Pre A/N: So many nice reviews! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. They also make my family worry about me, because every time I get one I run a couple laps around my living room and scream like a little girl. Anyways, I have a feeling this chapter will be hard to write, but I'll do my best and try to keep on truckin'. You guys are probably gonna hate me if I don't warn you… so… yes this chapter will be loaded with awkward but fun Riku/Sora moments, but I'm a realistic writer and I'm not going to make Kairi disappear, sorry. So… anyways… I'm hoping to have it done before school starts again because then I'll be losing a lot of my writing time. Actually, I hope I'm done by Saturday because my BETA can only really work on the weekends!!!! Hmm… Guess that means I should probably stop writing this a/n and start the actual chapter. Yes! Here we go…
Winning in Third Place
Chapter Four
Sora sat at his desk, scribbling violently with a mechanical pencil onto a practically blank sheet of paper. It was already two-thirty and this was the last of his summer assignment: chapter summaries. He had been working since noon; with his mother gone on her trip it had seemed like a good idea to finish all his work and really enjoy the last of his summer.
He continued jotting away. After a particularly long sentence he sat back in his chair and stretched, eyes closed and back arched.
A soft pink tongue dipped into his belly-button.
Sora sat forward quickly, eyes popping open in alarm. He shook his head angrily and massaged his temples, dropping the pencil onto the desk in annoyance. This had been happening all day. Every time he let his mind wander he was suddenly reliving that dream; suddenly remembering every little detail as if it had really happened. That made focusing really hard. In fact, it made everything really hard. Sora glanced down before shifting his legs uncomfortably and gulping, he didn't like the direction his thoughts were taking. He knocked himself upside the head and sighed. Focus Sora, you're almost done; he reminded himself, picking up the pencil again.
Ten minutes found him balancing the pencil on his nose.
"This is so boring!" He complained to no one, eyes crossing as he watched the pencil delicately wiggle as if about to fall. He dipped his head forward and caught it before glancing at the wall-clock to his left. Only twenty minutes until he was supposed to meet Kairi and Riku at the beach, and his paper was no more than half complete. Sora huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closing momentarily as he tried to regain his drive.
All he found was Riku's hand wandering down his pants.
"God! Can I not evenblink anymore?!" Sora yelled, throwing his arms out in emphasis. He huffed for a few minutes before breathing deeply to calm himself. Right now he had to focus on his homework; he could try and dissect the dream later.
The boy ended up fudging the last of his paper, writing simple summaries that a grade-schooler could have done. With only ten minutes left he quickly sprang from his chair and ripped his pajamas off, scrounging around the room for his swim trunks and finding them underneath a particularly large pile of laundry. He sniffed them and cringed, but slipped them on anyways before grabbing a beach towel up from his floor and vacating the room at a full run. He made sure to slip the towel around his waist before pulling open his front door and heading strait towards the beach.
It was dreary again today. Overhead was grey, the clouds promised precipitation, and the sun was no where to be found. Sora, Riku, and Kairi had arrived at the beach at almost three on the dot, only to find it deserted. "I don't understand why we're even here. It's obvious it's going to rain," Riku was complaining, dragging his bare feet through the sand and shooting resentful looks at his red-headed best friend. It was still warm out, but with the sky so dank it really put a downer on the festive mood the three had worked up. "Really, the sky's probably going to open up any minute and punish us for still being outdoors." The eldest of the group continued.
"No it's not," said Kairi hotly, sending a glare Riku's way. "I watched the weather this morning and they said there's only a fifty percent chance of rain."
"Doesn't that mean they just don't know?" Sora questioned, caught between wanting to stay with his friends or go home and watch TV. He quickly chose the first option when Kairi turned and glared at him.
Riku, apparently, was still undecided. "That's a good point, Sora." He said; chuckling lightly as he easily avoided the swipe Kairi took at him. "What if one of us gets struck by lightning? It'll be all your fault Kairi," He taunted, sticking his tongue out and again dodging her outstretched hand. The redhead continued batting at him until she finally hit him lightly and commenced yelling about how they all needed to spend more time together. Riku rubbed the back of his head gingerly as Kairi adjusted the beach towel around her chest and headed off towards the ocean, head held high. The two boys followed, Sora laughing quietly and Riku sending him death glares. Eventually Kairi reached the water, she stopped a few feet shy and whipped off her towel, letting it drop over the sand to create an efficient barrier on which she could lounge. The girl did just that, lumbering down until her practically bare body lay outstretched under the clouds.
Sora blushed; he quickly whipped around and closed his eyes. "What are you doing?" He asked, trying to resist the urge to turn and appreciate her build. Riku stood off to the side, grinning at his younger friends' modesty. Or, in Kairi's place, lack thereof. "Aren't you coming swimming with us?" Sora questioned, face still bright pink.
"No," Kairi muttered, eyes closed and a content smile in place, "I've got to get a tan."
At that, both the boys started laughing. Riku spoke first, "Y-You do realize it's cloudy out, right?" He doubled over and held his sides; Sora did the same.
"Yes," Kairi hissed indignantly. "You can still tan when it's cloudy. UV rays are what tan…" She explained in vain. The boys continued to laugh hysterically. "It's not that funny," The redhead yelled after a minute, finally opening her eyes and glaring at them.
"Whatever," Riku chuckled, wadding out into the water. He glanced over his shoulder, "Coming?" the older boy asked, glancing in Sora's direction.
Said brunette was still staring at Kairi. He bent down and set his towel in the sand, before glancing up. Sapphire and amethyst eyes clashed as Sora spoke softly, "I don't think you really need a tan. You already look good,"really good, he added mentally.
Kairi's cheeks brightened to match her hair; she gulped and tucked a strand of red behind her ear before reached over and poking Sora's cheek. "That's sweet, but I'll need to tan a lot more if I'm ever going to catch up to you…" She smiled and rolled onto her back, "Don't worry. You guys go have fun."
Sora stood and turned to the current. Waves crashed onto the beach, white water rushing up over his toes before surrendering itself back to the ocean. The boy shivered but traveled forward, walking cautiously towards his friend. The beach they were on was actually a tourist beach; therefore it was cleaned often and lacked the characteristic clumps of seaweed that usually littered residential beaches. Sora was glad they lived in the up-side of town as he stepped through smooth sand interrupted but only the occasional soft rock. By the time water reached his navel the younger boy was standing next to Riku. They eyed each other for a moment before the icy haired teen reached into his trunks and pulled out a small round object.
"Let's play catch," Riku said, unfolding his fist to reveal a petite foam ball. He was already moving backwards when Sora spoke up,
"Isn't that a little too kiddy for-" the brunette was cut off when Riku threw the ball at full force and hit him square in the face. The younger boy gawked as the ball fell into the tides, leaving behind a large red spot on his forehead. "You bastard!" Sora yelled, grabbing the ball after a moment of paralysis and throwing it as hard as possible. "I don't care how stupid or boring the game is! I'LL CRUSH YOU!" He continued, waving his arms around as Riku caught the ball and sent it flying back.
Five minutes later the two were gasping for breath as they continued to war with each other. Sora had to dive to catch the ball; his arms stretched as far as humanly possible as he crashed into the water sending up huge splashes. His hair had lost all defiance a while ago and now fell against his cheeks where it stayed under the weight of the saltwater. Kairi watched in amusement from the beach as Sora sprang out of the waves and sent the ball hurtling towards Riku, who had to dive backwards to catch it before he too dropped in the water. The two continued to play ferociously, slowly edging back each time Riku threw the ball too far or Sora's fell short.
Eventually they were near the shore again; having finally encountered the natural outward curve of the beach. The older boy threw another hardball, using his natural superior muscles to make catching it almost impossible. Sora took the ball to the chest and flew backwards, tumbling into the water and landing less then gracefully on his butt. The sphere fell prey to the waves and disappeared as the brunette sat there sputtering. "Jesus," he said, rubbing the newly formed lump over his sternum. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"You lost the ball…" Riku mumbled disappointedly, gliding easily through the current and stopping just in front of Sora. The older boy looked out over the murky waves but couldn't catch sight of the dark blue object.
"You're concern is touching," Sora said sarcastically, pushing himself out of the water and glancing down the beach. "I didn't notice how far we moved," He muttered, squinting and just barely making out Kairi's figure. "Oh well, I was getting tired of owning you anyways," he laughed and headed back in his girlfriend's direction.
A hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Isn't our secret cove somewhere around here?" Riku asked, gesturing towards the forestry that covered a small chunk of the beach that jutted out from the mainland.
Sora turned and examined the scene, "It's on the other side." He said, trying to remember the exact location of the tiny bay they had found many years ago while exploring the outskirts of the beach. A lot people from town knew about the inlet; it had often been used as a date or make out spot by the older kids. Still, the boys had deemed it their own 'secret spot' and promised never to mention it to anyone. They kept it almost as secret as the small cave they had found at the northern end of the island back when they were kids; the only difference was no one knew about that cavern.
"We should go check it out," Riku said, awkwardly dropping his palm from Sora's shoulder. "I haven't been there in forever. 'Wonder if it's changed."
The younger boy glanced back in Kairi's direction; he chewed his lip for a moment before nodding and following his friend back out into the open water. They swam around the delicate protrusion of beach while playfully splashing each other and making an overall ruckus. Eventually they managed to swim fully around and found themselves walking over sandy banks in search of the small opening that lead to their cove. "It's over here!" Sora called after a few minutes, motioning to Riku who had somehow managed to walk right by. Once the older boy joined his friend he realized why; tree branches had grown over the small opening and made it blend in with the surrounding vegetation. He pulled said branches back to allow the smaller boy entrance. After Sora shimmied inside he stood and looked around, mouth and eyes opening wide in awe. Once Riku was through the leaves he too stopped and stared in wonder.
The pond was small; hardly more than four or five meters wide and even smaller long. There was the slightest sound of rushing water made from the tide pushing in just enough of the substance to keep the pool from going stagnant. The current swirled through the cerulean water and washed up lazily onto muddy banks, here the sand only seemed to gather at the deepest parts of the pond. Overhead light filtered in, penetrating the canopy in small beams that filled the miniature clearing with an emerald haze which served to make the entire scene appear mystical; like an oasis hidden in the desert.
Sora stepped inside, feet splashing in the water and casting ripples outward from his body. At its deepest the pool only reached his inner thighs; it sloshed there and tickled him until he smiled and beckoned an astonished Riku over. They stood together in silence, examining the vegetation in interest before Sora finally turned to his friend and began to say, "It really is beau-"
He was cut off by a mud-ball to the face.
The boy flailed, arms waving around wildly as he slipped in the mud and crashed down onto his back. Sora groaned, wiping the earth from his eyes and glaring viciously in his friend's direction. Riku stood with his arms crossed over his bare chest, a sadistic grin spread over his features as he bent down slowly and scooped up another handful of dirt.
Sora scrambled to his feet, dragging a hand through the muck and hurling the sticky substance at the older boy. Riku easily side-stepped and threw his own mass at the brunette, who ducked under it and stuck his tongue out teasingly. "You can only hit me when I'm not expecting it!" Sora boasted, dragging up yet another ball of sludge and flinging it the taller boy's way.
Riku raised a brow and leaned to the right, the muck whizzing past him and splattering only a slight amount of residue onto his cheek. "You sure about that?" He questioned, immediately charging forward. The older teen dipped a hand into the pool and scraped it along the bottom, collecting grime in his palm before colliding with a shocked Sora. The two flew backwards, a mess of skin and limbs fell into the shallow water with a large splash. Riku easily pinned his smaller friend with one hand and proceeded to mash the mud onto Sora's face. He laughed as the younger boy wiggled beneath him in vain, sputtering and growling angrily. After a moment the older boy released Sora's hands and leaned back, dipping his own hands into the water and cleaning them. The brunette did the same; he wiggled uncomfortably under Riku's weight as he wiped his face with damp hands. Once Sora's face was sufficiently clean Riku bent over and planted his hands on either side of the boy's head, "See?"
"That's not fair. You cheated," Sora complained, wiggling his legs uncomfortably and trying to extricate them from the larger boy's.
Riku laughed and leaned his head down until their noses were almost touched, "I wasn't aware there were rules…" Sora pressed his palms against the other boy's shoulders and pushed, trying to dislodge him. After a moment he realized Riku had stopped laughing, azure eyes locked onto aquamarine and the two boys simply stared at each other. The brunette suddenly became aware of how fast his heart was beating; he felt his fingers and toes tingle as he unconsciously tightened his grip on Riku's shoulders. The older boy took notice, his eyes flashed to Sora's hands before returning back to the boy's face. And suddenly Riku was leaning closer; long strands of icy hair fell over his shoulders and subtly tickled the younger boy's face.
Sora wet his lips and let his eyes fall shut on instinct. He could just barely feel his friend's chest pushing into his, and out of impulse Sora pressed his entire body upwards into the warm skin. Just as he tilted his head to the side something cold dripped onto his forehead. It was lightly raining. There was hardly a hairs width was between their lips when Sora's eyes popped open; both the boys stared at each other for a moment before the knowledge of what they were about to do hit them with full force. They pulled away at the same time and splashed in opposite directions, Sora clawing his way to the left while Riku all but threw himself to the right.
Both boys sat there in similar states of shock. What felt like hours limped by before Sora finally managed to swallow the lump in his throat and turn around. He found himself staring at Riku's back for a moment before words finally worked their way through the fog that had engulfed his brain, "We should… get back to Kairi…" Riku stood without warning and nodded, he walked slowly out of the cove without meeting Sora's eyes. The brunette followed him, head hanging and a bright red blush staining his cheeks.
Probably permanently.
The two reached Kairi in the same quiet embarrassment. By the time the three were standing together the rain had already begun pouring over the beach in sheets. Kairi stood in the wet sand with their towels cradled under her arms protectively; Riku and Sora kept at least three feet between them at all times.
"I was wondering where you ran off to," the redhead said, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence. Sora winced and a blood rushed to Riku's face. The two boys took another step apart and whipped their heads in different directions. That spiked Kairi's interest, but she didn't say anything and instead motioned for the boys to follow her.
The three walked in the rain for a while before ending up at a small seaside café. A hostess sat them next to a window before taking drink orders and disappearing into the back of the restaurant. Riku took the window seat and commenced staring out of it blankly; he watched the tide roll in without any semblance of emotion on his face. Other than a pretty prominent blush, of course.
Sora had unwillingly sat next to Riku. Both boys moved their chairs apart as far as possible, but nothing less then a reinforced steel wall between them could have sated their frazzled nerves. The brunette had taken to resting his chin in his palm and looking out over the café. Apparently he found the two old men sitting at the bar incredibly interesting; he watched them for a long time and didn't even look up when his coke arrived. The men were obviously fishermen; they wore characteristic hats and life vests, along with big rubber boots and two fishing poles leaning against the bar. Every now and then one would laugh good-naturedly and the other would slap his friend on the back. Even buckets of rain didn't seem to affect their moods.
The brunette blanched and returned his attention to Kairi, who was talking rather animatedly about a new show she had started watching. The redhead appeared almost completely oblivious to the fact that she was talking to herself; but when Sora looked closer he noticed her eyes darting back and forth between him and his friend every now and then. Something about his girlfriend observing that something had gone on between him and his best friend didn't sit well with Sora. In fact, it made him feel rather sick.
After two orders of fries and several refills the rain finally stopped. The only one who had a wallet was Riku; he grudgingly paid even though he hadn't eaten anything. The three friends left the establishment in an awkward silence, Kairi stuck in the middle and receiving the full of her friends' moods. Finally she stomped forward and whirled around in front of them, fists balanced on her hips and a scowl twisting her features.
"Okay guys, I don't care about whatever is going on. Just stop with it, whatever it is. If we're going to spend the rest of the day together you both really need to just get over yourselves."
Both of the boys stared blankly at the redhead, wondering how she would react if she knew what they had been doing. Sora was the first to speak, "Actually, my stomach is hurting me. I was planning on going home anyways," he rubbed a small circle on his bare abdomen for emphasis. Before Kairi could complain, or really say anything at all, Sora had snatched his towel out from under her arm and was walking away hurriedly. He broke into a run once he was sure neither of his friends could see him, and he didn't stop until he practically collapsed into his house.
Chest heaving, the boy lumbered down a small hallway that led to his room. He pushed open the door and crumpled inside; barely making it to his bed before he fell into the mess of pillows and sheets tiredly. It felt like he'd been doing that a lot as of late.
Sora sighed and glanced at the clock hanging over his door; it was only four forty-three and he already felt like passing out and surrendering himself to whatever treacherous dreams his guilty mind could compose. Instead he ran his fingers through saline littered locks and decided it would be best if he stayed there for a while to catch his breath. Then maybe he would take a shower and try to wash away all the sin that had built up on his skin.
And hopefully some of the salt, too.
The phone rang three minutes after six. Sora had been dozing at his computer desk when he heard it, the loud ringing from his right sent him tumbling from his chair and rolling onto the floor. He groped his desk groggily until lightly tanned fingers found the receiver and brought it to his ear.
"Hello?" He asked, trying to keep the sleep from his voice.
"Sora…?" A voice laden with static asked. The receiver buzzed for a minute and Sora could hear a distant, "Hey, is this thing working….?"
The phone took a moment to clear before Sora tried again, "Kairi?" The voice on the other line was definitely feminine.
"Hey Sora!" his girlfriend's voice was clear now. "I was calling to see if you were feeling better. You didn't look too good when we left that food-place, and I guess my yelling at you didn't help."
Sora missed the note of guilt in her voice and went for the ever elegant, "Huh?"
Oh right, the restaurant… the brunette remembered. Yeah… the stomach ach, the rain, the 'almost-kissing-Riku' thing. Sora's mind went blank for a moment before the full realization of what the 'almost-kissing-Riku thing' was. His eyes widened and his mouth formed a small 'o' before he dropped the phone in shock and simply stood there for a minute.
Kairi's voice through the receiver brought him back. He bent down and picked it up just as she was asking, "Hey, are you there?" He mumbled into the phone blandly making her laugh, "Goodness Sora, you sure sound tired. Well, you never answered me… are you feeling better?"
"I guess so."
"Good, because I was thinking that if you were up to it maybe we could go out on a date? We haven't been on an official one yet, even though we're an official couple." His girlfriend said in a singsong voice.
Sora contemplated for a minute, wondering if going out with Kairi would be a good idea after everything that had happened. At the same time, he really liked the idea of spending time with her; she always made him forget his troubles. "You know, that actually sounds really good. But your mom will have to take us… mine left town this morning." Kairi squealed on the other line happily,
"I already asked her! Do you think you can be ready by seven? She offered to drive us to a restaurant in town on her way to do some shopping. Do you want to catch a late movie after dinner? I saw a really cute commercial the other day that I've wanted to see since…"
The brunette blinked in surprise, it was amazing how fast she managed to say all that. "I… guess that sounds cool. Yeah, okay, a traditional 'dinner and a movie'. It'll be fun!"
Kairi laughed and said something about being glad he was excited before bidding him farewell because she had to go 'primp' herself. Sora was pretty much ready already; his hair was nice and unruly from the shower he had taken earlier, he had changed into a fresh outfit, and mentally he had banished any thoughts of silver-haired best friends that had a way of making everything uncomfortable. Yes, he was definitely ready.
A horn honked outside Sora's house five minutes before seven. He'd taken his time getting to the door, and after he had finally pulled it open the boy had walked to Kairi's car as slowly as possible; trying to look as cool. The effect was only slightly ruined when said girlfriend rolled her window down and yelled, "Hurry up!" at him. Sora glared but hurried to the car before cramming himself inside. Kairi's Mom's car was a small civic with nice upholstery, high gas efficiency, and little room from growing boys. As a result for the entire ride to town the two teens' knees bumped awkwardly, causing a light blush to stain Kairi's cheek and blood to rush to Sora's ears.
Once they arrived at the restaurant the two had taken their time getting out of the vehicle. Inside was nice; it was a seafood bistro decorated with reds and browns that had many paintings of crustaceans hanging from the walls along with a large lobster tank right next to the entrance. The moment they came through the door the lightly glowing tank caught Kairi's eye; she examined it excitedly while Sora spoke to a rather bored looking hostess. After a five minute wait they were led to the 'non-smoking' area and sat at a small booth for two. A small light was hanging their table; it warmed their skin and basked them in graceful golden light. "This is nice," Kairi observed; glancing around the establishment as a way to keep herself from staring at her boyfriend. Sora agreed, and he took advantage of her waning attention and simply stared at the redhead. Kairi really was beautiful.
A few minutes later a server took their drink orders. Sora got the ever-popular Coke while Kairi chose an exotically named Ice-Tea. After the waitress was gone the redhead excused herself, claiming that she needed to visit the 'little-girls-room'.
Again Sora found himself waiting, but this time no more than thirty seconds had gone by before his girlfriend was bouncing at his side with wide eyes and a large grin. "You have to come see this," She whispered, pulling at his arm excitedly until the brunette sighed and followed her.
The restaurant they were at was made of two sections: smoking and non smoking. Between the sections was a thin 'T' shaped screen. Kairi had pulled Sora around the divider and against the wall it protruded from; they were currently standing slyly across from the bar and trying to ignore the odd looks they were receiving. "Kairi, what are we doing?" the boy asked, annoyance slipping into his tone. The redhead shushed him before gesturing wildly towards the entrance to the smoking area.
Sora raised a questioning brow as he shuffled past his girlfriend and sneakily glanced around the wall. Many couples and families were eating their meals or talking to each other, and for a moment Sora wasn't sure what he was looking for. Then out of his peripheral vision he caught the slightest hint of platinum.
Oh no.
Riku was sitting in a corner booth, staring unenthusiastically at his mother and father as the two adults chattered away. His head was resting on his palm and he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that Sora was standing on a few meters away gawking as if someone had just murdered his puppy right in front of him. Just as a pair of aquamarine eyes were traveling his way the brunette felt and hand tug on his arm and pull him back around the wall. Kairi was standing there grinning almost manically, "Told ya you had to see that."
"What do we do?!" Sora asked, going into panic mode. "Are we supposed to go say 'hi'?"
"No way," the girl say, looking slightly offended. "He looks like he's about to rip his hair out, if we go say hi he'll probably use it as an excuse to tag along with us and get away from the 'rents."
"I thought you said earlier that we all needed to spend more time together…?" Sora asked mockingly, laughing when Kairi glared.
"Yeah," she said, "but not right now. This is our private time…" And suddenly she was moving closer. A hand reached out and gripped his arm lightly as their eyes locked; Kairi's half-lidded and Sora's widening in alarm. She wanted to kiss here? Now? With Riku less then fifteen feet away?! Before he could really react their lips were touching, the sensation of skin on skin flooded the boy's mind and made him panic. He wasn't ready yet! This didn't exactly follow Riku's instructions; wasn't Sora supposed to move in slowly and wow her? He closed his eyes, trying to remember Riku's words and actions. He could remember the feel of his best friend's fingers in his hair; he easily recalled the sensation of the older boy's appendages traveling over his lips and jaw, and could almost feel them now. Sora shivered, letting his hand travel up to the back of Kairi's neck and letting it rest there with his eyes still closed.
It was almost like hewas kissing Riku.
The boy thought of each gesture that had been made that night; he reflected on the feel between their chests and the way their lips had touched. Sora found himself still locked in that position, kissing his best friend zealously without even meaning to. But… something was different this time. It occurred to Sora he wasn't kissing his best friend right now…
He was kissing his girlfriend.
When the thought made itself clear in his mind the boy pulled away on impulse, shocked to find that when their lips had touched he had been thinking of someone else entirely. Sora tried to keep from shaking as Kairi finally opened her eyes and looked around embarrassedly, "I guess we got a little carried away, huh?" She questioned, avoiding the eye of a rather inquisitive looking waiter. "We should probably get back to our table… huh?" the redhead asked. Sora only nodded dumbly and followed her to their seats. After a few moments of awkward silence Kairi looked up from her menu and whispered, "You're a really good kisser, Sora."
They finished the rest of their meal in silence.
To Kairi it was from embarrassment, but to Sora it was from mortification. He had been thinking about his friend, who was a guy, while he was kissing Kairi; who was not only a girl but also his girlfriend.
Really, right now seemed like a perfectly good time to prove someone could indeed die from humiliation.
When they finally got up to leave Sora was ready to run the door down and forcefully suppress the memory of what had happened here. Of course, fortune favoring him as always, he would have to walk past the smoking section to get to the exit. That realization finally occurred to him he was just walking past the archway. The boy froze in mid-step and didn't even bother trying to keep his head from turning back and looking in Riku's direction. Cobalt met emerald and for a moment the two just watched each other; finally the older boy's eyes slid back towards his parents.
Why was Sora suddenly finding it hard to breathe?
The couple hurried out the door, Sora literally dragging Kairi behind him all the way to the theatre. It was only a few blocks away, but by the time they got there Sora was panting something fierce. His girlfriend ended up dragging him to a movie, and even though it was a boring chick-flick it was the only thing giving him an excuse to not go to Riku's.
Therefore he relished every minute of it.
Once the movie was over Sora sighed. It had been a sappy and easily predictable 'true love conquers all' story, but it had still sent Kairi into a blubbering sob-fest that lasted long after her mom picked them up. "It's just so… beautiful." She paused to sniffle, "I'm such a hopeless romantic!" The redhead yelled just as the car was rolling up their street.
"We here," Kairi's mother called from the driver's seat, before parking the car at the curb in front of their house. Both of the teens lumbered out of the vehicle slowly and Sora soon found himself unwillingly walking Kairi to the door. They stood there awkwardly, Sora with his hands stuffed in his jean pockets and Kairi with hers entwined behind her back. The two both examined the ground for a minute before finally the redhead looked up shyly,
"I had a nice time tonight," She said, a smile gracing her features.
"Me too," Sora replied instantly. It occurred to him that now was the part of the date where they kissed goodnight, but he didn't want to have another incident like at the restaurant. Instead the boy took a slight step back and added, "Well… I should probably get going. It's late and I'm supposed to stay at Riku's while my mom is away."
Kairi looked slightly surprised, "Really? I hope he didn't see us at the restaurant…" She laughed, "You'd probably be in trouble, then."
"Yeah – I hope not." Sora replied sourly before turning away abruptly and leaving Kairi alone under porch light. She shrugged and disappeared into her house while Sora stalked across the street to pick up supplies from his house.
It was going to be a long night.
The clock atop Riku's armoire read ten twenty-three. Sora had been standing in his friend's doorway since ten eighteen; he'd been waiting for the older boy to make some kind of recognition that he indeed had company.
All Riku did was lounge in front of his TV and continue to play a shooter game.
After another two minutes Sora cleared his throat. His friend still didn't look or nod or give any real indication that he was alive besides the constant flick of his thumb over his controller. The younger boy grew tired of waiting; he eventually stepped through the threshold and threw the small black bag that had been previously resting on his shoulder onto the ground. It tumbled over the floor and came to an abrupt halt when it bumped into Riku's back. Silence ensued. Only the sound of bullets flying filled the room; it made for comfortable background noise as Sora took to staring at the back of his friend's head. Ultimately the electronic soldier died, and the two boys stayed quiet in the wake of his passing.
Finally the stillness became too much for Sora, "Are you mad… about the restaurant…?" he asked, dropping down onto the edge of Riku's bed.
If the older boy had any lingering resentment at being left alone with his exasperating parents he certainly didn't show it. He just walked over to his dresser and pulled open the bottom drawer; inside were several tightly packed blankets that he removed one by one. The older teen laid each cover over the other until he had made a make-shift bed; after he finished he lumbered over to his bed and removed one of the extra pillows. Just when Sora thought he would receive no answer Riku finally dropped the pillow onto the bed and said, "The restaurant? I don't know what you mean."
So he's just going to pretend Kairi and I didn't flat out ignore him… the brunette observed. "You know," Sora began, "Kairi and I went on a date tonight. We were at the same restaurant. I'm sorry for not coming and saying hi to you… I feel weirdly guilty about it."
Riku raised one snow-white eyebrow, "Really? I didn't see you there." The boy was scrunched over straightening up the bed. "How was your date?"
"Definitely not what I expected…" Sora said softly, watching as his friend finally stood from making an even bigger mess of the sheets. "I take it I'm sleeping down there…?" Riku nodded at Sora's question. The younger boy found that to be a relief; he didn't want to be sharing a bed with someone he was apparently fantasizing about. Especially since that someone was Riku.
The two didn't talk much after. An hour had snuck by before they decided to finally snuff out the awkward atmosphere with sleep. Sora found himself sprawled over the floor; the sheets provided him little cushioning but were better than nothing. Riku had already surrendered his mind to rest; his soft breathing created a sweet lullaby that seemingly wrapped Sora up in a silken blanket of protection and lead him off to his dream world.
Though, honestly, he didn't like that place too much.
Sora found himself on the beach again. It was just as dark as the last time; the moon shone in the sky but made no light. Again Sora was drawn towards the sound of crashing waves. He ran forward, concluding that if he ignored all the voices around him calling out his name and somehow managed to make it to the water as quickly as possible every thing would be okay. Someone grabbed his hand, and he knew it was Kairi without turning or looking. Up ahead he saw Riku; the boy was bathed in emerald light and reaching towards Sora.
He tried to change his direction; tried to run around his friend and somehow avoid being pulled towards the magnetic presence. His feet wouldn't stop moving though, and no matter how much he pulled away Sora eventually found himself stepping into the light. Once the haze touched his skin the sand erupted around him and everything twisted until Sora found he was lying on his back with Kairi crouching over him. She kissed him lightly, and almost immediately her lips went from soft and delicate to rougher and more demanding.
Riku.
His eyes were wide open. He watched as red hair bleed white, as smooth skin became roughed, and as her fragile arms became well sculpted.
Sora found his voice, "STOP!" echoed into the night.
Immediately he was kissing air. The scene around him dissipated; the night sky becoming a light colored ceiling as Sora tumbled into his bedroom. He landed upright, his back pressed into his wall as chains wrapped around his legs and held his arms above his head securely. His shirt disappeared while invisible hands roamed up the leg of his pants and played around on his inner thigh.
Then Riku was there again, and for the first time in the dream he could feel.
Riku's chest, Riku's hands, the boy's lips and eyes and hair and every single part of him suddenly linked itself to Sora. They didn't touch; the two just stood across from each other with their eyes locked as an indescribable thread wove itself between them and pulled them closer. Without a single movement they were kissing, both of their eyes still locked as lips pressed almost violently into each other. The chains disappeared, and for once Sora didn't want to pull away. He let his arms fall over the other boy's shoulders and grope there; one limb weaving into long icy locks while the other attempted to pull him closer, if possible. Riku's own hands were tracing slow, tantalizing lines over Sora's chest. They dipped down to his belly button and ran up to his clavicle.
In time Riku was gripping Sora's thighs, using the wall as leverage to pick the boy up. Sora wrapped his legs around his friend's middle; he proceeded to grind into the taller boy and shower his face with open mouthed kisses. The two shuddered, Riku pressing Sora into the wall almost painfully.
And then the door swung open and Kairi walked in.
Sora awoke to the feeling of hands shaking his shoulder. He was breathing harshly, chest rising and falling as he looked around blindly. After a moment his eyes adjusted to the dark, and kneeling in front of him he found Riku. The older boy was merely a silhouette; moonlight from his window cast itself around him and swallowed him in night. Sora tried to control his breathing as his friend moved forward, the older boy's face finally becoming visible. He wore an unrecognizable expression.
An uncomfortable moment passed between the two before Sora shrugged his friend's hands off and sat up, rubbing his temples slowly and finally catching his breath. "Having a bad dream..?" Riku asked, "Or was it a good one?" At Sora's questioning glance he added with a slight chuckle, "You were moaning pretty loudly. I actually felt bad about waking you up, but if I hadn't you might've woken up my parents."
The brunette blushed and whipped his head in the opposite direction. "For you're information… it wasn't anything like that." He lied deliberately. When Riku hmphed sarcastically Sora continued, "It was actually pretty scary. I mean… some parts were… good." His blush intensified, "But in general it was… I don't know, weird."
"Weird how?" Riku asked, finally sitting down across from his friend and locking eyes with the younger boy.
Sora shuddered, remembering the way Riku had looked at him in the dream. The way Kairi had looked. How insanely guilty he had felt the moment she had come swinging through the door. Abruptly the dam he had built around himself the night of their first kiss broke; he dropped backwards into the sheets and finally muttered, "I've just been feeling really guilty lately. Ever since then."
"Guilty…" Riku echoed, "Why? You mean from back in the cove? It was an accident… we should really just forget about it."
"No. Before that. The first night… when you… when we… you know. The thing is… I really enjoyed it. Really enjoyed it. When we were in the cove too; I wanted to kiss you so much. And if that's not bad enough, Kairi and I had our first kiss at that damn restaurant. Guess what?" The older boy cocked his head; not exactly sure he wanted to know. "I saw you. I fucking saw you while having my first kiss with Kairi. I don't understand any of this and it's driving me insane, Riku." Sora pressed his palms into his eyes and sighed.
"I feel like I'm betraying her… like every single thought I have these days is some kind of insult to the relationship I've wanted for so long."
Riku listened in a sort of stunned silence; every word his best friend said muddled his mind more. "I… don't know what to say. I guess everything we've done has been one big bad idea, huh? I think you should just go to sleep Sora; it might be best to wake up in the morning and try to forget anything ever happened."
Sora nodded, not sure if he wanted to forget at all; but he found the idea of sleep too tempting to pass up. Letting loose bottled up confessions was very taxing, and he easily slipped into a lucid state of half-consciousness. Just as he tittered on the edge of slumber he thought he heard Riku speak,
"Have sweet dreams."
And along with the words he felt the slightest, softest pressure on his forehead.
Post A/N:
My tears don't let
my flowers fade
My song fell silent in the shade
I'm numbed I'm
standing still in fear
All that I lived for, disappears
The
air, I breathe, is getting close
I'm choking feeling so
exposed
I've come to kneel here in the dirt
To everyone I've
ever hurt
Black would be white
If you would only hold my
hand
Black would be white
I'd be yours
Wrong would be
right
If you would only touch my hand
Night would be light
I'd
be yours
I tried so hard to keep the flame
From being put
out by the rain
That was my poor and last attempt
The darkest
dream I ever dreamt
My sun is black, my rain is blood
Mixed in
the mourning coloured flood
It's true, you won't know heaven
well
If you have never been in hell
Black Would be White – Plazma: God, this song is so beautiful! I must've played it a million times through this chapter… again my sister hates me for it! You can find a cool 'Petshop of Horrors' video on YouTube with it. I've never actually seen the show, but it looks pretty cool. Maybe I'll have to watch it some day!
(The real A/N):
Wow. It's really hard to write Sora and Riku being all friendly. Every second I'm like, "GAH! JUST JUMP ON EACH OTHER ALREADY!!!!" I'm trying to get past the awkwardness, but really… ATM I think they'll be ill at ease with each other for a while. Maybe they'll get better after some sweet sweet lovin'. Anyways, I was playing around with my account and found out I could make polls! I made one, and I now command you all to go to my page and take it. And while you're there, I figure I should mention that you can always check my homepage for updates on how far I am with each chapter. If you're ever wondering I thought I'd let you know. Yeah, so of course I want to thank every single reviewer (and reader) that I have. You're all so amazing!!! I especially want to mention NaroRau… She's lovely and supportive and she reviews ever chapter with these awesome comments that just make me grin like the big idiot I am. :love:
Lastly, I want to thank Sarah (my sister), Joy (my BETA), and S'morgie (me best friend) for all making the entire writing process so fun! I have to say, my sister makes me laugh like crazy. We opened out doors (our rooms are adjoined) and talked all day long, throwing stupid jokes back and forth. Some were kind of gross though… at one point she said…. Good god I don't even have the heart to repeat it. And Joy! Good gosh, Joy is just... Joy. We live in different states but every time I talk to her I feel like I'm sitting next to her and about to fall out of my chair laughing. Plus, she drew Fan art :gasps: Her humping stick figures OWN! Of course, for the last of this chapter (which was the hardest) I owe everything to my best bud S'morgie. She bugged me non stop to finish like a little bitch. But, a very loveable little bitch. :D
By the way, I'm posting this without any real editing... So I may end up reposting it once I get the complete finished copy, depending on how much is changed. I don't know why but I'm unable to contact my BETA, and really I can't keep a chapter for more than four days without going insane. I like posting as soon as possible... If you get my drift. (teheh - my stupid way of saying "hi" to a certain reviewer - - hello!)
'Till next time,
DCR
