Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Also, I do not own a mansion with a swimming pool in the basement. I'd love to, though...
Warnings: This fiction contains and is not limited to boy/boy moments, the use and abuse of stereotypes, hints at original pairings, very despicable people, emo-Riku, lustful teenagers, underage drinking, a mix of the last two points, questionable situations, morally ambiguous choices and a few, occasional and really shy attempts at humor.
Chapter 29: Red and Blue
"Where do you want this armchair?"
Riku's question went unanswered, making the silver-haired boy wonder why he had accepted becoming a mover for Larxene. Oh, yeah, he wanted to be invited at the party where Sora would've been, that was why.
"Please, Larx, take your time, it's not like we're carrying it while you're reflecting…"
Axel's voice came somewhere from behind the piece of furniture he and Riku were holding. Riku couldn't see the redhead from his position, but judging from his voice he seemed pretty exhausted. And there was a good reason for that: since the beginning of the afternoon, they had been rearranging the entirety of the ground floor of Larxene's house. Even if it would've been more accurate to call it her mansion: he remembered that she lived in a big house -which coupled with the regular absence of her parents was the main reason parties were always held at her place- but he didn't remember how big it actually was.
"You can put it back where you took it, I changed my mind." Larxene answered nonchalantly, her voice coming from a couple of rooms away.
Riku scowled. "It's the fourth time that you made us move something just to bring it back ten minutes later, those things are heavy, you know?"
Both he and Axel didn't wait for an answer, though, both realizing that listening to the fickle girl's orders was the safest way to put that damn armchair down.
The moment they finally did it, Axel started wheezing in an exaggerated way. "And with this, my back is definitively destroyed. Seriously, Larx, I don't know why I continue to associate with you."
"I don't know why you do, either." The girl in question appeared from behind them, entering the living room and surprising the two boys. "Actually, we're over. Take five before we move to the lower floor."
Axel's satisfaction morphed into scorn in the span of a second. "That too is on us? Can't Saïx take care of that?"
"What do you think I'm doing down there?" Saïx asked, emerging from the small door that gave access to the lower floor. He then turned his head towards Larxene. "The swimming pool is clear, by the way."
Oh, right, it was true that she also had a swimming pool in the basement, Riku had forgotten about it. The concept of Sora in a swimming suit quickly flashed in his mind, reenforcing his determination to get invited to the party.
Axel took advantage of that moment to take a break and started walking towards the kitchen. He reemerged a second later with four cans of soda, throwing them at Riku, Saïx and Larxene a moment later. He then let himself fall on the small sofa in the room, calmly opening his own.
It was kind of nostalgic to have the four of them together, Riku thought, as Axel and Saïx were basically the first people he befriended when he came to high school, with Larxene following behind. He sat on the sofa, next to the redhead.
"So, what did you say to Seifer to piss him off that much, yesterday?" Larxene asked out of the blue, looking at the blue-haired boy.
Saïx, who was leaning against the wall, scowled.
"Oh, yeah, and what about Kairi, then? Why did she leave that way?" Axel inquired, unable to mind his own business as usual.
"You got nothing more interesting to do than stalking me?"
The questions were to be expected, though; even Riku had noticed that something was going on in his old group: earlier that same day, Saïx had joined their small table and Kairi had not shown her face in the cafeteria at all, a detail that hadn't eluded their attention. In fact, it had been kind of pathetic to see Seifer eating alone with Hayner.
"Nothing special, same ol' Seifer, you know." The three of them looked at him suspiciously. "...and Kairi was in a bad mood. What else do you want from me?"
As an answer, Larxene drank his soda in one swift gulp. He then proceeded to throw the empty can towards Saïx's general direction.
"He's mad about you, Riku." He finally admitted. At Riku's surprised -but not so much, after all- and inquisitive look, he added: "And at Sora. Especially at Sora!"
"I'd believe it: he's the cause of his split lip!" Axel grinned.
Riku sighed. "Guess it can't be helped. Never understood why he hates me so much..."
"Isn't that clear?" Larxene intervened, for once totally serious. "You were going out with Kairi. Even rocks know that he has always had a crush on her. He saw you as his rival."
Riku sighed once more. "That's ridiculous."
"And pathetic." Axel precised. "Totally in line with Seifer, I'd say."
For some reasons, that answer unsettled Riku: he immediately thought of asking why the three of them had decided to ditch him and stay with Seifer, if they knew he was pathetic. Just a few days ago, he wouldn't have thought twice about it and asked it straight ahead. But now...
Now, there were a couple of reasons he could immediately think of as to why not to ask that question: the first one was that if he really wanted to give them a second chance, he couldn't keep on holding a grudge against them.
As for the second one... well, honestly, he just didn't want to lose them again. Actually, he wasn't really sure that that was a good reason to avoid sensitive topics... rather, he was pretty sure that it was a bad way of thinking, but hey, he was only human, after all.
That's why, when Larxene decided that their break was over, as he was walking down the stairs and preparing to range the basement, Riku rationalized his own silence by thinking that he could always ask that bothering question later. Much later.
It was only a few hours later, when their work was over and they were walking home, that Saïx, of all people, came back to the subject.
"I guess we owe you an apology."
Riku looked for a moment at the blue-haired boy, faintly illuminated by the setting sun, before quickly looking away and trying to hide his embarrassment. "Uhm... about what?" he asked elusively.
"The way we left you behind." Axel precised. And judging by the way he had said it, Riku had the distinct feeling that the two of them had long discussed about that topic before.
He didn't answer immediately, not really knowing what to say. "Well, it's not like you ever aggressed me or..."
To that sentence, both boys looked at him, seemingly offended. "Hey, now! Who do you think we are?"
"Yeah, it's not like we had something against you." Saïx backed Axel up. A moment of silence ensued, then the blue-haired boy talked again. "We didn't really think about it, I guess."
"We just... kind of followed the flow." the redhead added, and he sounded ashamed at that. "It's not an excuse, of course, we know that."
Riku was still at a loss for words, intent as he was on kicking a pebble on the road. He decided that the best thing was to just shut up and let the two boys keep talking.
"So, we told ourself something." Axel finally said, half of a district later. And his voice sounded a lot more jovial than before. "Instead of focusing on half-assed excuses, let's promise to do things differently next time."
Riku stopped walking, surprised by those words. Axel and Saïx did the same a few steps later, turning to look at their friend.
"So, what do you say? Do you think you can give us another chance?" Saïx asked, extending a hand.
"Oh and, by the way, you can add Larxene to the mix." Axel precised immediately after. "She thinks so too, but... eh, you know her, she's too shy to express her own feelings."
Riku couldn't help but smile: at that moment, he honestly couldn't wish for more. "I'm pretty sure she would break your face, should she hear you saying something like that..." he answered while shaking Saïx's hand.
And so, when the three of them resumed walking a few moments later, he decided that that was the moment to ask the question that was tormenting him since yesterday morning. "So... about Larxene's party..."
"Uh, what about it?" Axel asked, turning slightly to look at him.
"Well, I was wondering if I... You know..."
None of them answered, implicitly pushing him to keep talking, much to Riku's embarrassment.
"If you think that I could come too! Did you really need me to ask it like that?" He was pretty sure that his face had to be a pretty shade of red right now, which was a good enough reason not to look directly at the two boys.
Axel and Saïx looked at each other for a moment, an interminable moment during which Riku wondered if he had asked too much. Then, the former started to laugh hysterically, while the latter simply smirked, proceeding to explain to the shocked Riku what was going on.
"Do you really think that Larxene would have made you come to set things up at his house without inviting you? She's and evil bitch... but not that evil..."
"Oh, man, you're killing me!" Axel was still laughing like mad, theatrically rolling against the wall of a building. "Of course you're invited, it was implied!"
"You really came here today thinking that you were not invited?" Saïx asked, and the teasing smirk on his face made Riku remember why the blue-haired boy was best friend with Axel.
"I'm never going to ask something again to you two!" Riku answered, pretending to be offended by the two boys' reaction.
And ultimately failing.
When he finally got home, Riku spent the rest of the evening anticipating Larxene's party. Despite the embarrassing misunderstanding, he was feeling euphoric: after all, tomorrow he would've gone to a party with the boy he was totally in love with.
And when he finally fell asleep -around three in the morning- the last thought that crossed his mind was the certitude that tomorrow evening would've been the turning point of his life.
He was going to finally make his move on Sora.
End Notes: -2 to the party!
Preview: We're not there yet, someone still have to confess something before the party. Right, Sora?
Next Chapter (01.14.2024): Confessions!