Chapters will probably be kept shorter than they were in Truth. It's easier for me *busy college kid*

And if you haven't already, please pay a visit to my story Before the Run. It focuses on Riku's struggles before coming to Twilight Town. I think it helps people understand him a bit more ^^

And thank you to everyone who reviewed! Much appreciated, keep them coming!

Warnings: None for this chapter

Please enjoy and happy reading!

Tell my brother please not to look for me. I ain't the man that I used to be.

Cause if my savior comes could you let him know. I've gone away forward to save my soul.

-Peter Bradley Adams "The Longer I Run"

Hayner hadn't been sure what it would be like to suddenly move out of his parent's house and be living with his two best friends. Quickly he found that enjoying Roxas' cooking would have been enough to seal the deal had he been unsure if he wanted to move. Getting to sleep next to Seifer was nice as well, though he wouldn't admit it. Still, it was a struggle to get used to. They'd spent some nights sharing the same bed over the past year but never had they had a bed to share almost every night. It was, in a way, funny to find that he liked to hog the blankets and Seifer was still clingy, contrary to his personality.

The atmosphere in the house was laidback and good spirited. They all got along as best friends, joking plenty and feeling relaxed. Hayner was glad to find Roxas quite apt to taking care of the house since he wasn't as practiced with it. His mom had always taken care of much of the housework and though he was used to the occasional chore here and there, he wasn't used to washing the dishes every single day.

Roxas, though very dispirited the first week or two after Axel had officially moved out, stepped up and went into a frenzy with the cooking and cleaning and it took Hayner a bit to calm his best friend, realizing that Roxas was using the house work as a distraction. He was pleased to see Roxas ease up after a bit and once school started, he calmed down to a normal degree and started focusing intently on his work.

Yes, Hayner was glad that he and Seifer moved in with Roxas. Seifer seemed to be so much more relaxed here, most likely due to him not having to deal with the stress of his parents. Free to do as they pleased, Seifer was strangely cheery though still the sharp-tongued rival he loved. They bickered plenty yet they got along better. He was finding things out about Seifer he hadn't really known before, like his talent for cooking. It was close to rivaling Roxas' cooking and Hayner was doubly pleased that he'd have two people to cook him amazing food.

He was enjoying the breakfast Seifer had made him at the island counter. Hayner had just gotten home from his shift of work; he had taken Olette up on her request that he join her for the nurses' assistant training class where they both were certified. They worked together at the retirement home across town and though the job wasn't easy in the least, it paid well and there was a deep satisfaction Hayner got knowing that he was helping people. Olette had talked him into becoming a nurses' assistant after he, frustrated and upset, expressed the need to figure out what career path he wanted to follow. The girl made the suggestion that he try nursing with her and that, if nothing else, he could benefit with a job until he figured out what he wanted to do.

Working the night shift was easier with school plus it paid just a tiny bit more. Though tiring, Hayner was satisfied though a bit disappointed that his nights with his boyfriend were on a schedule. Seifer seemed indifferent but Hayner worried in the back of his mind that the older blond wasn't happy with the arrangement. They did get to sleep together plenty of nights and they got creative with timing and placing sex, but he still wondered what Seifer really thought.

Hayner stabbed the last piece of his French toast and yawned, running the piece of bread through the pooled syrup on his plate. He was tired yet satisfied with everything. Seifer had gone back upstairs to their room –Demyx's old room- and he was finally ready to go up and sleep.

"Nyaa! Hayner!"

It was seven thirty in the morning and Hayner was beat from his eight hour overnight shift, but Roxas' scream from upstairs woke him right up and he jumped from the stool. He raced to the stairs, climbing them two at a time wondering what the hell caused Roxas to yell like that. Slightly panicked that something was wrong or his friend was hurt, he dashed up the stairs.

"Fucking Jesus Rox, are you serious?!"

That was Seifer and a part of Hayner was overjoyed to know that his boyfriend was concerned too. Seemed that Seifer made it before he could. Hayner made it to the bathroom, standing in the doorway. His muscles protested the sudden rush and he felt about ready to collapse. "What's going on?" he panted.

Before him was Roxas pushed up against the bathroom wall with nothing but a hand towel covering his naked lower half. Seifer must have been getting dressed, but not having gotten very far as he was still in his boxers and peering into the shower. Seifer kneeled down, grabbing something before standing back up. "Your little chicken-wuss best friend decided to make me panic then flash me. Over a spider in the shower."

Roxas, still not calming down spoke hysterically, "I expected Hayner to come in, not you!"

Seifer scoffed. "So it's okay if he sees your dick?"

"Fuck off, Seifer, it scared me!"

"Watch it kid, it's still in my hand. I think it's crawling around, it must want to be with you." Seifer moved toward Roxas who freaked, moving spastically to put distance between the spider in Seifer's hand and himself.

Hayner frowned. "Seifer, just get rid of it. Don't use Roxas' phobia to your advantage." Seifer stuck his tongue out at Hayner, moving past him and down the walkway. Roxas finally calmed, his fear now gone from the room. He flashed Hayner a weak apologetic smile. "I figured he'd just kill it. He isn't putting it in my bed or anything, is he?"

Hayner smiled, shaking his head. "He's probably putting it outside. He's surprisingly soft when it comes to non-human living things. You're safe."

Roxas seemed to relax more and moved to the shower, arranging the small towel to cover him enough. "Dude, I'm so glad you guys are here. Axel wouldn't even hear my scream in his sleep and Demyx is as afraid of spiders as I am. I think Zexion would be too polite to rush in here knowing there's a chance I'm undressed."

It was Friday, and Sora loved Fridays. He'd worked his schedule so he'd have every Friday offrom school. Having a day during the week that he could sleep in was wonderful. Stretching his legs and moaning with satisfaction as he arched his back, feeling that stretch as well, his arm fell across the bed, finding the spot beside him cold and empty. He blindly reached out for his phone on the bedside table, disconnecting the charger and opening a bleary eye to find the time reading that it was almost twelve in the afternoon. Well damn, Riku had left for work almost four hours ago.

He made a show of being productive on his Fridays off. After getting up, showering and getting dressed, Sora took to pulling out the cleaning supplies and giving the apartment a proper cleaning. He swept through the kitchen, vacuumed the living room and dusted the coffee table and TV stand. He took a break from cleaning around one and made himself a sandwich for lunch, lounging on the couch and texting Roxas who was at work at Hotto Keiki.

Lately Sora was feeling more and more like a concerned older brother. Roxas, he thought, had such talent for conveying facades. Everyone could go on believing the front he chose to show, but Sora, a true twin, could sense that Roxas' rhythm was off. The internal spark that made his brother truly happy was gone and no one saw it but him. He chose not to comment on it, thinking that Roxas' separation from Axel was the problem and that in time it would get better. It'd only been two months since Axel moved away and Sora was sure Roxas just needed the time to adjust. He'd gone from living with his boyfriend for nearly a year to having to reduce seeing him to the occasional weekend. Sora understood the loss of losing a connection with a best friend; he'd suffered when he moved from Destiny Islands and had to leave Riku.

Sora stood from the couch, and ventured to the door, leaving the apartment to head downstairs to check the mail.

Yes, his heart went out to Roxas. He knew his brother though, and Roxas was a bit more solitary when brooding so he didn't rush along to fawn over his younger twin every day. Instead he opted to text him daily to ensure he was fine and insisted on them getting together often during the week. He worried, though, that he may not always be around in case Roxas really needed him. He knew he had to trust who was around for Roxas, like Hayner, but he still grew nervous with the thought. No one could understand his brother like he could.

Reaching the bottom steps, Sora moved through the apartment complex's lobby and towards the front door where rows of locked up mailboxes waited. He pulled the key from his pocket and opened box 17, gathering the items inside. He searched through the small pile while moving up the stairs. The top two letters were junk mail and the magazine on the bottom was unmistakably the sports magazine that Riku was subscribed to. But there were two other envelopes and when Sora saw the decorated insignia in the top corner on both, a jolt rushed through his stomach, forcing his heart to jump into his throat. He swallowed hard. There was a letter for both him and Riku.

Sora reentered his apartment and set the mail on the kitchen counter. He didn't open the envelope addressed to him. He returned to cleaning, now feeling nervous and needing a distraction. He took his time in the bathroom, finding that he spent more time and put more attention into this cleaning than he normally would. He kept his mind focused on the task at hand, cleaning the sink counter multiple times and going so far as to getting on his hands and knees to clean the floor. After scrubbing the bathtub, Sora stood and stretched; his back hurt from leaning over for so long.

Deciding to be finished, Sora moved to the living room where he turned the TV on. He enjoyed watching the cooking channel in the evening; his mother would always be watching the channel every evening and he had grown up sitting with her and Roxas watching it. He was reminded that he'd probably have to figure out something to make for dinner. It was approaching four in the evening and Riku was due to be home soon. As he was about to get up and search through the kitchen, his cell phone rang from his pocket.

He pulled it out and answered, "Hey, I was just about to find us some dinner."

"No worries," came Riku's voice. The sounds of some of the other guys from the computer servicing shop where Riku worked could be heard. "Things came up and I've gotta stay late. I figured I'd call and let you know. I'll be home late, so I'll grab something to eat."

"Oh," Sora said, feeling disappointed. "Alright. How late?" He was actually really looking forward to having Riku come home and to spend the evening together. They hadn't had an evening together in a few days since Sora had worked the late shift at The Annex the past nights and didn't get home till very early in the morning. He hadn't seen Riku all day to top it off.

"I'm not sure. Don't stay up for me if I'm too late, okay?"

Sora held in a sigh and bit his lip. "I won't." He felt rather down now. "Don't work too hard. You sure you don't want me to make something you can have when you get home?"

The sound of Riku's chuckle only served to make him miss his boyfriend more. "I'll be fine, Sora. I've got to get back to work, I'll see you later."

Sora swallowed. "Mmkay," and he hung up before anymore could be said. He realized then, as he stared down at his phone, that he hadn't even thought to mention the letters that came in the mail. Just thinking about them weighed heavily on his mind and made him think of one person in particular. He realized then that he should probably give his brother a call.

Luckily Roxas picked up quickly enough. The café closed at four and Sora knew he was lucky to catch Roxas in the middle of cleanup. "Hey, Rox, you wanna come over for dinner? Riku won't be home and I don't wanna be here alone." He made his voice go a bit whiny at the end, knowing Roxas wouldn't resist a brother in need.

"Sure, Sor, just give me half an hour to finish here."

Feeling satisfied, Sora finished the conversation and headed for the kitchen. He decided on making a stir-fry, knowing the vegetables in the fridge needed to be used. He set away to cooking, allowing his mind to remain focused on the task of chopping veggies. The TV in the background served as a comfort; it was much better than the complete silence of the apartment. It was only when he was stirring the vegetables and hearing the door open that he realized the mail was still sitting on the kitchen counter. In a panic, Sora picked the stack up and did his best to walk quickly yet calmly to his room, smiling at Roxas as he passed. He dropped the pile on his and Riku's bed and shut the door behind him as he came back out.

"How was work?" he asked when he came back into the kitchen. Roxas was washing his hands at the sink.

"Oh, the usual hell spot what with Larxene working. She threatened me twice and made a customer cry. Guess she and that girl had a bad history."

Sora returned to the pan on the stove, stirring the mix of veggies and adding in the special sauce he'd created. "Why in the world is she allowed to work in a customer service job?"

Roxas shrugged as he dried his hands on the dish towel before leaning back against the countertop. "She's a wicked baker. The boss likes that. She just can't handle people well."

Sora shook his head. "Then why not keep her chained to the oven?"

Roxas didn't answer, instead making himself useful and grabbing a pot to boil water for the minute rice. "Why is Riku gone?" he asked. He noticed how Sora seemed oddly focused, much unlike his usual out-there behavior of chatting excitably and throwing his hands into his speech. His actions, to Roxas, felt reserved.

"He said he had to stay late at work. I don't see why, he usually brings any computers he's working on home with him."

Roxas quirked his lips saying, "Maybe it's something he can't bring home. You seem on edge about it, though. Or is it something else?" He turned his blue eyes to his brother, watching him carefully. Sora still seemed focused on his task, stirring the mix unnecessarily. The veggies, Roxas knew, needed time to simmer and absorb the flavors from the sauce but Sora wasn't allowing them to. Something was up.

The brunet finally did stop stirring the mix and set the wooden spoon aside. He moved to the fridge and pulled two bottles of water; Riku preferred Sora to drink the healthy alternative than sugary soda. "It's nothing, I just miss Riku." When the silence came, Sora thought his words over and figured they must seem selfish to his twin who probably missed Axel a hell of a lot more than he could miss Riku. He felt bad for saying it all of a sudden. "Sorry, it must seem ridiculous for me to say I miss Riku when I see him almost every day." He chanced a look to his brother, finding Roxas to be measuring out the rice needed.

"It's not silly," Roxas finally said. "I missed Axel whenever our weekly schedules didn't mesh. I understand." He hadn't seen Axel in two weeks.

Sora stirred the mix one last time, deemed it done and shut the stovetop off. He grabbed bowls from the cabinet above the counter. "Are you doing alright without seeing him?" he asked. "We don't usually talk about it and I want to make sure you're dealing."

Fluffing the cooked rice with a fork, Roxas grabbed one of the bowls from Sora, filling it before doing the same with the other. "I'm fine. I've got plenty of work to keep me distracted."

"But Rox-"

"I'm dealing, alright? I'm not some child who is completely dependent on him." He spoke with this a firm tone of finality and Sora knew the topic was a no-go. This only amped up his concern and though he knew he wouldn't bring it up again, he'd keep on watching his brother. Roxas was as emotional as he was, though the blond didn't show it. Sora knew he could sink into small episodes of depression and he wasn't willing to let his brother get to a low point.

They didn't talk much as they sat on the couch and ate, watching reruns of old cooking shows. Sora was content enough to have his twin's presence and it kept him from going over all the stressors he had. He found that he was able to actually focus on the shows without any other troubling thoughts invading his mind. As time passed and show after show ran, Roxas broke their silence.

"I miss watching these with mom."

Sora smiled at the memory of their blonde, blue-eyed mother who watched cooking shows with an intensity that showcased her concentration on truly learning the culinary art.

About an hour later, Roxas had excused himself for the night after receiving a text from Hayner. "He and Seifer are fighting about something and he claims he needs backup," Roxas explained with a roll of the eyes and a chuckle falling from his lips. "They're ridiculous."

Sora smiled. "I don't understand how they work." He stood with Roxas, making sure to give his brother a lasting hug. "I'll text you tomorrow. You're off, right? Maybe we can go out."

Roxas nodded, smiling himself. "Sounds good."

After he left, Sora felt quite alone in the apartment. He couldn't quite understand what was keeping Riku so late at work. He was supposed to get off at four and it was already eight thirty. There was no way they'd keep him at work this late over his shift. He found himself surfing through television channels, stopping at a show or another. Twenty minutes passed before the door opened. Sora perked up, happy to see Riku walking through the door with his laptop bag slung over his shoulder. "You're later than I thought you'd be," he said.

Riku made a non-committal noise and moved to the couch, leaning over to kiss the top of Sora's head. "Just a bit of an emergency that needed to be handled tonight. Some hotshot business guy who needed an immediate fix." Riku made to move but was stopped when Sora reached up, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling him back down. Riku didn't resist, allowing himself to be pulled down to the brunet's level. He didn't resist at all when Sora leaned up, kissing him with more force than he expected. A spark of guilt shot through him, understanding through the kiss that Sora must have missed him. He admitted that he missed the younger boy as well since they hadn't spent too much time together this past week. The guilt doubled when he thought of the fact that he had technically lied to Sora about where he had been. He'd forced himself to break the kiss upon feeling the soft tongue touching his lips. "I want to shower before bed." He straightened up and headed down the hallway.

Sora sat back on the couch, feeling his emotions clogging in his throat. He couldn't ignore the fact that Riku smelled off. He'd come to recognize Riku's scent, admittedly loved it and would cuddle with his pillow at times. But something was off and he took the time to think it over. He mulled and mulled, trying hard to pinpoint why the scent was slightly familiar. He went through half a TV show and the midpoint commercials, trying to figure it out. When it clicked, his heart stopped.

The scent faintly reminded him of his mother.

It was woman's perfume.

He tried to be reasonable, thinking that the scent might have lingered from a customer or from a co-worker. It was hard, though, for him to wrap his head around the ideas. Riku didn't have any female co-workers and it would be ridiculous for it to have come from a customer; the most contact they came in was a hand shake. Sora battled down the raging emotions when thinking of any other possibilities. Ridiculous soap operas and sitcoms ran through his head. The situation of the man staying late at work, coming home smelling like a woman…it always pointed to that one dramatic explanation that would always cause the audience to hang onto the edge of their seats, full of suspense.

He didn't want to believe it and he refused to at the moment. He was just being ridiculous, someone had just worn too much perfume and it caught onto Riku's clothes. He was over thinking everything, he'd been missing Riku too much all day.

After turning the TV off, Sora stood from the couch and padded down to their bedroom. Riku had already finished his shower and was getting dressed, pulling on a t-shirt. Sora, overcome with need, hugged Riku from behind. He rested his cheek against Riku's back, his arms holding tightly around Riku's waist. "I missed you," he admitted. Hands covered his own, warm from the shower, and squeezed tightly.

"I've missed you all week. Our schedules haven't been nice to us, huh?" Riku turned in Sora's grasp and he smiled that reserved smile and Sora felt his face heat up. His heart thumped, rocking against his rib cage and Sora stretched up, initiating another kiss. His mind raced, running through so many thoughts at once: his new troubles with Riku, the envelopes that sat upon their bed, the loneliness that was plaguing him and the idea that Roxas was feeling the same way yet probably hurting so much more. His stomach fluttered when Riku moved to kiss his neck and moved his hands down to his thighs where he lifted Sora who wrapped his legs around Riku's waist. At the same time, the ache in his chest cried for his brother who he knew was secretly hurting for his boyfriend and Sora felt guilt for feeling lonely when Riku was right here with him.

"I love you," he gasped out, feeling overcome with his love, affection, guilt and hurt. He worried for his brother, he was suddenly afraid Riku could be hiding some secret from him and for a moment he thought of that envelope that would decide his and Riku's futures. Held in Riku's arms, wrapped around him so tightly, he hugged Riku around the neck and buried his face in his shoulder. Riku moved and sat on the edge of the bed, holding Sora in his lap and letting the boy hug him tightly.

"I love you too, Sora." He could sense something was off. He knew he hadn't been able to spend as much time with Sora lately, what with both of them busy with school and work, but he worried that the problem extended beyond that. "What's wrong?" He felt Sora shake his head against his shoulder, chocolate spikes brushing against his cheek. It wouldn't be worth pushing the issue too hard and Riku decided that for tonight, he'd allow Sora to do whatever he needed to help himself and that he'd allow the boy to talk to him when he needed.

Uh, did I make this too angsty too soon?