Sometime in the night Sora detached himself from Riku and rolled to the other side of the bed. Riku was unaware of this until he heard Sora sobbing. Curled into a ball with no blankets to cover him. The younger man was shaking. Either from crying or the cold. Riku shifted himself closer to Sora. Placing a hand on his shoulder, the man was freezing from the AC blasting in the apartment. He gentle maneuvered Sora out of his curled position. Wrapping his arms around him to give him some of Riku's body heat.
Sora leaned into Riku's touch, taking the hint Riku pulled Sora close to him. Sora's back now against Riku's chest. Riku then grabbed the blankets and pulled them over Sora and himself. Sora was still crying but he had calmed down some. Softly Riku made shushing sounds to help soothe Sora. He didn't think waking Sora was necessary and hoped what he was doing was enough.
A small sigh was released from Sora and Riku could feel him relaxing against him. Riku stroked Sora's face, removing some of the tears in the process. Sora hummed and his breathing evened out more. Relief washed over Riku. He was grateful that he managed to bring Sora peace. Without thinking, Riku placed a kiss on Sora's temple.
Riku closed his eyes again and fell back to sleep with ease.
The first week of Sora living with Riku went on smoothly. Sora hadn't had any other incidents, and his nightmares were almost non-existent. There would be nights where Riku would be woken up by Sora, but he was able to quickly calm him down again with little effort. Because of that, Sora was starting to turn back into his old self. Aside from the ongoing affection that he displayed towards Riku. Which Riku returned in kind. He was managing to keep his urges in check. Stopping himself from kissing Sora a number of times.
It was becoming more difficult the more they spent time together. With Riku not working the whole week, they spent all their time together. There were times when Riku swore that Sora wanted Riku to kiss him. He had to keep telling himself that wasn't the case. Riku was just seeing what he wanted to see. The introduction of affection to their relationship was allowing Riku's desires to taint his judgement. He was projecting if anything.
One evening Sora and Riku were playing a fighting game. They were tied one to one. Throughout the week they played and Riku always won. This time Sora seemed determined to win. Being more cautious with his attacks and dodging Riku's heavy attacks avoiding damage. Sora was sitting on the edge of the couch leaning on his forearms that rested on his legs. Completely focused. Riku couldn't help but smile at how serious Sora was taking this. Sora managed to trap Riku in a combo attack. Riku's health was low enough now, if Sora could just hit him with his ultimate it would be game over. Sora grinned as he used his character's ultimate move. It hit and the game announced, K.O.!
"Yes!" Sora cheered, jumping to his feet. "I won, I won!" Sora chanted, doing a small dance. Riku laughed as he watched Sora celebrate.
Sora returned to the couch sitting on his knees close to Riku. He pulled Riku into a hug and squeezed him tight. Riku returned the hug as Sora did a happy wiggle in his arms. They only hugged for a few moments before Sora pulled away. His grin was so wide. Riku could tell he was truly happy. Sora was a little breathless from his recent celebration, he stared into Riku's eyes.
Sora remained close to Riku. Their arms were still around each other as they continued to stare. Sora's smile slowly faded, turning into a pleasant expression. Riku swallowed feeling the intensity from Sora. There was an anticipation in the air that he couldn't place. Sora's eyes flickered down for a moment. Blue eyes returned the pupils slightly dilated, but that could be Riku's imagination. Sora's hands gripped Riku's shirt and leaned closer to Riku. Riku's breath caught in his throat and his heart started racing. Sora couldn't possibly want to, right?
"Good game," Riku said finally breaking up the tension between them. He looked away from Sora and picked up his controller again. He felt Sora move away from him. "Another round?" Riku asked, still not looking at Sora. Not wanting the younger man to know how disappointed he was.
"Sure." Sora said softly, not as enthusiastic as before.
It was Sunday, Riku had to return to work the next day. He was a little worried about leaving Sora alone, but he knew it would only be for a few hours. Sora was doing a lot better now, but Riku has been with him the whole time. He wasn't sure how he would be alone. Kairi mentioned that Sora would withdraw when he was alone. He hoped with his improved mood that wouldn't be the case. Riku would just have to trust that Sora would call him if he needed him. Sora assured him he would be fine, but Riku was still nervous about it.
To put his worries out of mind for now he suggested they go out. There was a farmer's market open during the weekends nearby and Riku thought it could be fun to look around. It was also a short walk from Riku's place, making it so they didn't have to take Riku's bike or borrow Tiffany's car. It would be nice for them to enjoy the weather while it was still nice out. Storms were approaching in the coming week after all.
Sora agreed and they headed out. There was a moment of awkwardness between them as they walked side by side. Would holding hands be, okay? Was that too couple-y? Both seemed unsure. Riku wanted to, but he didn't want to make Sora uncomfortable. He also didn't want to assume that Sora would be okay with it either. The last time they held hands in public was at the grocery store and once they were outside Sora released Riku's hand. Riku never found out if that was because Sora was uncomfortable or no longer needed the contact.
Instead Riku decided to keep an eye on Sora. If the man appeared to be distraught Riku would come to his aid. Either by taking his hand or giving him a hug. Those always seemed to help ease any tension Sora was feeling. It felt like a good plan, Riku would be lying if he didn't miss the contact with Sora. They've been connected in some way all week. Riku didn't realize how much until now.
As they approached the market, Sora grabbed Riku's hand and pulled him towards a booth that caught his eye. Riku let himself be guided by the shorter man to a booth with sea glass. There were bins of various colors that could be purchased individually, jewelry, art pieces, and there were even suncatchers and windchimes. The sun was high enough to hit some of the suncatchers. Displaying beautiful colors around the tent.
"One of these would be cool in the living room." Sora commented, looking at a suncatcher that looked like a jellyfish with blue sea glass as the dominate color. There were also small pieces of green and white to complete the shape of the design.
"Yeah, you're right. A lot of light comes in during the afternoon. Do you like this one?" Riku asked, noticing that Sora wasn't looking at any other suncatchers.
"Really?" Sora asked surprised, "You don't mind?"
"Of course not, it's your place too, remember? Also, I think it looks pretty cool."
Sora grinned giving Riku's hand a gentle squeeze before he got the attention of the merchant. All while still holding Riku's hand just like they've been doing all week. The merchant put the suncatcher into a box before putting in a branded bag for them to carry. To Riku's surprise Sora paid for it. He didn't recall Sora mentioning that he had a job, so where did he get the munny? Sora looked over at Riku and grinned when he was done with his purchase. He pulled the older man out of the booth and scanned the surrounding area for anything interesting.
They walked around, stopping at various booths to browse. Riku and Sora bought a few more things for the apartment. Riku bought fresh produce, a few types of sauces and some flowers to brighten up the apartment. The flowers were for Sora, Riku saw how he looked at them. When he decided to buy them Sora's eyes lit up. It was well worth the munny just to see the joy it brought Sora.
Sora purchased more decorations: a ceramic Paopu fruit, a silhouette of Destiny Island burned on a wooden frame, and a painting of the night sky. Riku was glad that Sora wanted to add his touch to the apartment. Judging by the home he shared with Kairi there was nothing there that was Sora. Riku wasn't sure what to make of that. He was thankful that Sora felt emboldened to make the apartment his home too. At the same time, Riku didn't understand why Sora was doing so with him and not when he was with Kairi.
Trying not to overthink and turn Sora's actions into something that they weren't. Riku focused on the present. Enjoying the market with his best friend. They stay for another hour before heading back home. Deciding to drop off their goods and head back out for some lunch. It was turning into a pleasant Sunday.
When they arrived on their floor they ran into Tiffany in the hall. She smiled at them, giving a friendly wave.
"Well, hey there neighbor and best friend Sora." Tiffany greeted. She was wearing a sports bra and running shorts, her hair up in a high ponytail and her face flushed from a recent workout.
"Hi Tiffany," Riku waved with his hand that was holding the flowers.
"Hi," Sora greeted, "You can just call me Sora." He added a slight blush on his face.
"Noted, Sora." Tiffany winked, "So you guys went to the farmer's market?" She asked pointing at the bags.
"We did! It was so much fun." Sora grinned.
"Awe glad you had fun on your date."
"Date?" Riku and Sora said at the same time.
"Yeah, I mean you're dating each other, right?" Tiffany asked sounding confused. Tilting her head to one side.
"No." Riku answered quickly, "We're just friends."
"Oh," She still sounded confused but didn't push it, "Okay, well I gotta shower, I have a date." She grinned and unlocked her apartment.
"Have a good time, Tiffany." Riku smiled and headed towards his apartment as Tiffany entered hers.
"I will!"
Riku chuckled to himself as he unlocked the door. They walked through and put all their purchases on the kitchen table. Riku took the flowers and the produce into the kitchen to put away while Sora just stood near the door. Riku didn't think anything of it as he put the produce in the fridge and searched for a vase for the flowers. Opening all his cabinets he found no vase.
"Damn," He mumbled. He swore he had one, but then again, he's never bought flowers for his house before. He did have a pitcher. It wasn't a vase but was better than nothing. Filling the pitcher with water and setting the flowers in he carried them over to where Sora was standing. "I don't have a vase, so these don't look as nice as I wanted them to." Riku sighed. "Anyway, where should these go?"
Sora had a strange expression on his face, disappointment? Riku wasn't sure but Sora didn't look happy. What happened? Riku's question snapped him out of whatever unpleasant mood Sora was in. He smiled and looked around the room.
"How about the coffee table? We spend most of our time in the living room."
"Great idea," Riku smiled and took the flowers and put them on the coffee table. He stood back and admire them for a moment, "Perfect," he said and turned to Sora, "So, ready to get some lunch?"
They headed back out and walked down to a nearby café that Riku's been to a few times. They were seated at the outside patio area. It had cooled down some since they were at the farmer's market. It was pleasant outside, with a calm breeze coming from the ocean making being outside all the better. They were handed menus and told their waitress would be with them soon.
"I always get the same thing when I come here," Riku informed, answering Sora's silent question when Sora notice him not looking at the menu.
"You come here a lot?" Sora asked as he scanned the menu.
"Been here a few times, don't go out a lot." He shrugged.
The waitress approached before Sora could comment. She was a petite woman with greens eyes and blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun. Coming up to the table she stared at Riku for a long beat before glancing at Sora.
"Hi there, I'm Bridgett I'll be your server this afternoon." She greeted, as she pulled out her notebook from her apron. Her focus on Riku as she spoke. "I can put in your drink orders to give you more time with the menus."
"Sora," Riku gestured to for him to go first.
"Oh, um I'll take a peach ice tea please."
"Okay," Bridgett nodded and turned to Riku, "Let me guess, lemonade?"
"Ah, yeah. You already know my order?" Riku raised an eyebrow. He didn't come here often enough to be a regular by any means.
"I do, last time you were here I was your server." She said casually but there was a flirty tone laced with her words. Riku just stared at her, not sure what to say. She cleared her throat before speaking again, "I'll go get those drinks then." She smiled and walked off.
"She remembers you." Sora said in a tensing voice.
Riku rolled his eyes, "I'm memorable, what can I say." He was trying to play it off. He didn't want to make a big deal of it.
"I think she likes you."
"Maybe," Riku shrugged, "Do you know what you want?"
"Well, maybe you should ask her out." Sora suggested ignoring Riku's subject change. Riku shifted in his chair. He really didn't want to get into this with Sora.
"Not my type," Riku dismissed quickly, "So, what looks good to you?" He tried again to change the subject. Sora made a face but didn't press any more.
When Bridgett came back, she was still focus on Riku, not really acknowledging Sora. Riku did his best to ignore her obvious flirting, being polite but nothing more. He didn't want to give her the wrong idea, and he knew Sora was watching them interact. It felt a little unnerving. Not only did he have the waitress flirting with him, but he had Sora intently stare at him while she did it. Was he looking for a sign that Riku was enjoying the attention? That he was lying that he wasn't interested. Riku wasn't sure, but he wished Sora would stop.
At the end of the meal, after Riku paid, Bridgett returned the check for Riku to sign. She left quickly to Riku's surprise. She had been lingering the whole time they'd been there. Trying to get Riku to engage in more than friendly conversation. When Riku opened the bill book he realized why. Bridgett wrote her phone number on the receipt with a note next to it that read "call me" with a small heart next to it.
"Oh, you got her number." Sora grinned, adding a sing song tone when he said number. Riku inwardly groaned, he was hoping Sora wouldn't see, he was going to just leave the receipt. "You gonna call her?"
"Let's go home," Riku said instead, standing up.
"You aren't at least bit curious?"
"Curious?"
"Yeah, she's cute, why not go on at least one date?" Sora asked as he stood and picked up the receipt.
"I'm not interested," Riku said firmly, taking the receipt from Sora and putting it back in the bill book. He didn't want to get Bridgett's hopes up that he would call her. He closed the book and turned away from the table. "Come on, let's go home."