Sora had somehow convinced his host to take a trip to the mall in an hour. Sora's plan was finally being put into action. He'd meet the author, fall in love (cliché and all) and live happily ever after. It would be like a fairytale… minus the dress and kids. Sora smacked his head with his notebook, growling at it despite the fact that it was abiotic. The brunet grumbled something under his breath as he laid sprawled out on his bed. Sora had spoken to his brother a few moments before. Cloud had told Sora something along the lines of never mixing beer and wine. Sora nervously took the advice, not really sure if he would ever use it or not. Sora detested the taste of alcohol.
"Riku is going to freak out if he figures out that I went to see someone I've never met face to face," Sora mumbled in irritation. After his last run-in with danger, Sora was quite surprised to see himself so willingly meet someone. Sora wouldn't stay long with said author… he'd just meet him.
Sora grinned anxiously. "What if he's taken?!" Sora suddenly wondered in frustration. "What if he has a boyfriend or a husband!?" Sora squeaked and buried his face into his hands. "What if I fall in love with him and he's taken?!" Sora fainted dramatically onto his bed, hand clasped over his chest.
The brunet's nose twitched a bit. If the author was taken, there was always Riku. Furtive Riku who was still an enigma to Sora. Flirtatious Riku with the dashing looks and gorgeous smile. Riku… his brother's best friend. Why Sora hadn't overcome that petty fact, he did not know. "But Riku kissed me," Sora reasoned as he tapped his head thoughtfully. "Riku kissed me… that means something, er… right?"
Sora then smacked the notebook against his head again. "How could I be so stupid?! Riku gave me a goodnight kiss. It meant nothing! He… he just wanted me to relax after a tough day. That's all!" Sora was aware of the fact that he was just making up excuses as to why Riku kissed him. Sadly, none involved the truth. The truth being that Riku was attracted to the little brunet.
"I talk to myself too much… if I had my diary I'd be writing!" Sora groaned dramatically, fastening his eyes shut tightly. "If I had put my name in it and whatnot maybe someone would have given it back to me!" Sora said, angry at his own vacuous nature.
Sora slapped his hand over his mouth, brown locks falling in all directions. The teenager shifted into a sitting position on top of his bed, upon the sheets. Without another word, Sora opened the notebook. Maybe some reading will clear my mind. I just need to relax. That's all. Just need to- Sora began calmly and then paled.
The black haired man thrust deeper inside his lover, bringing them both closer to release. Beads of sweat danced down their foreheads as the taller thrust inside his boyfriend's tight passage, desperately trying to increase the level of pleasure for the pair. It wasn't long before the tip of the black haired male's length hit the blond's prostate, making the shorter yell out in ecstasy.
"Um!" Sora shut the notebook and inched away from it. "Um…" Sora repeated, face a scorching red. "Is this author… like… a sex addict?" Sora wondered weakly.
The brunet covered his face with his hands and shook his head wildly. Though, an author of this level of writing… this level of intimacy, must be amazingly affectionate. Among other things, Sora figured with a deep blush. "I wonder if he'll like me," Sora said with a stifled giggle. After all, the author was only a year older than him, or so he read.
Sora was deep in thought. What would Tidus say when he came back from Florida if Sora had himself a boyfriend? Sora scorched a darker red at the very idea of someone kissing him, running their hands over him… doing the things only mentioned lightly in that notebook. The very core of the brunet shuddered as he pushed the thought away. He needed to control his hormones. True, he was your typical teenager boy, but he needed some control. Especially when Riku was in the other room.
Speaking of the silver haired male… "Sora, you ready to go?"
Sora craned his head from its position on the bed over to Riku. Sapphire hues met aquamarine ones that were located by the door. "Sure thing," Sora said and then sat up, snagging his coat from the other side of the room. The brunet inconspicuously slid the notebook into his jacket once more and bounced into the living room to head off with Riku.
"You look cheerful today," Riku noted as he grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter. Riku, oddly, to seemed to be even more gorgeous than ever. Sora blinked, wondering if it was just the lighting. Regardless, Sora didn't comment on that particular detail.
"Just feels like it's going to be a good day," Sora replied brightly.
"If you say so," Riku hummed flirtatiously as he motioned for the brunet to head towards the door. Sora nodded and did as he told. "While you're at the mall, I'm going to be visiting Naminé. She needs help remodeling her guest room. Her niece is coming up to stay with her," Riku explained as he led Sora out of the apartment.
"That's nice," Sora offered. Riku's so nice… I mean, at first I thought he was a complete jerk… but that was because he judged me based off Cloud… and I was a bit rude… but still. He's so beautiful. Sora smiled at the silveret seconds after.
"So Sora, tell me, are you going to scope out hot guys today?" Riku asked with a smirk as they began their trek, the bright sunshine beating on them.
Sora turned a dark red. No… but I will be meeting with an author that I'm crushing on. Does that count for anything, Riku? "Oh no, not really. Well er… maybe. I'm just mostly gonna look around and stuff."
"Need any money?" Riku asked, his hands digging into his pockets to retrieve some money. However, Sora's shake of his head halted Riku's movements. "All right. As long as you have enough," Riku finished in a shrug.
"You and Naminé would be good together," Sora randomly commented.
Riku blinked and looked at Sora with skepticism in his eyes. "Are you serious? You do know what the word gay means, right?"
"I do!" Sora argued with a pout. "I just thought that you two get along so well… that gender shouldn't matter?"
"I'm not attracted to her that way, Sora," Riku informed the brunet and laughed distantly. "You know if you're attracted to someone. You get this swelling in your heart that's distinctive." The silver haired male flashed Sora a bright smile as they continued walking. That smile was so beautiful on him.
"You know, Riku, when Cloud first told me that I was going to be living with you, I thought you were going to be a pervy old man that stashes porno all around the place," Sora giggled as they walked on, hoping to lighten the mood between the pair and get it off 'crushes' before Sora slipped and said too much.
Riku bit his bottom lip. Do notebooks with sex scenes count as porno? … "Of course not," Riku drawled, eying the brunet. If I still had that damn thing… I'd have a lot to write about. Just looking at him gives me inspiration. Hah. That's pretty weird. My best friend's brother gives me inspiration to write sex. Okay then.
"You're really cool! Other than that whole outfit thing," Sora mumbled. "You have to admit, that was pretty mean!"
"Well, it taught you a lesson, didn't it?" Riku asked, sticking his tongue out at Sora. Sora copied the action before laughing happily. The brunet often wondered why he so eager to change things and fall in love. Things were going so well the way they were now.
"That cross-dressing isn't something I enjoy," Sora answered with a cheesy grin. "I hate skirts and dresses. They're so weird. I mean, they're uncomfortable and yeah. But why do gay guys like cross-dressers anyhow…? I mean, they like guys… so why like female clothing?"
Riku shrugged. "Don't know. Don't really care."
"Just wondering," Sora said quietly as he stared up at the sky. I wonder if the author likes that sort of stuff. Then again… that whole role-play excerpt thing… Er…. This guy must have a wild imagination. I doubt he'll even find me interesting…
Riku chuckled and kept on walking.
When they arrived at the mall, it was two. Riku lead Sora inside and stopped in the middle of the pathway, turning around to head off. The silver haired male hesitated and turned back to Sora. "Meet me back at the house at around five-thirty to have dinner and whatnot. If you get in any trouble or if you need me, call me," Riku said as he tossed Sora his cell phone. "I'll see you in a bit."
Sora smiled and waved his friend off. When Riku had disappeared from sight, Sora sat down on a bench, his stomach hurting. Why did lying to Riku feel so bad? Sora rubbed his head and stared down at Riku's cell phone wordlessly. At least now he had a means of communication in case something bad happened.
And now, for the plunge of faith.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sora felt his whole body shiver when he stood before the author's home. Sora inhaled deeply, glancing down at his watch. It was three. Good, he had plenty of time left. Sora stared at the door to the small house, inhaling and exhaling at a slow rate. All of his anxiety suddenly began to bubble up. This was it. This was finally it. Sora was finally going to meet the author. The brunet coughed from excitement and then willed himself to knock on the door. Destiny was finally going to be fulfilled. Sora was finally going to-
A woman with light brown hair answered the door, cutting Sora's thoughts off. The brunet stared at the women who appeared to be in her forties. Early forties. Her kind eyes stared at him, as if wondering what he was doing here. A red ribbon resided in her hair, making her appear to be much more youthful than she truly was. A smile formed on her lips as she pressed her hand against the door. "May I help you?"
"Er… um… is your son… home?" Sora guessed, hoping that this was the author's mother and not a girlfriend or an older sister. He didn't want to offend the women. No, not one bit. Sora bit his bottom lip and eagerly awaited a response.
The woman shook her head. No. That was a no. Sora had come all this way for a no. "He moved out a few years ago," she explained and then smiled softly at the brunet. "What business do you have with him? I'm sure I can relay the message to him."
"I uh…found this journal you see, of his… and I wanted to return it. It's not with me though," Sora explained, his cheeks a bright red.
The woman surveyed Sora's nervous posture for a moment. A dawning of realization crossed her features as she stepped away from the door, motioning for Sora to come in. Timidly, Sora did such and entered the home, a bit shocked that a stranger would let another stranger into their home.
"You must not know anything about him, then?" the woman asked as she lead Sora into the living room. Sora eagerly followed, eyes scanning the room for any sign of photographs or pictures. Anything to identify this author. Nope. Nothing.
"I just found the diary and it had the address…" Sora explained and then sighed, hanging his head low as he took a seat. "I guess he's somewhere else now. I'd ask you for the new address, but I don't want to sound like a stalker or something."
The woman laughed and shook her head. "What's your name, dear?"
"Sora," Sora answered with a light blush. "I was hoping to meet your son… he writes really well and seems like a great guy and- … Er! I didn't mean to read his journal now that I think about it! Those are really supposed to be private and I-" Sora began in an embarrassed ramble.
"Shh, it's okay," she said and shook her head. "I understand."
"You do?" Sora asked weakly, looking hopefully to the woman.
"Mhm," she confirmed as she laced her hands together in her lap. "His writing has always had a certain flair. It captures the hearts of those who take time to read it." Sora highly doubted that the author's mother had ever read the content of this journal.
"He does," Sora agreed, just wishing that she would say his name. A name would be lovely.
"Your eyes say a lot, Sora," the woman said as she tilted her head to the side. "I don't want to overstep my boundaries, but from the way you're speaking and the way your eyes are shimmering, you've grown attached to him?"
"Um… well… you see," Sora stammered as he rested his hands into his head. "I feel so stupid admitting it. Especially to his mother. I don't even know his name… what he looks like… or anything. All I know is that the way he writes and the way he thinks is beautiful and I just… He's been through so much and I just want to get to know him…"
"Here's his cell number," the author's mother finally said, grabbing a piece of paper and scrawling a number across it. "Just tell him that you found his journal and tell him your name? I'm sure he'd be pleased to meet someone who recovered his journal."
"O-okay," Sora stammered, taking the number. His heart pounded as he arose from his feet. "Can I use your phone to call? I have my friend's cell with me and I don't want to use his minutes up."
"Sure, it's in the kitchen," she said and smiled. Sora nodded and scrambled into the other room, completely out of earshot.
Sora shivered as he picked up the black cordless phone from its base. Shakily, Sora dialed in the digits, his heart beating a thousand miles an hour. I'm going to hear his voice. I'm going to speak to him. What do I say?! Do I say.. Hi my name is Sora. I think I like you. No! That's bad. Bad bad bad. Do I ask him his name?! Sora's grip tightened on the phone as it began to ring.
One ring…. Two ring… On the second ring a vibration appeared from inside Sora's coat pocket. Sora cursed and hung up the cordless phone as he went to retrieve Riku's phone. Quite annoyed, Sora flipped opened the phone. "Hello?"
Apparently the person had hung up. "Fine… be that way, fate," Sora growled as he set the phone down on the counter vengefully before picking the cordless phone back up. Sora cautiously pressed redial, his heart caught in his throat. I wonder what his voice sounds like. I bet he's amazing. I bet he's gorgeous.
On the second ring, yet again, the cell phone vibrated. Sora was about to hang up the cordless but cautiously held it as he brought the cell phone up to eyelevel. Written across the small blue screen of the razor was the caller ID. Mom… Mom… MOM?!
"WHAT?!"
Sora dropped the cordless phone and shirked. The brunet began to shake as he scrambled onto the ground, collecting the phone and slamming it back down onto the base. Sora held the cell phone in his hands, trembling as he sat on the floor on his knees. A million things suddenly hit Sora's head at once, making the brunet feel light-headed.
"Sora, are you okay?" asked the woman as she made her way into the kitchen, her eyes widening when she saw Sora on the ground. "Do I need to call someone…? Are you okay?"
Sora felt tears falling from his eyes due to confusion. "Is… your son… by any chance… named… Riku?" Sora squeaked, his eyes snapping up to meet the woman's.
The woman blinked and then nervously nodded. "Did you call him and get his voicemail?" she wondered as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Riku usually has his phone on and I-"
"I… have somewhere to be," Sora enlightened Riku's mother, his heart beating way too fast. "I'm sorry!" he said quickly as he got to his feet, making his way to the door quickly, feeling like he was about to get sick. "T-thank you," he called over his shoulder as he nearly ran out of the house.
What the hell just happened?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sora, who was given an extra house key by his lovely host, entered the apartment and instantly fell to the ground in shambles. The brunet shook violently as he drew his legs up against his chest, similar to a fetal position. Blue eyes snapped shut as he sat there against the wall, breathing deeply. Now was a time to reflect. Now was a time to try and sort out all these confusing details before they ate the brunet alive.
"Riku…. Riku's the…" Sora stammered as he looked down at the cell phone in his shaking hand. "Riku's the author," Sora finally managed as he removed the notebook from his jacket, opening it as tears of confusion fell from his eyes.
I'd never confess to anyone that I was lonely. I'd never confess that I wanted someone in my life to love me and show me the true meaning of love.
The words leaked back into Sora's mind as he reread them. Sora hugged the journal and then whimpered. Everything made sense… somewhat. Riku was the author. The author was Riku. He had been attracted to the same person this entire time. Wasn't that a good thing? Wasn't a good thing that Riku was the author?
Sora suddenly felt a dark red dance upon his cheeks. All those scenes he had read replayed in his head over and over again, but this time with him and Riku in those roles. The brunet shivered as he sat there, fingers tracing shapes onto the cover of the notebook.
Sora looked at the journal, this time with a smile etched onto his face. It was like a portal right into Riku's heart. Despite the somewhat smut-drenched pages, there was honesty and true affection written on those white pages. Riku wasn't just a flirt, he had depth. And for Sora to like someone based off what they wrote just added to what he was feeling currently about Riku.
Still, the sticking point was that Riku was off limits. Riku was Cloud's best friend.
"What do I do?" Sora asked himself as he arose to his shaky feet and made his way across the room, shoving the journal back into his jacket. The brunet tossed said piece of clothing onto the back of the couch. Sora then leaned against the couch, his head hurting.
Sora sat on the couch and instantly passed out for an hour. Hopefully sleep would clear his mind.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"You told him you were helping me with wallpaper and painting?" Naminé asked in disbelief. "You gave up a day to be with him by saying that?"
Riku cringed and then shrugged dismally. "The kid can do what he wants. I figured that he would want some time off me. So I dropped him off at the mall with my cell phone. If he needed me he would have called. No big deal." Riku crossed his arms and stared out the window, watching the sun beat violently onto the city.
"You shouldn't be here, Riku. You should be sorting out your feelings at home. With Sora," Naminé insisted as she walked over to her friend. Thin arms reached out and began to push Riku towards the door of the apartment, wanting her friend to leave at once. It was obvious that Naminé wanted the two males together just as badly as they did.
"Every time I've gone to kiss him he's either moved away or acted oblivious!" Riku protested angrily. "Besides! If Cloud-!"
"Enough about Cloud! That's all I've heard from you two. If Cloud is really hindering your relationship, talk to him. But honestly, I don't think he's the problem. You two are just too shy to admit you like one another. So stop hiding behind the Cloud excuse and just go make out with him!" Naminé stated sternly.
"Geez, Naminé, I've never seen you so worked up," Riku noted, eying his blond friend curiously.
"Riku… you didn't see the way that he looked at you. And you playing Mr. Mysterious isn't going to solve anything."
"Fine," Riku sighed and grabbed his coat, running his hand through his hair. "But if he kicks me for coming onto him, I'll tell him it was all your idea," Riku made known as he reached for the door-knob, staring seriously back at Naminé.
"How manly of you," she said, relaxing a bit. She then laughed and waved Riku off. "Now stop wasting time!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Riku arrived home at five, figuring that Sora was still out shopping. It wasn't until he noticed the brunet slumbering on the couch did he realize that Sora was home. A smile crossed Riku's lips as he made his way over. Carefully, he crouched down beside the slumbering teen. Timorously, Riku extended his hand and ran it along Sora's cheek, completely mesmerized by the brunet and everything about him.
"Naminé makes it seem so easy," Riku whispered. "You're going to think that you're a replacement for Cloud. I know you're going to. You're not going to believe me."
Sora shifted in his sleep, his body impulsively arching into Riku's warmth hand in a similar fashion to that of a cat. Riku offered a bright smile at the sleeping brunet before his fingers began to trace the shape of Sora's lips, wishing that the one kiss they had shared had more meaning than just a simple good night.
"I feel so bad," Riku murmured, his index finger making an arch along Sora's lips. "Of all the people to like you, it had to be me. I don't even know how any of this started…" Riku grumbled something and rested his head against Sora's chest, listening to the teen's beating heart.
"Ever since you came here you've listened to me. It may not be love, but it's still something I haven't felt for awhile. I don't want it to go away, and it isn't. I need to pursue it," Riku mumbled and closed his eyes briefly.
"R-riku?" Sora asked in a yawn, awaking from the added pressure on his stomach.
Riku glanced curiously up at the waking brunet. Sora's startled blue eyes met sly aquamarine ones. All that was going through Sora's mind was the idea that Riku had written the journal and whatnot, and all that was going through Riku's was that Sora was a beautiful person, inside and out.
"I'm sorry, I was tired," Sora whispered, cheeks turning a light red.
"It's no problem," Riku answered and kept his chin against Sora's chest, staring up at the brunet. "How was your shopping experience?"
"Good," Sora lied. "I didn't buy anything, though."
"Bummer," Riku replied, refusing to break eye contact. He could sit there and stare into Sora's eyes forever, if he was allowed to do such. Honesty and sincerity was drenched in them. A rare combination nowadays. The sight of those blue hues was mesmerizing. That was for certain.
"Riku," Sora sighed the other's name peacefully as he looking down at the other teen. "The other night…"
"What about it?" Riku wondered, sitting up so that he was resting on his knees beside the couch. Sea-green eyes stared curiously at the brunet. What was Sora going to say?
"Why… what…?" Sora tried to ask and ended up stupidly stammering. The brunet smiled weakly and then blushed, trying not to look Riku directly in the eye. Sora's eyes widened when he noticed Riku was laughing. "Why are you laughing?!"
"Because you're so dense," Riku teased and leaned closer, making Sora tense beneath him. "Let's think about this logically."
"Okay?" Sora answered nervously, eyes widening in confusion.
"Why would someone kiss someone else?" Riku asked smoothly, never once taking his eyes off Sora. The male cocked his head to the side, eagerly awaiting Sora's response.
"To be nice?" Sora guessed vaguely.
"Uh… no," Riku said with a chuckle. "At least, I don't. I don't go around kissing Naminé and Roxas just to be nice. But I kissed you. And what does that mean?"
Sora burned a dark red. He's the author… He's the author… He's the same person… And why am I sitting here being teased by him when I could just easily… "I don't mind games," Sora pouted and draped his arms around Riku's neck, tugging the silveret up and onto the couch.
The couch was only so big, so in the end Riku had Sora pinned beneath him. The male's eyes stared down at Sora's, blue meeting a beautiful sea-green. Sora gasped and then tensed, eying the author with a nervous laugh. Sora couldn't help but let his mind wander back to those excerpts and everything that he had read.
"I kissed you because I find you attractive," Riku informed Sora bluntly as he leaned closer, allowing only a few centimeters to separate their lips. "And that obviously means that I like you. And that means that I'm proposing we…" Riku leaned impossibly closer, still refusing to make contact where they both desperately wanted. "… date in secrecy," he concluded in a hot breath, mingling with Sora's.
Sora was given time to answer, surprisingly. Of course, Sora didn't take this time. Instead of answering with a yes or no, Sora arched his neck up the slightest to claim Riku's lips against his own, a shudder slipping down his spine. Sora's eyes snapped shut as his fingers threaded through Riku's soft silver hair. It was then wet against wet, lips rolling against one another sweetly. Riku craned his neck down to add more pressure into the kiss, his hands keeping Sora securely pinned beneath him as heat rushed through his body.
"Sora," Riku murmured into the kiss and nipped gently at Sora's lip. Riku grinned when he heard the brunet gasp. "Is that a yes?" Riku muttered as he licked at Sora's bottom lip, savoring the taste.
"W-what… do you… t-think?" Sora stammered as he pressed his lips eagerly back against Riku's.
"Hm…" Riku smirked against their lips and pressed fleeting kisses to Sora's lips, loving the feeling and the taste. The silveret wasn't expecting Sora to respond so intensely. The brunet arched his body upwards wantonly, lips continuously seeking out the other's, dying for affection. In the process, the brunet had brushed their lower bodies against one another by accident.
Riku moaned boisterously into the kiss and bit down onto Sora's lip, a wave of arousal flowing through his body. Sora broke the kiss, gasping for air, as his body pulsed. "R-riku," Sora slurred, staring up at the other with clouded blue eyes.
"This is going to be a wonderful three weeks," Riku purred as he pressed a final kiss to Sora's lips before shifting so that he could somehow lay beside Sora on the large couch. Sora blushed and glanced over at Riku.
"So… we…"
"Yep. Dating. No telling Cloud. No telling anyone. Just us."
"I'm game," Sora answered with a smile as he stared at his boyfriend with a nervous laugh. Without really thinking, Sora nuzzled closer to Riku, resting his head against Riku's chest, sleep overtaking him once again. "I'm… gonna nap, okay?" he requested sleepily.
"Goodnight," Riku answered and wrapped his arms around his new boyfriend, his mind spinning in a million different directions. They had just crossed the first hurdle of many.
And just what did any of that mean…?