When Distant Hearts Beat As One

Author's Notes:
This chapter is bit on the fluffy side ::aww:: Hope you all enjoy and Happy Memorial's Day!

When Distant Hearts Beat as One
Chapter Five: Saints, Angels, and Sinners

“Axel,” Roxas pouted, sticking out his bottom lip and making it quiver as he laid his head on his shoulder, making the red head arch his brow as he shifted his eyes over in his direction. “What?”

“I’m hungry.”

“And?”

“And how about you give me a lick of your Sea Salt Ice Cream,” he sniffled and Axel laughed. “How bout no?”

“Oh come on Ax, it’s the last one and you know I called it yesterday, you bastard,” Roxas snapped, his entire ‘cute’ charade melting as he sat up and punched him in the shoulder.

Axel only smirked evilly, waving the light blue frozen treat in front of Roxas’ face. “You called it yesterday but I’m eating it today. So go get your own artificial flavor to suck on.”

The blond glared sourly at him for a few moments before slowly leaning forward, placing both of his hands on Axel’s thighs, smirking at the red head who watched him closely with narrowed emerald eyes.

He slowly licked the icy treat with the tip of his tongue, from the base all the way to the tip before swallowing the entire thing into his mouth and down his throat, sucking hard on it as he slowly pulled the treat out of his mouth, a small ‘pop’ sounding as it finally left his mouth.

“My Roxy,” Axel purred in a low, threatening and seductive tone as the blond put the treat back in his mouth. “I didn’t know you were ready to play.”

Axel watched Roxas pull the treat out of his mouth again, licking at it playfully before kissing the tip of it and giving the red head an innocent smile. “What are you talking about Ax? I just wanted a taste.”

“Well if you only wanted a taste,” Axel whispered amused, playing with the belt around his waist before both jumped and glared at the front door as it slammed open as Riku walked in seeming as calm as usual while he was followed by a troubled looking Sora.

“Hey, your back,” Axel greeted, lightening up before looking up at the clock and back at Riku. “Been gone a while though huh?”

Riku glared. “I thought you were going to sit out and wait in the car for me, you ass.”

“For what, the whole day?” Axel snapped sarcastically before waving him off. “Hell no. After ten minutes I came back here. It was hot in the car.”

“It was--Axel heat doesn’t bother you!” Riku snapped and the red head simply shrugged. “Fine. Got bored.”

“Then you could have come inside.”

“Didn’t want to intrude on whatever was going on in there cause you know: wasn’t any of my business,” Axel insisted, ignoring the skeptical look Roxas tossed his way before giving Riku a sly smile and an arched brow. “So hey, what was going on in there anyway?”

Riku and Sora glanced at each other before the latter looked at his hands, blushingly slightly in embarrassment while Riku looked anywhere but at the pair sitting on the couch.

“Nothing important.” they both replied as causally as they could in unison and the pair on the couch shared a look as they got up from the couch and approached while Demyx finally peeked his head out of the kitchen and spotting the newly arrived duo, came out.

“Nothing important my ass,” the mohawked blond sang teasingly as he finished cleaning his hands on his apron and staring directly at Sora. “You sounded far too upset over the phone and Riku left way too abruptly for it just be ‘nothing important’.”

“No no, I‘m fine now,” Sora insisted, giving the blond a small sheepish grin as he felt Riku take a hold of his shoulders and guide him toward the stairs. “We just need to discuss a few things,” Riku announced, glaring at the trio as if to say this round of Q & A was officially over. “Go back to be bored.”

The trio watched the pair go up the stairs before looking at each other in suspicion and sharing the same look: Riku was bullshitting again.

“He’s lying,” Roxas stated matter of factly.

“They’re hiding something major,” Demyx agreed and Axel smirked. “Then you know we only have once choice here boys.”

“Axel,” Roxas frowned immediately in disapproval but Demyx simply rolled his eyes and went back to the kitchen. “I’ll pass, I’m making food to please the savage beast.”

“That asshole’s coming back,” Axel asked curiously and Demyx nodded. “Since when?!”

“Since he called this morning and Riku asked me to prepare his favorite meal,” Demyx sang grandly, pausing in his dramatic hand display to study a stain on his apron before with a shrug he twirled around a few time and danced his way back into the pleasant smelling room.

A moment later, he stuck his head back out, a mischievous smirk on his features. “But do tell me what it is Ax baby, I so desperately want to know, yes?”

“Sure, whatever,” Axel agreed as he caught Roxas by the end of his shirt as the blond tried to sneak past him and out of the front door. Demyx gave him a mock salute and disappeared into the kitchen again while the red head looked over at Roxas with a evil smirk.

“Where the hell were you going? You‘re going down with me if I get caught.”

“Such an evil, controlling bastard,” Roxas muttered jokingly before he noted that the red head still had the popsicle. “Give me the--”

“No.”

“See? Evil bastard.”

“Stop being such a fucking baby and come with me,” Axel sighed, passing the boy his treat and pulling him up the stairs and down the hallway, ignoring the suggestive way Roxas sucked on the treat and the way the blond glared in a manful manner at him with those beautifully bright eyes of his.

He made it…hard to say the least…to concentrate but his desire to get into Riku’s business was far too strong for even Roxas to deter--for now.

As the pair crouched down on either side of Riku‘s bedroom door as quietly as possible, well minus Axel snapping at Roxas to the way he was sucking on the Salty treat before they had a problem in a whisper, a certain brunette and turquoise eyed beauty sat on the latter’s bed, the Sora with his head in Riku’s lap and hugging him for comfort around the middle while Riku stroked his hair absently.

“So we don’t tell Kairi until you’re a few months along?” Riku asked softly and Sora nodded. “I don’t want to deal with that right now Riku. I can’t.”

“That’s fine Sora, but we are going to have to tell her. And I don’t want that kind of stress on you when it’s critical either,” Riku warned and the smaller boy sighed, snuggling up against him further and smelling him absently. Riku always had this wonderful…scent.

Man he was weird.

“It gives me anxiety just thinking about so I can’t tell her now,” he insisted and Riku nodded. “Then we’ll wait to do it when you’re ready. That way it won’t take any tolls on you or the baby.”

Sora nodded. “Cloud said he’d call my parents back and tell them the news so…my entire family will know.”

“I’ll tell my brother, can’t keep anything from him anyway,” Riku announced and Sora nodded slowly, a bit unsure. “He won’t get mad will he?”

“What does it matter,” Riku asked curiously looking down at the boy and Sora only snuggled his face against him further still, giving Riku the fleeting thought of a kitten. “It really doesn’t but our brothers aren’t on good terms and I don’t want this to make that worse.”

“I don’t think it will,” Riku announced gently, still stroking his hair. “I admit, he will think it’s odd but I’m not even sure Sephiroth won’t care too much about this since I’m taking responsibility--he‘s big on responsibility.”

“About that,” Sora began hesitantly and Riku frowned down at him. “Why Riku?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you so willing to help me out with this,” Sora asked softly, looking up at him almost helplessly--and Riku had to fight the urge to calm those pouty lips of his. “I know we haven’t been on the best of terms and I know you hate Kairi. Why didn’t you just…”

“Abandon you?” Riku asked coldly, instantly looking insulted and Sora immediately looked down in guilt. “Sora, why would you think I’d do that? Because of what happened between Kairi and I?”

“No, I don’t really know what happened! Except…a little,” Sora admitted. “It kinda…I mean it is a little disheartening though.”

“What happened between the two of us isn’t the same as having a baby with someone I lo--care about,” Riku retorted sternly and Sora looked back up at him with childlike wide eyes. “Sora, Kairi was just, like, not the same. None of it was. But I’d never leave you with such a big responsibility on your own.”

“Because you feel guilty?” Sora asked softly, and Riku could have sworn he saw hope in the boy’s eyes.

“No,” Riku stated matter of factly and he saw a flash of--something--in Sora’s eyes. “No Sora, it’s got nothing to do with that. I would have helped you regardless of it being my child or not. Just because it’s you.”

There was silence between the pair and Riku could have sworn he heard whispering not so far away before Sora looked away, a gentle smile on his face but guilt evident as well.

“What’s wrong Sora.”

“I’m being selfish,” he announced, refusing to look at him and Riku arched a brow. “How so?”

“I…think I would have felt bad if you were only helping me for the baby,” Sora admitted and time almost seemed to stop for Riku. He let another round of silence play between the pair before he asked simply. “Why.”

“I was so scared when DiZ told me I was going to have a baby,” Sora admitted. “And when Ri said you hung up the phone…I thought you didn’t want to have anything to do with the baby because you hated me. But when you came, I felt so…so happy.”

Riku stopped stroking his hair when Sora sat up a little, resting his chin on his chest and looking up at him with such an adorable face that it actually made his queasy when he mentally cooed at him.

Damn that adorable child like innocence that he so desperately wanted to molest at this very second. Damn it all to hell.

“And you were so willing to help and wanted to be there for me…it just made the entire thing better--it made me excited to have the baby. But…then I thought about it…and I remembered that we haven’t been getting along until recently and I thought that maybe you were only doing it for only the baby and…it made me…”

Sora shifted his gaze to a pillow. “The thought of you not wanting to be around because of me…and knowing that Kairi won’t once she found out…it was beginning to kill me inside Riku and I want you to be here for…both of us but…I shouldn’t be that way. So I’m sorry.”

There was a brief moment of silence before Riku took the boy’s hand in his face and tilted it to look at him. “Sora, I’ve always wanted to be there for you--even before the baby. But after you and Kairi…”

He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter anymore. I’ll be here for both you and the baby. I promise you I will. No matter what. So don’t worry Sora because you’ll always have me. Hell, I was worried you didn’t want me to be around except for only the baby’s sake.”

“Riku, I want to mend our friendship not destroy it anymore than it has been already,” Sora announced and Riku felt his heart sink a little. A…friendship…

“I want us to get along and actually work this out so that the baby can not only be happy, but us too. We may not be together but we can still make this work right?”

Riku fought hard not to let his disappointment show--he didn’t want to just be his friend damn it--before he simply nodded. “Yeah…I think we can Zo.”

Sora stared at him a moment longer before smiling sheepishly. “I’m acting like a girl now, aren’t I?”

“…I wasn’t going to say anything,” Riku snickered and Sora rolled his eyes. “Think it’s cause I’m pregnant?”

“Sora, you acted like a girl before we you ever got--”

“I told you he said he was pregnant!” they heard Axel scream triumphantly from right outside the door, followed by something that sounded like a insult, a curse word, and a loud bang as something--or someone--hit the door hard.

Sora stared at the door blankly and Riku narrowed his eyes at it, unamused. “So I guess we won’t have to worry about telling them,” he snapped in a bored tone and Sora’s grin widened. “Well look on the bright side: live in babysitters!”

“Did you get any meds while you were being tested?” Riku questioned with worry and Sora stared at him confused. “No, why?”

“I figured you must be to think you could leave any baby with Axel,” Riku announced matter of factly and there was a resounding “Hey!” from the other side of the door before they heard another loud bam, laughter, and “Damn it Roxas! That shit isn’t funny! Knock it off!”

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‘I can’t believe this,’ Cloud thought miserably as he stood two feet away from his front door, unmoving.

He was alone--or at least, he was until he came here. Leon decided he didn’t want to cook and went out to them Chinese while Ri decided she’d just go spend the rest of the day with Reno. It’s been a long day, what with his little brother being pregnant and having to gawk and wonder at his phone as his mother squealed in excitement when he called, already offering to send the baby everything it would need.

As Cloud opted to just go home and wait for Leon to return with the food.

But when he’d gotten there…he’d nearly fallen off his motorcycle.

What was he doing here? Why the hell was he even here! And why the hell was his heart fluttering like he was actually nervous? Or maybe…anxious?

“Strife,” the tall beauty spoke in a soft, cold demeanor, a hint of a smile touching each corner of his lips as his Mako green eyes seemed to burn a hole through him.

‘Damn him for looking so good,‘ Cloud thought absently as he took a step or two toward him and his front door, ocean blue eyes trained on his former lover’s body, trying hard not to think of any fleeting, perverse thoughts that nagged the back of his mind.

And my, did he ever look like the beautiful angel he once knew him to be.

Still so tall and lean, but muscular, imposing. His hair actually seemed to be a bit longer than before and his bangs were ridiculously so (well not by much). He wore tight leather black pants and shiny black boots that reached his calf. His chest was bare though he wore a long trench coat that reached to his ankles.

Skin so pale that it almost looked delicate…fragile, making his dark eye lashes and emerald green orbs stand out beautifully along with his pale rose thin lips.

‘He came back to you,’ a small voice cried with excitement in his mind and Cloud tried to ignore it. ‘He’s finally returned to you Cloud--hey! Stop being a stubborn bastard and get excited with me!’

His inner voice was annoying and pushy.

Cloud scowled instantly when he finally snapped out of his trance, his bright azure eyes narrowing. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Sephiroth simply humped in amusement. “Why do you believe I’ve come here Strife? What other reason would I have.”

‘That voice…so still so smexy…’

“Then you’ve wasted your time,” Cloud snapped, shifting his weight to his left side as he ignored that stupid inner voice that wanted nothing more than to pounce. “I told you once you left that we were done.”

“One-sided agreements are not valid Strife, you know that,” Sephiroth replied in his casual cold tone and Cloud glared at him. “You made your choice when you left Sephiroth, so it wasn’t ’one-sided’.”

“A childish ultimatum does not define a lifetime of companionship,” Sephiroth spoke as he slowly descended down the short steps of the porch and approached the blond.

“It does when it’s apparent that you don’t give a damn about what I wanted or felt,” Cloud snapped, refusing to back down in the argument.

“Childishness.”

“I‘ve moved on, so whatever it is, it doesn‘t matter,” Cloud insisted, a smug smirk on his face as he felt his inner voice snicker at him.

‘You‘re such a horrible liar.’

“What we had was in that past.”

“Your selfish plea for me to stay behind defines, nothing. Your stubborn immaturity allows you to have a replacement for my absence but nothing more. And I will never be a part of your past when you are the one that refuses to leave me there,” Sephiroth retorted in a bored, unimpressed fashion as he finally came to a stop an inch away from him, looking down at him with an unreadable expression.

‘Oooh, he’s good. Or your very predictable…’

‘Shut up!’ Cloud snapped mentally in annoyance as he continued to stare down his ex lover, who after another moment of staring, simply looked at him amused. “Are you ready to stop this childishness yet Strife? I refuse to waist my time further on it even if you are not, so I‘m simply allowing you the option of being a ‘big boy’.”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m your damn child, you selfish bastard,” Cloud snapped and Sephiroth’s smirk widened so much so that it would unnerve most men--but then Cloud was, as always, too stubborn for such things. “I will treat you in the matter that you act Strife. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Cloud could feel his blood boil as he tried to tear himself away from the taller male, grumbling vulgar insults under his breath . Stupid bastard.

“Are you done?” Sephiroth asked matter of factly and Cloud looked up at him so he could scream about how oh so much he hated him but all of this was ceased by a pair of soft lips that devoured his own hungrily.

He froze for a moment before he tried in vain to pull away from him in a half hearted attempt, his anger decreasing the longer they their lips stayed locked until finally, he simply gave in, resting his hands on older male’s bare chest, feeling the smooth skin beneath his touch.

He allowed Sephiroth to plunder his mouth as he wished, relishing in the feelings and memories the action brought to him, almost as if buried by time and petty hatred.
The way the man gently bit him in their kiss that induced soft purrs of pleasure, the way he made him melt against him by simply caressing the sides of his waist with the tips of his fingers or the way his tongue caressed and fought with his own for dominance: he could remember all of this…the feeling of pure bliss entering his being as he experienced what he’d thought what he’d known…he’d lost when the man left him.

His smell. Their soft breathing. Their hearts beating in unison.

He missed this--all of this. Wanted this. Needed this.

He needed Sephiroth…and he knew that he always would.

But he hated it, all the same.

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“…Did you hear me?”

“Hmm?” he said softly, turning his attention away from the window and out of his thoughts, his stormy gray eyes staring at the young man sitting across from him, who was scowling slightly, his arms crossed over his chest as his deep blue eyes stared at him in an irate fashion.

“You weren’t,” he confirmed and his companion simply looked down at his cup of coffee. “Sorry. Just…thinking.”

“About us,” the other man noted, his face remaining irate but just one glance into his eyes was enough to betray him, giving away his slight anxiousness. His fear.

“In a sense, yes.” he admitted and the other male looked out of the window himself. “I see.”

“Don’t start, it’s nothing like that,” he announced and the young man sitting across from his glared at him in skepticism. “Then what is it then?”

“Guilt,” he admitted and the other nodded in compliance. “Because you can’t stop coming back to me…or because you won’t stop coming back to me.”

“Both,” the man admitted with a sigh, taking an absent sip of his coffee and frowning.

It was cold.

“I can’t stop coming back to you…nor do I want to…not even for him.”


The younger of the pair looked pleased with his answer but glared at him with a curious suspicion. “Then why ever leave me in the first place.”

“Complicated,” he stated gravely and the other simply sighed, rolling his eyes a little before both stared out of the window.

“Where does he think you went.”

“To get Chinese food.”

“Don’t you care that he might…find out?”

He looked over, not surprised to see a stone cold expression on his beautiful face, his stormy eyes staring directly at him, almost as if he were trying to see through him and into his soul.

It was slightly unnerving…he could be so intense.

“No I don’t…and that’s what bothers me.”

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Author's Note:
Thanks for reading and more to come as soon as I can! Thanks everyone!!
~Kamirine