Roxas awoke the next morning to the smell of food. It was a pleasant aroma he wasn't quite used to. Not even his mother had made something that smelled like this- not that he'd ever tell her something like that. Opening his eyes, he took in his surroundings. The living room...? Oh, right. He hadn't slept in his room the previous night, because Sora had stayed over. Rubbing his eyes as Roxas sat up, a small yawn escaped. Stretching out a bit, he stood up and walked to the kitchen. Why was he so groggy? Maybe it had been due to the fact that they went to bed at 'x' o clock. Not checking the time may have been a terrible oversight on his part.
Maybe he'd gotten lucky, and woke up early.
Through the haze of his vision, he saw Sora preparing two separate plates. Sora clearly didn't see him yet, and Roxas wasn't trying to sneak up on him, even if he did just that. Walking over to the coffeemaker, which just happened to be behind Sora, he startled the brunette.
"Oh! You're awake! I hope you don't min-" Puzzled, Sora looked down at the hand covering his mouth. Blinking in confusion, he waited for Roxas to say something- anything. But there was no vocal response for quite some time.
Roxas didn't tend to like coffee, but sometimes you needed caffeine. If Sora wanted him to actually have a productive conversation, then he'd have to be patient. Undoubtedly, it was a 'rude' gesture he'd done. But placing his hand over his guests mouth was the best solution his hazy brain could come up with. It was either this, or every word Sora said went in one ear and straight out the other. I mean, who just woke up and was completely coherent from the get go? Grabbing the pot from behind Sora, he ran the water and went about grabbing a filter. Setting up the coffeemaker, he brewed and waited for his coffee. He grabbed a cup when it finished, and prepared it all with one hand. Testing out the now light brown liquid, it was acceptable.
Removing his hand that had been clamped around Sora's mouth, he walked over to his table and sat down. If the brunette wanted to talk, now would be fine. Though it seemed Roxas may have startled him to the point that he wouldn't dare try to do so. "...sorry." Speaking his first word, he glanced over at Sora. He could hear it in his own voice that he was still very much tired, even if he was doing his best to wake up.
"You're still tired, aren't you? Sora asked, while he brought over both plates, placing one in front of Roxas and himself. He could still see it, so he understood to a small extent. People weren't really talkative when they were tired. Roxas clearly was one of those people.
"I blame it on the nonsense we were doing yesterday." Roxas nodded, yawning again.
"We were out pretty late." Sora had to agree with that fact. But he was never really a person who slept in, so he woke up a great deal earlier than Roxas had. "Like I was trying to say a little earlier...I hope you don't mind me using the kitchen. You were still asleep, and I wanted to do something for you letting me stay over."
"Nah, no big deal." Roxas shrugged his shoulders. Maybe he should actually try the food in front of him- it had been the reason he'd woken up in the first place. Picking up the fork, he grabbed a small mound of food on it and tried out Sora's cooking. Wow. "You...made this?" Roxas asked, even though it was blatantly obvious Sora had. Maybe he was just used to his own terrible form of cooking, or Sora was some sort of master chef.
"Yeah, I did. I hope it's okay." Sora added in the last part fairly quickly. He couldn't tell if Roxas enjoyed or disliked the meal, he hoped that he didn't hate it.
"Who taught you how to cook like this? They probably deserve a reward of some sort." Roxas couldn't resist giving a compliment where one was due. Undoubtedly, it was the best cooking he'd ever had.
"Well, my mom did...and then I kinda learned a few things here and there." Sora thought it over, he'd started when he was very little. He'd probably been cooking ever since he could remember. Seeing his mother stand above the stove, and he had a great deal of fascination over the things that she could prepare effortlessly.
"Hats off to the chef." Roxas almost wanted to meet the woman who taught someone to cook this good. Maybe he himself could learn a thing or two. Not that he'd actually invite himself over to Sora's place. "This is really well done. Feel free to make something again." He really meant it, this was far better than anything he could dare try to produce.
"Really? I'm glad you like it! I also wouldn't mind trying out one of your meals." Sora was curious what Roxas cooked like.
"I'm not really good at cooking. In fact, I'd say that I'm less than 'subpar' at it. But if ever there's a campfire or grill...I could make us a mean steak." He wasn't really ashamed to admit he could do basic things. Sora was clearly his superior when it came to cooking, there was no doubt about that.
"You don't like cooking?" Sora asked, curious on that fact.
"It's not that I don't like cooking, it's more that I can't. It's never been a skill I was good at. Unless there's an open flame nearby. Believe me, you can live out the rest of your days and not eat what I make. It's nothing special, and I don't strive to do it for others because of that fact." His mother had tried to teach him, but he failed miserably. Nothing he ever made could compare to her, and it definitely dulled in comparison to Sora. Of course, it didn't seem to matter to his father who uttered the phrase that he'd 'find a nice girl who could do all the cooking for him'. If only he knew. Letting a small sigh escape, he wondered if he'd ever tell them.
"I don't know...I'd still like to try it out. I'm sure it'd be great, just because you made it." Sora smiled, "Do you have any siblings?" When he'd asked about his family, Roxas never mentioned if he did or not.
"Well, that would depend." Roxas thought it over, "It's one of those 'yes' and 'no' situations." Was his older 'brother' born of the same parents as Roxas? No. Were they blood related? Yes. Sora seemed confused by his answer, so he knew that he'd have to explain further. "I'm adopted, Sora. My parents died a really long time ago...and my aunt and uncle took me in. I call them 'mom' and 'dad' because I know that they like it, even though it's not exactly the same. That's where my older 'brother' comes from. Though to be fair, we considered each other brothers even before that happened." Everyone in the family had always remarked how much they looked like 'twins' despite the age gap. Roxas was a few years younger than his cousin.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to pry and bring up any bad memories..." Sora did his best to apologize. Even though Roxas didn't seem to be upset on the surface, he knew it could have been harsh having to speak about such a topic.
"You don't have to be sorry. I was five years old...it happened eleven years ago, and not to say that 'I'm over it' but I've made my peace with things." Roxas retained his memories of those five precious years he had with them, so it wasn't as if they were entirely gone. Some of the things he tried to hang on to were his mothers and fathers voice, and their faces. Of course, over time these things tended to fade.
"But it's still so...sad." Sora said, looking a little down.
"Feeling sorry for me isn't going to change that. I lost a mother and father- my aunt lost a brother and a sister. My brother lost another set of parents. It isn't just me who feels the 'loss', Sora." Despite the way that they had died, not a single one of his family blamed Roxas for the loss of his parents. Though they would have been right to do so.
"I know that, but they were your parents." Sora couldn't help but to feel upset for someone else on this matter. It was sad. Maybe it was time to change the topic. "Your brother...who is he?"
"Ven? Think of a person who looks like me, and acts just like you." That was the easiest way he could put it. His older brother fawned over him quite a bit, and spoiled him in almost any given situation. No matter what, he was the kind of person to take your side- right or wrong. Naturally, after that big fight broke out at school, Ventus was quick to come home from college and check on his younger brother. Even though Roxas argued that school was more important, Ven had turned it around on him by saying that he'd not followed his own advice when he beat up a few of his fellow students.
"Really?" Sora couldn't picture a Roxas who acted like him. "Does he come to visit you?"
"He'd come home periodically. But I'm sure he came just to check up on me." Ventus was just that kind of person, the kind who came prepared with a 'reason' for coming to whatever it may be, though it was just a cover to make sure an individual was okay. Roxas was actually grateful he had someone like him in his life. When everyone else shut him out, Ven was still right there with him, every step of the way. "Considering school just started I don't think I'll see him for a little while. Well, unless it's by video call or something." Ventus usually called whenever he had free time, so Roxas wondered if he'd be calling at all today. Maybe not. He couldn't even imagine all of the assignments Ventus was getting swamped with at college.
"Oh, so I probably won't get a chance to meet him." Sora really wanted to see Roxas' older brother.
"Probably not." Roxas shrugged his shoulders, seeing Sora's 'disappointed' look, he decided to follow up with "I'll let him know someone's interested in meeting him. I'm sure he'll show up at some point."
"I hope so!" Sora went from zero to cheerful really quickly. "Roxas...are you doing anything today?"
"Are you asking me out?" Roxas asked, waiting for some sort of reaction from Sora.
"Not like that!" Sora's cheeks were instantly red and he averted his eyes for a moment, "I just...I thought we could do something today, have a little fun."
"What did you have in mind?" Depending on what Sora had planned, Roxas would probably join him. It was a little late for him to do his morning run/hone his martial arts techniques, anyway.
"It looks like it's going to be nice today, so we could just go out and explore. Maybe go to the beach..." Sora suggested, that was the first thing that popped into his head. "There's also an amusement park...lots of fun things to choose from." Trying to think up more things for them to do, he wasn't really sure.
These all seemed like date ideas. But Sora didn't really seem to notice, and it was obvious to Roxas that wasn't what he was insinuating. "Maybe." Picking up his plate, he placed it in the sink. "I'm going to take a shower. I'll also find you some clothes you can probably wear." He wasn't sure if all of his things would end up too big for Sora. He'd throw their clothes from the previous night in the wash, so Sora wouldn't have to keep wearing his things. It didn't seem to be a big issue, but they still were a bit too big for him.
"Okay!" Sora followed suit by putting his things in the sink and decided to wait for Roxas.
Roxas grabbed a towel from the closet, and looked down at the floor. Had Sora cleaned up the mud tracks...? He didn't need to do that- Roxas said he'd get around to it at some point. That settled things, he was going to get ready and they'd do something today. Sora had already cooked for him, put up with his nonsense in the morning, and cleaned up his home. There had to be some form of repayment on his end, he wasn't raised to be a brat who couldn't even show gratitude. Walking to and grabbing an outfit from his room, he opted to take a quick shower. Sora was waiting, and he was bound to get bored.
Hearing the water start, Sora decided to wash their dishes. The sink was already full of soapy hot water, and he made quick work of the mess that had been in the kitchen. With that finished, Roxas still hadn't come out, and Sora wasn't sure what else to do. Hearing the creaking of a door, he went over to see what it was. Looking through the slit, he saw a punching bag and a few other things around the room. Did Roxas have a home gym in this place? Jumping when he heard the bathroom door open, he didn't know what to do, so he froze to the spot.
"Oh. I see you found the spare room." Roxas didn't really seem to mind. It wasn't anything special to find, and not as if it was some big secret.
"What's it for?" Sora asked, relieved he wasn't in any sort of trouble.
"I take- took fighting classes, and I use this to make sure I haven't gotten rusty. I don't compete anymore, but it's no excuse to let my skills degrade." Curiosity got the best of him. "Do you have any fight training, Sora?"
"No." Sora shook his head, "I never really thought about taking classes or anything like that."
Stepping forward, "Do you want to learn a little bit?" Roxas offered, still toweling off his hair.
"Sure!" Sora seemed very interested in doing so.
"Alright." Roxas placed the towel on a bench and stood beside Sora. "You want to stand like this- to have a proper guard and let your opponent know you're actually serious." He demonstrated a standard pose with your arms raised that most Taekwondo users used. Seeing Sora's attempt at it, he couldn't resist a small scoff. "Like this." Roxas went behind Sora and adjusted his body accordingly. "You don't want to get knocked down, or lose because people think you're a naive opponent." If you were seen as 'weak' then you'd get snatched up before you could say 'oops' in tournaments.
"Okay." Sora was doing his best to take in everything Roxas had to say and actually learn something.
"Now from there you could try something like this." Roxas kicked the punching bag and it went flying.
Sora tried to replicate Roxas' feat, but the bag barely moved at all.
"You do know how to kick, right, Sora?" Roxas asked, "You have to throw in speed first and then add power at the end of it."
"Oh." Sora still did his best, and the bag moved quite a bit more than before, but still not as much as it had for Roxas.
Roxas once more stood behind him, and this time moved Sora's body for him, showcasing the proper way to use a kick. This time, the bag moved just as much as it had for Roxas.
"Wow! That was so cool! Can we do some more!?" Sora really wanted to learn more, he'd never done something this interesting.
"Didn't you want to go out and do something today?" Roxas didn't really care if they left his place or not, he just wasn't sure if Sora could bare through his teachings. This was just a basic kick. Learning how to block and maintain that was a whole other criteria. Sora probably wouldn't want to go through that nonsense.
"Oh yeah!" Sora had completely forgotten. "Let's go!"
"You're not going out anywhere looking like that." Roxas couldn't even imagine Sora walking around in his pajamas.
"Ah, right..." Sora looked down at himself, of course he probably looked ridiculous. "I guess I should shower and get dressed, too."
"There's an outfit waiting in the bathroom for you. I'll wait for you, so don't worry about taking long." Roxas would do the dishes or something while Sora was busy showering.
"Okay!" Sora would still do his best to hurry up. He didn't like keeping someone else waiting. Hurrying in to the bathroom, he hopped in the shower. Using Roxas' soap and shampoo he imagined he smelled just like the blonde at this point. Shutting off the shower, he hopped out and dried himself off then put on the outfit. Tightening the belt that Roxas had conveniently left for him, the pants weren't falling down at all. Well, that was one less thing to worry about. Walking out of the bathroom, he found Roxas patiently waiting for himself.
"Ready to go?" Roxas asked.
"Yep! Maybe I should stop by my house first...then I can grab my wallet, and we can do something really fun!" He wasn't sure what he wanted them to do for the day. There were so many possibilities. Movies, amusement parks, arcades...would Roxas enjoy doing that kind of stuff?
"Don't worry about it. I'll pay." Roxas didn't really mind doing so, it wasn't as if he had anything else to do with his money his parents allotted to him, anyway.
"I can't let you do that." Sora shook his head, doing his best to decline Roxas' generous offer.
"I'm not asking." Roxas one upped him. "Come on, let's go." He walked to the front door and waited for Sora to come along.
"Okay..." Sheepishly following Roxas, he felt a little uncomfortable having someone else pay for him. Fiddling with his hands while he walked, he wanted to try and argue that he should go home, get his wallet and pay for himself. But he wasn't so sure Roxas would let him.
"Whatever you're dwelling on- stop. I want to thank you properly, Sora. You did some unnecessary things for myself, and you're owed something. This is the least that I can do." Roxas figured that Sora was antsy on him paying for their outing. Everything he said was true- Sora was owed something in return for the things that he'd done.
"What did I do?" Sora asked, looking over at Roxas.
"You cooked for me. Cleaned up my house." Maybe this was also due to the fact that he'd stolen a peek at the other boy in the change room. That'd be a secret he'd probably take to his grave.
"Oh, that was nothing!" Sora smiled and laughed a bit.
"To you, maybe." Roxas shrugged his shoulders, "So, where are we going?" He wanted to know just what it was that they'd be doing.
"We could go downtown...see if there's anything to do from there?" Sora suggested.
"Alright." Roxas didn't really mind that plan. He had no idea what amenities the town had to offer, so this one would be all on Sora. Walking side by side in silence, he wondered when the questions would start flooding his way. Glancing over at Sora, the brunette seemed to be less fidgety and more on cloud nine at this point. They hadn't even begun to do anything remotely 'fun' and yet he was still enjoying the situation.
"We should go to the arcade! Do you wanna go?" Sora asked, pointing to the building in question.
Roxas shrugged his shoulders, "It's your call." Evidently, today was going to be a 'say yes' day on his end of things.
"Alright, come on then!" Sora sped along to the arcade, he loved playing all of the games in his spare time. Riku often came with him, but this obviously wasn't one of those times.
Roxas followed behind Sora, exchanging some money for cards that they apparently had to 'swipe' to use things with. Whatever happened to the old fashioned 'coin in the slot'? "Here." Roxas gave one to Sora, "What's next?"
"Do you feel like playing anything in particular?" Sora looked to Roxas for ideas, though it seemed that this outing was going to be controlled by him. He wasn't really sure what to pick/do, as he wanted Roxas to have fun, but he didn't really know what he did for fun. There had to be something that the two of them could do in this place.
"Not really. It's your choice." Roxas shrugged his shoulders, he'd play whatever Sora wanted to do.
"Alright, let's see..." Sora tried to think up things they could do together. There was an obstacle course that was displayed throughout the arcade and everyone could see you attempting to make it through, bumper cars, go karts, typical arcade machines. Going for something easy, and he knew that both of them could do, he went to the basketball hoops. Roxas and he swiped their cards, and promptly starting shooting the balls into the hoops. Each time they got one in, it pulled back a little farther to increase the difficulty. A few minutes in, and both were finished with their little contest. Neither one really knew who 'won' until the end.
"Come on, Sora. We can do this at school. Isn't this the weekend? Aren't we supposed to do something crazy and fun?" At least, that's how stereotypical 15 turning 16 year olds acted. He had no idea what 'fun' there was to be had in this town, and wasn't quite sure if Sora and he had the same distinctions of 'fun' anyway.
"Yeah, you're right." Sora decided to try and pick something they'd both enjoy, but he wasn't quite sure what it would be. He thought basketball would have been a good choice, but Roxas wanted to 'have fun'. Fun. Frowning a bit, Sora tried to pick something. Maybe it would seem silly, but he picked the head to head dancing game. It was simple and easy; mimic the screen, press the right button with your feet, and get the correct timing to win.
Roxas couldn't resist a small scoff, but somehow it seemed very 'Sora'. Both of them stood on either side, Sora picked the song, and Roxas faltered with the game. He'd learned balance via Taekwondo and using the flamingo stance, but somehow couldn't manage to deal with a silly game? Sora seemed to be effortlessly winning the game, and Roxas' competitive nature didn't really help his chances of winning the game. All of his steps were out of sync, and he looked more clumsy than anything. He was glad that it had ended, wondering how idiotic he actually must have looked.
Sora noticed Roxas wasn't really enjoying himself, so he decided to try out a few more things.
At the end of it all, it became apparent that Roxas sucked at video games. He failed tremendously at Pacman, couldn't figure out how to turn around his motorcycle in the racing game, Sora creamed him in the fighting game, while Roxas stated that most of the fighting moves used in the game were actually fictitious. But of course they fibbed in those games, it wouldn't be all that fun if everything was realistic.
"Better luck next time, huh?"
Sora's character defeated Roxas' and she taunted upon getting the 'winner' screen.
Alright, the arcade was a bust.
Roxas silently walked beside Sora, whose hands were folded behind his back. He didn't know what they should do for the day. What was there to do? Bypassing the theater, there was nothing either one really wanted to watch. Glancing over, he had an idea. "Let's go to the beach!"
"You're the boss." Roxas followed Sora's lead. "Why the sudden interest in the beach?" He couldn't really remember the last time he'd gone. Well, he couldn't recall every last detail, but he knew that it was quite a few years ago with Ventus. They'd made sand castles and played with crabs. Actually, Ventus played with the crabs, Roxas was absolutely terrified of them. Even when his older brother tried to hand him one, he freaked out and tossed it aside. Maybe it was because it looked like a fat black spider as opposed to a crab.
"There's a spot I really love on the beach. Most people don't bother to go over there, but it looks really great at sunset." Sora explained, he just wondered if it was still there. He hadn't been in a decade, so there was a distinctive possibility it wasn't waiting there for him, anymore. It would be a disappointment, but he could get over it. The memories still existed, so he could find solace in them.
"This wouldn't happen to be that picture you drew?" Roxas asked. Sora had said it was an old memory, putting two and two together wasn't relatively all that hard.
"Yep!" Sora was really excited to visit his old spot. That is, if it still was his old spot. Although neither he nor Roxas were exactly dressed for the beach, both boys did their best to walk along the sand, and bypass the people. Evading the lapping waves along the shore, Sora decided it was best to just take off his shoes and socks, carry them and walk in the water. He loved the feeling of wet sand beneath his feet. Occasionally, the odd crab ran through his toes and he couldn't help but to laugh a little. Amidst his laughter, he never noticed that Roxas was evading all of the tiny creatures.
Watching Sora walk through the water without his shoes, Roxas suppressed a shudder. He'd never be able to do that. Feeling slimy things beneath his feet in what wasn't always clear water, he hated not knowing what was beneath him. Things could easily be seaweed, or a fish...another creature of some sort. There were far too many variables. Seeing Sora stoop down and pick up a baby crab, he felt a little uneasy.
"Look, Roxas!" Sora showed off the light green hued baby crab scuttling through his hands. "It's so cute!" Lifting his cupped hands up so Roxas could see, he blinked in surprise when Roxas shuffled back a few steps. "Don't you want to see it?"
Roxas shook his head, "I don't like them."
"Aw, how come?" Sora couldn't believe Roxas didn't like them. Baby crabs were all so cute and they came in such varying colors. His favorite were the little red/orange ones, but he still enjoyed the green/black ones. Not to mention hermit crabs in all of their pretty little shells. He placed down the little crab before it fell out of his hands, he didn't want to end up hurting it.
"I've just...never liked them." Even to this day he didn't dare put one in his hands. Maybe it had started out of a childish, irrational fear it would pinch him- but he never felt comfortable around the crustaceans.
"That sucks. I've always loved them." Sora would have to restrain himself when it came to the little animals, it seemed. He didn't want to scare Roxas with them.
"Maybe. I've never held one, and I don't think I ever really want to." Of course, he was curious on what it felt like, but he didn't want to dare try and handle one. They were unsightly little things, especially with their odd little protruding eyes. Most people would have laughed, mocked him, did the stereotypical questioning of his masculinity due to being afraid to such a tiny creature, but not Sora. Then again, he didn't seem to really be 'typical'.
"That's okay. You don't have to." Sora smiled, "You're allowed to not like things, right? We're all different- and it'd be boring if we all liked/disliked the same things."
Sora wasn't as dense as a lot of people thought. He had his moments. This being one of them. "The diversity of life." Roxas commented. How true that statement was.
Sora held his smile while the two continued on their little journey. Eventually he was forced to put his socks and shoes back on while they trekked a little bit through the forest. "Let's see..." Musing to himself, he knew they had to be close. After a few more minutes, they bypassed a little cave and came to a clearing. "Found you!" He triumphantly called out, seeing the deformed palm tree. Running over to it, he couldn't help but to feel a surge of nostalgia.
Roxas stared at the tree, he'd thought that Sora drew it disproportionately in his picture, but apparently it had been fairly well done. Resolving to lean against the tree rather than sit, he stared at the view before them. He understood what all of the fuss was about. Nobody seemed to be over on this part of the beach, and it was privatized because of that fact. "You used to come here, alone?" Roxas asked, glancing over at the brunette.
"Sometimes." Sora nodded, "But my parents would sometimes come along, and so would Riku." Hearing the roar of the waves, he couldn't help but to feel at peace in this place.
"No girls allowed, huh?" Roxas asked, hearing that Namine and Kairi hadn't been to his special spot.
"That was...unintentional." Sora laughed a little. He'd never thought about that before.
"Is this all you wanted to do?" Roxas could admit this was a good space and all, but he couldn't stay here for long.
"Do you want to leave already?" Sora asked, sitting up from his position on the tree.
"There has to be something else we can do." Something that could keep them busy for a while. It wasn't that he hated nature, or any of that- but he wasn't really a social person. Even though this part of the beach they were on was technically 'private' there was a chance someone could stumble upon them and ruin their outing.
"Okay." Sora didn't bother to argue. He leapt of the tree and led the way back to the regular beach. "Oh!" Seeing an ice cream vendor, he couldn't help but to feel excited. Did they sell his favorite treat?
Roxas looked over in the general direction Sora was staring at. "You want ice cream, I take it?"
"Do you like ice cream?" Sora asked, he didn't want to bother getting it if Roxas wasn't going to have any.
"Not really. But I'll probably get something." Roxas shrugged his shoulders. "You want it, right? Well, come on then." He walked over to the vendor, Sora-in-tow.
"What'll you have?" The vendor asked, looking from one to the other.
"Sea-salt ice-cream." Sora couldn't wait to have one. No matter how many you had, they were still just as amazing. Taking the light blue treat that was offered to him, he wondered what Roxas was going to get.
"The same." Roxas didn't care much for sweets, and if he didn't like this one, then Sora could have it. Win win. Paying as he received his treat, he walked off with Sora. Glancing down at the popsicle, his curiosity piqued. Sea-salt ice-cream. What would it taste like? As an ice-cream, it should be 'sweet'. Or would it be a mixture between savory and a little bit of bitterness due to the salt? Seeing a drop of liquid slowly descend down the confection and fall to the sand, maybe he should actually think about eating it. Glancing over, he felt Sora's gaze on him.
"Are you going to try it?" Roxas' look basically said 'explain'. It seemed a little odd to Sora, that someone stare at ice-cream and not dare to even try it. Were it him, he'd thoughtlessly dig in.
"The thought crossed my mind." Sora made eye contact with him while he ate his popsicle, and Roxas felt mildly uncomfortable by that. It made a few obscene images come to mind that he promptly tossed aside. Maybe it was the mild burning sensation spreading across his face, added on to the heat of the sun- he licked the popsicle. It was delicious. His normally immaculate impulse control faded away. Trying to savor it, even though he wanted every single last morsel of the treat in one go, his desire to devour it won out.
Sora couldn't help but to laugh at the display in front of him. Roxas really liked the treat, apparently. "How was it?"
"Like nothing I've ever had before, apparently." Roxas was a bit embarrassed by the fact that he'd lost all self-control over a treat. In either case, Sora's favorite treat was definitely worthwhile.
"I think that's how I ate my first one." Sora didn't mean to shame him, it was just so funny and peculiar to see Roxas acting the way he did. Or, maybe he just acted incredibly different at school. "Wanna share?" Sora offered, holding out the hand that held the popsicle to Roxas.
The offer was tempting, but he didn't want to impose on Sora. Shaking his head, he declined. "Nah."
"Hey, what was that? Roxas, open your mouth. I think you have a chipped tooth." Sora seemed concerned.
Obliging him, Roxas opened his mouth and stared expectantly at Sora. Was there a chipped tooth? He didn't notice- and that's when Sora put the popsicle in his mouth.
"Gotcha." Sora laughed, seeing Roxas' dumbfounded look with the popsicle in his mouth. He knew that Roxas probably wanted more and just decided not to say anything. In either case, he found it funny, and Roxas got to have more of the treat he liked. With his mouth full, the word 'liar' came out more as an incoherently muddled 'wire'. It was a clever trick, he'd give that one to Sora. Roxas honestly had to suppress a smile. "What was that?" Sora asked, unsure of what the word he said was.
"I said 'liar'." Roxas no longer had the object in his mouth, and was glad he didn't sound like some cheesy horror movie monster anymore. Though he did miss the taste of the ice-cream.
"You got me." Sora continued to smile, "Want some more?"
Thinking it over for a moment, he just decided to nod and have a little more. Though a 'little' turned into a lot, considering the fact that Sora would have some of his, and continually offer it to to Roxas. When the last of it ran out, Roxas found himself sourly disappointed. He wasn't quite sure if Sora felt the same amount of disappointment. Looking over, Sora was licking the remnants of the popsicle off his lips. "What now?" Was it just him, or were there far more sexual innuendos?
"Amusement park?" Sora suggested the one thing he thought they could together and actually have fun. It wasn't like an arcade, and they'd probably more than likely have some sort of fun. That is, if Roxas didn't get motion sickness nor hate rides.
"Sure." Roxas shrugged his shoulders. "Lead the way." Was Sora after the sweets these things had? Because, if so, then Roxas would probably try one or two of them as well. Apparently he had really good taste when it came to dessert items. Taking out his phone, he stared at the time. The sun would be setting in an hour or two.
Sora hoped the amusement park would win out. Though the most fun Roxas seemed to have out of the day (and was Sora's favorite moment) was when he'd eaten the sea-salt ice-cream. Just thinking about that had him laughing a little. He knew that sea-salt ice-cream was good, he just had no idea it was that good. Roxas looked over, to see what Sora had been laughing at. Shaking his head, he didn't want to admit it to Roxas, if he did, then he'd probably get a scary look sent his way.
The pair walked along in silence from the beach. Every once in a while, Sora would glance over at Roxas. It seemed the blonde was also stealing glances at him, as he'd almost immediately look away. Not thinking much of it, Sora led the way to the amusement park.
"Do you always do that gesture?" Roxas hadn't seen Sora place both hands behind his head and walk like that. Well, he hadn't seen anyone do that, let alone while walking.
"Huh?" Sora looked over, he didn't even realize he was doing what Roxas was asking about.
"Your hands." Roxas pointed to them.
"Oh." Sora looked up, as if he could see them. "Sometimes. I think it's become so much of a habit that I don't even realize I'm doing it anymore."
Roxas just nodded, satisfied with that explanation. "Hang on." He quickly walked over to a ticket booth and got what he figured to be enough for them to stick around a good while. Returning to Sora, he handed them over to the brunette. "What are we going to do?" Some people tended to start slow at this things, i.e. the ferris wheel, then work their way around to the other rides. Maybe Sora was one of those people...?
"That one." Sora pointed up, and Roxas tilted his head to stare at the ride.
Alright. I was wrong. The ride in question was evidently called 'the zipper' and seemed to be quite a bit off the ground. By his guess, at least 50 feet. All of the...he didn't know what else to call them, other than 'cabins' rotated 360 degrees, and there was some sort of optical illusion make it seem like you were going to hit the ground, apparently. At least, that's what he gathered from the people inside (a few girls saying infamous lines of 'we're going to die' or using high pitched screams). "You sure you wanna ride that?" Roxas asked, he didn't know if Sora would be up to it.
"Yep!" Sora nodded, he didn't seem to hesitate for a moment. "Come on!" He rushed to get in line. Lots of people really loved the ride, (Sora included) and he wanted to make sure they went on it at least once.
Roxas continued to observe the ride. Some people like things to seem 'dangerous', didn't they? As luck would have it, right when the current people finished, Sora and Roxas were able to get the last 'cabin'. Sora sat on the left part of it, Roxas on the right, and the were 'secured' in the ride with a 'safety bar' in front of them. The door of what seemed more like a 'cage' at this point(due to the metal bars, just in case) was shut and locked. Not knowing what to expect, Roxas waited for the ride to start moving.
Instantly, the two were forced against the padded back of their seat. Sora tightly gripped the bars in front of them, grinning and laughing as they were sped up and made it to the top. The cage continually flipped in their ride, and it changed directions, this time making it look like both were going to hit the pavement. Roxas understood now why those girls were freaking out. This ride was actually pretty fun. Gravity pinned you down, the constant turning gave you a 360 view, and there was that 'feeling' in your stomach. Like nervousness, but it was more than likely because you were being tossed around and a few things were colliding inside of you.
Sora didn't know why, maybe it was due to all of the odd angles, or being tossed around- but he couldn't help laughing for the entirety of the ride. What was there to not enjoy? He loved when they made it to the top, and were basically thrown downward. The best part of rides was that they made you feel 'strange' on them. He had no idea what to call it, other than 'strange'. After a few more rotations, the ride came to a halt. It was then that Sora noticed how firm his grip had been on the bars. There was always that little bit of him who worried he'd fall out of the ride, despite all of the safety precautions.
The door was opened, and both promptly left the ride.
Sora's legs felt weak, and he was a little dizzy- proof that it had been a really fun and worthwhile ride for them to go on. But after an experience like that, one question lingered in the air; what was next? Looking around, he wasn't quite sure what to pick. There was a wide variety of things for them to go on, and he couldn't help but to wonder if he should try to slow things down. Slower rides would give them a reprieve from the thrills the faster ones gave off, and this way they could cycle through a great deal more rides.
"Which-" Roxas was about to ask, but Sora grabbed his hand and started to drag him away. Just as well, he was lost in the blinking lights and masses of people, anyway. Judging by the last ride they'd been on, he imagined Sora would pick something equally as, if not more thrilling. Staring at the ride which was apparently called 'Cyclone', it seemed Sora liked rides that rotated and lifted a fair distance off the ground. Waiting in line for the remainder of its current rotation, Roxas observed the basic mechanics of the ride. It appeared that the ride would only spin around in a complete 360 if you chose to rotate the circular object in the middle of each table.
The 'enter' gate opened and Sora handed over tickets for both boys to the person in charge, then continued to lead Roxas by the hand to a table. Sitting opposite each other, they strapped themselves in and waited for anyone else to join them. Eventually, two girls came and sat beside either boy. Both of them were giggling and speaking a conversation Sora didn't overhear.
Roxas had a keener sense of hearing, and heard the odd comment about the 'cute blonde' from the red haired girl, but the pink haired one seemed interested in Sora. Those kinds of comments didn't really phase him, girls tended to only notice his physical appearance. Maybe that was one of the (many) reasons he didn't bother when it came to socializing with them. Sure, ones like Namine were far easier to deal with, as they may be a little (a lot) weird, but they didn't just see someone they thought was cute and make a judgment on that. I don't like shallow people.
"Roxas?" Sora saw Roxas zoning out, even though the ride had already started.
"Roxas? That's an interesting name!" the red haired girl tried to strike up conversation with the blonde, even going so far as to almost entirely talk over Sora.
"Huh?" Roxas finally clued in that they were moving. "Did you say something?" He asked Sora, never bothering to associate with the girls.
"Are you okay?" Sora asked, looking concerned.
"Fine." Roxas shrugged his shoulders, "So-"
"What's your name?" the pink haired girl asked Sora, instantly annoying Roxas.
Speaking over him? If his eye could twitch out of annoyance (or spite) it would have right now.
"Mine?" Sora asked, pointing to himself.
"Yeah!" she nodded, waiting for an answer.
"I'm Sora-" Sora began to introduce himself, but they started to rotate which caught him off guard. The ride wasn't supposed to be moving on its own, so who had started it?
All eyes fell on Roxas, the one who was making them move moderately fast, just on his own. "We're supposed to make this thing spin, right? Then let's see how fast this hunk of junk can go."
"Are you sure?" Sora didn't want them to end up getting motion sickness and not be able to go on anymore rides.
"Why? You scared we won't be able to beat those guys?" Roxas asked, motioning over to a table that was moving at an almost blinding speed.
"No way!" Sora shook his head, he wouldn't back down from a challenge. Placing his hands on the wheel, he and Roxas moved their table so fast that everything surrounding them turned to nothing but blurred masses. Sora couldn't resist laughing from how fast they were moving- he knew they were in for it when they got off the ride, but he did his best to focus on the fun aspect of things. Even if they hadn't surpassed the speed of the other people, he was enjoying the ride.
Both of the girls couldn't resist screaming from how fast the group was moving.
Their screams did nothing to halt Roxas' turning of the wheel, but it did seem to deter Sora. Just as well, it seemed their ride had come to its end. The ride began to gradually slow down until they were able to get off. Roxas had no troubles, but it seemed Sora was stumbling around a bit. He nearly fell over and had Roxas not caught him, he likely would have.
"I think...we may have overdone it." Sora laughed, leaning entirely on Roxas while trying to regain his balance.
"I didn't think you were such a lightweight." Roxas scoffed a bit, though he did crack a small smile at Sora's antics.
"But it's so fun when we go so fast! Don't you like going fast?" Sora asked, doing his best to not trip over and end up pulling both of them down.
"I think you're an adrenaline junkie." Roxas shook his head, "Sit down for a minute." He walked them over to a bench and sat down beside Sora. The rides themselves weren't necessarily fun, and though he wouldn't necessarily admit it aloud- he liked spending time with Sora. Roxas still wouldn't dare to label them 'friends'- he'd had enough of people in that category to last him a lifetime.
"Maybe." Sora laughed, he couldn't deny the fact that he loved the rush of excitement that came from certain rides. Although that one wasn't necessarily as great as the Zipper, he still enjoyed the experience. "Want to go on another?"
"Can you handle another?" Roxas asked, they'd only been on a few, and Sora didn't need to wear himself out.
"Yep!" Sora was sure that he could. Maybe he'd pick something a little bit different, that way he wouldn't need Roxas to make sure he didn't topple over every few seconds. Deciding on something fun but a bit slower- they went on the bumper cars. His motor skills were lacking for a little bit, but he eventually got the hang of things. There was nothing quite like when your dizziness faded away. After the bumper cars, came a few more filler rides until night time and they went on one last ride; the ferris wheel.
Roxas didn't really know why Sora had picked it. Maybe it was to die down the excitement of the other rides. Even so, it looked like he was still pretty hyped over things. Gradually making their way to the top of its rotation, he couldn't help but to observe the view. This place actually became pretty beautiful at night, especially with moonlight hanging over everything- not that the street lights and rides didn't help to quell away some of the darkness.
"I think those girls liked us." Sora commented, breaking the silence between them.
"Girls?" Roxas asked, he did his best to forget that whole ordeal earlier.
"The ones on that ride. The big spinning one that we made go really fast." Sora did his best to remind Roxas.
"What's there to like, Sora? They didn't know the first thing about either of us, and if they did have a 'like' it was a physical attraction and superficial, at best. I don't really like shallow people who make judgments based upon outward appearances." Which is more than probably why he dressed the way he did. It made more people stay away and leave him alone, proving that most people made judgments without ever really trying to know someone. Not that Sora was one of those people.
"I guess you're right..." Sora smiled, he'd never thought about it that way. "Is that why your dress the way you do? So people don't just stare at you and think things like 'Oh, he's cute.'?"
"One of them." Roxas nodded, "Why are you so hung up on those two? Is Mr. No Girlfriends going to try for one?"
"No!" Sora's cheeks flushed of embarrassment, he did his best to look away.
"Maybe I should have just told them they were barking up the wrong tree." Roxas didn't really think about that earlier. An easy way to get people to lay off would probably be just saying he was gay. Not that it stopped some girls as they had ideations that you were simply 'confused' and 'hadn't met the right girl yet'. He'd met plenty of girls, some of them had become really great friends to him, but he never objectified nor thought of them in a beyond 'friends' manner. Some people just really loved to run their mouths without knowing all the facts.
"Would you really do that?" Sora asked, he thought it had been a secret Roxas wanted to keep.
Roxas shrugged his shoulders, "If they started to get really annoying, yeah."
"What if they didn't believe you?" Sora asked. Not everyone was bound to believe him when he openly said things like that.
"Then I'd just have to make them believe me, wouldn't I?" Roxas asked, looking over at Sora.
Thinking it over for the remainder of their ride, Sora wanted to ask how he could accomplish such a feat, but held his tongue. Was it wrong to ask someone a question like that? Once the pair got off, he still wondered if he should be asking that question or not. Shaking his head, he decided against it. Maybe because he didn't want to hear the answer for fear that he wouldn't like it.
"Is there anything left to do?" Roxas asked, it seemed pretty late. Even though people were still enjoying rides and such, he was about ready to go home.
"Not that I can think-" It was then that Sora's stomach rumbled. Embarrassed, he looked away.
"Wait here." Roxas decided to get him something to snack on while they finished things up here. Walking over to one of the vendors, he got Sora cotton candy as he seemed to love his sweets. Getting the tri-colored bag, he made his way back to Sora. "Here." He offered it to the brunette, who seemed grateful and embarrassed to receive the cotton candy.
"Thank you." Sora took some of the pink cotton candy and ate it. Strawberry was always his favorite flavoring, no matter the sweet. "Wanna go sit down for a little bit?"
"That sounds like a good idea." Roxas nodded, following Sora to a bench. Glancing up at the sky, he couldn't help but to feel captivated by it- there was always something about nighttime and darkness that had him. Everything just always seemed better. The stars, the moon, shooting stars...less people. What wasn't there to like?
"Did you...have fun?" Sora asked, hoping that Roxas hadn't found the whole day to be a bust. If he had any fun at all, then Sora would be happy.
"I think you had enough fun for the both of us." Roxas commented, looking over at Sora. He knew that wasn't the answer Sora wanted, so he rephrased things. "It's one of the more memorable days I've had in a long time. Save for yesterday, I guess." Not that he'd really 'treasure' the haunted house all of them stepped foot into. Nor the apparent evidence that something super(or)natural could be in that house.
"I'm really glad to hear that! The first part, I mean..." Sora also didn't really care for their experience in that house. He'd never go in it again for as long as he lived.
"Not a big fan of the house, huh?" It was basically a rhetorical question. He knew Sora hated the place with every fiber of his being. Not that anyone could really blame him. An all white room that seemed to be the newest/well kept in the entire mansion, hidden passageways. Just what kind of people were the former owners of that house?
"No." Sora shook his head, "I don't want to back in there- ever."
"I don't blame you." Roxas looked over, "Something about that place seems 'off'- I'm not saying ghosts could be the explanation, but there is a lot of strangeness to it all."
"Whatever it is, I don't like it." Sora was glad they could agree on never going back. Suppressing a shudder, he did his best to smile. Huh? Roxas was leaning in closer to him, and he didn't know what to do. What was Roxas doing? Heart pounding and not knowing what else to do, he shut his eyes tight, and waited for what was to come. Feeling the slightest soft touch to his face, he was still nervous. Before anything else could occur, he heard a large exploding noise from above. Opening his eyes, Sora looked to the sky, watching the fireworks in awe.
Though Sora was studying the explosions in the sky, Roxas couldn't help but to stare at the brunette. Even when a menagerie of colors cascaded on the both of them, one thought occurred- Sora closed his eyes. When Roxas had leaned over, Sora closed his eyes and waited. Did he think...no, he couldn't have...could he? It was a perplexing situation. Sora may or may not have thought Roxas was going to kiss him. Had that gesture meant 'go ahead'? That only served to raise further questions. Was this seen as a 'date'? Did Sora see him as more than a friend? Is Sora like me?
One thing was for certain; it was going to piss off the behemoth.
"Wow!" Sora saw a firework explode into the shape of a paopu fruit. It reminded him of his special spot on the Destiny Islands. He couldn't help but to grin at all of the spectacular shapes in the sky. "Roxas, did you see that one!?" Looking over at his friend, he felt a little strange on seeing the look Roxas sent his way.
"Sora. You didn't..." Roxas didn't know how to say this, without making Sora feel strange. He could have been wrong, and if he was, then he'd look like an idiot. If he was right, then he didn't quite know how to act.
"Hmm?" Sora didn't know what Roxas was trying to say.
"Did you think I was going to kiss you?" There was no easy way to say it, so he decided to just have it outright. If he was wrong, then maybe they could just laugh about it.
"N-no!" Sora shook his head, though his red face said otherwise. He looked away from Roxas, unable to speak the truth. Yes, he'd thought Roxas was going to kiss him- he had no idea why he suddenly leaned in like that. To make things all the more confusing, he'd closed his eyes and waited for it. Friends don't kiss friends.
"You...had cotton candy stuck to your face." Roxas leaned over and picked off the piece of cotton candy that was stuck to Sora's face. It had been really bugging him for some reason. Sora still seemed nervous the second time around. Maybe (hopefully) that mild explanation would satiate him.
"Oh! I did?" Sora felt stupid. How could he have thought something like that was going to happen?
"You did." Roxas showed him the pink clump he'd pulled of Sora's face.
"Oh." Sora didn't know what else to say. "Well...I should get going now! I'll see you later, okay? Bye!" He stood up and started off at a brisk pace then full on run.
"Sora!" Roxas called after him, but he was already long gone. What was he supposed to do, chase after him? He had no idea where Sora was going, and if he even wanted to see him right now. After that whole misunderstanding, one thing was certain- school is going to be awkward from now on. Maybe he could just explain it all away on Monday.
Sora hadn't run that fast in a very long time. Panting and doing his best to catch his breath, he'd made it home in record time. How was he going to live this down? Who could he talk to about things? Riku? He'd probably kill him. Kairi? Maybe. Namine? He wasn't so sure, and he didn't want to bother any of them, anyway. Even with something that was this perplexing to him.
"Sora! You're home!" His mother greeted him with a smile. "Did you eat already?"
"I-I'm not hungry." Sora just wanted to go up to his room and think for a while. "I'm going to bed, okay?" Making his way to the stairs, he hoped his mother would understand. He couldn't talk right now. There was too much he had to sort through, and mentally scold himself for. Without wasting any more time, he went up to his room and plopped on the bed. I'm such an idiot.