Chapter 7: A New Challenger Appears
Finally able to leave the infirmary, Roxas returned the ice packs and went on his way. The bell for lunch had rang, and he instantly took out his phone. Going to his contacts and scrolling down until he reached 'Ventus', Roxas clicked on his name and began typing. 'Up for a talk? I think I need someone to speak to who isn't...well, me.' Staring down at the screen, he wasn't sure on whether or not to send the words. His '...' must have been flashing long enough for Ven to notice, as before he could either delete his text or push 'send' he found himself on the receiving end of a phone call. Hitting the green 'answer' button he held the phone to his ear. "I swear you must be psychic or something." Being the first to speak up, he honestly wondered how Ventus just knew something could be wrong. It was nice, because Roxas factually didn't have to do much except for vent his problems.
Hearing a small chuckle from Ventus, Roxas already felt at ease. "Hey! I just so happened to be looking through my phone and someone was trying to talk! Knowing you, you probably were trying to delete the message before I saw it." After the brief pause between both boys, Ventus took that as a 'yes'. "So, what's up stranger?"
"Where do you want me to begin- wanting to leave my new school, a boy who decided that no matter what we just 'had to be friends' and who now likes me, or the part where he thinks he can just kiss me whenever he wants?" Roxas had absolutely no qualms speaking to Ven about his problems. Listing off the biggest ones he currently had seemed only reasonable so that Ventus could pick and hear grievances accordingly.
"WHAT!?" Ventus had shouted so loud through the phone that Roxas had to move it back quite a ways from his ear. "Who? What? Where? When? How?" Roxas kissed a boy? This was actually some pretty big news, so large that Ventus barely even registered the fact that Roxas wanted to find a new school.
"I'm guessing you want to hear about the boy, right?" Roxas contextually already knew from Ventus' excitement that he had wanted to hear about Sora. But playing dumb would be better.
"Yes!" Ventus didn't mean to sound too eager, but he honestly found the situation to be so interesting- Roxas never really had an interest in anyone, let alone dating or kissing them, so this was a big deal. Were they boyfriends? How long had they known each other? What brought on such an encounter? Who instigated it? There were so many questions that Ventus wanted to ask, but he knew Roxas would hate the prospect of him babbling at a million miles a minute. Was he just jumping ahead of himself? Ventus honestly just couldn't help it- this was really exciting!
Roxas shook his head and laughed a little. It was good to hear from Ven. "I don't think I want to give you his name- because I know you'll try and meddle."
"I will not!" Ventus protested. "You can't say that without even giving me a chance! Come on, Roxas!" Begging his younger brother, he hoped that would be enough to force him into telling.
"Hang on a second." Noticing that the hallways were getting overly crowded, he didn't want anyone to eavesdrop so Roxas opted to go outside. Though his hand was on the phone and muffling noises coming from it, he still heard bits and pieces from Ventus' side of things. Striding to an exit, he almost felt like shoulder checking a few people out of his way. Thankfully, he made it outside before any drastic measures needed to be taken. Putting his cellphone back to his ear, Roxas began walking around the courtyard and searching for a 'private' area to sit and talk in. "Hello?"
"I'm still waiting!" Ventus almost impatiently said from his end of things. He understood that Roxas was a very private person and didn't want to be spilling his secrets to anyone who'd listen.
"I knew you would be." Roxas commented. Bypassing a few other people, he decided that hanging around the smoking area wouldn't be a viable choice, as it was already flooded with a few individuals. Walking to the back of the school, he found a few bleachers and an empty area. "His name is Sora-" Deciding to at least give Ventus a chance like he'd asked for, Roxas was just going to tell him everything he possibly could. "-he's got brown hair, spiky...not like ours, but it's still messy and looks like it somehow defies gravity- maybe he uses gel." Musing more to himself, Roxas hadn't realized he'd paused for a good while. "He's also got blue eyes. They're not as light as ours, but they're a nice pigment of blue...maybe cerulean? He also likes to smile and grin a lot. Friendly in the sense that he's not afraid to approach just about anyone- not the typical pain in the ass 'decides he's everybody's pal' kinda way, if that makes sense."
Ventus couldn't help but to laugh a little bit. "You seem to really like this boy." That much seemed obvious to him. Roxas wasn't exactly 'gushing' about details, but in his own little way- he was. In all his years of meeting people, he never really bothered to learn their names, let alone hair/eye color, mannerisms or anything about them, really.
"I think it's the opposite, actually." Thinking it over, Roxas wasn't so sure himself in what he thought of Sora. Sighing heavily, he ran his fingers through his hair and stared aimlessly up at the sky. "He's...annoying, Ven! I never thought someone could piss me off this much and not get a beating. From day one he just decided that he and I were supposed to be friends, even though I told him time and again that I had no interest in doing so." Frowning a bit, Roxas recalled their very first encounter. Everyone in the classroom - understandably - had been staring at him because he was a new arrival, and they were curious. But Sora was the only one who stood out to him. Of all the people in the faceless crowd, he'd been the one whose gaze caught his eye- maybe it was because he seemed 'different' from the rest. "And it's not like I could just get away from him, either! We have all of the same classes and our lockers are right beside each other!" Not knowing how long he'd been holding onto this irritation, Roxas was a bit surprised at himself. Even after all of that venting he'd done to Sora there was still quite a bit of anger left in him.
"Maybe you like him?" Ventus heard everything Roxas had to say, and it honestly sounded like he did have some form of attraction to the brunette boy named 'Sora'. "Just hear me out on this, alright? Because, and correct me if I'm wrong- but you can get your classes switched around, right? Even if you have to be with the same teacher, getting the times changed around would be no big deal." At least, that was the way things had worked when he'd gone to high school. Maybe they changed things around a bit since then.
"Have you heard a word that I said? He irritates me, a lot." Roxas paused for a moment, listening to Ven's suggestion. "I think it's a little late for that- he likes me, Ven. Not just in the 'friend' way, but in the comfortable 'are we dating?' way. He asked me that, you know? I'm an idiot for kissing him. It was a mistake. I screwed up." Though not quite the way he wanted to reveal that portion of things, Roxas just wanted to try and resolve these issues before he and Sora wound up in a room together.
Dumbfounded, Ventus took a moment or two to respond. "Roxas...if he irritates you like you say he does, then why would you kiss him? Wouldn't that do the exact opposite of what you wanted?" Did he know for a fact that this Sora boy was actually gay, or was he just assuming so?
"I don't know." Roxas said flatly, feeling a bit exhausted on the topic of 'Sora'. "It's hard to explain, Ven. We went on what basically was a 'date', and I told him a few things about myself that I ordinarily wouldn't tell anyone...then he got the wrong idea at the end of it- he thought I was going to kiss him, and he freaked out. Sora just had cotton candy on his face and I was trying to take it off. When I came to school today, Ven, this wasn't on my list of things to do. We were supposed to talk things over, and I...got carried away, I guess. He kissed me, too! So it's not like I'm the one entirely to blame for this! Even if I started it- he didn't have to initiate another one!"
Ventus felt like he was honestly getting fragmented, butchered pieces of the story. Roxas wasn't exactly calm at the moment, so that could be contributing to the situation. "Have you tried talking about this with Sora?"
"No!" Roxas scoffed. "Are you crazy? He's...Sora! He won't exactly get where I'm coming from or what I'm trying to say, so then he'll start crying because I'm being 'too harsh' or get his feelings hurt, and then I'll be the asshole who has to apologize."
"I never knew a name could be used to describe a person. I guess I'll have to find out what the means when I visit, huh?" Ventus was getting more and more surprised about all of Roxas' admissions. Thankfully, it wouldn't be long before he'd be right there to help.
"Are you serious?" Roxas sincerely hoped Ventus wasn't screwing with him- because this was the best news he'd heard in a while.
"Yep! I have a break coming up, and I'll be able to come and visit you!" Ventus swore he heard Roxas' relief/perk up a bit at him saying he was coming.
"How long will you be staying for?" Roxas honestly wished he'd stay for a while, but with Ventus going to school that wasn't exactly possible. Despite how much he wanted to see him again, he'd never mess with his studies.
"Hmm. I think...let's see..." Ventus rummaged around with a few things until he found what he was looking for. "Looks like I can stay for...about a week."
"Sounds good. Longer than I expected, anyway." Roxas was grateful for that fact. "When are you dropping by?"
"This weekend. How about you invite your...friend over so I can meet him? I wanna meet your other friends, too!" Ventus emphasized the word 'friend' when speaking about Sora but used it normally when he spoke of any individuals who weren't in the brunettes shoes.
I have no friends. How was Roxas supposed to say that to his brother, especially when Ventus seemed excited to be coming? "That's a little ironic. You know, he actually told me his mom wanted to meet me. So I guess we're doing the 'family' thing." Though Roxas factually had no idea what kind of person the woman he'd be meeting was like- Sora seemed to get the easiest encounter when it came to family.
"I'm so happy for you two." Ventus lightly teased Roxas, expecting an ear full of how they weren't a couple.
Roxas snorted. "I have to meet his mom- he gets to meet you. I think he wins the contest of who's going to be getting off easy." Then it finally dawned on Roxas- Sora had spoken of Ven before. "He's getting exactly what he wants, too! Sora said that he wanted to meet you."
"You don't sound too thrilled about meeting his mom- but I do look forward to meeting him. He sounds...interesting, and if he's caught your eye- then he'd have to be." Ventus wanted to hear more, but he knew that Roxas would be finished with his break soon and didn't want to keep him any longer. "Listen, I'll call you back later, okay?"
"Sure." Roxas nodded even though he knew Ven wouldn't have been able to see the gesture. Hanging up his phone, he sighed and went back into the school building. There wasn't much of his lunch break, but he didn't even feel like eating. Walking to his locker, he supposed he'd just grab his things and wait outside his English classroom until the bell rang. Taking out his bag, he rummaged through it and stopped once he heard Sora laughing. Doing his best to be inconspicuous, he tilted his head ever so slightly so that he could view over the locker door. He saw Sora with his friends: Riku, Kairi, Namine...and another one. One he never saw before- another boy. Frowning, he stared at the black haired individual. From behind, he absolutely looked like a gothic Sora- did he have a twin that he didn't know about? While speculating on their similarities, he saw the black haired one wrap his arm around Sora and get closer than he would have liked. Before he even noticed it, his hand had balled into a fist, and he was furious. Feeling his eye twitch, Roxas honestly wanted to go over there and break his nose. Despite all of the karate he'd been taking in order to steady himself- it didn't appear to be working.
"Hey! Roxas!" Sora waved and called him over, hoping he'd come and meet his new friend. Surprised when the blonde turned and began going in the opposite direction, his smile faded and he excused himself from the group. Striding across the courtyard, he finally caught up to Roxas and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "You're all better! I was going to come by, but by the time I reached the office you weren't there and-" Instantly shutting up when he received a glare that sent shivers down his spine, followed by Roxas shrugging his hand off, Sora wondered if something was wrong.
"Leave me alone, Sora." Not in the mood for their usual back and forth, he was honestly ready to pummel the next person for pissing him off for even the slightest of reasons. Both his hands were clenched so hard that his knuckles had turned white, but Roxas didn't seem to notice it at all.
"What's the matter? I met someone you'd wanna meet! He's really nice and seems like he'd get along well with you!" Sora did his best to try and calm Roxas down, but it didn't seem to be working. Had something happened?
"If he's so 'nice' and interesting- then why don't you go bother him?" Roxas snapped at Sora - he honestly couldn't help it, he was furious - without really even knowing why. Well, that's not exactly true- Roxas didn't like the other boy who was getting close to Sora, and the fact that Sora was allowing himself to be touched in such a manner by a complete stranger(?).
Sora couldn't help flinching at both the harshness of Roxas' tone/the scary look on his face. Clearly he'd made him mad somehow but Sora didn't know how to fix something that he had no clue about. "I'm...bothering you?" Pointing to himself, Sora wanted to make absolutely sure.
Opening his mouth, Roxas shut it, shook his head and continued walking. There was no point in saying a word to him.
Sora really wanted to run after his friend, but he decided it was best not to. Bowing his head, he turned on his heels and walked back to his lunch table. Sitting without saying a word, he leaned his head forward and rest it on his forearms. Why was Roxas so mad at him- had he done something wrong? What happened between him dropping Roxas off at the nurses office until now? As he was right now, there was absolutely no point in Sora trying to talk things out with Roxas. Fighting back the bitter sting of tears, Sora hadn't even noticed the fact that everyone around the table had stopped speaking and were now all focused on him. Blinking until they faded away, he was startled when a light tap on his shoulder caused him to jump and look up at the person.
"You okay?" Namine asked, looking concerned for her friend. She didn't know exactly what had happened during that little encounter, but Sora had left the table in a very chipper, happy mood and came back in his current state. What had happened in those few minutes between them?
"I'm fine. Just tired." Sora did his best to lie. He didn't want them to know that he was upset- even going so far as to try and deceive them. They'd had/heard enough of his problems, and he honestly didn't want them to worry.
"You got 'tired' really quick." Riku folded his arms and frowned.
"Is he mad at you for some reason?" Though Kairi couldn't say for certain, she swore that Roxas had been giving Sora particularly nasty looks.
Averting his eyes, Sora honestly didn't want to answer the question.
"I take it blondie is trouble? Vanitas spoke up, deciding to interrupt as Sora didn't really seem interested in answering their questions. Gauging from his reactions, it was fairly obvious that the blonde boy treated Sora like less than a person.
All at once, the group turned to Sora. Kairi and Namine both glanced at one another and wondered if they should speak up on the subject matter. Despite their own opinions on the matter, both girls decided it best not to comment. Riku seemed the most eager of everyone, but held his tongue out of kindness for Sora. He knew that even if he was upset with Roxas, he didn't want any of his friends slamming him. Deciding to abstain like the rest, they all waited for Sora himself to comment on the situation.
"No, it's...ah...hard to explain." Sora scratched the back of his head, offering an apologetic smile to Vanitas. He wasn't quite sure on how to say their dynamic worked, because for all intensive purposes- it didn't. Roxas would get mad at him, Sora would apologize, Roxas would demand to know how/why Sora was apologizing - for which a specific/concise reasoning needed to be provided, else he get further angered - and, until they 'made up' he'd be left with a gloomy feeling that his friends could see through in an instant. "He's...you just need to get to know him, I guess. Even though he may seem like a 'mean' person, he's actually very kind! Roxas has actually done a lot for me without even asking for anything in return, and...and..." fidgeting with his fingers, Sora felt his cheeks get a bit warm. He was babbling like an idiot to the group, and their constant stares had him feel like he was somehow doing something odd. Averting his eyes, he wanted to say so much more- but Sora didn't want to relay current events to the entire group, let alone with his new friend.
"Sora-" Kairi was the first to speak up. Gaining his attention, she decided to test out her little theory. "-how would you describe Riku?" Though Riku seemed a bit puzzled at her question, she shot him a look that said 'I'll explain later'.
"Riku...?" Sora tapped his finger on his chin while staring at his best friend. Thinking it over for a few moments, he finally had the answer to Kairi's question. "Well, he's smart- that much is pretty obvious...but he's also nice, loyal and willing to help people out even if he gives you a bit of grief for it every now and then- even if he doesn't mean it. But most of all, I think he's a really good friend that anyone would be lucky to have. Why do you ask?" Tilting his head to the side, Sora innocently wondered why Kairi asked such a peculiar question- why did she want to hear about Riku at a time like this?
"I can't tell you, Sora." Kairi smiled, shaking her head ever so slightly. Seeing the semi-confused look plastered on Sora's face, she decided to follow up a bit so he wouldn't be overly concerned with things. "You don't need to worry- it's nothing bad, if that's what you're thinking. I just wanted to know something, and I think I understand."
Namine had caught the difference between his explanations of character when it came to Roxas/Riku- Sora seemed to have a definite 'like' for both boys, but it was absolutely different. Riku was a friend, whereas Roxas seemed to come off as more than just a simple 'friend'. In all of the years that she'd known Sora, Namine would never have pegged the boy as 'gay', but 'straight' or any other label didn't seem to fit him, either. He never really had an interest in dating others or having anything deeper than friendship. To her, Sora always seemed like he was a little too naive/innocent to have a relationship, as they'd likely require things he just didn't know about, and whomever he ended up at the end of things would likely be forced to take the lead. Roxas could definitely be that person for him, but she had absolutely no idea on whether or not Roxas felt the same way. In her observations of him, he did seem to have a small comfort zone, but relatively large capacity of enduring through a person like Sora - of which he seemed to have little patience at times - But from the light flush on his cheeks when speaking of Roxas/the innocence when it came to Riku...maybe this was his person? If this did turn out to be the case, then Namine was absolutely happy for Sora. Resolving to not offer her input, she checked the time. Discreetly packing up her things, she decided it was time to get to her third class.
About to say something, Sora was cut short by the warning bell signifying everybody needed to get themselves to class, lest they incur the divine wrath that could be brought down by a teacher. And DiZ definitely did not accept students who were tardy. Basically tripping out of his seat, Sora shut his eyes and outstretched his arms, hoping for the best. Holding in a breath, he was ready for the brunt of the fall. After a few moments, he was surprised when he didn't immediately hit the ground. Feeling a pair of hands on his shoulders, Sora was grateful to have been caught by someone. His first thought was that it had somehow been Roxas to have 'saved' him, no matter how wrong that theory would prove to be. "Thank you..." Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see that his 'savior' had been Vanitas, of all people.
"Don't worry about it." Vanitas shrugged his shoulders. It could have just been him, but, he saw gratitude on Sora's face followed by what he assumed to be a slight bit of disappointment. Did Sora actually want to fall? "Just be a little more careful next time, huh? Why were you in such a rush, anyway?" Seeing the brunette basically jerk himself out of his seat was quite the sight.
"I, uh...my teacher- he doesn't like people who are late." Sora explained from his odd position, embarrassed at the fact that his new friend had seen him be so overly clumsy, Sora scratched the back of his head and grinned while his cheeks grow hot. Fixing himself, he stood and dusted himself off.
"Who's your teacher?" Vanitas found himself a bit curious. He wanted to know, just in case he ended up with the teacher who made you basically harm yourself to make it to class.
"DiZ." Sora cringed at the thought of his angry teacher. "I need to hurry up!" Not meaning to shout thoughts out loud, Sora began to scramble to his locker. Finally noticing he wasn't moving at all, he turned around to see Vanitas grasping at his hoodie, keeping him from making any progress.
"I have the same teacher for my next class- mind if I stick around?" Vanitas didn't particularly care whether or not he was late to the class, but decided he may as well show up with Sora- everything with the brunette seemed like it would be...interesting.
"No problem!" Sora nodded. "We need to hurry, though- he locks the door right when the bell rings and if you're late...he won't let you in." Though he wanted to explain further, Sora knew better than to gamble on DiZ's time. Walking briskly - borderline sprinting - through the hallway, Sora swiftly collected his things from his locker, and made a silent vow to make it in record time to DiZ's classroom. He honestly didn't want to be in trouble with DiZ/Sora wanted to resolve his issues with Roxas, whatever they may be- and making it to class was the only way he knew of to do both. Caught up in his own reasoning of things, Sora didn't even bother to see if Vanitus could keep up with his speed or not, to him, the goal at hand was currently the only thing that mattered.
Glutton for punishment. That was Vanitas' initial observation of Sora- was he really so keen on showing up to his next class with that blonde guy? 'Roxas' seemed to treat him like a lesser individual, and Sora was your typical nice guy who liked to try and please everyone, so naturally he went out of his way to befriend one of the most difficult individuals he came across. A noble, but futile venture. From their previous two periods together, Vanitas honestly got a sense of his character, and Sora was a person that most wouldn't find too hard to manipulate into getting what they wanted- but what did Roxas want from him? From their exchange, it seemed all that he hoped to gain was for Sora to leave him alone. Doing his best to keep up with Sora's speed, Vanitas eventually found himself caught up and the two going inside of DiZ's classroom. Despite the big fuss Sora had made over DiZ- the teacher was nowhere in sight, and the room was basically empty, save for a particular blonde male.
The icy stare he shot in - what many would likely perceive as - Sora's direction seemed to send a chill down the brunette's spine. But to Vanitas- it seemed like the stare was directed at himself. Maybe he'd been wrong, as it seemed Sora was the only one who had a grievance with him, but Vanitas felt like they were both in the same boat. Shrugging it off, he didn't really give a damn on whether or not Roxas liked him at all. He had no factual interest in the blonde, save for natural born curiosity stemmed from interactions he'd only witnessed not too long ago.
"Should we go find our seats?"
Turning his head, Vanitas stared at Sora. When had he found the time to walk around him? "Do we just sit anywhere, or is there some tedious seating plan in place?" Glancing through the corner of his eye, he met the piercing gaze Roxas was sending his way. Snorting a bit, Vanitas had to guess that he was 'jealous' of their little interaction- just how petty could an individual get?
"Nope. We're allowed to sit wherever we want. DiZ may be strict, but he does have some leeway for us." Sora smiled, and folded both arms behind his head. "Do you wanna sit together?" In truth, he just didn't want to sit next to Roxas before he had some time to cool down or for Sora to find out what the problem had been/how to rectify it.
"Sure." Vanitas shrugged his shoulders. Sora seemed to be a bit relieved at his answer, and Vanitas didn't question it- he knew exactly why Sora was so eager to find someone else to neighbor by. Clearly he was used to sitting with Roxas pre-whatever the hell this was. Deciding on a row for them, he grabbed Sora's hand and led him to the very back in the corner opposite of Roxas' chosen spot. Feeling more of a heated glare, Vanitas' lips curled up into a smirk, while his companion seemed to shrink beside him. "Don't like the spot?" He 'innocently' asked Sora while feigning a bit of surprise. Call him a 'cold' individual, but he didn't so much mind the friction between both boys, nor the fact that the blonde seemed to have anger issues.
"N-no...this is fine!" Using his hands as a form of diffusing what Vanitas had perceived - and rightfully so - to be an uncomfortable situation, Sora sat in the seat even though he felt like finding a new spot. He swore that Roxas' stare was trained on them the entire time.
"Your boy friend seems angry." Tapping his fingers lightly on the desk he was sitting at, Vanitas tried to pass some of the time before glancing back at Sora. To his surprise, the brunette was blushing heavily at his remark.
"H-he's not my boyfriend! I asked!" Blurting out that line before he could stop himself, Sora instantly placed his hands over his mouth and lay his burning face on the desk. Roxas was now probably going to kill him.
Taking a moment for those words to register, Vanitas let out a small laugh and shook his head. "Hey! You okay down there?" Poking his shoulder, he tried to ease the tension in the situation. "Look, I didn't mean 'boyfriend' I meant 'boy friend'. You know, like a boy who's a friend? As opposed to a boy who takes you out on dates, and...well, you know the rest, I guess." Speaking in a low voice, he didn't want to embarrass Sora for his previous statement. Was that the problem between the two boys? Roxas turned him down as a love prospect, and was mad at him for being gay? That kinda thing was really lame, actually. Why did people have to give a damn about sexuality and jump the gun when it came to these kinds of things? Well, now he just had to screw with the blonde guy.
Turning as opposed to lifting his head, Sora looked up at his new friend. "You probably think I'm weird now, don't you?" A bit ashamed that he'd just assumed and blurted out what was a secret, Sora hoped that he'd be forgiven.
"Not really." Vanitas shrugged his shoulders. "But I think I know what our little 'friends' problem is, and I think I know how to fix it, too."
"You do!?" Sora asked, excitedly. Sitting up, he wanted to be at full alert for what Vanitas had to say. Was it really so obvious, that for someone who had no idea of the problem had figured it out before he had?
"Yeah, I do." Glancing back at Roxas, Vanitas knew this would be a fun little 'game'. Leaning forward, he kissed Sora. Not just a tiny little peck on the lips, but long enough to make a lasting impression on Roxas to the point that the blonde boy was considering a haymaker to break his nose. Pulling back, the black haired boy was quite pleased with himself. Leaning in so that he was by Sora's ear, he began to whisper. "He doesn't like gay people, right? Well, I hope we gave him a great show." Standing up, Vanitas walked over to Roxas and leaned over his desk. "I really hate snobs. Always tiny, tiny souls...or penises- or both."
Clenching his jaw, Roxas gave him a glare that could kill even the bravest of people. If Vanitas factually knew why he was angry, or what he could achieve, if he really put his mind to it- he doubted that this new boy would be declaring a challenge like this to him. Standing up and walked past/slamming his shoulder hard into Vanitas' he grabbed Sora by his forearm and dragged him out of the classroom. Not saying a word, he was absolutely seething from the display he'd just seen between Sora and this new boy- wanting to set a few things straight: Roxas was going to give him a firm talking to.
"Roxas...class is about to start! We're going to get in trouble if we don't get back in t-" Stopping when Roxas shot him a look that said 'shut up', Sora allowed himself to be led wherever they were going. He wished Roxas would release his arms so he could at the very least fidget and keep himself busy- but Sora knew better than to ask for such a luxury. Noticing them leave the school building, Sora knew he'd be in trouble if he skipped school, as he'd never done so before and honestly wasn't sure he wanted to start right now.
Leading him through the double doors, Roxas brought Sora around the corner and pinned him against the wall. Their height difference didn't seem to matter all that much, that is...until now. Sora shrunk against the wall and stared up at Roxas, hoping to figure out what kind of confrontation this would be. His lips opened, and Roxas' name nearly escaped, until Roxas clamped his hand over Sora's mouth. "Shush." After Sora seemed complacent, Roxas removed his hand and stared down at the shorter male. "Are you trying to make me angry, Sora?" Roxas punched the wall, above Sora's head. He didn't mean for it to scare him, but hoped that it would help relieve the aggression he felt was boiling out.
"N-no!" Sora shook his head frantically. "I...I don't know what you mean."
Heaving out a heavy sigh, Roxas couldn't do this- he was a mess over his 'not-boyfriend' Sora. Scaring the hell out of him would honestly achieve nothing. Backing away, he sat on the nearby stairs and held his head in his hands. "How could you not...!? You're...with that boy...!" So furious that he couldn't formulate the sentences he'd like to be, Roxas almost gave up on talking altogether. This was pointless. Sora wasn't the one he was angry with. He really wanted to kick that black haired, cat eyed guys ass.
"Vanitas...?" Sora blinked, staring blankly at Roxas. Feeling confused, he walked over and knelt down so that he could look into Roxas' eyes. "He's a new friend! I just met him today, and I was showing him around..." Though he never counted on the fact that he'd actually kiss him for some strange reason.
Roxas scoffed a bit and turned his head away. Glancing at Sora through the corner of his eye, he wanted to observe his reaction without being caught in the act. "So you just run around kissing all of your male friends?"
"No!" Sora shook his head, hoping that Roxas would believe him. "I- you- youweremyfirstkiss!" Babbling so quick that his words joined into a lengthy mass of syllables, Sora shut his eyes tight and let the phrase spill out.
Taken aback, Roxas had completely forgotten that fact. He was Sora's first ever kiss. "Sora...you let him kiss you. You even said we 'aren't boyfriends' out loud in the classroom- what the hell are you doing with 'Vanitas'? Have you moved on to the next boy who came along, just because I didn't say that we're dating?" Roxas didn't necessarily believe - nor want to - that theory, but it was still a possibility that he wanted to go over.
"I didn't!" Sora shook his head, vehemently denying Roxas' accusation. "He...he just...he kissed me! And...like you said about your first kiss- it meant nothing. I didn't like it, at all. It was different from when...you did it." Tilting his head down, Sora hoped he didn't see his blush. Honestly, he'd have to start wearing scarves or turtle necks with the amount of blushing he was doing in order to hide it. "I- you said we weren't dating, and Vanitas asked if we were, I told him what you said...was that bad?" Biting his lip, Sora hoped that Roxas wasn't still angry at him.
Surprised by Sora's confession that he enjoyed Roxas kissing him, as opposed to this 'Vanitas' boy, he felt his anger fade away. "Yeah, I did say that- but it doesn't mean you can just go around doing things like that with anyone you want." Doing a combination of a frown/pout, Roxas hoped he conveyed anger- but at this point it seemed like nothing but idle threats of the former emotion.
"I don't want to do that with anyone else." Sora spoke the words with a perfectly innocent look on his face. "They...don't seem to be enjoyable, unless it's with Roxas."
Sora really must like him. Roxas honestly couldn't say the same, as to him, he only had bits and pieces of what could be construed as 'like'- such as getting jealous of the new kid who showed up. Just what had he missed this morning? He hoped that this 'Vanitas' character wouldn't end up being in all of their classes- as he already wanted to leap over the desks and strangle him with a sleeper hold. Grabbing either side of Sora's face, Roxas leaned closer until their foreheads touched. "Sora, I don't know enough to say whether or not I could call you my 'boyfriend', ever- but...you were my first kiss with a boy and vise-versa, and...I know you're a nice person who likes to befriend other people- but for the love of God: Don't. Let. Anyone. Kiss you, again." On seeing/feeling the nod from Sora, Roxas tilted his head to the side and saw Sora shut his eyes. Sora obviously expected Roxas to kiss him, and have this be some sort of 'tender' moment- but Roxas knew that would be too easy. Sora was going to get a little grief for the situation that had come to pass, regardless of if he had participated or not. Removing his hands from either side of Sora's face, he flicked him on the nose in lieu of kissing the brunette.
"Ouch! What was that for!?" Sora asked, holding his nose and speaking in a peculiar manner from doing so. He honestly hadn't been expecting the hit to his nose, and now he felt like a moron for shutting his eyes.
"Punishment." Roxas shrugged, not daring to elaborate further. If he had problems like this when it came to Sora and them not being a couple, would gay boys spontaneously keep showing up in order to throw a wrench in their 'relationship'? Because, at the rate things were going, Roxas would be more inclined to maim and or hurt them to the point that they know better than to go around Sora. He wouldn't be too likely to escape with just a 'self-defense' claim this time around. Hearing the bell ring that signified class had began, Roxas hopped off the stairs. "Let's go." Walking in the opposite direction of the school, he stopped when Sora stayed rooted to the spot he'd been standing in. "What's the problem?" Looking back at Sora, he expected an explanation.
"I...I can't skip school! I never have, and my mom would get mad!" Sora wanted to go back inside and beg DiZ for the opportunity to be allowed inside the classroom.
Roxas let out a scoff/laugh and walked over to Sora. "And you think I have? What makes you think I'm the kinda guy who skips out on school?" Just because he had, and Sora - rightfully - assumed he'd participated in the activity before, didn't mean he was going to let him off easy.
"I...I don't know, but I don't want to get in trouble!" Sora's hands balled into fists while he tried to coax Roxas into going back in with him.
"How 'scary' is your mother, that you don't even want to miss one class?" Roxas folded his arms, closing the gap between them.
"She's...she's not scary- I just...don't want her to be disappointed with me." Sora admitted, fidgeting with his fingers and looking up at Sora.
"So blame me. It's not a lie, and if she gets mad at anyone- it'll be me. I have to meet her today, right? I'll apologize to her then. And if it really gets you hot and bothered, we can tell Ven that it was my idea, too." To Roxas, it factually wasn't the biggest deal in the world. What would be so important in one English class that they had to be there every single day? Factually, he'd gone almost an entire year of ditching classes and showing up just to take tests in order to pass them with ease. It had pissed off his teacher, as she said that it 'wasn't fair' someone so smart as Roxas could get away with doing minimal work when everyone else was struggling/studying and doing their hardest in their class, yet he just got by. Could they really blame him? School got so boring and hard to endure through when his last actual friend was gone. Without Axel- he found no point in returning to school. The people were all superficial, and many people assumed that he was a 'nice' person, solely because of his looks/athletic ability/intelligence- as if any of those things factored in to what others called a 'kindness'.
"Ven?" Pausing for a moment, Sora had to recall the name. "Your brother is coming!?" Seeing the excitement from Sora, Roxas just decided to nod. "When!? Do I get to meet him!?" Barely able to contain himself, Sora grabbed Roxas by the shoulders and began to frantically ask him a multitude of questions.
Surprised by his reaction, Roxas took a moment to recover. "He'll be here this weekend. He was looking forward to meeting you, too." Sora seemed more giddy about Ventus coming than even Roxas himself.
"Really? That's so cool!" Sora seemed to completely have forgotten about the fact that he and Roxas were now technically 'ditching' school.
"You sound about as excited as he is to be coming." Roxas commented. It was remarkable how he and Ventus seemed to be just about the same person when it came to certain things.
"Because this is your family! I really want to meet him!" Sora explained what he thought to be the obvious. Seeing Roxas' big brother, he wondered exactly what kind of person Ventus was. Roxas seemed to have a really high regard for him, so Sora assumed he was a good person.
Moving out of Sora's grip, Roxas grabbed his hand and began to lead Sora away from the school. "Yeah? Why's that?"
Sora shrugged his shoulders a bit. "It's just nice to met new people! And you make him seem like a really good person, and if you like him- then he has to be really special, right?"
"I...don't know about that." Roxas admitted, looking away. You like him. Ventus had openly stated that, while listening to Roxas and his ramblings over Sora, and if he was to admit that people he liked were 'special', then would Sora get that idea? Roxas couldn't deny that he had an attraction to Sora- and he was a tad bit ashamed to say that it had come from his physical looks and not so much from how he acted. Sure, Sora was a very kind, 'nice' individual- but he was also very naive and easily manipulated. His right hand tightened at those unpleasant thoughts.
"Roxas...is something the matter?" Sora asked, looking down at their hands. Wait- when did they start holding hands? Glancing at the blonde, he didn't have any indication on whether or not he hated the situation.
"No." Roxas didn't want to bother sparking up another conversation about Vanitas. "Let's go do something. We've got an hour and a half to kill."
Finally realizing that they were off the school's property, Sora felt what could be akin to an anxiety attack. Biting his lip, he tried to go back, but Roxas' strong grip prevented him from doing so. Deciding his struggle was absolutely futile, Sora bowed his head and followed Roxas obediently. Gently squeezing Roxas' hand, he felt a two-fold feeling: fear and excitement. They were doing something that technically wasn't 'allowed', they'd probably get into trouble over it, and yet- he almost didn't care. Sure, his heart was pounding and going a mile a minute, but that could just as easily be from the fact that Roxas and he were holding hands. Stealing a glance at Roxas, he seemed calm, cool and collected about the whole situation. Deciding to take a page from him, Sora tried to calm himself down.
"Sora, are you okay?" Roxas asked, he noticed that he was acting even stranger than usual. Was this really that bad for him?
"I've...never done this, before." Sora admitted, but he found himself caring about skipping school less and less. Maybe the thought of hanging out with Roxas instead had gotten to him.
"You seem to say that a lot, at least...around me, anyway." Roxas' comment came off as a bit bland, even if he hadn't meant for it to. What else was he even supposed to say? Observing Sora, he watched all of his expressions at the things he glanced at, ranging from vague curiosity to full-blown excitement. His child-like nature could very much irritate Roxas to no end, but seeing him like this...he didn't so much mind it. Caught up in his aesthetic, Roxas didn't even hear the words that Sora had spoken. Thankfully, he'd seen what Sora was pointing at and eagerly leading him over to. A cardboard box, of all things. Frowning a bit, Roxas decided to humor him- mostly because he had no idea what Sora had said and was already in too deep to ask for him to explain himself.
"Roxas, look!" Sora pointed down at the box, grinning ear-to-ear at Roxas.
"What am I supposed to be looking at, Sora?" Roxas honestly had no idea. It was a box.
"You don't see it?" Sora cocked his head to the side. Kneeling down, he pulled open the top and out popped a tiny, furry head. "Aww!" Already deciding he loved the animal, Sora fished the kitten out of the box while it promptly began to mew at him. Smiling down at the kitten, he pet it and enjoyed the softness/little nibbles it did on his finger. Laughing as it climbed onto his shoulder, the black animal was already growing on him. He really wanted to ask his mother if he could keep it- but he knew that A: He should be in school and not using a cellphone and B: She'd probably say 'no'.
"You're going to take that home with you?" Roxas had never been really one for animals- he just didn't see the appeal. Maybe it was because of the fact that none of them really seemed to like him, either. Why bother trying to adore something that would only show you spite?
"I wish I could...but I don't think my mom would let me." Sora shook his head, looking down at the kitten. "Do you want to try and hold him?" He'd been hogging the adorable little animal for all this time, and never once thought of if Roxas would like to hold it.
Roxas shook his head. "No. It wouldn't like me."
"Huh?" Sora's face displayed the skepticism of the phrase Roxas had just spoken. "How could animals not like anyone? They're so little, and full of love...they can't not like someone!"
Letting out a sigh, Roxas decided to show him his nerfed 'luck' when it came to animals. Kneeling down, he reached out and was instantly met with claws, hissing and the kittens hairs standing on end. While it retreated back to Sora's shoulder for a safe haven, Roxas inspected his now bleeding hand. "See? I told you. Animals hate me."
"He seems...really scared." Sora admitted, looking at the furious animal. Why did it react so badly?
"Some people say animals can judge whether a person is kind or not. They probably know the kind of person that I am and don't like me for it. I don't blame them." Roxas shrugged. His hand still stung a bit, but he decided to walk it off. Stepping back, he saw the instant change in the animal's demeanor- it instantly went back to a loving kitten once more.
"I don't think that's true at all!" Sora shook his head. "I just...I think he got scared, that's all! You're not a mean person, and he just...hasn't gotten to know you yet."
"And he never will." Roxas glared down at the animal. It acted perfectly 'normal' when it came to Sora, yet when he dared get within its proximity, the kitten lashed out and acted as if he were a dog, or threat to it in some way.
"You want to go, right?" Sora asked. "I have to go now, okay? I hope you find a home..." He gave it a sad, lasting look that sad 'farewell'. Pressing their foreheads together, he did his best to cheer up, even though he didn't want to part with the animal. Kissing it on the head, he placed it back in the box. Standing up and brushing himself off, Sora was a tad bit disappointed that they had to go, but he'd probably eventually get over it.
Running his fingers through his hair, Roxas factually knew he was going to hate himself and - more than likely - the rest of his days for the phrase he was about to speak, but he still felt like doing it, anyway. "You want it? Grab it."
"But-" Sora began to argue, as he felt there was no feasible way for him to have it, why should he do so?
"Just do it." Roxas instructed him, not having much patience for the matter. Obediently doing as he said, Sora grabbed the kitten who started to purr in his hands. Watching it crawl up to his head, he laughed when it decided to stay up there. "If I was a person who bothered with concepts of 'destiny' and things along that line, I'd have to say- this was meant to happen." Letting out a sigh, Roxas began walking.
"I still don't think I'll be able to keep him." Sora pointed out, still unsure of why Roxas told him to grab the kitten.
"I'll take him to my apartment. But you have to make me a promise-" Cutting himself off until did something to affirm he would promise Roxas, he waited.
Sora didn't hesitate for a moment. Nodding his head, he had no reason to refuse. "Anything."
"You have to come by and take care of him. I think we both know he already hates me, and I don't have the patience to try and bond with an animal that already has an opinion set in stone." Roxas factually knew he was doing this for a multitude of reasons, the first of which being Sora would be happy. The second was that this animal would take up a fair amount of his time. Third, he'd have little to no time to bother with this 'Vanitas' person. And number four: Glancing over at Sora, and watching how eternally happy he seemed to be with the kitten, Roxas just didn't have it in him to say 'no' and not allow him to have it. Maybe this is how Ventus felt when it came to Roxas over all these years of asking for things and getting them without any grief.
"I can do that! I promise, I will! No matter what, I'll come over every day!" Sora did his best to promise in a way that Roxas would believe him.
"I believe you." Roxas nodded. "Hang on." Stepping inside of a shop, he came out a few minutes later with all the basic necessities he believed the kitten would need. "Let's go." Walking a bit too close to Sora, the kitten once more hissed and attempted to paw him, so Roxas added more space between the pair. Narrowing his eyes at the kitten, it was lucky that it just so happened to fit the criteria for what he needed right now: a way to keep Sora away from that annoying boy.
"He'll come around...eventually." Sora spoke the words, though he wasn't quite sure if they'd actually come true or not- the kitten seemed adamant that Roxas keep a decent gap of distance between he and Sora.
Roxas shrugged. "I'm not offended, I factually don't care if it likes me, or not."
"How come?" Sora really wanted to know.
"Animals have always treated me this way. I learned that they don't care for me, and like I said before, I'm not willing to put in the work for something that obviously hates me. It's waste of time and effort." Roxas never met an animal whose mind he ended up changing, so what was the point?
"Sometimes...they need more time to warm up to people. He's probably scared because he's with strangers." Sora tried to reason with Roxas, though he knew it wasn't likely to end in his favor. For him, it seemed like the kitten acted just like Roxas- 'cold' and lashed out, because it just didn't know how to properly express itself. If given the time, then it would probably warm up to the blonde just as Roxas had to him. Though at times Sora couldn't say for certain if Roxas factually liked him, moments like this made it seem like he definitely did.
"He likes you." Roxas stated the obvious, shrugging his shoulders. Finally arriving at his apartment, he unlocked the front door and held it open for Sora. Promptly shutting it behind Sora, he strode to his actual door and unlocked it, trying to hurry Sora along. Roxas had no idea on whether or not he'd have to pay a pet deposit for the kitten, and if so- that wouldn't be a problem. Plopping the items down on his table, he glanced over at Sora and the kitten. "Got a name for it?"
"Not that I can think of." Sora brought the kitten down from its position on his head and stared at the now mewing black kitten. Its hazel eyes stared back at him, equally curious. "What do you remind me of...?"
"It's dark, so why don't you try names aligned with 'darkness'?" Roxas thought of a few obvious ones that came to mind.
"Like what?" Sora cocked his head to the side, petting the kitten and staring at Roxas.
"Artemis. Nyx. Onyx. Nocturna." Roxas stated a few obvious ones that came to mind. Even if some of them were belonging to deities, he suspected that they wouldn't so much mind.
Making the kitten face him, Sora tested out the names, one by one. "Artemis?" The kitten's ears perked up and he stared blankly at Sora. "Nyx?" Glancing away from him, it didn't seem too fond of the name. "Onyx?" Cocking its head to the side, it didn't have much of a response to the name. "Nocturna?" Mewing curiously at him, it seemed all of the names had struck out. "Hmm. What about...coal?"
"Cole?" Roxas frowned a bit. Sora was giving it a humans name?
Sora nodded. "Coal is black, right? So maybe it'll suit him." Testing out his choice in name, Sora was happy that the kitten seemed to adore its new name.
"Oh. You mean 'coal' not 'Cole'." Roxas was surprised to have been mistaken. Taking out the litter box, he quickly filled it with the contents of the litter bag he'd purchased and went about picking a right spot for it. After a few moments, he decided to place it in a secure spot: his hallway closet. The bowls for his food/water would clearly go in the kitchen, as it was easily accessible and where Roxas could manage his meals. Grabbing the collar he'd bought, he tossed it to Sora.
"Do you like the name?" Sora asked, placing the red collar around the kitten's neck.
"He seems to like it, so I guess it's fine." Roxas gave his approval. "Just don't get bored of him and move on to the next kitten to come your way." Taking a jab at him, he felt like torturing Sora a bit.
Sora knew that was more of a reference toward Vanitas than himself, so he flinched a bit. "I-I won't..." Promising, he stood up and placed the kitten down, walking over to Roxas. "Like I said..." Staring into Roxas' eyes, he hoped that he believed him. "That wasn't my fault, and I hope that you believe me."
"Sora." Roxas firmly stated his name, frowning a bit. "If he ever kisses you in front of me again, or tries to pull any of the stunts that he did in our English class- I'm going to break his nose." He wanted to make his intentions on the matter very clear. Vanitas had thrown down a challenge, and Roxas wasn't going to back down.
"Why would you have to go that far?" Sora was a bit puzzled. "You don't have to hurt him. What happened today won't happen again."
"You're right- it won't." Roxas was adamant on that fact. Why was he being so possessive, over Sora? Why did it piss him off so much to see another boy dare to do those things with Sora? With all of the people he'd ever met, he'd never had this amount of jealousy over any of them. And yet, this one individual seemed to have him doing things that he ordinarily wouldn't. For all intensive purposes, of course any person who was from the outside looking in would automatically say it was because Roxas adored/liked Sora. But Roxas was either in extreme denial, or he literally had no clue on what the dynamic between them was- this was an entirely new situation for him. He'd never had a 'boyfriend' or a boy he had physical contact with, until Sora.
Sora felt like it was a threat, and wasn't so sure if aimed at him or not. Though Roxas did come off as a bit 'scary', he didn't seem to be angry with Sora, so he assumed - rightly - that it had been meant for someone else. "I-I'll do my best!" All he could factually do was promise, but Sora had absolutely no idea who wanted to kiss him...it always came off as a surprise! And...everyone who seemed interested, was male.
Roxas scoff/laughed. Not to mock Sora's attempt at being bold, but at the prospect that he'd try to have a guard when his was so low all the time. "I'm serious, Sora- I'll break their nose, if they try it."
Sora would have argued, but he saw that Roxas was absolutely serious about the threat, and decided there was no point in him saying otherwise. He hated the idea of someone getting beaten up, especially for his sake. Shutting his eyes, he assumed that if Roxas wasn't looking directly at him, and vise-versa that he'd actually be able to speak up on how he felt. About to speak, he felt Roxas' hand on his cheek, and instantly his speech left him. Sora had an idea of what was to come, and he felt uneasy: accelerated heartbeat, slight heat on his face, knees shaking, palms sweating- the complete opposite of his encounter with Vanitas.
An eternity seemed to pass until Sora felt the meeting of their lips. On contact, Sora felt a chill making its way down his spine. His head felt 'cloudy' and Sora had no room left for useless thoughts of Vanitas/idle threats Roxas had for the male if he dared attempt what had been done today.
"Let's skip art." Roxas honestly wasn't even in the mood to go back to school. Besides, that unpleasant boy was there.
"You want to miss art...?" Sora opened his eyes and stared up at Roxas. Missing English was one thing, as there was absolutely no possibility of them being able to get back into the classroom/do the work. But miss art? Namine was in there, and she made classes with her so much fun- he hated to not know what kind of new thing they'd be doing as well as not seeing whatever grande masterpiece she was producing this time around. He swore, if she was even half as talented as she was in art- he'd never take it for granted.
"What?" Roxas scoffed a bit. "You think we're going to miss some big assignment?"
"Well...no, but...Namine." Sora wasn't so sure that he'd like to miss art class.
Roxas shrugged his shoulders. "You can go if you want to, Sora. But I'm staying here. And you can stay with me, if you want to." Knowing fully well that Sora wouldn't want to abandon a friend, but would also like to stay in his apartment, especially with his new companion- Roxas left the decision entirely up to him. As he began to walk into the living room, he heard the words he'd been waiting for.
"I'll stay."
Smiling a bit to himself, Roxas factually felt a lot more at ease knowing that Sora wouldn't be playing victim to anymore nonsense/prospective love interests for the remainder of the day.
"You gonna stand there all day? Come on." Roxas waved him over, and after a moment of indecision, he sighed and walked to Sora, grabbed his hand and brought him into the living room. The kitten followed them eagerly, and jumped on Sora's lap, forcing Roxas to keep at least a cushion's distance on the couch. Narrowing his eyes at Coal, Roxas found him to be just as irritating as Vanitas- except he couldn't do anything about this annoyance. Sora was already attached to this one, and an excuse of 'he ran outside' or 'escaped' wouldn't cut it- the cat hated him, and Sora knew he cared little for the animal.
Watching Coal cuddle into Sora's lap, purring and eventually falling asleep, Sora seemed perfectly content in the moment. Deciding to try and inch his way over, the kitten instantly woke up and hissed/spat in Roxas' direction, making it very clear that the blonde wasn't going to be anywhere near his newfound master. Frowning, Roxas looked at Sora. "Did I mention that I hate this cat?"
Sora couldn't resist a small laugh. "I think you might've said something like that."