Hello, again! Wow I'm so excited for you guys and I'm excited to get this story rolling again! So, without further ado, enjoy!
Disclaimer: You got it dude
The hot, familiar sun burned away any dark trace of rain clouds. As the day progressed, the temperature rose to suit Destiny Island's familiar tropical climate. The sun warmed the talcum sand on the beaches and awakened the flowers that drifted to sleep on the sides of the road. The Island was coming back to it's original state.
Two boys sitting at the cafe table lit up the air with laughter and conversation. Sora exuberantly retold stories of when he played at the small Island as a child, his mouth still full of pancakes. Sora made such a face (that resembled to a chipmunk storing acorns in his cheeks) that Roxas snorted a laugh whilst taking a sip of water. Sora almost choked from laughter as he watched water shoot out of the blonde's nose.
The hussle of the town blurred around them. From neighbors commercing and picking out fresh groceries from the peer's imports, to fishermen bringing in bulging nets full of fish and crustaceans. Children ran up and down the crowded peer, playfully chanting and battling with wooden swords. Burly sailors united ropes from the dock, casting old boats onto the horizon. With the usual commotion of the town, the two boys sitting at the cafe barely took notice.
After finishing up breakfast, Roxas and Sora leisurely strolled down the wooden pier towards the shore. The boys observed the busy commotion of the town, their thoughts on the matter drifting to a familiar environment. Whilst watching, the two shared a comfortable silence. Roxas saw a man with a hefty ladder hunched under his arm. That reminded him that he needed to clock in for work tonight: he recalled that he told his Dad that he would give him an extra hand with painting the inside rooms of the new apartment complex. Occasionally to make an extra buck, Roxas would help with Father with renovations or repairs to the apartment complex he owned. It's the least he could do, afterall, he did live there. At first, he insisted to work without any reward, though his Father was a generous man. He always would say, "Hard work pays off, son." To his remark, he literally meant what he said.
The two boys reached the end of the peer when suddenly Sora blurted, "I have an idea!" The brunette screeched to a quick stop. "I want to show you something really awesome!" His enthusiasm was met with his trademark grin.
Roxas shook his head with a hidden smile. "Sure, where?"
The brunette threw both arms behind his spiky head, "Can't tell, it's a secret," He said with obvious satisfaction.
"Secret meaning illegal and off limits to trespassers?"
Sora's mouth twitched, "W-well, not if we get caught!"
Roxas slid his hands into his pockets and began walking, "Sure, I don't mind. Just have to be back tonight in time for work." He then slowly added. "Also, If you get caught, don't ask me to bail you out of jail,"
Sora scrambled to meet the blonde, yelling after him "Hey, you'd get caught too!"
-x-x-x-
The Island was well known by any resident living there. The main Island was big in size, though it didn't take Indiana Jones and an old map to know your way around. There were a few parks and recreation areas, though most of it were memorials of the man who discovered Destiny Island. The small patchwork of grass wasn't quite big enough for children to play around on around the parks, with little to no equipment or tree's to climb on. The statues of the man that held a magnificent pose onward bound the horizon looked nothing more than a jungle gym to the children. Disregarding the bolded letters inscripted on the sign next to him, "DO NOT TOUCH."
This was the reason why the children fled to the smaller Island a kilometer away from the Main Island. Better known as the Island where Sora, Kairi, and Riku spent their childhood on.
Nonetheless, the Main Island was accessible to everyone. Any beach, park, or trail was available to anyone who wanted to use it. This, however, disregarded the private access located further west of the Island. Wealthy residents partook in a club whose base access was restricted to anyone other than the few members permitted. The base was a small, private beach that was gated off with natural, porous rocks. However, the ocean current formed beautiful rock structures that trapped the sea water like large tidepools. There was a small shore with a few pools that scattered the beach, with one large pool that was deep enough to swim in. The private beach earned it's name, "The Hidden Pools."
Sora knows about this beach because Kairi's father was the prominent member of the club. As kids, her father often take them to the clubhouse where they can play. With all the times they would go as children, Sora and Riku found a hidden entrance through a small cave. It was only accessible through low tide, where the water was ankle deep and shallow enough to safely walk through. High tide resulted in strong current and crashing waves that filled up the cave. Sora has a scorching hot memory of attempting to walk in the cave at high-tide as a child, though he was pulled out by Riku's father. His body was covered in gaping gashes, cuts, and scratches. He was scolded harshly by his worried mother, who made him stay indoors for 2 weeks, only leaving to help his father with common town work. When time passed, a large scar remained on his thigh that reminded him of his mistakes.
To Sora's assurance, the cave was low tide. He checked the time on Roxas's watch, and mentally noted that they had several hours before high tide took place.
"Ready?" Sora asked, stopping at the entrance.
Roxas squinted at the dark cave, seeing no sign of beach access on the other side. "Are you sure that this is the right cave?" Roxas asked, hovering at the entrance.
Sora nodded, "Positive. It's a small walk and I know it like the back of my hand," Somehow, the reassurance in Sora's voice only made him more uneasy.
Sora walked in first, with Roxas shortly behind. The light in the cave was just enough to reflect the shallow water on the ground. "Careful of the rocks on the right," Sora said. Both of Roxas's hands touched the cool wall on the left, as he tried to see through the space with squinted eyes. The water lapped their ankles, swirling the sand in small flurries. After a short moment, Sora said, "We're almost there,"
A wave of chagrin swept over Roxas when hearing Sora's voice a good distance farther ahead of where he stood. Roxas sighed, "Slow down, I can't see a thing," He heard the swoosh of the water when Sora stopped abruptly. "Oh, my bad. I thought you were behind me." He laughed nervously.
"Here," Sora said. The blonde made out a figure in the dark coming closer to him. He blinked, and suddenly he felt fingers touching the back of his right hand. His skin, previously touching the cool, porous wall, was now being grasped. It took Roxas a moment to realize that his hand was now gently embraced by Sora's. The darkness inside the cave veiled over the red that brushed over Roxas's face.
The air around the two, physically, was silent. Although, somehow, it felt as though electricity buzzed through the space around them. It kissed their skin and left goosebumps at the back of Roxas's neck. Sora's stomach whirled from a flutter of butterflies.
Silently, they trudged through. The only time there was noise was from Sora's small instructions, such as, "Careful, here," or "Watch for the rocks, there." Roxas obeyed silently, looking down to adjust to the ground in front of him.
Finally, fresh rays of sun burst through a small entrance located few footsteps away. Sora looked back at Roxas, "There it is!"
They reached a large, porous rock promptly outside of the cave. A thin alleyway snaked through the exit and the large rock, leaving just enough space to move around. There, next to the exit, a sign cautioned, "Private Access Only. Trespassers will be prosecuted."
Sora disregarded the sign completely. "We just have to climb this rock, and the beach is on the other side," Sora read Roxas's face and quickly added, "Don't worry, it's an easy climb!"
With that, the boys began to scale the rock. The sun dried the once slippery oceanic rock, making it easier to grapple onto. Sora offered a helping hand to Roxas once he reached the other side.
"Whoa…" Roxas's mouth was gaped when he reached the top of the rock.
The shore was engulfed by cliffs, shrubbery, and dark caves that confined the beach on all sides. The coast was small in size, with smooth, white sand that contrasted with the dark rocks surrounding it. There were four oceanic pools to the far right, all scattered along the shore. Inside three of the pools, the water was light blue and shallow. Small crabs, starfish, and sea anemone danced with the lapping current in the water. The fourth pool was the largest in size and in depth. It was long, almost creating an oval shape on the shore. The color of the water ranged from deep shades of green and blue, and the sun made the water astoundingly vibrant. White talcum sand was at the bottom of the large hidden pool. If you looked to the far left, a separate, winding staircase was located at the shore that led up to the clubhouse.
"Pretty amazing, huh?" Sora said after a moment. "It's really too bad it's private... Everyone should be able to see this,"
The boys carefully scaled the rock, inching toward to shoreline. When it was reasonable, Roxas jumped from the rock and landed on the white sand at the beach. He turned around to see Sora hobbling over to take off his clothes. "What are you doing?" Roxas beckoned, raising his voice a few octaves higher over the crashing waves.
Sora balanced on one foot to take off each shoe, then peeled off his white shirt. "I'm gonna jump in the water! Catch this!" he said, throwing over his disregarded clothes toward Roxas. He opened his mouth, though closed it once Sora had his back turned to climb back up the rock.
The brunette strategically scaled the rock to reach the highest point over the ocean. Roxas stirred uneasily, his nerves knotting in his stomach. "Hey, just be careful," He cautioned.
Sora finally reached the top of the rock. The cliffside towered away from the shoreline, towards the blue ocean, just shy of 30 feet. Piece of cake. He peeked over the side, and waved to Roxas at the shore. "Watch me jump!"
For whatever reason, Roxas dreaded the moment Sora took a few steps backward to prepare his jump. He watched, Sora disappearing from his sight, and held his breath.
A moment later, Sora burst through his vision when he dove off the rock. His arms spread on either side of him, like a bird in flight. Sora chanted with unmistakable excitement; his voice cutting through the crashing waves on the shore and echoing off the full tide pools. Moments before hitting the water, he put his arms together to dive, as graceful as Sora can get, into the water.
Overall, only a few seconds ticked by. Though, for Roxas, time passing for him at a deadly pace.
Sora then broke through the surface of the water, a large smile on his face. The spiky child in the water waved his hands enthusiastically, "Roxas, did you see that?!"
Roxas shook his head at the idiot and waved back, his nervousness seeping away into the tide each second Sora swam closer to meet him at the shore. His gravity defying chestnut spikes were matted down, and wet pieces of hair stuck to his forehead and cheeks. His face was flushed, and he still held a goofy smile on his face. Roxas laughed, "Yeah, I saw," He watched the excitement in Sora's eyes dance and frizzle before slowly fading away. In this particular moment, more than most, his face resembled that of a child.
Sora looked back at Roxas, his cerulean eyes onto his making his brain jumbled and cluttered. Sora realized he must have been staring like an idiot. He spoke up, stumbling on his words, "S-so, let's go see some tide pools!"
The boys ventured along the beach, exploring the different depths of each pool. The first two smallest pools had a numerous amounts of tiny, hidden creatures that huddled close to the sand. Small, tropical fish of all sorts of colors swam through the porous rocks. Colorful sea anemones danced with the ocean current, with clown fish swimming through it's phalanges. Sora prompted Roxas to touch the anemone: it nibbled his finger and tickled.
The third pool was somewhat different. The porous rocks were sea green along the sides with less sand at the bottom. Starfish stuck to the sides of the rock in groups of families, and contrasted next to the striking orange coral. The seastars ranged in different shades and tints of red, yellow, orange, and purple. A single seahorse galloped along the cushioned sand. Sora gently reached his hand into the water, stroking the back of the starfish.
Leisurely, the boys reached the fourth pool. The dark rocks cuddled the water like a large, natural pool. The water looked welcoming, with no signs of sea life living beneath the surface. Sand rested at the bottom, with a few exception of scattered seaweed and kelp.
Sora retold a childhood story of an ancient octopus that lived in the gallows of the pool. Silently, he would wait for prey to swim in the water so he could wrap his arms around their body and silently squeeze the life out of them so he could feast on their skin and harvest their brain. Riku and Sora would dare each other to see how long they could stay in the water before they chickened out. Roxas laughed, finding the whole story ridiculous. Sora chided in his laughter, though keeping a safe distance away from the water. Just to be safe.
A lengthy hour passed when the boys first arrived at the beach. After they finished sightseeing, the boys walked back to the white shore. Sora plopped on the warm sand with Roxas taking a seat beside him.
Sora piped, "So, what do you think?" He turned his head towards the blonde and smiled. Roxas met his grimace. "Pretty amazing place, not gonna lie. I can't believe all of this," He motioned with hand, "is here under our noses,"
The brunette laid his body back onto the sand, crossing his hands behind his head. "I think they should make this place a marine tour spot. You know, some place where everyone can have a wildlife tour or something. I mean, how cool would that be?"
"Mmm," Roxas agreed, closing his eyes. Sora watched as Roxas titled his head back to feel the warm patch of sun breaking away from the clouds. The rays lit up his sun-kissed skin and highlighted his blonde hair. He even spotted a few light freckles that peppered his nose.
"Roxas?" Sora then whispered, the ocean waves dulling to a soft whisper.
"Hmm?" He answered, his eyes still closed.
A few moments passed without sound, and Roxas turned to open his eyes. Sora was propped on his elbows, his eyes meeting his own. Once again, cerulean and azure met in a familiar embrace. Sora averted his gaze for a moment to look at Roxas's lips, that were slightly parted. The air around them tickled with electricity; the tide and sea life melted away into a dull murmur. Time ticked by at a slow pace.
Roxas averted his eyes and traced over the features on Sora's face; the sunlight brightened his appearance in the most taunting way. He took in everything: the small freckle that hid on his top lip, to his dark lashes, and even to the small cut that was at the top of his nose. Never had he seen him so close… So astoundingly clear…
Without intentionally realizing it, Roxas began to lean forward. His body was propped onto one elbow on the sand as he slowly began to close the space between them. Roxas's breath whirled in his face and made his head spin. It made him crazy with irrational ideas and thoughts. Controlling himself while being this close to him was nearly impossible.
Sora propped himself an inch higher to meet Roxas's lips, closing all the space between them. Their lips touched softly, and slowly, just like the rise and fall of the tide. Roxas realized that the soft electricity was never in the air, but in Sora's body and existence. Just kissing him he felt the sparks tickle his lips, that spread to his stomach all the way to his toes. It was like plugging a cord into the outlet; it filled him with life and energy.
Roxas pulled away an inch for a moment, bringing his hand to touch Sora's face. He leaned in to kiss him again, though this time with more tenderness and urgency. Roxas licked the top of his lip delicately, tasting the salt from the ocean. Sora met his tongue with the tip of his, just for a fleeting moment. He parted his mouth open, once more, to meet his tongue in a eager embrace. The kiss deepened as Sora began to lean his body back into the sand, with Roxas hovering over. He rested his forearms on either side of him, propping his torso over his body. Roxas tilted his head, making Sora's lips part. He took the advantage to glide his tongue over his bottom lip, slowly, before Sora eagerly pushed his tongue forward to meet his. Roxas responded to his urgency by tilting his head and parting his lips to glide past his tongue. Feverishly, their lips began to melt on each other. Sora's leg brushed up against Roxas torso, inviting, to which Roxas promptly pulled himself up to position himself in between his thighs. To provoke the brunette, whilst he pulled himself between him, he moved his pelvis against his, teasing, to elite a response. To his satisfaction, Sora's breath hitched in his throat. He felt the sly smile on the blonde's lips during the kiss. Oh, yeah? Two can play at that game, Sora beckoned in his head.
He parted his lips away from his for a moment, pausing to set soft kisses to his jaw. His fingers traced up into his hair, weaving through his blonde spikes. He then set deep, slow kisses down his jawline. He stopped at the supple spot of his neck and opened his mouth wide to suck the tender part of his skin. Whilst doing this, his fingers snaked into his hair and pulled tenderly at his locks. Roxas groaned, whispering under his breath, "Ugh, fuck,"
His voice next to Sora's ear lit a sparkler inside his belly, trailing to his lower abdomen. His skin flushed a deep crimson the moment Roxas tilted his head up to meet Sora's. His eyes were no longer playful and lighthearted. They were passionate, intense; and it made Sora's insides flip and turn.
Roxas's voice was low, and smoldering. "I can't control myself when I'm around you,"
Sora's hand traced to the nape of his neck, pulling him slowly closer. He whimpered under his breath, "Then don't…"
He pulled him closer to meet his lips. They fell into a feverish pace, nipping, teasing, and tasting each other slowly. His hands fumbled over to grasp the fabric of Roxas's shirt, hastily trying to pull the material off of his body. Roxas broke the kiss for a moment and pulled the cotton shirt over his head. Suddenly, Roxas stopped completely. His body turned stone cold and his eyes were fixed on something in the distance.
Sora's eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head up to see what Roxas was fixated on, "What's wr-"
"Good heavens, what a magnificent day this turned out to be!" A loud, jolly voice bellowed in the distance a few yards behind them behind them. Two men were making their way down the steps dressed in floral Tommy Bahama shirts and slacks. A haggard looking busboy followed with two chairs, an umbrella, and towels stuffed under his arms.
Roxas hissed angrily to himself, "For fucks sake," and at the same time Sora whispered, "We gotta go!"
They fumbled off of eachother, hastily, half-crouching half-running towards the cave entrance. Sora grabbed his clothes under one hand, with his shoes in the other. Roxas was on his tail, grabbing his discarded garments on the sand. In lightning speed, the boys hid behind the a nearby wall and peeked to see if the old men took notice. Sora and Roxas's breath quickened from the spur of the moment, among other things.
The three figures made it halfway down the steps, with more folks trailing at the top of the staircase. Another voice bellowed behind the old man, "You had a fine idea to come to the club house, old friend. Now, young man!" Both Roxas and Sora froze in place, their breath hitched in their throat. "Be careful with my luggage, young sir, that beach chair was customly made!"
The boys relaxed, letting go of their breath. It took a moment to realize that no one seemed to raise their head in confusion or out of dismay.
Sora gazed over at the cave entrance a few yards away. He looked back at Roxas, "It's okay, I don't think they saw us. We have to run to the cave, before they get all the way down here. No looking back, come on!," His voice was in harsh whispers. Roxas's skin was flushed as he hastily jumped into his shoes, his heart pounding in his chest. Sora grabbed Roxas's hand, quickly doing a double-take, and darted to the cave entrance. Their bodies were visible against the shore for a moment before retreating behind the rock. The two disappeared into the dark shadows of the cave.
-x-x-x-
The two boys stumbled and tripped in the dark cave, before breaking into a sprint once reaching the other side. Sora fumbled with his clothes whilst running, getting tangled in the process. Roxas stopped for a moment to untangle Sora from his own shirt before they both made a dash again. They ran until they reached to a safe distance, somewhere along the residential homes. Sora threw numerous glances over his shoulder and began to laugh, slowing his pace down to a stop, with Roxas behind him. Sora was still laughing, coughing a few times, while Roxas put his hands on his knees to catch his breath.
"O-oh man," The brunette wheezed a shaky laugh, "That was really close, huh?"
Roxas, catching his breath, grunted in response, "Yeah it was close…" He agreed with Sora. Though, in his mind, his thoughts referred back to the heated scene back on the sandy beaches.
-x-x-x-
After the shenanigan, the boys leisurely strolled back to Roxas's apartment. The sun began to hang low in the sky, evoking a brilliant orange color in the skyline. The commotion began to settle around the docks and streets as people began to track their way back home. When walking past the residents, a savory pot roast filled the air.
The boys walked alongside the sidewalk. They raved with laughter from the thrill of almost getting caught the whole way back. After a while, their laughter ceased and fizzled to chuckles, then to silence. Sora was skeptical as he placed his hands in his pockets.
"It's too bad, you know," He broke the silence, kicking a pebble with his shoe. Roxas turned to him, his mind elsewhere, "Hmm?"
The brunette felt sheepish as he struggled over his thoughts. "...Almost getting caught," His ears suddenly felt hot.
Roxas snapped back to the present and looked over at Sora, "Oh," He understood. "Yeah. Some luck we have," He chuckled.
Sora then slowed his pace to a crawl, his brows furrowing. The notion made Roxas turn around. "Well...Maybe it's not just luck," Sora mumbled. "Maybe this is fate's way of trying to tell us something…"
Roxas blinked, "Sora?"
Sora was silent for a moment, his eyes fixated on the ground. After a while, he looked up, "Maybe… Maybe this can't happen yet between you and I until I come clean with Ventus," His voice was low. "It's the right thing to do."
Roxas met his eyes for a moment, before he looked down. He thought of his brother, his stomach dropping. The thought of his brother made his insides turn for the thought of what he did. The lying, secrecy, deceit… Despite his feelings, Sora was right. He stepped closer and nodded his head toward the ground. "Yeah, I think you're right."
The flat of Sora's palm smacked his forehead, "Oh man, s-should I do it now? What do I say?!" His voice pitched with stress. He reached for his cellphone from his pocket and just to his luck, it was dead.
Roxas raised his hands in defense to relax Sora. "Hang on, just relax. Don't stress over all of this again. It'll be alright," Sora clutched his phone and took a deep breath. Roxas waited a moment before saying, "No one knows what to say in this situation. When you see him, just tell him what's in your heart."
He clutched his chest with his phone in hand, and nodded. He then lowered his hand from his chest and placed his phone back into his pocket. "Do you think... he even wants to see me?"
The blonde nodded, "Yeah. Absolutely." His voice was reassuring, though his eyes held a bitter edge. He checked his watch, "How about we catch dinner back at my place?"
Sora chirped up and agreed wholeheartedly. It didn't take much to make Sora happy - especially when food is brought to the situation. The boys made their way back to his apartment a few minutes before sundown. A chilled breeze swayed the palm trees, the heat from the day evaporating with the sunset.
The two boys decided to order a few pizza's for the night and tried to try and sit through the romantic comedy, Love Actually, they purchased from Redbox. With a few beers in their system, it wasn't all that bad. Once you pass the gooey love scene, it was suppose to be a comedy, no? Just when Colin Firth was holding up giant cue cards in front of Keira Knightley at her doorstep, Roxas checked his watch again. It was a little past 7.
"Ah, I have to get to work, my Dad's expecting me soon." He rose from the couch. "I'll only be gone a few hours, so just make yourself at home."
Sora looked away from the television and frowned. "Where are you working?" The blonde opened his closet door next to the linen cabinet and pulled out a ragged dufflebag. "I'm helping my Dad out by painting inside the new apartments. Don't sweat it, make yourself comfy." He threw the duffle bag strap onto his shoulder. Sora tapped the top of the beer bottle. "You sure it's alright if I stay?"
Roxas walked over to the door and grabbed his skateboard that rested against the wall. "How else will I know the ending of this sappy movie?" He grinned over his shoulder.
Sora's lips twitched into a smile. "So then...I'll see you later?"
"Yea. See you." He idled by the door, his hand on the knob. He looked back over his shoulder and stood by the entrance, taking in the scene in front of him: Sora, laying comfortably on his couch, surrounded by pizza boxes and beer bottles on the table. He beamed the same old goofy smile that made his face look like a little kid. It quickly became one of Roxas's favorite sights to look at.
With that, the blonde waved goodbye with his free hand; a secret smile on his lips. Within moments, he was gliding down the concrete with his chipped skateboard.
Sorry for the slow updates (or the lack thereof...) New school semester started for me this month and things got a little crazy the first few weeks, though now that things are cooling down a bit (phew.) I'll try my best to avoid long updates! Also, fun fact, I've never actually seen the movie Love Actually... Heard about it all over Netflix, and I just went with it. With that, I'll probably go sit myself down and watch the damn thing.
Anyway, comments/ concerns/ insight/ hate mail/ what you had for lunch? Hope to hear from y'all! xx