."
"So, you're telling me I didn't have to be quiet earlier?"
He responded with a mischievous grin. "I dunno. We could do it again and find out."
She glanced at her phone for the time. It was already after 1 A.M. She had a class at 8 A.M., and she was going to have to get up extra early to drive all the way back to her father's house to grab her school items.
"I suppose I could go for another round," she said seductively, tracing light circles on his chest with a finger, "on one condition."
"What's that?"
"You have to promise to wait on me hand and foot when I inevitably come down with your cold."
Sora chuckled. "I think I can handle that. And I apologize in advance, because this cold sucked ass."
Without another thought, she rolled back on top of Sora and drew him into a kiss. She didn't mind sacrificing sleep for this.
It was worth it.
XXXXXX
Starting a day on three hours of sleep always sounded like a good idea up until the moment came when the alarm went off.
Kairi groaned in frustration as her groggy brain became alert to the fact that no, that obnoxious beeping sound was not part of her dream. She clumsily fumbled for her phone to silence the alarm and wiggled out of Sora's grasp. He offered a quiet groan of protest but quickly rolled over and let sleep take him again.
After a quick visit to the bathroom to look as presentable as she could, she made her way to the door. Roxas was up, sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other.
"Hey Kairi," he greeted without looking up from his phone.
"Uh, good morning," Kairi replied shyly.
After her response, Roxas seemed to suddenly realize Kairi's presence in his apartment was unusual and did a double take.
"I didn't expect to see you here. Are you guys…?" He trailed off, deciding at the last minute that his question might be inappropriate.
She laughed nervously. "See, we didn't really discuss that. So, I don't…I mean, we didn't talk much." She too trailed off, leaving the subject hanging awkwardly in the air between them.
Roxas coughed, looking embarrassed. "Right. Um, I suppose I might see you later, then?"
"Sure. Mhm." Kairi ducked out of the apartment, desperate to leave the awkwardness behind. She was angry with herself. She had fallen so hard under Sora's spell the night before that she'd forgotten the important things. They hadn't adequately discussed what had gone on between them in the past couple of months, and they definitely hadn't even started to talk about what their rendezvous meant for their future. Were they back together? Or would Sora go back to the way he was before now that he'd gotten what he wanted?
Now she was back in panic mode, and the fact that it would be hours before she could even think about solving this conundrum frustrated her even more. She should've been stronger last night. She should have forced him to discuss these things before she slept with him.
Her phone started ringing, and she scrambled to answer it, relieved. Talking things out over the phone wasn't ideal, but it was better than wallowing in misery and confusion for hours.
"Sora?"
"Er, no. It's Zidane."
Kairi mentally facepalmed. She should have checked the caller ID before answering. "Oh, hey! Sorry…I was expecting someone else."
"I guessed as much." Zidane chuckled awkwardly on the other end. "I just wanted to check up on you, see how you were, since things ended abruptly last night. You seemed on edge."
"That's sweet of you. Yeah, things got a little intense last night." She paused, unsure of what to say next. She figured if she told Zidane what happened he would be happy for her, but she was also worried that it might hurt him.
She didn't have to say it, because Zidane read the silence first. "You heard from your ex, huh?"
"I'm sorry," she blurted. "I was trying to figure out how to tell you."
"Hey, hey, it's okay! No worries, girl." To her relief, Zidane sounded totally nonchalant. "I'm glad he pulled his head out of his ass. You're a cool chick."
"You're not mad?"
"Psshh. I like hanging out with you," Zidane replied. "From the start, and from the conversations we've been having, I always assumed it wouldn't be long before you got back together with him. I didn't have real high hopes that you and I would become a thing."
Kairi found herself grinning stupidly. "So, you still wanna be friends?"
"Of course! Maybe you can introduce me to him some time. In the meantime, you got any cute friends? Preferably single?"
She laughed. "You're terrible."
She felt miles better when she got off the phone with Zidane. She was grateful that he always knew what to say to cheer her up, and grateful that with all of the misery the last couple of months had brought her, she had at least made a great new friend.
When she arrived at her classroom and was waiting for class to begin, she texted Sora. Do you work later? We need to talk.
I close tonight :/ Are you free tomorrow?
Kairi frowned and bit her lip. She didn't want to postpone this any longer than was necessary. She was worried the longer it went undiscussed, the more likely it would be that Sora would come back with the answer she didn't want to hear. Is there any way we can talk tonight? This really can't wait.
Are you worried I only had you over for sex last night? I promise that's not the case.
Mildly reassuring? Yes, but not enough. He could say anything he wanted through text and she'd never know if he meant it. Even if he did mean it, he'd been so hot and cold before that it seemed his feelings could change in a matter of hours. She sighed as her professor called for all phones to be put away so that class could begin.
She struggled to pay attention throughout the entire 90-minute session, alternating between daydreaming about her steamy encounter the previous night and fearing that she'd made a serious mistake. She was grateful this wasn't a class she was expected to participate in—she was so absorbed in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice when the professor dismissed them and the students around her began to pack up and leave.
When she checked her phone again, her Facebook app was alerting her to a new friend request. Her heart soared when she saw it was from Sora. Not only that, but he'd sent her a message on the messenger as well.
I think you're concerned about my integrity given our current situation, so here's a little blurb about how I feel about you:
I love your smile. I love your sense of humor. I love when you tell me everything is going to be okay when I'm scared. I'm not sure when you will get this but I just wanted to tell you how unbelievable our time together has been. Not just last night, but the entire past three years together. There is not another person who I would have rather spent it with and there is not another person I would ever want to spend my future with. I love you, baby, and I'm going to try my best to get us through this rough patch. I know we can get through it together.
Well, shit. Now she was crying in public. She pulled her hood up over her head to conceal her face as best she could and hurried toward her car. Once she was safely hidden there, she replied to his message via text. Thank you for this. I love you, too.
He texted her back a few minutes later promising that they could meet tomorrow to discuss things, and this time, she felt content enough to accept it.
XXXXXX
Sora sent the invitation to Kairi to meet at his apartment just after dinner time. She wasn't entirely sure what to expect when she arrived, but what she walked into most certainly was not it.
Roxas was sitting on the couch with his head cradled in his hands, looking like he had given up on life. Sora was leaned against the wall by the door to the balcony, looking down at Roxas with an expression of pure pity.
"What's going on here?" Kairi asked anxiously.
Sora looked at her, then back at Roxas. "Our buddy here is going through a rough time."
"Is he okay?"
Sora shook his head. "No, but it's not really my place to tell, so…"
"How could this happen to me?" Roxas wailed suddenly, casting a look of despair to the ceiling. "It was one time. Like, are you fucking kidding me? Why do you hate me, God?"
Sora scoffed. "There is no God, you're directing your anger in the wrong direction."
Roxas stared him down reproachfully. "That's just your opinion and you don't need to judge me for my faith." He returned his glare to the ceiling. "Even if my faith is toward a total fucking asshole."
"Maybe he's punishing you for not going to church," Sora said mockingly. "Or for having premarital sex. Or any of your other million sins."
"Olette is never gonna go out with me now," Roxas said sadly. "If I tell her she'll quit talking to me. I was so close, too. She wanted to hang out this weekend."
"Am I allowed to know what this is about?" Kairi interjected.
"I guess so, you'll find out eventually," Roxas mumbled. "So…historically, I've been a monogamous guy. I get into a long-term relationships with girls, and I don't sleep around, right?"
"Okay," Kairi nodded for him to continue.
"A couple months back, I met this chick who came to my work. She was really cute, pretty sexy, super flirty. She passed me her number on her way out. I texted her, we talked. She wasn't interested in a relationship, just in sex."
Kairi had a feeling she knew where this was going already.
"So, I succumbed. I had my first ever one-night stand. Well, more than once. I mean, I banged her on a few different occasions. But anyway, last week I noticed, uh…" he started blushing. "…this…uh, outbreak."
Kairi's eyes widened. The story wasn't quite going where she'd expected, after all.
"My test results came back today," Roxas finished. "She gave me fucking HPV. Fucking genital warts, man." He raked his fingers through his hair, looking defeated. "My sex life is ruined forever."
"Wow. I'm, uh, I'm so sorry to hear that." Kairi felt awkward. She'd been expecting Roxas to announce he'd gotten a girl pregnant. She had no idea what to do with this information other than offer her condolences. She decided to change the subject instead. "Who is Olette?"
Roxas groaned in frustration. "She went to high school with me and Sora. To be honest, I always had a thing for her back then. We connected on Facebook and just started talking again a couple of weeks ago. Figured this was my chance to make her my girlfriend. Guess not."
"Don't say that," Kairi protested. "If she really likes you, she might understand! I don't think you should assume that she won't want to be with you anymore."
Roxas offered her a half smile. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, honey, but ask yourself: if the dude you were talking to—Sora, I guess—told you he had an STD, would you stick around?"
She was caught off guard. "I—um—I mean, if it was someone I really liked…I dunno. If Sora—" She really didn't know the answer. For one thing, she and Sora were each other's firsts. She was having a difficult time placing him in the situation hypothetically because he'd never been with anyone else and she didn't want him to be.
"My point," Roxas affirmed.
"Just pray for forgiveness," Sora suggested cheekily. "Maybe if you ask real nicely God will make it go away for you."
Roxas scowled at him. "Oh, Jesus. That poor horse."
Both Kairi and Sora looked at him in confusion. "Eh?"
Roxas couldn't keep a straight face anymore and started laughing. "You're beating it to death!"
Sora shook his head, looking amused. "Well, Kairi and I have some business to attend to, so if your self-pity party is quite finished, we'll take our leave."
"Sure thing, boss," Roxas stood up and stretched. "I'll just take my self-pity party to the bar for a drink. Wouldn't want to hear you guys bumping uglies and get the urge to kill myself." He saluted them, collected his car keys and cigarettes, and exited the apartment.
"Whew. Now that that's over," Sora turned his attention to Kairi. "I need to confess something."
Kairi's heart dropped. What kind of bomb was she in for now?
"I didn't have to work last night." Sora sucked in a deep breath. "I went to Nate's."
She frowned. "Okay? Why couldn't you just tell me that?"
"I dunno. Because I didn't know what I was getting myself into and I didn't know if I would want to share the results."
"Well, you're telling me now, so what happened?"
Sora looked slightly sad. "Well, he's dying. He's still going to treatments, but he doesn't think it's going well. He's lost a ton of weight. Doesn't look like himself anymore."
Kairi reached out and touched his arm softly. "I'm sorry. And your sister? Did you see her?"
He shook his head. "She wasn't there. Her mom is keeping her away a lot because she doesn't want her to see him like that. She doesn't want her to be scared."
"That doesn't seem right." Kairi knew if she were losing one of her parents, she would want to be allowed to be with them. "Will you see him again? Do you think you might…be willing to look past his previous mistakes?"
"What, like forgive him?" Sora wrinkled his nose. "No. I can't forgive him for what he did. But…I still want to be there for the family. For some reason, the rest of them seem to love him."
Kairi looped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him. "You should be. And I'll be here for you."
He kissed her in response. "I love you. Now…I believe I owe you a conversation. Starting with the most important thing first…are you my girlfriend again?"
She giggled, her heart swelling with affection. "Yes."
