Curl Up

AN: Hahaha, thanks so much for the reviews. I can't wait to see where this goes as well. I'm not much for a planner, so I'm surprised whenever I finish a chapter, lawl.



In response to one comment in particular: muumuu122 : I do in fact have a ff.net account, but... this story should probably stay here >__> eheheh... Sorry.







Curl Up

--WestK



It wasn't until he had had a few drinks in him that he tried to find Sora again. He stepped away from the crowd surrounding him to go into the house where Kairi dragged him a little over an hour ago. Riku knew that asking the inebriated redhead about Sora would probably earn him a smack, so he didn't bother going into the living room. He peeked his head into the room anyway, only to see her sucking face with some tall, gangly blonde. Riku shuddered and turned quickly on his heel to rush down the hallway.



Even when he thought he was straight, he didn't like to see Kairi making out with guys. The image grossed him out.



Sora, on the other hand... With Sora, all he could think of doing was pressing his lips against the brunette's and holding them there. He would take Sora's face in his hands and feel the boy's blush on his palms. Riku wanted to savor his best friend's taste with his tongue and then do wickedly delicious things to him afterwards.



He hadn't even taken a few steps before he realized he was panting at his thoughts like some sick pervert. The images in his head made him dizzy with want, and Riku shuffled into the bathroom to at least fix his pants before someone else saw him in this state.



Unfortunately for this boy, he happened to stumble upon the one sight he did not want to be confronted with. After pushing open the door to the bathroom without knocking, he saw his heart's desire leaning over the sink, wiping water off of his face with his hands. The boy turned his head to look up at Riku, a blush on his face and his mouth slightly open. A lone drop of water seeped from the brown locks above his eyes and down his temple to his cheek as those sky-blue eyes blinked at him in the silence.



The scene before him was enough to make Riku close the door silently behind him and lock it in place. Sora's eyes went wide at the action, his mind reeling back to the encounter he had in front of Kairi's house with the boy before him. Why did Riku lock the door? Was this it?



The silver-haired teen shuffled around his best friend to sit on the closed toilet. The silence between them went on for a short while as Sora leaned against the sink, his hands on the counter behind him. It wasn't until the wetness on his cheeks dried did Riku make a move on the toilet. In a very uncharacteristic move, the elder teen reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. Riku hit he end of the box against the heel of his hand three times before he opened it and slid out a cigarette to put between his lips. Strange... Sora didn't know he smoked. He never seemed the type.



Riku lit it with a lighter he pulled from the same pocket he got the cigarette's from and took a drag. He blew out the smoke slowly, savoring how the cancer-stick burned at his lungs ever so slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his best friend slowly grow more uncomfortable with the situation he put the two of them in.



It seemed, however, that even Sora was full of surprises tonight. The boy reached over, slowly, and pulled the cigarette out from Riku's mouth to bring it to his own. Pink lips took their virgin inhale on the cylinder, and as the smoke reached his lungs, Sora coughed once. The elder teen couldn't suppress his chuckle as he took the cigarette back to take another drag. As it touched his lips, he realized it still had some of Sora's spit on it.



Mmm... yummy.



"Y'know, Riku," Sora stopped Riku's thoughts from straying any further, "I think you're my favorite person ever."



Nothing Sora had said before had made Riku blush as hard as he did in that moment. As the silver-haired teen paused in shock, the brunette reached back over to take a hold of the cigarette again. This time, he didn't choke on the smoke, but managed to take it down into his lungs without much of a problem. Silence sat between them again as they began to pass the cigarette back and forth. The room filled with a gentle fog of the smoke from the two of them, and at one point Riku got up and opened the bathroom window just to let it all out.



As he continued to flick the ashes into the sink, Riku sighed, "I'm glad we got to hang out before Kairi got you wasted."



Sora couldn't help but chuckle at his best friend's words, "You know I don't like drinking all that much. Smoking, however..."



But Riku was quick to give him a disapproving look, "Just because I do it and look cool while doing so, does not mean you can follow suit."



"Well, maybe if I'm constantly around you from now on, I can get my fix." A grin lit up the younger's face, making him look once again his age.



It had been hard to see him alone in that cave. Although Sora was dancing in the Secret Place, he still had a look of longing and loneliness that did not suit him in the slightest. Riku did not want to say anything about it, but it broke his heart to see his friend like that. Even as the smile slowly faded to just a simple look of content, the elder boy wanted to make his friend happier than ever.



It was then that Riku probably made his decision. He got up and opened the toilet to throw the butt in it and avoid making more of a mess. He rose his head and stood at his full height, looking down at a very confused Sora with a strange look in his eye. A warm hand reached out and rested on the younger boy's shoulder as a blush instantly leapt to said boy's cheeks. He leaned in slowly, his breath grazing at Sora's lips before he smirked and looked into the boy's eyes.



"What are you thinking at this very moment?" His voice sounded strangely husky to Sora, who had never heard someone speak like that. The tone had him hypnotized.



"H-Honestly?" Sora couldn't stop his voice from shaking ever so slightly, "I'm wondering... what you're thinking." The brunette closed his eyes, ready for what he thought was coming next.



At this sudden invitation, Riku hesitated, biting at his own lip and trying to decide if this was right to do or not. He inhaled shakily, "I've wanted to have you for myself for a long time now." The boy whispered, sure that Sora heard every word, "But for some reason this doesn't feel right." The hand on his friend's shoulder left to press to his own forehead, "I'm not in the right state of mind for this. I've had too much to drink." He took a look at his friend, who's face was full of confusion, before commanding, "Go."



"But... wait. I don't understand." Sora's face twisted to a look of sheer pain and anguish. Had he not also wanted this for a long time? Why the hesitation? Why wait any longer?



"I said go!" Riku growled, his voice rising in volume so quickly that Sora jumped back and fumbled for the doorknob.



As he darted out the door, he caught sight of his best friend hunched over the sink, looking like he wanted to hurt someone very badly. His chest felt like it was collapsing into itself and ripping apart at the same time. Sora couldn't breathe as he rushed through the hallway, his face pale. He went right past everyone, even Kairi, who asked him if he was all right. Out the door he ran, and then straight home, leaving the party and his friends to figure out what had happened.



Leaving Riku in the bathroom wondering, "What have I done?"







A week would go by before anyone heard from or saw Sora. His embarrassment prohibited him from stepping outside, even from telling his parents what was going on. The only one who knew differently was Riku, and even when asked he seemed to just skip over the subject. Kairi had already ripped him a new one the day after the party when she found herself again. She reminded him again and again what he already knew: he had broken Sora once before and it was not hard to do so again.



The silver-haired teen found himself going back to the island himself one day. He sat perched on the paopu tree, reflecting on where he had gone wrong with most of his life. First he followed the darkness, then betrayed his friends, then fell to that man's evil schemes...



The boy shuddered. Remembering Ansem always brought back more than painful memories. Although it was probably due to that man that Riku found out he was a homosexual, he still hated him for it. That man used his body for his own dark purposes, and made sure Riku knew that on more than one occasion. Sometimes, when he let his mind wander far enough, he could still feel those lecherous hands on his body, and those thoughts made him feel dirtier than the streets of Traverse Town themselves. He wrapped two pale arms around himself and let his gaze fall to the ocean below.



The ocean made him think of Sora's eyes. They were a delicate, perfect combination of sea and sky, which was probably why his parents had named him Sora in the first place. Thoughts of that boy, in comparison to thoughts of that man, were much gentler. Riku felt that if he had his best friend as his lover he could erase the feelings Ansem had left behind. If he was truly loved and not just used for his body, maybe he could be free from feeling that man on him again.



As if to escape any more of these thoughts, Riku pushed his legs against the sacred tree and plunged himself headfirst into the sea. The refreshing water made him feel much better, even though he was soaking his clothes through. At least this was one way to escape what he had done, what he had to go through to save everyone.



It suddenly dawned on him: where had their adventure taken him specifically?



Surfacing from his swim, Riku made his way to the beach. He should have taken his shoes off before jumping in, but he wasn't thinking. When he made it to shore, he plopped down and began to untie the laces. Mid-untie, he noticed someone out of the corner of his eye. He turned quickly enough to see a tanned body run behind the huge tree in the middle of the island. Was that? No, it couldn't be. But he had to go see.



The boy took off both his shoes and made his way to where the stranger had gone. "Sora?" He called, and was answered by rustling in the bushes.



Riku made a face. He didn't want to chase the boy into the woods only to be turned down by his sour attitude. If Sora was going to run away, then he would let him. The elder boy went back to the beach to enjoy the sun a little longer. He sat back down next to his shoes and watched the waves wash up and down the shoreline. After a short while, he started drawing things into the wet sand with a stick that washed up beside him.



"Nice drawing." A voice said, which made Riku jump and call out in surprise.



He looked over his shoulder to see Kairi there, "Jeez, Kai. You scared me half to death." Something dawned on him then, "Wait, why are you here? You don't normally like to come to the island anymore."



The girl rolled her eyes and looked back to the woods before seating herself next to Riku, "I followed our good friend here." Her head nodded to the woods to indicate that indeed, someone was there.



Riku smirked, "So, he was here. I thought I was going bananas for a minute back there."



"No, you know him. He can't stay away from this place, even for a day." She drew a heart in the sand next to Riku's drawings.



He watched her finger moving before he caught onto her train of thought. Realization struck him like lightening, "Ahaaa, so he has been coming here." A grin broke out on his face, "I didn't think he'd start doing that again. Good to know though."



Kairi also smiled, but smacked her friend on the shoulder, "Don't harass him here. If he wants to talk to you about what happened, then he'll come to you. Trust me. I'm more observant than you."



Riku chuckled, but stood up to dust off the sand, "Thanks for the advice, oh wise one." He extended a hand to her to help her get up as well, and she took it.



They started walking back to the boats together, smiling despite the fact that their friend was struggling at that moment. They had some hope for the future, even if things were a bit rocky at the current moment. Riku helped her get into her boat before settling down into his own. As he looked out at the sea, a thought dawned on him. Perhaps Kairi could help him out with this question as well.



"Hey, princess." He called to her, only to have her pout in his direction. Riku ignore the expression on her face, "Do you speak to Namine on a regular basis?"



Kairi made a different face, one of confusion this time, "Not every day. She comments on how Sora acts, but she doesn't like... show up in my room or anything." A blush blossomed on her cheeks, "Mostly, I see her in my mirror. Sometimes she helps me with my wardrobe."



The redhead left their conversation at that. To avoid more embarrassment, it seemed, she quickly began paddling for the mainland ahead of Riku. He followed after, but paused midway and looked back to see a lone figure standing next to the paopu tree, looking up at it. The boy grimaced at the sight, but paddled all the way back to shore without looking back at Sora's lonely face.







'Clinging to the remnants of perfection like most do after they break it. Not knowing which direction's the correct one: Do I discard or remake it?'



He wasn't in the mood for dancing today. Instead, sitting on the floor of the secret place, he stared up at the hole in the ceiling, remembering how Riku had spoken to him in this same spot. He shuffled his knees up to his chin and stared at the pictures on the walls instead of the hole in the ceiling. How long ago was it since they drew on these very walls? Sora felt like it as ages since.



He didn't even want to think how long it would be until he felt like himself again. Or what Roxas would say at this moment.



What would Roxas say?



"It's my own damn fault." Sora muttered to himself, "That's what he would say."



The brunette shook his head as he stood and dusted the dirt off his butt. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of chalk. Moving to the nearest wall, he began drawing whatever was on his mind, letting the music fade into the distance.







Cause if I'm restless then why do I, I want nothing but to rest my soul.