Hello again. If you're here on the second chapter, I love you. So please review and tell me if you like me back?
So, uhm, I don't really have preferences towards pairings, but I mostly stick to what's popular (though I have a soft spot for less common pairings.) For example, I don't particularly prefer Sora and Kairi and Riku together in any combination, but they're the main characters in the games, so RikuSora is and SoraKairi are givens if I wander the fandom. As a yaoi fan, I prefer the former slightly more, but I don't mind that Kairi's with Sora in many stories. For those that are reading this story and do mind, just please hang on a little while longer.
Oh, and there are a lot of references made to various boyfriends and girlfriends, but please don't think I'm writing theme as sluts; I left a lot of time gaps and take into account that a lot of people have multiple boyfriends/girlfriends during their lives. It might be obvious that I don't believe in "The One".
Carry this Picture for Luck
Chapter the Second
After their talk, Riku felt a lot better about Kairi. He made an effort to be friendly, and she proved to be a great friend to hang around. When Sora pulled late nights in the photo lab on a last minute project, Riku and Kairi hung out at Sora and Riku's apartment waiting for him.
"So," Kairi started, settling down onto the couch next to Riku with a tub of popcorn. "How'd you and Sora meet?"
"It was a dark and stormy night," Riku began in an eerie voice. Kairi laughed and threw popcorn in his face. "Stop laughing! I'm telling a story!" A light romance movie played on the TV screen. Kairi turned down the volume.
--
--
"Riku," his lab partner told him over their lab materials. "The photo club's having an exhibition."
The silver haired boy glanced up at Roxas. "Yeah? I don't care."
Roxas' cheeks puffed indignantly. "My brother has a few pictures. You should come."
"I don't know." Riku glanced outside at the pouring rain skeptically before returning to the Bunsen burner. "I doubt it's going to let up; I don't want to get wet."
Roxas slammed the crucible onto the table, attracting attention from their classmates as he quickly jotted down their data and quickly cleaned up.
After class, Riku chased down the blond. "What was that about?" he asked loudly. "I still need the lab data!"
"I asked you out on a date," Roxas spat, turning around. "You've been eying me like candy all semester long, then I finally get the nerve to ask you out and you… Argh! You're either sending really messed up signals or just really really confused." He turned his heel and pushed pass students sloshing around in the open air halls, huddled up to keep warm, though the rain had already soaked his jacket. Riku stood stock still, umbrella in hand but no lab data to speak of.
--
The rain had not let up by that evening. Riku prowled the neighborhood streets in his Nissan, squinting to make out the numbers painted on the sidewalk. Where was Roxas' house?
He'd called Roxas earlier to apologize, but the boy who answered told him that Roxas refused to come to the phone, although he gave Riku the street address to the Hikari's house. Riku had hung up without a thank you.
He finally found it, the red brick house near the end of the street. He parked in front of the house and got out, running quickly under the overhang. He knocked loudly. "Roxas! Roxas Hikari! I know you're home!" He knocked again.
The boy who answered the door wasn't Roxas. Sure, he had the same eyes, the same mouth, the same face shape, but unless Roxas took to straightening and dying his hair chocolate brown (which Riku decided that the blond should not do), this was a different person altogether.
"You're the one from the phone, aren't you?" the teen deadpanned. "You hung up."
"Yeah, sorry about that," Riku muttered, not sorry at all. "Can I see Roxas?"
"He doesn't want to see you." The brunet leaned against the doorway, expression disdainful. "And I'm not sure I want to let you in."
"I just—goddammit, Roxas! I'm going to fail without you!" Riku yelled into the house.
"No you won't!" a muffled voice came back. "You've got an A!"
"Well then, I want you!" Roxas' brother raised a quizzical eyebrow. "That came out really wrong, didn't it?" Roxas' brother nodded, trying not to laugh.
"You're soaked," the brunet piped up. "Do you wanna come in? I can get you some of Roxas' shirts." He waggled an eyebrow.
"It's not like that," Riku blushed. "Thanks."
"I'm Sora," the brother introduced, leading Riku into the house. "Roxas' twin."
"The one who takes pictures?" Riku took note of the photographs lining the walls. The more recent photos featured all different people, but none of Sora. He stopped walking, mouth open. "I like this one," he pointed.
Roxas, laughing beautifully in the midst of snow, black clad, black gloved arms pulling him back into an embrace. Riku was oddly jealous of those arms.
"Big Bear, last winter," Sora was telling him. "That's Axel, Roxas' best friend back there. We go back to visit every winter, even though we moved out to this desert back in the third grade. I really like that picture too; it shows looove."
"Shut up," Roxas muttered shuffling into the room. Riku thought he looked cute with his eyes pink around the rims and bed head. He pushed a composition notebook at Riku. "Make sure I get it back by class tomorrow." He frowned as Riku stared, trying to imagine Roxas smiling like that, laughing like that, at and with him. The blond glanced at the picture on the table, then pushed it face down before he shuffled away again.
"But Roxas," Sora whined. "I promised Riku a pair of your panties!"
"Do whatever you want," Roxas told him wearily. "Just don't come into my room." He slammed the door behind him.
"Panties?" Riku voiced after a moment's silence.
"Never mind. If you take off your wet clothes, I'll go get a sweatshirt for you." Sora dashed off. When he came back, Riku was stripped of his jacket and t-shirt. When Riku put on the sweatshirt (a red and white Big Bear souvenir), it hung on his lanky form with room to spare. "Sorry, grabbed the first one I thought would fit you; I'm not a good judge in size. Roxas wears that when it's cold. It's really warm."
It was, Riku thought amazedly. And it smelled like Roxas, which was something of a bonus. "Thanks," he said quietly. "I should go."
"Stay!" Sora blurted. "Have a cup of cocoa or something. It's still raining cats out there, and that would totally defeat the purpose of me letting you borrow a sweatshirt." Riku raised an eyebrow. "I also think you'd look good in a picture," Sora admitted. "You wouldn't mind being a model, would you?"
--
Every Saturday was Movie Night. This time around though, it was only Riku and Roxas at the Hikari house; everyone else was at the Twilight High versus Traverse High game, and Riku was beginning to wish he'd gone.
He had been expecting to have a nice make out session with his boyfriend, maybe reach second base, but Roxas sat rigidly on the couch, shrugging off Riku's arm when he wrapped around his shoulders and turning his face away when Riku's neared for a kiss.
"Roxas, what's wrong?" Riku was frustrated, and he sure as hell wanted to show it. "Babe, if you've got a problem with me, just say it! I can't spend all night just sitting here, doing nothing. At least talk to me."
Roxas stayed sullen. After a moment, he finally spoke, "So. You and Sora, huh?"
"Me and Sora?" Riku was taken aback. "Rox, I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do," Roxas growled. "It's kind of noticeable that you're Sora's favorite model, and there's something a little wrong if you spend more time with your boyfriend's brother than your boyfriend himself!"
"So you're saying Sora's cheating on Olette with me. That I'm cheating on you with Sora."
"Maybe," Roxas replied stonily. "It really would explain why you're so desperate to keep our relationship hidden from everyone. From him."
"Like you're one to talk!" Riku exclaimed. He was enraged at the distrust Roxas displayed in his character. "Last week at Cid's, when we went to see the Nobodies play? You and Demyx were practically fucking each other with your eyes! He could barely keep it down—"
"Don't talk about Demyx like that!" By now neither of them was sitting on the couch; both were standing and glaring like their very lives depended on it.
"Get out," he growled at the same time Riku announced, "I'm leaving."
Riku stripped off the baggy sweatshirt and threw it in Roxas' face, and Roxas demonstratively threw Riku's photo in the trash. "Sora's not going to like that," Riku mentioned as he passed the blond on the way out. "It was the only good picture of you he's ever taken." The picture frame shattered against the front door as he slammed it shut behind him.
--
"Sorry," Riku muttered on Monday when Chemistry class began. "I was out of line."
Roxas huffed. "As far as I'm concerned, the last month isn't a chapter of my life."
"Oh." Inexplicably, it hurt Riku to hear this. "So, we're okay then?" He didn't want to be okay. He wanted to be fine, to be normal. Normal included Roxas in his lap.
"Sure," Roxas told him, not sounding like he meant it. "It's just… I was expecting it to last longer, you know? Proportional to the length of sexual tension before hand, at least."
"We could maybe, make it last that long," Riku suggested.
Roxas stiffened. "It hurts, but I'm not crawling back to you. It might take some time, but I'll get over it." He raised his hand and asked the teacher if he could switch seats; he wasn't getting along well with Riku.
--
Sora was animatedly telling Riku about his day as he snapped pictures of the scenery, of the other teen, of the sky. "What's up with you and Roxas?" he asked at length. The camera sat in it's bag on the ground, to the side. "You both have been so mopey lately."
"I'm not mopey," Riku told him, tearing a bite from his sandwich. They sat on the steps to the school library, from there watching their fellow students in and around the quad. Sora refocused his camera.
"What do you call that expression then?" Sora snapped another shot.
"You're taking pictures obsessively," Riku noted. "Is everything fine?"
"Of course everything's fine!" Sora huffed. He turned off the camera and put it away. "See? I'm not taking pictures obsessively. I'll tell you what's wrong with me if you tell me what's wrong with you," he goaded.
"We had a fight," Riku admitted. "He doesn't want to see my face ever again."
"Are you sure?" Sora prodded Riku's arm until Riku looked up and smiled shallowly. "He gets moody sometimes. He doesn't let on, but he's really insecure. If you really want to get close to him, it takes an inordinate amount of one on one time."
Riku chewed silently and shook his head. Sora traced his glare to the table across the quad, where Roxas was sitting close to his blond friend Demyx, knees knocking and the taller blond ruffling Roxas' hair.
"Is it because Roxas is gay?" Sora asked anxiously. Riku snapped to attention. "I know it's weird, but don't hate him just for that, okay? It's part of him; he can't help it."
"It's not that," Riku said carefully. "I just was, I don't know, expecting that, well, he was my best friend for a while there, short while, but then there's…" He waved his hand indefinitely in the direction of Demyx, who was a leaning too close to Roxas. "He's got Demyx for that."
--
It was during a normal conversation, on a normal day, Roxas and Riku having coffee and looking at each other while Sora took pictures from the sidelines. "Roxas, don't frown. You're supposed to be a couple on a coffee date, looking at each other with love and easy companionship, having a private conversation. I know you can do that; you pulled it off last time perfectly!"
Roxas rolled his eyes, before leaning forward and putting on a small grin. "Dense, isn't he?"
"Incredibly," Riku replied, propping his elbows on the table and looking into Roxas' blue eyes. His heart didn't beat harder, but he wanted it to. "I take it you never told him? I thought you two were twins and shared everything with each other."
Roxas waved it off. "Just because we're twins doesn't mean we share everything. I mean, if Sora wanted Demyx… ew."
Riku gave a hollow laugh. He still didn't quite like that blond, and he had to agree that Sora with Demyx didn't sit right at all.
"Now Riku, smile," Sora instructed, having missed the entire soft spoken conversation. "You know you're gorgeous. Flaunt it."
They didn't realize how wrapped up they were in their mini photo shoot until Demyx appeared from nowhere, in Roxas' lap and giving him a happy lick from the jaw up the cheek. Rubbing his nose against Roxas' skin, Demyx happily cooed, "Roxy isn't cheating on me, is he? Because Riku's a lamer, and I'm much better than him!" It sounded like a joke, but the hard look the blond gave Riku told him it wasn't.
Oddly enough, it didn't intimidate him, because the hurt had faded a long time ago.
--
Demyx's graduation party was supposed to be the party to end all parties. It did fit the bill. Obnoxious live music, house crowded with obnoxious teenagers. He might actually miss this, when he and the Hikari twins jetted off for Hallow Bastion University in the fall. He doubted it.
Riku made his way to the couch Sora was standing on to get a better view of the Nobodies onstage, playing with the digital camera he'd gotten for his graduation present. Sora had confided to Riku that he preferred film; developing was a fun process, and it seemed much more personal to him. Riku nearly spilled the third cup of punch he'd gotten for Sora when a giggling couple bumped into him, causing him to roll his eyes. He sidled up to Sora as the brunet took a break from photography to check the pictures that he'd been taking.
"What's the word with that girl from Traverse?" Riku asked casually as he handed Sora his punch. The girl had been a blonde, thin thing Sora met at the inter-district art show. Sora had been on rebound after Olette left him for Pence, and her art was amazing. There was some helpless attraction Riku couldn't understand, because he'd met her a couple times, and the girl seemed so boring. That didn't stop Sora from having his first, longer-than-a-month, love-love-love relationship with her.
"Naminé," Sora corrected, stubbornly climbing the couch to get a better vantage point for the band. Riku sipped a beer beside him, hand by Sora's elbow in case the shorter boy fell. "And… It's been over. For a week." Sora snapped another picture.
"Come on," Riku tugged Sora down. "You're wasting film. Er, drivespace." The brunet stumbled and landed in Riku's arms. He mussed Sora's hair and set him up straight before leading him out, via Demyx's bedroom window on the second floor, to the roof where the loud rock music was muffled through distance and walls. "Do you want to talk it out?"
"I'm not a girl," Sora snapped, jerkily reaching for Riku's beer. His voice was laced with tears; he tried to drown it with the alcohol. "It's not that I love her," he abruptly confessed. "I did, but I don't. I just—" he swallowed the rest. "I need more to drink."
Riku stopped him from getting up. "I'll get it," he told him. Sora was already drunk. Stupid spiked punch. "I won't be too long." He made a move to leave, but Sora's weight leaning on him made him stop.
Sora was passed out, hand still clutching Riku's sweatshirt, snorting occasionally in his sleep. Riku wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulder, lying back on the roof tiles and gazing up at the stars, holding Sora close. The kid was cute when he was sleeping. With his eyes closed, that ridiculous mop of hair, and his face all soft and blissful, Sora didn't look like Roxas at all.
And somewhere along the lines, Riku had fallen in love with him.
--
--
The lights were on when Sora came home. The title menu on the television screen played for what was probably the eightieth time. Kairi and Riku were asleep on the couch, the girl leaning on Riku's shoulder, Riku's cheek resting on the top of her head. Both smiled slightly in their sleep.
If he hadn't seen this scene before, Sora might have been jealous. The first time he found Kairi and Riku sleeping in front of the TV he sure as hell was. But he knew that Kairi would never ever cheat, and Riku would never ever hurt him. So instead, he pulled out his camera and focused on the sweet image of two very special people, innocently asleep.
The flash woke Kairi up. Riku groaned and shifted in his sleep, head tilting back awkwardly. Kairi moaned groggily and swatted in Sora's direction. "Do you have to do that every time?" she mumbled, even through a smile. Sora leaned in and kissed her on the nose.
"It's a good way to get you up to go to bed," Sora informed her. Kairi giggled and kissed him back before wrapping her arms around his neck. Sora scooped her in his arms, bridal style. "Come on, let's get you to bed." He waltzed away with her in his arms.
When the bedroom door closed behind them, Riku opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing a crick in his neck as he frowned deeply. He turned off the television and sat on the couch, drumming his fingers against his knees restlessly. It was quiet. He wouldn't be able to sleep.
Riku grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch and proceeded out the door to go to Seventh Heaven, a club not too far away. He had been spending time there more and more often, drawn to the loud, pulsating music where he could be an anonymous university student, drowning his sorrows at the bar. Anywhere was better than this quiet apartment. When it was quiet, he could hear his heart breaking.
chapter end
