Live and Learn
Chapter 4
After changing to a nice pair of jeans and a turtleneck shirt, Riku rushed back downstairs. He went to the kitchen to make sure everything was as it should be and quickly replaced the wine bottle – the expensive one – that sat in the cooler and which he had picked for the evening with the one Sora bought. Drinking that should be interesting, Riku thought, I just might be that conceited.
With practiced ease – even though it wasn't often that Riku went through the trouble of cooking dinner for someone – Riku set the table. He had done his fair share of cooking as a teenager, seeing as he had four brothers and his mother couldn't be everywhere at once, so he knew some decent recipes. However, it was not from his youth that his so called skills in the kitchen stemmed from, it was from the last three months with Roxas. To put it mildly, the boy had an appetite.
"Please, come eat", Riku called as he peeked into the living room. Roxas sat on Sora's lap, explaining something with his hands flailing and waving. The boy had his pant leg rolled up, the band aid on his knee visible, so Riku guessed Roxas was talking about his episode with the stairs. That had not been an easy thing to handle. The boy had cried for an hour! Well, maybe Riku was exaggerating a bit, but at least five minutes…
"Oh, thanks! Roxas, let's go eat, yeah? I bet your father's cooked something nice…" Sora smiled to the blonde boy, and the boy immediately stood and ran to pick a seat.
Something nice? Don't get your hopes up…
Roxas had already chosen a seat, so Sora took the seat opposite of him, and left the place beside Roxas for Riku.
Serving the food, Riku was relieved to see the pleasantly surprised smile on Sora's face as the man eyed the food.
"You've outdone yourself, dad!" Roxas declared, and Riku really wondered where the boy picked up that amazing vocabulary of his.
"Gee, thanks for the trust…" Riku rolled his eyes. "Taste it, and it'll wipe that grin off your face."
Sora giggled.
"I meant that it's so good you'll be amazed!" Riku huffed.
"Let's try it then", Sora said, and bravely, was the first one to scoop a forkful into his mouth.
The brunette's eyes widened. The man clawed at his neck with one hand, his other fumbling around for his glass of water. His lips formed a silent 'help'.
"Fine, don't eat it then – " Riku huffed. Sora laughed, setting a claming hand on Riku's arm.
"No, wait, sorry, sorry, I'm only joking! It's delicious!" The man laughed. Roxas giggled.
Riku shook his head, sighing.
"What's up with you too ganging up on me!" He cried out. "It hurts my heart."
Riku hadn't thought he would have that much fun when he invited Sora over. The man was a lot of fun to be around.
"Hey, Roxas, eat your vegetables", Sora ordered when Roxas started picking on the peas on his plate.
"Heh, one would think you're his father", Riku chuckled. Sora looked at him.
"Sorry, it's just a habit, I didn't mean…"
"Relax, Sora, I didn't mean it like that. It's ok", Riku said, laughing at the man's apologetic expression.
It wasn't until Roxas had gone to bed that Riku opened the wine bottle. Sora had already started behaving less like a teacher and more like the Sora he was outside of school, and Riku felt the man's company was refreshing. All his other acquaintances were so stiff, watching every word they let out of their mouths.
"Hey, you know, you're so much different from what I first thought", Sora said as Riku poured wine into his glass.
"You mean you thought I was a stuck up snob with a stick up my ass?" Rikua asked and the brunette pouted.
"I meant that as a compliment you know. You have an amazing ability of turning everything one says into something negative", the teacher complained, making Riku chuckle.
"You forget, I'm a lawyer."
"Right. That explains it", Sora mumbled, grinning.
They fell into a comfortable silence. Taking a careful sip of the red liquid in his glass, Riku decided it wasn't half bad. He might even buy it again sometime.
"The food was amazing. Thank you for inviting me. You're a really good cook", Sora smiled.
"Well, it was either that or rice and chicken. My recipe book is missing a few pages."
"But hey, you know what they say; it's not the quantity, but the quality."
Riku laughed. Yeah. He might invite Sora over again.
"I've never been invited for dinner like this before. Kairi invited me, but that doesn't count, we knew each other before I became Roxas' teacher. I'm really happy you invited me. I'm really happy I agreed too, for that matter", Sora said, then snapped his mouth shut apparently realizing he was babbling.
"You mean you've never been invited for dinner at a student's home?" Riku clarified. Sora nodded. "Why not? I thought all the parents would be crazy about a good teacher like you."
Sora averted his gaze from Riku's eyes, frowning a bit.
"No. They don't really care about me, unless it's something concerning their children. It's because of my…personal preferences, if you will", the brunette said quietly, almost warily.
"Personal preferences?"
"Well, it's not like I'm embarrassed about it and you'll probably learn about it sooner or later so I might as well tell you… Ah, well, they're a bit…wary of me because I like m-men", Sora said, nervously wringing his hands.
"You're gay?" Riku shrieked, surprised. Sora jumped in his chair, immediately looking like he regretted ever opening his mouth about it.
Now, it wasn't like Riku was a homophobe or anything like that. One of his brothers was gay, the only one he kept in touch with. Though, his brother was never very vocal about his love life, so that was completely unknown territory for Riku.
"Ah, I'm sorry, maybe I should've mentioned it earlier, I – "
"Mention it earlier? How do you mention something like that? 'Hey, Riku, before I accept your offer you should know that I like to take a dick up my ass'", Riku laughed, meaning it as a joke. However, Sora seemed to take it the wrong way – and who could blame him, really.
"I-I think I should just go. Thanks for the dinner and the…invitation…" Sora mumbled, pushing his chair back to get up.
"No wait! That came out wrong, I didn't mean to offend you… The free time me isn't very good with words. I'm not prejudiced, so I don't mind you being, eh, liking the same sex", Riku stuttered out, uncharacteristically out of words.
Sora searched Riku's eyes for something for a while before sitting back down. The comfortable atmosphere was gone and everything was just awkward.
"I…I didn't ask you here because I was…interested in you or anything…" Riku said.
"I know. I never thought this was a date", Sora answered curtly.
"Yeah… Just making it, eh, clear…"
Silence. Sora trailed the tip of his fingers on the rim of his glass. Just when Sora moved a bit, probably to try to leave again, Riku opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to his mind.
"My brother's gay."
"O-oh?"
"Yeah, so I don't think it's weird…" Riku trailed off. He thought he heard Sora mumble something like 'your awkwardness claims otherwise', but Riku wasn't entirely sure. It could have been just a sneeze that sounded like that. Or something.
"Um, so, did you say the other parents avoid you because of that?" Riku asked, deciding that because it was kind of his fault Sora looked so depressed – and a bit lonely –, he should be the one to destroy the tense atmosphere.
"Yeah. Even my boss, the principal, is opposed to having a gay teacher, but because I haven't done any mistakes, he can't fire me. If I did the smallest mistake, I'm sure I'd be gone in no time. I'm even afraid of taking a sick leave. I once came to school with a broken leg, you know? Only when Kairi marched into his office and demanded he let me take a some time off did he let me go home. I've lost six students because I'm a 'bad example' and 'shouldn't be allowed to teach children who are too young to realize what's right and what's wrong'. I lost one just this week! I have to work twice as hard as the normal teacher, just because I can't get it up for a woman!" Sora hissed, the intensity in his voice growing with every word.
The brunette's lower lip trembled, and suddenly the man was crying. Riku could see chubby tears slide down his cheeks, before the teacher buried his face in his hands. Riku didn't know what else to do, so he walked around the table, slid down on his knees and pulled the small man into his arms.
"Teaching has always been my dream, but I don't know if this is worth it! I don't know how long I can take this anymore, Riku, I'm so exhausted… I can't change myself!"
"You shouldn't change yourself, you're perfect the way you are, Sora. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. If they do, they're a bunch of no-life retards with a head filled with…well, nothing", Riku comforted. For some reason, it didn't feel strange at all for Riku to squeeze Sora tight against his chest.
"I work so much I don't have any friends anymore, so I was so glad when you asked me over… I'm so pathetic…" Sora mumbled against the silverette's shirt.
"You're not pathetic at all, Sora", Riku assured. "Have you ever thought about talking to someone? I could set you up, I know some pretty good –"
"Thanks, but I don't need a shrink. I really should get going, it's getting late, and uh…oh, sorry about your shirt", Sora blushed, and Riku noticed a big wet spot where Sora had buried his head.
"Don't worry about it. Want a ride home?"
"No, I'll walk. Clear my head."
Riku lead Sora to the door.
"Thanks for the food. And the shoulder", Sora said, offering a small smile to Riku. Riku smiled back.
"Anytime. And hey? We should do this again sometime. Sometime soon. Next week?" Riku asked. Not because he felt sorry for the man, but because he had, despite the awkwardness at the end, really enjoyed the evening.
Sora's smile was brighter than the sun.
"I'd love that."
A/N: Okay, chapter 4 done!
I'm leaving for my family's summer cottage next tomorrow and plan on taking my laptop with me and writing this and 10 Rules for Finding Mr Right there.
Think about it: Sun is shining, the lake's glimmering as I sit on the dock, writing (and reading) fan fiction and drinking cold lemonade, maybe going for a swim in the lake when it gets too hot...
If that's not paradise, what is? I hope I'll get lotsa writing done!
In the meantime, leave yummy reviews for me, kk? Do that and you can join me in my paradise... ^o^
Luv ya lots ~
Lumeton