Hi. Let me apologize in advance. I'm not a good writer, but I got bored. Idle hands and all that.
Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square and Disney and that guy Nomura who has a vaguely frightening obsession with zippers and vegetable-sounding names.
This will be slash eventually, but that 'eventually' depends on whether or not anybody likes this story in the first place.
This story is completely AU and should not be taken seriously or enjoyed. It has not been beta'ed.
Enjoy.
It was on a Tuesday that a marginally gorgeous, moody, scarred brunette rolled out of a large canopied bed and stalked off to the bathroom to begin his monotonous daily routine. He gazed out the window solemnly as he brushed his teeth, cursing the sun for rising around the same general time every day. He silently prayed for a little rain to supplement his already pithy mood.
In the shower he knocked some half-empty shampoo bottles around to fill the air with noise.
Once he was clean and dressed in his customary leather on leather on leather with a tight t-shirt and his favorite jacket with the printed wings thrown on over it, he marched out to his bland little den and debated over whether or not he wanted to waste time and effort on forcing his tiny kitchenette into producing breakfast of some sort. He eventually nabbed a granola bar from the cupboard and gnawed on it without really tasting it. He glanced briefly at his 'Wyvern's Café' apron tossed haphazardly across the coat hangar by the door and wondered again about the pleasant bookkeeping job he'd read about in the paper. He studied his not-quite-as-tidy-as-friends-and-relatives-might-presume apartment and frowned, letting his stormy gaze travel up and down the walls, across hardwood, linoleum and carpet and across the sparse and meager decorations. The cornucopia on the coffee table was particularly offensive in its plainness, not to mention completely random. It didn't even have any fake fruit in it.
He continued to stare down at the little wicker fruit horn as though it might roll over and apologize, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
He wasn't...lonely. He enjoyed the solitude of his apartment.
No one was ever in his business, no one ever harassed him needlessly. No one ever invaded his space.
No one was ever around.
He had never thought seriously about this. He didn't think he'd ever need to, but...
...But this ridiculous cornucopia, and the silence and this ugly beige carpet were suddenly just too much. He found himself really and truly bothered by the pristine, undisturbed dullness of his dwelling. The hardwood around the kitchen and hallway didn't have even a scuff or a stain to show for its four years of faithful service.
Face as stern as ever, the man wandered over to a nearly-forgotten television set and absently drew a loopy little stick figure in the dust covering its surface.
Sora ran his fingers through his tousled hair once more, exited the bathroom and trotted down the hall to stand in Riku's doorway. Leon would be here any minute to pick him up, but he figured he at least had enough time to check in on his precious Ri-ku. He grinned wryly and called out to The Beast, as he had affectionately taken to calling his best friend in the mornings.
"Riku!" He waited a few moments for a response, and when he received none he tried again. "RI---KU!"
The figure currently wrapped up in a mountain of blankets and pillows (some of which he recognized as his own) groaned and shifted a little.
"Riku, I finished all of my exams yesterday, so I'm working an extra shift down at the Wy' for some overtime pay. Don't forget to get up in time to make it to your Social Science exam. I set your alarm for ten-thirty."
Riku grunted what may or may not have been an affirmative.
"Seriously, Riku. You had better get up," Sora scolded the sleeping figure, "I think I'll probably just call and check in on you later."
He received a moan of protest through the comforter following this little announcement, and his grin got a little mischievous.
"I'll just keep calling and calling, Ri-ku. Even you can't ignore the phone forever, and--" The sound of a car horn stopped Sora from finishing his threats, and had Riku been a little more awake, he would have sighed with relief. Hell, he practically managed it anyway before Sora just had to chime in again.
"--Oh, and since you'll be free after your class...why don't you mow the lawn today, Riku? I told you a hundred times about the backyard and that little garden is full of weeds and crap. Also, we need some stuff from the grocery store, I think a jug of 2 milk, a carton of eggs, and a loaf of white—not potato!—bread. I probably left the list on the counter, but I don't have time to check now. And stop stealing blankets off my bed!"
The silver-haired boy's whining started like clockwork as Sora all but fled the house in glee. Tormenting his best friend in the morning was one of his all-time favorite activities.
"Bye, Riku!" Sora shrieked cheerfully, cutting off the muffled curses issuing from the bedroom as he slammed the front door and practically galloped down the front stoop to Leon's car.
Leon was as familiar with Riku and Sora's morning ritual as he was with his own, although theirs was probably a tad bit more interesting.
Almost as soon as Sora was in the car he rolled his window down and up to remove any excess dew and struck up a conversation that consisted mainly of excited gibberish and some questions about how Leon had been since, well...yesterday.
"I've been thinking about looking for a roommate."
Sora blinked once, twice. His bright smile faded into an expression of muted incredulity. This was Leon talking. He'd been alone in that big, empty apartment for the whole three years Sora had known him, and perhaps even longer.
"...Whoa...are you serious, Leon?"
Leon just shrugged and after a moment Sora's grin returned full-force. "Well, that's...that's awesome! To be honest, though...you've always been such a loner, and I thought you liked the peace and quiet." Sora blinked big, curious eyes at him.
"I could have a quiet roommate, you know. I'm not the only person within a five-mile radius of you and Riku who doesn't need to screech about everything to get a point across."
"I consider screeching to be one of my finest and most developed talents!" Sora laughed good-naturedly. "Maybe that's just how Riku and I show our affection for each other—yelling and arguing."
"Whatever."
Sora laughed again and they drove on in comfortable silence for a while, the boy gazing out the window as they passed kids on their way to school, traffic, Sora's favorite park, and his college campus. He didn't speak up again until they'd reached the parking lot adjacent to the café where they worked.
"You know, Leon," Sora spoke up again, expression suddenly thoughtful. "Come to think of it, Spik--er, my cousin is actually still looking for a place to rent. He just got into town last week, and he's staying with a friend right now." Sora couldn't help but grin at the thought of Leon and his cousin hitting it off. Spike could really use some friends in a new town, and Leon could really use some friends, period. And the way Sora looked at it, if Leon got on well with him and Riku...wouldn't he like Cloud too?
"He's really cool! Annnd, he's already got a job around here somewhere," Sora gushed helplessly as he snatched his apron from Leon's backseat where he'd left it the previous evening and hopped out of the car.
Now it was Leon's turn to look thoughtful. He could practically see the little gears spinning in Sora's head. The question was, did he really even want to consider someone who, possessing some of the same genetic material as Sora, had the potential to yap, pout, and screech the living daylights out of him?
The answer was a resounding no.
He was going to quit. He wasn't sure exactly why, but he thought it probably had something to do with constantly being sticky and covered in a thin layer of biscuit crumbs and coffee residue, and dealing with overly-chipper teenagers all day who had just discovered their parent's money and cafés that served concentrated but large amounts of caffeine in anything from soda and coffee/coffee-related drinks to actual espresso beans covered in chocolate. He stalked out the front doors and past the little outdoor tables and umbrellas to wait for Sora as the boy shut everything down inside. He felt a headache coming on, and reached up to slowly massage his scar.
"...Leon?"
He was quickly pulled from his thoughts by the sweet, inquisitive voice. He turned to see a pretty young woman with long chestnut hair and expressive green eyes standing in front of the craft shop, Et Cetra, next door. She smiled as she finished locking up and pocketed the key in the front of her own apron.
"Did you close tonight? You're here a bit later than usual."
Leon nodded as he felt his dark mood dissipating a little. Her genuine kindness was plain in her voice and her gestures, and he found it soothing. She blinked as she watched Sora dancing past the large windows as he wiped down the last few tables.
"I want to quit." He murmured at random and wondered why he'd told her. And on that note, he wondered why he'd told Sora about the roommate idea. He'd been voicing a lot of wants and desires to the people around him lately. That would have to stop.
Aerith cocked her head to the side a little, and spared a glance at the darkened café next door. "Is something wrong? Or are you just ready for a change of pace?"
Leon shrugged. "Both."
At that moment Sora came bounding out to the sidewalk and waved cheerfully at Aerith. The woman smiled and nodded at the boy, and again Leon was amazed at how full of energy he was, despite his busy schedule of school, work, and hounding Riku. He didn't envy the silver-haired boy in the slightest.
After they had finished chatting with Aerith, Leon headed towards his car with Sora in tow, complaining about some of the most obnoxious customers of the day and how the mixing machine had broken down for the fourth time in a week.
Leon had learned to tune out his rambling eons ago.
Although he had told himself to quit his job at least three weeks perviously, Leon had worked and worked until he was absolutely certain he couldn't step back into Wyverns without twitching uncontrollably and scrubbing at his scar far more than usual. It was for this very reason that he had taken to the abandoned halls of Destiny Isles High School, clutching a neatly folded section of newspaper and only a vague idea as to where he was going. He'd been meandering around for at least a half an hour with no real progress. After reading an article in the newspaper regarding the high school and its need for extra staff, he'd decided to come and apply for a job as a librarian. He was fond of books and literature, although he considered this to be a rather well-kept secret. He knew for a fact that friends and co-workers had no clue what he did in his free time, and being an icy enigma was something the brunette thoroughly enjoyed.
He gazed down yet another cavernous hallway with its rows and rows of bright orange lockers. This school, it seemed, was a neverending labyrinth of empty classrooms, halls, and restrooms. He rounded the corner with an annoyed huff and, to his surprise, was promptly bowled over by a spiky-haired, gym equipment-toting blur. Both he and the blur went down in a mess of limbs and scattered balls and rackets, and he found himself gazing up into the disoriented gaze of a blonde stranger with startlingly blue eyes. For a moment he almost thought he'd run into Sora, and the immediate similarities between the two were uncanny, although this person was undoubtedly older. He quirked a brow in irritation and wriggled under the man sprawled on top of him, which seemed to prompt the blonde into action.
"Oh, god! I'm so sorry!" The guy wailed andquickly pushed himself off the brunette into a crouching position. A few tennis balls rolled past, followed by their empty canister. "I didn't even see you over this stack of stuff—not that that's really a good excuse—but still!" He stood a little shakily and held out a hand for Leon, who ignored the gesture and just as quickly righted himself on his own. The shorter man gazed up at him, eyes immediately drifting to the scar for a few scarce moments before he cleared his throat a little awkwardly. "A-are you okay, then?"
Leon nodded curtly and leaned over to pick up a few stray tennis balls. The blonde did the same and snatched up the rackets and canisters that he'd dropped.
"...Do you teach here?" He asked somewhat nervously, and blinked up at the scarred man when he didn't get a response. "No?"
Leon held up the piece of paper he'd somehow never lost a hold of. "I'm here about the bookkeeping job."
"Oh."
Silence.
"...I'm an assistant coach for the soccer team, and I do personal fitness during the day. Name's Cloud."
"Leon."
The blonde juggling equipment smiled earnestly and ducked his head momentarily to hide his embarrassment. Leon shifted a little before speaking.
"Do you know where the library is?"
Cloud looked relieved at being able to help with something. "Um, I've been getting lost a lot too to be honest, but I think the library is next to the cafeteria, which you can reach from B hall or D hall. Itbig and brightand its pretty hard to miss."
"Alright."
The blonde continued to struggle with the stuff piled in his arms and smiled, managing a small wave as he made his way down the hall. Leon watched him go, half expecting the canisters and rackets balanced so precariously to go tumbling all over again.
If there's enough interest, next chapter will feature dinner, mixed up introductions, some pleasant conversations and...some...other type stuff.
Yeah.
Review please? I can take the heat if you'll only take a minute to dish it out.