Live and Learn
Chapter 7
Riku glared at the little blond. The small guy really knew how to push all the right buttons to make his blood boil. He had perfected the art of pissing Riku off – which really wasn't even that hard.
"B-but daddy, I said I was sorry!" Roxas whined, clutching his favorite toy in his hands. Riku's eyes narrowed.
"Well, sorry isn't going to rewrite that document, is it!" Riku growled.
That boy was going to be the death of Riku. As if he didn't have enough stress already.
"I just wanted to h-help – "
"How on earth did you think you could help me, Roxas? Do you know how many years I studied to be able to do this? And you're saying you're some kind of a child genius that you could just help me do my job?"
Roxas' eyes watered. Oh, great.
"Don't try to pull that on me!" Riku snapped.
"I know you told me to stay out of this, but you're being unreasonable!" Sora said, looking at the exchange between father and son with a troubled face.
"Unreasonable? Sora, this…boy deleted a document I had been working on for two days!"
"He was just trying to help, he didn't mean to do it. There's no need to be so angry at him", Sora said.
"He messed. Up. Everything!"
A loud thump drew Riku's attention back to Roxas. Angry tears were pouring onto his cheeks as the boy huffed and puffed. Roxas favorite toy lay on the ground, broken after being thrown so hard by the seething blond.
"Daddy, you're so stupid! I want mom back. I want to go live with aunty Namine. You weren't so…so…so stupid before! Dad, I hate you!" Roxas screamed, and, for good measure, stomped on his already broken toy before storming upstairs.
Riku stared at the pile that used to be a shine, silver toy car. It was a toy Riku had gotten the boy on his last birthday. It was an exact copy of the car Riku drove. Riku bent down to pick up the pieces, setting them on the table in the hall. He sighed.
"Let's just…go…" Riku mumbled to Sora. "Mrs. Potts, we're leaving!"
"Ok dears, have fun!" The housekeeper yelled back from the kitchen.
Riku lead the way to his car, and in a few minutes, they were sitting in it, on their way to wherever Sora thought was the best place to have the so-called date.
This is not a real date, Riku thought as he nervously glanced at Sora.
Riku had no idea what had made him agree to Sora's suggestion a week ago. It was like something had possessed him. And when he saw how excited Sora had been after he had agreed, he didn't have the heart to take it back. Poor thing probably didn't get to go out much.
So there Riku was, driving towards an unknown address with an – now that Riku thought about it – oddly silent Sora.
"Don't tell me you're mad at me?" Riku asked, rolling his eyes.
"Nah, I think what Roxas said was punishment enough. He made you look like a kicked puppy", Sora answered, sniggering. Riku scowled.
"That boy really has a nasty temper…" Riku grumbled.
"And who do you suppose he's got it from? You're gonna be so screwed when he's a teenager", Sora laughed. Then his face turned serious. "But Riku, you really…"
"Yeah yeah, I know", Riku sighed. "He just gets under my skin. I don't… mean to lash out… God, I'm an awful father, aren't I? I'm really stupid, just like Roxas said, right?"
"I value my life, so I'm not going to answer that…" Sora said, throwing his hands up.
"Why, you little…" Riku laughed.
oOo
"Well, then, this is… not at all what I expected", Riku said, looking around. They had entered a small Japanese restaurant. It was a nice, clean place, and Riku was glad about that: He would've fled if he had seen the tiniest speck of dirt.
Sora immediately made his way towards a table beside the window, as if he had decided on it before he stepped foot inside the restaurant. Riku followed him, a thought nagging his mind.
"Hey Sora", Riku said, and Sora looked at him after sitting down beside the table. "This date… We're here just as friends, right? This is a friend date, not a romantic one, right?"
Sora laughed. The sound was musical, almost girlish, but it fit the brunette.
"I promised you I would teach you how to take someone on a date, right? That's what I'm doing. Come on, sit down", Sora grinned as Riku did as he was told. "Besides, do you honestly think that just because I'm gay, I'll pounce on the first man that I meet, straight or not? Do you jump in bed with every woman you meet?"
Riku thought for a while.
"Yes."
The incredulous look on Sora's face made Riku want to laugh, but he kept his poker face on.
"You're like a high-class whore", came the verdict.
"I have never – ! Not ever in my life – ! How dare you!" Riku gasped out overdramatically. Sora was laughing so hard that he looked like he was about to suffocate. At least he'd die happy.
His gravestone would say: Sora Night – Never had that much fun before. Riku chuckled.
"Come on, don't die on me", he said to the grinning teacher.
"You said that so naturally that it's scary", Sora said, waving a waiter to their table. "What do you want?"
"I dunno, I've never had Japanese before. And by that I mean food. 'Cause there was this one time – "
"Gah, stop! I'd appreciate it if you kept your weird heterosexual stuff to yourself, or else my insides will become outsides", Sora said, shivering, apparently from disgust. When a Japanese waitress arrived at their table, Sora turned to her, smiling as he ordered something in a language that most definitely wasn't English.
"I didn't know you could speak Japanese!" Riku said, surprised when the waiter left, glancing at Riku longingly.
"My mom's Japanese. My name – Sora – is a Japanese name. It means 'sky'", Sora told.
"Night sky, huh? How…original. You have a chick name", Riku chuckled. Sora scowled. "I'm joking."
"Your name means land in Japanese."
"You mean Riku? I got the name from a Finnish great great great grandfather or something", Riku shrugged.
"I see. Where'd Roxas get his name?"
"It was Kairi's idea. She wanted him to have a name that would be so unique that he'd meet a namesake. I wasn't too excited about the idea but she threatened me with a spatula", Riku said, smirking at the memory.
"Whipped", Sora commented and Riku glared at him.
"Did I tell you about the time I spanked this girl while – "
"Dear God, I'll shut up, so stop!" Sora cried out, covering his ears, leaving Riku to smile smugly at him.
Sora fiddled with his napkin.
"Your sense of humor is so similar to Kairi's", he hummed, and Riku thought that he sounded like he didn't mean to say it out loud.
Riku smiled.
"It was actually her sense of humor that made me fall for her back in high school. She was hilarious. I swear if her house had caught fire, she would have been sitting outside roasting marshmallows and hitting on the firemen", Riku said, grinning as Sora laughed.
"After we got married and had Roxas, we just…stopped having fun. I was always tired after work and Kairi was tired after taking care of Roxas and we'd just scream at each other when we were together. As much as I wanted her to be, she never was the one for me, you know? Soul mate and all that shit. If such a thing exists."
"You really miss her, don't you?" Sora asked with a sad smile.
Riku smiled back and nodded. "Even after everything, she was my best friend."
Riku had no idea why he was being so emotional all of a sudden. He was spilling things he had never talked about to anyone, but as they sat there enjoying their food talking and joking about anything and everything, Riku realized he was telling Sora about thoughts and feelings he himself didn't even know he had before saying them.
Riku blamed it on Sora being a teacher. Naturally, he'd be easy to talk to. He didn't judge, he just soaked in everything Riku said like a sponge. He knew just what to say to make Riku pour his heart out into Sora's lap, and he didn't laugh at him or tell him he was silly. He just listened, and if Riku's thoughts and words wandered into things he didn't really like dealing with, Sora would smile that dazzling smile of his and change into a lighter subject.
It was like a word vomit. Riku couldn't stop, but unlike puking, it didn't leave that foul aftertaste. It felt like a load off Riku's chest, hell, the stress relieving effect of talking to Sora could be compared to sex.
Why the hell am I thinking about Sora and sex in the same sentence?
"You ok?" Sora asked, seeing the disgusted look on Riku's face.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine… I think." Riku frowned. "Anyway, where are we going?"
"When I met you, you were an egoistic prick with a stick up your ass", Sora informed. He grinned sheepishly, "No offense."
"Geez, none taken", Riku grumbled, rolling his eyes.
"Anyway, I think the little talk we had in the restaurant got rid of the egoistic prick, but I think the place we're going next will rid you of the stick too", Sora said, grinning.
"How mysterious. I'm kinda scared", Riku grinned. "You know, my first impression of you has changed too."
"It has?"
"Yeah", Riku smiled, not clarifying. Sora stuck out his tongue. "Wow. Real mature."
After ten minutes, Riku was stepping inside a bar. His eyes were blinded with flashing lights and he could feel the loud thump of bass in his ribcage. People were gyrating and rubbing against each other on the dance floor, moving together like they were one instead of many. Over at the bar, there were couples kissing.
This is…
"This is the third place I work at", Sora told Riku, having to stand on his tiptoes even after he tugged Riku's sleeve to get him to lean down a bit. Sora's lips were brushing Riku's ear, as if kissing it. Riku shivered.
…a gay bar.
"Welcome to Neverland, Riku."
Sora led the stunned Riku to the bar. The brunette waved at the bartender and leaned over the bar to press a kiss on his cheek.
"Riku, this is Demyx. Dem, I need to get this guy to dance, so get us something to drink, will ya?" Sora asked, winking. Demyx grinned.
"Will do, cutie."
Riku hadn't been in a place like that since before he got married to Kairi. The loud music made his untrained ears ring and his head dizzy, and combined with a few drinks Sora poured down his throat, Riku didn't fight Sora very much when the brunette pulled him towards the rocking mass of people.
"This is a gay bar. I'm not gay", Riku whined. "And someone just pinched my ass."
"Pretend it was a woman", Sora laughed. "Besides, not everyone here is gay. Gay men, lesbians, bis, straight people – you name it, Neverland's got it. So just shut up, let go and dance, Riku!"
And with that, Sora had lifted his hands in the air as was dancing like his life depended on it. The teacher swirled and twirled, twisting his body this way and that and made Riku's head swarm with thoughts that just should not be there. Sora didn't mind who he was dancing with, grinning at strangers, twirling around with some random girl, and Riku couldn't help but smile at the sight of pure joy.
Riku thought it was best to follow Sora's example.
He let go.
A/N: I'm ashamed.
It's been way too long since I update this!
Forgive
I'm a sorry excuse of a fanfic writer. *Goes in her corner and cries*
Please give me some loving. Reviews are my food - and I'm starving!
I love you all.
I'm so sorry *sniffle*
- Lumeton