So sorry for the lengthy wait! I've just been swamped with responsibilities and tedious things that like to get in the way. i.e. Getting a kitten (His name is Jasper), buying him his food, shots, bank breaking vet visits, the works. Working. Writing a multitude of chapters for this at the same time and wondering which side-story chapters I'll actually use or discard. ((Not all of them make the final cut.))
-Elegant
He'd gotten no sleep, at all. Or, maybe he did, and it was just one of 'those' times where you got x amount of hours, but it felt like you'd open and shut your eyes with no breaks in-between. Staring up at the ceiling, Sora honestly couldn't tell the difference. More than likely owing to the fact that all he could manage to do, was stress and worry about all the variables that could happen when he arrived at school today, without even meaning to. If only there was some way he could just shut it all off, get over the issues that would likely seem 'small' to other people, brush himself off, and jump out of his bed. But, at the same time, Sora couldn't help feeling the absolute opposite. There was an appeal of staying home again to ditch all of his responsibilities, but that wouldn't help anything. Letting out a heavy sigh, Sora tried to find the will to stand up and start his day. Whether or not it took a minute, 10, 20 or even a bit longer, he'd still have to suck it up and brace himself for what was to come. His heart was pounding. Sora had never really felt this nervous, before. He was just going to school, right? To see a friend, and try to explain away a situation that was a misunderstanding and see if he could salvage the remnants of their friendship. That is, if they still had a standing relationship and he hadn't completely blown it due to his own stupidity. No pressure, or anything. Would Roxas be angry at him? Sora didn't do well when people were mad at him. Letting out a heavy sigh, he didn't know how to strike up the conversation. Should he drag Roxas off to somewhere private? That seemed like the better choice, considering he hated people getting into his business. He had to wonder if he was going to be hit by Roxas for what had happened at the amusement park. Sora didn't want to be stuck thinking about all of these situations, anymore. He wanted the situation to be resolved so that his mind could be at ease.
Sora was still semi in shock from the fact that his mother had entered his room without him noticing to formulate a proper answer. However on noticing that she wouldn't be leaving without him answering her back, he steadied himself and gave in."No! Nothing's wrong...why do you ask?"
"You didn't even notice me come in...and you were already awake, sitting here and doing nothing in the dark." She wouldn't belittle her own worry about the current situation. Had he gotten into a fight with one of his friends? Was he being picked on at school by someone? Her first thought didn't seem to be right, as she remembered that his friends had all come over the previous day and stayed until it was dark outside, and that left her with just one option: was there a problem at school she had no idea about? It wasn't as if Sora came home with bruises or cuts that she didn't know about. Well, just one came to mind, and he had explained that it occurred during a gym class run in the woods. Not exactly an explanation that would arouse suspicion. "You know you can tell me about anything, right? If there was a problem at school, someone bothering you, but I won't know unless you tell me, because I'm not psychic. That is to say, that I do have mothers' intuition which isn't exactly the same thing, but I do know somethings, even without you telling me." Hoping that would be enough to allow Sora to open up to her, she waited for a response from him.
Thinking it over for a little bit, Sora wasn't so sure that he could tell her. "I do have something on my mind, a lot, actually. I'm not really sure if I can deal with it on my own, or if I need someone else to hear me out on it, because I have so many people around me, who all have their own opinions and don't really seem ready to hear what I have to say." Before he knew it, Sora had unknowingly began to vent to his mother. Babbling little bits and pieces here and there, hoping that she would understand and somehow be able to help him, like she always did.
"That's not exactly a fair thing to say, Sora. You didn't ask me to listen, remember? I'll hear what you have to say, and if you don't want my judgement or input on things, then I honestly won't give it. I'll listen to what you have to say, because you're my son and I only want what's best for you, and I don't care what anyone else believes is best for you- only you know that. And you should know that I won't tell anyone else what you say, it's just between you and me. So go ahead, tell me." Sitting on the edge of his bed, his mother sat straight, folding her legs and neatly placing her hands in her lap, giving him her full attention.
"It started on the first day of school, actually." Sora began to speak, and his mother nodded, signifying she was listening. "I met a new boy, Roxas. Riku doesn't like him at all, and Kairi and Namine don't seem to mind too much that I'm hanging around him. They're cheering me on, actually." Smiling a bit at the mention of their support, he continued on, becoming a bit more 'cheerful' as he spoke. He didn't even notice how much he'd been gushing about details when Roxas had entered the story, and his shift in demeanor when mentioning the fact that Kairi/Namine were rooting for it.
"You really like this boy, don't you, Sora?" His mother had clued in to that fact above all else. Although she didn't want to say anything that may weird Sora out, it didn't seem to initially be a simple 'friend' dynamic. She'd never really heard Sora speak about anyone this way, before. That was probably another reason Riku didn't like him, because someone else was taking his friend away. Truth be told, she knew many parents would probably be so afraid to hear/even think the thoughts that she was cycling through, but above all else, she'd just be happy that her boy was happy.
Sora nodded. "Yeah, but I'm not so sure that he likes me. Well. He didn't seem to dislike me as much as some people, but I think I really messed up."
"What happened?" Everything Sora said made it seem like they were becoming good friends, so she found herself quite surprised. Maybe she'd been wrong before in her thinking.
"Well...Riku was concerned that Roxas isn't 'nice' to me, and sometimes it honestly feels like he's just being mean...but that's just the way that he is, and now that I know that, I don't feel that way anymore. But Riku still hates him, and he said a few things that made me mad, so I...I kinda said somethings that I shouldn't have, and sat with Roxas. After school, I left with him and ended up staying over at his house. The next day, we ended up doing a bunch of fun things! We went to the arcade, saw a movie, then the amusement park and went on so many rides! The roller coaster was so much fun! And then...we got some cotton candy. We watched the fireworks, together...and...I looked over, and he was leaning toward me..." Sora's sentence fell short as the familiar heat from that night came surging back to his cheeks. All that served to remind him of had been the fact that one moment he watched a paopu fruit spread across the sky in a menagerie of yellow/green fireworks simultaneously exploding and in the very next, a person he had worked so hard and so long to call 'friend' was leaning closer to him in a manner that his misconstrued to be romantic. His heart had been pounding so hard, and Roxas was literally glowing in that moment, his eyes glittered with each new firework cascading and exploding across the sky...and Sora just instinctively closed his eyes.
"Did you kiss him!?" Sora's mother wanted to know every single detail, and tried to downplay her excitement on the matter.
"N-no!" Sora shook his head vigorously, avoiding eye contact with her once he stopped, he could feel a very quickly spreading burning sensation.
"Did you want him to?" Sora didn't seem to be mad about the situation he'd explained to her, more...disappointed.
Looking up at her, Sora actually wasn't sure. "If...if I didn't want it to happen, I wouldn't have closed my eyes, right? I could have shoved him away...yelled, screamed, did something to make him know I was against it...but why was I so...disappointed when all he did was pull a piece of cotton candy off my face? Why did I end up running away and ignoring him calling after me?" Holding eye contact with his mother, he wanted an honest answer from her on what these things meant. He had no idea. Why was everything so strange?
With his ramblings, she had her answer. She loved her son, and truly she did- but he could honestly be so dense some times. You bring that boy around here, alright? I want to meet him." Standing up, she made her way to the door.
"How come?" Sora asked, cocking his head to the side.
"Because I feel like I want to meet this person. He sounds...interesting." Giving him a simple reason, she was sure that he'd do as she asked. "Now get ready for school."
Despite wanting to say more, Sora sighed and nodded to his mother. Once she left, he felt a calmness about things. All of his overthinking had come to its end, and he was alright with facing the day, nothing was getting his way. Not even his anxiety would be enough to hold him down and neglect his social obligations/interfere with school. Draping his legs over the edge of his bed, Sora smiled to himself. His mother just knew how to make things better, no matter what situation came his way. Getting up, Sora grabbed his outfit for the day and marched toward the shower.
With each crashing sound, Roxas felt bits and pieces of reprieve. There was always something so therapeutic and perfectly soothing about beating his punching bag to a pulp. Maybe it was because all of his pent up anger could be changed into something constructive, or it could have been the fact that everything seemed to just melt away, and for these few moments in time, it was just him and a singular object where he got to vent these annoying feelings from within himself. An old master of his had actually said some fighters liked to 'communicate' through physical contact, so it wasn't that much of an 'out there' theory. Taking a short breath, Roxas could hear his erratic heartbeat pounding in his ear while he attempted to catch his breath. Rolling his shoulders, he did his best to relieve his tensing muscles. Running his fingers through his hair, he felt beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. Deciding to rehydrate, he grabbed his water bottle and toweled himself off, deciding to sit for a moment. Leaning his head back against the wall while Roxas allowed himself to relax on the bench, he almost instantly regretted taking a pause in his practices. Feelings were beginning to seep through the barricades that his mindless work of training had produced. One by one, these dams he'd been using to put his mind at ease were shattering and leaving him with an unfamiliar area of...not necessarily what once could construe as 'guilt' but there was something definitively hanging in the air. Was it something that could be solved by violence alone? There was only one way to tell, and that was to get back up, walk over to that punching bag, and wail on it like there was no tomorrow. Settling on that option, Roxas did just that. Even though his hands had already started to go numb, the blonde continued to wail on his punching bag with all his might. The tightened tape may have also been contributing to the lack of feeling, not that it really mattered at this point in time. In-between a multitude of kicks from his Taekwondo training and punches from his Ba Ji Quan, Roxas couldn't help but to wonder what would happen. Sora clearly had an overactive imagination, and there was no telling what kinds of tangents and oddities the brunette boy was convincing himself of while cooped up all alone by himself- he hadn't even bothered to reply to Roxas' homework text for him. At the very least, the blonde knew he'd read the message, because a time stamped 'seen' was there. If Sora was actually trying to piss him off, then he was little by little succeeding in that endeavor.
With that bit of realization, Roxas was dumbfounded. Sora pissed me off. Not in the usual way of dealing with his almost child-like innocence, or naivete in almost any given situation, but after all of those speeches about how they were 'friends' and how Sora had no intentions of giving up on that fact- Sora quite literally ran away from him, and now a huge misunderstanding had come to pass. Obviously it hadn't been Roxas' fault, but he was still pissed off at Sora for the grievances he was likely going to have to deal with from now on- Riku. That obnoxious, loud, rude busybody who called himself 'best friend' was likely going to try and provoke Roxas yet again for a situation that while it may have something concerning someone he cares for, has factually nothing to do with him. Why the hell couldn't people just leave good enough alone? There was absolutely no logic to be found by attempting to baby someone and pick all of their battles for them. Some people hated being coddled, and Roxas had experienced first hand how, despite his outward appearance and usual demeanor toward things, he could be quite masculine/'manly' about things. Not that he ever really saw Sora outwardly saying he was fed up with how Roxas was about certain things, and how he could be 'nicer' to him on occasion, but if brought to the proper edge of 'annoyance' then anything was likely to be possible. Maybe he'd see this alleged version of Sora he'd conjured up in his head when he confronted him today. The 'talk' they'd have today would only be akin to him saying 'get over it'. Roxas generally had no filter and didn't sugar coat issues just to make others feel better about themselves, and while it may not have made him an individual most wanted around, some people actually did respect that sort of thing.
Deciding that this would be it for the day, Roxas would just have to find some other way to busy himself from troublesome thoughts. There was always the chance that he and Riku would end up in some sort of fist fight, he'd end up expelled from school, then all of this nonsense would just fade to nothing once he moved to an entirely new location. That'd be one way to silence all of this constant pestering from people who seemed to love invading his life, trying to find a person within him that honestly just was no longer there. The old him likely would have indulged that girl from a few days ago, who decided that because of the way that he looked, his athletic ability and intelligence, that they were destined to be. He wouldn't have dated her or any sort of nonsense like that, but he likely would have 'put her down gently' as most would say. More than likely starting out with a 'Thank you, for taking the time out of your day, and for confessing to me your precious feelings...but I can't return them. I'm sorry.' the thought honestly made him cringe. Being so much of a pushover that he honestly couldn't even give a definitive 'no', which made the recipient have that faint hint of hope that he'd 'see' what they saw in him- but if they actually knew what his sexual preference was, or cared enough in general to know a few things about him, then Roxas would never have such boring, tedious problems to try and handle. In the end, maybe the whole blackmail rumor about him being gay would work out in his favor. Boys would likely be 'afraid' to be alone with him, he'd never have to be bothered in the change room if he ever decided to have showers, girls wouldn't try to flirt with him, or confess feelings that weren't actually there in the first place, and above all else- he could be alone.
Alright, maybe the last fact wasn't exactly 'true' considering some people were likely to be homophobic, and those kinds of people tended to not be the most 'understanding' of individuals- why was it so hard to respectfully dislike something? It wasn't that hard to hate something and not throw your opinion all over the place with ignorant facts, thrown in with abrasive, boring personalities. Frowning at that thought, Roxas honestly had a very short fuse, and he didn't want to deal with simple minded morons who thought that they could just hurl the words 'fag'/'faggot' his way without getting something broken. It wasn't the slur words sent his way that necessarily triggered him, it was more-so having to deal with the people behind their petty reasoning for discriminatory action. He'd also learned the hard way that some people liked to hide behind faux sexuality, as one such boy actually decided he had some sort of sick 'crush' on Roxas that somehow became the blonde's problem. He'd gotten a 'love tap' for his troubles. Being caught in such a controversial mess of nonsense hadn't been any interest of his, at all, and what did he think would happen, they'd 'date'(?), fool around(?), make-out(?) and do things that a normal gay couple would, while he picked on and joined the crowds of people who hated Roxas for just being the way that he was? No. It was so laughable that someone thought he was so weak and desperate that he'd be looking at an abuser for a source of 'love'.
Running his fingers through his hair, Roxas let out a sigh. The longer he seemed to deal with Sora, the more demons of his past kept rising to the surface to haunt or annoy him. Glancing at himself in the mirror, he wanted to ask why he bothered dealing with someone who only served to be a nuisance and make him do things that he didn't want to, think about situations that were long gone and he factually no longer cared about, but Roxas knew it would serve absolutely no purpose. Taking off the tape he had on his hands, he stared down at them. They were discolored from how tightly wrapped they'd been and the amount of exertion Roxas had put on them when attacking his punching bag. When was the last time he'd trained like this? Trying to recall, nothing came to mind. Of all things, his memory failed him exactly when he needed it. Whatever, it's not as if it really mattered right now anyway. Stepping into the shower, he quickly washed up and got dressed. Looking down, he frowned a bit. Maybe his hands would look more 'normal' by the time he got to school. One thing was for certain when he reached school: Sora better be there.
Suppressing a shudder, Sora made his way downstairs. Hearing the gentle hum of his mother, Sora continued to towel off his hair and make his way downstairs. "You're just in time for breakfast, dear."
"I wish I could stay, but I have to go." Sora had sat at the table, but spoke up only when she slid the plate in front of him.
"Oh? You're leaving?" Finding herself a bit surprised, she wondered why Sora was going to show up to school early.
Sora nodded. "I...I have something I need to do."
"Okay. Just remember that I want you to bring your friend by, alright?" She really didn't want her son to end up forgetting that fact.
"I won't." Sora promised her, grabbing a piece of toast for breakfast, he stood and kissed her on the cheek before running out the front door. Even though it was still early, he wanted to make it. Sprinting at a speed that no one else (save for Roxas) had been able to match, he made his way to school. Scarfing down the last of his breakfast, he found himself at the gates of high school. It felt so strange for him to actually be early for a change, and though he'd never make a habit out of it, today had been a special day. Walking up to his starting class, Sora was astounded to find the room completely empty. Had he actually come so early that he'd defeated not only Riku, but Roxas as well? Damn. Sora had really been expecting someone to actually be here by the time he made it, some people may have appreciated being alone and the fact that they were 'first'- but Sora wasn't one of those people. He wanted to see people, interact with them, and enjoy each passing moment that came along with conversation. But this, was boring. Taking his seat, Sora removed the few items he'd need for the start of the day, and he promptly waited for someone, anyone to come and give him some company.
After what felt like an eternity, Roxas walked through the doorway and for a moment, their eyes locked. For a change of pace, Sora was the one to look away. "Sora." Calling out his name, the brunette appeared to either hear and refuse to respond to the semi-greeting Roxas had thrown his way, or somehow managing to not have heard what was said. In either case, Roxas figured it was himself being ignored. Narrowing his eyes, the blonde strode over to his desk with minimal effort, and more of a show of his speed, he dropped his bag on his chair, choosing to stand instead of sit. Folding his arms, he continued to stare, considering the low note they'd left off on since their last meeting, and Sora had proven himself to be a runner, Roxas decided to flat out intimidate him into talking. "I know you heard me."
"Oh. Did you...say something?" Sora asked, doing his best to keep things together. Roxas could actually be pretty scary, when he wanted to be. At this point in time, he didn't even try to steal a glance. Roxas' scrutinizing glare had all that was needed to be seen between either male, anyway. Shrinking into his seat when he heard Roxas step, he wasn't sure what was happening, and hoped that he hadn't made him angry in some way.
"I'm surprised you can hear me, over all of that running." Roxas wasn't in the mood for him to pull one of the stunts that Sora liked to. They clearly had something that needed to be addressed between the two of them, and that fact stemmed from the possibility that A: Sora could be either gay, or bisexual. B: He had a singular, same-sex attraction to Roxas. C: The event that transpired between the two of them had just been none other than a complete and under misunderstanding on both sides which could be rectified easily. Whichever choice it may have been, or if it was something else entirely, Roxas didn't really care enough to speculate, as he wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth above all else.
"I...I'm..." Sora fidgeted with his fingers, taking in a deep breath, he looked up at Roxas. After the talk he'd had with his mother, Sora hadn't expected the fact that he'd feel so scared and anxious about his current situation. In fact, he'd felt so empowered with confidence that he came charging over to school. Feeling his cheeks get a bit hot as his embarrassment, Sora did his best to speak up. "I'mreallysorrythatIranoffwhileyouwerecallingaftermebutIwasreallyembarrassedanddidn'tknowwhattodoandmyfirstinstinctwastorun." Having shut his eyes through the large amalgamation of babble that somehow turned into a very large word rather than a comprehensible sentence, Sora slowly opened his eyes one by one and stared up at Roxas' slightly confused face.
Running his fingers through his hair, Roxas let out a heavy sigh. Sora honestly knew how to make things ever so difficult while acting in a manner that wouldn't annoy many people, but it did semi piss off Roxas. Maybe his anger had reached its apex and turned into humor, because Roxas let out a very long laugh at the display before him. Nothing about the situation was even remotely funny, yet he was laughing. Who could possibly ramble on for so long that their words all became a long bout of gibberish instead? "Idiot. Sometimes, you're just...too much, Sora." Trying to calm himself down a bit, Roxas knew that this would be the first but not the last time Sora uttered something along these lines.
"Too much...?" Sora asked, unsure why Roxas had been laughing. He seemed kind of mad or at the very least fed up when he started talking. Maybe it was a sign that he wasn't angry anymore. Sora honestly hoped that this was the case, so he didn't have to speak up to scary Roxas. He was nervous enough already without trying to figure out what kind of mood his friend was in.
"You just...you...you piss me off, you know that, right?" Roxas asked, stepping in front of Sora and leaning forward on his desk. There was absolutely no way he hadn't picked up on the fact that Roxas was short with him nearly all the time. Even if he seemed that way with just about everyone, Sora was the only person who decided to stick around for the abuse.
"P-p-piss you off...?" Sora asked, blinking in surprise. He wasn't scared of the fact that Roxas said he was annoying, but rather surprised to be told he made him angry. Roxas could obviously be a 'cold' person, but there was no helping him being the way that he was, but for him to outright say that Sora 'pissed him off', he wasn't sure how to respond to that.
"Yes, and without fail, mind you- running off before I can say anything, demanding we go out and have what you consider to be 'fun', barging into my life without so much as a care in the world, always smiling and laughing, saying with so much stubbornness and insistence that we can be friends while stating that you're 'different'. So I gave you a chance to not be like everyone else. I bet on the possibility that someone like you wouldn't betray my trust, that I could put stock in new people, but low and behold...you just cut and run." Roxas hadn't meant to vent a few of his inner feelings, but he honestly had reached his limit. Although he was too 'proud' to say very much more aloud to Sora, Roxas still had plenty of things he wanted to say, but held his tongue. Due to the fact that Roxas didn't hold back and tended to say 'harsh' things to the recipient of his words, he was sure Sora would probably start crying or something silly like that, and he didn't want to deal with his obnoxious ass of a friend Riku. If only Ven wasn't so busy dealing with college things and unavailable for him to vent, Roxas still had bits and pieces of pent up rage that seemed to only surface once he saw Sora in this classroom acting as if he should be afraid. Did he believe Roxas to be nothing but a deviant who wanted a boy like him as some sort of 'novelty'? Or, better yet, did Sora believe he came to school solely to seek him out and beat him up?
Sora's head hung low for a moment or two until he finally found the will to look up. Roxas made it very clear that he wasn't going to let him get away this time - not that he had any intentions of running off - but he felt bouts of anxiety while listening to everything his blonde friend had to say. "I don't mean to annoy you, at all- I just...ever since I saw you, I thought...we could be friends. Actually, I hoped we could be friends. I'm not like other people, I just...I had...some things to figure out, and I...had to be alone for a little while. I'm sorry if you felt like I was being mean and trying to drop you because of what happened...but I...I didn't know what to do. Why are you so...confusing?" Feeling tears sting his eyes, Sora hated the fact that he was crying. Roxas hadn't been yelling at him or doing anything in the moment that was seriously threatening. He'd just said how he felt.
Staring down at Sora for quite some time, Roxas was surprised at what he was seeing and just heard. The brunette's eyes were clouding over with tears that fought to fall, but it seemed like he was doing his hardest to keep them inside. Sora, in earnest had basically given him a confession of sorts and probably hadn't even realized it himself. "You...Sora, do you like me?" Considering the fact that he was still faltering with his own dilemma of crying, Sora just nodded as an answer. "As a friend?" Another nod. "More than a friend?" This time there was a bit of hesitation, and a half-nod gesture. Just as he'd thought: Sora definitely had feelings and thoughts to sort out. "Let me put it like this, Sora, you wanted me to kiss you that night, didn't you?"
"I.." Not being able to say the words out loud, because it was embarrassing, he nodded. "You must think I'm weird, or gross."
"You do know who you're talking to, right?" Roxas asked, trying to make light of things. Temporarily moving away from Sora, he grabbed a tissue and presented it to Sora on his return. "Clean up your face." Of all things, he wasn't going to let some brat who cried just at the mere thought of something bad happening - who also confessed to 'liking' him - monopolize his time.
"But-" Sora tried to argue, and Roxas made it clear he wasn't going to do so. Doing as instructed, he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure if he was allowed to. Looking up, he saw Roxas leaning a bit closer to him. Stiffening a bit, Sora didn't move at all. He didn't want this to turn into another situation between the two of them that they'd have to talk about due to his own stupidity and assumptions about things that couldn't possibly be true, especially concerning himself and Roxas. Roxas stopped once he reached Sora's ear, and he felt the warmth/tickle of his breath. Suppressing the urge to shudder or laugh, Sora instead focused on what it was Roxas had to say.
"I'll say this only once, so be sure to pay attention." Roxas paused for a moment or two, only once he received a nod from the brunette did he continue on with what he had to say. "Just because I'm gay, doesn't mean I like every single male I come across, and my mantra isn't 'any guy will do'. My actions always have meaning, even if you don't understand, you'll just have to catch up." Sora was obviously quite fairly dense, and Roxas wasn't sure if he'd be able to endure through someone like him, but like he said before- he'd bet on the possibility. Moving from Sora's ear, he saw him shudder a bit, but for the most part, try to keep his statue-like composure. All the better Roxas supposed, as Sora didn't need to move an inch for what he was about to do. Roxas placed his right hand on Sora's left cheek, ignoring the confusion on his face, he leaned closer until their lips finally met. Just like the usual him, Roxas found that Sora had an unusual, sweet taste. Almost like...strawberry starburst. Did he seriously eat candy for breakfast? Roxas wouldn't have put it past Sora to do something along those lines. Pulling back from the kiss, he didn't realize that he'd been frowning in thought.
Just like with the fireworks, Sora had shut his eyes, only this time to be rewarded with a kiss. The alien sensation was the complete opposite of how Roxas had explained his very first kiss to have occurred. Was it just a different experience altogether between boys and girls? Maybe Roxas' words should have prepped him for such a situation, but Sora was pleasantly surprised- and he wasn't sure if that was necessarily a good or a bad thing. Boys technically weren't supposed to enjoy kissing other boys, and unlike Roxas, Sora had absolutely no base understanding that he himself had been gay. Was it possible to not be gay and still do these kinds of things? He honestly had no idea, and there was absolutely no way he could ever ask or tell anybody about what was happening in the now. Sora tried to focus, but it was increasingly difficult due to what Roxas was doing and it made his head feel fuzzy. Everything that Roxas had done in the past few moments had sent little bits of electricity down his spine. The gentle way that his hand had grasped Sora's cheek, the unfamiliar sensation of having someone else's lips on his own, coupled with the heat of his blush. Opening his eyes, he saw the frown on Roxas' face and wondered if he did anything wrong.
Roxas didn't say anything, hoping to not ruin the moment. Honestly this was his second kiss, but his first with another male, and it felt completely polar opposite to the first. He hadn't at all been interested in the girl, she came out of nowhere and ambushed him. But this was different. It was with a boy that Roxas factually knew liked him, and though he wasn't certain he could say that Sora held his heart in his hands or anything leaning toward 'love', but he did have an attraction to the brunette boy. Staring down at Sora for what felt like the longest time, he wasn't sure on what to say. He hadn't planned for something like this to happen, and now that it had, well, at least Sora's anxiety when dealing with him seemed to be gone. Or, and maybe this was just him stroking his own ego, but that kiss forced him to sit still- then it dawned on him: he'd told Sora to be still. "You can speak, you know?"
Swallowing, Sora nodded to Roxas. Opening his mouth, he honestly wanted to say something, anything to make the moment seem a bit less awkward, but he had no idea on what to say. Averting his eyes and looking at anything other than Roxas' face, Sora wasn't sure if there'd be anything he could say. His face felt like it was on fire, and his heart was going a mile a minute. Why did Roxas kiss him? Did Roxas like him? Why hadn't Sora pushed him away like he could have at the amusement park? Frantically darting his eyes around the room for any form of welcomed distraction, he eventually stumbled upon his hurt hands. "Roxas!" Sora cried out his name, not much caring to keep his volume in check for the environment they were in. Grabbing the blonde males hands, he was surprised when Roxas winced at the gesture. Looking down at his hands, his mouth gaped open. "Did you get into a fight? Are you okay? We should take you to see the nurse!" Standing up from his desk, Sora was more than prepared to march his off to the nurses office, regardless of if Roxas protested or not.
"Sora, it's nothing, I'm fine-" Roxas did his best to argue with Sora, but it didn't seem to phase the brunette at all. Freaking out just because of something so small and factually had nothing to do with him. Glancing down at his own injuries, Roxas could see that he'd overdone things in his morning routine. But that had only been because of what happened over the weekend and his annoyance over Sora/all the possibilities of what could happen today. If Sora had opted to run away from him again instead of talking things through, then he honestly would have lost it and chewed him out.
"We're going to the nurse." Sora gently began to lead Roxas off. Glancing back, he saw Roxas wince ever so slightly but not dare to make a sound he'd been hurt. "S-sorry!" Embarrassed he'd done some more damage as opposed to help out, Sora released his grip on Roxas' hands and opted to grab his forearm instead. Maybe the nurse wouldn't be able to do much aside from give him an ice pack or something along those lines, but at least it would help with the pain.
"I seem to have suffered more harm, somehow." Roxas commented, seeing a light, pink tint on Sora's cheeks. He certainly did blush a lot. To be absolutely honest, Roxas had no idea on whether or not Sora was gay or not. Just because he seemed to have a moderate amount of inclinations didn't mean anything. Most everyone had these underlying feelings/thoughts, they just usually stomped them so far down in their psyche that they were almost non-existent. The power of denial was a very powerful thing. Sora could very well just be bisexual and have a greater attraction to males. Or he could be any of the other thousands of labels people perpetuated in this day and age, it all depended solely on the fact of whether or not he enjoyed or disliked certain things. Glancing over, he saw Sora fidgeting with his hands and trying to say something but being too flustered to do so. Maybe he'd been a bit too 'edgy'. Would Ventus scold him for being a moron? Probably not. Roxas could see Ventus asking for every little detail on Sora, from appearance to how/why something like this had occurred, and he'd probably rush right on over to see them and meddle with things.
"I'm really sorry! Really, really, reaaaally sorry." Sora did his best to apologize, hoping that Roxas wasn't mad at him. How could he be so careless that he hurt an already injured person? Maybe he was being overly clumsy because he still felt so nervous. Roxas acted as if nothing at all had happened, and Sora seemed to be the only one affected by that kiss. Despite what Roxas said about things always 'holding meaning', he seemed to be acting just like he always did.
"I believe you." Roxas honestly couldn't believe Sora to be the kind of person to purposefully hurt someone- it just didn't seem like him at all. Walking out of the classroom, both boys bumped into Riku.
"Ouch..." Sora rubbed his head. "What did I...oh! Sorry!" Although he'd apologized to Riku, Sora couldn't help but to notice that his friend hadn't been looking in his direction, at all. Riku's gaze - if he wasn't mistaken - was trained almost entirely on Roxas himself. There was definitely a staring cont
"Sora, what are you doing? I thought you didn't want to be alone with this one." Riku asked, though his gaze still didn't lock away from Roxas. Scowling down at the shorter blonde, he had to wonder why Sora had been dragging him out of the classroom. Had he done another despicable thing to his friend? If that was the case, then he was going to be in for a world of hurt.
"Oh, well...we're going to the nurse's office." Sora now felt Roxas' gaze on him, boring a hole in the back of his head, and he hoped that he hadn't made him angry. He also couldn't believe that Riku had just outwardly stated something so mean, that was meant to be a private thing between he and his friends. Feeling his face heat up, he could feel some of that anxiety come back. Was Roxas going to hit him now? Would he be angry, and think Sora to be nothing but an underhanded person and decide that they couldn't see each other anymore?
"You're acting strangely." Riku finally looked at Sora. His hand was wrapped around Roxas' arm, face was almost red and he seemed completely anxious being near Roxas. Was the little runt doing something to make him uncomfortable? "What has he done to you? Is he giving you trouble, Sora?"
"N-nothing! He hasn't done anything, really! I swear! N-no trouble at all, what makes you say something like that!?" Frantically waving his hands in front of himself, Sora did his best to try and hide the blush that he felt on his face. How could Sora tell Riku that Roxas had kissed him? Was he really being that obvious? There was absolutely no possible way that he could just come right out and say such a thing to his best friend. Averting his eyes, Sora had to try his best in convincing Riku. Knowing himself to absolutely be a terrible liar, due to the fact that he babbled and vehemently denied whatever he was being accused of, Sora just hoped that Riku wouldn't catch on.
Roxas didn't much care for the behemoth, nor the fact that he was being accused of a multitude of things. Locking eyes with the silver haired male, Roxas clenched his jaw. Part of him wanted to heichu punch him, maybe even use a bit of his flamingo stance and show off feats that he probably wouldn't even be able to fathom. Letting him know just how out of his league he truly was when it came to physical prowess. Despite how easy he knew such a thing would be, he held back those urges. Logically, he wasn't remotely prepared for a confrontation at the moment- of all the days for him to go all out and wail on his punching bag to the point that his hands would turn out useless. Frowning, he pulled his arm from Sora's grasp. Roxas brushed past the brunette/silver haired males and strode to the nurses office. He didn't care much for the prattle and the more he thought about it, the less he factually cared to deal with Sora's annoying friend. Knocking on the door, he waited for any sign that the nurse was there.
"Come in."
Doing as he was told, the blonde stepped inside of the office. The woman turned around in her chair to face Roxas, smiling and giving him her undivided attention. Doing a double take, he hoped he didn't come off as rude or anything along those lines, but the nurse was younger than he'd expected. Glancing at her name tag, he spotted the name 'Aerith' written intricately across the small rectangular pin. After a few moments of silence, she decided to take the initiative. "Was there something that you needed?"
"Yeah, I uh...well..." trailing off, Roxas decided to produce his hands for her to inspect.
"That's quite the number you did on those." Pursing her lips a bit and frowning at the wound, the brunette woman looked up at Roxas. "I'm asking this only because it's protocol- have you been fighting other students?"
"No." Roxas shook his head. By his guess, she actually seemed to be relieved by that fact.
"Well, that's good." Aerith smiled. "Mind telling me how the bruising occurred?" She gently grabbed his hands one by one and checked what kind of injury they were dealing with. It didn't appear to be anything he'd need to bother with an ER over, but maybe an ice pack or some heat would do it some good. In either case, there was quite the amount of bruises. If he wasn't fighting other students, then what did he do? Hopefully it wasn't some new, stupid trend amongst the teens at the school. Remembering the last time the students decided to do 'tricks' on their skateboards/bikes, Aerith almost shuddered at the amount of people she had to inspect and take care of.
"I overdid my training this morning. I take martial arts, or, atleast I did until I moved here." Roxas semi-explained shrugging his shoulders. "It's honestly the first time that something like this has happened to me, I probably just wrapped my hands the wrong way." For someone as seasoned as he, it was nothing short of an absolute embarrassment to have injured himself in such a rookie way.
"What kind of 'training' could cause such an injury?" Aerith was very curious on just what he'd been doing. And then it dawned on her: she hadn't even asked his name. He didn't look like a familiar face, so she assumed him to be a new student.
"A bit of Ba Ji Quan and Taekwondo." Roxas didn't really know how to explain it. It'd honestly be so much easier if he could demonstrate the movements, but his hands felt like they couldn't take the strain.
"I take it those use quite the bit of force." Aerith mused. "I don't think that we've met before, mind telling me your name?"
"Roxas. We haven't met, actually. I'm new to the school and haven't visited here before."
"Aren't you going to chase after him?" Riku used a stern tone and folded his arms while staring down Sora. He was actually surprised that he hadn't gone bolting after Roxas like a lost puppy after the blonde had left both of them behind.
"I...I uh..." Sora anxiously played with his hands. "I do that a lot, don't I?" Scratching the back of his head, he smiled apologetically at Riku, hoping that he hadn't angered him.
"Do you really have to ask, Sora? We're all lucky if we even see you for a few moments without that brat with you." Although he hadn't exactly planned to chew out his friend, that seemed to be the way that things were going. Maybe Roxas had gotten to him a little bit- how could he and Sora have some sort of falling out and then be fine without any grievances in-between.
Wincing at the criticisms, Sora put on a brave face. Obviously his friends must have missed him and hated the fact that he'd been otherwise busy with a new person all this time. Who wouldn't hate being left behind while watching someone you care about drift away? Biting his lip, he looked toward the ground then up at Riku. "I'm sorry."
Riku let out a long sigh. "Just..." How was he going to put this in a way that Sora could understand and it wouldn't upset him? He'd have to be the bigger person for Sora, wouldn't he? Stepping forward, he saw Sora instinctively shut his eyes in preparation of what was to come- did he think Riku was going to hit him, or something? Patting him on the head, he smiled a bit. "Go." There was no point in making him feel bad. Standing aside, Riku would just have to speak to him a bit later and try to make plans for them to do something.
"Didn't you have something to say?" Sora asked, his head tilting to the side, a confused look plastered across his face. It seemed like there was a lot more, but Riku had stopped himself for some reason.
"Don't worry about it, Sora." Riku shook his head. "It's not important."
Glancing up at his friend, he was confused. Riku never had anything to say that wasn't important and Sora really wanted to hear him out. "What is it?" Pressing him on the issue, Sora knew that he'd be a bad friend if he just walked away from the situation knowing that something was wrong.
Riku was ready to let him off the hook, so why did Sora bother to push him on the issue? Although this wasn't the topic he was going to bring up, something had been bugging Riku. "Why was your face so red? What did he do that made you so anxious?" Was that blonde brat bullying Sora to the point that his friend was about to cry? If so, then he was in for a world of hurt when Riku got his hands on him.
"O-oh...was it red?" Sora asked, scratching the back of his head, hoping his face wouldn't flush again. "He didn't do anything- really! I promise!"
Sora was obviously lying to him. He'd always been such a terrible liar. "It's something you can't tell me?" Riku's face conveyed the feeling of sadness that he felt. What did Sora feel like he needed to hide from him? Was it seriously that bad, whatever had happened between he and Roxas?
"I'm really, realllllllly sorry. Riku. But I can't." Sora shook his head. Honestly, his heart sank seeing Riku look like this, but he didn't know what to say or do. Roxas was about the only person he could talk to it about, and he felt terrible having to exclude Riku from such a large secret- but he had to. There was still no comfort to be found in logic.
"Can you tell me if it's something bad?" Riku genuinely believed Sora, but he wanted to put his own worries to rest. Maybe this didn't have to do with that blonde brat, after all.
"It's nothing bad at all!" Sora did his best to smile, though he felt uneasy. Whether or not it was 'bad' depended solely on your opinion of things- would his best friend end up hating him for the fact that a boy had kissed him and Sora had enjoyed it? Would he be disgusted with him?
"Well, that's good. That's all I need to know." Pressuring Sora into telling him wouldn't help anything, especially when his friend already looked so trouble by something. If this problem wasn't big enough for him to open up about, then maybe it was just Sora over worrying about something that would turn out to be small by the end of things. Riku decided it was best to leave him be, and walked in the classroom.
After a moments hesitance, Sora walked over to the nurses office and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Hearing her cheerful voice was like a soothing balm for Sora. Doing as he was told, Sora opened the door and walked into the room. Greeted by Aerith's smile, he instinctively smiled back.
"Sora! Are you hurt as well?" Aerith was glad to see a familiar face, but she hoped that he didn't need her care, too. It wasn't that she'd feel overwhelmed by having two students at the same time, but she hated seeing good kids get hurt.
"Oh, no! I'm fine!" Sora waved away her doubts that he could be injured. "I just came to see a friend, actually- have you seen him?" Looking around the room, Sora honestly didn't see Roxas anywhere.
"Blonde, spiky hair, blue eyes?" Aerith asked, on Sora's nod to all of the above, she nodded back. "Right over there. Actually, if you wouldn't mind- I need to step out for a few minutes. Would you be able to stay with him?"
"Sure! No problem!" What a perfect coincidence- the two of them could talk, alone and have no one within ears reach.
"Thank you." Aerith smiled, walking past Sora and out the door.
Taking in a deep breath, Sora walked over to the curtain she said Roxas was behind. Standing idly for a few seconds, he reached out to grab and pull it over, but fell just short of doing so. His hand was shaking a bit, and he could hear his heart beating so loudly in his ear.
"Are you just going to stand there all day?"
On hearing Roxas' voice, Sora jumped. Laughing nervously, he pulled the curtain aside and stepped in. Turning around for a moment, he instantly shut it behind him and faced the blonde male once more. "H-how did you know I was standing there?" Sora asked curiously.
"I saw your shoes." Roxas stated what he believed to be the obvious. Sora was very conspicuous for someone who had been trying to hide.
"Oh." Sora laughed a bit, scratching the back of his head.
"Is there something that you wanted, Sora?" Maybe he'd just been worried about when Roxas would end up out of the nurses office. By her estimate it actually wouldn't be all that long. She'd given him ice packs and something for the swelling, so realistically he wouldn't be hanging around that much longer.
"Y-yeah, there is...Roxas, why...did you kiss me?" Sora factually wanted to know. He had no idea why Roxas had done such a thing and he was honestly just trying to work things out.
"You said you wanted it, remember?" Roxas asked, countering a question with a question. He was honestly grateful Sora had no idea that about 90% of the time he evaded having to answer because Sora let him do so.
Sora nodded. "Yeah, I did. But you...why would you do that? You probably don't even like me in that way."
Roxas instantly narrowed his eyes at Sora's statement. The brunette instantly regretted what he said. "You didn't hear a word that I said in the classroom, did you? I know this, because if you had been listening, you would have heard me state clear as day that I don't do things without meaning. Sora, I have no idea if I like you or not. You're a thorn in my side who bugs the hell out of me, you have such weird mannerisms that I honestly don't know how to deal with most of the time, and you're overly sensitive." Even after he finished his criticisms, Roxas saw Sora flinch a bit and look like he was about ready to bolt.
"Do you...hate me?" Sora asked, hoping that wasn't the case.
Roxas let out a heavy sigh and groaned. "Hate you? No. Hate the things that you say and do? Yes."
Sora couldn't help cringing. "I'm sorry!" The apology slipped out before he even noticed it- would Roxas be even angrier at that?
"You don't have to be sorry, Sora. If anything, it's probably partly my fault- I've gone so long without dealing with people that I'm inept at doing any of this. It's probably also because I've never met someone like you who isn't my brother." Sora definitely was a Ventus-type. So why was this one such a pain in the ass/annoyance/hindrance when Ven was relatively a breeze and enjoyable to be around? Sora honestly frustrated him to no end, andvc Roxas was confused on why he didn't just cut him loose and move on. Would it really be that hard to just ignore Sora and go about his day-to-day life? Probably not. But Sora was persistent and would keep sending him those puppy looks until he caved.
Sitting in silence for a moment or two, Sora wanted to ask a few things and he felt like he should say them outright. "Roxas." Catching the blondes attention by calling his name, Sora cleared his throat for what he was about to say. "Are we...and feel free to laugh or be mean if I'm wrong- but are we dating?" He had no idea on whether or not this was the case. Friends don't just kiss friends. It wasn't the way that things worked. He never had Kairi, Namine or Riku trying to do such things.
Roxas did a combination of a laugh/scoff. "No. Getting pretty bold and ahead of ourselves, aren't we?" If need be, he could just chalk it up to a lapse of his own judgment and tell Sora it had been a mistake- even if that weren't the case. Not that he'd ever admit it aloud- this kiss had been different. Polar opposite to that stupid girl who decided he was some love object to be conquered. Was it because this one had been of his own doing(?), with a male(?), or was he just being some sort of deviant who enjoyed the idea of being with someone who annoyed him? Roxas had no idea, but one little kiss wasn't enough for him to declare that he and Sora were an item.
"Oh. Okay." Sora felt a bit relieved and disappointed. "Oh!" Finally catching on that he'd been forgetting something, Sora decided to do what his mother told him to. "My mom wants you to come by the house, you wouldn't mind doing that, would you?"
Sora's innocent, almost begging look was all it took for Roxas to concede. "When?"
"I think today." Sora wasn't sure. She had said she wanted him to come by and left it at that.
"Fine." Roxas didn't even bother to argue. Hearing the bell for class ring, he decided that their time was up. "You should get to class, Sora, you don't want to be la-" Cut off mid sentence, Roxas was stunned to find himself being kissed by Sora.
"I'm off to class! See ya!" Sora smiled and waved goodbye, running out of the room.
What. The. Hell. Did Sora now think it was just open season on the two of them kissing? "Ven...I think I screwed up." Placing the fold between his elbow over his eyes, Roxas didn't know what to do. In either case, he barely even noticed the hint of a smile on his face.