Pre A/N: Oh, I'm really scared about the formatting in this chapter. My parents are divorced so I'm a "broken home" kid or whatever (don't really care) and this is the first time I'm writing something on the computer at my mom's. It's Microsoft Works, and it's formatting is really weird. Oh well… I'm taking a lot of liberties on everyone's family in this story. I don't really know if they cover it in the game, but I never really saw anything on home-life… Anyways, the story is at a sort of crossroad… it could go many ways from now, and honestly I've thought up many different plots from this point. So I figured, why not have some fun with it? I put up a new poll on my profile; it asks what you want to happen. Make sure to go take a look at it and put in your opinion… I really need your help!
Well… Let's get on with it then:
Winning
in Third Place
Chapter Five.
Morning brought new calm to Sora.
He woke rapidly; one moment peacefully asleep and the next fiercely awake. The brunet sat from a mess of sheets on the floor, hair clumpy and sticking out at right angles.
Sunlight warmed his skin. The window across Riku's room had its curtains swept aside and was permeated by soft golden rays that fell around Sora and swept him up in sweet honey hues. A moment passed as the boy yawned tiredly, limbs stretching out from his body and attempting to revitalize deadened muscles. His arms dropped to his sides as Sora looked around his friend's room and dumbly searched for a clock. A glance to the right told him it was nine fifteen and too early for young boys to be awake.
He did seem to be waking up early as of late…
Sora finally took a moment to observe his surroundings. Riku's bed was empty; sheets poured over its sides and laid in helpless clumps on the floor. The teen in question was currently curling into his carpet, lankly body not two feet from his younger friend. Sora was surprised to see the older boy had never gone back to his own bed. He examined his friend's sleeping face for a moment before shrugging and numbly squashing the unexplainable hope that Riku had stayed up all night watching him.
Really, Sora wasn't going to think things like that anymore.
He quietly shuffled out of his makeshift bed, forcibly training his eyes on the door as he hobbled over his best friend to the said exit. Sora opened it slowly, wincing as rusty hinges creaked in a cliché horror-movie fashion. He slipped out into a small hallway and pulled the door closed behind him.
The soft sounds of dishes clinking in the kitchen ahead caught Sora's attention. As if on cue his stomach rumbled. He rubbed his stomach and ambled up the hall, bare feet sliding through plush carpets before finally erupting onto beige stone.
Riku's mother was in the kitchen. She worked diligently, not noticing she had company until after cracking two eggs into a pan and turning to grab salt from the opposite counter. The woman gasped when she saw Sora; she gripped her chest and stared wide-eyed at him for a moment before sighing and saying, "Jesus, you scared me Sora. I forgot you were staying with us." She paused and glanced at her eggs before adding, "Want some?"
He nodded quietly; a grin spread over the boy's features as he slid past the rather frazzled looking woman and over to the table. He pulled out a chair and angled it towards Riku's mother, watching her from behind cerulean eyes. Riku's mom was middle-aged and tall. She had mousy brown hair pulled back into curlers and a soft pink robe wrapped around her body.
Obviously she was where Riku got his eyes. The woman had soft chartreuse hues; they focused diligently on the pan before her and held the same glint Riku's usually sported. She shuffled around in pink bunny slippers, and the soft scuffing sound brought Sora's attention to her legs. Nice legs; toned and well-shaped.
Definitely like mother like son.
Sora blinked the second that thought entered his mind. He shook his head lightly, not too worried about thinking it but still having no intention of pursuing that direction any further. The boy took a moment to glance around him. Riku's house was nice, with black granite counters and steel kitchen appliances. A plate being shoved in front of him grabbed Sora's attention. Riku's mother was currently setting her own plate down across from him; both were decorated with two sunny-side-up eggs and a slightly burnt piece of buttered toast. Yum.
Once she was situated the woman looked up and offered him a knife and fork while asking, "So where's Riku?"
Sora understood the name and the question, but wasn't sure how to answer. I left him asleep half because I thought he looked cute, and half because things have been a little weird since we kissed. Somehow, that didn't seem like an appropriate explanation. Instead he gratefully took the eating utensils and set the silver objects next to his plate. He cleared his throat and softly muttered, "I just thought he would like to sleep in..." Riku's mom nodded and continued to eat her breakfast, seemingly ignoring the brunet as her knife and fork clinked on her plate. Sora joined her, cutting his eggs into a mess of yellow and white that bled over to his toast.
Finally the silence grew too thick.
"So… how have you been, Mrs.-" Sora fumbled with her name, never having liked to address parents directly.
"You can call me Beth. We've only known each other for ten years." Bethchastised him playfully before slipping a forkful of eggs into her mouth.
Sora nodded as a light blush spread over his cheeks. He rubbed the back of his head and mumbled, "Beth."
"Well, how have I been? That's a formal question…" She stuck the end of her fork between her lips and chewed on it lightly. "I guess I've been good. I haven't seen too much of you or Kairi though. Not since you decided to drop by at midnight… when was it? Not too long ago. Well, either way. Kairi's birthday wasn't too long ago, right? I do hope that was fun; at your age things can get so complicated."
You have no idea, Sora thought sourly. "They sure can," he agreed, the cynical note in his voice not wasted on his dining partner.
"Oh? Don't tell me something 'complicated' has happened to you…?" She asked, woman's intuition kicking in. Sora fumbled with his fork, another fierce blush working up his neck and over his ears. "So I was right," she continued, a childish grin lighting her features. "Well don't be shy. We're practically family, so you can tell me anything. Plus," She added, "I've got forty years of advice worked up for you."
As odd as talking about his problems with his best friend's mother was, Sora perked up. He played with his fork for a moment, twirling it around the yellow mess of egg while considering letting someone else work through his problems for him.
Eventually he dropped the fork onto the plate with a clink and looked up desperately, that calm feeling from earlier all but disappearing. "The thing is… I… well. Kairi and I… we started going out not too long ago." He began, gluing his eyes to the mess in front of him.
"How is that a problem?" the woman inquired, raising a brow. "I was under the impression from Riku that you've liked Kairi for a long time…?"
"I have!" Sora almost yelled, eyes shooting up and clashing against soft emeralds.
"But…?"
The brunet let his gaze fall back to the plate. He dropped his hands into his lap and fiddled with them for a moment. "I…" He wet his lips and thought carefully, "I really do like her. It's just… There's just…" The boy sucked his lip into his mouth, worried. "There's this… other girl."
Beth perked up, gaze falling over her guest patronizingly. "Sora… don't tell me you've cheated on sweet Kairi?"
"No!" he replied instantly, not sure if that was the truth or not. "I just… I've just been noticing this other… girl… a lot more than I used to. It's got me really confused."
Riku's mother leaned back, somewhat relieved. "So you're telling me you've finally gotten the girl you wanted, and now there's another girl who's caught your interest right when it's least convenient?"
Sora winced at the idea of being 'interested' in another 'girl', but nodded anyways.
"Well this hardly seems fair to poor Kairi…" Beth muttered; she glanced up, "How do feel about her, anyways…?"
"Of course I still…." Sora cut himself off. He bit his lip again and furrowed his brow, trying to recall how he'd felt all the times they'd been together recently. "I… don't really know." He finally answered, a note of shocked realization weaving itself together with his words.
The woman leaned forward, resting her chin in her palm. "If you don't know how you feel about your own girlfriend, but you know how you're feeling about someone else… then maybe you should break it off with Kairi before she gets hurt."
Sora shot up from the table, his chair scooting over the floor with a loud screech. "I don't have any idea how I feel about him!" the boy yelled hotly. A second went by before his brain caught up with his words and Sora slapped an appalled hand over his mouth. "I…" He mumbled from behind the appendage.
Beth shrugged, "Freudian Slip." Her eyes stayed suspiciously glued to the beet red blush spreading over his cheeks.
"Right…" Sora breathed, sitting quickly back down and ignoring the sudden jump in his heart rate. His arms and legs were inexplicably shaking; he balled his hands into fists and sat on them, trying to control the heat in his cheeks. Beth remained leaning on her palm, a catlike smile spread over her features as she nonchalantly said,
"Young love is so turbulent."
"S'not love." Sora slurred, glaring at his plate.
A few awkward minutes passed as the two ate silently, Riku's mother chewing crunchy toast as quietly as possible while Sora found his appetite quickly diminishing. Finally the older of the two cleared her throat and set the slightly blackened bread onto the side of her plate. "Well… this silence is just a little too thick for me. So tell me, Sora, about the rest of your summer. Besides your girl problems, how're you enjoying the last of your freedom?"
"The last of it?" Sora repeated questioningly.
Riku's mother looked at him oddly, brows furrowing. "Last time I checked the calendar your summer vacation was quickly disappearing. You can't have more than two weeks left."
Sora's stomach dropped. That's right… summer really is almost over. It hadn't felt like long at all since he, Riku, and Kairi had all been hightailing it out from their prison of a school and into the endless promise of adventure summer always offered. Of course, looking back at it now, Sora really would have preferred a nice boring summer with nothing happening at all. No best friends, no girlfriends, and no kissing.
Definitely no kissing.
Realizing that he had wandered off into his own little world, Sora glanced up at his friend's mother and smiled sheepishly. "Uh, yeah, sure is ending fast. I must have forgotten all about it because I've just been having so much fun." He snuffed out the bitterness in his voice. "I haven't really done much this summer at all. Just hung out with Riku and Kairi and, you know, a few other friends. Not much at all…" Besides getting a girlfriend, and making out with her best friend- who's also my best friend and a guy. Oh, and let's not forget he's your son. But besides that, nothing at all.
He left the last part out for both their sakes.
Sora made a mental note to check his calendar soon. He didn't even know what day it was; he'd been so caught up in the recent… happenings of his daily life. The two finished their breakfasts in silence. The only sounds were those of clinking knives and forks on white plates of china. Riku's mother was the first to stand, as she motioned to Sora's plate and he handed it over to her. The woman moseyed over to the sink and dropped the plates in with a loud crash. The rush of water from a faucet filled Sora's ears as she began to wash off caked yolk and burnt breadcrumbs. The brunet watched as skillful, long fingers worked over glassy surfaces to clean away grit and grime. He was so mesmerized by the repetitive motion that he almost missed the soft voice reverberating around the kitchen, "You should really go wake Riku up. He'll be mad that we ate without him…" A moment passed before Sora nodded and scooted his chair back out. It screeched over the stone flooring again, but he ignored it and stood dutifully. Just as the boy was crossing through the arched door that led to the hall, the same feminine voice stopped him.
"Sora…"
A swift turn of the head and sapphire orbs clashed against sweet emeralds. Beth's eyes softened; she let her gaze fall to the floor as she uttered, "You should really tell him… if you haven't already."
Sora turned his head, glancing down the hall towards Riku's door. For once his pulse didn't go into overdrive as he replied softly, "Don't you mean her?" They locked eyes again.
Everything about her face said 'no', but a fake smile that didn't quite reach the woman's eyes split her cheeks anyways. "Ah… another Freudian Slip. Forgive me." She went back to scrubbing dishes as Sora stepped through the threshold and into the hall. He walked slowly to Riku's door, opening it lightly and wincing when it creaked even though he planned to wake his friend once inside anyway.
Riku was still sprawled on the floor. He was curled on his side and resting his head on top of his arm, the muscles there making stiff pillows. The teen grumbled as cold air from the hall washed over his uncovered body. He nuzzled his arm softly and rubbed his cheek against the soft skin before sniffing and falling still again. Sora watched from the door, an amused smile spreading over his features as he agilely weaved around the mess of sheets on the floor and crouched next to his friend. The boy balanced on his heels, carefully examining the face he had known for so long.
Sleeping so peacefully like that, Riku almost seemed like a stranger. Sora leaned forward, dropping to his knees and bending so that he could better see the older boy's expression. Long lashes cast shadows over milky-white cheeks. Pale lips were slightly parted to reveal a soft pink mouth inside which several strands of platinum hair had caught themselves. Sora bit his lip, resisting the urge to brush those hairs aside and tuck them safely behind his friend's ear.
Sora's finger twitched.
The boy sighed and allowed himself a moment of indulgence. A shaky hand traveled forward and hooked itself between the offensive strands and Riku's porcelain skin. Sora shook his head at such a stupid analogy, but still found it very fitting. The teen below him looked frail, like he would crack under even the slightest pressure. Sora didn't want to break him.
He finally got the hair to stay behind Riku's ear. The boy let his hand slide smoothly down the long delicate strands before returning the appendage to his lap and biting his lip.
Riku looks so cute when he's sleeping, Sora found his mind traveling a path he really didn't want to walk. He shook his head again, letting the words scatter into a bunch of meaningless letters in his head before leaning forward determinedly. The brunet reached out; hesitant fingers aimed for his best friend's finely toned very bare shoulder.
Sora wondered why he hadn't noticed his friend wasn't wearing a shirt until now.
Eyes bulged, mouth gaped, and an already shaking hand flew back as if it had been burnt. Sora pulled the appendage to his chest, one hand grasping the other as he rocked back and forth and bit his lip so hard it was a miracle it didn't split. He couldn't stop his eyes from traveling hungrily over the bare skin, dipping down to the elastic waistline of Riku's boxers and up to the delicious curve of his shoulder blade. Sora's lips felt dry. He wet them unconsciously, gulping as he set out to nudge his friend into the waking world. A sleep laden voice stopped him.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer."
Aquamarine eyes were trained up at Sora's head. They watched in interest as all the blood in Sora's face drained from his cheeks, leaving him pale and probably on the verge of a major heart attack. Riku used his arms as leverage to push himself off the floor. He yawned absently and stretched his arm out behind his head, keeping one eye smugly open as his back arched forward directly in front of Sora's face, which was a completely white picture of true and utter shock.
Riku laughed.
You should really tell him… Beth's words ricocheted throughout Sora's skull. He dropped his face into his hands helplessly as the previously absent blood rushed back to his neck and ears. This was bad. This was very, very, very bad. Riku continued to laugh, and Sora continued to blush.
The younger boy went home not long after.
The calendar clipped to Sora's refrigerator read August the fifth.
Tuesday.
The Fifth.
School started in six days, on the eleventh.
Six. Days.
Sora slumped onto his counter, arms splayed out around his head and making him appear dejected and alone. Which he was.
Life sucks, he thought, wishing he had a time-machine at his disposal. Having a nice do-over of the last five days seemed like a grand idea. He let his mind wander over all the things he'd change as the boy tucked his face into the crook of his arm. He nuzzled the warm skin there absently as a short and sweet checklist of all the screw-ups he'd induced recently formed behind tightly clamped eyes.
1.) Those stupid
dreams.
2.) Trying to think up instructions in the middle of a
kiss. How idiotic could he get?
3.) That whole, 'Hey you can't hit
me with a mud ball!' thing. Really, it's like he was asking for it.
4.) Let's not forget asking Riku to teach him to kiss. God, it's
amazing he could tie his own shoes with the kind of judgment he'd had
as of late.
5.) Kairi…
Sora's head shot up from the warmth of his arms. "Kairi?" He repeated to himself. "Wait - Kairi's not a problem here. She's a victim of my idiocy." He defended her out loud, as if his kitchen appliances were in some kind of debate with him. Sora sighed; arguing with himself would really get him nowhere. What he really needed to do was go and figure out how to fix this whole mess.
And add 'checking out unconscious best friends' to his "stupid moments" list.
The boy dropped his head back to the counter, cringing as skin met hard granite with a loud crack. Once the pain subsided he let his eyes fall shut, efficiently blocking out the world and all its happenings. What felt like two seconds later the phone rang; Sora jerked from the comfort of his arms and looked around wildly, body wavering on the side of his chair until he finally lost his balance and fell square on his butt. The brunet blinked in a daze, rubbing his backside tenderly as he hauled himself up off the floor and grabbed the cordless phone that lived in his kitchen. He answered with a groggy, "Hello?"
Static hissed on the other line before an obnoxious voice penetrated his eardrums. "Sora? Sora! Hey man! I'm so glad I got a hold of you; I was really startin' to worry. Listen, is Riku home? I tried to call him and he never…." Sora pulled the receiver away from his ear and stared at it blankly. The voice currently chiming through his kitchen sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it. Male, teenaged, and very, very loud.
Oh, right, he chided himself. He knew exactly who it was.
Axel.
But why would that guy be calling? They weren't exactly friends. Sure, they knew each other, but the only real interaction they had always involved a very important median. Riku. The two only really knew and put up with each other because they happened to share a certain platinum haired friend. Sora heard his name reverberating from the phone. He gasped and returned it to his ear quickly, "Sorry, sorry… I'm here. What were you saying?"
"Geez, I thought you hung up on me or something. Anyways, as I was saying… I keep trying to call Riku but the bastard's ignoring me. D'ya know if he's home? I was planning on asking him a big favor." Axel sounded desperate.
What, was Sora supposed to know every little thing his friend did? He wasn't a stalker or anything; why did people always assume he knew these things? "Sorry, Axel. I've got no idea what Riku's up to." He bit his lip and decided to let his curiosity get the better of him, "What… What favor were you going to ask him? I might be able to help."
The other line was silent for a moment before Axel laughed. "Actually," Sora could still hear him chuckling, "I don't know how much help you would be. See, my friend and I sort of made this…this bet." Oh god. "Nothing bad!" the older boy assured, as if he could read Sora's mind. "I just... Well I mean we…" He paused, trying to figure out how to word it right. "My friend and I spent a lot of our summer vacation wasting away in the arcade, right? So basically right after school ended he bet me that by the end of the summer he'd have more tickets than me. Well, summer is almost up and I need to work now more than ever if I'm gonna win his CD collection. So… I was going to ask Riku to come and help me out. The arcade is almost empty on Tuesdays so I figured it'd be a good time. Of course, I did ask him yesterday, since no one goes at all on Mondays… but he had to go to the beach with you." Sora reddened slightly as memories of what exactly happened at the beach sprang into mind.
"Wait…" Sora went over everything Axel had said in his mind, "What do you mean you don't know how much help I would be?" He glared at his phone as if that would somehow hurt the person on the other line.
Axel laughed again, "We all know you aren't exactly good at video games, Sora." Blunt, but true. "I guess you'd be better than no help at all though…" the voice sounded thoughtful, "What'd'ya say, want to join me for a night out filled with oodles of brain-cell-burning arcade games with cheap pizza and even cheaper prizes? I've left a message for Riku so maybe he'll join us later on."
"Well I might just be busy…" Sora said indignantly, not at all liking the idea of being Axel's last choice. Granted, he didn't really like the guy that much, but still…
Much to his dissatisfaction, Axel's voce took on a sarcastic tone. "What, have to go to the beach with Riku again or something?"
"No!" Sora said all too fast. He could almost hear the wheels turning over in the older boy's head, or maybe he was being paranoid. Either way the brunet continued quickly, "I'd love to come, even if you're rude and don't appreciate my mad gaming skills." Axel scoffed on the other line, but Sora cut him off before he could say anything. "My mom's out of town, so you'll have to pick me up… um, when did you want to go?" He glanced towards the wall clock; it was four.
"I could… pick you up at seven-thirty?" Axel offered, slightly dazed by how fast Sora had managed to blurt his last sentence out.
"Right, cool, good." The younger boy nodded at his phone enthusiastically as if he were having an actual face-to-face conversation. The two bid each other goodbye and Sora sat back down at the counter; each second that dripped by made his excitement grow. He really was looking forward to it; the idea of a chance to just hang out with someone whom he hadn't kissed (and didn't even really like) appealed more and more to him. He hadn't had real 'guy-time' in a while.
And the seconds continued to limp by until it felt like at least an hour had passed. Sora glanced at the clock.
4:13 P.M.
He went back to dozing on the counter.
A car horn honked outside at seven forty-two; fashionably late.
Sora rushed out the front door, hair a spiky mess and clothes relatively disheveled from having been hastily changed. The boy went tumbling into the passenger's side of a wood-paneled station wagon, hardly giving the car a glance besides noticing the timber was painted black with orange flames burning up the sides. It was a very 'Axel-like' paintjob.
The car was already running. Axel revved the engine twice before quickly backing out of Sora's driveway, red spikes swaying in the breeze from an open window. He didn't waste time with greetings or such, simply cranked up the radio and hit the gas, sending the station wagon hurtling down Sora's suburban street at a breakneck speed. The younger boy took to staring out his open window, ignoring how his hair tickled his eyes and cheeks as it blew back and forth. It was another cloudy day, making the world outside the car gray partly from a soon-to-come storm and partly because day was verging on night. Sora leant his chin on his palm, watching as a million similar lawns bled by in a sea of green until finally they burst onto the highway and sailed past local fast-food joints and strip malls.
A ride from Sora's house to the arcade took about ten minutes, but it felt much shorter than that as the boys pulled into an almost completely empty parking lot and backed into a vacant space. Once outside the car Sora laughed; Axel's parking job left the car almost completely sideways. The older boy scoffed and muttered something about being better than nothing as he lumbered out from the driver's seat and hurried into the building.
Inside smelt like burnt pizza. Sora coughed lightly, catching a definite underlining of smoke and funk in the air. He shook his head, taking a few deep breaths to familiarize his lungs with the air before pulling a brand-new quarter from his pants pocket and asking loudly, "So what first…? Shooter or racing games?"
Axel stared blankly at him; the older boy laughed obnoxiously for a moment before grabbing Sora by the collar of his shirt and dragging him across the room, saying, "I hope you're joking, kid. I told you I needed help to get tickets, not help to waste money. Here," He let the younger boy go in front of a kiddy-game, "You just play this for a while and get me a nice little stack of tickets, okay?" The redhead smiled crookedly at the boy in front of him. Sora scoffed, glaring back and forth between the machine and Axel. Before he could complain the older boy spoke again, "Please?" he drawled, "You said you'd help… And this is the fastest way…." Axel did his best imitation of a pout.
Much to Sora's disgust, it was working.
The boy sighed, turning to the machine and asking, "Well, fine, whatever. How do I work it?"
Axel grinned, taking out a quarter of his own and bumping Sora aside. "Like this," He said, slipping the circular currency into the machine and watching as lights blinked on and corny carnival music started playing. "You see this traveling light?" He asked, motioning to the circle of unlit bulbs in the contraption and gesturing at the path a single light took around them. Sora nodded hesitantly. "All you gotta do is hit the button when the light lights up in the red bulb." Axel glared at the machine until the light in front of him turned red. His fist pounced forward, banging onto a button in front of him and sending the machine into a frenzy of flashing lights and fast-paced music. 'You won, you won' it sang.
The redhead nodded approvingly, grabbing the strip of tickets the game spit out and saying; "Now you try."
"Right…" Sora lumbered in front of the machine, dropping a quarter inside and wincing as the lights and music began playing. Cerulean orbs reflected a sweet golden haze and widened at a flash of red; he lashed out as quickly as possible and tapped the button. In front of him, Sora saw he had been a second too slow and the light had skipped on to another golden bulb. "Oops…" He muttered, receiving only two tickets.
Behind him Axel laughed, "God, you really do suck at games."
"I just don't have the best hand-eye coordination, okay?!" Sora kicked the machine and shoved another quarter in, determined to win this time. The light turned red, he lashed forward, and only received two tickets. "Damn."
Sora spent the next half-hour feeding the machine currency, cursing loudly each time he fumbled before throwing in another quarter and trying again. Axel had quickly lost interest. The older boy wandered around the arcade playing different shooter and racing games, dabbling with a pinball machine, and even shooting hoops for tickets. He'd worked up quite a load by the time the entrance to the establishment chimed open and some called out his name. Both Sora and Axel turned to watch Riku slam the door behind himself and wave energetically; he walked right past the youngest boy and over to his redheaded friend. Riku and Axel bumped knuckles as the icy haired teen grinned and said, "Long time, man. How's it goin'?"
Behind them Sora fumbled again and missed the light. He cursed loudly, gaining the other boys' attention. Axel gestured, "Not too good with him for company. That guy really does suck at this stuff." Sora glared over his shoulder and fed the machine another quarter. He focused intently on the machine, and just as the light turned red a voice sounded behind him. "You're not fast enough," Riku stated, startling Sora so badly the brunet knocked his fist against the glass instead of on the button.
He rubbed his knuckles gingerly, sending a seething glare at his friend before turning back to the game and saying hotly, "I noticed."
"Do you want some help?" Riku offered good-naturedly.
Sora spun around, "I don't need any help, okay?" he said, not sure why it bugged him so much. The older male stepped back, hands up in the air and a grin bleeding onto his features. He turned away and ambled across the arcade, choosing a game as far away from Sora's as possible. The brunet thought he heard older boy mumble something about overreacting, but it could have been his imagination.
A phone chimed from Axel's direction. The redhead blinked and fished around in his pockets; he finally pulled out a small black object and flipped it open, slurring a loud, "Hello?" into the receiver. A second past before recognition filtered over his features and he practically yelled, "Oh, hey man! What's up?" He listened for a second. "Wait – she what? How? …No way, you're kidding me! Oh man, I wish I could've seen." Sora and Riku watched him curiously as the redhead chattered on into his phone. "Wait – she still is? Seriously? Oh my god, where?!" He paused, listening to directions. "That's not even far from where I am! Oh I'm so there – tell her to stay like that 'til I get there, okay?"
Axel flipped the phone closed without warning and grinned up at his two friends. "So a friend of mine got… caught up in something." He snickered, "And it's nearby. I've gotta see, so I'm gonna jet. You two cool on your own?"
Out of the two younger boys, Riku was the first to complain. "But I just got here!" He yelled, voice taking on a whiny tone.
"And how am I supposed to get home?" Sora questioned, pointing outside to Axel's car.
The eldest of the group sighed, "One – don't you two live, like, right next door to each other? I don't really see a problem for you, Sora. And two – sorry man, I know we haven't hung out too much this summer, but you can still hang out with little Sora over there. We'll do something some other time, 'kay?" Axel was already heading over to the door, completely oblivious to the hesitant glances the other two boys were sending each other. Sora, personally, didn't want to have to stay out with Riku alone. Not after the stuff that'd happened that morning or the stupid confessions last night.
Riku shared the same sentiments.
Before either boy could complain Axel swung the door open with a chime and was gone. They heard his engine start and the sound of tires peeling out from the parking lot a few seconds later.
A second passed before the brunet sighed and decided to at least make the best of a bad situation.
With Axel gone, Sora was finally able to abandon the kiddy-games. He took advantage of the redhead's absence, sneaking over to a particularly bloody looking shooter booth and slipping in two silver quarters. The boy grinned and pulled out a rather emasculating pink gun from the holster in front of him; he pointed it ahead of him at eye level. Hardly half a minute had gone by before Sora was surrounded, terrorists shooting from all around him. He tried to hit each one, but with every bullet fired his attention slipped. He glanced to the side and noticed Riku playing a racing game across the arcade.
When he looked his friend's way a minute later the teen was shooting hoops only a few consoles away.
The character Sora was playing took a bullet to the chest. He cursed and reached into his pocket, pulling out two new quarters and slipping them in the machine. What a rip-off, the brunet thought as he selected 'continue' and went back to dancing around in a heavy rain of bullets. He tried to focus, ignoring the flashes of platinum he kept getting in his peripheral vision. Sora shot blankly at one of his attackers, hitting almost everything but the man.
"You suck at this," A voice from his right startled Sora. He jumped, nearly dropping his gun in the process. The boy sent a scathing glare at Riku; the older teen was currently taking residence against the side of a near-by shooter booth. Sora ignored him, turning back to the screen and raising his gun to eye level. "No, you're not doing it right." Suddenly arms were wrapping themselves around Sora's body. They set paths of fire down them boy's limbs as they slid over his bare skin and easily gripped his hands. "You've got to hold it a little lower," Riku's breath washed over the smaller boy's ear. Sora went red at once; he was about to say something sarcastic when he felt his best friend's chest push against his back and erupt the entire area in flames. Riku didn't seem to notice that his pupil had gone completely stiff. He practically cradled the younger boy as he leaned his head over Sora's shoulder to better see the screen.
It was almost as if they were hugging.
Sora completely froze when that thought went through his mind. He held his arms out at right angles, eyes widening and mouth gaping slightly. He sent a panicked glance at Riku, but the older boy seemed completely at ease. The brunet gulped unconsciously and tried to focus on the shooters in front of him and not the bumps of Riku's abdomen against his back. He felt a cool finger press down against his own as the older teen guided his hands across the screen to mow down a line of terrorists. It was a totally innocent motion, but a blush still enveloped Sora's neck and ears at it. There was just an unexplainable romantic feel to killing people.
Okay, it was official. Sora had completely lost his mind. He stood there in a sort of daze, letting skilled hands guide him through each level of the game. Each time a shooter popped out he tried to ignore the way Riku would jump and rub against him slightly, but that proved almost impossible.
Instead, Sora took to counting to one-thousand.
He was at two hundred and eighteen when Riku finally ran out of quarters. He felt the older boy shift, one arm still clinging to Sora's as the other groped around his back pocket for another round. Finally Riku shrugged and pulled away, rolling his head obliviously from side to side as Sora turned and glared up at him. Eventually the older teen cracked an eye and glanced at his friend. Riku was surprised to see the brunet in front of him was slightly flustered and scuffing his shoes against the tiled arcade floor. A silent moment passed between the two before the older boy's eyes widened fractionally and took on a different light. "Oh." He stated slightly, coming into the realization about how after all their agreements, touching Sora closely like that was… inappropriate. "Ohh…" He said it with more emphasis as his eyes continued to morph into saucers.
"Yeah…" Sora rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly, about to say more when Riku mumbled something about going to the bathroom and took off as quickly as possible. The younger boy stood alone in his wake; he blinked slowly, already overloaded mind digesting what had just happened. For the first time it occurred to Sora that they could have been seen. He looked around hurriedly and was relieved to find that only two other boys were in the arcade; they were much too absorbed in their racing games to notice any tension going off between other gamers.
A relieved sigh brushed past Sora's lips. He dropped a hand to his pocket and fished out a loose quarter; the boy flipped it with his thumb lightly, mesmerized as it glinted in the air then landed face-down in his palm. He ambled across the room, choosing the first game he had played that night. Without Axel around to rush him or Riku to distract him, Sora was sure he could finally beat it and get more tickets. He popped the change in and smiled excitedly as the machine came to life, bright lights washing over his skin and cheerful carnival music shouting through the room. The teen growled each time he missed his mark; the game was efficiently sucking down his quarters with no prizes in return.
After five minutes limped by Sora kicked the machine. He shrugged away angrily and stuffed his hands into now empty pockets, looking around. Brown spikes swayed slightly as the head they were attached to turned left and right; a curious frown buried itself into Sora's features once he realized Riku was nowhere to be found. Still in the bathroom? he wondered, unconsciously turning in that direction and heading off.
Sora found himself gravitating outside the lavatory door; not wanting to go inside but not wanting to leave. Another two minutes sprang by, Sora's impatience making them feel like hours. Riku was going to make him go in after him, wasn't he? The brunet sighed, feet dragging as he pressed his palms against the bathroom door and pushed it open slowly. Once inside, it wasn't hard at all to locate Riku. The bathroom was cramped, two stalls shoved against the far wall with urinals to the left and a sink across from the entrance. Sora caught a glance of himself in the mirror as the door swung open; he looked very tired.
Riku was sitting on the floor next to the sink. He was curled up, back against the wall with his legs pulled into his chest. His head was at first resting on his knees, long tendrils of icy hair falling freely over his shoulder and bunching in his lap. However, he jerked up when the door creaked open. His hair flew back wildly as he stared wide-eyed at his best friend; the brunet was standing directly in front of the older teen and looking down with a foreign expression written across his features. Sora sighed lightly, bending down until he balanced on his toes and was eye-to-eye with Riku. "What's wrong?" He questioned, usual dimness lost to the serious mood.
The older boy didn't feel like lying right now. He closed his eyes briefly, dragging platinum brows together as he took a deep cleansing breath and began, "I…" He cut off, wetting his lips. Riku exhaled loudly and started over, "You aren't the only one who's been having problems, Sora." At the younger boy's confused expression he continued, "Last night…" Aquamarine searched out sweet cerulean, "When you said… about the beach." A light blush painted Riku's cheeks. He looked pointedly at the wall, "I wanted to kiss you too. I… I enjoyed the first night as well, and… it keeps popping into my head at the weirdest times!" The older boy looked up desperately. "It's like every time I close my eyes we're kissing or almost kissing, and it's so… it's so weird." He finished lamely. Sora was about to reply, but Riku cut him off, "I've gone insane." He let his head loll back, eyes focusing on the ceiling.
"No you haven't…" Sora muttered, watching as Riku snapped back to attention. The younger boy shook his head from side to side, "This is all so messed up." His temples ached, the florescent lighting made his eyes hurt, and an undeniable knot was tying itself in his stomach. He sighed, "I think we should just go home. This place isn't helping at all, and I'm suddenly feeling exhausted."
Riku nodded. The air between them became thick with silence, Sora still crouching on the ground and noticing a sudden change in his friend's posture. The older boy had placed one hand on the wall, one on the floor, and was using them as leverage to push himself up. His butt was just barely off the ground when their eyes met. Riku stopped moving and simply stared, face alarmingly closer to Sora's. The brunet himself was fighting the urge to move away. He inched back slightly just as Riku opened his mouth to speak, "Before we go… can I… have one?"
"One what?" Sora asked shakily, legs almost giving out beneath him.
Still holding himself up against the wall, Riku gulped. "A kiss." He said quietly, almost hoping the younger boy wouldn't hear him. Unfortunately, he did.
Sora almost fell backwards. "A-A what?!" He asked, head jutting back in surprise.
The older boy fell back against the wall, sinking down slowly. "You heard me," He said with a sigh. "It just… It feels almost like if I don't ask now, I won't be able to stop thinking about all these weird things. You know?" The list off all the stupid things he'd done recently formed in the front of Sora's mind. He dropped his eyes to the floor, knowing all too well what Riku meant. An uneasy moment passed before the older boy sighed, "You know what? Forget I even said that. It was a really stupid idea anyw-"
"Okay," Sora cut him off. He glanced up, eyes locking with his friend's.
"O…kay?" Riku repeated, as if he'd forgotten the meaning of the word.
In front of him, Sora dropped to his knees. He inched forward, body held erect as a coral tongue darted out over his lips and he nodded. "Okay." He said one last time, arms and legs shaking almost uncontrollably with each inch he moved. Riku gulped, tucking a platinum strand of hair behind his ear as he looked up at Sora. The younger boy was much closer now; he situated himself between Riku's legs until finally looking down and placing shaky hands on the other male's shoulders. He bent his head to the side slowly, anticipation rising along with his blood pressure as their lips inched closer and closer.
Eyes half-lidded, Riku pushed himself up just enough to finally bring their lips together solidly. With the touch, Sora felt pins and needles erupt all over his body. Cerulean orbs locked with aquamarine ones for a moment before both boys let their eyes fall shut and completely surrendered themselves to the feel of one another.
Riku was the first to start moving. The world around him felt like it was wavering, like someone had taken life by the seams and ripped it up, leaving only feelings in their wake. And - good god - he could feel so much. The teen was unable to stop his hand from traveling up to Sora's cheek. He stroked there lightly, amazed at how soft the skin felt under his calloused fingertips. As the seconds leaked by he continued to push himself up until finally the older male had lumbered onto his own knees and was the one facing down. Sora didn't seem to mind; he whimpered quietly as Riku's lips worked against his own. The younger boy dropped him arms from his friend's shoulders. He let them travel of their own accord down Riku's sides and over his back. The boy groped at the material of his best friend's shirt and tried to pull him closer, which didn't seem possible. God, why couldn't they get any closer?! Clothed chests pressed together lightly as Sora's small pecs rubbed just below Riku's, causing the other boy to groan something incomprehensible against his lips.
Just as Sora was arching his back from the particularly delicious feel of the older teen's hand massaging circles into his back, Riku pulled away. He was breathing heavily as he glanced down at Sora's face. The younger male still had his eyes closed; his mouth hung open slightly and he wore an expression of annoyance. Riku was about to apologize for getting too caught up in the kiss when the hands that had previously been wrapped around his back relocated themselves to his shoulders and pushed him backwards. He hit the wall with a light thud and glanced in relative shock at a very flustered looking Sora. "Don't just stop like that!" The younger boy said angrily, breathily. Before he could reply hungry lips were devouring his own, small hands applying pressure to his shoulders and keeping him in place.
Not that Riku would have moved anyways.
He lifted a brow and smiled into the kiss, all too willing to participate if Sora wanted him to. "Do that thing with your hands," the brunet demanded, sending vibrations out against the older teen's lips and squashing any doubts. Riku eagerly complied, dropped his hands to Sora's waist and rubbing small circles there. The younger boy dropped his head back for a moment, groaning lightly before snapping back to attention and cementing their lips together again. Riku wasn't sure he liked being commanded so much anymore. The two were slowly inching up the wall, the force of their constant shoving sent them higher and higher until the older male was standing casually and Sora was on his tip-toes trying to keep their lips together.
Riku smirked and used his height to his advantage. He gripped Sora's straight, boyish hips tightly and used them as leverage to whirl their bodies around. The younger boy was pushed into the wall, and before he could even complain demanding lips had possessed his own again. Oh well, Sora thought. As long as he could feel Riku he didn't really care what position they were in. Timid hands wrapped themselves around the older male's shoulders. Sora let the appendages work into his friend's hair slowly and marveled at the effect it had on him. Riku's hips jutted forward of their own accord, brushing lightly against certain southern parts of his younger friend's anatomy and retrieving a loud gasp from both boys at once.
Oh, they really liked that.
Somewhere in the back of his mind Sora heard alarms going off. Something about this being weird, something about it being wrong, and something about people being able to walk in any second. Only the last part caught his attention. "Stall," He gasped, pulling his lips away from Riku's only to be ignored by the other boy. Said teen had taken straight to showering the junction between Sora's neck and shoulder with open-mouthed kisses, causing the boy to gasp and lean his head to the side to allow easier access. "We need… stall." He breathed again, louder this time.
They stumbled backwards together, Riku still licking and biting at Sora's neck while the younger boy withered and tried to steer them to the handicapped stall. More room. Once they stumbled inside Riku locked the door behind them. The second the small barrier clicked shut Sora found himself being almost violently pushed into the nearest wall and having his lips bruised by Riku's. The older teen gripped his hips again, pulling their bodies together as hungry hands weaved under Sora's thighs and pulled them up. The brunet found himself pinned with Riku and the wall as his only support. He clamped his legs around the older teen's middle and groaned, hips pivoting with a mind of their own.
Riku was kissing his neck again. Sora gasped at the feeling, letting his head loll to the side and enjoying the feel of lips on his skin. He tilted his chin over his friend's shoulder, a hand weaving absently into the older boy's hair and massaging there. Riku's head fell back at the sensation. He was breathing heavily when he turned his head towards Sora's and pushed their lips together. The younger boy continued to grind his hips. He relished the sensation of Riku pushing back; the hands that supported his thighs spread out and began kneading the skin there.
Just as a hesitant tongue swept across Sora's lower lip the door to the bathroom opened and someone came inside. Both boys froze simultaneously, Riku with his tongue still out and Sora with his hips pressed forwards. Whoever was in the bathroom apparently had no idea what was going on. They whistled to themselves as they used the urinal, and once they were done they washed their hands graciously and exited the bathroom with the same merry tone on their lips.
As soon as the bathroom door slammed shut Riku dropped Sora's legs. The younger boy stumbled for a moment, not quiet used to his own weight. He blinked wildly; half in shock about what happened and half in relief that they hadn't been caught. Good god, that would have been embarrassing. Riku was the first to step away; he rubbed the back of his head and spoke what was on both their minds, "Well, thank god we decided to use a stall." His voice held an awkward note, probably because not two minutes ago they were dry-humping against a wall. Sora nodded, a blush spreading like fire over his cheeks. For a second they stood in shocked silence, until finally the softest bubbling sound came from Sora's throat.
He was laughing. Riku watched in amazement, and after a moment he too found his shoulders shaking. They laughed wildly together, manically, not sure what was so funny but finding it hilarious anyways. "T-t-that would have been horrible!" Sora chuckled, arms weaving around his sides and gripping the material there. Riku doubled over too; they chuckled together until breathing became almost impossible.
Finally they sobered, and Sora was the first to speak. "How're we getting home, anyways?" His cheeks were still red.
"I've gotta call my mom to come pick us up," Riku answered, his own porcelain skin holding a red tint. The boys snuck out of the bathroom, glancing around sneakily before exiting the building and breaking out into the shadowy parking lot.
It was dark outside. Night had taken over the world while the two were inside playing games. Sora waited under a lamp while Riku called his mother, neon lights from the arcade sign shrouding the two in greens and pinks. Beth pulled up fifteen minutes later, her black sedan rolling out of the shadows like it had been born from them. The boys lumbered inside, lanky knees bumping as they situated themselves in the back.
Ten minutes later the three pulled up in front of Sora's house. He jumped out of the car, promising that he would just grab his night clothes then be right over. Riku smiled at him from an open window. Sora grinned back, finally comfortable with his friend and actually looking forward to spending more time together.
The older boy had been right; somehow, after that kiss it was like all the apprehension had melted away. Sora felt so free he practically skipped to his front door and danced inside, humming to himself as he crossed the kitchen to the hall that led to his bedroom.
A ringing phone stopped him. Sora lifted a curious brow, jumping to the counter where his cordless phone lived and bringing the receiver to his ear. "Hello?" He questioned, wondering if Riku had called him as a joke.
"Sora!" Kairi's voice invaded his ear. "I can't believe you and Riku went out without me! You guys are so mean…"
Sora's stomach dropped. He had completely forgotten about Kairi; he had almost forgotten she existed entirely. Suddenly, his good mood morphed into a guilty silence. The boy wet his lips and listened to her rant on about how he would have to make it up to her. "It makes me so sad when you guys leave me behind…" She was saying, unconsciously intensifying her boyfriend's guilt to the point that it was unbearable.
"Kairi!" He cut her off, gut twisting. "I… I need to see you. I've got to grab a few things first, but could you meet me at the edge of the park in, I don't know, five minutes?"
The other line was quiet before Kairi's bubbly voice chimed, "Okay! I'll see you then."
Sora winced and set the phone down. He gathered a bag of his nightclothes and set them next to his front door. The boy knew it would have been easier to talk right outside, but he wanted to be somewhere less open to talk to her.
God help me, he thought as he stepped outside the front door.
The sky overhead was dark, just like it had been for the last few days. Far away Sora could hear thunder rumbling and feel the jolt of distant lightning.
It really completed the scene.
He walked with his head down, hands stuffed in his pockets as he traveled through the ever-luminescent haze of street lamps and shadows. He didn't have to look up to know he was close to the park's edge; the nauseating waft of freshly cut grass was enough to warn him of his approach. The brunet stopped under a light. He looked up slowly at the sparse foliage that erupted along the divide between the street and the park. Up ahead he could just make out a bench through the midnight shadows; if he squinted he could see Kairi's distinct posture as she waited for him atop the wooden seat. Sora sighed lowly and dropped his head again, traveling forward at a snail's pace. Mud squished under his shoes loudly, deafeningly, as he made his way over to the girl.
Even once he stood before her Sora did not look up. He wet his lips, hands still trapped in the warmth of his pockets while his eyes stayed glued to the ground. Lightning shot behind him, dancing down through the canopy of trees and momentarily freezing him into a silhouette. Kairi stared on in silent fascination; she easily picked up on the gloomy mood her boyfriend was emitting and tactfully stayed quiet, letting him be the first to speak. Sora didn't though; time stretched on endlessly until he finally, albeit hesitantly, took a seat next to the redhead.
"Hey," He finally mumbled, eyes still downcast as unruly spikes cast a shadow over his face.
Kairi wet her lips, amethyst orbs dilating in the dark to take more of her boyfriend - her best friend - in. "Hey…" she replied dryly, hands nervously clasped in her lap. The girl had no idea why Sora had asked her here. At first she had thought he wanted to play around, do couple things, but looking at his solemn expression now she felt it must be something much more serious. Kairi gulped silently, gaze falling down to her twiddling thumbs.
Lightning shot through the sky again, the white glow permeating the canopy above them and falling down in solid-looking beams onto the ground. Even though it lasted only a second, Kairi thought it was beautiful. She found her attention drifting back to Sora magnetically, as if he demanded all of her concentration without even moving. He was staring forward, probably also marveling at how striking the natural light-show they were receiving was. Finally the girl worked up the courage to speak again, seeing as her company showed no signs of wanting to. "It's really pretty…" She offered, mind pulling blanks for material to talk about.
Radiant cerulean eyes lifted to Kairi's face, tracing the girl's petite features and eventually locking onto her own widened orbs. "It… it really is." Sora said, pointedly ignoring how a blush was working up to the redhead's roots. His stomach turned and twisted; the boy felt sick as he went back to glaring at the ground in front of him. He was perfectly aware that a thick silence had settled between them, and it was his entire fault. But truth be told, the boy had no idea how to remedy that. Right now all Sora wanted to do was yell at her, scream about how guilty he'd been feeling and confess to the things he had done – enjoyed doing – with their mutual friend.
At that very moment, Sora wanted her to hate him.
But he knew, deep down, even if he told Kairi everything he'd done she wouldn't hate him. She was… too kind, too forgiving. She'd blame herself, and he didn't want that. This mess, this entire jumble of mixed feelings and messed up emotions was all his fault, and no one needed to blame themselves but him. Sora's stomach turned again. He could feel an indescribable prickle at the back of his nose as he continued to stare intensely at the ground. Movement from his left caught the boy's eye. He turned slightly, glancing in Kairi's direction before widening his eyes in shock. She was much closer now; her lips not five inches from his.
Panic cut through the haze of indecision that had settled over Sora's mind. He sat frozen for a moment, locked in horror, before lurching backwards out of instinct and tumbling off the bench and into the mud. The brunet sat immobile there in the grime, wide-eyed and heaving, his eyes glued to the girl in front of him.
Kairi was still leaning forward, weight entirely focused on her arms so she could bend towards the spot previously occupied by her boyfriend. Two deep amethyst eyes were widened fractionally as she sat in her own state of shock.
A second ticked by, then two and three and so on, until finally her shoulders fell and the girl shifted back into her place on the bench. "I'm sorry," She whispered, even though they both knew who was at fault. Sora could sympathize, though. It was beautiful out, he had asked her here, and they were a couple. Kissing… it was probably something a normal couple would do in this situation.
But kissing had nothing to do with why he asked her here.
Sora cleared his throat, pushing himself up off the ground and brushing at his soiled pants thoughtfully. He leveled his gaze at Kairi; the girl was staring at her intertwined hands as if they were the most interesting things on Earth. He had to clear his throat again to gain the girl's attention. She looked up quickly; as red strands of hair flew up with her face an out of place spark of… something… ignited her features.
It took Sora a moment to realize Kairi looked scared. The boy wet his lips, uncomfortable with such an expression being aimed at him. Dread laced through his system, doubt accompanying the trepidation.
Maybe… maybe I shouldn't do this, he thought just as lightning again sparked and lit Kairi's features. She looked so fragile, so weak, like if he told her anything it would break her. God, he couldn't do that. He couldn't bear to do that. Not to Kairi. Not to sweet innocent Kairi who'd only ever tried to love him.
Why couldn't he love her back anymore?
It didn't matter, really. He knew her. He knew Kairi, and he knew that she was so much stronger than she looked. He knew deep down it waswrong to keep up the façade of a happy boyfriend, while secretly his heart was attaching itself to someone else. The kindest thing he could do now was end it. And so, with his resolve steeled, Sora motioned for the girl to follow him.
As they walked a continuous mantra of 'this is right' played through the brunet's head. He had first planned to end it back in the clearing, but now he thought it was too nice a place. Too beautiful. It held too many precious childhood memories to be scarred by something as ugly as what Sora wanted to say. Of course, Sora really had no idea what he wanted to say. The closer they got to the street the faster his heart raced. Once muddy feet erupted onto concrete he was convinced he could drop dead of a heart attack at any moment.
But he didn't, and they kept walking. Finally, they stopped, ironically standing under a blinking streetlamp adjacent to Riku's house. Sora glanced at the structure, his breath hitching lightly as his pulse dropped back to normal.
It was like the closer to his best friend he was, the more courage Sora had.
Standing there under a blinking lamp in the middle of the night Sora found talking easier. He kept his eyes glued to Riku's front door as he spoke, body angled away from the quiet girl behind him. "Kairi…" he began, feeling abnormally calm. "We should break up." He said it nonchalantly, said something he'd been dreading for so long with the ease of a simple 'hey'.
Behind him Kairi was silent, as if she hadn't heard him properly. Seconds limped by, and Sora was about to repeat himself when he heard a barely audible, "Why?"
And at first, he really couldn't answer.
"I…"I've been willingly making out with someone else, obviously there's something wrong with that picture. "It's just…"And he's a guy. "Well-" And your other best friend. Sora couldn't say any of that. He didn't want to. All he wanted was to stop feeling guilty about something that had pretty much spiraled out of his control. The boy took a deep breath before starting over, "Remember when you first moved here? From inland? And everyone was so taken with you…?" He glanced over his shoulder to watch Kairi nod. "You were the most interesting person I'd ever met. Life before you, it was so boring. You made things brighter, and I couldn't help the feelings that I developed for you. You… you're one of my best friends, Kairi. But…" He glanced back at Riku's front door, "Now that I think about it, maybe that's all we should ever be."
The night air around them was still. It radiated confusion and hurt, and even though everything was completely silent, Sora felt deafened. He turned back towards Kairi, watching as the light overhead doused her in a golden glow one second and sent her spiraling into shadows the next. He wet his lips, suddenly afraid the light would blink on and she wouldn't be there anymore.
It made him want to reach out and grab her and never let her go.
"How can that be true?" Kairi's voice sounded strained, like she was holding back tears. The light blinked on and Sora could see her face; the girl wore an expression of pain, her eyebrows pulled together with her lips quivering just barely. Then shadows overtook her again and it was a ghost's voice speaking to him there in the dark, "It can't be. You… you can't like someone enough to kiss them one day, and then not even a week later you… You just don't like them at all. It doesn't work like that…" The light flashed on, and she was staring at him. "Something had to have changed. Is there…" The lights went off. "Someone else..?"
Sora's first notion was to vehemently deny it. No, there was no one. No one, no one, no one.
A second later he was considering telling her; after all the truth sets you free. But no, he couldn't do that. He didn't want to sadden Kairi any more, and he wanted even less to incriminate Riku. Sora was caught in a lose-lose situation, so he chose the less hectic of his choices and shook his head vigorously, "No, I… I would never." Lying wasn't really going to hurt anyone, and Kairi would never know anyways.
"I'm sorry, Kairi. I just don't feel that way anymore. I know it's an inconvenient time for me to realize, what with us finally dating, but I'd much rather stop now so I can't hurt you more later on…" Sora spoke his words in a steady, even voice. He sounded sure as sure could be, but he did not feel so positive. When he looked at her, Sora still thought Kairi was beautiful. His heart still sped up, and if he didn't guard against it his mind would wander off to frivolous places it really shouldn't be. In reality, he knew that guilt was mostly the reason he was doing this. He couldn't look her in the eye anymore, and Sora didn't want to live like that.
"You're sure?" Kairi asked. Behind them lightning bled into the sky, thunder roaring immediately after. It was going to rain soon.
Sora was quiet a second; thoughtful. "Yeah…" he finally answered, voice quivering this time. The lights blinked on one more time just as a drop of water hit the ground at Kairi's feet. Sora didn't know if it was a tear or not; milliseconds later the sky opened up and doused the two in freshwater.
Even the sky was crying.
Sora turned away, not wanting to see the streaks down Kairi's face. The light overhead made a loud cracking noise before giving out completely. It left them standing in the dark for a moment before Sora said, voice and mind as certain as they would ever be, "I'm sure." He walked away, leaving Kairi alone and crying in the rain.
As his feet squashed over Riku's front lawn, Sora had to focus on not looking back. He knew he couldn't do that now, and all he really wanted was to hurry inside the warmth and comfort of his best friend's bedroom and hear that he had done the right thing. Sora completely forgot to stop by his house and pick up his nightclothes first; he burst into Riku's house soaking wet without a second thought. The boy turned right and ran down a familiar hall, probably dripping on the carpet but not really caring.
Sora pulled his best friend's door open almost violently. Inside it was dark, but that didn't stop him from looking around wildly. At that moment it felt like if he didn't see Riku soon he would go insane. He didn't need to worry though; the older teen was currently perched on the side of his bed and looking directly at Sora from behind luminescent aquamarine eyes. The brunet hesitated a moment before stumbling into the room, clothes wet and muddy and making it hard to move. Riku stood, a hand grasping Sora's elbow reassuringly. The boy shrugged him off, muttering, "I'm fine, I'm fine…" more to assure himself than his friend.
The older male dropped his hands to his sides and stepped back. "Okay…" He said softly, "Then what took you so long? Lose your underwear?" Riku chuckled to himself.
"I was with Kairi, actually." Sora said, mind a million miles away. He lumbered across the room - not caring that he was tracking mud - over to Riku's window. He stared out at the clouds, unaware that his best friend had sunken back down to his bed and deflated.
Riku sat there a moment, not sure why he was suddenly feeling sick. He fingered his comforter absently and offered Sora a quiet, "Oh." The brunet didn't catch the dejected tone laced in his friend's voice. He continued to stare at the sky, wishing he could see the moon. After a few minutes Riku walked up behind him, a hand finding its way to the boy's shoulder as he asked, "Are you okay?"
Cerulean eyes stayed glued to the heavens. Sora didn't answer for a moment; he was far too engrossed in the constant pitter patter of raindrops hitting the glass in front of him. "Kairi and I broke up," he said eventually, wondering detachedly if she was still standing outside. He hoped not.
Behind him, Sora heard Riku inhale a stunned breath. Was it that surprising? It was all the older boy's fault, anyways. If he hadn't asked for one little kiss-turned-make-out-session then none of this would have happened.
For the first time that night resentment spiked in Sora's mind; he wanted to turn and yell at Riku. When he felt hesitant arms wrap around his shoulders he wanted to push them away, but instead he found himself leaning back and taking comfort in the action. His anger died as quickly as it was born, leaving Sora with an empty shell of worry and fear and… at least for now, cradled in a soothing embrace, contentment.
The brunet felt rather than heard Riku speak. It took him a moment to decipher what the older boy said. "I'm sorry…" he had mumbled against Sora's damp spikes. The younger boy twisted away from the window and laced his arms over his best friend's shoulders, not caring anymore if it was taken as more than the friendly embrace it was. He tucked his head into the warm crook of Riku's neck and whispered, just loud enough for the older boy to hear,
"I'm not."
Post A/N:
"I don't think I want this anymore,"
As she drops the ring to the floor.
She says to herself, "You've left before,"
"This time you will stay gone that's for sure."
And he shouted something as,
She dragged her suitcase down the path-
To the driveway, she had never gone that far…
Normally this would be
The time that she – would let him talk her out of leaving,
But this time, without crying, as she got into her car
She said-
"No, happily never after,
That just ain't for me
Because finally
I know - I deserve better
After all
(I'll never let another teardrop fall)"
No Happily Never after - Nicole Scherzinger (or the Backstreet Boys): I listened to a lot of songs throughout this chapter, but this one the most. It's very pretty and both versions are good! God check it out.
(The real A/N):
Oh my! Sorry for taking so obnoxiously long to update. I'm a very bad procrastinator, and one thing after another kept coming up. First I couldn't get a hold of my BETA, then I got sick, then I went on an art spree, and then I got sick again. But the most important thing is I DID finish, and I even made it really damn long. Love me. :D
So, there are some issues that need discussing. Like, "DOOD – why is Sora freaking bipolar?" Well… I can't answer that. I'm trying very seriously not to write him like a whiny girl, but we've all seen him in the game and no matter how awesome he gets, well, he still kind of gets girly on me sometimes. Let's just say he's indecisive about how he's feeling. Okay?
Also… poor Kairi. I felt very bad for her. I wanted to make their break-up scene much more powerful, but really… That was at the end of like, 10k words. I was EMOTIONALLY DRAINED :pants: Well, at least now Sora and Riku have a little more room for sweet sweet lovin'. I've got a lot planned now, but I still need ideas! So, feel free to leave a review (I may not depend on 'em, but they only take a couple seconds and they make my day) and then go to my profile and vote in the new poll!
And thanks to my new, wonderful BETA! (love you soo much A!)
