Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. AND I DO NOT CARE!
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 41: The Roads We Take
Six months later
"Come on, Sora, we're late!"
The small brunet was keeping on walking slowly, ignoring the blond boy in front of him who was running while urging him to do the same. "Relax, Roxas, it's not like we're late for a surprise birthday party that you and Riku are organizing for me at the arcade."
Roxas stopped in his tracks, not even looking back at Sora. He noisily sighed. "What did give us away?"
"Aside from Axel and Saïx's abruptly ended conversation the other day and the fact that you're keeping on looking at your watch since the moment you told me: 'hey, what if we visit the arcade... like in 18 minutes'?"
Roxas finally turned back, looking at Sora, astonished. "You really realized it just from that?"
Sora put his hands behind his head, a grin plastered on his face. "Of course. I have really good intuition, you know?"
Roxas' look became one of inquisition and Sora resumed walking. "Also, Riku accidentally sent me a message with all the details the other day." Roxas rolled his eyes, but didn't seem too surprised. "I guess it was for Naminé, as it ended with: 'liked your last drawing, btw'..."
Roxas sighed. "Yeah, my boyfriend is an idiot sometimes. But that's also what I like about him."
Sora smiled and didn't answer. Hearing Roxas talking so casually about his relationship with Riku made him realize how things had changed in just a few months. They both fell in a comfortable silence until they finally reached their destination.
"Ok, Sora." Roxas started. "Now I'll text the others to warn them that we've arrived. Please, at least try to pretend to be surprised."
Sora did his best impression of being insulted. "Please! Have I ever disappointed you?"
"No... but then again we never had sex together."
...yeah, Roxas had definitively changed.
The moment Sora and Roxas entered in the arcade, it was clear that something was off: the lights were out and the usual noise of the kids playing around was strangely absent.
It was only when the two of them finally reached the cafeteria that someone -most certainly Cid the barman- turned on the lights and a collective 'happy birthday' erupted in the room. Something like a dozen of people appeared, all of them wearing a ridiculous paper hat.
The first ones to approach Sora were Axel and Saïx. "Happy birthday, Sora! How not-surprised are you on a scale of 1 to 10?"
"What do you mean, Axel? I was tooootally shocked, I absolutely did not expect it."
"There was a time you were a better liar, you know?" Saïx commented. Still, the hint of a smile was creeping on his face.
Larxene, who had just reached them, didn't lose any time. "Happy birthday. Nice choice of location, by the way... if you're 8 years old."
"Ah, Larxene." Axel grinned. "I feel in your voice that mockery that have always characterized you and that, frankly, has started to bust my balls."
"Good, at least it means that you do have balls."
"He's got a point, though, Larx." Saïx added. "That and there's the fact that you still came."
Larxene looked away, knowing that showing her feelings would've been an intolerable show of weakness. "Eh, what can I say? I guess I'm too much of a softie: can't really leave you kids all by yourselves." She then suddenly turned serious. "By the way, have you heard about Seifer's last bout of idiocy?"
"What about him?" Sora asked, curiously.
Axel answered in Larxene's stead. "He sent Hayner to tail Kairi."
Saïx crossed his arms, sighing. "I'm not surprised: since the moment Seifer and Kairi have started dating, he has always thought that she might cheat on him."
"Well, at least he got something right." Axel commented, shaking his head in contempt.
"How do you think he'll react when he'll discover that the one she's cheating him with is Hayner himself?"
"About time the brat rebelled against that idiot."
Sora took a moment to process all that information, then he observed the three of them, suspiciously. "Sometimes, I really can't tell if the three of you are telling the truth or making things up."
But that was how things were right now: their original group had definitively split, with Axel, Saïx and Larxene 'officially' joining Sora, Riku and Roxas, leaving Seifer, Kairi and Hayner all by themselves. With the catastrophic aforementioned results. "Guess karma's a bitch!" Sora commented under his breath.
"Did you say something, Sora?"
"Just wondering where Roxas went." he answered, realizing that the blond boy had disappeared the moment they had entered the arcade.
Larxene snickered. "Just look for Riku: can't be too far away from him." At Sora's questioning look, she simply added: "What? Seriously, those two can't stay away from each other for more than a couple of minutes."
And everyone laughed.
Not far from them, Riku was sitting at a small table with Roxas.
"What's going on, Riku? You look... distracted." Roxas was smiling widely and Riku noticed that he didn't even remember the last time he had seen a frown on his face.
"Uh? Nothing, I just keep hearing my ears ringing..."
"Is Sora's present ready?"
Riku instinctively gave a quick look towards the back door of the arcade. "Yes, he's waiting for my signal to reach us, but..."
"What?"
"I'm still not sure that this 'gift' is a really good idea, you know?"
"Oh, for the love of..." Roxas rolled his eyes. Riku liked when he did that: he reminded him of how much he had changed from the shy meek boy that he once was. "We've already been over this: of course he'll like it, you should know this." He then grinned. "Seriously, aren't you supposed to be his best friend?"
"That's the reason I worry about him."
And then Roxas took his hands in his own, making Riku shiver a bit: he was still not completely used to public display of affection. As little and discreet as those could be. "It will be fine. Trust me." His voice had gotten soft and the smile kinder. And Riku remembered the reason he had fallen for him.
"Ah, here you are!"
The two of them instinctively retracted their hands at Sora's arrival.
"Oh, no, please, keep going. Pay no attention to me." He exclaimed, taking one of the seats and doing his best impression at being polite. "Only, if you can avoid kissing... I just had lunch and I don't want to throw up everything." he added grinning.
"Jealous much?" Roxas asked, grinning in return, while Riku was trying his best to hide the slight tint of red that had erupted on his face.
"So, what were you talking about?" Sora inquired, a knowing grin plastered on his face.
"Nothing!" Both Roxas and Riku answered, far too quickly to sound believable.
Sora took a couple of chips from the bowl at the center of the table and put them calmly in his mouth, his grin ever present. "'Nothing', sure..."
"So, do you like your birthday party?" Riku answered in an as much abrupt as pathetic way to change the subject. Somewhere on his left, Roxas rolled his eyes.
"Of course, Riku!" Sora answered smiling, managing to make Riku sincerely happy.
"Even if it's kind of childish?"
"Especially if it is, Roxas!" Sora put his hands behind his head and his smile grow wider than ever. "Do you really think I care about what people might think?"
"Guess that's something we've all learnt not to care about..." Riku was talking in a relaxed way, but he knew that what he had just said was the absolute truth. Since Sora had come to Twilight Town, his life had drastically changed. He had changed.
He took back Roxas' hands and squeezed it slightly. The other boy tensed a little bit, but didn't retreat it.
"My, my..." Sora grinned, munching another fistful of chips. "Look at how far the two of you have come." He then switched his attention on Roxas, turning unusually serious. "I was wondering... how did your parents took it? You know, about you two..."
"They're fine." Roxas quickly answered in a tone that was just a little bit uncertain. "I mean... as fine as they can be, but I think they're getting used to it. I guess Cloud had a hand in it."
Riku closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "They're going to meet my parents next week."
"O-M-G! That's something I'd sooo want to see. Please, can I come too?"
Riku sighed, resigned. "Why do you even ask? If I say 'no', you'd come anyway, isn't that right?"
Sora pretended to seriously think about it for a second before looking back at Riku in all seriousness. "That's true, but if you say 'yes' you'll give your boyfriend the feeling that you have some kind of authority over me."
"Authority and Riku? Please, now don't be ridiculous, Sora!" Roxas snickered. At Riku's scowl, he added: "...but that's something else I like about him."
Sora rolled his eyes at the two of them. "Stop, please! My teeth are about to rot! If you keep going this way..."
But Sora couldn't end his sentence, as an overeager boy interrupted them, patting Riku on the back and making him cough out the drink he was sipping.
"Oh, sorry!" Tidus said, midway somewhere the apologetic and the uncaring. "Didn't realize your mouth was full, Rik!"
"I'll make you eat your teeth, if you keep calling me that, Tidus!"
"Happy birthday, Sora. Sorry for being late, here's your gift, didn't get the time to wrap it nicely, though." An hyperactive Selphie exclaimed, reaching the group and forcing a small pendant in Sora's hands. Her attention then swiftly shifted on Riku. "Riku, I absolutely have to tell you about this new series that just got released!" And, finally, she turned towards the last boy sitting at the table. "So, did the surprise work out?"
"Like clockwork." Roxas answered resigned. He didn't have the time to add anything else, though, as the girl had already launched herself in a long tirade with Riku about who knows what series she was fangirling about at the moment. Pence arrived a few moments later and Sora caught distinctly Tidus imploring him to separate the two of them.
"Didn't you want to show me this new coin-op Cid just ordered?" Tidus asked as soon as the newcomer had greeted the others, gesticulating in what was probably supposed to be some sort of secret code.
"What new... Oh, sure." Pence replied, catching sight of Selphie and Riku animatedly discussing. "You really have to see it for yourself. Like, right now."
"Did you hear that, Selphie? Let's not disappoint Pence." Tidus said effectively pushing Selphie out of the room.
"You coming, Sora?" Pence asked. "Not you Riku, though." he quickly added. "Since you've started to watch the same series as Selphie, you two need to have at least a couple of rooms separating you."
"Fine, fine." Riku laughed. "Guess we'll reach you later, then." he said before waving goodbye to Pence.
"...did those guys ever slow down for a moment?"
"No, but that's what makes them so unique, I guess." Naminé greeted Sora and offered him a small box in red wrapping paper. "Happy birthday, by the way."
Sora waited for her to take place at the table with them. Then he quickly unwrapped the small box. And inside...
"Wow, that's incredible, Naminé! Did you do it?"
Riku and Roxas moved a little to the side to check the gift. And then they saw a small painting, depicting the smiling faces of three boys. The one in the middle, with brown hair and deep blue eyes was grinning. The blond one on the left was laughing sheepishly. And the one on the right...
The one on the right, the silver-haired one, was looking at them with a calm yet confident smile plastered on his face.
"I thought it would've been nice for you to have a little something. To remember."
None asked what Naminé meant with those words. It was only later, when she had left the table to reach for her friends, that Roxas talked.
"Something to remember, uh? What do you guys think she was referring to?"
Sora threw a knowing look at him, the small painting laying at the center of the table. "Who knows? Maybe she was referring to someone who started accepting himself and stood up for his friend..."
There was no malice behind those words, but Roxas seemed taken aback by that statement. He thought about it for a moment, then he grinned and looked at Riku.
"I don't know, Sora. I think she was talking about someone who stopped carrying around his dark-and-gloomy 'I'm so sad and misunderstood' baggage..."
Now it was Riku's turn to squirm uncomfortably in his chair, just before firing back at Sora. "Yeah, well... and Sora stinks!"
Roxas laughed, but Sora seemed more intrigued by that reaction. "Oh, really? I didn't remember you thinking like that when you had a crush on me..."
"Please, at that time I was still carrying around my 'sad and misunderstood' baggage. If it would've been nice to me, I would've fallen for a chair."
"Ouch, that hurts, man!" Roxas was on the verge of crying, holding his stomach with both hands and nearly falling from his chair from the laughing.
"Curious, I was going to say the same..." Sora joked. Then, he got more serious. Just a little bit. "Now, seriously: I want to hear your thoughts on what I have learnt..."
Riku exchanged with Roxas a conspiratorial glance -that didn't escape Sora- before talking. "Well, maybe we're not the right people to say..."
"Yeah, maybe there's someone who is better than us at telling you that..." Roxas added, relaxing in his chair and putting his hands behind his head, effectively mimicking Sora.
"...what are you two plotting, exactly?"
"My-my, Sora! I didn't remember you to be so dense..."
At those words, Sora froze. It took him nearly half a minute to gather the courage to turn his head and face the owner of that voice: a tall boy with shoulder-length hair, smiling from the entrance of the bar of the arcade.
Riku put a hand on Sora's shoulder and whispered to his ear. "Happy birthday, Sora."
Roxas grinned. "Go talk with him, we'll wait."
Left with no other options, Sora stood up -slowly- and walked -or, to be more precise, staggered- towards Noel.
"What... what are you doing here?" were the first words that came out of his mouth when he finally reached him.
The boy put a hand in his hair and brushed them away from his forehead. "I got an invitation from your friends. They said they wanted to offer you 'a little something special'." As he was speaking, he gave a quick glimpse at Riku and Roxas, who were observing them carefully from their table, their hands still firmly together, fingers intertwined. "That's really gay, by the way, you should tell them."
"You know what I mean." Sora cut him short, still refusing to look at him in the eyes. "Why did you come, Noel?"
At those words, the other boy turned serious. "I missed you." he simply answered.
Sora's eyes widened and, for the first time since he had arrived, he faced his friend. "You... missed me?" he asked incredulous.
Noel scratched a little his cheek. "Yeah, well, we're friends after all, right?"
And Sora couldn't stop himself from hugging him, just as a couple of tears were starting to fall from his eyes. "I'm sorry! I really am!"
Noel didn't seem bothered by that reaction: he simply waited for a minute before slowly moving away. "So, this is your life, now? Guess we have a lot of catch-up to do..."
"I'd love to. So how about a toast?"
"You're the birthday boy: your call." Noel simply answered, smiling widely.
Just as the two were walking towards the counter, though, Noel talked again. "Hey, Sora!"
"Yes?"
"In the end, did you find your Event Horizon?"
And Sora turned his head to look at the couple of boys sitting at the small table in the middle of the bar, observing them from afar. He couldn't help but smile.
"Yes, I did."
End Notes: So there we are! The end of the story! It's been a long journey, but it's finally over. I wanted to thank all of the people who read and commented on this story, in particular JH24 who did an amazing job with her/his detailed reviews. Thanks a lot, seriously, it means a lot to me.
Author's Notes: Please, remember to review: it means a lot to an author and it's always kinda disappointing to see someone bookmark/subscribe to a fic without leaving a comment. Anything would do, from a simple 'I liked it', to a detailed description of what I did wrong. Or right. Thanks a lot.
Author's Notes 2: Well, this is my third and last long story. I don't think another one will follow, I'm kind of drained. If you liked it, though I suggest you to check Twilight Blaze (my second story) that has similar themes even if approached in a whole other way. Otherwise, I will soon post for those who are interested my personal notes on which I worked while writing The Event Horizon.
- Maverick Flare -