Riku made his way to Kairi's, still a little shook up from Sora's words. He knew that Sora was unconscious, but he liked to think subconsciously Sora would call out Riku's name. It was an unreasonable thing to hope for he knew but he couldn't help it. Especially after everything that just happened. Their fight/talk, the brawl with Wakka and Sora finally opening up to him. Sora saying Kairi's name made him feel that everything Riku had done so far didn't mean anything to Sora.
They were selfish thoughts he knew. He was just aching for more. He had been for years. The only difference this time was that Sora was going to always be around. While Sora was dating Kairi, they rarely saw each other. It was usually for short periods of time or with Kairi. It wasn't the same as it used to be.
Now with Sora living with him things were going to get complicated. Especially since Sora asked for affection from Riku. Riku was going to try his best to keep that to hugs, hair stroking and maybe back rubs, but he already failed at that. He already broke the one rule he made for himself: no kissing Sora. What did he do? He kissed Sora. On the forehead, but still a kiss, nonetheless.
To make matters worse, after the kiss Sora thought it was Kairi. Riku knew that was what was really bothering him. That Sora couldn't even subconsciously imagine Riku kissing him. Did that mean that Sora would never think or want Riku to kiss him? The brunette did mention kissing when he asked for affection. Riku didn't want to assume anything, but the brunette's words kept repeating in his head.
He made it to Kairi's almost too quickly but keeping his mind off Sora's words for a moment will be beneficial. Dismounting from his bike he made his way to the door. He would usually just walk in but after what happened earlier, he figured knocking would be best. Thinking about earlier made him feel weird about being at Kairi's. About seeing Kairi, but Sora needed his stuff.
Riku knocked only to be told to come in. He opened the door and found Kairi on her hands and knees cleaning the carpet. She was dabbing a rag onto the carpet, it was stained red. She was cleaning Sora's and Wakka's blood off the floor. It looked to be the last thing that Kairi had to do. The broken lamps, pictures and tables were gone. The coffee stains were even gone. Kairi must have been really working hard to get everything back together.
Kairi hadn't looked up from her task to acknowledge Riku. She was fixated on getting the blood up. Riku looked around to see a large duffle bag on the floor. Riku was confused, why was there a random duffle back in the foyer? That couldn't be Sora's stuff, could it? He had to have more than one duffle bag worth of stuff. He's been living with Kairi for two years. Ideally, he should have accumulated so much stuff that Riku would have to take trips. Possibly, rent a box truck.
"Is this duffle Sora's stuff?" Riku finally asked.
"Yeah," Kairi answered.
"Where's the rest of his stuff?"
"That's all of it." Kairi said, finally looking up at Riku.
"That can't be everything." Riku said doubtfully.
"Trust me, it is." Kairi said firmly and got to her feet. "Sora didn't want to come?" she asked somewhat bitterly. Riku shot Kairi a look, but he couldn't really blame her. Sora did try to beat up her new boyfriend in her house. Breaking half of the living room along with him.
"I didn't want to bring him in the small chance that Wakka was still here." He countered and picked up the duffle.
"Well, I didn't want any more fighting between him and Sora or with you for that matter. I told him to go home,"
"I only punched him once to get him off Sora." Riku rolled his eyes. She acts like Riku beat up Wakka like he did to Sora.
"I know, I'm sorry. It's just been a very intense day." Kairi sighed, running her hand through her hair, "Is Sora, okay?"
"He can't heal anymore so he'll be in pain for a few weeks, but he's alright. He finally fell asleep. So, progress. Are you okay?"
"Wait…is he at your place sleeping now? Alone," Kairi asked, alarmed. Ignoring Riku's concerns for her.
"I didn't want to wake him. He looked so peaceful." Riku admitted, "Besides, it's not like I'm going to be gone long. I'm heading back now." Riku added and headed for the door.
"Riku, I would hurry back. You know how severe his night terrors are." Kairi warned.
"It'll be fine Kairi, thanks." Riku assured her and left without another word.
Riku had tied Sora's duffle bag to the back of his bike. He was pleasantly surprised that Sora didn't have much stuff. This way Sora can move on and not have to see Kairi for a while. Space was definitely needed. Maybe one day they can all be friends again, but that will take time. A lot of time. Riku was hopeful nonetheless, they had been friends since they were five. Their friendship can survive this. He was sure of it.
Riku pulled up to his apartment and saw that his balcony doors were open. Was Sora awake? Having a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, Riku quickly parked. He untied the duffle bag as fast as he could and rushed up to his apartment. He really hoped that everything was alright with Sora.
As he approached his door he heard crashing. Riku's heart sank, Sora was having a night terror. He shouldn't have left him alone. Kairi was right as much as he hated to admit it. How could he be so naïve? He scrambled to unlock his door. His hands were shaking, making the simple task of unlocking a door a little more difficult.
Finally, he got the door unlocked and bolted into the apartment. Riku's apartment wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. A few things from the coffee table were on the floor. The pillow and blanket Sora was using was as well. There was a broken lamp and a few pictures but nothing that couldn't be replaced. The balcony doors were open but not damaged, so Riku took that as a good sign.
His eyes landed on Sora, who was in the corner of the living room. Swinging his Keyblade rapidly as if fighting off multiple enemies. Sora's eyes were open wide, but they were clouded. Much like they were the other night when Kairi had called Riku's for help. He could see that Sora was getting tired. His swings were becoming slower and weaker with each passing of his blade. Sora was panting and sweating like he had been at it for hours.
Riku dropped the duffle bag, "Sora!" He called. Sora seemed to react to Riku's voice. His eyes were scanning everywhere as if trying to find him.
"Riku, help me!" Sora yelled as if Riku were far away. Riku slowly approached Sora making sure not to get hit by Sora's Keyblade.
"Sora, there's nothing here to fight. You won." he said reassuringly.
Sora slowly stopped swinging his Keyblade. Riku's words were getting through to him. Sora dropped his blade and Riku moved closer to the man. He didn't make a move to touch him not wanting Sora to think he was an enemy. Sora fell back against the wall, closed his eyes and sighed in relief. There was a gentle smile on his face. Happy that the fight was over.
After a few moments Sora opened his eyes. They were still clouded but it seemed that he could see Riku. His eyes were fixated on Riku as if seeing him for the first time in a long time. His smile widened on his face and tears started to fall. Riku didn't move, not sure if he did something it would trigger another nightmare. He waited for Sora to do something, say something.
"Riku…Riku is here." Sora sighed with a huge smile on his face. He reached out to Riku, he stared at Sora's outstretched hand for a few seconds. He wasn't sure if he should take it or not. Though looking in Sora's eyes Riku could see that the man needed him to grab his hand. Riku grabbed Sora's hand and squeezed it letting Sora know he was there. "I looked for you." He whispered. "I looked EVERYWHERE for you."
They were the same words Sora spoke when he realized Ansem was Riku. Sora was dreaming of when they reunited again. Riku couldn't help but smile. What he said to Sora then is not what he really wanted to say. He just couldn't bring himself to say what he wanted. That he was afraid of Sora finding him. Even now Riku couldn't say it.
"I know Sora, I know." Riku said instead and pulled Sora towards him wrapping his arms around the young brunette. Hugging Sora was another thing he wanted to do when they reunited. It just didn't seem right at the time. He was Ansem after all, it just wouldn't be the same. He felt Sora become stiff at first, but Riku didn't care. He was going to hug Sora. It only took a few seconds for Sora to reciprocate the hug. "You don't have to look for me anymore. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." Riku said gently.
"You promise?" Sora asked barely above a whisper as he tightened his hold on Riku. If Riku wasn't so close, he wouldn't have been able to hear him.
"I promise."
Sora collapsed in Riku's arms. Riku was able to hold him up, preventing him from hitting the ground. He picked Sora up properly and carried the man to his room. He placed Sora on the bed tucking him in and debated in his head if he should sleep in the bed with him. It was a short debate, after Sora's dream Riku needed to stay close. He removed his shoes, shirt and settled into the bed.
Sora immediately rolled towards Riku and placed his arm over the older man. He pulled him closer and sighed in content. Riku smiled and adjusted himself, so his arm was wrapped around Sora not pinned by him. With that Riku fell into a restful sleep.
Sora awoke feeling like he had been hit by a cannonball. He would know, he was hit by a cannonball once before. Blasted pirates. Sora wasn't expecting to feel this awful after fighting Wakka. Sora had been in worse fights, but then again, he had magic during those fights. Magic would be great right now. The brunette groaned, unable to help himself.
Realization struck him, he was in Riku's bed unsure how he got there. He remembered falling asleep on the couch with Riku and then nothing else. Riku must have brought him here, but he wasn't sure why. He would have been fine on the couch. Though he couldn't complain. Riku's bed was comfortable.
It was warm and cozy, as though someone had their arms around Sora. Maybe because someone did have their arms around him. How did Sora miss that? He glanced down and found an arm draped over his hip. Not just any arm, Riku's arm! Riku was cuddling with Sora. Spooning to be more specific. Sora was on his side, his back pressed against Riku's chest and his head under Riku's chin. It was a perfect fit.
How could something as simple as this make Sora so…happy? It never felt this way when he held Kairi. What was different about Riku? The feeling was strange, almost foreign. Was this happiness…or something else? The last time Sora recalled feeling something like this was when he was reunited with Riku. He thought it was happiness at the time, but now he wasn't sure.
Reluctantly, Sora pulled himself out of Riku's arms. Careful not to wake the older man. He was sure Riku needed as much sleep as he could get. Who knows if Sora had a nightmare last night that Riku had to calm him down from? For all Sora knew Riku could have been up with Sora for hours, like Kairi had to.
To thank Riku for all that he has done for Sora so far, he decided to make them breakfast. It wasn't much, but it was the nicest gesture he could think of. He made his way out of Riku's room and immediately noticed the state of the living room. It was in disarray making Sora's stomach knot. He had a nightmare last night.
Sora set to work on cleaning up the mess he made while asleep. It wouldn't be fair to have Riku clean it. He swept up the glass from the lamp and picture frames. He folded the blanket and put it away along with the pillow. He then took out the garbage as a bonus to help Riku out.
It all but took Sora twenty minutes to do everything. It wasn't as bad as his past imagery fights but that didn't matter. He destroyed Riku's stuff. He felt guilty and only hoped that this wouldn't happen again. Wishful thinking, but he wanted to stay hopeful. He wasn't sure why but despite being sore from fighting and the destruction he did. He was in a good mood.
While Sora was cleaning, he found his duffle bag by the front door. He didn't recall Riku ever leaving the apartment. He must have been in a deep sleep. Regardless, Sora was happy to have his stuff back. He can finally be in fresh clothes that fit him.
Taking the duffle bag, he went into the bathroom to get cleaned up. His mood brightened, feeling refreshed and clean. That's even with his injuries from his fight with Wakka. It's as though none of that mattered now. He wasn't sure what was going on with him, but he liked it. For the first time in a long time, he felt like himself.
As he searched the duffle bag for something to wear, he found a pleasant surprise. In his bag were eight potions, four health potions and four ethers. Can this day get any better? He thought as he opened the ether, drinking a generous amount. He felt it taking effect immediately. He quickly healed himself before it wore off. To say he felt a thousand times better would be an understatement.
When he exited the bathroom, he found Riku was still not up. He was hoping for that, he wanted to surprise him with breakfast. He went through the kitchen finding little but enough for a decent breakfast: eggs, bacon and bread for toast. It wasn't what he had in mind, but it was better than nothing.
Shortly after Sora started cooking the bacon he heard Riku's door open. He glanced back at the tired man, giving him a grin. Not because he felt he had to but because he wanted to. Today was turning out to be the best day in a long time. Sora was on Cloud Nine.
"Good morning," Sora greeted cheerfully, "I'm almost done making breakfast." He informed and turned his attention back to the stove.
Riku didn't speak for a few minutes. Sora assumed he was still waking up, "Uh morning…you cleaned…and you're cooking?" He said, sounding utterly confused. Did he think that Sora couldn't cook?
"Yes, I thought it would be nice to wake up to. Is that a problem?" Sora asked, looking over his shoulder at Riku.
"N-No it's great, thank you." Riku stumbled still getting over his shock, "Wait, your face…it isn't…it's healed!" He pointed out not believing his eyes. Sora did say that he used the rest of his magic on Rik
"Oh yeah," Sora said as if he forgot he healed himself, "I found some potions in my bag. I must have put them in there for safe keeping because I forgot I had them."
"Wish I did that. I got rid of mine when we returned." Riku chuckled, "Is there coffee?"
"There will be, I just started the machine a few seconds ago. Sorry I thought I would have this all ready before you got up." He admitted as he placed the finished bacon on a serving plate. He turned off the stove and placed it on the kitchen table with the rest of the food.
"Don't worry about it. You didn't even have to do all this, you know?"
"I know, I just wanted to do something nice for you. I mean, you've already done so much for me. I guess this is a small thank you for taking me in and dealing with my problems." Sora explained and went back into the kitchen just in time for the coffee pot to finish brewing. He poured two mugs of coffee and brought them to the table.
"Sora," Riku said softly, "I don't want you to feel like a burden. You're not, you know that, right?"
"Come on, have a seat and dig in." Sora said instead of acknowledging what Riku said.
Of course, Sora felt like a burden. He had for years, Riku saying otherwise wouldn't change the young man's mind. Sora won't stop feeling like a burden until these night terrors stop. Maybe then he will feel normal and won't feel obligated to make it up to his friend. To make it feel like he isn't a burden. To make him feel like he is pulling his weight. He was staying in his apartment for who knows how long. It was the least he could do.
Riku stared at Sora for a moment before taking a seat at the table. Sora could sense that he wanted to say something but thought better of it. He took a seat next to Sora and started eating without another word. Sora was thankful that Riku didn't push it. If he were with Kairi, she would press him until he caved. It was a nice change, to not be forced to talk when he didn't want to.
At least when it came to the little things. The only time Riku has forced him to talk was yesterday after his fight with Wakka. It was understandable and if he were being honest it did help. Talking to Riku was completely different than talking to Kairi. Maybe if he starts to open up more to Riku he will get better? The only problem is that Sora can't bring himself to do it. It was a struggle to do it yesterday.
"Not hungry?" Riku asked, noticing that Sora was pushing around his food.
"Huh?" Sora blinked, not realizing that he was staring off into space, "Oh, no, I am, I was just…lost in thought."
"Okay good because I would be worried if you said you weren't hungry." Riku admitted.
"Why's that?"
"Well, you only had half a slice of pizza since you got here. With everything that happened yesterday I spaced about getting food. Then you fell asleep, and I couldn't bring myself to wake you. You slept most of the day and night." Riku explained.
"I slept all night? The living room was a disaster when I got up this morning. I must have had a night terror." Sora pointed out.
"Oh yeah, you did, it was while I was grabbing your stuff. I should have been here. You probably wouldn't have broken anything."
"Why do you say that?"
"It only took me two minutes to calm you down. Then you didn't wake up again. If I were here, then I would have been able to get you back to sleep without you destroying anything. I won't be leaving you alone like that again."
Sora was shocked to say the least. What was so different about Riku? Sora just didn't understand it. He was able to handle anything when he came to Sora. Kairi struggled and seemed to make things worse. Her words, not Sora's. She blamed herself for Sora's nightmares turning into night terrors. Sora didn't think they had anything to do with her of course. It was all Sora.
Even so, Riku was a pro at this without trying. Sora couldn't understand why, maybe there was a subconscious reason for it? Whatever it was, Sora was lucky and thankful to have Riku. The way things are going, Sora will be night terror free in a few weeks. That is if his luck continues and Riku doesn't kick him out or something.
Sora pulled himself from his thoughts and started eating breakfast. He didn't realize how hungry he really was until his food was gone. He was disappointed that there wasn't more. He gave most of the food to Riku. Being the larger of the two, Sora figured he would eat more. How was he to know that he would be this hungry?
Sora's plate was pulled away from him and replaced with Riku's half full plate. He looked up to see Riku getting up from the table. He was taking Sora's empty plate to the kitchen and started the dishes. Sora couldn't eat Riku's breakfast. This was supposed to be a thank you to Riku.
"Riku, I'm not going to eat your breakfast." Sora said, looking behind him at the older man.
"I ate plenty, you gave me ten strips of bacon and a pile of eggs. I'm full and you are still hungry. I can see it in your puppy dog eyes," Riku teased
"Are you sure?" Sora asked, still not convinced.
"Yes, I'm sure."
Sora waited a few moments for Riku to take back what he said. The older man just continued cleaning the dishes. With that Sora finished off Riku's breakfast with ease. Sora had been eating so little lately it was starting to catch up to him. It wasn't that Sora didn't want to eat. He just hadn't been hungry lately. He wasn't sure why. He never had that problem in the past. His dreams must be stressing him out too much.
After eating and cleaning the two men decided to head out to run errands. For one Riku needed to get groceries for the apartment. He also wanted to get Sora out of the house. Fresh air will do him good.
There was a knock on the door as Riku was putting on his shoes. Sora was in the bathroom brushing his teeth, so Riku had time. He had a feeling who it was, his neighbor, Tiffany. Tiffany would come over to ask for favors from Riku. Usually, to borrow something. Riku knew it was because she liked him, but she wasn't his type. She was a she after all.
When he answered the door, he found it was in fact, Tiffany. She was wearing a bikini as a top and short shorts. She was a nice enough girl, but she tried way too hard to get Riku's attention. She was waiting for Riku to ask her out. She was the type that expected the man to ask her out.
She was tall, about Riku's height, with long dyed lavender hair that was currently in a messy bun. She had a large chest that she liked to show off any chance she could get. Hints the bikini top. Riku didn't mind too much. He considered her a friend, although he knew she wanted more. He did tell her that he was gay, but that didn't seem to stop her from flirting. He figured it was just her personality. Besides, she was kind and a good neighbor. She let him borrow her car when he needed to, and he would help with small projects in her apartment.
Over the last two years of living next door to her they became close. There were times she was a bit much for him, but he did enjoy her company. She was funny and a bit of an airhead. She kind of reminded him of Sora when they were younger.
"Good morning Riku," Tiffany greeted with a bright smile. She bent forward slightly as an added greeting. He inwardly rolled his eyes. Today he was not in the mood for this.
"Morning Tiffany, what brings you by?" Riku smiled despite his annoyance. Tiffany didn't do anything, and he needed to speak with her anyway, but things were a bit chaotic for Riku right now. Having her here just to flirt was not something he wanted to deal with.
"Well silly me, when I went shopping this week, I totally forgot to buy coffee. Could I…?" She explained as she held up her mug.
"Oh yeah of course," Riku stepped aside so she could enter his apartment.
"Thank you so much!" She grinned as she made her way to Riku's kitchen as Riku shut the door.
"Yeah of course. Would you mind if I borrowed your car today? Need groceries."
"Of course, you can! I won't need it until tonight. I'll get my keys for you." She agreed as she reached for the coffee pot.
Sora walked out of the bathroom just as Tiffany started pouring herself a cup. He looked at Riku a little confused. Sora must not have heard the knock on the door. And Riku couldn't blame him for being confused. Tiffany was half naked after all.
"Sora," Riku announced as to not startle Tiffany too much. She turned around to see Riku's younger friend and gave the brunette a warm smile. "This is Tiffany. My neighbor from across the hall. Tiffany, this is my best friend, Sora."
"Riku, you didn't tell me you had such a cute friend." She giggled flirtatiously, making Sora blush. Riku was trying to suppress glaring at her.
"Uh thanks, it's nice to meet you, Tiffany."
"Likewise," Tiffany said, snapping her eyebrows up suggestively.
"Well," Riku said as he cleared his throat. "Weren't you just going to leave to get your keys?" He reminded her.
"Oh, right! I'm sorry I get spacey around handsome men. I'll be back in a few." Tiffany winked and headed out the door making sure to sway her hips more than usual.
Riku released the tension from his body. He didn't even realize he was tense. What was he thinking letting Tiffany in when Sora was here? Of course, she would flirt with Sora. She flirts with every attractive man she meets. Sora was indeed an attractive man.
"She seems," Sora paused trying to find the right word, "nice," he had a light blush on his face, causing Riku's stomach to drop. Did that mean he liked Tiffany flirting with him?
"Yeah she's…something." Riku sighed, "She's going to let us borrow her car today."
"Oh wow, does she let you do that all the time? Or is it just because I'm here?" Sora chuckled trying to make a joke. It just made Riku get a spike of jealousy.
Riku laughed but it came out bitter, "Cute Sora."
Before Sora could comment there was another knock on the door. Riku was hoping it would take Tiffany a few moments to find her keys. She usually took her sweet time, but not today. Today he was sure she wanted to continue flirting with Sora. Either that or she wanted to dig for information. Riku had a feeling it was going to be both.
Riku opened the door for her, and she immediately walked towards Sora. It was like Riku didn't exist to her. The only one that mattered to her was Sora. It made Riku burn with anger. He didn't mind that she continued to flirt with Riku despite knowing his sexual orientation. He didn't mind that she would come over for the littlest thing just so she could see him. However, he did mind very much that she was over now to flirt with Sora. His Sora.
Riku bit his lip, did he really think that? That Sora was his? In a way he did, but he knew that was accurate. He can't just claim him because he was in love with him. That wasn't fair. He inwardly sighed, feeling guilty all of a sudden. Sora could do what he wanted. If he wanted to flirt back and maybe date Tiffany, that was his choice. Not Riku's.
"So why haven't I seen you before, best friend Sora?"
"My girlfriend likes to take up a lot of my time." Sora lied. Riku was surprised by this. He figured that Sora would want Tiffany's full attention. At the words "girlfriend" Tiffany made a face of disappointment for a moment before her smile returned.
"Can't say I blame her." She winked looking back at Riku. "Here are the keys. I will see you later." She smirked as she handed Riku the car keys. Making sure to run her hand down his arm before leaving the apartment.
Well, Riku wasn't expecting that either. He figured he would have to rush Tiffany out of the apartment himself. Sora being "taken" must have got to her. Riku never thought he would see the day when that happened. Maybe Riku should have said he had a girlfriend so she would stop flirting with him. Little too late for that but it would have been a good idea.
"Why did you lie?" Riku asked, unable to help himself.
Sora just shrugged, "Don't know. Anyway, we should get going, right?"
Didn't seem like Sora wanted to talk about it further. Maybe he just wasn't used to girls flirting with him? He was always with Kairi when they returned home. It wasn't that much of a stretch for Riku to think that a girl flirting with Sora would make him uncomfortable. It kind of added to Sora's naïve charm.
Without another word the two headed down to the garage. Tiffany's car was a small red hatchback that was in desperate need of some TLC. The paint on the car was fading making it look like it was spray painted on. The tires were close to bald and only one headlight worked. The inside, in the back seat, looked as though she lived in it. Her closet on wheels as Riku liked to call it.
Overall, it wasn't too bad, and Riku offered to help with some repairs. He did drive it too and he was a mechanic after all. She kept pushing off the offer. One, she would need to come to his shop and take time out of her day. She wasn't too keen on doing that it seemed. Two, the car was still running fine, so she didn't see the problem with it.
In the end Riku didn't mind all the flaws, he was simply happy he got to use it when he needed to. Tiffany claims that she is saving for a new car, but Riku had his doubts about that. Tiffany seemed to really love this car despite all the work it needed. He would get the car in the shop soon enough anyway. His plan was to take it to the shop next time he was going to use it. Today would not be that day, but next time he would. It was the least he could do.
As the two shopped, Riku started noticing Sora's behavior change. He seemed on edge being in a store. Kairi didn't mention anything about Sora being tense in public. Maybe she didn't notice? Or maybe she didn't take him out with her that much? Whatever the reason, Riku was not expecting this. He was growing concerned that Sora might summon his Keyblade at any moment.
The grocery store was filled with mainly mothers with their young kids. Nothing threatening of course but if Sora did have PTSD like Kairi said then it was only a matter of time before something sets Sora off. Riku remembered how difficult it was for him to be in public after coming back. In crowds you were never sure if there was an enemy nearby. Being around a lot of people didn't mean you were safe. It meant that there were more possibilities for attackers.
Riku watched Sora closely for the all too familiar reaction to an attack. They were heading down the snack aisle when they passed by a mom with her son. The little boy was fine when suddenly he started to scream at the top of his lungs. It sounded as though the boy was screaming from terror, at first. It didn't take long for it to sound like anger.
Though Sora heard only the terror and jumped at the sound. Riku watched as Sora instinctively started to motion to summon his Keyblade. Riku quickly grabbed his arm to stop him from summoning his blade in public. The last thing they both needed was to cause panic. Sora's eyes snapped to meet Riku's. The look of shock and confusion was displayed on the brunette's face.
"It's only a kid angry at his mom. Nothing to worry about." Riku said softly.
It was as though he didn't realize what he was about to do. Sora's eyes were unfocused for a few seconds until he seemed to pull himself out of whatever daze he was in. The look of embarrassment soon displayed on Sora's face. He glanced at the screaming child as if making sure he was the reason for Sora's fight or flight response.
"Sorry," Sora mumbled and tore his eyes away from the small child to look at his feet.
"It's alright," He assured him and pulled him into a hug. Sora was a little surprised at first by the sudden display of affection. Though he quickly reciprocated the hug and shuttered slightly, unable to help himself. Riku assumed that the man was becoming overwhelmed, "do you want to leave?" he asked, pulling away from the hug but still holding onto Sora by his shoulders.
"No, I-I'm fine, really."
Riku studied Sora closely, he was clearly lying. His body was still tense, prepared for a fight. If he was trying to hide his emotions from Riku he was doing an awful job. Riku knew they needed to go for Sora's sake. He had almost everything he needed in his cart, missing a few items wouldn't hurt. He told Sora they would continue shopping. He would just have to grab what he really needs on this shopping trip.
Sora stayed close to Riku, almost too close. The man was gripping the cart near Riku's hand. The realization of what Sora wanted from Riku dawned on him. Casually Riku placed his hand on Sora's, he smiled and Riku pretended not to notice. It didn't take them long to hold hands properly. Their fingers were now interlaced but they were no longer using the cart to hide it.
Once they were finished and outside, Sora visibly relaxed and released Riku's hand. To say Riku was disappointed by Sora's actions would be an understatement. Sora letting go of Riku's hand bothered him more than he thought. Maybe showing Sora affection isn't such a good idea. Not for Sora but for Riku. So far, it's been hurting him more than making him feel helpful.
Those moments make Riku feel as though they mean more to Sora than just comfort. But he was sadly mistaken, he just wanted Sora to feel something more. Feel the way Riku did about him. It was going to be hard for Riku not to get pulled in deeper than he already was. The temptation will become too overwhelming for Riku, and he will ruin his friendship with Sora forever. He had to stay as levelheaded as possible. Easier said than done.
On the way back to the apartment Riku tried to get Sora to talk about what happened in the store. Once again Sora shut him out and refused to talk about it. It was clear that Sora was still uncomfortable talking about his problems. He was very selective on what he shared with Riku. It just made things more difficult for the older man. He can't help if he doesn't know.
They returned to the apartment without further incident. Riku decided to put away his groceries first before returning Tiffany's keys. With Sora helping it only took a few minutes for everything to be put in their proper place. Riku told the younger man that he was going to return the keys to Tiffany. Sora nodded and took a seat on the couch. Riku didn't even have to knock on Tiffany's door, she was outside his door.
"Hiya Riku, I heard you come back. Thought I would make it easier for you and just come by myself." She explained as she peeked over Riku's shoulder to look at Sora.
"Oh, thanks Tiffany." Riku smiled nervously. He knew she was only here to flirt with Sora, or flirt with him. Either way Riku was not in the mood.
"You are very welcome, Riku." She winked and peaked over at Sora again before looking back at Riku. He handed her the car keys and waited for her to step back so he could close the door. "Thank you, I will see you later, neighbor." She grinned and walked away.
Riku sighed in relief as he shut the door. He thought he would have to make up an excuse for her to leave. He turned towards Sora and found the younger man staring at him with an indescribable look. Was something wrong? Riku wasn't sure.
"You okay?"
"You do know she likes you, right?"
"Thanks, Captain Obvious." Riku rolled his eyes and headed into the kitchen, "You hungry? I'd say it's a good time to have lunch."
"If it's obvious, why don't you go out with her?" Sora asked instead of answering Riku's question. Riku was looking in the fridge and paused, not expecting Sora to ask about his love life. Or lack-thereof.
"I'm just not interested." Riku said casually, "So are you hungry?" He repeated, wanting to move on from this conversation.
"Yeah, sure." Sora said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. Was he upset that Riku didn't open up to him? Now that's a laugh.