Chapter Three
The week after the party and even though Riku had felt weightless walking out, he didn't feel that way now. After he had gotten 29 angry notes, 17 spiteful remarks, 13 accidental trips, 4 death threats, and one busted lip later he wasn't feeling so weightless. "See, I told you it wouldn't be so bad." Naminé joked.
"Yeah, it's been a fucking joy ride." Riku replied. He wanted to get out of school until everything died down, until Sora stopped coming in with puffy eyes and hordes of girls (and sometimes boys) giving him comforting pats on the backs, kind whispers, and baked goods. Maybe he should just go to a different school. This school wasn't even very good; he could probably get into some college prep school somewhere. "So aren't you getting shit for siding with me?"
"Kairi and I drew straws; I got the short end of the deal." Namine replied winking at him. "No, I'm too nice for anyone to give me shit."
"That's a lie, if people knew you how I knew you they would be giving you shit. Big time." Namine laughed and opened her locker, a folded piece of paper falling out. She opened it and frowned. "What is with everyone this week?" She mumbled to herself.
"What?" Riku asked, trying to shrink himself as Sora and his posse came down the hallway.
"Come on, we're making a little detour on the way home." Namine said, shoving some books in her locker and dragging him out the door.
The "little" detour turned out to be thirty minutes driving in the opposite direction of school, which meant it was forty five minutes away from their neighborhood. "Naminé, this isn't little. This is a tank of gas."
"Hush." Naminé responded as she scanned the house numbers. "Stop at that next one. With the brick mailbox." Riku followed her instructions, parking on the side of the street. Naminé got out of the car and started walking but realized Riku wasn't with her. She ran back and opened the door. "Come on Riku."
"No, I don't need to witness a drug deal."
"It's not a drug deal. Don't be a grouch just because your pretty lips are messed up." Naminé pulled him out of his seat and dragged him to the door. She knocked and waiting, bouncing up on her heels. Riku watched her, wondering what the hell they were doing in the middle of no where.
"Naminé, what are you doing here?" Riku looked in the doorway and saw a shorter boy with blond hair and pretty blue eyes. He had seen him around school but didn't know his name. They didn't have any classes together and whenever he did see him he was with The 13, resident bad asses.
"Well I figured Axel broke up with you and you would be all sobby and weepy." Naminé replied pushing past the blond boy and kicking her shoes off into a corner. "Oh, Roxas this is Riku. Riku this is Roxas. Roxas now that you know who Riku is invite him inside."
Roxas rolled his eyes and stepped aside, motioning for Riku to come in. "Come on in Sil--I mean Riku." Roxas turned his attention back to Naminé. "I was just informing you of what had happened. I broke up with him, and even if I hadn't I would not be weepy."
"Axel's the pyro." Riku said off handedly, trying to remember what each of The 13 was known for.
Both Naminé and Roxas ignored him as Roxas told the story. It sounded like maybe Axel wasn't a pyromaniac as much as he was nymphomaniac. Roxas sighed, "And there you have it." Before turning on the TV and putting his feet on the coffee table. Naminé gave him a beseeching look that he could feel bore into his skull. He continued to watch the TV as he said, "What else do you want me to say?"
"Show that you have some emotion over it. Even Riku has emotion over his break up and he was the dumper." Naminé took the remote control from Roxas and turned the TV off. "Don't you feel anything?"
Roxas sat for a few moments with a contemplative expression on his face before saying, "Annoyance because it was the Made show where they turn the guy into a soccer player and it's a good one."
"Robot." Naminé replied, tossing the remote control back to Roxas. "See here is how to feel emotion, Riku what did you feel when you broke up with Sora?"
Riku wanted to hurt Naminé for putting him on the spot. He noticed that Roxas was actually looking at him and felt even more uncomfortable. He remembered how he felt though. Weightless. Like he could do anything. A tinge of doubt and worry. That what he might be doing was wrong. Mixed in with that was anger. He was so mad at Sora for getting wasted all of the time. He was mad at himself for not noticing sooner. For wasting his time on someone who could never have anything because they would always take the drug before the person. "I felt like a badly shaken cocktail."
"A mix of things." Roxas murmured. Riku nodded and turned to the TV, tuning out the conversation between Naminé and Roxas. He watched as the guy on TV became something he wasn't.
Roxas started sitting with Riku and Naminé during lunch. Naminé had brought him to lunch one day and had just said "He's part of your posse now." Before going to get a bottle of water from the vending machine.
Roxas had sat down and gotten out a pre-calculus book and started scribbling. "Your one of those people who doesn't do there work until the day its due." Riku had stated, taking a bite out of his sandwich. He didn't like people like that. He had reprimanded Sora all the time when he had done it, telling him that homework was for home and if you did it the day of you were just half assing the assignment.
Roxas glanced up at him and then went back to scribbling. "I have work today and this is going to take awhile. I'm getting it out of the way."
"Sorry."
"No worries."
Roxas worked at a sandwich place by school, close enough for him to walk. He had applied there because he needed the money and the shirts didn't look stupid. They had crazy sun designs on the back that looked like something someone would draw when on acid. He worked in the back putting pre-made cough into pans then sticking them into the oven. It was mindless work. Riku started visiting him a few weeks after he had mentioned why he was doing work during lunch. Roxas noticed that Riku would always look for him in the back through the order window, trying to act as if his eyes were just wandering. It was kind of cute.
It was on one of these nights when Roxas was on break and they were sitting inside eating that Riku said something weird. "I was told today that people don't like me."
Roxas raised his eyebrows and said with his mouth full, "Ishn't thah ahways tuh case?"
Riku chuckled, tapping a toothpick on the table. "No, no it's for a different reason this time."
"For being too pretty?" Roxas asked, this time without the mouthful of sandwich.
Riku rolled his eyes. "No Roxas. They are jealous of me for spending so much time with the 'silent hottie' of The Thirteen."
"Silent hottie?"
"Silent hottie." Riku repeated, laughing at the name.
"So what are you saying?"
"What?"
"I mean, you wouldn't bring it up unless you wanted to add something on. I know you wouldn't."
"No reason."
Roxas left it at that because he had to get back to baking bread.
Roxas had gotten off of work before he had even gone in. His cell phone had rang after school when he was walking towards his locker and it was his manager telling him that the walk in fridge was busted so most of the food had gone bad. They were going to be closed for the weekend. "Have fun, be a regular kid for once." The manager said before hanging up. Roxas had tucking his phone away when he felt someone sling an arm around his shoulder casually.
"Hey Roxie." Axel said easily, rubbing Roxas' arm. "What's shaking?"
"I have nothing to do, w--"
"Well yeah, we broke up. Of course you have no one to do." Axel joked. "But I cut you off, what were you about to say?"
Roxas laughed, "I was about to say that work just called to say that the fridge died and so I have nothing to do."
Axel turned Roxas to face him and smirked. "You could always just do me." Then he bent down and kissed him, pushing him up against the lockers. Roxas had to admit he missed this. This touch, this feel, this kiss. This want. This need. It made him want and need back, but not enough to continue to make out with him in the middle of the hallway. He pushed Axel back and inhaled some stale teenage hormone filled air. The first thing that entered his line of sight was Riku. Riku looking a little weirder out. Riku looking a little upset. Riku looking a little...jealous? Before Roxas could respond to anything Riku walked off and Axel was kissing his neck. Lusty Roxas wanted to take drag Axel to the parking lot where he knew Axel's car would be and get him to drive back to his apartment. Sensible Roxas was saying that he should go after Riku that he should find out what that jealous stare was, because he had decided it was jealousy. "This is no fun if you don't give some Roxie." Axel muttered into his ear, biting at the lobe.
"Sorry." Roxas muttered, not really meaning it. Sensible Roxas was winning out in the battle. He was using the weapon of curiosity and it was working.
Axel detached himself from Roxas' neck and took a step back staring at the ceiling. "Dem gets boring when he gets high."
"Sorry." Roxas repeated, looking down the hallway to figure out which way Riku went.
"No your not. Go find pretty boy and have a hot make out session or something." Axel winked and punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Because then I get to imagine I was there too! Its all for me."
"You're such a douche bag." Roxas said, slipping his backpack over his shoulders. "But thanks."
Axel saluted him before Roxas ran off towards the parking lot, hoping that Riku would be heading towards Namine's car. Then he spotted him walking on the sidewalk in the direction of his neighborhood. "Riku!" Roxas called. If Riku had heard him he was ignoring his calls. He ran faster, weaving through the weekend crowds of kid straggling in the parking lot to talk with friends and make plans. "Riku!" This time Riku heard him and turned around. He looked at Roxas then turned away and continued to walk, a little faster this time, but not fast enough so that Roxas couldn't catch up with him. Roxas grabbed him by the shoulder and jerked him to face him. "Why the hell didn't you stop?"
Riku just shrugged, staring at a spot by Roxas' ear. "You looked pretty cozy up against the lockers with Axel."
Roxas felt is face reddening and stared at his shoes. "Yeah well. I'm not sure what you'll think about the bit you don't know."
"What's the bit I don't know?" Riku asked, taking a step closer to him. There shoes were a few inches apart.
Roxas swallowed down the lump in his throat before looking Riku in the eye. "While I was going over how nice it felt to be wanted, I was thinking how much nicer it would be to be wanted by you."
"Funny, I was thinking the same thing." Riku said.
"Wait you were kissing Axel too?"
"Shut up."
It wasn't that Riku kissed Roxas, or Roxas kissed Riku it was a mutual kiss. It was both of them leaning in at the same time. It was both of there lips giving equal pressure. It was both of them fighting for dominance with there tongues. It was Roxas giving in and it was Riku rubbing his back. It was someone from a car on a street yelling that they should get a room that prompted them to finish the walk to Riku's house hand in hand.
Fin.
Tada! The end! Read and Review darlings!
