Author's notes: Well...I guess I couldn't wait. Here's chapter 8 filled with fluff as compensation for chapter 7! I didn't think I'd write it on the same day but, hell, here it is!
If you ask me I think this is kinda the fluffiest chapter I wrote until now (except maybe the ice cream scene? but who knows..)
Judge for yourself, though and have fun!
=========
Sora awoke with a start. His internal clock was telling him to get up and he could feel that something was wrong.
He opened his eyes, feeling strangely sore and uncomfortable. He wrinkled his nose as he noted that his back kind of hurt though he wasn't sure why. Of course his bed wasn't the best one in the world but he'd never felt so uncomfortable before.
And then he noticed he wasn't lying in his bed. In fact, he wasn't even lying. He was sitting, leaned against the wall with something pressed to his ear. And he could hear breathing.
"Huh?" His eyes opened fully and widened as he realized where he was. Quickly, he shifted his gaze to the clock on the wall and squinted. 7:05.
"Riku!" he exclaimed, covering his mouth as he realized the boy on the phone was still sleeping. He wanted to wake him up but not like that.
Sora sighed and listened closer to the sounds that came from the other side of the line. Riku was breathing very lightly, almost like a child, and he was breathing so steadily that Sora nearly fell asleep again. Shaking his head, he decided to wake the other boy. They had to go to school, right?
Quietly, he whispered into the phone.
"Riku, you gotta wake up."
There was no reaction and honestly, Sora hadn't expected any. He had to do more than just whisper. Grinning, an evil thought crossed his mind. If Riku still had the receiver right at his ear this might be fun, if also a little hurtful.
Sora snickered. Poor Riku.
He took a deep breath, preparing to shout and—
A light cough came from the other side and Sora stopped. He heard rustling and some mutterings and then finally a sharp intake of breath.
There came a row of cursing, which was half slurred in his sleepy state as Riku realized what time it was and what had happened. He didn't seem to notice he was still talking through the phone and that Sora could hear everything.
The brunet chuckled and decided to make himself known to the other boy. He cleared his throat.
"Um, Riku…" he began, hearing the silver haired boy curse some more. He snickered and shook his head.
"Riku! We're gonna be late if you keep swearing like that! Get your lazy butt here so we can go!" He waited for a reply.
There was nothing. A sudden silence had fallen over them and Sora would have thought Riku left the phone, if it were not for the breathing against his ear. Then, Sora heard a sigh and a few unintelligible words were muttered. He couldn't even ask what Riku had said because the other boy spoke clearly shortly after.
"I'll be right there. Don't worry." He sounded a little weary and Sora frowned, wondering if he had done something wrong. He didn't want Riku to sound like that.
"I'm sorry," he murmured in his most adorable and apologetic voice.
Silence.
Then Riku cleared his throat and he seemed to shake his head though Sora couldn't really know.
"What for? If anyone has to say sorry it's me. I mean…" he paused, leaving Sora time to glance at the clock. Unless Riku could fly here they would be late for sure. But that was unimportant right now, for Riku obviously wanted to say something.
"You've listened to me all night…and I…you know…um…" It occurred to Sora that Riku was struggling for words again, just like the time he told him why he'd given him the number. 'Shy Riku! Shy Riku!' he chanted in his mind, grinning happily at this.
"Thanks for wasting your time with me…" the silver haired boy murmured. Sora's grin turned into a soft smile and he was tempted to kiss the phone so Riku would hear it. But he didn't. Instead he just continued to smile.
"Come now, you gotta go. I'll be waiting for you."
Riku nodded and smiled. "Ok, see ya in a few minutes. I'll be as fast as I can."
It got Sora wondering where Riku actually lived. He'd never asked him or been at his place and the fact that he could get him every morning intrigued him somewhat. Maybe he wasn't far away but then again, wouldn't he know about a huge villa, because Riku must have lived in such a huge house. Well, maybe he would ask him sometime today.
"Someone's gotta hang up, though," Sora chuckled as he noticed that they were still standing there. Riku sighed.
"One." Sora grinned.
"Two."
"…" No one said three. Sora thought that Riku was maybe trying to say or do something again because it had happened often enough and he was still wondering what Riku had tried to say at their first phone call.
"You know, if we're late because of you this time, we're even," Sora commented with a slight grin.
Riku laughed at that and snorted. "As if, Sora. As if…" He smirked and moved his hand to put the receiver back. Something stopped him for a second and then he pulled it back, knowing that Sora was still on. "Thanks, Sora. That…meant a lot to me." Then he hung up, leaving Sora a little dumbfounded. He could feel heat rushing to his cheeks and soon he was blushing so intensely that he was sure his face would burn up in an instant.
***
They had managed to get to school and miraculously they were on time. Riku had been faster than Sora expected and everything had worked out. In the morning, when they reached the building, a horde of fangirls was running towards Riku again and Sora could see the change in him. It angered him again but then he decided to shrug it off because it seemed to be inevitable. At least he would get the real Riku when they were alone…which brought him to his latest topic. When would Riku come to his place?
Physics was boring. Sora hated it. He was sitting next to Riku (like always) and he couldn't help sighing and pouting. He wanted this class to end.
Riku gave him a few glances and he seemed to be amused by Sora's sulking antics. A small smile tugged on his lips and he leaned over to Sora's ear.
"Bored?" he whispered as his hand wandered over to Sora's. Sora tensed and quickly turned his head to Riku so they were looking each other in the eyes. Their faces were close and their hands were touching – Sora felt warm all over. He nodded silently to Riku's question and jumped slightly as Riku's hand engulfed his, entwining their fingers so they were holding hands.
Riku smiled but it wasn't his usual smile, not that one he was giving everyone. It was a different kind of smile, the one Sora had imagined while they were talking on the phone.
The silver haired boy leaned yet a little closer and then lowered his head so it was resting on Sora's arm. The brunet's eyes widened and he looked around the class for anyone to notice, but they were sitting in the back row and everyone was too busy trying to follow the lesson (because no one ever figured the works of physics) so that no one turned to the back.
Sora felt a tingling sensation as the boy's head landed on his arm.
"I'm sorry for keeping you up all night…" he murmured, looking up from beneath his eyelashes. Sora caught his breath at the sight but managed to calm down enough to answer.
"You don't have to be sorry. I love—" he stopped himself, a little uncertain. Then he continued. "I loved talking to you. And you know, you'll never waste my time. I mean…whenever you need to talk…or anything…just do it. I'll be there for you."
He didn't know where this had come from, and honestly, he wasn't even sure what these words meant since he had never said those things to anyone. Or heard anyone saying them to him. But at that moment he was sure that it was the right thing.
And it probably was because Riku looked up with a mixture of shock and gratitude. He opened his mouth but he couldn't find the words.
Sora reached out his other hand since one hand was being held by Riku, which felt amazing by the way, and stroked over the silver hair. He raised his eyebrows at the feel of those silver strands and he chuckled. What else could someone expect from this boy? Of course his hair felt like silk. Well, it didn't exactly. It felt better than silk. There was no word to describe the feeling he had when he ran his palm over the soft silver mane. Riku sighed and yielded into his touch and Sora saw him blushing just like he was.
Unfortunately, they had to stop because the teacher had finished writing on the black board and was turning back to face the class.
Riku quickly pulled away, lowering his head to hide the blush. He murmured something and Sora wasn't sure if he had heard right but then Riku scribbled something and passed it to Sora. Exchanging messages was easier than talking.
Sora unfolded the little piece of paper and read.
He couldn't help but smile as this tingling spread through his chest and then his whole body. Reading those lines wasn't as good as hearing it from Riku, hearing the beautiful voice, but it was enough to make him dizzy and fuzzy.
He quickly wrote a reply and gave it to the other boy, taking a deep breath to stop the giddy feeling inside him.
Riku read. His eyes wandered over the words for a few more times before he turned to Sora with a blank expression. He stared at the boy, a little disbelieving maybe, and then there was this small smile again and he hid his eyes under his bangs. His cheeks had turned a deeper shade of red and Sora was sure he looked the same.
Passing the note back to Sora, Riku gave him another smile and then turned back to finally listen to the teacher.
Sora unfolded the paper and laid it next to his textbook. There were those lines.
And then there was Sora's reply.
His own words seemed so stupid to him but seemingly they had affected Riku and he liked the way it was going. Riku liked him. Riku, the perfect angel who never got interested in anyone liked him. And it wasn't only that. It wasn't that Sora was proud to have achieved something others hadn't. Riku was just perfect the way he was – not the side he was at school when he seemed to be flawless and god-like. No, Sora thought the other side of him, the sweet and timid side was nice. The perfect, sexy side was good, too, he had to admit. And that was what made Riku so perfect.
Sora cringed at his thoughts. What the hell was he ranting about in his head? He should concentrate on the lesson. His marks weren't really good even when he listened so not listening would be only worse.
He sighed. Riku had started paying attention to what the teacher said and was already filling out something in the book. Sora glanced over to him to see what he was writing. He had no idea about the whole stuff. Maybe Riku would let him copy the answers.
The rest of the day was rather uneventful. They exchanged a few looks every now and then, smiling at each other but that was about it. Everything was as always. They talked about trivial things and sometimes Kairi would join in and tell them of the latest gossip about their teachers, which was always amusing. Often they also had to dodge the flying presents of screaming fangirls and Riku would avoid every girl with ease while Sora had to struggle not to get hit.
Then it was time to go home and Sora found that he still didn't know when Riku was going to come to him. If at all.
So they were walking down the road in silence after Sora' chattering dissolved. He noted how his stomach suddenly rumbled since he hadn't eaten lunch. Normally he never ate lunch because he had enough for breakfast to last until dinner but that morning he didn't have time for anything. So his stomach started complaining.
Riku turned to him in surprise and then looked down to his stomach. Sora blushed. The silver haired boy leaned down and put his ear to Sora's abdomen, causing him to blush even more. They were in the middle of the street!
Riku pulled away and smirked. "I guess it's time for you to owe me even more." He winked and took Sora's hand, pulling him towards the convenience store.
"Here, tell me what you want. I'll buy it."
They went through the little store and Sora spotted a cup of instant noodles, beef flavoured. His favourite type.
"That one," he pointed at the cup and Riku smiled.
"That's all? Don't worry about the price, take whatever you want."
Sora scratched his head and shrugged. He was used to being saving, his mother had taught him that ever since he was little. But Riku didn't seem to care about that and pulled Sora along.
"Tell me what you like. If you don't take it I'll do it." He smiled as Sora's eyes widened and nodded to reassure him. So they went through the small aisles while Sora told him what he liked and Riku kept taking everything with him.
"And…and…" Sora was thinking of something for his mother. If Riku was willing to pay so much he had to buy something his mother liked, too.
"Sushi. Mom loves sushi."
Riku nodded and took the box filled with sushi.
When they were at the cashier Sora hesitated, pulling slightly on Riku's arm.
"Are you sure you wanna pay all that for me? I know it's not right to have someone else pay all your food so…" He bit his lip, eyeing all the food. His mouth watered at the sight and he wondered when he had last had so much to eat.
"Don't worry about it. Let's pretend I'm buying this stuff for me and then I'm giving it to you because I realize I don't like any of it." Riku grinned as Sora raised his eyebrows and then frowned to think it over. It would be all right if it was that way, right? And the food looked so delicious…his mother would be so happy when she saw all the things he brought.
Before Sora could answer anything, Riku had already paid and was packing everything into bags. He handed one of them to Sora while he carried the other one, gesturing the other boy to follow him.
They left and Sora's stomach was complaining even more now that he had seen all the food. Riku smiled and took out a piece of bread, pushing it towards Sora's lips. The younger boy blinked and parted his lips in wonder.
"Wa—mphff!" Riku shoved the bread into his mouth and patted Sora's head.
"Now chew and swallow before you starve to death."
Sora was pouting at Riku as he chewed for being treated like a little boy but then his hunger took over and he heaved a contented sigh as he swallowed. Sometimes, eating was such a nice thing.
They reached Sora's house then and Riku stopped, lowering his head. He placed the bag he was holding on the ground and let his hands fall to his side. Sora did the same and then they just stood there, facing each other. Sora noticed that he still didn't know when Riku was coming to him and he felt he was going to explode if he didn't know it soon.
The silver haired boy cleared his throat and opened his mouth, but it dropped shut shortly after. Sora watched as he licked his lips and he could feel himself grow warm and a little nervous as he saw it. It was like he couldn't tear his gaze away but looking at Riku's lips would drive him crazy.
Suddenly the lips moved and Riku spoke.
"Um…you know my mother doesn't want me to go anywhere…"
Sora nodded, feeling anxious about this topic. Did it mean Riku wouldn't ever come?
"But I don't care about that." Riku looked up now, meeting Sora's eyes and he smiled.
"If it's okay with you…I'd like to come to you tomorrow, after school?" Sora's heart was pounding extremely fast and he wondered whether Riku's heart was also pounding like that because the silver haired boy was licking his lips nervously while he curled and uncurled his fingers.
They stood for a while like that and Sora totally forgot that he had to answer. For him, it was unnecessary to answer anything because his answer would always be yes, it'd been yes from the beginning. But Riku seemed to wait for confirmation. As Sora noticed the self-conscious look on Riku's face he smiled. He remembered that Riku hadn't hugged him ever since they were at the ice cream parlour and decided that it was his turn now.
Reaching out his arms he wrapped them around Riku's shoulders and pulled him into a hug, not as clumsy as their first one but still a little awkward. Sora felt how Riku tensed at the touch and he himself tensed, too, which made the whole thing even weirder. So Sora pulled away, scratching his head in embarrassment.
Riku's cheeks were glowing and he shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I guess that means yes?" He didn't quite look up at Sora but he saw that the other boy nodded.
They waved at each other when Riku left and Sora smiled brightly, feeling like he would burst every second. He couldn't wait to tell his mother about the news and he sure as hell couldn't wait for tomorrow, when Riku would finally, really be in his house. He would have to make everything perfect for him.
***
Riku stopped in front of the gates. He frowned. It was time to go into his cage again, this huge palace, this fake world. He had spent almost all his life inside those gates and now he was about to break the rules, break free from his mother. He had never done something like that or even thought about it. Of course he did wonder what it would be like to see the real world, to see how other people interacted when they were not at stupid dinner parties where those stuck up retards would talk about politics and the weather and pretend to be nice just to be badmouthing later.
He knew he would have to listen to another one of those lectures about him being better than the rest as soon as he entered his home. He was being late again because he had accompanied Sora and his parents would always demand an explanation, which he had to make up. He would often use the girls in his school, telling his parents that they were chasing him so that he had to avoid them and take another way to get home.
Funnily enough his parents believed it and told him to be happy to have so many girls chasing him. Not that he should get involved with any of them, because they were filthy low-class girls, but it was always good to be liked by people. That was what his mother always said.
Riku sighed. He had to think of an excuse for tomorrow, when he would only come home when it got dark. He had to have a good explanation if he didn't want his mother to kick him out and see him roll to the other side of the town as she said it.
However, a thought came to him and he smirked.
"She said she'd kick me out if I talked to her like that again…she never said anything about throwing me out if I just didn't come home…"
A childish way to justify his actions but why not? He could take whatever his parents wanted to do to him after he had been to Sora's place. Even if they threw him out, who cared? It would just mean he'd be free of this cage.
Riku smiled, seeing Sora in front of his mind's eye. He couldn't wait to see him.
– To be continued –
=========
Ending notes: Theeeere you had your fluff! ^^ Yay Riku will finally come to Sora's house! And Sora's got a loooot to eat now. Ehh...okkei. You know what I realized? Riku's personality...about the whole 'breaking free and leaving the cage'... he's not as OOC as I thought he would be. Because Riku wants to leave his home, Destiny Islands, in KH, too, right? He's thinking of other worlds and stuff. So here he's thinking about the real world and wants to leave that fake world of stuck up people called home. Just realized that when I reread the whole thing. I didn't really think about it much when I was writing.
Okkei that's it. I got nothing to say except for review, of course ^^ and be patient with me in case I don't update too soon...