Accidental Infatuation

Accidental Infatuation
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Chapter Twenty Two

This chapter is dedicated to Pahoyhoy, cause for the first time ever, she beta’d this when I was sitting right beside her! I know, awesome right? Hehehe, so any mistakes are to be blamed on me, because apparently I kept distracting her, lol.
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I have absolutely no idea how to handle this information. My brain suddenly wakes up from its shock induced paralysis and I instantly realize that if I don’t start moving soon, I am going to get caught here and that is the last thing that I want. I force myself to reach back down and grab a hold of the wheel of my chair, moving myself down the corridor quickly, my mind going into hyper overdrive, trying to process this new information. I know what I heard. That was definitely Sephiroth talking, and he was almost certainly talking about the gap in his and Riku’s relationship. Whoever it was that he had been talking to had definitely called him ‘lover’. In so many ways, that is so wrong. I just can’t seem to picture him in a relationship with anyone what so ever.

I make it to my room in record time, pushing the door open in front of me and enter quickly, unsurprised to see Riku stretched out on my bed, his eyes closed as his chest moves in a steady rhythm telling me that he isn’t any more pain right now, something that I am so grateful for. Rolling over to the bed, carefully I lift one hand up and gently place it along his pale cheek, hoping that he hasn’t fallen into too deep of a sleep. I’m not sure if that is the best thing for him right now. That was a pretty powerful headache there, and I just hope that it isn’t the sign of something more serious to come.

“Sora?” he groans, and I can instantly hear the tiredness in his voice.

“Yeah, sorry it took me so long. Did you want me to lay down with you for a bit?” I ask, hoping that I don’t sound too eager or desperate. In that moment, I notice that he is now just wearing a pair of shorts and a plain white t-shirt, and I’m kind of glad that he had thought enough to get changed out of his swimsuit before getting into my bed. I’m also happy that he thought to bring some clothes to keep here when he and Sephiroth started fighting.

“That might be nice.” Through his tiredness, I can’t help but blush at the small smile that he gives to me.

“I’m just going to get into some dry clothes,” I tell him before going as fast as I can over to my dresser and pull out a clean shirt that I’m not sure if it belongs to me or Roxy, and a pair of sleep pants. I wonder if Riku would notice if I don’t put on boxers? Feeling just a little bit daring, I decide against underwear, once again thankful that Riku is unable to see the fierce blush that has spread over my heated cheeks.

“I hung my suit up on your sink,” my boyfriend says, and for no particular reason, I find myself smiling at the comment. Man, I’m so retarded for getting so giddy over something as trivial as this.

“Thanks. That’s fine,” I answer, rolling into the confined bathroom. “I’ll be right out.” Getting a hum of acknowledgement from him, I close the door behind me, before changing out of my own swim suit and using a towel to dry my hair off as much as possible, not caring enough to attempt to form it into any form of style. It can just be as is for now. It takes me a little longer than usual to change, mostly because I am far to excited for my own good. My own bathing suit soon joins Riku’s in the sink, my towels going into the hamper. I get my new, dry clothes on shortly following that, and I can’t help but notice my cheeks still blushing as I get my pants pulled up over my lack of undergarments. I’m so pathetic.

A final thought makes me brush teeth before returning to my bedroom. It never hurts to meet your boyfriend with a hint of minty freshness. I finally open the door and wheel myself back over to my bedside. “How’s your head feeling?” I whisper, not sure if h is asleep or not. My boyfriend is in the same position as before and his breathing is just as even, but I want to know if he has had another headache, or if it really was just a one time thing. I need to know.

But to my slight relief, Riku’s face automatically turns towards my voice. I still don’t know if it is such a good idea to let him go to sleep so soon after such a severe attack of whatever that was. And I can think of a few ways to help keep him awake, many of which should be entertaining for me as well. “Better. I really have no idea what happened in there. All I know is that I have never had anything like that happen before.”

“Help me up please?” I ask, and in only a few moments, Riku and I have me up on the bed with him, almost as efficiently as Roxy and I do. “Maybe we can hope it really is only a one time thing then. Are you going to tell Dr. Vexen about it?” as I get positioned, lying fully out on the bed along Riku’s taller body, I can’t help the concern that seeps its way into my voice.

Riku’s arms instantly wrap around me and pull me close to his body, and I feel myself erupting into my crimson blush once more at his proximity. His natural scent is slightly muted by the chlorine that still clings to the both of us, though I am still able to make it out. “I’m sure that Axel or Kairi have gone to get Dem or Dr. Vexen. So, don’t be surprised if one of them comes here looking for me.

I pause momentarily as I run my hand up and down his bare arm. “Has Dr. Vexen been able to talk to him at all?” I know that my question is one that Riku doesn’t want to hear, and I expectedly feel him tense up beneath my touch.

“I’m not sure. It’s not like Seph is the most talkative person anyway, especially when it comes to feelings, or even more so if it comes to me.” His arm around me tightens considerably, and I don’t say a word, hoping that this time, Riku is finally going to open up to me about everything. So many times we have started talking about this, but he always ends up clamming up and we end up abandoning the subject.

“But what about fencing? Has he put a stop to it, or said anything to him?” I tentatively ask, unsure of how he is going to take it.

Riku lets out a deep sigh, and I get the feeling that this is the end of the conversation. “Sora, I don’t know what to do anymore. I mean, I’ve tried everything. And it just always seems that the distance between us keeps growing even more. How do you stay so close to Cloud? I mean, you guys are what, eleven years apart? I need advice.” With that statement, Riku suddenly buries his face into my hair, holding my so tightly. I don’t really know what to do. I left one hand up and bury it in the damp silver strands, holding him just as tightly to me, and it doesn’t surprise me in the least when I hear and feel his breath hitch. I can’t blame him if he wants to cry this all out. I really can’t. I know that I would want to cry too if it was happening to me.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Riku. I really don’t.” I whisper, trying to hide the fact that tears of my own are building up in the corners of my eyes and threatening to fall. How on earth could I tell him something like I think that his brother, who is the source of these tears, might be in a relationship that he has obviously kept a secret? Riku doesn’t need any more stress right now, just support, and that and my love is going to be all I give him.

Eventually my eyes slide close as we just lay there, holding each other, Riku pouring every emotion that he has into a select few tears. I say nothing other than the occasional whispered comfort, or telling him that I’m there for him. By the time that his emotional outpouring is done, his breathing has steadied out to a smooth rhythm, and I get the feeling that he has fallen asleep. Obviously it is something that he needs. And it doesn’t take me long to join him in his slumber. There is just something about being held like this that has lulled me into this tired state.

“Sora? Riku? Are you guys awake?” there is a loud pounding that follows the words, and I groan lightly as I am ripped from my quiet, peaceful nap. My disappointment is echoed by my boyfriend as he reaches up and rubs his eyes.

“I’m going to kill him.” Riku grumbles, and just from the tone of his voice, I can tell that he has a slight headache again, but nothing as serious as before, and that that short power nap has done nothing to help his exhaustion. Maybe he isn’t getting nearly as much sleep as I though he was getting lately. I wonder how much begging it will take to get Roxy to spend the night somewhere else, maybe at Axel’s? Then maybe I can keep an eye on Riku and make sure he gets a good night's sleep.

“Come on in, Dem,” I tell the annoying voice that had interrupted our nap. Riku just snuggles in closer to my body, using me as a pillow as I watch those gorgeous eyes slid closed once more, and I can’t help but laugh lightly as he tries to recapture those fleeting moments of serenity that we had before Demyx decided to wake us up. I take a quick glance over to my bedside clock, noticing that we had only been asleep for maybe 20 minutes. Not nearly long enough. Looking down to the foot of the bed towards the door, I can’t help but blush when I notice that sometime during our little power snooze, Riku had slung his leg up and over mine. Not that I’m complaining.

My door is pushed open and it doesn’t surprise me when Demyx just kind of pokes his head around the frame as if he is afraid of what he might find. “Is everything alright in here?” his question is tentative, and once again I am reminded of just how close we have all become here.

“It was just great until you woke me up,” my boyfriend’s voice is still grumbling and slightly muffled from where he has buried his face into my hair, hiding his face from his friend. If there is one thing I have discovered about my boyfriend, it’s that he can be a cranky bitch when he first wakes up.

Laughing lightly as if this is a normal thing, Demyx takes that as an invitation to enter fully into my room, taking a seat in my wheelchair. “Actually, Dad doesn’t want you sleeping for about another hour. So he’s going to be here in about 20 minutes to check you out to see if he can figure out why you got such an intense headache in the pool.”

“Man, how fast does information travel in this place?” I question with my own light laugh, trying to pull myself up into a sitting position, a task that is easier said than done with Riku still clinging tightly to my side and showing no signs of letting go anytime soon. Thankfully though, as soon as Demyx had started to make his way into the room, my boyfriend had thought it might have been a good idea to take his leg off of mine. Though, I do kind of wish that he would have left it there. Maybe it would have given Demyx a hint as to what we were doing and he would leave us alone. However, Demyx might be a tad too clueless to notice something like that.

“Kairi, Axel and Roxas came to find Dad as soon as you left and I was there. So he sent me while he gets a few things ready. What exactly happened? They were a little sparse on details.” Using one crutch like a paddle, Demyx rolls himself in my chair over closer to the bed. Riku groans before finally releasing the grip that he had on me and sitting up a bit, pulling me up with him into a comfortable position. I guess our nap time has been postponed. At least that will give me some time to come up with excuses as to why Roxy needs to send the night elsewhere without that perverted and corrupted mind of his thinking completely untrue things about why. Well, partially untrue things I hope.

“It was just a really powerful headache. Almost a migraine of sorts. It just kind of hit me instantly, lasted for a few minutes then disappeared just as quickly as it came on. It really is no big deal.” I feel Riku shrug as he wraps his arms around me, and I can’t help but bite down on my lower lip with worry. I know that something like this has never happened to him before, and that thought frightens me. Though, I’m sure that Dr. Vexen will do everything possible to try and help my boyfriend.

“So, do you still have a headache now?” I feel Riku tense at the question, and I wonder why he doesn’t want to answer that question. Maybe he just doesn’t want to panic anyone or have to go through any sort of major testing.

“A little bit of one, but its nothing out of the ordinary. You know that I get headaches all of the time, and its just a normal one of those ones. Not even serious enough to take anything for it.” Gently, I rub my hand up and down his thigh, hoping that he gets the message of how much I care for him. I really am still nervous about telling him how I truly feel, after all, this is the first time that I have ever been in love, and I want to be sure that he does actually care about me, and isn’t in this just to give being bi a spin. My biggest fear is that he will reject me for becoming too attached. I don’t think that he would ever do anything like that, but I do have an overactive imagination and always tend to think of the worse case scenario.

“Sora?” Riku’s voice breaks through my thoughts, causing my head to snap upwards towards his voice.

“Hmmm?” I ask, shaking my head to bring myself back to reality. I’m reminded once more of Demyx‘s presence in my room with us when I hear him burst into laughter. Turning so that I am now looking over at him, I send the blond a playful glare.

“How was your trip to lala land?” Dem questions in a jovial voice, an amused gleam shining in his expressive eyes and a large grin plastered on his face.

Its now my turn to shrug. “Okay, I guess. Except, I didn’t get the window seat, I’ve already seen the movie and my peanuts were stale.” It takes almost all my will power to not laugh as I’m saying this and keep a straight face. I bet he wasn’t expecting that.

Behind me, Riku isn’t nearly that subtle about hiding his amusement as he chuckles loudly, burying his face back into my hair to try and subdue it as Demyx gets a completely dumbfounded look on his face. Doing a great impression of a fish gasping for air, it is humorous as he can’t come up with a suitable retort. “Sora, you’re such a dork,” he finally comes up with, laughing at both me and his own inability to come up with a response. We all laugh at the statement and once again I feel Riku’s arms squeeze me tightly for a few moments. Man, I love being held like this.

“My dork,” Riku whispers possessively into my hair, obviously something that he only wants me to hear, and despite the fact that some people might find it offensive, I find it very endearing and adorable and can’t help but blush and let out a single breathless chuckle.

“Please don’t start making out. I’m still in the room, remember?” Demyx laughs, lifting his crutch once more and poking me in the side with it.

“Ow,” I laugh, pushing the crutch away and back towards him. We are all laughing loudly and we almost don’t hear the knocking at my door. “Come in!” I call, trying to hide my laughter as all three of us attempt to settle down, though the odd laugh escapes once of us frequently as Dr. Vexen walks into my room, his face set in a very neutral line. I am a little embarrassed that Riku still has his arms wrapped around me in what can only be a more than friendly embrace, but I know that Dr. Vexen knows about us and is alright with it. Though it is still a little awkward to be found in such a position.

“Hey, Dad. His speech and reaction times all seem to be normal, and he only has a minor headache now,” Demyx tells his father, pushing himself out of my chair and balances on his crutches in front of my bed. I hadn’t even realized that Demyx had been observing that sort of thing, but I guess that that is a good thing. You probably get more accurate results if the person you are watching isn’t aware that they are being watched.

Dr. Vexen nods to his son, and then pulls the bright orange plastic chair over from the foot of the bed and places it next to my wheelchair before taking a seat. “Thank you, Demyx. Do you mind leaving us alone for a while?” I swallow hard at the tone of the doctor’s voice, and for a split second, I consider leaving myself, buy the sudden tightening of arms around me tells me that Riku knows what I am thinking and is against it.

“Sure thing, Dad. Zexy and I are going to the movies tonight anyway. I have to go and pull him out of the basement about now. I’ll probably be a little bit late.” At his father’s nod, Demyx smiles brightly before turning towards Riku and I. “See you two a little later.” We both offer a few parting words before looking back over to the seated doctor. Why am I so nervous all of a sudden?

“You enjoy keeping things lively around here, don’t you, Riku?” there is a slightly humorous tone in Dr. Vexen’s voice and I can’t help but wonder if he means it truthfully or if he is trying to make us feel more comfortable. And I’m not sure which I’d rather it be.

“Someone has to.” Smirks my boyfriend before letting go of me and propping me up against the wall so that I am able to stay upright on my own and so that he is can move freely to the edge of the bed to be closer to Dr. Vexen as he begins to do a minor check up on Riku. First thing that he does completely surprises me though as he pulls out his little pen light and clicks it on.

“Right eye first, Riku,” the doctor tells him, shining the small light in my boyfriend’s eye, telling him all kinds of directions to follow. I stay silent as this all goes on, and it isn’t until after Dr. Vexen tells him that its time that it’s time for the left eye and repeats his directions on that side that he finally turns off the tiny little light. “I’m going to do a cranial exam now, alright?”

“Don’t mess up my hair.” I assume that this banter is a normal thing for them, as the blond doctor smiles briefly. Besides, it’s not like his hair is styled right now or anything. It’s still damp from the pool and kind of going every which way now from our short nap. I watch with rapt interest as Riku leans forward to allow the doctor to move his hands over the silky silver strands that I love touching. The entire time, Dr. Vexen keeps asking my boyfriend questions about the brief spell that he had, like how powerful it was on a scale of one to ten, and where it had felt like it had originated from and other things like that. I remain silent as the doctor finally releases Riku’s head and begins to write a few things down on that ever present clipboard of his. Next is heart rate, blood pressure and all those other vitals that I’m used to now.

“I see no abnormalities or obvious cases. Demyx mentioned that you still have a slight headache now?” Riku nods to the question when the Doctor is finally done prodding him.

“Yeah, but it is nothing like the one I had earlier.” At the end of the sentence, his words are punctuated by a yawn that causes me to chuckle slightly. I didn’t realize how much Riku needs the good night’s sleep he has been deprived of recently.

“I’m going to give you a single dose of painkillers then, and there should be enough sleeping aid in these ones to ensure that you have a good nights rest. The best that I can say is that it was just an odd form of migraine that you experienced, but unless it happens again, I don’t think that there is too much that we can do for it,” the blond doctor tells us, reaching down into his bag and pulling a small bottle of pills. Hearing the pulls rattling, Riku holds out a hand as Dr. Vexen shakes two capsules out. “Those will take about half an hour to completely kick in, so take them just before you’re ready to go to sleep.”

“Is there any reason as to why this might have happened?” I question, speaking up for the first time since the doctor came in, causing both Dr. Vexen and my boyfriend to look at me.

“Most likely it was a combination of things. But high on that list is the lack of proper sleep that you’ve been getting and also the stress,” he answers, sliding his clip board back into his bag and standing up before moving the plastic chair back over to its proper spot.

“Stress?” Riku develops a strange look on his face, and it almost is as if he doesn’t understand why the doctor is saying that.

Dr. Vexen just nods. “Of course. With all this going on with Sephiroth, it is putting you under an unbelievable amount of mental stress, Riku. Before you ask, yes I am going to tell him about all of this.” When Riku’s head snaps up for what I’m sure will be an angry protest, the doctor just lifts a hand, effectively stopping my boyfriend’s comments somehow. “No, Riku. You are still a minor and brother or not, he is your legal guardian. I understand that you want as little to with him at the moment, but he has the right to know. So I will be informing him of all of this. End of discussion.”

Huffing out in annoyance, I can’t help but feel sorry for my boyfriend. “Wanting nothing to do with him is an understatement,” he grumbles quietly, but I know that Dr. Vexen heard him.

Letting out his own sigh, Dr, Vexen lifts one hand to massage his brow. “I don’t agree with his methods any more than you do. But he is still your brother, and you two need to work this out. It has gone on long enough.” With that said, the doctor sends Riku a look that I know means that the discussion about all this is finished, and from the way that Riku tenses, I know that he felt it too even without seeing it. “Now, I suggest going somewhere you can get a good night's sleep tonight. This means that our couch probably isn’t the best place for you to stay this evening. I would suggest your own bed, but I’m sure that that won’t happen. So I trust you to find somewhere. Not that you won’t be welcome at our place, but I just don’t think that it would be the most comfortable place for you.”

“Don’t worry, Dr. Vexen, we’ll find some place,” I assure him, reaching forward and placing one hand on Riku’s shoulder and squeezing tightly to show him my support.

“Thank you, Sora. And if you have any more of these headaches, I would like to know about it right away.” Not bothering with any parting words, Dr. Vexen only nods in my direction before exiting my room and closing the door behind him.

Letting out a loud and frustrated sigh, Riku flops down to one side, effectively landing his head only inches from my knees. “Today just isn’t my day.” He whispers, before slinging one long arm over my legs, turning his face up towards me. Reaching down, I place one hand on top of his head, rubbing it out of compassion, and also partly because I just want to finger his still damp hair. But obviously, Riku thinks I’m doing it for another reason, and I’m surprised to hear him let out a light moan. “You have a million years to stop doing that. It feels incredible, Sor. Keep going.” I laugh a little at the wanton tone of his voice as I continue to massage his scalp, glad that I am able to bring him at least a little relief.

“So, about tonight…” I trail off, suddenly feeling a little bit nervous as Riku shifts so that his head is resting a little further up on my legs, very similar to the position that we have been in many a time out in the gardens, except with our rolls reversed.

“Ugh, I have no idea where I’m going to go,” the voice holds just a little bit of contempt, but I know that it isn’t directed towards me. As usual, it is mostly aimed at his brother, though I’m sure that some of it is for Dr. Vexen. “There is no way that I’m spending the entire nigh at my apartment if he is going to be there.”

Swallowing the lump of nerves that has suddenly found its way into my throat, I momentarily pause my cranial massage, leaving my hands in position that I can start up once again. “What about here?” I suggest timidly, somewhat afraid of his response. I mean, he could laugh at me for such a radical suggestion or outright refuse, or dump me on the spot. And those are just a few of the worse case scenarios that my mind has come up with. I have no idea why my thoughts are always so negative, but it is something that I have come to accept.

“Here?” repeats Riku, sitting up, causing my hands to slide out of his hair. Turning so that he is facing me completely, I can’t help but pout a little as I see a look of disbelief on his face. I should have known not to ask for something so ridiculous from him. “What about Roxas? Where is he going to stay?” When I hear my boyfriend mention my brother’s name, a sensation of anxiousness washes over me. Does a question like that mean that he is trying to come up with an excuse not to stay? Or that he is seriously considering it?

Trying to will the pestering blush away from my cheeks, I still feel the burn, so I know that I am not succeeding. “I’m sure that he would be more than happy to stay at Axel’s tonight,” I respond, hopefully not too quickly in fear of sounding desperate or pathetic. Moving so that he is sitting next to me, I lean into him as a long arm wraps its way around my shoulder.

Pausing to think it over, I am left hanging in suspense as he gets the most adorable pensive look on his features. Why is he doing this to me? “Of course I will stay here with you, love,” his whispered words cause me to stiffen up in his arms. Had I just heard right? Or is my mind playing tricks on me. Did he really just call me…?

“Riku…” I trail of, surprised when I hear a thickness to my own voice. As best as I can, I fling myself around so that we are pressed chest to chest, my boyfriend’s arms wrapping around me as it is my turn to let a few tears fall from my eyes and into his shirt. Though, my tears are of pure happiness. “I love you,” I whisper.

Squeezing his arms around me tightly, I blush when I feel him press a kiss to the top of my head. “I love you too, Sora,” his voice is just as quiet as my own, and something about those powerful words send warmth radiating through my entire body. I reach one hand up and press it against his flushed cheek. The move is just enough for me to be able to press my lips against his in a slow and meaningful kiss.

I never knew how much it would mean to say those words and have them said in return. I mean, I have said it to my family, but I never thought that I would find someone I cared for so strongly to say them to so soon. But I know that this is the real thing. When we finally part, I can’t help but smile again for no reason as I lay my head on his shoulder, relishing in the feeling of being this close to Riku, and the warmth that is just radiating off of him. I really need him in my life right now.

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Whoot whoot whoot! I updated and it wasn’t a million years! And this chapter is oh, so special because it is being posted when Pahoyhoy is up visiting me :D Horray! So I hope that everyone is still enjoying this story, and thank you to everyone for the wonderful reviews, favs and all that fun stuff! And so sorry, but we are gonna have to wait for at least another chapter to find out who is gonna be Seph’s lover, so everyone, keep voting!

Anyhoo, I’m gonna go back to entertaining Pahoyhoy, so I hope everyone liked this and until next time!