The Journey or The Destination?

-



For the third time in the last five minutes, Riku Darkwater looked into the rear view of his Cavilier, prepping. Again his saw nothing wrong with his appearance but still he couldn’t bring himself to get out of the sleek black car.



He leaned back in the driver’s seat heaving a sigh and dragging a hand down his face. It wasn’t like this was a first date… But it was his first time back to Transverse Town in three years. Completely different story.



He looked back to the large two-story house across the street, looking almost the exact same, but how much had the people inside changed? It’s not like they haven’t spoken for three years, they just haven’t seen each other face to face. The platinum haired boy was anxious to see how Kairi and Sora had changed, how they had grown.



Taking in one last deep breath, he finally pulled himself out of the car but paused with the door open. Shaking his head, he closed it. He must have looked like some kind of idiot. It was Kairi, Sora…



As Riku walked across the street and up the driveway he found himself counting the steps. Call it a nervous tick, but it almost seemed to keep him from running back to the car. Standing in front of the door he scratched the back of his head vigorously, mentally scolding his behaviour.



This was Riku! The shining beacon of confidence! There was no room for error, no room for doubt and stupid second thoughts. There was only now, not the future or the past, but the present! Yea, that was it. Confidence.



Raising his fist, Riku rapped loudly on the door, squared his shoulders and waited. Although curious of the muffled yelling behind the door he kept his face calm and collected but despite his efforts he almost jumped when he heard a voice behind the door as it opened.



“And I thought I was late, what happened to-”



Instantly Riku locked his eyes onto the round deep blue ones in front of him, if not lower. Though they were the exact same hue, something seemed off about them. There was a slightly sober sheen to them, rather than the idiotically bright child like gleam. Sora’s face sure slimmed down while he gone too, so did his bottom lips and did his nose always have that slight up turn to it? Not only that, he cut his hair and it was…



“Blonde.”



“B-beg pardon?” His voice changed a bit too. Puberty did wonders, didn’t it?



“Who’s at the door?” He heard Kairi call, silently hoping she hadn’t gone under such a drastic change as Sora had. When did the boy get so quiet anyway?



Quick thudding footsteps approached the door and a bright rose coloured head of hair poked out from behind the spiky blonde head. Her mouth had opened for a moment to say something but it was instantly forgotten as her lavender eyes flared with surprised excitement.



“You’re here!” She cried, shoving a large glass bowl into Sora’s arms and literally glomping Riku, “Holy shit you got tall!”



“Kairi!” The sliver haired boy laughed out and wrapped his arms around her thin frame, twirling around once before setting her back onto the ground again. She held on a bit longer before pulling away.



“Wow,” She said, looking him up and down, “You’ve changed. You look all mature.”



Riku rolled his eyes skyward, “Like I never was.”



“You never were,” Kairi said, socking him playfully in the arm, “And you’re early! This was supposed to be a surprise for Sora!”



“I think I beat you to it, eh buddy?” He leaned to look around Kairi, addressing Sora who stood there holding the glass bowl crooked in his arms looking lost.



“Huh?” He asked, blinking at Riku. Did he bang his head real hard or something?



“What?” Kairi looked behind her at ‘Sora’ then back to Riku. She did once more before it dawned on her and she burst into laughter.



The taller boy cocked a brow, obviously missing something, “…What?”



The redhead took a few moments to compose her self, cleared her throat and moved to throw an arm around the blonde, “Riku, meet Roxas. Roxas, Riku.”



“H-hi.” Roxas said, moving the bowl under one arm to outstretch his hand stiffly. Riku gawked disbelievingly.



“You mean- He’s Not-?” He stammered, pointing at this Roxas person like he’d just torn of his face.



“Nope,” Kairi said, trying hard not to laugh at her old friend’s expression. So much for confidence. Riku ran a hand down his face, his hand stopping to scratch his chin before reaching his hand out to pump Roxas’ in greeting.



“Great for a first impression eh?” Riku joked and for some reason felt a guilty pleasure in how a small blush came across the other’s face.



“Yea,” He replied, taking his hand back.



“So where is the real Sora?” Riku asked, turning back to Kairi.



“Inside,” She said, somewhat bemused, “Might as well see him now since you ruined the whole surprise angle.”



“You’re happy I’m here and we both know it,” Riku replied confidently, but inside he was all nerves, twitching and going into an erratic rhythm. To everyone else his meeting with Sora would be a reunion but for him, it was a moment of truth.



-



So this was Riku? The tall mature person Roxas met at the door was nothing he had expected. Sure he recognised the unusual hair colour and turquoise eyes from the many pictures Sora had shown him from time to time but this was much different.



He was expecting someone more childish and outgoing like Sora and Kairi, all bright eyes and smiles, not this silent vision of confidence and maturity. Certainly not some one with such broad shoulders and impressive height or so handsome…



Roxas shook his head abruptly, feeling his cheeks warm. What was he doing? He was zoning out so much he didn’t even notice that Kairi and Riku were done talking and going inside, while he was still standing with the grand glass bowl under his arm. He silently followed.



Walking into the house again he made a beeline for the kitchen to put the bowl safely onto a counter top. Once he had done so, he stood there for a moment to calm himself… Although he couldn’t grasp why he felt a small part of him felt giddy. Again he shook his head and walked into the living room where Kairi was introducing Riku to Wakka.



“Blitzball eh?” Riku was asking wakka, standing with one thumb hooked onto a loop of his black slacks. He noticed it was bandaged.



“Yep, our team has been the nation’s champion three years running.” The tanned boy said, glowing with pride, “And we’ll be getting again this year.”



“Good luck to you then,” The other replied, “Can’t wait to see you’re next match.”



“What’s taking Sora?” Kairi asked out of the blue, giving a slight huff and crossing her arms impatiently.



“Maybe he got lost?” Roxas commented, looking to the flight of stairs.



“Wouldn’t put it past him, that guy was always getting into trouble,” Riku said amused, following the blonde’s eyes.



Just as the words left his mouth a red, black and brown blur came down the railing of the stairs with a loud whoop and ending with a thud at the foot of the stairs.



“Man that never gets old!” Sora laughed straightening himself from his landing. Turning to face the group with a grin, his eyes were full of mirth but then blanked at the sight of the tall silver haired boy in the room.



Silence fell like a bag of bricks over the room.



Beside Riku, Roxas saw how his body seemed to tense up out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over to see the broad shoulders were no longer in calm relaxed slopes but rectangular with his back. Looking back to Sora for some reaction but he didn’t give much change, standing stalk still at the foot of the stairs.



“Hey Sora.” Riku said but it sounded much too mechanical. The silence stretched for a few more moments until Sora responded.



“R-Riku?” Roxas was taken aback by the quiver in the usually cheerful and ecstatic voice. Why wasn’t Sora jumping off the wall or running up to his old friend? The whole situation was the complete opposite of what Roxas had expected.



“Yea.” Was the stiff reply. When did this get so awkward?



The silence was then broken by a loud wet sniffle from the brunette, his round eyes now puckered. The rich blue slits that showed between his lids were intensified by the tears that welled up and over, rolling down his cheeks.



“You’re back!” Sora cried out, running head long into Riku’s chest, making the taller boy give a soft ‘oof’. The soft sniffles and a muffled hiccup came from the spiky head as it nuzzled into the dark blue button down.



All eyes were on the two of them, Riku looking shocked and confused but he then gave a soft chuckle and rested a hand on his friend’s head.



“Hey doofus,” He chuckled, “Miss me?”



Though the words were said warmly, Sora lifted his head a glared at Riku, bottom lip still shaking, “You idiot! Of course I did!”



Roxas watched the display of affection in front of him and for a second he felt a small, almost unnoticeable tinge in his chest. It didn’t feel like it was a warm one either…



“Oh you guys!” Kairi said, coming up to the two of them and rubbing one of her eyes, “You’ll get me going if you keep going like that.”



“Sorry Kairi,” Sora said bashfully, pulling away from Riku looking embarrassed. He then turned back to the other boy, eyes drying, “How long are you in town for?”



Riku folded his arms and looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, “Hmm... indefinitely?”



“Well we’ll have to cram as much fun as-“ Sora stopped short and gawked at Riku, “What?”



The thoughtful face then split in a grin, sea foam eyes glittering in amusement.



“Oh my God!” Kairi yelled, hurting Roxas’ ears, “Are you moving back!?”



Riku shrugged, “Already did.”



“You just- When did you- How did you-“ From what Roxas could tell, Sora’s brain just short-circuited, his mouth gaping and his eyes wide.



“I told you I graduated, remember?” Riku said, looking down at Sora, “Well, I decided to move back home. I start my new job in September.”



“You didn’t even tell us!” Kairi said, though it was said in excitement, and grabbed his arm, shaking his for all his was worth.



Taking back his arm, Riku laughed loudly, “Thought I’d surprise you guys.” He said with a wink.



“This-This is awesome!” Sora cried, hugging Riku around the middle while jumping up and down, jerking his friend’s waist.



“Hey, hey. You’re gonna knock him over if you keep going like that, ya.” Wakka said, standing to the side with one brawny arm on his hip and an amused expression.



The brunette just kept smiling but pulled away, “I’m going to drink you under the table Riku!”



“Oh really?” Riku taunted, “What makes you think that?”



“I just know.” Sora nodded enthusiastically before turning to Roxas, “You should join us Roxas!”



Roxas blinked for a moment as he slowly came to realise Sora was talking to him. He was just watching the scene before him, not really attached to reality. Clearing his throat he replied, “No thanks.”



“Aw, why not?” Riku asked, immediately having the blonde’s attention, “We could team up against this walking stomach.”



“What?” Sora said, not pleased, “Roxas is on my team! We’ll bring you down and you’ll be begging for mercy!”



“Uhm… guys? I’m not-“ Roxas tried again to inform the two he would not be participating in their show down but was cut off by their bickering. He gave up on interjecting and simply watched the two interact with each other.



Waving his hands animatedly, Sora poked and proded at Riku, his face full of cheerful determination. It was like the shock and tears were never there as he grinned foolishly and loudly declared himself the winner before the party was even started.



Riku on the other hand, looking more relaxed, easily brushed of each remark with a smug smirk on his handsome face. Roxas stopped his thoughts for moment as he looked at Riku’s face. He could not fathom why he found the other so attractive…



Wait, hold up. Attractive? Handsome? What was he thinking?



Abruptly he turned his face away and walked stiffly into the kitchen. He was acting stupid again, and he knew it. Once inside the kitchen Roxas started to unload the snacks again while listening to the two friend’s muffled squabbling.



-



The loud banging tunes bombarded Axel’s ears as he bobbed along to the erratic beat of the new rock song. His tall frame was strung across his computer chair in front of his modem as he tacked away on the keys. Currently he was writing a message on a blog of a friend from back home.



Apparently things back in Twilight Town were getting worse the more he was away and his mom was still crazy. Internally he laughed as he typed back how ‘of course his mom was crazy, he was her son after all’. In the midst of writing a window blipped onto the screen.



The red head blinked at the sudden interruption then grimaced at the message it displayed.



[I miss you. Why haven’t you called me? I left messages.]



Axel heaved a deep sigh and a growl of annoyance at the message, scratching the back of his head. Angrily he clicked the mouse, closing the window. How the hell did the bastard get his e-mail? The window blipped back open.



[I got your e-mail from a friend of yours.]



Axel sat up in his seat, running a hand down his face. Well wasn’t that just dandy? He quickly typed his reply.



[who gave it to u?]



There was a pause before they replied.



[It doesn’t matter. Why haven’t you replied to my calls?]



Because you’re a stalker? He thought bemused.



[i dunno. why are u following me?]



There was a long pause, making Axel more and more annoyed as the time stretched on. This guy was being a real pain, seriously. The window dinged.



[I miss you.]



Blinking his bright eyes at the screen red brows furrowed. That’s nice, a subject change.



[zexion we werent even going out. get over it.]



The reply was quick this time.



[Yes we were.]



Axel scoffed, punching his fingers down on the keys.



[zex we werent going out. u were a good…]



He paused as he looked at the screen. This wasn’t a time to be giving the guy compliments, he might get more clingy. As cocky as Axel was, he disliked be rude to people who pined for him when he didn’t feel the same but this guy was pushing it way too far. He deleted the text before replying anew.



[no we weren’t. leave me alone.]



After hitting the enter button he closed the window and quickly blocked Zexion from contacting his e-mail then signed out. Sitting back in his chair Axel heaved a long sigh, swearing if he ever found out who gave him his e-mail he’d slaughter them.



Idlely he wondered why the hell Zexion was getting in such a tiff over this, when they had started… well, fucking, he was a good guy. In the beginning that is.



They met at one of the nightclubs well over a month ago, Axel went with Demyx for some definite partying but was drawn in by the slender man’s aloof attitude. He was sitting at the bar, dark hair falling over one side of his face, which was down cast.



The first thing that attracted Axel to the dark haired boy was his clothes, tight jeans blue jeans and a snug black and white striped long sleeved shirt. They accented the willowy body wonderfully and with hormones pounding through the red head’s skull there was no way he’d let him slip away.



When he approached the dark looking boy at the bar, he was brushed off immediately but Axel had persisted in his pursuit. It wasn’t long before his prey caught and turned to look at him with his eyes lined in kohl and ears full of rings. He introduced himself as Zexion and Axel easily wooed the boy to the dance floor and from then on was nothing but grinding with clothes on.



After they had had their fill of the nightclub, Axel left with Zexion, giving a thumbs up to Demyx. He remembered how his best friend rolled his eyes and turned back to a flirtatious brunette in a booth. Did he even get any ass that night? Axel didn’t remember… probably because he was too busy gloating on how tight the ass he had that night was to ask him.



During the little fling, he didn’t realise he had given Zexion his cell and for a while he didn’t mind the boy calling him. They met up at the same nightclub on and off for sometime, each time ending up in bed… or a bathroom… or a friend’s car… but over time Zexion began to get more personal.



He would call more often and ask about different things that weren’t related to clubbing or sex. It was then Axel should have realised that the other was actually falling for him but it was too late.



It wasn’t until maybe two, maybe three, weeks ago that he had found out Zexion thought their relationship more than ‘friends with benefits’.



He had started in on this luscious dark haired woman at the nightclub, striking up a conversation that quickly turned into a suggestion of ‘someplace more comfortable’. But as they were leaving, Axel’s arm around her scantily clad waist, Zexion came running.



There was some yelling, screaming and a whole lot of arguing. In the end Axel went home alone, pissed as all hell. He quickly deleted Zexion off his phone and thought that was that… Until the other boy called and then kept calling. It wasn’t exactly non-stop but it was most definitely more frequent than necessary.



At first he answered to say no, then it turned into yelling into the phone until finally he ignored the calls all together. Which didn’t really help his situation as you can tell and brings us to the present.



Looking back to his blog reply, Axel scratched his chin before quickly wrapping it up and turning off his computer.



He needed a boyfriend, pronto.



-



I know a few of you are like "Zexion isn`t like that!" but just you wait. I have good back story on Zex's side so don`t tell me I`m OOC just yet! And yes, Riku has such a cliche last name cas I`m not all that good at creative sirnames :P



Read `n review~!