Title: Love On A Rotten Day
Author: Slashapalooza
Disclaimer: I don't own Riku. Or Sora. I am, however, a card carrying member of the Unofficial Riku Fanclub.
Author's Note: Thank Kari for the superbness of the kiss scene in this chapter! And the soonness of this update. She makes sure I get off my lazy bum and writes. You must all go read her stories today. You must all adore her promptly. Another HUGE thanks to Starberrie for beta-ing, since we all know (Wait, no you don't) That I am a crappy speller. Especially on the internet.
Date Begun: December 7, 2004
Date Posted: December 10, 2004
Date Edited: December 27, 2007
Chapter 5: In Which Riku Almost Gets What He Wants
Sora tried not to hyperventilate as he stood on Riku's front porch, his hand poised to knock. He'd walked much slower than really necessary to get to Riku's house which, just like his mother had said, was a big, blue thing five blocks down from his. Now that he was here, he wanted to go back home. Riku probably didn't want to see him after the way he'd been acting, anyway, and the butterflies in Sora's stomach told him that he was apprehensive, at best, about seeing Riku. Maybe the best thing to do would be to just turn around and—
Try not to scream when the door suddenly swings open.
Sora swallowed hard as Riku raised an eyebrow at him, then stared at the ground, unable to meet Riku's eyes.
"Sora…?" Riku sounded puzzled, but not displeased. Still, Sora couldn't get any words out. A warm hand held his chin and pushed his face up until he was meeting Riku's gaze and trying to remember how to breathe. Riku was staring at him in a way that made warmth pool in Sora's stomach and his breath hitch. But then Sora blinked and the look was gone, replaced by a lazy smirk. "Just couldn't wait until next weekend, could you?"
Sora smacked Riku's hand away and blushed. "I'm not here to sleep with you!"
"That's what you say," Riku laughed quietly and leaned against the doorpost. "Did you want something? I mean, besides me."
The discomfort returned and Sora had to try very, very hard not to stare at the ground again and not answer the question. He'd been here for far too long already and the sooner he got it over with, the sooner he could go home and hide under his covers.
"I'msorryforblowingupatyoulikethatIwasbeingarealjerk," he said so quickly even he didn't understand a word.
"Um. What?"
"I said… I'm sorry for… blowing up at you like that and… I was being a real jerk and… anyway, I'm sorry."
Sora bit the inside of his cheek to keep from ruining his apology with an insult about what a stupid jerk Riku was for making him say it twice. He half-expected Riku to pretend he hadn't heard him, just to hear it another time, but instead Riku smiled and grabbed his wrist.
"Come on, Sora," he said warmly. "Let's talk inside."
"I take it back," Leon commented idly as Cloud flipped through the TV channels trying unsuccessfully to find something good to watch on a Saturday night. "It doesn't look like Riku's doing so well with Sora."
Leon had thought it was a sure thing, had half-expected Sora's virginity to be a distant dream by now, but Sora hadn't so much as looked at Riku in a week. Obviously Riku had messed up somehow, but hell if Leon knew or cared why. It was more out of a concern for Tidus that he even still kept tabs on this thing. With every day that went by, Tidus got more and more irritable waiting for that tape. He was scarily obsessed.
"Why're you always talking about that stupid newbie?" Cloud growled, bringing Leon's attention back to him. "Why'd you invite him in the first place?"
"I felt like it. Stop being a bastard and relax. Riku's cool."
"He's cocky."
"So were you when you first joined up."
"Whatever."
Cloud pushed the buttons on the remote with a particular visciousness and Leon didn't know whether to be amused, flattered, or annoyed. He wasn't a complete retard; he knew Cloud wanted in his too-tight pants. Hell, if he wasn't mistaken, Cloud had wanted him for a very long time. Leon was willing to admit that he was extremely fond of Cloud, though not out loud, but sometimes Cloud's vindictive, bitchy attitude just got on his nerves. As if Leon was fickle enough to switch gears for some effeminate albino boy from the Islands.
"It kind of sounds to me like you're jealous," Leon said, unable to resist teasing Cloud a little. He raised an eyebrow when Cloud didn't answer. "I'm right, then."
"Aren't you always?" Cloud stood, tossing the remote back on the couch. "I'm going home. Tell Aerith I said hi."
Leon considered saying something to get him to stay—he really enjoyed Cloud's company, when he wasn't being an ass—but nothing short of a love declaration would get Cloud to stay now. And, quite frankly, that wasn't Leon's style.
He shrugged. "Alright. See you tomorrow."
Cloud waved distractedly then left with his hands deep in his pockets. Leon shifted into a more comfortable position on the couch and closed his eyes. They could sort things out some other time. Right now, all he wanted was a nap.
Sora fiddled with the zipper on his jacket as he sat on Riku's bed and waited for Riku to come up with some snacks. He had no idea how Riku had managed to lure him up to his bedroom. Sora vaguely remembered Riku grabbing his wrist and that his immediate urge had been to pull away and run. Then Riku's hand had slipped into his and their fingers had intertwined almost involuntarily and then Riku had let go of his hand and asked Sora if he was hungry.
He was so easy.
The butterflies were still flying around his stomach and only seemed to have gotten worse. He was alone in a house with a hormonal teenager who was so determined to get into Sora's pants that he'd asked Sora's mother for permission and had absolutely no idea why Riku wanted to get into his pants in the first place. Yeah, Sora was cute and he was kind of aware of that, but, really, there were plenty of cute boys at school. Or, if Riku just wanted a hot piece of ass, then Leon was totally still single because Cloud couldn't make the first move to save his life.
Why Sora? Why did he want Sora so bad? And why, if Sora knew Riku wanted him so bad, was he still sitting on Riku's bed?
Sora sighed, stood, and began to pace back and forth as he listened to Riku clanging the dishes together downstairs. On the one hand, he could climb out the window and run before he got raped. And it would definitely be rape because he definitely didn't want to sleep with Riku no matter how sexy he was. Definitely.
But, on the other hand…
"Satisfy your curiosity and give Riku a kiss."
On the other hand, he could kiss Riku quickly and leave so he could keep his job and get it over with. He wasn't entirely sure Tidus was serious about the kissing thing (and anyway how would he know if Sora did or not?) but wasn't it better to be safe than sorry? And, yeah, he was kind of curious as to what Riku would taste like. Well! Not taste like, exactly, but.
But Sora smelled cookies and cookies always outweighed the other choices.
He headed downstairs to the kitchen only to find Riku pulling a tray of cookies out of the oven. "You baked cookies just for me?"
"Getting a little conceited, aren't we? I found them in the oven, you goof," Riku laughed, carefully transferring the cookies from the tray to a plate and setting them on the table to cool. He smacked Sora's hand away when Sora tried to take one. "Let them cool down or you'll hurt yourself."
Sora pouted, taking a seat and tracing idle patterns on the table top. He turned the full effect of his puppy dog eyes on Riku, but the insensitive jerk just laughed again and shook his head. Seeing he wasn't going to get his way, Sora stopped pouting and watched the cookies with all the intent of Sylvester stalking Tweety. "Are they cool yet?"
"Not yet, Sora."
"How about now?"
"No."
"Now?"
"No."
"Oh," Sora paused for a good four seconds. "…now?"
"No, goofball!" Riku said good-naturedly, reaching over to ruffle Sora's already messy hair. Sora ducked his head and laughed, the thought of getting cookies putting him in a very good mood. He grinned up at Riku as Riku dropped his hand, pushing a wayward spike away from his forehead. "You really are a goof."
"Thanks," said Sora with pride. "You're pretty goofy yourself."
Riku reached past him and grabbed a cookie then handed it to Sora who happily started munching away. Sora finished it and was starting on his second when Riku took the seat next to him and asked in a suspiciously fond voice, "You have a really big sweet tooth, don't you?"
"Yep. The source of all happiness is sugar."
"I don't remember that particular philosophy."
Sora chewed thoughtfully, trying to think of a way to convince Riku to come to the cookie side, then swallowed and decided it didn't really matter. "Thanks for the cookies, Riku," he said with genuine happiness. "You don't suck as much as I thought."
Riku chuckled. "Thanks. Gonna tell me why you actually stayed? You didn't have to."
At the reminder, Sora nearly choked on what was left of his cookie. Thankfully, he managed to get it down before Riku really noticed and then, with nothing to occupy his hands or mouth, he began to fidget.
He could feel Riku's expectation, could hear his heart pounding in his ears, and felt like he was going to explode if he didn't do something now. He turned, grabbed Riku's face, and pulled him down into an awkward kiss. Their lips slid together the wrong way and Sora got a bit of cheek before his burst of courage ran out and he capsized his chair trying to get away.
"S-Sorry, I just—" he stammered, unable to think of a better excuse than Tidus made me do it. Riku was staring at him in such abject shock that Sora felt hot with humiliation. "I-I wasn't—"
"Sora," Riku's voice sounded rough. It sent a shiver down Sora's spine. "You—"
Riku got to his feet with far more grace than Sora had, backing him against the counter. Before Sora could get a word in edgewise, Riku was kissing him fiercely. Sora struggled, wriggling and squirming to get from between Riku and the counter, but it was like some kind of dam had broken. Riku's hands were in his hair and they were flush up against each other and Sora's chest felt like it was going to burst.
He let out a surprised gasp when Riku's tongue brushed across his lower lip and that was all the opportunity Riku needed to press Sora even further against the table and slip his tongue into Sora's mouth. Sora whimpered, his eyes slipping shut of their own volition, his hands clenching and unclenching around the fabric of Riku's shirt. He should push him away. He should stop this. He shouldn't be pressing closer and wanting more and feeling like he was falling deeper and deeper into something he wasn't ready for.
It was just… Riku was a really, really good kisser! Sora could barely remember his own name anymore.
Riku only gave him a momentary reprieve for breathing before he was back again, this time coaxing Sora's tongue into action. Hesitantly, as Sora hadn't exactly done this before, he let his tongue brush across Riku's and blushed at the groan the simple action evoked. Maybe he wasn't the only one that was easy.
Riku's hands slid dangerously downwards until he had a firm grip on Sora's butt which he used to hoist Sora up and onto the counter, his hands running under Sora's shirt.
"Riku?"
The voice was like a bucket of cold water being dumped over Sora's head. He went to push Riku away, but Riku had already backed up and they simultaneously looked to see Riku's mother in the doorway. Riku's mother was just as beautiful as her son, with crow's feet about her eyes and smile lines about her mouth. Like her son, her hair was silver and her eyes were green and, currently, wide with shock.
Riku laughed sheepishly. "Mom, Sora. Sora, meet my mom."
Sora couldn't think of a worse way to meet someone's mom. He turned beet red, straightening his shirt and trying to look a little less like he'd just let Riku molest him because he, apparently, had no shame or self-control. Riku's mom had to think he was some kind of whore. Sora would have, in her place.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Riku's Mom, but we were—and he was—the cookies and—oh god." Sora hid his face in his hands and wished he could disappear.
When Riku laughed again, it was more amused than sheepish. "Calm down, Sora. It's just my mother."
"I resent that comment. What do you mean just your mother," Riku's mother asked. Sora peeked at her through his fingers, but she no longer looked outrageously shocked. In fact, she looked amused. "You did this on purpose. Trying to give me a heart attack to get back at me for the move?"
"Oh, no, dearest mother. I put arsenics in your teapot."
"I knew there was a reason I felt like putting tea in your thermos this morning…"
Riku gasped dramatically, putting a hand to his heart. "Argh! You've killed me! Remember me as I was—"
"Young, cocky, and stupid?"
Puzzled, Sora removed his hands from his face entirely and looked between the two of them. Where was the embarrassment? Where was the shock? Should Riku's mother be ordering him out of the house and telling him to never come back and act like a Slutty McSluttiness in her kitchen again? What was with the witty banter?
Riku's mother laughed, startling him out of his thoughts. She was right in front of him now. When had that happened? "It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Sora," she said, holding out her hand. "I'm Ayumi Masaki, mother of that imp over there."
It was a little hard to stay indignant in the face of that. He beamed. "Sora Harada, victim of said demon over there."
"Oh, yes, I could see that. It's lucky I arrived when I did or else your precious virtue would be a distant memory."
"Exactly!" Sora said with wide eyes. Finally, someone was sympathetic to his cause. "You will not believe what he actually came over to my house and did today—"
"Mom, don't you have, like, reports to file or something? Somewhere else?" Riku asked quickly, watching Sora in a way he wasn't entirely sure he liked.
Riku's mother winked. "Try not to behave too badly. I'll be right upstairs where I can hear you, you know."
Sora mumbled something incoherent in reply. Okay, maybe not totally on his side, then. Riku waited until his mother's footsteps had faded up the stairs before casually approaching the counter again.
"My mom and your mom would get along well," he commented, inching closer.
Sora swallowed and jumped off the counter before Riku got any ideas. "I'm going home."
"Going to run away again?" Riku's hand had his again. The grip was loose enough that Sora could get away, but he didn't try. He couldn't, not with Riku's face so close that he could count each individual eyelash. "Don't you want this?"
"I don't even know what 'this' is," Sora said, but didn't move. "L-Leave me alone."
"Okay."
Unfortunately, or fortunately, Riku did the opposite and kissed him again.
Kairi was exhausted when she finally hung up her hat and closed up the ice cream parlor. Who the hell wanted ice cream so late at night, anyway, and who the hell invented staying open twenty-four hours a day? She was just lucky she hadn't worked in the always open parlors or she'd be seriously ready to kill someone. Didn't they know that girls needed their beauty sleep?
Kairi sighed, knowing she was just irritable because she was tired. She was doing this for Sora, she kept reminding herself. Sure, she wasn't getting paid enough to make a real difference yet, but every bit helped. She'd just give the money to Seiya and admit that she'd intercepted the letter—once she found it that was—and then the Haradas would be good for awhile. She wouldn't be a good friend if she didn't at least try to help.
Even if Sora had helped himself to her potential boyfriend.
"No," Kairi muttered, appalled at the direction her thoughts were taking. That was not fair to Sora. Riku had been gay long before he'd met her or Sora, probably. All the hot ones were. Sora, Riku, Cloud, Leon, Tidus… well, okay, Tidus was bisexual, but he was also an ass. Besides, he was taken and, when he'd been single, he'd been after Sora, so she had no chance there anyway.
In any case, she needed to catch a bus home before her parents called up Sora's house and realized she wasn't there. She turned and slammed into Yuffie and Wakka, who looked as surprised to see her as she was to see them.
"Um," she said when neither of them said anything. "I can explain what I'm doing here."
Yuffie folded her arms. "Oh, I can't wait to hear this."
Kairi's mouth worked soundlessly, trying to come up with something. Anything. She was abducted by aliens and just got back. She had been hypnotized. She'd been kidnapped and locked in the ice cream parlor's basement. Anything. It was the perfect time for her brain to fail her. She ducked her head, trying not to cry at what she knew was coming.
"Please, don't tell anyone…"
"And what d'we get for keeping quiet?" Wakka asked. "We don't do this kind of thing for nothin', ya."
"Yeah!" Yuffie giggled. "I mean, Kairi. I had no idea you were the type to lie and cheat an ice cream parlor out of its money. That's a crime."
Kairi reluctantly lifted her head, looking from one maliciously amused face to another. "I don't have any money. I mean, I do—or, will come pay day—but I need that money for—"
"Sora? No shit." Yuffie raised one dark eyebrow. "Does he know about this?"
Kairi swallowed and didn't answer.
"This'll cost extra, ya."
"I think I know exactly what to do with you. Meet us in the parking lot before school on Monday. That's when you'll get your assignment, slave."
Kairi gaped at her. Yuffie couldn't be serious. Hadn't slavery gone out of fashion when morals had come into play? Did Yuffie really think she had nothing better to do than to follow her every order like a lapdog? Kairi had a backbone and a life, for goodness sake! She wasn't about to—
"If you don't show," Wakka said, pulling his cellphone from his pocket and snapping a picture. "We'll be showing this to Sora. It's all up t'you."
Kairi ducked her head again. Apparently, she was about to. "I'll be there."
Seiya carefully examined all the evidence. Sora had returned to the house almost two hours later than when he'd left it. His shirt was on backwards. His hair was visible mussed (a feat in itself) and his cheeks were flushed. It wasn't too hard to figure out that her son had been deflowered at some point in the last two hours, though why he decided to come home afterwards was beyond her.
"Sora," she said, closing the door behind him. "Congratulations! You've lost your virginity at long last. I knew it'd only be a matter of time before Riku managed to tear through your defenses, but—" she paused at the look on Sora's face, somewhere between humiliation, indignation, and incredulousness. "Oh, come on. What else could have possibly happened?"
"I was molested and you're happy about it? Mom!"
"It's not molestation if you're an active participant Sora. Plus, your shirt's on backwards."
"Riku took it off! He distracted me with—well, with things—and then he took my shirt off and wouldn't give it back until I—"
Seiya covered her ears. "Sora, ew. You're my son. I have limits!"
Sora threw his hands up in frustration and stomped up the stairs to his room. Moments later, his room door slammed shut.
Seiya chuckled quietly to herself, leaning against the door with a smile. Sora was being way too defensive to be taken seriously. It was obvious he felt something for Riku and Seiya, quite frankly, was happy for him. Sora had never shown such an interest in anyone before. There was a time when she'd hoped that he and Kairi would shack up, but Sora's sudden discovery of his true sexuality had nipped that in the bud. And while she was disappointed that she'd never have any grandchildren to torment, at least she'd never have to worry that Sora would get somebody knocked up.
Besides, Riku seemed like a good kid. He, like her, enjoyed teasing Sora and there was a certain fondness in his eyes when he talked about Sora that spoke of deeper feelings. Whether he realized it or not, he could love Sora. All Seiya wanted was for Sora to love and be loved in return. Sora had been hiding deep within himself ever since his father had been hospitalized and Riku was just the person to get Sora to come out.
Seiya paused. "Get Sora to come out. Ha!" she snorted. "Too late for that."
Riku reclined on his bed, immensely satisfied with himself. He'd gotten to kiss Sora. Finally. Sora was obviously inexperienced, but what he lacked in proficiency he made up for in enthusiasm. Every little touch made Sora moan and writhe and react like never before. And every sound of Sora's just made Riku want to do more with him. To him.
All in all, a job well done.
He had no idea what had made Sora decide to kiss him so spontaneously, but he wasn't complaining. He'd spent all week dying to get closer to Sora and the gap between them had been bridged in the course of a single visit. Plus, Sora had met his mother and she obviously approved if the way she'd cranked the stereo to tune them out and flooded the kitchens with the sounds of Let's Get It On was any indication.
He couldn't say he disagreed. Task aside, Sora was exactly the kind of guy Riku had always wanted to date. Cute, innocent, sweet, but with a little spunk to keep him on his toes. Sure, Sora was overly defensive, easily upset, and extremely hostile, but even those were becoming endearing qualities. Riku felt like he could spend all day watching Sora and never learn enough to be satisfied. He was just so alive.
Of course, it wasn't like he had a crush on Sora or anything. That'd be a little ridiculous considering he was going to publicly humiliate him. He doubted Sora would want to date him once this was all over with.
Still, he couldn't deny that there was something there. Something in the way Sora smiled and tasted and felt had Riku hooked. Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough. After all, Sora had added this new level to their relationship and Riku couldn't wait to take advantage of it.
