Runaway
chapter 23
When I wake up, Riku's nearly on top of me and my neck is killing me.
"Nnn." Riku makes some noises in his sleep and buries his head in my back.
It's 6:15.
"Riku, wake up." I say, reaching back and trying to grab his shoulder.
"Nnn, not yet. I just got to sleep." He mutters.
As soon as he says that, it strikes me how different he is now. It's so weird. He's talkative (a little), he smiles, he hugs and touches and lets me do the same...
It's wonderful... but why? What's with the change of heart?
"Alright, Riku." I murmur. "Sleep tight."
"Nnn." He turns over a curls up.
I take this chance to try and get more sleep, too.
...Okay, I can't fall asleep.
This is going to be a long day.
--
Riku stirs a lot earlier than I thought he would. I thought he'd be at least a few hours, but it's been hardly forty-five minutes and he's up.
"You get enough sleep?" I ask him. He nods. "Couldn't you fall asleep last night?"
"No." He says. "I couldn't." There's a pause. "I was tossing and turning all night... you slept right through it."
I grin and shrug.
He stands up and stretches.
"Let's go." He picks up his things, and I do too.
"So..." I say, after we've been walking for a bit.
"Hmm." He says.
Looks like he doesn't remember that thing about Raye. I think he was half asleep when I told him, anyway... but at least I don't feel bad about it anymore.
Yes.
-
Neither of us have spoken in a while. I feel frantic for some reason, and I don't know why.
I think back about the police. I don't feel scared they'll catch us. Not anymore. Then I begin to think back about the man in the diner.
He helped us.
He knew who Riku was.
"Riku, do you remember when we hid out at that diner? The police came and he let us hide."
"Mmm-hm."
"Did you know that guy?"
He looks a little surprised.
"Why do you think that?" He asks quickly.
"He knew you."
"...What?"
I don't know if he's acting, or if it's genuine shock in his voice.
"Who was he?"
He thinks for a while.
"I had a job back in Darry for a little while."
"Huh?"
"At a cafe in a little mall. That guy... that guy was my boss."
"Was he nice to you?"
"He was an asshole."
There's a very long silence. "Did you ever tell anybody about Nathan?" I ask.
He closes his eyes and stops walking. He says something so quiet I can't hear it. "What?"
"I don't want to remember." There's pure desperation in his voice.
"Why?" I sound scared now, I don't know why, but it just came out that way.
"I blocked him out before. My old boss, and him... I had it all blocked it." He says, still keeping his voice quiet, like if he says it too loud he'll be struck by lightening. "I blocked everything from that time out. It's coming back now, and I don't want it to."
"What time? Why would you block it out?" Okay, he's scaring me.
"Right before I ran away."
"Riku, who?"
He mutters something to himself. "Riku, answer me! You're really beginning to freak me out!"
He starts walking again and pretty soon regains himself. "Riku?"
"My father's boss. He and Nathan were friends. I saw him a lot." He answers. He sounds so calm now; it's amazing.
"Did he hurt you?" I ask.
"No."
"Was he in league with your dad?" I'm suddenly mad at myself for the words I chose.
"No."
"Then why don't you want to remember him?"
He doesn't answer that.
"...He didn't even know what Nathan did to me. He had kids... he wouldn't have supported Nathan."
"But if you told them that Nathan...?" I don't know if I should call Riku's dad Nathan, too. I don't know if I can even form the words 'he beat you'.
Riku looks sort of angry.
"He was the only person I ever told... Besides you."
"...What happened...?"
"He didn't believe me." He's nearly spitting out his words now, he's so frustrated. "You know what he said? He said that if I wanted attention that badly I could just tell him that, instead of making up lies that could ruin the people around me." He shakes his head. "If I wanted attention that badly! What a stupid old man!"
He sounds sad again. "I can't believe I just told you that." He mutters.
For a while, he doesn't even look at me.
--
"Riku, let's play a game." He looks at me.
"What kind of a game?" He asks. I think he's a little suspicious. (Of what?)
"I want to know more about you, Riku." I reply, sounding as serous as I can. "I mean, I think there's still a bit more to you than what I know. And it's hard for you to tell me these things, so maybe this'll make it easier. If you tell me one of your little secrets like you did... a while ago, I'll tell you mine. Then it's nice and fair!"
He looks over at me again, but doesn't stop walking.
"Um... ah..." He's still looking at me.
"Riku, if you don't look back at where you're going you'll crash into something again."
Oh, I think I've just embarrassed him.
Good.
He starts stuttering something again- I really caught him off guard.
"Yes or no, Riku..." I say.
"Sure." He says finally. "But nothing really--"
"I know, I know."
"So..." He starts.
I don't even know why I suggested this in the first place. But it's a way to get him to open up just a bit more. I think I have the walls almost completely down now.
"So... you ask me something." I just have to push him a little. Maybe we can have fun with this.
"I'm thinking." There's a pause and smiles... kind of. "Alright, you're always asking me about my past, so..." Another pause. "School. What was school like for you?"
"Oh God..." I don't even know what to say. "What about school?"
"Everything." He answers simply.
"We had to wear uniforms." I shudder at the thought of those plaid pants. "My teachers were evil. I was always flunking... I almost had to repeat a grade once..." I scowl at the memory. "The kids made fun of me behind my back sometimes." I shrug. "I had Donald and Goofy though, and I was close enough to them that they could always tell me what was going on..." There's a short silence.
"A...and?" Riku asks hesitantly. I shrug again.
"And... I really don't think it compares to what you've been through, but..."
"No, keep going." He says. It must be that morbid fascination kicking in.
"I don't know. The kids weren't as bad, really. I got beaten up just once or twice... but that was a long time ago. I was called names just a few times to my face. They were stupid, though. Pixie, fag. Really, I don't care."
"Pixie?" He asks, sounding a little amused.
"...Yes..." I say. "What's so funny...?"
"Nothing." He says, shaking his head. "Please, go on."
"I think the worst thing that happened was when I overheard some kid say they'd rather die than be like me... that was really harsh."
It was just last year. I couldn't find Donald or Goofy at lunch so I just snuck into the locker room for the lunch period. I read a magazine I snuck into school and ate Twinkies. I'd rather be alone in a place like that than out in the cafeteria where everyone else had someone to eat with. Two or three boys came in and went to their lockers. They'd been playing soccer or something and their clothes got muddy so they came in to change.
They got as far away from me as they could, but that didn't really bother me. They didn't even bother talking quietly when they started their conversation...
'No, don't change there.' I recognized the first guy's voice. I think he was in my English class. He was kind of cute, actually...
I could hear them moving away.
'Why not?' The second guy asked.
'There's someone there.'
'Who.' The third guy asked.
'The fag.' The first one said. 'He'd probably try to watch us.'
The second guy said something I couldn't hear.
'...He's in my class, too. Ugh. I'd rather die than be like him.' the first guy kept talking.
I'd rather DIE than be like him... I think I cried after they left. People would rather not live, than live like me...
Oh well.
Riku puts his arm around my shoulder.
"I shouldn't have asked..." He says.
"No, that's alright." I reply with a grin. "Because I'm asking you the same thing."
"I should have known." He mutters. "Everything?"
"Everything I don't know." There's another silence. "How about that... teacher, (I think?) you said was nice?" He smiles a little.
"What about her?"
"Just... how was she nice to you? Things like that."
"She cared. She never gave up on me. She was there and... just very good to me."
"So she was like a friend."
He nods. "Yeah. She was."
"And...?" I try to push him a little without making him uncomfortable.
"And what?" He asks.
"Like, what about you other teachers or something?"
He runs he fingers through his hair. "My math teacher picked on me a lot. He probably think he was being pretty fucking cute, but I didn't." He looks down at his feet while he walks. "My Phys. ed. teacher liked targeting me, too. Even the principal would punish me harder for...anything than he would with..."
"With who?" I ask, brushing a hair from his eyes.
"Nero and Kai." He says. He begins to explain how they hated him, and teamed up on him. How they somehow, he believes, got most of the school in on those jokes. They had a lot of friends; they could do that. "I don't know. I do-don't..." He takes a breath. "I just don't get it." He shakes his head. "It was hell."
I put my hand on his back and rub it a little.
"Are you alright?" I ask.
"Fine." He says. "Do you want me to go on?"
"Whatever you want." I say.
"I was mocked, jokingly hit on, beaten up... just for some cheap laughs. And I don't know why."
"Where did you live, anyway?" I ask. I'm real curious all of the sudden.
"Hey," He sounds calmer now, and smiles a little. "I'm supposed to ask you something now."
"Oh, of course..." I grin. I'm just glad he's snapped out of his memory trip. (Although I suppose it was my fault.)
"Let me think about it." He mutters.
"Okay."
"I remember you had a dream a while back...? Something about your father...?"
"Yeah!"
The minute he says that, the memory of the dream comes rushing back. I think I've had that dream recently, too but I just now remember.
The tall, white buildings, the foggy sky blindingly white from the sun behind it, an ocean...
"Have you had it again? Why do you think it has to do with him?" I shrug and explain the dream a little.
"And it just seems like the perfect place for him. It feels... right. And I've been having it a lot."
I choose not to tell him about my NakedHornyRiku dream.
"Hm." He says. I shrug.
"So, where did you live?" I ask again. "What was it like?"
"Darry." He says. "Darry was small dumpy hick town. Everybody knew each other and there were too many old people. The entire town reeked of... elder smell." He smiles a little- he's really trying not to get depressed. "The weather was awful... either too hot or too cold. It snowed once, I think..." ...But he does.
We're quiet for a really long time.
Maybe I shouldn't have even asked.
-
We've actually passed a few towns. I'm so used to the cities and big towns that it's weird going through all these places in one day.
"What was... wherever you used to live like?" He asks eventually. His voice is hoarse. I shrug.
"It was an average sized city, I guess. Nothing too special about it." I grin. "No old people smell." He manages a weak smile. I put my hand on his shoulder.
--
We start playing the game again, but we ask trivial and unimportant things.
"What was your mom like?" Riku asks.
...Until now.
I never realized how hard this is to talk about.
"She was a drunk. When she wasn't working she was completely drunk. To her, everything I did was wrong... and..." I don't even know if I want to talk about this... "she had this boyfriend. He was way younger than her... he could have been my brother." I scowl at that. It was so gross. "He was only twenty-something, I think... He completely bossed me around. Once he found out that I like guys, he was convinced I was hot for him. He eventually stopped coming around... but I think my mom would still see him when she was 'working'..." I sigh and he puts his arm around me.
"...I guess it's your turn to ask me something now..." He says quietly.
"What's in the book of yours?"
He looks a little alarmed.
"...What?"
"You know... the one you were sleeping on in the home."
"Uh..." He doesn't know what to say. "It was supposed to be for school, but I just started doodling in it instead. That's really it."
"Is it like some sort of picture diary or something?" I don't know if he'll be offended that I called it a diary. "I mean, it said 'private' in it." I think I wasn't supposed to say that.
"You read through it?" He asks loudly, almost shouting.
"No!" I almost-shout back. "I just saw the first page, and it said 'private'."
"What ever." He says. "It's just some doodles. It's not important."
"You can keep asking me stuff if you want. I'm out of questions." I mutter. I'm glad to have changed the subject.
Riku's glad, too.
"Okay...um..." He fiddles with his fingers for a moment. "When did you realize you were gay?"
It's like a blow to the stomach when he asks that.
I've had crushes on guys. I never cared about girls. But.. I never, ever called myself 'gay', and was never called 'gay'.
But I guess I am.
"Right now." I say. "I've had crushes on guys before, but never really thought much about it..."
He doesn't reply.
-
It's been a while, but we've started playing that stupid game again. It's more fun questions (as fun as we can get).
"Who do you hate more than anybody?" Riku asks.
"My mom." I don't even have to think about it. "I hate her." It feels great to say. "I hate her." I smile. "What about you?" A pause. He opens his mouth to say something, but I've already started talking. "Nathan, right?"
A long pause.
"That's not what I was going to say." He chokes out.
-
I feel really bad that I got him depressed.
He hasn't said a word for hours.
"Riku...?" I ask gently. "Are you okay?"
"Fine." He snaps.
"Riku, I'm sorry if I upset you--"
"Shut up."
I put my arm around him and get in front of him so he stops walking.
"Sora, move--"
Either this will work, or he'll mangle me.
"Get out of the--"
I stand up on my toes and kiss him. I put my arms around him and kiss him hard. He puts his hands on my hips and pulls me close. We look at each other for a moment before our lips meet again. I clutch his jacket with one hand and run my fingers through his hair with the other. We kiss over and over- it's very innocent and fast. I kiss his neck and his lips part and he makes a noise. I slide my tongue into his mouth and get more of that chocolate raspberry taste. He clutches my sweater and sighs. He doesn't really kiss me back, but he lets me do what I want. I run my fingers through his hair and begin to kiss his neck again.
"...What are you doing?" He murmurs, but I know he loves it.
"Experimenting." I say, beginning to suck on his neck. He puts his hands on my shoulders an pushes me away.
"Don't you think it's a little early in the day for this?" He asks, rolling his eyes and beginning to walk away.
...What?
I shake my head and follow after him.
-
"So, it's pretty foggy." I say, trying to make conversation. It's been at least an hour since we last talked to each other.
"Yep." He says.
"How long do you think it's been?" I ask.
"What do you mean?" Riku looks over at me.
"Since we last saw our families."
"I don't know." Riku replies with a shrug. "Last time I saw a calender it was August. It's probably late August or early September."
If I stayed with mom I'd be in, what, 9th grade? My old class was a 7th-8th mix... I may even have started school already...
Who knows how much worse things would have been?
"Do you ever wish that you never ran away?" Riku asks. Looks like we're playing this game again.
"No." I say. "No. I like being with you more than I ever liked being with my mom." A pause. "So... you dad isn't the person you hate most? Who is it then? And why isn't it him? It always sounded like you hated him."
There's a long pause.
"I don't want to play this game anymore." He says.
"Okay. You don't have to." I shrug. He shrugs, too. It's like a nervous twitch. He stares down at his feet while he walks. "You're thinking about something." I say. "What?"
He shrugs.
"Nothing."
"Riku, I've known you for a while now, and even though you never say it, I really think you kind of trust me. So, are you ever going to tell me what's really on your mind?"
There's a short silence.
"Eventually, maybe." He says. "But not just yet."
"Riku," I'm about to say something, but Riku cuts me off.
"You really didn't want to stay in that place?" He asks.
"What?"
"With that slut, Raye."
Ooh, god Riku. I should probably tell him to shut up or something, but I don't.
"Why?" I ask instead. "You trying to get rid of me?"
He shakes his head. He hasn't mentioned anything about me kissing him.
"I just..."
It's my turn to cut him off.
"I like being with you, Riku. Why would I stay there? Besides, I still need to find my dad."
He stares down at his feet again, and I gab onto his jacket and rub my face against his arm. "Hey, trust me. I'm not going to ditch you." I stroke his back once and he looks over at me. Some hair falls over his face and it has a slight curl to it, though the rest of his hair is very straight. I reach out and tug on it a little, just so it goes straight and bounces up again. He yanks his head away and gives me a playful (?) shove.
"Don't do that." He says.
"Hey, hey." I say suddenly. "Look." I point ahead of us. "See those buildings? I think that's a real city up there."
"I think it is." He says.
"It's going to be great when we get there." I grin. "A real city!"
Riku manages a weak smile. "I guess so..." Oh, of course. City equals people. People plus Riku... not so good.
"It's going to be great." I try to reassure him.
"How come you're so happy about it?" He asks, with this weird teasing tone in his voice. A different teasing tone than when he teased me last night.
"I don't know." I reply with a shrug.
And I don't.
--
The city is getting closer and closer. I can hear cars. It's going to be so great not being in a dumpy little town.
On the dark side... we're just going to go right through it.
On the bright side... a real city! With people and cars!
"Hey, look." Riku says absently. A highway. In the distance. "I thought you'd get a kick out of that." He shrugs. I put my head on his shoulder. "You seem to be feeling better."
"Huh?"
"From when you fell in the lake. You seem to be doing better." I guess I didn't have a cold after all. "I guess you didn't have a cold after all."
Huh. That was weird.
-
We're getting closer and closer. I don't know why I'm so excited... I just have this weird feeling in my gut. The closer we get to the city, though, the foggier it gets. We must be getting near the ocean or something. The air is old and crisp, and Riku and I huddle close while we walk.
-
The city is very close now. God, my heart is pounding.
"Run." I say.
"What?" Riku snaps out of his thoughts and looks over at me. "What are you--"
"Run!" I begin to run to the city. The buildings and the cars and streets. "Run! Run!" I'm laughing now- real laughter, and nearly squealing. I probably look and sound so stupid right now. "RUN!" Riku begins to catch up. I think I'm as fast as him now.
"Why are we running?" He asks loudly, but I don't answer.
-
Well, I'm a little disappointed when, after all that running, it still seems so far away. Riku says we're almost there, but it's not the same. I want to be there NOW.
-
Now Riku's trying to get me to rest, saying that I'm getting wound up.
I am not.
He can't make me rest.
-
Okay, I can't believe he made me rest. But I have to say, it's worth it. we're cuddled up close and every once in a while I give him a kiss, and he holds me tighter. I kind of doze off in his arms.
"Sora." His voice snaps me awake. Ugh, I hate this. I didn't even realize I was almost asleep. "Should we go now?"
...He's asking me?
I guess it's a rhetorical question because he's already getting up and offering me a hand (which I gladly take). "We're really close." Riku says. "To the city."
I grin. "We are." My heart's jumping again and it's almost painful. Why am I so anxious?
-
Oh my god. Oh. My. god. We're almost there, we're almost there.
-
Less than an hour later I stop dead in my tracks.
"We're here."
Riku picks me up and spins me around. "We're here!" I shout. "We made it!" After Riku puts me down I look around, not as surprised as I should be.
I mean, I think that's why I was so excited. Some part of me just knew...
that this is the city in my dreams.
---
"Riku." I say, trying to catch my breath. "This is... this is... this..."
"What?" He asks.
"The city. I dreamt about it. I... oh my god."
"Are you sure this is it?" Riku asks. "Absolutely sure?"
"Of course I am!" I snap, not meaning to sound angry. I'm just excited.
"I just don't want you to get your hopes up." He snaps back.
There's a payphone. I'll just go and see if they're a phonebook, and see if my dad is listed there. It's such a weird feeling. My dad might be here. After all this... after everything... he might be here! Before I even realized I'm in the phone booth, I'm flipping through the pages in the phonebook.
I've found him. His name, his number, and even his address. The gods are with me.
"Riku, I've found him." Riku rips out the page I'm pointing to, and we go off to find him.
Off to find my dad.
----
The city's not as big as I thought, I admit. But that's nice- it's not easy to get lost... so I suppose this could be considered a very huge town.
"Over here." Riku says. "I think it's over this way." I follow him, but look around, also. The sun is making the fog bright, and the further we walk, the more I can smell the ocean. The houses are all painted white or pale yellow, so the entire city looks bright and calm.
It feels like centuries before Riku says, "I think this is it."
"Really?" I look over at the house. My dad's house.
It. Is. huge.
"Well, go ahead." Riku says, giving me a nudge. I nod, walk up, and ring the doorbell. A few moments pass. What if he's not home? What if it's the wrong place? Sora, you're going to give yourself a heart attack. Calm down.
The door opens and my heart skips a beat.
"Yes?" A man- tall, but not very tall-, brown hair, blue eyes like mine, answers the door.
"Daddy?" I ask, and my voice sounds high and weak.
He looks stunned for a moment.
"S-Sora?" He asks. "Is that you?"
"Dad!" I say way too loud. He pulls me near him and hugs me I hug back.
I can't believe this is happening. I cannot believe it.
"I missed you." He says. "I've missed you so much."
"Oh god." I choke out. "I just wanted to find you! I..."
After a few moments of me mumbling complete gibberish and sounding like a complete moron, dad invites me in. "Um... didn't you have a friend with you?" He asks.
"What?" I ask.
"There was someone with you." I look around.
Riku's gone.
Gone.
"Oh my god, I have to find him again I'll be right back I swear, please wait for me I need to find him--"
"Go ahead." He says hesitantly. "I'm not going anywhere. Just come back soon, Sora." He hugs me and I run down the street to find Riku.
----
"Riku!" I shout, running down the street. "Riku!" I catch up with him very quickly- I must have gotten faster.
"What?" He asks.
"Where are you going?" I try and smile for him.
"You found your dad, Sora. You don't need me anymore."
"What are you talking about?" I ask, grabbing onto him. "Of course I still need you!"
"Sora, don't make this hard." He turns to leave, but I clutch his jacket.
"You can't leave me, Riku. This isn't fair."
He sighs.
"Sora, just go and be with your dad. It's what you've always wanted, isn't it? You wanted to find your dad. Not to be traveling around with me."
"Riku..."
"I should really go." He turns to walk away. "Goodbye Sora. You've been good to me."
-----
"Riku, please don't go." My throat feels tight and I can't move. "I still need you." Okay, one foot in front of the other. This isn't the end, damn it! This isn't the end of us! "Maybe you can stay with us for a little while."
Wait... what if dad just sends me back? "And if we can't stay... I want to keep traveling with you."
"I can't stay here!" Riku shouts. "Not for a little while, not for forever!"
"Why not, Riku?" He doesn't say anything, but stops walking. "You're afraid it's going to be like Darry? Come ON, Riku. If he lets us stay for a little while, it will be a GOOD THING for us! Especially for you! At least stay with me a little longer. He might not even let me stay." He stares down at his feet. "Please?"
"Sora..."
"Please?"
There's a long pause, and he nods his head.
"I'll come with you." He says quietly.
"Really?" I ask. I was ready to start arguing again. He nods slowly.
"I guess so."
I look a him and smile. "Then come on!" I grab onto his sleeve and start running, so he has no choice but to run with me.
----
We get back to dad's house in about 5 seconds flat. Dad opens the door before I even knock. He invites us in and we sit down at a table in the dining room.
My god, this house is HUGE.
Dad's sitting at the head of the table, I'm sitting next to dad on the side, and Riku's sitting next to me. Dad puts his hand on mine.
None of us know what to say.
"How did you find this place?" He asks eventually. "I mean..." He runs his fingers through his hair. "This is all so weird. Did you run away...?" I look down at my feet, shy and slightly ashamed.
"Yeah. I ran away to find you." He doesn't know what to say, so he changes the subject.
"So, who's your friend?" He grins at Riku, and Riku looks down at his feet.
"That's Riku. He saved my life." Oh, God dad, please like Riku.
"Hi Riku." he says, and holds out his hand. Riku reaches out and they shake hands, but then Riku goes back to staring at his feet.
"Not much of a talker, is he?" He asks me.
"Not really." I reply with a shrug.
"How long were you out there?" He asks.
"I was out for about... four months. Or something. But Riku was out for two years."
"Jesus Christ." Dad says. "Are either of you hungry? I have plenty of food. And the bathroom's right over there." He signals to somewhere behind him. "There's a big guest room upstairs..." I look up at the big flight of stairs. I can see two rooms from here. "Why don't you put your things there? One of you can stay there and one could stay in the smaller one down here. Or you could share the big room. It's big enough for at least two people. You should both shower up. I could run your clothes through the wash in the meanwhile."
Riku mutters something.
"What?" Dad and I both ask.
"I'm going to take a shower. If that's okay." He says. He seems... timid. It's so weird.
"Of course!" Dad says. "Make yourself at home. Why don't you take your stuff upstairs? The guestroom is the second door you reach. There's a bathroom in there." Riku heads upstairs, and dad and I begin to talk again.
"Are we allowed to stay here? How long? Are you going to make mom come for me?"
Dad scratches his head.
"Yes, you and Riku allowed to stay here. Riku can stay here as long as he needs to, and you are staying here for as long as I can keep you. I have to tell your mom eventually that you're here, but I want you to stay here. I've always wanted you to be here with me."
"Then why couldn't you take me with you when you left?" Oh no, Sora, don't cry. You can't cry.
"I didn't have a choice, Sora."
I stare down at my feet. "If I did, I would have brought you along with me." There's a short silence. "Why don't you go tell your friend to just leave his clothes on the bed when he's taking a shower. I'll put his clothes in the washer."
"Okay." I rush up the stairs to catch Riku, but he's already in the shower. I knock on the door and tell him that we're washing his clothes. I'm not sure if he hears.
-
I end up watching TV on the couch in one of dad's big shirts while he washes our clothes. I should probably have at least offered to help, but I'm so tired.
And lazy.
"Just put your clothes in the dryer." Dad says, walking in and sitting next to me. I lay my head in his lap and he strokes my hair. I smile.
Life is good.
-
Did I fall asleep?
"Sora," I can hear dad's voice, but I can't tell where it's coming from. "Your clothes are done drying. Why don't you get dressed and let your friend know, too."
"Sure." I pick up my clothes, which are right next to me and get dressed.
Dad walks in the room and smiles. "I just got paid, so I should probably take you shopping for new clothes..."
"That sounds great, dad." I try to grin, but I'm still really drowsy.
"When your friend's out of the shower, you should hop in and then we'll go. Sound good?"
"Sounds great, dad." I slowly stumble upstairs and to the guest room.
Holy crap it is huge. I shake my head and make my way over to the bathroom. I knock on the door.
I hear a muffled 'come in' and open the door.
And get an eyeful.
It takes just a spilt second for me to register what's going on.
And that is...
oh-my-god-he's-naked. Right, just don't look at him. Well... I did. Now...just... don't look down.
...And I did.
"I said hold on!" He shouts, quickly wrapping towel round his waist.
"Oh my god I'm so sorry I thought you said come in! But dad said we're going shopping and I need to take a shower soon and...AGH!" I quickly close the door.
That was horrifying.
Actually, rather lucky timing for me... but horrifying for him. A few minutes later Riku opens the door a little.
"Clothes, please." He says, sounding a little more than aggravated. He sticks his hand out and I toss him his clothes. "Thanks a lot..." He mutters sarcastically.
He comes out a few minutes later, fully clothed. "What was so important you had to walk in on me for?"
"We're going shopping after I take a shower." I know he's going to protest to shopping, so I rush into the bathroom so I can't hear him refuse.
-
God, even the bathroom is huge. The bathtub/shower could fit two people.
Hmm. Shouldn't have put that idea in my head. I strip down and turn on the shower. I jump in and turn the water as hot as in can go.
--
Someone's knocking on the door.
..Wait... did I doze off... in the shower?
"Sora, you should get out now before you turn into a prune." I think that's dad.
"I'm coming!" I call, turning off the water, drying off and pulling on my clothes. I rummage through a drawer for an extra toothbrush and find one, luckily. I quickly brush my teeth and head back into the room.
"We ready to go?" Dad asks.
"I'm ready." I say with a grin, Riku gives a small nod.
He leads us downstairs and to the garage, where his car is. I sit in the front seat, next to dad, and Riku sits in the back.
It then hits me that all of this is REALLY happening. I am in a car with my dad and Riku (now dubbed my potential boyfriend, from this point on,) going to pick up clothes.
And we can stay with him.
I can't believe it.
I look back at Riku, who's staring out the window. He looks like he's ready to bolt. Dad squeezes my hand.
"We're almost there." He says, and keeps his hand on mine for the rest of the trip.
-
We enter some mini-mall complex and dad leads us into a large clothes store. A man flocks toward us, asking if we need help with anything. Dad politely says no, and leads us to the boy's section.
"Pick out anything. Sweaters, pants, shirts, whatever. Enough clothes to last a week, at least..." I go off to pick out a red shirt that caught my eye. When I come back, another saleswoman is over hassling Riku.
"...And he has such GORGEOUS eyes, he could wear anything blue or green, to really bring them out. And he has such fine skin, he could--" Riku begins glaring at her.
"Thank you," Dad says. "But I've really got it. we'll call you if we need help."
She leaves.
I grin at Riku. "Don't say a word." He says. He goes to a nearby rack to pick out a shirt.
...And I can't resist.
"But that shirt won't go with your eyes Riku!" He hits me over the back of the head.
"No fighting in the clothing store, boys," Dad says. "Save it for the hot dog stand." I grin, but Riku looks down at his shoes again.
After picking out enough clothes to last us a while, we get something to eat. "There's a great place here. They really have the best food."
Once dad says that, I realize how starving I am. "You hungry?"
"I am." I say.
"What about you, Riku?"
"Yes." He responds quietly.
'What's wrong with you?' I try mouthing to Riku.
'What?' He mouths back. I shake my head.
"Here we are." Dad says suddenly, making both Riku and me jump. We look up at the menu for a moment. I don't know what this place is; I've never seen one before. Must be some exclusive mall thing.
I order a burger with fries and a large soda, and Riku and dad order some kind of chicken salad.
Riku and I pick out a table to sit at while dad pays and waits until the food is ready. When it is, he brings it over.
"Dig in." He says, smiling. I finish my burger in about three bites, but Riku hasn't even touched his food. He looks like he's going to have a nervous breakdown.
"You alright Riku?" I ask. Dad looks up.
"You look sick. Are you alright?" He asks.
"Fine." Riku mutters, beginning to eat.
"If you don't feel well then we'll go home right after lunch, okay?"
Riku shakes his head. "I'm fine."
"You sure?" Dad keeps prodding at him.
"Fine."
-
After we finish lunch and drive around a little, dad speaks up. "So, there's a salon around here somewhere if either or you want a haircut..."
"Sure, I guess." I say.
"No thanks." Riku says.
The hair salon isn't that busy.
I sit down on a chair and someone starts working on my hair. She finishes soon enough- I didn't want much off anyway, just getting rid of what I grew while I was out with Riku.
After it's all finished I get out of the chair.
...And poor Riku is being attacked by the people who work here. They're all playing with his hair and telling him how pretty and soft is it. And something about how cute it would be styled.
Riku gives me one desperate look, and I speak up.
"Let's go home now." I say to dad, who just finished paying for the cut.
We get back in the car, and when I look back at Riku, he gives me a look that says 'I'll kill you if you say anything'.
Poor Riku just keeps getting mauled by strange woman.
Living here will be very interesting.
Once we get back to dad's house I head up to the guestroom with our new clothes, and Riku follows.
I give Riku all of his clothes and, without facing him, begin to change.
I turn to look at Riku as I pull my shirt on, and get another eyeful.
Oops.
I quickly turn around as he puts his new clothes on. I hear him lay down on the bed, so I turn around.
He looks wonderful. His clothes actually fit him now- they're not too big, or ripped.
And his hair is really great.
I climb up on the bed next to him.
"You know dad said we can both stay here." I say.
"Hmm."
"...So... will you?" I ask, trying not to sound pathetic. "I mean, you could really like it here..."
"I guess so." He says then mutters, "...but only for a little while." I pounce on him and hold him close.
"Oh, Riku... I'm glad you're staying with me."
There's a long pause.
"I am too."
---