A/N: It's been a while since I last uploaded a written piece on this site XD. I decided to start posting again instead of leaving stories in my draft. And I should start this off with one of my favorite and most obscure rarepairs!

I've been meaning to write a story like this for these two for a while now. I plan to post new chapters between fortnights on a monthly basis. (I've already uploaded this on AO3, so I'll post the story there first and then upload it here.)

This is a Sora x Neku fic, set in a modern day college AU.

So please enjoy reading this!


Sora was fast asleep, his head was the only part peeking out from the thick blanket covering him. His usual peaceful face, carelessly snoring loudly without worry of disturbing anyone else. He was alone in this building after all. His arms were tightly squeezing his pillow, with a small pool of his drool seeping into the fabric.

Next to his bed on the cabinet was his phone, still plugged in but fully charged, a framed photograph of him with two of friends at a beach location, all with big happy smiles. The rest of his room was a simple design, on one wall was a small closet, next to that were some posters and cool art prints he got from a friend. To the opposite side of his room by the door was a medium size desk with a few books, some comics, and a small lamp.

The curtains were closed with the sunlight just starting to creep in through the gap, but Sora had his back facing it so the sun wasn't in his eyes to interrupt his dreaming. Unfortunately for him the timer on his phone was just minutes from going off, soon the silence would be ceased by the loud music he had set for his alarm. The tune begins to fill the room, it was loud and obnoxious specifically to ensure that a heavy sleeper like Sora would wake up.

He grumbles, his face scrunches up with an irritated look, and slowly his eyes begin to open. He reaches his hand over to his phone, feeling around the top of his cabinet until he finally presses the side button putting his alarm on snooze. His smile returns and turns over in his bed away from his phone, but it was only a temporary relief as fifteen minutes later the song starts playing again.

Now he was awake, reaching over again he hit the button turning off his alarm. A long yawn slips out of his mouth, and eventually he sits up, rubbing his eyes as he could feel the dirt around them. He glances over to his phone seeing the time read out in big numbers, it was just a little after eight.

Sora usually slept in, but it was a work day so he had set the alarm for this time to get ready. He had to play the bills somehow after all. If he could have his way, Sora would sleep in every day. But this was his reality, so he had to, whether he liked it or not. He steps out of his bed, running his hands through his messy hair, leaving his room and heading towards the bathroom.

He enters the small room, and turns on the light, the bulb was one of the brighter ones in his apartment. His eyes had to adjust for a moment, he shuffles over to the sink and started brushing his teeth, and cleaning his face. He splashes his face a few times before drying it off with a towel.

After collecting his phone from his room, he sits in his kitchen, eating his breakfast while casually scrolling through his device. He still had plenty of time to kill before his shift started, and it wasn't that far to travel, so he could relax with his morning.

Once he was done with his food, he returned to his room, got dressed, grabbed his backpack, and keys he headed out. Standing out in the hallway for a moment, he continued to the elevator. Sora lived on the 7th floor of the building, he didn't mind since his apartment had a nice view of the city from a great height. It only took a few minutes for the elevator to reach the ground floor, this building was one of the newer ones.

Another small yawn crept out of his mouth when he finally got to the bottom, and exited the elevator, then leaving the building onto the busy street. He was fortunate that his workplace wasn't too far, it was a 20 minute walk when he had the energy for it, or a short taxi or bus ride away. Since he was good for time, and wasn't in a rush he decided to walk to work, it was nice weather this morning.

"Today's gonna be a good day…" He assures himself in a quiet voice, putting his headphones in, and starts making his journey. It was his ritual to say it or think before he started his day…

Neku was laying down on his couch, looking up at the ceiling not really focusing on anything. It was a rarity for him to have peaceful moments during the week, between studies, work and every other factor going on in his life, rest and relaxation very important. He didn't have anything planned until late at night, so he had the entire daytime to rest and take it easy.

It was still early in the morning, and he didn't feel like getting off the couch, he was comfortable. But soon his basic needs were going to motivate him to move as he needed to eat something, indicating to him by grumbling noises made by his stomach. He gets up and makes his way to the kitchen, opening his fridge, to his irritation the contents consisted of a half container of milk, a random assortment of vegetables, a bottle of water, and an empty egg carton. He then goes to search his cupboard, hoping for a ramen cup, but there wasn't much in there either, Neku had been meaning to do a grocery run, but kept putting it off to the 'next day' or 'later' but now he was gonna need to restock his kitchen.

For right now he just needed to eat something, so first breakfast, and then groceries. Thankfully there were a series of stores nearby, a few cafes, he could order food in, but he also could use some fresh air and stretching his legs wasn't a bad idea either. Joshua was making jokes that Neku was dangerously close to being one of those stereotypical shut-ins and that a little sunlight would do wonders for him.

He grabs his wallet, headphones, and his phone, the time reads: 10:12 AM, one of his favorite places was serving breakfast and it was just a short walk from his place. He puts on a purple plaid jacket with a hoodie, baggy gray pants and blue sneakers. Heading for the door he gave his room another look to double check he didn't forget anything and nothing was out of place before leaving the apartment.

It was a nice morning more or less, the streets were teeming with people walking in different directions, on their way to work or some other relevant destination, the roads were also busy with traffic. Typical city life.

After a few minutes of walking he stands in front of the establishment, the walls are glass, and a bright orange logo depicts the setting sun over a blue ocean. Thankfully it wasn't too busy inside, only a handful of people. The Sunset Café, it was like a Starbucks but they did light meals, breakfast and lunch. Neku enters the building, immediately he's hit by the sweet aroma of pastries baking, coffee beans roasting which serves to increase his hunger even more.

He decides that he is just gonna order to go as he gets in the queue, there were just two people ahead of him. Neku's eyes scan the menu board at the top only for a moment, he was a regular here so he knew most of the items. Eventually it's his turn, stepping to the counter and greeted by a familiar face, despite his introverted nature, less than ideal social skills, but since all the employees wore nametags.

"Hey Sora." He greets the guy standing on the other side of the counter.

"H-Hey, Hi! Good morning. W-Welcome back…" This was another repeat occurrence he noticed about the other, he sometimes stuttered his words, and seemed a little uncomfortable. Neku did kind of have that effect on people, apparently he radiates this 'Do not approach me' energy.

"Thanks." he smiles faintly, trying to make Sora a little more comfortable instead of his normal scowl.

"So, what can I get for you?" Sora returns the smile, before he starts tapping on the interactive screen on his side.

"Just a large mocha, grilled cheese and bacon sandwich, and an almond croissant. All to go please" He lists what he wants to Sora, they were some of his favorites.

"Okay… One large mocha, bacon and grilled cheese, and an almond croissant. That'll be $11.78 all together." Sora's eyes shifted between his screen and Neku's face. "Would that be cash or card?"

"Cash." Neku responds before rummaging his pocket for his wallet, and taking out $20 and handing it to Sora.

"Don't worry about the change." He adds.

"Oh. Are you s-sure?" Sora looks at the dollar bill in his hand and over to Neku who just smiles, nodding his head slightly.

"It's really no problem really, take it as a tip I don't mind." He answers as he is not really putting himself out, it was a little change after all, and he didn't carry coins in his wallet and he could easily part with $8.22.

"T-Thanks, that's really generous of you." Sora presses a button and places the cash in the register.

"If you just wait over there, your order will be ready in about 5-10 minutes." Sora gestures to the waiting point for customers with to-go orders just to the left.

"No worries." Neku says, walking over to the side while Sora goes to start preparing his meal. Once he's done he places the food in a paper bag, and brings it over to Neku.

"Here you go, and here's your receipt too. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Sora hands the bag to Neku, for the briefest moment their hands brush together.

"No, this is fine, thanks a lot." Neku answered as he had everything he needed. "I'll see you around." He says, turning around and heading out of the cafe.

"Y-Yeah! See you around, have a g-good day!" Sora stutters on his words, a little embarrassed as he didn't mean to raise his voice but Neku didn't have a problem with it, smiling at him once more as he left.

"Bye…" Sora says softly, pausing for a moment keeping his eyes on Neku until he was out of sight. Already Sora could feel the warmth filling on his cheeks as they were now a faint shade of pink.

"You're really hopeless, you know that…" Sora's brief moment of bliss is popped when he glances over to Tidus looking at him with a smug smile. Sora looks even more flustered, how long had his friend been watching him.

"W-What?! I have no i-idea what you're talking about." Sora avoids direct eye contact with Tidus, pushing past him as he tries to keep himself busy, or at least pretend to but Tidus could see through it.

"Oh sure you don't. Of course, you must be so oblivious." There was no hiding the sarcasm in his voice, as he kept his eyes on Sora. "You've got it so bad."

"Don't remind me…" Sora sighs under his breath, he was already aware of his feelings.

"Well, do something about it. Because frankly it's becoming a little sad watching you fall on your own words every time, and become a flustered schoolgirl. It's still funny but sad too." Tidus enjoyed teasing his friend, but he did have a point.

"I get it okay… Look, I'll talk to him properly the next time he comes in, promise." Sora made another excuse, just like the last one he made, and the time before that. That was the excuse he made whenever that choked on his words and was unable to talk to him.

"Sora, you've been here for like 3 months, and every week or so Mr. Headphone cutie comes in, and you lose the ability to talk and act like a normal human being. Just take a shot, give your number or social media, or just say 'fuck it' and ask him out." Tidus fiddles with the straw dispenser, explaining to Sora what he already knew.

"The worst thing he could say is 'No' and it'd only be a little awkward… You'll never know if you don't take your shot, be the confident, always-up-for-challenge Sora that you are the other 60% of the time." He adds as Sora's flustered behavior was very out of character for him, he was virtually fearless, brave and a little reckless. But then again love makes you act a little crazy.

"I just… It's just a crush, and he seems a little preoccupied, and I don't know what to say to him." Sora's voice got a little quiet, he wasn't entirely sure that he was ready to pursue romance again, let alone this crush.

Sora continued with his shift, it was a slow one and not too busy. A steady flow of customers, and enough tasks to keep himself occupied throughout the day. He was left alone on his break to think about the things he and Tidus spoke about, he had been living here in the city for just over six months, and started working at this cafe while studying as a graphic design major. He had adjusted to his new life, making new friends, and living alone. This was a fresh start for him, away from everyone and everything he ever knew, choosing a university that was the furthest away from his old home, old friends were living in other cities, studying in other places.

But that was by choice. His final days during senior year, and summer vacation, he had a falling out with his older brother. So he needed some space from everyone, stubbornness was a trait that was strong in his family, and his brother was even more stubborn. And he swore to take a break from dating until further notice, at least that was the original plan until he encountered Neku. Even his name was cute, but that was the only thing he knew about the other, his name. It was honestly more of a crush, or infatuation, he barely knew anything about this guy, but at least they were on a first name basis.

The rest of the day went on as normal, and Sora was finishing up for the day, changing out of his uniform, saying his goodbyes to his co-workers. The skies were gray, it seemed like it would be raining soon, but thankfully he was bundled up nicely and he was gonna jump on the bus back, rather not wanting to get caught in the rain. He didn't have to wait long for the bus, and in half the time was standing back outside his apartment building. This building was actually home to a few university students, the buildings were at a reasonable price, and it was a cheaper alternative as opposed to campus.

He makes his way back upstairs to his floor, unlocking his door and entering his apartment. Everything was exactly as he left it, placing his keys on the counter in the kitchen. He makes a b-line for his fridge, grabbing a soda can, in bright blue letters and a yellow star shaped fruit printed on the side. This was an imported brand back from his hometown, he had a friend ship him a small box once a month since he couldn't buy them anywhere else. Taking a few sips, a refreshed sigh left his lips each time he got a taste of the sweet flavored beverage.

Taking a seat on his sofa, he places his soda can aside and grabs the remote for the TV, it was an older model and only got the local channels. He just left it on the news channel, but it was only for background noise as sometimes the silence could be a little unbearable in this empty apartment. He often thought getting a roommate, it would take a strain off some of his bills, and the company would be nice too. Then again it was his decision, and he also enjoyed his personal space, after spending the first 18 years of his life living with people, it was quite the adjustment, but he was managing it.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. He ate dinner, played around on his phone, checking his social media, watching some funny videos, worked a little on his graphics, shower and then went to bed. He hadn't fallen asleep yet, so he was just scrolling through some old photos and videos until he felt sleepy enough or eventually passed out.

Tomorrow he had classes and a shift at a later time, and he would probably be working to late in the night. And it would be the weekend, no classes and he only worked during the week, unless he was called in to cover a shift, but he didn't have any real plans, other than his weekly video call with Kairi, the weekend was only time they both had free to talk between their busy schedules, she had been trying to arrange for them to meet up with everyone but Sora kept coming up with excuses, a bad habit that he was using to avoid potential problems, or unpleasantries.

But he could only do that for so long, he did miss them dearly but he was conflicted by the past year. And it would be unavoidable interacting with them without his brother, as all their lives were still intertwined despite being in different locations. These were too thoughts to be focusing on right now. So Sora sticks his phone on charge, putting on his 'relaxing' playlist and closes his eyes to drift out to sleep…

Neku was walking along a street, his hood was up, and he was wearing a black face mask, with a scary teeth pattern designed into it. His outfit was a complete change from what he was wearing this morning, a completely black hoodie, a graffiti style pattern on the back, dark blue jeans with a small chain attached to the hip, and gray boots. His hands were in the pocket of his hoodie, his eyes occasionally shifting around to see if he was being followed or if there were people around.

There was no one else on the street. So he continued on at a faster pace until he reached an alleyway, turning into it. It was very dark as the lamppost only covered the entrypoint, but Neku had been here before and he could see very well in the dark. He walked to the very end until he reached a door, he paused for a moment before he knocked his fist on the wooden three times in a specific rhythm and waited.

The sound of footsteps on the other side can be heard, followed by the sound of someone unlocking the door, before it slowly opens. Standing before Neku was a man, he was twice his height, and was wearing a similar face mask to Neku, he had a buzzcut, and scar across his face.

"You're late." His voice was harsh, rough as if he hadn't drunk anything for days.

"Whatever… Just let me in already, it's cold out here." Neku wasn't even the slightest bit intimidated by the man, taking a step forward, he pushes past him and enters the building. The man glares at him but returns inside, locking the door behind him.