Live and Learn
Chapter 8
A/N: Ahh, this is long overdue, isn't it... Sorry for that!
Anyways, hope you enjoy :D
And I don't own Transformers or Star Wars...
"Thanks, Mrs. Potts. I'll see you on Monday", Riku said as he helped the older woman put on her jacket.
"It was no problem, Riku. He was a bit upset after you left, about destroying his toy, about fighting with you. He cried himself to sleep. But anyway, you know I love Roxas. He's a sweet boy", she said and patted Riku's cheek.
"I know. Good night!" Riku called after her, and wih a reply of 'Good night, Riku', she smiled and left the house.
Riku sighed. It was almost 2 AM, and Riku was exhausted. It seemed like his days of partying all night long were a thing in the history.
"I'm becoming an old man", Riku chuckled to himself and toed his shoes off. They had shared a cab with Sora, first dropping off Sora. Riku's car had been near the Japanese restaurant, since Riku had had a few drinks too many to be able to drive.
Riku made a mental note to call his secretary to have her pick up his car in the morning as he went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee to sober up a bit. He didn't really feel sleepy so he decided to take a shower and hopefully work on the document Roxas had deleted by mistake.
That brat, Riku thought, shaking his head, and even after I told him so many times never to touch my laptop.
While the machine made his coffee, Riku hopped into shower, dressing in a pair of loose lounge pants and a thin long-sleeved t-shirt. Picking up his coffee from the kitchen, Riku wandered into his study, turning on his laptop. He drummed his fingers onto the table while waiting for the computer to turn on.
An unsaved document popped up on the screen and Riku frowned.
Do you wish to save Document1?
"Let's see…" Riku mumbled.
The document had 16 pages, but it seemed like every page was empty. Roxas had probably been leaning on the enter-key for too long. Riku sighed and was about to delete the document, before something on the last page caught his eye.
My name is Roxas .odk wertyghj45,5aFKDOLS
KFO. I LOVE DADDY
Riku didn't know if it was because of the alcohol still coursing through his body or just the guilt, but he really felt like crying as he stared at the three words that stood out from the middle of all the gibberish.
I LOVE DADDY
Riku shot up from his chair and ran to the hall, spotting the broken toy car on the table where Riku always left his car keys. He picked up the pieces, making sure he had every little screw and carried it to the garage, where he knew he had screw-drivers and glue and other things Riku rarely used.
An hour later Riku carefully opened the door to Roxas' room. He set the toy car on the boy's bedside table, quite content with his work. He'd be lying if he said it was as good as new, but Riku had saved what he could and repaired the toy to the best of his abilities.
Riku moved his gaze to the boy sleeping soundly under his warm blanket. Riku sat on the edge of the bed and brushed the boy's blonde hair away from his face. Roxas had tear tracks on his cheeks, and he was squeezing his second favourite toy, a Mickey Mouse plushie, against his tiny chest.
Roxas shifted, blinking his eyes before sleepily looking at Riku.
"Dad? Wh-wha…t's wrong?" the boy mumbled, not completely aware of his surroundings. Riku wasn't completely sure the boy was even awake.
"Shh, everything's okay. Go back to sleep", Riku said, petting the boy's hair.
"Mmkay…" Roxas mumbled and fell asleep immediately after.
Riku lay down carefully beside Roxas so as not to disturb the boy's sleep any further. He gathered the boy into his arms and kissed his forehead.
This is my son.
Roxas was Riku's, and no one else's. No one else could call themselves Roxas' dad. Riku was the one that had taught Roxas to ride a bike, he would be the one to take Roxas to an empty car park to practice driving. Roxas would come to him to talk about his first crush.
I am his father.
Kairi was gone. She was really gone and she wouldn't be coming back, Riku realized. It was all up to Riku now.
My little boy. Mine.
Riku hugged Roxas tighter, feeling a burning behind his eyes.
I love you.
oOo
Riku woke up with tears on his cheeks, but couldn't really remember what he had dreamt about. He looked at the Transformers clock on Roxas' wall.
8 AM.
Wow, I slept in, Riku chuckled, his internal clock usually waking him up at six.
Riku got up carefully, trying not to wake Roxas up. Riku stretched, his joints popping. He was way too tall to be sleeping in Roxas' small bed, and Riku made a mental note to go shopping for a full-sized bed for the boy. The boy had always been small for his age, but he was still growing fast.
Riku made his way to the kitchen and started on breakfast. He would make everything he knew Roxas loved, to make up for shouting at him the previous night.
"Daddy?" came Roxas' voice from somewhere an hour later.
"In the kitchen", Riku called, and heard the soft pitter patter of Roxas' bare feet, before the boy appeared in the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. Riku saw the toy car clutched in his other hand.
"Did you repair this?" Roxas asked. Riku wiped his hand on a towel and went to kneel in front of Roxas.
"Yeah, I did", Riku said. "I'm sorry I didn't do a very good job. I'll buy you a new one."
Roxas furiously shook his head.
"No! It's better now. It's u…una…"
"Unique?" Riku offered.
"Yeah."
Riku watched Roxas examine the toy, wanting to say so much, but not knowing how to.
"Listen, Roxas", Riku started, holding onto the boy's bony shoulders. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm sorry I always yell at you. I... I don't even know why I do it, but I'll do my best to stop, okay? I love you, you hear?"
Roxas nodded, sniffling, and said: "I'm sorry I called you stupid."
"That's okay. I was a bit stupid, wasn't I?" Riku smiled.
"So you're not gonna take me to aunt Namine's? Even though I said I want to go there, I don't, okay? I want to stay with you, dad."
"You're not going anywhere, Roxas", Riku promised, pulling Roxas into a tight hug. "I know you miss mom. I miss her too, but… We'll manage, okay? Together, right?"
"Yeah, together", Roxas grinned.
"Okay", Riku said and stood up. "Today's your day. We'll do whatever you want."
"Whatever?" Roxas squealed, his eyes shining. "Promise?"
"Cross my heart. Now let's eat", Riku said.
"Oh, wow, pancakes? With chocolate chips? And strawberry milk!" Roxas cried out as he climbed onto a chair in the dining room.
"A breakfast fit for a prince!" Riku declared.
"That's me! And you're the king", Roxas said. "Hey, dad, can Sora be my princess?"
Riku almost dropped the coffee he was about to take a sip of.
"Your…princess?"
"Yeah, dad", Roxas said in a 'duh'-voice and rolled his eyes, "a prince always marries a princess."
"You want to marry Sora?"
"Mhmm", Roxas nodded, flooding his pancakes in syrup. "Sora's pretty and nice. And he has warm hands… like mom."
Riku's eyes softened.
"Well, then, let's see when you're older. By the way, what do you want to do today?"
"First, we'll play. You can be a Decepticon and I'll be Optimus Prime. Then we'll call Sora and have him come here and we'll watch a movie. You can choose the movie…" Roxas thought for a while. "So long as it's either Rio or How to Train Your Dragon."
Riku laughed.
oOo
Decepticon Riku was just about to deliver a fatal blow on Roxas Prime, when Riku's cell phone rang.
"I'll get you next time, Prime! Mark my words!" Riku roared and attempted to flee the battle.
"Not so fast!" Roxas shouted and tackled Riku onto the couch.
"The other Decepticons…will…avenge my death…" Riku wheezed. He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and answered with a 'Riku Foxx, speaking'.
"Hey, Riku, it's Sora. You… sound out of breath. Did I call at a bad time?"
Riku could hear Sora's blush.
"Ahh, Decepticon Sora! Code red, code black-purple, Roxas Prime has caught me!" Riku sputtered, coughing as he pretended to die.
"No! Sora isn't a Decepticon!" Roxas yelled.
"What! You traitor!" Riku roared at Sora.
"I've been working undercover", Sora revealed.
"My master will get you for betraying us", Riku growled.
"Sora's a princess that Roxas Prime has to save from his evil godmother", Roxas informed.
"Aren't you mixing stories here?" Riku asked.
"Am not!"
"Roxas Prime, I am your father", Riku said dramatically, breathing heavily, like Darth Vader. Roxas slapped his hands onto his cheeks.
"Noooooo!" He screamed as he ran away.
Riku laughed.
"I see you've made up", Sora chuckled.
"Yeah", Riku grinned. "So, what's up?"
"Just calling to make sure the cab driver didn't dump you in a ditch somewhere."
"Actually, he did. I crawled home all bloodied and broken", Riku joked, making Sora laugh. "I was just about to call you, by the way."
"You were?"
"Yep. I promised Roxas that we'd do anything he wants to and he wanted you to come over and watch a movie with us", Riku said. "So, you interested, or do you have something to do today?"
"No, I'm free. But I'll come only if you two Transformer boys make me a nice dinner."
"I'm sure we can figure out something. So, you wanna come hang out now or wanna wait until dinner time?" Riku asked, and the grinned. "We're just playing and goofing around, but I'm sure some of Kairi's old dresses will fit you so you can play Roxas' princess."
"How sweet. I'll be over in an hour, that good?"
"Sounds great. See you then."
A/N: Yeah, so decided to make this chapter focus on Riku and Roxas, so not much Sora in this one. Hope you liked it anyway :D
I hope I'll be able to update more frequently, I had a bit of a writer's block ):
Unblock the block by reviewing, k? ;)
Love, Lumeton