Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor the song lyrics here. ("Sly" by the Cat Empire.)
A/N: Mhmm, Cat Empire is prolly my new favorite band. And for some reason they just scream "RIKU" to me. BUT ANYWAY. If you're curious the song I was thinking of (also by Cat Empire) for the beginning was "Days Like These". (lol, right?)
"Why do you always play the weirdest shit when we're donwn here," Roxas wondered aloud, having to press up against Riku and speak directly in his ear to be heard over the loud, insistent throbbing of the trumpet blaring out of the basement speakers.
In response Riku flicked his hair out of his face with a wrist and grinned at Roxas over his shoulder, laughing. "Shesh, Roxas, a little close aren't you?" When Roxas pouted at him in the dim red light he laughed more, shaking his head to get his stubborn bangs back out of his eyes. "This is good music, Roxie. It may not be the loud, screaming stuff you and Axel kill your ears with 24/7 but you have to admit, it has charm."
Roxas' disbelief was still plain as day on his face, an expression that made Riku lean closer and actually consider kissing him, right then and there. But he leaned back a moment later, instead using the movement to bump Roxas with his shoulder and shake off his desires with another laugh. The blond rolled his eyes, grumbled something that the older male couldn't hear that probably went along the lines of 'idiots with bad taste in music' or something and moved away.
The next song was Riku's favorite, a tune that forever made him quirk a grin that always seemed to border on the edge of a leer, if Roxas was around at least. The second Roxas heard the intro for that particular song he huffed out a sigh that was mostly fond, though he'd never admit that out loud, and awaited the voice that was sure to join the lead singer's within seconds.
To be honest, Roxas cherished these silly moments between them, in the darkened room that they arranged themselves. When Riku was singing along to one of his mix CDs or cracking joke after joke, something he usually kept to himself. During these times Roxas would glance out of the corner of his eye, watching the taller boy dance and sing with such a relaxed ease. He was never like this with others, Roxas knew, and he felt a surge of sadistic glee fill his chest at the thought. He was one of the very, very few to see Riku so happy and silly and, if he was really going to be honest at least with himself, he wouldn't share these times with anyone else.
And just as Roxas predicted Riku tossed his head back and belted out the chorus, tipping his head back to look at the blonde. Roxas could just see his lips, curled around the words with the hint of a smirk, tinted a dark, shadowed red due to the lights, but his eyes are what really grabbed his attention. They glinted and glimmered in the faint lighting, so focused on him that Roxas felt his breathing hitch and his cheeks flush. Roxas felt his voice swell in his throat, something of an involuntary reaction to Riku's singing, and he almost joined in on the chorus, the entirety of the song already memorized anyway. But he bit back his voice, still unable to move his eyes from his friend (and crush, but Roxas wasn't ready to be that honest with himself yet).
"AYE, IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU, YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'RE ONE INCREDIBLE CREATURE. WANNA TREAT YOU FINE, LET'S DANCE AND GRIND, GET SO FUNK-INFLICTED IT'S A CRIME. YOU'RE DIVINE, YOU'RE SUBLIME; WELL YOU BLOW MY MIND! YOU'RE SO SLY!"
Yes, if Roxas was going to be completely honest with himself he cherished these moments even more than the ones with Axel and the screaming nonsense metal that Riku despised. He didn't mind the songs Riku sang or danced to, as long as he kept sharing these moments in the dark room with him, kept smiling like he was now.
But, Roxas thought turning back to his printing machine and his negatives; he wasn't quite ready to be that honest yet. Not even with himself. So he ignored the look in Riku's eyes, the coy, hopeful way his lips curled around those lyrics, and focused completely on his pictures. There would be other times, down here in their darkroom, because it wasn't Riku's alone, not anymore, and maybe by then he'd be ready to admit everything. The blond felt Riku's gaze linger on the back of his head, still heard his voice trailing just over the lead singer's, and wished with every fiber of his being that he could just be honest with himself, just this once.