Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts isn't owned by me, unless you're talking about a copy of the game. Which I cherish. :D And I don't own whatever other companies are mentioned in this.
Warning: Alternate Universe. Yaoi. (BoyxBoy Love)
-
Look look, I'm cutting down on author's notes. Hah. xD
So yes, this is the third part of the series. Rather short, but…eh. Sequel to Parvenu. Enjoy.
-
-
Matchmaker Agent
Of proposals and shared interests. And of how time makes people grow on each other.
-
"Don't you notice?"
Riku looked up from the cabinet, where he was digging around for ingredients. Who knew Leon could cook? "Notice what?" His voice was slightly muffled from having his head stuck in the breakfront.
He didn't see the amused look Leon gave him as he watched him struggle with getting a specific pan out. "Aren't you supposed to be the observant one?"
Riku pulled out just enough to give Leon an annoyed glance. "What is it?" He looked down at the pot in his hands. Way too wide.
Leon nodded his head toward the living room before he realized that Riku couldn't see him. "Those two in the living room. Sora and Kairi?"
Riku snorted, coughing as he inhaled nonexistent space. He slipped out into fresh air and rubbed his eyes. "They've been like that for ages. I never actually got around to doing anything about it.
He eyed Leon's taller figure curiously. "Don't tell me you of all people is thinking of playing matchmaker?"
Leon shrugged. "It could be fun." He held a hand out toward Riku's left. "The black one underneath that one should do.
Leon watched Riku stand up and walk over, offering a pan suitable for the noodles Leon had promised to make.
Riku felt a twinge of irritation that he had to look up to see Leon in the eye.
-
Sora and Kairi were trading glances.
Just a look form the corner of their respective eyes – always when they thought the other wasn't watching. Riku doubted they themselves noticed how obvious they were being.
But that was love. Ignorance, after all.
He couldn't help but smile at the slight brushing of fingers that he thought no one but himself noticed, and Riku was only too happy to help in directing conversation into more personal levels of play.
Ah, young love. Riku frowned at the thought. He was not getting old. He turned at Leon's inquiry and smiled as he answered the question without thought.
Sephiroth noticed from his position on the couch nearer to the window. How could he not? Both pairs were being so obvious it was almost insulting. He exchanged knowing looks with Cloud, who looked like he was going to jump in with some innuendo at any moment.
When the blonde noticed his glance, he clutched his jaw dramatically. Toothache. Sephiroth gave Cloud credit for his ability to play Charades.
Cloud moved over to the spot on the couch next to his childhood friend, with the excuse of taking another biscuit laid out on the small coffee table. The ex-general internally commended Cloud on the strategy. There were only two spots left.
Part of war was coordinating an enemy's strategy to your own gain. Perhaps that works in life's aspects as well.
Leon sat down on the couch with a sigh, Riku following a moment after. The four were silent with amusement. The pleasure grew as Riku turned a lazy, content gaze over to the forming couple with a somewhat lewd gesture.
They flushed and managed to look indignant.
"Let me know when the wedding is." Sephiroth spoke with a repartee air. He directed the speech toward Sora and Kairi, but his eyes were looking at the pair opposite himself and Cloud.
Riku nodded in both agreement and well, utter obliviousness. He took the cups from Leon's tray and held them out.
-
When Riku had asked him to teach him how to cook, Leon had said yes without thinking, having grown so used to the teen's shadow.
He was regretting that now.
"…Do you know the first thing about any of this?"
"Hm? Well, no, not really." Riku threw him a skeptical look. "That's the whole point of learning to cook, isn't it?"
Leon couldn't argue with that logic. Although how an eighteen year old could have never made any food for himself, he couldn't imagine.
Riku noticed his look. "I lived off restaurants and frozen food."
Ah. Typical. "All right. What do you want to start with?"
"Desserts!"
The reply was so quick and well thought out that Leon blinked in rapid confusion. "Desserts? Wouldn't you rather have something more…" He struggled for a word. "…filling?" He finished lamely.
"Hm…" Riku held a finger to his chin, pretending to think. "No, not really. Besides!" He grinned. "Sweets are the perfect Valentine's Day accent!"
"For Sora and Kairi." Ah. He got it now. Leon nodded at the idea, then bent down slightly to gather two aprons from a lower drawer.
Riku looked away, a determined blush on his face.
Not noticing, he kept the slightly more masculine one for himself and tossed the other adorned with white ruffles over to his companion.
The white of the apron matched Riku's natural silver-strewn hair, which was rapidly tied back with a simple black band that had previously been wrapped around his wrist.
"Let's start with something simple?"
The younger obviously had an idea in mind, because he immediately began cluttering the countertops with various ingredients. He set them out in sections. Powders over there. Liquids here.
"Fine then. So you take this…" Riku held up a glass shaker filled with a coarse white powder.
Leon couldn't believe that the teen had mistaken salt for sugar. They were labeled, for God's sake…
-
They made lunch for everyone.
Once Leon had clearly pointed out what was what (He noted to himself that if he planned on giving any more cooking lessons to the younger man, he would label everything with adhesive tape as soon as he could. And with a bright red marker.), it turned out that Riku wasn't too bad. He could differ between spices rather well, and was especially skilled at measuring things at a glance.
Although the kid was horribly inept at not letting things burn… He brushed shaggy hair out of his eyes (An idle thought about needing a haircut.) while vowing to get his precious stove a timer.
Yes, Leon liked cooking. (Everyone had a hobby, right? His cooking couldn't possibly compare to Cloud's fondness for those little Gundam figurines.)
A third, or two out of six, of the little cakes that he and Riku made had exploded. Well, more like imploded. The little bits of those two adorned the tops of the four other cakes, which made for interesting decorations.
Riku ignored them and proceeded to happily smother them in frosting. ("We can just cover it up. No one will notice." A pause. "Then again, Sora did have a habit of eating the frosting first…") It was lemon, but Leon's kitchen only had enough for a single swipe of it, so Riku compensated by suffocating the others in chocolate instead.
He was rather proud of his accomplishment. Leon was rather proud of making Riku clean up afterwards.
"Here it is!"
Riku's chirp caught their attention while Leon passed the delightful little cakes out. One for Sora and Kairi was a given, another for Sephiroth… No one would make the taller man share, after all. Not that he was incapable of it – just that no one wanted to make him.
That left two. There was still Cloud and Riku and himself…
Shrugging and uncaring, Cloud picked one of the remaining plates up and took up his fork. He speared a piece and popped it in his mouth.
"Oh. Um…" Kairi looked away from her conversation with Sora and Riku long enough to notice the dessert dish between her and Sora.
Sora blinked.
Riku shrugged and picked up a silver fork. He pushed his hair back distractingly, and the strands decided to annoy him and drifted right back. He huffed in annoyance.
He didn't mind, after all. Cloud's was already halfway done, and Sephiroth was just picking up his fork.
Leon took a bite of the molten chocolate center after Riku had taken his own.
…There was something insanely personal about eating from the same bowl.
Sephiroth smirked in a way only the man could pull off.
-
Riku's phone rang while he was in the kitchen.
"Hello?"
"Hey Rii. This is Axel."
"I know. I recognize your voice." He chuckled. "What's up?"
"Do you have time right now?"
"Now?" Riku looked up at the tick-tocking clock mounted on the wall. "It's getting a bit late…"
"It'll only take half an hour. Promise. I have got to show you something." Axel had unhidden glee in his voice.
"Well…" …It was Valentine's Day, after all.
"I'll even drive you back." Wasn't Axel's car just out of the shop? If the guy was willing to drive it… Riku knew how protective Axel was of the thing.
"All right. Meet you at…?"
"The square? You know where that statue is?"
"Yeah, all right. See you then."
There was a sound of crinkling paper. Then Axel's "Later." came out of the phone before an audible click.
Riku walked back into the living room, still holding the used utensils he had promised to put in the sink.
"I have to go out. Just for a while."
Sephiroth's questioning look and Kairi's eyes met his own. "What for?"
"I have to meet someone real quick. I'll be back in a little – is that okay?" Riku managed to speak while shrugging on his jacket. He'd already put down the forks, and the jacket settled over firm shoulders.
"Sure. Do you want an umbrella? It looks like it's going to rain soon." The brunette got up from his place on the couch and walked over to the closet, reaching up and rummaging around for the umbrella he knew he stuck there some time ago.
If the kid got a cold…
"Oh, it's all right. Shouldn't be more than half an hour, anyway."
The door opened and closed.
-
Axel wore a long jacket – it was raining, after all.
It had a single belt trailing off it, with a piece of decorative metal attached to the end. It hit the glass sliding door with a bang as they were leaving, and Riku cringed at the sound of the metal clasp hitting the glass with a delicate, breath holding clank.
He couldn't help but wonder why the door didn't shatter.
Their steps walking outside felt like stepping on piano keys – sounds emphasized - before the rainwater drowned out their footsteps.
"He's quite a catch, eh?" Axel commented randomly, breathing in the evening air.
They ran into each other at the store, where Riku was picking up little 'insignificant' matchmaker objects while Axel had decided he was thirsty and swiped a drink.
"Who?"
"You know, the tall guy you've been with lately. Russet hair, gray eyes? Has that neat looking scar through his eye?"
"You mean Leon?"
A snort. "You know, that isn't his real name."
Riku blinked, sipping his own apple-flavored water. Compared to Axel's own strawberry. He had a sudden thought.
"Strawberry's kind of girly, isn't it?" Riku teased, tying his hair to brush his shoulders.
"Shut up." Axel pointed at Riku's nose dramatically. "Strawberry's as guy a flavor as any other guy!" A pause as he realized what he said. "Or flavor, rather. Any other flavor."
"…You're so weird sometimes." Riku laughed.
"Yeah, but…" The redhead swung an arm around the younger teen's shoulders. "That's why you love me right?"
"Hah." Riku brushed his friend's hand off. "If I ever swing that way, I'll let you know."
"Well? Aren't you curious?"
The fairer-haired teen started, surprised at himself for spacing out. "Sorry. What's his real name, then?" He thought of Leon's attitude. "Mr. Rain?"
Sora and him singing in the rain.
"Rain, rain, go away!" Stomp stomp.
"Come again another day…" A splash.
Of course, that led Riku's thoughts to the song's counterpart.
"Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun! Mr. Golden Sun, please don't shine on me!" Axel put his own spin on the song, and twirled in tune.
"It's please SHINE on me, you twit!"
Thunk. "OW! Hey, watch where you throw these…" A pause as he looked at what was in his hand.
"It's Squall."
Riku paused and tilted his hand back forward to stop the liquid traveling his throat. He smirked at the irony. "Rain, Squall. Big difference." A mutter in the back of his throat.
Axel gave him an odd look, still holding his glass bottle halfway to his mouth.
Neither of them remembered the reason they had first met up for.
-
"Well, it's time we get going."
Riku, being the duo's best friend for God knows how long – only had to take a single glance before doing a double take and grinning like his birthday had come early.
"Congratulations, you two."
Sora grinned happily but colored while holding onto Kairi's hand, who was smiling but had a matched red accent over her cheeks. Barely noticeable. But she couldn't stop smiling, it seemed, so he was happy for her.
They made a cute couple.
As they got ready to bolt (Sephiroth and Cloud had already left about a quarter hour earlier.) – as it was raining outside and they both lived pretty nearby – they sang out loud goodbyes and pulled on their cloth thin shoes that weren't suited at all for the rain.
Kairi shrugged on her white jacket with the Papou label (She was the mayor's daughter, after all.) and hooked arms with the blue-eyed brunette. She nodded a goodbye and looked back while whispering with Sora.
Riku watched them go, unable to stop smirking at his accomplishment. Of course, he had help… But he had waited for them to get together for so long that he couldn't help but feel proud.
The pouring rain caught his attention as he stepped further inside and shut the door. The pit-pat of the droplets were dulled.
"Man…" A glance out the window. "I should have taken that offer for the ride."
Riku was referring to Cloud's earlier inquisition as to if he wanted a drive home.
"You know…" Leon stood up, walking over to his hall closet, which was easily viewable from the living room they had been lounging in. He opened the door to reveal various patterned bed sheets. "There's a spare bedroom."
"Why Leon." Squall. "Are you surrendering your nice, clean, neat house to my whims?"
Leon had a sudden image of violent cackling. He blinked and shook his head to clear the random image.
Then again…he had seen what Riku usually did to his own rooms. Clothes strewn over the back of his two-seat sofa, shoes kicked into two different room corners…
Another half-second glance at the kid made up his mind.
"It's not a problem."
After all, Riku knew how to cook now. Reasonably well.
"You can make breakfast in the morning."
-
A hundred meanings before "I love you."
-
-End-
-
-
The end. xD Of this one, anyway. Oh so crudely done.
The next holiday should have an appearance by Axel and the rest of the Organization. Well, more of an appearance by Axel. (Did anyone get those hints?) But keep in mind that this one's LeonRiku, not AxelRiku.
Anyone have any idea what holiday should come next? Reina mentioned Saint Patrick's Day, perhaps. And sometime after that will be April Fool's Day, of course. x3
On a note, I will be on vacation from June 10th to August 2nd. Just a heads up that I might not have internet access… But I will be taking my laptop with me, so I will be writing. I'll try to get a few chapters and ideas down during that time.
-