Hola! Long time no see... Sorry, between school and writer's block and more school (the homework, the homework I tell you!) This has been pushed back...
So, this is like the second or third to last chapter. I'm not really too happy with it, but it sets up a lot for the next chapters. I tried to keep it funny, but there definitely is more drama. Plus... More of their friends acting like idiots!
Disclaimer: I don't own KH.
"Die fly, DIE!" Rinoa hissed, chasing around the ultra large, ultra spastic fly that seemed to want to make her life a living hell.
Buzz… Buzz…
Buzz, buzz, buzz. Couldn't a girl get some beauty sleep? Rinoa lifted the fly swatter above her head, watching at the fly landed on the slightly open door that separated her room from Riku's.
SQUISH
Rinoa cringed at the fly guts that now adorned her hotel room. Well, at least the fly couldn't buzz anymore.
"Leon," Rinoa wrinkled her nose in silent curiosity. Leon? Wasn't that the name Riku called Squall?
Curious, she leaned her head through the doorway, looking into the other room.
"I can't believe you followed us here," Squall was angry, his fist's clenched, his jaw squared, and lips pulled into a thin line.
Rinoa blinked. Why would Squall get that angry? She frowned slightly. Did this have anything to do with the conversation they had had the night before? Rinoa blinked, continuing to listen in on the bickering roommates.
"It's not like I had a choice," Riku continued. "You see, all of my friends and your friends got together and kind of forced me into it."
Squall snorted in disbelief and Rinoa bit her lip. She knew Squall's friends, and she knew that they- especially that cute but crazy ninja Yuffie- were capable of doing something like that.
"Besides, this is your fault. You shouldn't have led me on," Riku's voice suddenly had an angry edge, and Rinoa gripped the door intently. This was like what Juan and Isabella were arguing about in her favorite Spanish soap.
See, Juan was engaged, but his fiancé had run off, so he found comfort in the arms of his student Isabella. Later, his girlfriend had come back, and he had left Isabella pregnant!
Qué una lastima.
So would that put Riku in Isabella's spot? Rinoa's eyes widened. Was Riku pregnant?
Suddenly, the door gave out and flung open, and Rinoa lost her balance and fell forward into Riku's room.
Two pairs of eyes studied her as Rinoa sat up angrily. "Squall! I'm gone for two months and you got Riku pregnant?"
There was a pregnant (pun intended) pause as the three stared at each other.
Finally, Riku seemed to realize what Rinoa had just said.
"What?"
………………
Meanwhile, on a certain group of islands…
"Kairi, why are some of the condoms missing from the box I gave you?" Kairi's mother asked, and Kairi paled.
Did her father tell her mother? GOOD GOD NO!
Wait a second…
"Mom, why are you looking for my condoms anyways?"
Her mother paused, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Well, just making sure you're not using them of course!" She replied, a slight strain behind the usual cheer.
Kairi walked up to her mother and snatched back the box of condoms. "I don't believe you," she answered. Her mother chuckled lightly.
"Well you see, umm… That is…"
"MOM! EWWWW! GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!"
Kairi's mother raced out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
On both sides of the door, Kairi and her mother wiped the sweat from their brows. "Wow, it's a good thing I got out of that!" They both proclaimed.
At Sora's house…
"Oh, my ickleSorapuddingkins got a girlfriend! I'm so proud of you sweetie! Your father and I thought it would never happen!"
Sora choked as he was nearly smothered to death in his mother's suffocating grip.
"Good job son. Your mother and I were beginning to think you liked to take it up the ass like that fruity friend of yours."
Sora's eyes bulged from his head.
"SOMEONE SAVE ME!"
…………………
Riku's eye twitched slightly. Leon raised an eyebrow. Blushing beet red, Rinoa dusted herself off and got to her feet, smiling innocently.
Riku continued to twitch.
Leon stiffened and watched Rinoa.
Rinoa glanced at the door.
The door swung shut, metaphorically (and literally) sealing her fate.
… Stupid doors…
"So… That was quite a fly!" Rinoa laughed.
Riku twitched.
Leon stared.
Rinoa smiled. Her mouth was starting to hurt.
Riku gulped. "Lady, do I look like I could give birth to any child?"
And suddenly, a shirt was pulled off.
Riku showed off his lack of mammary glands.
Leon stared.
Rinoa stared.
Riku heaved.
Leon tried to pretend he wasn't staring.
Rinoa wiped a small amount of drool from her mouth.
"So… Riku?" Rinoa spoke, clasping her hands in front of her, a determined glint in her eye. "Are you by any chance bisexual? Because we could so make this threesome thing work!"
Leon froze and wondered if he was the only sane person on earth.
Riku suddenly felt exposed and pulled on his shirt.
A fly buzzed around the room.
Rinoa twitched, grabbing her fly swatter.
The fly landed on the tip of Leon's nose.
Rinoa smiled victoriously and swung.
SpLaT!
Rinoa paused, paling rapidly.
Riku paled.
Leon twitched.
The dead fly fell off the end of his nose, leaving only a bit of blood behind.
Rinoa and Riku looked at each other. "Umm… Just a hint, this would be a good time to run," Riku warned the older girl.
Rinoa gulped.
…………………
"Sora my son, your mother informed me that earlier today I acted in a very inappropriate way when I criticized your friend's sexual options. This family is very open, and if you happened to like…Other… G-G-G-G-g-g-uyssss…. We would accept you. As long as he could play blitz ball."
Sora fidgeted in embarrassment, and Tidus let out what sounded like the howl of a dying chinchilla. Oh why had his dad decided to say this when he had friends over?
"Actually," Tidus swung an arm around Sora's shoulder and kissed his cheek sloppily, leaving a trail of drool. "Sora and I have something to tell you. We've been having hot, wild, passionate gay sex on the kitchen counter since we were sixteen."
The only warning the two boys had was Sora's father's eyes rolling into the back of his head before he landed with a thump on the hard wood floor at their feet.
"…Um…Dude," Tidus stated, prodding the man with a cautious foot. "I think your dad just fainted."
Sora rolled his eyes, racing to the phone and calling a number that had become far too familiar in his household.
Looked like he was going back to the hospital…
………………
"Oh doctor Tifa!" Tidus cried, hugging the woman around the middle and nuzzling his head into her bosom. "It was so scary! His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he just fell over. Sora and I had no time to react!"
Tifa patted the boy, trying to remove his iron grip and push him away. "There there, it's alright," she assured him.
"I think this has traumatized me for life!" Tidus cried, snuggling closer.
Tifa grinned. "Well in that case, we do have a trauma center," Tifa informed him. "Why don't we have Ms. Ursula help you."
The last thing Tidus saw was the huge, mole ridden, almost purple toned woman, before he was dragged away.
"Sora! Help me!" He cried.
Sora smiled at his doctor. "Thanks Doc," he told her, swinging his legs from the hospital chair.
"It was my pleasure," Tifa informed him.
…………………
Rinoa raced through the door back into her hotel room, Leon chasing after her.
"Rinoa…" He growled.
Rinoa suddenly found herself in a pushed back into the corner surrounded by a bed and a wall, Leon quickly closing in on her. This was definitely not a good place to be…
Suddenly, there was a silver blur, and Leon was pushed onto the bed, Riku sitting on top of him, struggling to hold the older man down.
"Run, my lovely comrade! I shall sacrifice myself to this beast in order to insure your safety, fair maiden!"
Leon struggled, but Riku held tight, clinging to his prisoner. Rinoa looked from the door to safety, to the teen keeping her safe. Suddenly, Leon's hand shot out and attacked said teen's side, and Riku curled up, letting out a sharp breath. Leon took advantage of the teen's momentary weakness and flipped their positions, even as Riku tangled their legs, trying to stall the older man.
Safety was so close…
No, she could not abandon her comrade now!
"Do not fear, my knight in silver! I shall aid you in you quest!"
And with that, Rinoa threw herself at the pair, in what could only be distinguished as a pile of twisted limbs and happy laughter.
…………………
Yuffie and Sephiroth stared at each other, their features cold and undistinguishable. Tension surged through the room like a hippo on speed, the air so thick you could cut it with Masamune.
Yuffie glared at her opponent, careful that none of her motions gave away her next move.
"I'll raise you three Oreos," she told him, pushing her cookies forward.
Sephiroth considered her carefully, laying out his cards. A full house was formidable indeed.
Yuffie let her mouth form the smallest of grins. Her cards seemed to land on the table in slow motion, each one thumping down and echoing through the room. Slowly, Sephiroth saw her cards.
A royal flush.
Sighing, he handed over his sugary treats. Popping an Oreo in her mouth, Yuffie grinned.
And an Ace fell out from under her wrist band.
"Ah, hehehe," Yuffie chuckled weakly. Sephiroth grinned.
Yuffie gulped, spitting the Oreo out and wiping it off.
"Here you go Sephy," she offered. He raised a brow. Yuffie knew she was screwed.
"Look, it's Cloud strip dancing to the Macarena?"
Sephiroth's uncharacteristically wide eyes and his 'what the fuck' expression gave all the time Yuffie needed to zoom out of the room, cookies and all.
…………………
Rinoa idly braided Riku's hair as the boy heaved, lying across his elders like a makeshift couch. Leon had one of those rare, peaceful looks on her face, and Rinoa felt a twinge in her heart as she realized that it wasn't because of her.
What was her place here, among these people? The Squall she knew hadn't changed so much as he was on the brink of change, like a bolder on the side of a hill. He just needed that one final push to send him rolling down the hill.
Unfortunately, as spirited and spunky as Rinoa was, she wasn't a body builder, and she didn't have the strength to make that rock budge. Idly, she eyed Riku's fit body.
Yes, he had muscle.
But still, didn't she love him? Didn't he love her? Wasn't Riku just some pregnant tramp in the dramatic soap opera of life?
Rinoa bit her lip, accidentally tugging on Riku's hair. Maybe, they needed a contest. Maybe, just maybe, Riku and Rinoa needed one competition to win Squall, or Leon's, love.
………………
Sephiroth's bright green eyes narrowed as he searched for the devious ninja who had stolen from him. He would catch her, and he would make her suffer.
A yellow sneaker flitted around the corner hall, and Sephiroth grinned an evil grin reserved solely for silver haired megalomaniacs before he flung himself around the corner only to run face to face into Cloud.
The younger man stumbled slightly, and Sephiroth grabbed him by the shoulders to steady him.
"My apologies," he told the stunned young man. "Have you seen Yuffie around?"
His only warning was a cackle and a shove before his head was pushed forward, his lips mashing with Cloud's right as Aeris saw them.
………………
Leon groaned as he held his Simba toy. The two Rs (otherwise known as the axis of evil) had insisted on buying it for them.
Simba the lion, Leon the lion… (Insert evil laughter here.)
A small twitch had developed on his temple.
"Look, an arcade," Rinoa pointed out, leading them through downtown Disney to the enormous arcade set up.
And right in the middle was an air hockey table…
Leon's eyes twitched as Rinoa whispered something in Riku's ear. This did not bode well.
……………….
When Sephiroth caught Yuffie hiding in the bathroom, he dragged her out forcefully, ignoring the stinging as the young girl ripped at his hair.
Cloud was in the living room, and when he turned to see the visitors, he revealed the painful handprint on his face.
Aeris could be very scary when she was angry.
"Ehehehehehe!" Yuffie nervously giggled. She was in some deep shit. "What's a prank or two between friends?"
Sephiroth dropped her onto the floor as Cloud began to twitch, menacingly unrolling the duct tape.
"Yes, a prank between friends." Green and blue eyes both glimmered menacingly.
"HELP!"
…………………
Everyone in the Disney themed park paused as a young woman and silver haired teen stormed up to the air hockey table, each clutching a Donald Duck themed mallet in their hands as the Mickey puck looked up at them with a smiling face, innocently floating across the table, suspended on air.
3...
Rinoa eyed Riku warily, setting her mallet in front of her goal to stop any shots. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched Leon as he backed away, twitching and pretending not to know them.
She couldn't help but notice that he was focusing more on Riku then her.
2...
Riku glared at Rinoa. She had told him that if he won this she would give him an "awesome prize." Honestly, he wondered what that could be…
1...
Rinoa gulped. She didn't know why she was hesitating, but somehow, her eyes kept flickering from Riku to Leon and back again. What was this?
She bit her lip hesitantly. She had left Squall two months ago. Two months, it was a long time to change…
0...
Riku hit the puck with the Donald Duck mallet of doom, only for Rinoa to stop it at the last second, sending it wildly zigzagging across the table.
The competition had begun.
……………..
She didn't know where she was, but it was cold, and dark, and slivers of wetness caused her to shiver slightly in the itchy clothes they had stuffed her into after they had captured her.
The room was small, and she could make out the tittering of small insects climbing around her, waiting for their chance to strike…
What, in her young life, had she ever done to deserve this?
She was a good girl (mostly… Frequently… Sometimes… Rarely…) She paid her taxes (when she felt like it), and never did anyone any harm (unless robbing them blind counted as harm.)
So, why, oh why, was she being forced to suffer so?
"Leviathan help me," she muttered through her gag, sounding more like "Yuveeadun el mwe."
Wriggling around, she found a loose point in her bonds. The female grinned. Nobody could keep her down for long. She was the light amongst the darkness, the good in this world of evil, the single white Rose of Wutai. She was (drum roll please) the Great, Ninja Yuffie!
Cloud and Sephiroth would never know what hit them.
………………
The score was 6-6, one point left… This one point was everything. The two opponents leaned over the table, hands ferociously clutching at the abused Donald Duck mallets as poor Mickey spun back and forth at impressive speeds, breaking the sound barrier.
An amazed crowd was drawn in, their heads following the puck like lion's stalking their prey. Yes… One point left.
Rinoa's heart was pounding in her head as she blocked yet another hard blow from her opponent. Her hand was shaking from exertion, beads of sweat dripping from her collar. Though she knew her opponent was not in much better shape, the anxiety of the situation kept her on her toes, waiting for his next movement, for it could mean life…Or death.
She hit the puck back towards Riku, cursing as the mallet spun from her hands. Riku grinned, pulling his arm back to hit the mallet, and a tear spilled onto Rinoa's cheek.
After all this time, all she had been through, she was going to lose here…?
There was a pause, and Rinoa thought she saw something like resigned understanding flicker in Riku's eyes before his arm stopped moving, less than half a millimeter away from the puck of FATE.
It spiraled into Riku's goal, the scoreboard flashing at Rinoa's victory.
And yet, as Riku smiled at her from underneath long silver bangs and walked away, Rinoa felt as if it was an empty victory. He should have won.
Then the roaring of the crowds met her ears, and she smiled, racing up to Squall and throwing her arms around his neck.
And for a second, everything was perfect.
Then… Then, Rinoa knew.
Squall was taller now, a late growth spurt had struck him while Rinoa was gone. He wasn't the right height for her anymore. Her arms didn't fit around him like they should.
His eyes, they weren't looking at her, they were looking past her, past the crowd, to a sullen boy with long silver hair, trudging through the building.
Rinoa knew, too, that this wasn't her Squall anymore, hadn't been since the moment she left him.
No, now he was Leon… He was Riku's Leon.
Somehow, she wasn't surprised that the fact didn't sting as much as it was supposed to.
………………
Untangling her bonds, Yuffie quickly opened the closet door, bursting into the light when FLASH FLASH FLASH!
The ninja paused, staring at the shocked faces of her friends, a grinning Cloud holding a camera triumphantly as Sephiroth smirked, popping an Oreo into his mouth.
Slowly, Yuffie looked down at herself.
Long… Pink… Dress…
White… Gloves…
Heels..
Ripping off a glove, Yuffie ran a finger across her mouth roughly, watching the redness of lipstick staining her fingers in horror.
They had… Made her into… A GIRLY GIRL!
"LEVIATHAN NO!"
………………
The rest of the weekend was quiet in Disney world. Leon, Riku, and Rinoa had gone to every major amusement park there was to go to, and had shopped around appropriately.
They had ridden Space Mountain and walked through Cinderella's castle. Now, as they were packing their bags, only one thing remained.
They needed to get Mickey's autograph.
At least, Leon knew that much.
For the last days of their vacation, Riku had been in a slump, just going through the motions of life, a frown on his face, his bangs shielding slightly reddened eyes.
He hadn't joked around of complained or even really spoken much. To Leon, this should have been a relief, after all, he had been practically begging for Riku to shut up before. For some reason though, now that he was quiet, it was depressing.
And getting Mickey's autograph seemed (for some odd reason) like the one way he could make it all better.
So, as they were walking through the airport and Leon had found the giant mouse stuffing a hotdog down his throat (the giant mouse head was tilted back, revealing a tan face and the beginnings of red hair), he couldn't resist pulling the depressed Riku over.
"Look, I need your autograph," Leon told the Mickey impersonator. Riku blinked.
"I'm off duty." The red head replied, taking another large bite of his hotdog. "If your stupid kid wants an autograph, he should've come during my shift."
Leon slammed his arms down on the table uncharacteristically.
"It's either that autograph, or the hotdog's going some place much more uncomfortable than your mouth." The red head paused in mid bite, thoughtfully.
Riku blinked in shock at Leon's uncharacteristic behavior. Since when did the man steam at the ears?
"Fine. I'm Axel, got it memorized? Soooo, where's the kid?" He waved his giant Mickey hands around drunkenly, and Riku raised an eyebrow. His childhood memories of the mouse were being slowly steamrolled by a certain redhead and his half eaten hotdog.
Leon shoved Riku in front of him, and Axel raised an eyebrow.
"This… Is the kid?"
Riku blinked.
Axel grinned.
"Well in that case, why don't you come sit on Mickey's lap and make a wish?"
Leon twitched.
Axel never stood a chance.
………………
Rinoa nervously glanced over at the trio of men on the other side of the airport before she hastily threw her passport in the trash.
Smiling pleasantly, she walked over to Leon (not Squall anymore) her heart breaking with every step.
He didn't love her, she knew, and he didn't love Riku.
But, he could never really love her, and yet, he still had a chance with Riku, as long as he didn't screw up to badly.
She needed to give them a chance. She owed Squall that much.
So as Leon calmly walked up to her, cracking his knuckles and dragging Riku behind him (who was busily comparing his various Mickey signatures and wondering why one said Axel and had a phone number attached), she smiled like she usually did, hopping up to Leon and grabbing him by the arm.
She ignored the hurt flashing in Riku's eyes, (because she herself hurt so much more) and pecked the older man on the cheek.
Lingering by him, she greedily inhaled his scent, memorizing it and storing it away in her brain for an eternity.
Together, the three of them walked up to their terminal, and Riku and Leon handed the attendant their tickets as Rinoa feigned desperately searching through her pockets and purse.
"Oh no! I think I've lost my ticket!" She gasped, holding a hand up to her mouth. There was a pause as Leon turned to her, his eyes swirling with mixed emotions.
Suddenly, he grabbed the worried looking Riku by the shoulder.
"Give her your ticket," his voice was dangerously soft, and as Rinoa's heart clenched, (this wasn't supposed to happen, it wasn't according to plan,) she looked up into wide aqua eyes, and she thought that perhaps she had just seen something in them die.
"No, that's ok," Rinoa shook her head, desperately trying to clear up the situation. "I'm fine, I have plenty of money with me."
Leon's eyes narrowed, and he jerked Riku forward. "I can't leave you here alone," he told her, eyes narrowing.
"He'll be fine," Leon shrugged, pointing at Riku. "I bet even a nuclear bomb wouldn't be able to kill him."
Rinoa thought she might have seen a hint of a fond smile on his face before Riku jerked himself out of the older man's grip.
"Fine," he hissed, pushing his way through the crowd, back into the noisy airport.
Leon looked shocked, like he hadn't expected Riku to actually give up, to actually leave. There was no semblance of relief in those features, only confusion.
And for one second, he almost told the boy to wait, almost said he was sorry, almost saved them both a lot of running.
But then his eyes dropped away from the slim figure, and despite the odd ache in his heart, he turned towards Rinoa, grabbing her by the arm.
"No Riku, wait!" Rinoa yelled, feeling Leon's grip on her arm as he pulled her towards the plane.
No! It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Riku was supposed to be the one on that plane, and she was supposed to be the one stuck here, wallowing in her own depression.
And as Riku disappeared into the crowd, Rinoa turned to Leon, a glare on her face.
"How could you do that? He's only an eighteen year old kid!"
Rinoa jerked herself out of Leon's grip.
"Exactly," the man responded, almost sounding angry, as he pulled an extra ticket out of his pocket. His features narrowed into a glare so harsh Rinoa gulped.
"I don't know why you people keep trying to push us together like this, but he's just a kid. An annoying pest who until now I haven't been able to get rid of. I don't love him or care for him or any of that. At least now I've bought myself about a month before he finds a way back into my life!"
Rinoa paused, anger welling up inside her so suddenly it caused Leon to take a step back.
SLAP!
"This is why I can't love you, Leon! You treat people like crap! When will you get over the fact that you're not the only one who's ever suffered in this world? You need to pull your head out of your ass and look around and see that maybe, just maybe, there's someone out there that wants to make that pain go away, and you're just hurting them more and more!"
She took a deep breath, tears welling up in her eyes as she grabbed a remaining ticket from Leon's hand.
"And now you have a choice. You can come with me and live in that overprotective shell of yours, or you can finally face reality and actually work for something you want!"
Leon opened his mouth, and closed it, staring at her numbly. He didn't love Riku. The kid was like an infection, something undesirable that just kept spreading.
There was no way he felt anything for the kid, except annoyance. His friends were just insane.
He didn't love those green eyes, or those floppy silver bangs or that small smile.
He didn't even like the kid, for heaven's sake!
"What are you waiting for, you idiot?" A voice called out. "Go after the kid!"
Leon frowned. He wasn't-
There was no-
Riku didn't-
It almost seemed as if his body had already made the decision for him as he dropped his bags, legs carrying him through the crowd after the small dot of silver that was just ahead of him.
And all he could see was Riku's face, smiling at him.
All he could feel was the warmth of holding the teen in his arms, smelling his shampoo and smiling into soft hair.
He didn't know why. He didn't know what this feeling was, this feeling of complete and utter dependence on one person.
All he knew was that, despite all logic, he wanted to see Riku again.
………………
Riku ran as quickly as his legs could carry him through the airport, racing as if his life depended on it, running like he hadn't done since he quick track.
His legs ached, sore from overexertion, and a sharp pain was quickly forming in his chest as he panted for breath, blinking the tears from his eyes.
He wouldn't cry over this, wouldn't shed another tear.
Finally, the light of the sun reached him through the doors, and Riku grabbed the handle desperately, pulling it open, only for strong arms to grab him from behind.
"Get off of me!"
And Riku jabbed his elbow backwards, connecting with flesh, and suddenly there was a sharp curse and Leon let go of him.
"Fuck," Leon muttered, once again grabbing Riku by the arm.
He looked so pathetic like that, half keeled over, a hand clutching his gut, and slowly, Riku lowered his fist.
"What do you want?" He asked, sneering. "Here to take another shot at me, or to tell me about another fiancée, or maybe you just want a make out session before you go back to your girlfriend. Is that what you want, Leon?"
Leon stood at his full height, towering over Riku, and he growled.
"You were the one who wanted a one night stand so badly," he snapped back, angrily.
"Yeah, but then…" Riku paused, ripping his arm free of Leon's and turning back towards the door.
"But then what?" And suddenly, his arms were pressed into his sides, a warm body against the length of his back.
Riku growled, struggling fruitlessly against the larger man.
"What did you want, Riku?" He asked, softly.
"I wanted more!" Riku suddenly shouted, his rage coming back to full surface.
"I wanted to have a chance to get to know you, a chance to love you, a chance to spend every second with you!"
There was a pause, before he continued. "But of course, that's too much to ask for, isn't it?"
There was a harsh snappiness to his voice that Leon wasn't accustomed to, and a raw pain that he didn't like.
"What would you do if I told you that was what I wanted too?" Leon asked him, gripping him tightly.
There was a pause, and Riku's eyes widened.
He couldn't-
He wasn't-
Serious, was he?
"What?"
Leon smiled lightly, tightening his grip on the teen.
"What if I told you I wanted the same things as you?"
Another pause followed, and then Leon fell backwards as he received a second blow to his gut.
That hurt.
"I'd tell you to go to hell."
Riku clenched his fist, so hard that the knuckles went white.
"The only reason you're even here is because Rinoa told you to come after me."
Riku took another step away from that man he had practically stalked just days earlier.
"Just, leave me alone, ok? Just do that, for me."
And as Riku took another step away, Leon reached out for him.
"Your favorite color is yellow."
Riku, turned, shocked, at the man behind him.
What?
He had never told Leon that.
"It's too la-"
"Your father never got along with you. He didn't kick you out because you were gay, he kicked you out because you reminded him of his wife."
Riku stood, frozen, unable to escape, like a deer in headlights.
"You're not really a spontaneous extrovert. Really, you prefer reading and drawing."
"You throw yourself at other people just to get yourself hurt. Because being hurt covers up the fear."
Here, Leon's eyes narrowed.
"Your smiles, they're all fake."
"You don't really like Mickey for Mickey."
"You told yourself you wanted my car, but you didn't. It was never that. If you wanted the car that badly you would have just come to me with your money."
"You wanted me."
Riku trembled slightly.
"You wanted me because I'm not from here. I don't know your secrets."
Leon stood again, clutching his stomach.
"What are you running away from, Riku?"
Kisses on the beach and bedtime stories.
His first art set, a dinky collection of colored pencils and water colored paint that he splashed all over the place, creating polka dot masterpieces.
Acceptance, in the form of a smiling, stuffed mouse.
And death, in the form of a single bullet.
I Should Have Died Instead of Her.
"Fuck you Leon." The words were harsh and clean. "You think you know me so well, then tell me this: why, out of all the people on Earth, did I have to fall in love with an old retiree like you?"
And he was just about to turn around and walk away forever when Leon answered.
"For the same reason I fell in love with a kid like you."
And Riku paused again before he turned towards the door and walked away.
Stopping for a moment, he turned to Leon.
"Just, go home and leave me alone."
And then, for the first time in recorded history, Riku walked away from Leon, without once looking back.