Chapter 9: And it drove me wild
Roxas honestly couldn't believe it. How was he supposed to? There was far too much unpleasantness surrounding him and anything 'good' always went South before he had a chance to properly handle things. But right now, in this moment, he was happy and felt relief. Hugging the other male, Roxas smiled once the gesture had ended up and he stepped back. "You're actually here."
"I am." Ventus smiled and nodded at Roxas, letting out a small laugh and scratching the back of his head. "It's been a long time little brother."
"Too long." Roxas readily agreed with him. "Aren't you going to come in?" Roxas asked, standing aside and giving Ventus room to move past him and place his things inside the apartment.
"I was waiting for an invitation." Ventus joked lightly, ruffling Roxas' messy blond hair on his way inside with his bag. His little brother had gotten taller in Ventus' absence. But he supposed that couldn't be helped what with their age difference and the fact that he'd gone to a higher form of education so periodical, sporadic visits like these were the best he could manage. And what with their parents wanting him to come by almost as much as Roxas, well, it was safe to say that Ventus' dance card was very full. In truth, he didn't so much mind his hectic schedule, as the pressure fueled his drive to complete every task currently in his way. Glancing over his shoulder at the stoic Roxas, Ventus had a question. "Where should I put this?" He asked, motioning to the bag as Roxas shut the front door.
"First door on the left. You can take my room." Roxas didn't mind sleeping out in the living room on the couch and giving up his bed to his brother. At least it would just be the two of them in the house without some tedious arrangement that'd leave them at the mercy of some 'I can't go into this area, because _ is sleeping' or whatever it may be. That was one of the reasons why Roxas didn't miss living near relatives- it was too annoying not being able to do anything and feel comfortable because it wasn't your home and therefore felt like you had to walk on eggshells.
"Are you sure?" Ventus asked, he didn't want to make Roxas do something he might not enjoy. To his knowledge there was a living area not too far off, and another room so the two of them could have their own privacy or merely share a sleeping space for the time being. There wouldn't be much of a big deal or end of the world if they shared a room, as they'd done it since childhood. Being the 'older [cousin, brother]' Ventus had just gotten accustomed to Roxas sleeping in his bed.
"Yeah. You can take it." Roxas didn't hesitate in the slightest. That is, until he heard the 'mew' of the kitten Sora and he had encountered a few days ago which was now living with him. The black kitten lovingly brushed against Ventus' shoes and the bottoms of his pant legs, the kitten furiously purring while seeking attention from the identical blond male. Anyone that managed to see the whole ordeal wouldn't have any factual clue as to why it hated Roxas yet loved someone who aside from height differences didn't appear to be another person. That is, if they were from the outside looking in and had no factual idea how polar opposite Roxas and Ventus could be.
"You got a cat!" Ventus was in awe of the kitten, carefully draping the strap of his bag down his arm and dropping it to the ground so as to not harm the kitten. Stooping down, he picked up the black male kitten and stroked his fur gently, chuckling at the constant purrs it gave him as in indication that it enjoyed his company.
"Not exactly." Roxas noticed the questioning look on Ventus' face and felt like he had to explain a few things. "Remember when I told you about that vulgar, stupid fu-" Stopping short when he saw Ventus frown at his obscenities to a black haired boy who would remain unnamed in the now, Roxas revised it a bit. "The short version is that he pissed me off, and Sora and I found the kitten on the day that we skipped school and I agreed to keep it." Averting his eyes, Roxas didn't want Ventus to spin it into some sort of 'you were jealous and did this as a bribe' dribble.
"Roxas. Were you jealous?" Ventus had to ask and momentarily stopped playing with the kitten so that he could interrogate his little brother further.
"Who's jealous?" Roxas scoffed, looking Ventus directly in the eyes. "Because that prick decided to kiss Sora in front of me? Talked down to me like he knew anything about me? Decided to be all 'buddy buddy' with Sora on his first day in school? Or the fact that I want to break his nose and show him exactly what a combination of Ba Ji Quan, Taekwondo and Karate could do to a person?" Roxas made sure to convey properly through his tone of voice that he was serious about wanting to beat up Vanitas.
Watching Roxas' fist shake by his side, Ventus was so surprised by his actions. He adopted a kitten for this boy, wanted to beat up another student on Sora's behalf and got this worked up over him? "Rpxas. how do you feel about Sora? You like him as more than just a 'friend', don't you? At the very least you could admit he's someone important to you. Important enough that you'd even go so far as to fight someone else for showing an interest in him." Ventus used the word 'interest' lightly as Roxas had said that Vanitas kissed him.
"I...I don't know." Roxas admitted. "And that's a real answer. I don't know how to explain it, even if you ask me to." Sighing and running his hand through his hair, Roxas wished he could give a simple answer to Ventus, but all he could give was bogus one-liners. "He's slept over, Ven. He slept over that weekend, when our misunderstanding happened. I also let him borrow some of my clothes, taught him a bit of Taekwondo and Ba Ji Quan. That kitten? It's...I guess you could call it 'ours' but it's Sora's. We found it on our way home from school, and Sora said that he'd probably not be able to keep it, and the dumb look on his face made me want to get it for him. It hates me. I don't really care for it, at all. And Sora seems to like both of us and seems to be caught in the middle." Finding himself almost babbling, Roxas wished that Ventus would give him a keen insight on things. At the very least, spell things out clearly.
"You sound confused." Ventus registered that fact immediately. Whether or not this was Roxas' first 'big love' only time could tell. Objectively, he wondered if this would end up being a good situation for Roxas, he seemed to be compromising a few aspects of himself that he normally wouldn't for just about anyone, and maybe it would help him 'better himself' with others. "I wish there was something I could do to help you."
"You're going to be here for a while, and I don't need you to baby me." Roxas reminded him of the obvious. Though his first reaction was to brush off Ventus' thoughts with a cold remark, he was grateful for the concern his brother had for him. Even if Ventus knew what he meant - as opposed - to what he actually expressed, Roxas wished he was a better person. One who could say 'sorry' and not out of reflex and actually mean it. People always thought of him as a cold individual because he'd been so bad at gratuities and apologies to the point of almost never saying them. Only those close to him factually knew what was meant to be said without being spoken aloud.
"Who said I want to 'baby' you? I just want to see what kind of boy has got your feathers ruffled. You said you wanted to beat a boy up over him, and it seems like you're really going out of your comfort zone for him, Roxas- and that's not necessarily a bad thing. He could be the best or worst thing for you. If he doesn't understand what's going on around him, and is like you believe him to be, then I think you're going to have to spell it out for him...otherwise, you're the one getting hurt. And I don't want to see you get invested into something that may or may not work out. This could be your first epic love...and I'd hate to see it not work out." The best that Ventus could do in this type of situation was tell Roxas his thoughts on things and hope he didn't somehow manage to offend his little brother in some form or other.
"It seems like you've put a lot of thought into this- more than I have." Roxas remarked, trying to play it off as a smaller issue than it truly was. "He just thinks he likes me- he doesn't even know me at all. It's naive to say you could know someone for such a short amount of time and develop feelings for them. Besides, he's dense, and like you said, I'd have to do a lot of spelling things out for him." Ignoring the term 'love' from Ventus, Roxas decided that glossing over it as opposed to acknowledging it would be best.
"If that were true- then why go through all of this effort? Think about it." Ventus said, smiling at Roxas as he entered the room his little brother said he could have for the time being. For all intensive purposes, he knew that at the very least Roxas had to know he was saying the truth.
"I don't know why. At first it was just fun intimidating him and watching the way that he'd react to the things that I did. Now? Things are a little more 'complicated' now and that's just the simplified version." How could someone rationalize the things he'd done to Sora? For him, it had been in a bid to keep him at arms length and even scare off the brunette boy who decided that they were to be friends. How was he supposed to know that Sora seemed to have homosexual tendencies/inclinations beneath it all? Not to mention the fact that attached to him was a behemoth of a silver haired ass who decided to play the 'mom' role?
"So you bullied him?" Ventus raised a brow and folded his arms while leaning against the wall and staring down Roxas. His intention wasn't exactly to 'ball him out' so much as make Roxas feel some inclination of guilt.
"If you had a random person and his friends that you didn't want to bother with doing everything they could to invade your personal space and try to be 'friends' with you no matter how many times you clarified that you weren't interested and they just wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, what would you do?" Roxas asked, frowning at Ventus and daring him to come up with a proper exit strategy/reaction to the situation he'd been put through.
"Politely tell them that I'm not interested in pursuing a friendship with them and thank them for their interest in me." Ventus said matter-of-factly.
"And if that didn't work?" Roxas countered him.
"Sternly tell them."
"And that?"
"Then I guess I'd just have to go in guns'-a-blazing and knock a few heads together then end up in detention and likely suspended, wouldn't I?" Ventus asked with a straight face and in a serious manner. Smiling at Roxas, he couldn't help the small laugh that escaped. "I'm not saying that you have to be a pacifist, Roxas- I'm saying you should pick and choose your battles. Does everything have to get physical?"
Roxas couldn't help joining in the laughter. Maybe he'd pushed a few buttons he shouldn't have. "It does when I'm dealing with idiots who get in my way." Roxas shrugged.
"Aren't there far too many 'idiots' who 'get in your way'?" Ventus asked.
"Usually? Yeah." Roxas honestly couldn't think of a day going by that he wasn't pissed off by some tedious idiot trying to start drama with him for some reason. People could generally always be irritating and he factually hated being around them for extended periods of time. Was it his fault? Not really. He did his best to steer clear of people. But somehow people always flocked around him.
Ventus would have said more, but Roxas was factually very stubborn and likely wouldn't give up the fact that he was 'right' on the matter and somehow everyone else was in the 'wrong'. "So what are we doing today? Hanging out with your friends... meeting your... friend Sora?" Carefully choosing and emphasizing the word 'friend' when it came to Sora, Ventus was lightly hazing the younger blond. He didn't expect him to do something like blush or get frazzled but give his own 'Roxas' reaction to things.
Roxas narrowed his eyes a bit. "Why'd you say it like that?"
"I think we both know why I said it like that." Ventus smiled. About to rebuttal, Roxas was cut off by a knock at the door. Sending each other confused looks, Ventus wondered why Roxas didn't say anything to him. "Were you expecting someone?"
"I don't think so." Roxas shook his head.
"I'll get it." Ventus spoke up, striding over to the door. Since he was closest, it was honestly the least he could do. Opening the door, he felt the kitten move and laughed a bit as it climbed into his hair. Momentarily distracted, he forgot someone was waiting until he heard a noise and met eyes with the shorter stranger. "Hello." Ventus smiled kindly at the other male.
"Wow! He likes you now!" Sora said in awe, staring up at 'Roxas' and the kitten. Grinning ear to ear he grabbed Ventus' hands and excitedly stood in the doorway with the strangely acting blond. Ventus was staring down at him as if he and Sora were somehow perfect strangers and he couldn't exactly figure out why. Did he do something wrong?
"..." Ventus felt like there was a misunderstanding, but how was he to go about setting things straight? Glancing over at Roxas, he couldn't tell if he was enjoying or annoyed by the situation.
Seeing him avert his eyes, Sora let go of Ventus' hands and his smile faded away. "Did I... do something wrong?" Bowing his head, Sora felt awkward now. Maybe he should have called or something before coming over.
"No! You didn't do anything wrong!" Ventus held his hands up in surrender. Frantically trying to think of something to do, he decided to comfort the sad, shorter male by hugging him. Honestly he wasn't sure what else to do since he hardly if ever made someone upset and he'd never seen someone who was Roxas' age get this visibly upset. Talk about bad first impressions- this wasn't the way he intended to meet Roxas' not-boyfriend Sora. He'd get to know more about the boy he'd heard very one-sided views about and get the other half of the story from the person who seemed to be just about as if not more stubborn than his little brother. Honestly, Ventus never thought he'd hear of someone forcing Roxas to be friends with them let alone the fact that Roxas had a keen interest in this person too. But seeing as the circumstances were as they had been they'd just have to make the best of a bad situation.
"You mean it?" Sora asked, surprised that he'd been hugged.
"Yeah." Ventus nodded, relieved that Sora now seemed to be fine.
"I was worried for a second that you might be mad at me." Sora admitted. "I'm glad that you're not."
"I don't see why he would be mad at you." Roxas spoke up, startling Sora. Despite his amusement on the misunderstandings between both Ventus/Sora he wouldn't let him off the hook easily. Having his arms folded and frowning at the pair, he wondered how terrified the brunette must have been by now.
"W-wh- huh?" Sora asked, confused as he stared from Roxas to Ventus and vice versa. They looked almost identical and sounded very similar. Looking at Ventus he saw that his outfit was definitely a 'lighter' variant that wasn't quite as gloomy as Roxas' could be. As far as he could tell that was about the only difference he could find between the pair of them. Well, that and the fact that Ventus was smiling as opposed to Roxas' frown.
"Sora, Ventus. Ventus, Sora." Roxas introduced the pair, leaning against the wall and staring at the embarrassing way both of them had met. Though he hadn't initially wanted the two of them to meet under such interesting circumstances, Roxas evidently had no choice. Oh well. At least that was out of the way.
"It's so nice to meet you!" Ventus smiled at Sora, though he felt like the two of them had already progressed beyond such things. Although the initial meeting was semi-awkward, Ventus had to say it was nice to meet this mystery friend of Roxas' he'd heard so much about.
"Y-you too!" Sora readily agreed, smiling up at Ventus as he scratched the back of his head. Feeling his cheeks get hot, he'd honestly never felt so embarrassed.
Ventus was surprised by the reaction he'd received from Sora. He seemed like the type who wasn't afraid to show exactly what he was feeling. Honest people like him were hard to come by. Honestly, it wasn't hard to wonder why Roxas liked him- he was cute. A little unnerved by his own thoughts on Sora, Ventus averted his eyes and scratched the back of his head, feeling a slight warmth on his cheeks as well. "Yeah..." He agreed, holding his smile that turned into more of a grin.
Alright, things had gotten a little too... homoerotic for Roxas' liking. Since when did Ventus get all weird around guys, anyway? To his knowledge Ventus wasn't gay. Maybe Sora had that effect on people? There was no way that he'd have to explain to their parents that one of his classmates had turned his older brother gay. Besides, wasn't Ventus on a mission to meddle in what he assumed to be a relationship between Roxas/Sora? Walking over to the pair, he grabbed Sora's hand and dragged him off to the living room. Frowning the entire way, he gently placed - forced - Sora to sit on the couch. Sitting directly beside him, he honestly hated getting so worked up. How could he manage to be so petty over other boys around Sora, even Ventus? "Why'd you come over?" Although he didn't mean to ask in a rude/harsh tone of voice, he managed to do just that.
"I uh, I wanted to come by and see you." Sora admitted, still a little uneasy from the way Roxas was acting. He'd been fine one moment and now he seemed to be angry for some unknown reason. Maybe now was a bad time to come by. Sitting on the very edge of the cushion, Sora fidgeted with his hands and pondered whether or not he should say that he'd come back at some undetermined time. He didn't exactly want to be in the line of fire when it came to Roxas, and wasn't sure if such a thing could set him off.
"Could've done with a little better timing." Roxas pointedly stated the obvious. Feeling Ventus' gaze on him, he looked up and saw him staring at the duo. Averting his eyes, Roxas knew very well that he'd been 'harsh' toward Sora- he didn't need to get the third degree from Ventus as well.
"I'll go." Sora stood up and was honestly grateful Roxas had given him an 'out'. It felt awkward. Though he felt like sprinting before the offer was taken away, Sora stopped dead in his tracks when he came face-to-face with Ventus. "It was really nice to meet you!"
"You too!" Ventus couldn't help smiling when Sora sent one his way.
"I'll, uh... I'll see you later!" Sora said, waving as he strode to the door.
Ventus stared after Sora for a moment then turned his attentions over to Roxas. "What are you waiting for?" He asked, frowning at Roxas.
"What?" Roxas asked, unfamiliar with Ventus' heated gaze on him. Usually it was the other way around and since Ven was such a pushover he'd honestly just go along with whatever Roxas wanted so it'd stop.
"Go after him." Ventus was a little surprised he had to spell things out for Roxas. He'd honestly been so rude to Sora for reasons unknown to Ventus.
"He said he'll come back later." Roxas didn't know why Ventus was trying to push for him to follow Sora.
"Either you go after him or I will." Ventus said what he thought would be enough incentive for Roxas to get up and chase after Sora. Even though they'd met under such strange circumstances, Ventus factually liked Sora from the short amount of time they'd spent together and wouldn't mind being in his company for a while longer.
"Go ahead." Roxas brushed him off, still annoyed from earlier events to follow after Sora.
"Fine." Ventus wouldn't argue with him anymore. Roxas was too stubborn and wouldn't let up no matter what he did anyway. Going to the front landing, Ventus grabbed his shoes and hurriedly slipped them on then headed out the door. Glancing around in both directions, he figured Sora didn't have much of a lead on him and at the very least there was a 50% chance he'd run into the brunette somewhere along the way. The only problem he had was Ventus didn't know if he should go left or right. Maybe he should have asked where Sora lived. That would have been smart. Looking to the left, he shook his head. He might have had a lead, but it wasn't so much that he'd be completely out of sight. Opting to go to the right, Ventus just started running and hoped he'd find him.
Going through a small forest-like path, Ventus eventually stumbled upon Sora who seemed to have been running himself. "Hey!" Ventus said in-between catching his breaths. He honestly hoped that he hadn't spooked Sora into thinking some wild animal or strange person was coming to get him. Obviously that had been the opposite of his intentions, but Sora didn't seem spooked. Maybe a little bit 'startled' but not exactly afraid.
"Roxas...?" Sora asked, looking up and staring at Ventus while wearing a puzzled expression. His tone of voice made it seem like he was a bit hopeful this blond boy was in fact Roxas even though he figured the chances of him factually chasing after him were slim to none at this point. Roxas seemed a bit 'irritated' today and Sora couldn't really tell why. Hadn't he been excited that Ventus was coming?
"No. Sorry." Ventus shook his head, offering an apologetic expression to Sora. "I tried to get him to come after you but he refused. He can be... difficult at times and most people just think he's being a 'jerk'." He didn't know why per se he was trying to explain things to Sora. He'd met Roxas and still somehow formed some sort of relationship with him that wasn't exactly 'friends' but didn't seem like 'lovers' either. Maybe they were somewhere in between. In either case he didn't think that Roxas could properly be involved with someone until he got rid of that selfishness he'd always had.
"I don't think he's a jerk- I just... sometimes he can get irritated is all." Sora readily defended Roxas from being labeled anything bad.
Ventus smiled. "He's lucky to have found someone like you."
"Like me?" Sora asked, scratching the back of his head and smiling at Ventus. "I don't think he's lucky at all... I think I'm the lucky one for having met him!" Sora tried to not sound as excited as he did, but it was hard not to. "Ever since I met him I've been doing really fun, interesting things! Roxas is also really smart and he helps me in all of my classes... he's even helped me to understand math and get a good grade! He's shown me a whole new world and... and..." Stumbling to find more things about him to rave about to his older brother. Though he was rambling and readily trying to defend Roxas, Sora knew that Ventus likely already knew all of this.
Ventus was pleasantly surprised at that statement. "You really like him Sora, don't you?" He asked, watching as Sora immediately stopped dead in his tracks and the slightest blush crept across his face. Bingo. At the very least he now knew that Sora reciprocated Roxas' feelings. And he could freely give both of them gentle 'pushes' in the right direction.
"Uh... yeah." Sora nodded. "He's a great friend."
"Is that all he is to you?" Ventus asked, continuing to walk along the path with Sora.
Sora was surprised by his statement. "I, uh..." Sora was honestly stumbling to find him a proper answer. It was hard to be put on the spot like that.
"You don't have to answer- I'm just being nosy." Ventus explained, smiling at Sora. "I'm glad that the two of you could be friends. Roxas, he- he's had a hard life. The things that he's gone through can make him a little 'difficult' at times, and most people just brush it off as him being rude. You're the first person I've heard him talk about in a long time. I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you." A little unsure of how many details he'd recounted to Sora and what he was factually comfortable with Ventus sharing he'd just try to explain things a little bit.
"Really?" Sora asked, a little uneasy at being given a gratuity on someone's behalf. Was it really that big of a deal that he and Roxas were friends? "I uh, do you maybe want to go hang out somewhere?" A little unsure of how long Ventus wanted to hang around with him, Sora wondered if he wouldn't mind at the very least having a little fun together.
"Sure." Ventus was glad that he'd at least have the chance to get to know him a little better. "I haven't been in town before so you'll have to lead the way." From what he'd seen it appeared to be a relatively nice place to live.
"In that case, do you mind if we meet up with a few friends?" Sora wasn't sure on whether or not Ventus had accounted for just the two of them hanging out together or wanted to meet up with other people.
"The more the merrier!" Ventus smiled, glad to know that Sora wanted other people to join in. "I'd like to meet some of your and Roxas' friends!" Watching the reaction he received from Sora, Ventus guessed that Roxas factually didn't have much or any friends at all. He figured as much but decided to give it a shot to find out whether or not his little brother was getting along with people.
"A-about that..." Sora spoke up, shuffling his feet and fidgeting his fingers while avoiding eye contact with Ventus. "He-"
"Doesn't have any?" Ventus interrupted him since he saw how much of a hard time Sora was having trying to come clean to Ventus. "That's okay. I'd still like to meet your friends! I'm sure he's met them as well so I'd like to see them."
"Okay!" Sora nodded enthusiastically to Ventus. He was glad that he seemed to be easily got along with. No wonder Roxas liked him. "Do you like ice-cream?"
"I do." Ventus nodded, smiling and seeing where this was going. So he liked sweets? From his build you wouldn't have guessed.
"Great! Then I know just where to go! Come on!" Sora grabbed Ventus' hand and began leading him to downtown where he knew they could get ice-cream together. Roxas had never had sea-salt ice-cream before and so Sora figured that Ventus had also been denied the tasty treat.
Ventus was in awe at how straight forward Sora could be with someone. Especially a person he'd just met. He honestly could see why Roxas had an interest in this person. Smiling as the scenery passed both of them by and they eventually ended up at the ice-cream store, Ventus was already enjoying himself without having done much.
"Here we are!" Sora smiled as he spoke up, breaking Ventus' thoughts.
"Y-yeah." Ventus nodded, looking around the shopping district both of them had arrived at. "Ice-cream, right?" He asked, trying to remember what the two of them were doing.
"Yep! You gotta try sea-salt ice-cream! It's really good!" Sora really wanted to see that moment when Ventus tried it out like Roxas had. Would they have the same reaction?
"Okay." Ventus nodded, both of them looking to the vendor. "Sea-salt ice-cream."
"Make that two!" Sora piped up after him, taking out his wallet.
"No need. I'll get it." Ventus paid for the popsicles as they were held out to the boys.
"Thank you." Sora said to the vendor and to Ventus.
"No problem." Ventus stared at his light blue tinted treat with wonder and flashed Sora a quick smile. "Any idea where your friends are?"
"They should be somewhere around here. Wanna sit down?" Sora asked, pointing at a nearby bench.
"Sure." Ventus nodded, walked with Sora hand-in-hand as either boy barely acknowledged the fact that they were still holding hands. Glancing down at the treat once more, he decided to see what was so special about this sea-salt ice-cream. Bringing it to his lips, he tested out a small lick. "Wow!" Surprise made its way across his face as Ventus had to admit that it was just about the best thing he'd ever had. "You were right- this is amazing!" Although he wanted to savor the treat, Ventus found a hard time being able to do so as he was taking bites out of the the way that Ventus was devouring his ice-cream, Sora couldn't help the grin and the laughter that escaped. Barely able to eat his sea-salt ice-cream, small droplets of the popsicle dripped their way down his hand.
Ventus shot Sora a questioning look and the brunette spoke up. "You ate it just like Roxas did his first time!" Sora explained.
"Oh." Ventus couldn't help laughing with him. "He really enjoyed it, huh?"
Sora nodded his head. "Yeah, he did."
"I can't really blame him. These things are good. But they don't last long." Ventus said, just as he'd finished his while Sora barely started eating his.
"He also finished way before me." Sora let out a small chuckle. "How about we share?" Taking a lick, Sora offered it over to Ventus.
"Are you sure?" Ventus asked, wanting to make double sure that Sora was willing to part with something so delicious and share it with someone else.
"Yep!" Sora didn't hesitate at all.
"Well, alright." Ventus took him up on the offer and shared the dessert with Sora. A little ashamed at his lack of self-control, Ventus was glad that Sora opted to share with him when he ran out of his. Glancing over at Sora, he could see that he was enjoying himself and Ventus was happy that he'd probably gotten over the encounter he'd had with Roxas. It was very clear to him that his little brother needed him- these two would likely never get together if he kept treating him the way that he did.
"It seems that we've run out." Sora said, almost disappointed when it was all gone.
"It seems so." Ventus agreed, the duo smiling at one another. "So, what now?"
"I'm not really sure." Sora admitted, trying to think of something the two of them could do together.
"You two seem to be getting along well." Namine commented with a smile as she approached the duo, smiling at Sora then Ventus whom she believed to be Roxas. Staring down at their still joined hands, she figured that they'd gotten particularly close.
"I'm glad that you're having fun!" Kairi piped up after her, smiling at Sora and Ventus. 'Roxas' appeared to be happy for some reason. Were the two of them on a date?
Riku grunted and nodded to Sora but glared at Ventus whom he mistook for Roxas.
"Hey guys!" Sora was glad they'd showed up in the nick of time.
"Hello!" Ventus chimed in after him. "You're Sora's friends, right?" He asked, though it was a relatively obvious and redundant question, Ventus was just a little excited to meet them.
"Huh? You don't remember us?" Namine asked, confused as she pointed from herself to Kairi to Riku. Was he being forgetful or just rude to the trio?
"I'm not buying it." Riku scoffed. Still glaring at Ventus, he glanced down at their hands and got even more annoyed.
"Guys, he-" Sora piped up but Ventus shook his head.
"It's okay. They just think I'm someone else is all." Ventus followed Riku's gaze and let go of Sora's hand. The two of them were still holding hands? How embarrassing. Standing up, he smiled at the trio. "I'm Ventus- Roxas' brother! It's so nice to meet you all." Introducing himself he held out his hand to each of Sora's respective friends. Kairi and Namine easily accepted the offer but Riku still seemed to have trouble buying it.
"Nice to meet you!" Kairi spoke up.
"Lovely to meet you." Namine agreed with a smile.
"It's true!" Sora vouched for Ventus and stood up beside his new friend. "He's Roxas' brother in town and visiting!" Protesting Riku's angry look and rude treatment of Ventus, he really wanted his friend to give him a fair chance. Well, that and to stop being rude to Roxas and the two of them to quit fighting but for now he'd settle for treating Ventus nicely.
"If you say so." Riku spoke up, knowing fully well that Sora didn't lie. Although some of his behaviors had come to change since meeting Roxas, he hadn't noticed anything quite as drastic to think his friend would be trying to deceive him. "Are you twins?" Riku felt inclined to ask since he was looking at what appeared to be Roxas' doppelganger.
"Uh, no, actually. It's kind of a funny story." Ventus laughed a bit while scratching the back of his head. "Our fathers were twins so that's why Roxas and I look identical at first glance. I guess you'd have to know us to tell the difference, but for the most part we do dress differently." While Roxas might have preferred darker, gloomy colors, Ventus preferred lighter tones and typically sweaters that didn't have hoods to hide from others.
"So you have different dads then?" Namine asked, trying to keep up with Ventus' story.
Ventus nodded to her question. "And different moms. Technically we're 'cousins' but we've always been really close. More like siblings than cousins, really." He didn't really feel it was his place to mention the accident that happened during Roxas' adolescence to people he'd just met, but Sora seemed to clue in more than the others. Had Roxas told him about what happened?
"It sounds like the two of you were lucky to have each other." Kairi spoke up, smiling at Ventus. Was he the older one? He seemed to be relatively more outgoing and friendly than Roxas but she supposed some people were just different that way.
"Yeah we definitely were." Ventus felt old bitter memories attempting to come to the surface but for the moment was able to keep them at bay. "Hey, how about we go off and do something fun together? Sora and I were just waiting for you three to arrive when he introduced me to sea-salt ice-cream."
"Really?" Kairi and Namine asked in tandem, astounded that someone had managed to never have the popular treat before. Ventus nodded to their reaction, finding it funny that Sora had reacted in the same manner.
"Roxas hadn't had it either until I showed it to him." Sora piped up, wondering what they were all going to do.
"Was this before or after you were locked up in your room for a day?" Riku still wouldn't let up on the fact that he disliked Roxas. The two of them had been feuding for a good while already and he honestly wasn't going to end up giving in before that blond brat.
Flinching at the question, Sora had completely forgotten about those bitter memories until Riku had brought up the subject. Namine, Kairi and Ventus all took notice of Sora's reaction. "Hey, I heard there's an amusement park around here somewhere. How about we all go there?" Changing the subject, Ventus hoped it would offer some reprieve.
"Yeah, let's go!" Namine spoke up before the others could and began leading the group toward the amusement park. Flashing a worried look at Sora then to Kairi, both girls wondered what they could do to make him feel better.
"Do you think he's fighting with Roxas? Riku also seems to be a little bit grumpy with him." Kairi whispered to Namine, trying her best to be quiet so that the three boys wouldn't manage to hear them.
"It's definitely a possibility. But I thought Riku and Sora had resolved their issues?" Namine asked, slightly confused.
"I guess it's since Ventus looks like a certain someone that it sparked up old feelings." Kairi tried to rationalize the way that Riku was acting.
"Hopefully this doesn't end in a fight." Namine sighed, hoping that they could just learn to get along. It didn't seem like Roxas was going anywhere and Riku would have to get used to that fact.
Ventus couldn't help but to overhear their conversation even though both girls were doing their best to hide it to spare the feelings of both boys. It seemed that Riku/Roxas had more than just a simple 'dislike' for one another. "Any ideas on what we should do first?" Trying to cheer up Sora and talk over the girls to give them a little more privacy, he looked to the brunette for any ideas he might currently have.
Thinking it over for a few moments, Sora perked up and pointed at the ferris wheel as they finally caught sight of the amusement park. "How about there?" He asked, waiting for any reactions from anyone, though more specifically from Ventus.
"Sure! It looks like fun!" Ventus was glad he didn't have a fear of heights otherwise he'd be torn between his phobia and pleasing his new friend. "How about we race?"
"You're on!" Sora grinned, gleefully accepting the request.
Sora and Ventus easily surpassed the rest of the group and sped off toward the park. Head-to-head in their race, Ventus and Sora were both enjoying themselves as their goal hastily came into view. Slowing himself down a bit, Ventus let Sora get the lead out of habit from competing with Roxas. Arriving at the ticket booth a second behind him, he smiled as he took second place. "You beat me."
"You let me win, didn't you?" Sora had picked up on the fact that Ventus suddenly began to slow down just before they had made it to the ticket booth.
"That obvious, huh?" Ventus asked, smiling and scratching the back of his head. "Roxas can be a little... competitive as you likely know, and I've learned it's better to just let him win when we're in competitions together."
"He gets mad if he loses, huh?" Sora asked, letting out a small, understanding laugh of nervousness. He made a mental note of the fact that he had to let Roxas win when they were in competition. "I don't mind losing- so long as we can all have fun together what else matters?"
"I'm not sure much else." Ventus agreed with him, glad that Sora was such a good sport. Getting in line for tickets, the two of them waited patiently for his friends to catch up and to finally progress to the point that they could buy. Several minutes later they were joined by Kairi, Namine and Riku. The girls seemed short of breath but Riku had slowed down his pace to the point that they could relatively stick together.
"Hey guys!" Sora smiled happily at the trio.
"You couldn't have waited?" Riku asked, though he was glad his friend had so much fun with Ventus to the point that he seemed really chipper like he usually was as opposed to how gloomy Roxas could make him feel.
"I uh, I kinda got a little carried away... sorry." Sora scratched the back of his head and offered an apologetic smile to his friend.
"It's fine." Riku shrugged his shoulders, smiling at Sora. Though he liked to give him a hard time he was glad to see that his friend was doing well.
"You guys are fast." Kairi commented, still trying to catch her breaths.
"I... this... is why... I don't do gym..." Namine panted, arms on her thighs as she leaned forward and tried to steady her breaths. It wasn't really much of an exaggeration to say she didn't have an athletic bone in her body.
"Sorry about that!" Ventus smiled and laughed a bit. Maybe they'd both gotten carried away in their competition. Progressing to the front of the line, Ventus bought a bundle of tickets and handing off equal amounts to everyone. He figured since he'd intruded on their plans and was hanging arounf these people for the first time he may as well pay for the evening.
"Thanks." Each of them showed Ventus their own form of gratuity for the tickets and the group progressed onward.
"Ferris wheel, right?" Ventus asked, making double sure Sora wanted to go on the ride.
"Yep!" Sora eagerly bobbed his head up and down.
"Alright." Ventus and the others got in line and waited their turn to enter the cars of the ferris wheel. He thought it a little peculiar that they weren't just the usual benches but appeared to be booths for a more privatized experience. Maybe it was something more practical for when the weather decided to not cooperate and people still wanted to ride the rides. Finally their turn, Sora and Ventus were allowed into one car while Kairi, Namine and Riku had to ride behind them in the next one. Sitting opposite each other in the car, Sora and Ventus stared at one another and waited for one to do something that would invite the other to talk. After a few moments of awkward silence, Ventus had finally had enough and decided to do something about it.
Making a 'silly' face, Ventus crossed his eyes and used his fingers to morph his mouth in a way he thought would look funny.
Sora snorted at the display before him and couldn't help but to laugh. "What are you doing?"
"Things seemed a little too 'serious' in here." Ventus explained, making his face go back to normal. "Sorry."
"Don't be." Sora smiled softly at Ventus. "It was funny. I just didn't know why you were doing that." Trying to clarify as best he could so that Ventus wouldn't feel out of place or as if he should be awkward because of Sora's comments.
"I don't like it when there's tension in the air- I find that you can dissolve it by doing things that people don't expect." Ventus explained his strategy to Sora, glad that he could clarify a bit.
"It definitely works." Sora couldn't argue with that fact. "Hey- You don't know why Roxas was grumpy, do you?" He honestly hoped that Ventus didn't mind his asking as Sora honestly had no idea what had set him off currently. Maybe it was the fact that he'd come over without checking first with Roxas. But to be fair he'd technically been given an invitation as Roxas did say he could visit anytime especially if it was concerning the kitty.
"I honestly have no idea. He was fine one moment and then cranky the next. I wanted him to go and get you and apologize or do something that proved he thinks of you as a person and not an annoyance he has to deal with." Lightly scoffing to himself, he drifted off into a small sigh. "I'm glad he has someone like you. You seem like a good friend to have. I'm a little jealous."
"I can be your friend too!" Used to being a people pleaser, Sora had absolutely no qualms about offering his friendship to Ventus, especially due to the fact that he already liked and thought of him as a friend. It wasn't hard to see why Roxas liked him- he was a good person.
"I'd like that." Ventus smiled softly.
Sora smiled in return. Waiting out the rest of the ride in comfortable silence, the blond and brunette promptly got off the carriage.
"Roxas!" Excited at seeing his other blond companion Sora eagerly pointed out the fact that he'd seen him.
"I thought you were 'going after him' not taking him out on a date." Roxas disapprovingly grumbled at his older brother while the pair of them walked behind Sora in tandem.
"I thought you didn't care." Ventus retorted, smiling at Roxas.
"You were gone for a while so I decided to find out what was taking so long." Shrugging his shoulders, Roxas downplayed the situation.
"Yet you knew exactly where we were." Musing aloud to himself, Ventus glanced over at Roxas. "For someone who claims to not care you have a hard time acting like it."
"I was tipped off." Roxas didn't like where Ventus had been going with his accusations- he was trying make him admit that he cared. Of course he did but that didn't mean he had to admit it out loud to anyone who'd listen. It just wasn't the way he was programmed. At one point in time, sure, he would have been glad to tell people exactly how much they meant to him and be glad that they could be honest with one another. But that wasn't him anymore.
Following Roxas' gaze to Namine, Ventus smiled. "And you were concerned for Sora and wanted to check up on him."
"..." Roxas averted his eyes and scoffed. "Why would I do that?"
"Because you like him." Ventus stated the obvious as he closed the little space between them and whispered his answer to Roxas.
"Why do you keep pushing so hard on this?" Roxas frowned as he looked over at Ventus.
"You're too stubborn to do anything about it." Ventus stopped walking and glanced over at Sora and the others who'd gone over to a stuffed animal booth. It appeared to be one of those booths you'd pay at in order to get darts to pop the balloons and get a prize. "Why don't you just try going out with him? He seems to like you- he couldn't even stop thinking and talking about you while we were on the ferris wheel, even on the way here. You probably think that because he likes you it's a given that he'll want to spend time with you and no matter how cold you act he'll always comeback. And while that might be true for right now... what happens when he moves on to someone else? Sora's a nice person but there's no guarantee he'll hold out forever." Giving him a bit of the third degree, Ventus wanted Roxas to know how childish he was being about things. Keeping someone at arms length and doing things that made them seem like 'more than friends' while treating Sora the way he was- it was just unacceptable.
"I know that." Roxas stared at Sora and watched him smile while interacting with Riku, Kairi and Namine. He seemed really happy- the opposite of how he often left their encounters. "But there's no guarantee that if we start dating he'll like what he sees. I'm a 'difficult' person, Ven- and I keep messing things up. I have a hard time apologizing to people and showing gratitude to others, so how could I be with someone like him and he not end up bored of me and the fact that we're total opposites?" Looking to his older brother for some sort of answer, Roxas really wanted Ventus to spell things out for him.
"That's the trouble of liking someone; you'll never know if they'll like you back for who you are. So you've gotta ask yourself- are you ready to take the risk?" Ventus was doing his best to give him a push in the right direction. Smiling at Roxas, he supposed that was about the best that he could do. He couldn't tell Roxas whether or not he should be with Sora, though he was giddy at the prospect of him finally having a boyfriend and had an interest of helping him get together with the adorable little brunette he'd met a few hours prior.
Roxas listened to everything he had to say and thought over the words. Glancing over at Sora and observing him with the others Roxas left his brother behind. Riku was being cheered on by the girls and Sora all for a chance to win a stuffed Chocobo toy. Despite his usual nature of being the paragon for things Sora usually lacked, it seemed that Riku very much had a faulty accuracy when he missed an earned a cumulative 'aw' from the trio. Scoffing at his failure, Roxas knew he could easily win it without much of a struggle. Sora, Kairi and Riku moved on elsewhere and Roxas supposed he'd take the opportunity to show up Sora's annoying friend at any chance he could. Approaching the booth, he placed a dollar bill on the counter and expertly tossed his darts with precision to pop the amount required for a stuffed animal Sora had apparently been wanting. Asking the clerk for the Chocobo figure, Roxas gently held onto the stuffed animal as it wouldn't be in his grasp for long.
"Roxas?" Sora asked, a little confused as the blond boy came up to him with a Chocobo stuffed animal. "When did you go to the balloon popping booth?" Taking the offered Chocobo plush, he smiled at Roxas.
"When I saw your behemoth friend fail miserably to get what you wanted." Roxas shrugged, downplaying the situation. "You wanted that one, right?"
"But Riku wasn't trying to win for me- he was trying for Kairi." Sora explained with a small laugh. "She really wanted one."
"You... didn't want that?" Roxas asked, feeling embarrassed that he'd gone to such lengths to trump Riku he'd overlooked the fact that Sora may or may not have wanted the item in question.
"I like it!" Sora spoke up, hoping that Roxas didn't feel bad or like he'd done something unnecessary. "Thank you for getting it for me! I'll treasure it always!"
Roxas couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face at Sora's words. "You're... really sly, Sora." Letting out a small chuckle, he shook his head. He did so much to not hurt peoples feelings and make them feel relaxed because he was a kindhearted, good person.
"Sly?" Sora asked, a little confused on what Roxas meant. About to answer, Roxas had been cut off by the bang of fireworks and Sora looked to the sky in awe. "We should go join the others!" Grabbing Roxas' hand, he began leading him over to Ventus, Kairi, Namine and Riku.
"Hang on a second." Roxas stopped him once they were a fair distance from the rest of the group.
"Something on your mind?" Sora asked, puzzled as he tilted his head to the side and waited for an explanation from Roxas. The loud bangs from the fireworks continued to erupt through the night sky and covered the pair of them in a constantly shifting palette of colors.
"Yeah." Roxas nodded. Staring into Sora's eyes, he seemed to be expectantly waiting for Roxas to say or do something and the blond decided to act on the opening he was given.
"Look! A Chocobo!" Sora excitedly called out, looking up at the sky and grinning at the yellow hued fireworks that had just gone off.
Roxas didn't bother looking up at the fireworks, he had something else on his mind. Stepping closer to Sora, Roxas leaned down and placed his hand on the side of Sora's face as he closed the distance with the brunette and stole a kiss from the oblivious other male. After a moment or two Roxas pulled back just enough that their foreheads met. "You still want to date me, right?"
"Y-you want to be my boyfriend?" Sora asked, seemingly confused at first.
"That's what I was asking, yeah." Roxas nodded. He didn't really expect Sora to ask him a question after his. Wouldn't people in these situations usually just say 'yes' or 'no' and not need reassurance? Had it been a shock of some sort? Obviously. It wasn't as if he'd given any indication that he was going to ask Sora out on a date. Especially with the way that he'd acted earlier.
"Really!?" Sora asked.
Roxas nodded.
"Really, really!?" Sora just wanted confirmation.
Clamping his hand over Sora's mouth, Roxas glanced over at the others to see if they'd heard his outburst. To his relief, it seemed that the fireworks had done a good job muffling Sora. "You can't be yelling stuff out loud, alright? If I move my hand will you be quiet?" Sora nodded to Roxas who couldn't figure out whether or not that meant 'yes' to the first part, the second or both. Going with his gut instinct, Roxas removed his hand and stared at Sora who appeared to be grinning at him.
"Hang on. Does this count as our first date?" Sora asked, confused on whether or not the occasion could be considered the real deal or not.
"You know, that's a good question." Roxas thought about it. "I don't think so." He shook his head. "There's too many 'chaperones' and a certain busybody with us. I think a 'date' should be private. But I don't think there's anywhere the two of us can be alone with Ventus here, Kairi, Namine and that one over there. He wanted to meet your friends and I guess there won't be many opportunities to be alone at home or school."
"That's okay! I like your brother! He's really fun to be around!" Sora ecstatically released enthusiasm at the mention of Ventus.
Roxas frowned. "Which reminds me- you let boys touch you too easily."
"It's not on purpose!" Sora protested. "I just get surprised is all. I don't even really notice it half the time." Thinking it over, he supposed that people did just flock to him and do things that would cause others to get the wrong idea.
"You let that boy kiss you."
"I didn't know he was going to do that! He saw that you were mad at me and I was kinda scared and he thought he was helping..." Sora scratched the back of his head and tried to explain himself properly.
"You held hands with Ventus and shared a popsicle with him." Roxas factually didn't get how Sora didn't think that situation was inappropriate. "The two of you really don't know proper boundaries. It looked like every perverts dream."
"But he really liked the sea-salt ice-cream! And I wanted to share with him and... wait." Sora finally clued in to things. "You weren't there, so how did you know that?" Flipping the question on Roxas, the pressure was now on the blond to explain himself.
"I came looking for you. You and Ven seemed like you were enjoying yourselves and I didn't want to cut in..." Roxas looked away from Sora. "You seem to enjoy yourself more with others than me so I thought it was 'nicer' of me to stay behind. Then the two of you started acting like a couple on a date." Frowning, he met the eyes of Sora. "Don't cheat on me."
Call him crazy, but was Roxas jealous? "I won't." Sora promised, smiling at Roxas though the situation had taken a very serious turn of events.
"I mean it. I'll break the nose of whoever tries anything on you." Roxas had no problem letting Sora know that he wouldn't put up with boys like that Vanitas kid now that they were dating.
"I'd prefer that you didn't... But I guess you'll do whatever you think is right." Sora said, a little uneasy at the thought of someone getting hurt over him. He had absolutely no intentions of cheating or what Roxas would constitute as 'cheating'.
"Think about how you'd feel if another boy or girl came along and tried to kiss me or do things like the two of us have been. Wouldn't you be mad?" Roxas tried to phrase things as simple as he could for Sora. He highly doubted such a situation ever arising but wanted to bring up a decent example for Sora to think about.
Sora thought about the question as hard as he could but didn't think it'd make him angry. "I think I'd be sad." Speaking honestly, Sora figured he'd be hurt by that situation more so than angry.
"You're something else." Roxas let out a small scoff. "It'd drive me crazy to see something like that... It did drive me crazy. I mean you saw the way I acted after that black haired cat eyed jerk kissed you, right?" How could he not? It would have been impossible for him not to. Honestly if things kept going the way they were with Vanitas Roxas was more than likely going to end up suspended from school.
Sora nodded. "I'm sorry about that." Every time Roxas brought it up Sora instinctively felt guilty even though it wasn't his fault.
"Don't be sorry." Roxas shook his head. "That was out of your control. Besides, I'll deal with him... somehow." Although he couldn't think of anything in particular for Sora's annoying doppelganger he'd work on a plan at some point.
Sora honestly wished he didn't feel like he had to retaliate or be rude to his newfound friend, but arguing wouldn't have done anything. He just wanted to enjoy the moment and ride out the rest of his excitement toward having his first relationship that wasn't just friends with a person. Well, not only that as he'd also have his first ever date to look forward to. Gently taking Roxas' hand in his, Sora smiled. "Look! How pretty!" His eyes glittered as he watched yet another firework display cascade across the starry sky. Grinning ear to ear he unknowingly grasped Roxas' hand a little tighter.
Roxas didn't bother glancing at the display. He had all that he needed in front of him. "Yeah..." He agreed, with a small smile. Watching his blue eyes dance with the explosions of the fireworks and the collective hues of colors on Sora, followed by his excited grin and bouncing up and down, Roxas couldn't help a light, humored scoff. Was this really the person he'd decided to date? Better yet, was Sora really the same age as him? Watching all of Sora's expressions with a soft smile across his features, Roxas tightened his grip on Sora's hand a little more. Feeling their collective warmth mingle together, he was unfamiliar with the alien sensation. Usually when people touched him he felt the compulsion to change his clothes, take a shower, and try to forget the fact that they ever did such an unforgivable act. Did it make him snobby? Maybe. He could honestly say that he'd never met someone like Sora- and maybe that was why he didn't mind doing things like this. Heck, he probably had to step his game up since Sora basically tried to get the two of them together in the first place when he asked if they were dating or not.
"Hey. Sora-" Giving him a gentle nudge and using a soft tone of voice, Roxas attempted to take his attentions away from the fireworks.
"Huh?" Sora asked, giving Roxas his full attention. "Something on your mind? Hand getting sweaty? Sorry." Attempting to take his hand back, he was surprised when Roxas didn't let his go. It hadn't been a forceful gesture on his part to keep their hands together, more of a gentle squeeze to indicate it wasn't what he wanted.
"No...it's not that... nothing like that." Roxas said, averting his eyes. How was he supposed to say something so trivial and embarrassing? "I- do you want to stay over at my place?" Making full eye contact, he tried to portray an air of confidence that shouldn't be confused with self-righteousness or arrogance. He was trying to be sincere to Sora. Pausing for a few moments as his words lingered in the air, Roxas felt a tad bit vulnerable. This was unknown territory to him.
"Sure!" Sora instantly gave his reply with absolutely no hesitance whatsoever. "Was that what you wanted to say?" Roxas ordinarily didn't bother with little things like inviting him over, as he'd given Sora a standing open-invitation. And was it just him, or did Roxas seem anxious?
"Uh... yeah." Roxas nodded. "You can invite your friends over too if you want. And Ven's staying over too so you don't have to worry." Foreshadowing the fact that he wouldn't be trying anything with Sora, he wanted him to feel comfortable enough to stay. Not that any of that seemed to be on his mind.
"Huh?" Sora tilted his head to the side and blinked at Roxas. "I kinda figured Ventus was staying at your place already..." Scratching the back of his head and chuckling, Roxas' worries instantly flew over the brunettes head. "I can see if they want to stay over! A sleepover sounds fun! Especially with Ventus there!" Unable to contain his enthusiasm, Sora couldn't help gushing over a few things as he was in an extraordinarily good mood. Feeling Roxas' hand tighten on his own, Sora looked over at the blond in a confused manner.
"Don't cheat on me." Roxas repeated himself, looking at Sora in a serious manner. His tone of voice didn't have the usual bone chilling manner coursing through ti, but instead was replaced with an unfamiliar, softer tone.
"I promised, didn't I?" Sora asked, smiling as widely as he could at Roxas. "There's no way I could cheat on you. You're the first person I've ever liked more than a friend." Sheepishly admitting that fact as he looked Roxas dead on, he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry if I seem a little hyper, or...annoying- I'm just really excited right now. You've made me really happy." Sora was doing his absolute best to contain his excitement and not be gushing in a manner that would anger Roxas and it took absolutely all of his willpower now to do so.
"You... don't have to push yourself. Act how you like." Looking at anywhere else in general, he was a tad bit embarrassed and simultaneously feeling a wave of conflicting emotions at the moment. Glancing at Sora through the corner of his eye, he smiled a bit. Though he might not admit it out loud- Sora had made him happy above all the rest of his resonant feelings.
"I thought you said to be quiet. The others might hear, remember?" Sora asked, glancing over at Ventus, Kairi, Namine and Riku who all seemed to be enjoying the display while it lasted.
"Yeah, they might. But they don't have to know why you're happy, right? I just- I don't want to tell Ventus about this. He'll probably freak out and do unnecessary things that'll embarrass the both of us." Roxas couldn't think of anything at the moment but he was sure his overbearing older brother would find a way to embarrass him about his first boyfriend.
"Okay." Sora didn't push him on the subject. Besides, how was he supposed to tell Riku that he and Roxas were now dating? Would his friend be angry at him? He sincerely hoped not. Namine and Kairi were more than likely going to be happy for him but he dreaded telling Riku. Just at that thought, the last of the fireworks exploded and the group finished observing the sky. They appeared to be looking around in all directions and finally smiled, seemingly relieved at the sight of Sora and Roxas. Despite the standing on the blond and their company, the girls were actually happy to be in his company and vice-versa. Riku was a very much different story but he was glad his brunette friend hadn't gotten himself into any kind of trouble that only Sora would be able to find. Ventus smiled softly and seemed slightly aloof of the situation but nonetheless was happy with the current development between the pair.
"Sora! There you are!" Kairi smiled as she rushed over. "I thought for a second you might've missed the fireworks! I know how much you like them. Did you watch the show with Roxas?" The redhaired girl asked as she looked between the boys for an answer.
"Miss them? No." Sora shook his head, grinning back at her. "I really liked the Chocobo one! The moogle was really cool too!"
"Yeah. We watched them together." Roxas answered her as Sora seemed to be far more peppy than usual- and that was saying something. Judging by the way he was squeezing Roxas' hand and the ecstatic, rushed form of speech coming from him, he was still very much excited by what had happened earlier.
"I'm glad to hear it." Kairi continued to smile as Namine and the others joined the trio.
"Glad to hear what?" Namine inquired as she came within earshot.
"That they enjoyed the fireworks together." Kairi subtly filled Namine in on the gossip. Both girls instantly noticed the boys were holding hands, that Sora was holding a Chocobo plush that he previously hadn't had, and didn't want to spoil the moment they were likely intruding on. How careless of them to have gotten caught up in the show when their friend was doing something perhaps even more interesting.
"That's nice!" Namine and Kairi shared a knowing look between themselves. "So. What now?"
"Roxas invited us all over to stay at his place!" Sora didn't mean to be as loud as he was, but he honestly was having a hard time containing himself right now.
Everyone immediately looked over to Roxas to confirm whether or not this statement was true, as none of them were certain. Seemingly caught off-guard by their looks, Roxas nodded.
"Then it's settled! We'll have a sleepover!" Kairi spoke up, and Namine readily agreed.
"Riku are you coming?" Namine asked, though she figured it could go either way she had a hunch that he'd agree. After all, Sora was involved.
Grunting in response, the silver haired male folded his arms and stared at Roxas. He couldn't resist the borderline scowl on his face when he stared at that brat who was holding hands with his best friend. Taking his noise as a 'yes', the group progressed onward. Sora and Roxas continued to hold hands due to the fact that no one in the group acknowledged it, and they chalked it up to Sora being Sora.
"You don't like him, huh?" Ventus asked, striking up conversation while he walked side by side with Riku. Everyone had seemingly paired off in twos: Namine/Kairi, Sora/Roxas, Ventus/Riku.
"You catch on quick." Riku didn't mean to be bitter against Ventus, but he shared the same face and even sounded identical to Roxas. It was hard not to be pissed off by him.
"Sora likes him." Ventus spoke the three words that Riku knew and without fail managed to piss him off.
"I know that." Riku averted his eyes and frowned.
"What happens if the two of them start dating? Are you going to protest to it? Sora might be upset that his bestfriend and boyfriend won't be able to get along, you know?" Stating what was absolutely the obvious between the two older males, Ventus just wanted to lay things out for Riku.
"...whatever makes him happy. Sora doesn't like being coddle and he's already made himself perfectly clear to me that he's not afraid to stand up for that blond psychopath. What's it to you, anyway? Didn't you and Sora just meet?" Riku asked, feeling the tension between the two of them lessening a bit.
"I'd like to have a cute brunette brother-in-law someday." Ventus said with a smile and small laugh.
"You think he could actually get that serious with Sora?" Riku asked, raising a brow.
Ventus shrugged. "Maybe. Anything's possible. Besides, he's... I won't get too specific, but I know he's enduring through more than a few things for Sora. Things he ordinarily wouldn't put up with at all."
"And that makes it all okay? Him mistreating my friend and acting the way he is? I don't think so." Riku couldn't resist shutting the idea down right then and there.
"I didn't say that. Roxas, he- he's bad at reading people. Some things happened that made him really distrustful of others and he has a habit of seeing only the negative in others. He likes Sora, and I don't mean that lightly. He really likes him. He's just too stubborn to admit that." Ventus explained. Watching his little brother walking hand in hand with his adorable companion, he smiled softly.
"I won't hand over my friend so easily to someone like him. If he can show that he actually gives a damn about him and stops treating him like less than then I'll happily stand aside." Riku knew that Sora was made happy by Roxas' presence and that the two of them more than likely would end up dating at some point, but he didn't want his friend to come running to him every time his feelings got hurt by that bratty little jerk.
"He does. He really does, and I know that for a fact. You just... don't have the fortune to know him that well. I know that he can be a handful, and I'm glad that you care so much for your friend. I'll do my best to keep him in check, so don't worry so much." Ventus smiled and tried to be assuring to Riku but he wasn't sure if he'd so easily take his word on the matter.
Riku glanced over at Ventus and was surprised at how genuine he appeared to be. How could someone like this possibly be related to a person like Roxas? If Sora had gotten all weird and overly protective of Ventus like he had Roxas- Riku wouldn't have objected at all. To him, Roxas was absolutely toxic and not a person for Sora to be hanging around. However having spoken his peace about this before and being scolded/in a heated argument with Sora that lasted a few days. He'd never fought with Sora to that degree before and it was honestly a whole new experience for him. Walking the remainder of the way in silence, the group eventually made it to Roxas' apartment and promptly followed the blond inside.
"It's not that large of a space but I am prepared in the case of guests." Roxas spoke up to the group as he took off his shoes and waited for the last of them to walk inside. Finally noticing he was still towing Sora with him everywhere he went, he released his hand and shut the door behind the others, locking it. Walking past the others, Roxas went into the closet in the hallway and retrieved an air mattress. Glancing at Ventus, he decided to ask him. "Where do you want to sleep?"
"I'm fine with anywhere." Ventus didn't hesitate at all in answering.
"Alright. Well there's the bedroom to anyone who wants it. Maybe you two?" Roxas asked, glancing at Kairi and Namine. Despite his offer being open to 'anyone' he didn't dare offer it to Riku. The thought of him touching or being near his things was enough to put him into a foul mood. "Anyone can sleep in the living room, there's plenty of space in there on the couch and the blow up bed." He supposed that he'd be taking his training room as a spot for him to be sleeping. It was more privatized and whatever the others might think of him, Roxas had his reasoning for choosing to be alone.
"Where are you going to be sleeping?" Sora asked Roxas. If he wasn't going to be taking his room, then was there somewhere else he had in mind?
"In there." Roxas nodded to his training room. "Why?" Despite not being overly dense, Roxas portrayed himself that way so Sora would have to spill out what he wanted to ask.
"I thought we could watch a movie or something." Sora wasn't really ready to sleep yet and wasn't sure if he could ask the question on his mind.
"I guess." Roxas glanced around the room. "Did anyone else want to do that?" On the cumulative nod from the crowd he led them into the living room. "Any requests?" On all of the blank stares he sighed and decided to pick the first thing to catch his eye: a horror movie. Sitting on the couch with Sora, the kitten promptly leapt onto his lap and hissed at the blond male. Narrowing his eyes at the kitten, he supposed he'd have to endure through it as Sora rather seemed to enjoy its company. Ventus was quick to sit beside him while Riku, Kairi and Namine took the other couch and occasionally glanced over at the trio of boys. To them it was so peculiar to see two Roxas' sitting side-by-side: An angry and a kind one who seemed to differ greatly in reactions to things.
A few times during the movie Sora would jump or grab onto Roxas' shoulder and bury his head into his chest for comfort. Despite the frequency and hands on approach toward Roxas, he didn't mind the reactions to the horror movie, in fact he barely noticed them anymore. That is, until they stopped altogether and he was waiting for any moment that the brunette freaked out and held onto him for dear life.
Feeling a sudden weight on his shoulder, Roxas glanced over to see Sora and the kitten both sound asleep. Sora was unintentionally using his shoulder as a pillow, and Roxas couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Completely ignoring the movie they'd been watching to the point that he could no longer understand/nor cared for what was happening on the screen, Roxas decided that it was probably about time they all went to bed anyway. Everyone seemed drowsy and tired out from their exciting evening and despite his best efforts to at the very least seem hospitable to his guests, he was ready for rest. Roxas resolved to get off the couch. Slowly inching his way off and preventing Sora from falling at the same time, Roxas finally succeeded in his endeavors. Gently placing Sora's head on a pillow, the brunette began to drool a bit. Letting out a small snort, Roxas shook his head. How could someone be this child-like at this age? An even better question was, how did someone as jaded as him end up with a person like Sora? Their personalities were polar opposite: His was brash, abrasive, rude, came off as entirely arrogant/cold/uncaring toward others, and nobody had ever really taken the time to get to know him. Sure, there had been Axel, but he'd quickly warmed up to the redhead because of the fact that they had compatible personalities and like-wise got along easily. It wasn't hard to figure out why the two of them had become best friends. Sora, on the other hand generally meant well with everyone. He had no hidden agendas, and was a 'kind' person through and through. But that made him naive, easygoing and far too trusting of people. Someone like him was far too good for how crappy people could treat you- especially the way Roxas had treated him.
Seeing Sora's face scrunch up in his sleep, Roxas chuckled lightly. Stooping down, Roxas picked up Sora and did his best not to wake him up. To his surprise, Sora seemed to be a pretty heavy sleeper. Carrying him bridal style, he stepped over the legs of sleeping people and did his best to avoid waking them up. Making his way to the doorway, Roxas strode to the training room and propped himself against the wall so that he could free his arm to the point that it was able to turn the doorknob and open it. Once the hard part had been achieved, Roxas brought Sora in the room and shut the door behind them. Placing him down on one of the training mats, he stared down at the peacefully sleeping brunette.
"I don't know how I feel about you-" The blonde whispered the words aloud, stooping down to Sora's level. Supporting his head on his forearms while he leaned forward on the mat, Roxas keenly observed Sora. After a few moments, he continued thinking aloud. "-but you're different. So different that I honestly don't know how to deal with you-" Letting out a light scoff, he found his own statement to be preposterous. Deal with you(?). Sora was the one stuck with an arrogant, stubborn, headstrong individual like Roxas who always had to have his way. "I have a short fuse, and I know I can be difficult...but I don't know how to act with people. It's been so long, that I'm completely inept. I've also...never met someone like you." Confessing aloud his inner musings to Sora, Roxas looked for any signs that Sora on some level was hearing what had been spoken, and that he was accepting of the information. Though he found the idea to be absolutely naive/childish in nature, he wouldn't put it past the slumbering brunette boy. As they were right now, he knew that the possibility of a relationship wouldn't be possible. Sora was far too nice, and naive- and Roxas was difficult and had the foresight to know that things probably wouldn't end the way he wanted them to. Someone like Sora was too good for someone like him, and he was delusional to think that he could ever be the kind of person Sora could be happy with- he didn't want someone to worry about whether or not their temper would land them into a full on brawl and possibly in a juvenile detention center or jail.
Roxas knew that it was a very real possibility for him. He had a volatile personality that often clashed with people.
After he finished his words, Sora's face relaxed and the brunette seemed to once more be sleeping peacefully. You like him. Hearing Ventus' words, Roxas didn't protest them in the slightest. Running his fingers through his hair, he let out a long, suffering sigh and stared blankly at Sora. He had several theories on Sora - in which he was he was a tad bit in denial - one of which was that he simply had been a deviant of some sort who somehow formed an attraction to someone he disliked. Thinking on it now, he could say that theory was absolutely incorrect. Despite his previous disposition on Sora- the brunette had won him over. Roxas had never been jealous before- and as such he didn't necessarily understand how to react to the situation. His first instinct had been to beat the hell out of the other boy, and he likely would have had he not dragged Sora out of the classroom to confront him about a few things. Lucky Vanitas, he supposed. Considering the fact that he knew MMA wouldn't likely help the situation. Taekwondo/Ba Ji Quan/Karate were all fine martial arts in their own right, but combined into a seamless assault they'd be a deadly force to be reckoned with.
As much as he'd love to stay in his kneeling position and stare at Sora- Roxas had to get to bed. Once more stepping out of the room he retrieved some blankets and pillows from the closet. Going back to the others, he supplied one to each of them- even Riku. Doing his best to hurry and not get caught by one of the others in performing a 'kind' act to the behemoth, he quickly made his way out of there. Going into his room, he retrieved his blanket and pillows then made his way back to Sora before it dawned on him: No one was using his bedroom. Tossing them back on the mattress, he went back to his training room and retrieved Sora. Walking him into his room, Roxas shut the door and placed him on the side nearest the wall. He had no idea if he moved around in his sleep or not so it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to these things.
Lifting the blanket and letting it gently glide down on the pocket of air produced by rising it up and down, Roxas covered Sora in blankets and crawled into bed next to him. Staying on top of the covers, Roxas figured it would have been too inappropriate to be underneath with him. Taking one last glance at Sora, he rolled over to his side facing away from the brunette. He didn't want to wake Sora and risk him thinking something strange. Shutting his eyes, he sighed and prepared to sleep. After a few moments when he felt his sensations dulling, Roxas felt a pair of arms around him and warmth behind his back. Quickly flicking open his eyes, he turned his head back and saw Sora, sleeping and cuddling him. Tensing up a bit, he relaxed and decided to leave it alone. Relaxing, he fell asleep encompassed in a comfortable warmth.