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Date & Time: November 22.
Location: the Observatory Deck
Characters: Riku and Lea (

promises_to_keep)
Summary: Some things need to be said.
Warnings: PG, PG-13 for language?

Can you come to the Observatory deck? I've gotta tell you something.

[ of all things, riku never quite thought this would happen. he'd... really only felt like this once before--that was why he was certain it was the same, now. he'd felt this way about ranka, but she'd disappeared after the first date. the problem here, of course, was that he knew lea wouldn't feel the same way. lea was older, efficient, and riku was... well.

he sighed, rifling through his hair. he was nervous.

he hadn't meant to let this happen, but figuring it out meant that he'd have to come clean. as much as he liked lea's companionship, he wasn't willing to operate under a lie. and maybe it's not quite a lie, but it feels wrong. arms crossed, he stares out the window, wondering what exactly he can say at this moment in time.

at least... they didn't need to be friends for riku to train him. it'd make things awkward, though, he supposed. pretty awkward. ]

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[Lea's already there, he portaled this time. As such, he's wearing his coat, but only half-zipped, the hood down, and no gloves. The getup looks far less intimidating when worn with Chucks and a scarf, for that matter. He's staring out at the black infinity beyond them when Riku shows up, but he knows he's there.]

Wanna know something interesting about stars? [He glances over his shoulder at Riku, a faint smile on his face, but doesn't bother waiting for permission to continue.] The light we see is already hundreds of thousands of years old. A lot of these stars have probably already disappeared, but because the light has to travel so far to get to us, we can still see it even after they're gone.

[He shifts where he stands, leaning against the glass and looking contemplative.]

When I learned that, I told myself I wanted to be like those stars: I wanted people to still see me even after I'd faded away, to remember me long after I was gone. [He chuckles.] Kinda cheesy, I know.

[ confused at the topic of choice, but going with it, riku slowly begins; ]

You're making good time on that goal.

[ he shrugs slightly. ]

Even after you disappeared, a lot of people still thought of you, back home and here. Maybe that's cliche, but sometimes it comes through.

[There's something like pride in his expression.] So I'm hearing. I was pleasantly surprised to discover several people remembered me, had wondered what happened to me. [He makes a fist and thumps it over the left side of his chest.] Gets you right here, you know?

[He folds his arms.]

And I was thinking... I mean, who'sever heard of just one star, right? Sky's full of 'em, you can't look up at night and only see just one. [Probably still being too vague.

[He hefts a sigh and slides down the glass to sit with his knees drawn up, arms draped over them.]

You know, something occurred to me. [He looks up at him.] I legitimately have no idea how to do this. [A wave of one hand and a heaviness settles on his shoulders.] I mean, this is like asking a guy who just got out of a ten-year stint in prison to go be friendly and social; this heart? Ain't been used in a long time.

[ he lets a little laugh escape him, chuckling to himself, looking back into the sky.

he's sobering quick, and he frowns, looking down at his feet. ]

I told you, you don't have to reply. I thought this'd be difficult for you. I'm trying to help.

See, that's the thing. Sit. [A beat.] Er. Please. [He'll wait. Once Riku's seated again, Lea takes a deep breath and looks him dead in the eye. This is hard to admit to himself, even harder to say out loud, but it's all part of the process, right? If he's gonna be a good guy, he's got to learn to be part of a team. To be honest. To... accept a little help when he needs it.]

I'm... gonna need the help. So you've gotta be ready to deal with that.

[ it's strange, sitting cross-legged next to lea, especially when he's holding his gaze for so long. shifting in place, he twists his fingers together in his lap, ready to speak. lea gets there first. ]

Okay? [ blink. ] I wasn't planning on completely abandoning you. I've still got to train you. If you want help with that... I guess I can help.

[Lea just stares at him for a second. Are you serious, dude? Really? The hell are we here talking about, you dumbass?]

Riku. [He holds up one hand in a fist.] This is the point. [Aaaaand the other hand is now an airplane, complete with a whooshing sound as it veers off in the complete opposite direction.] And that was you.

[ flatly; ]

You say that a lot. Get a new catchphrase, got it memorized?

[A Lea in its natural habitat will use its long arms to its advantage, deftly flicking idiotic Rikus in the forehead when they're being particularly idiotic.]

How about you stop giving me cause to use that one--you're the reason it became a staple in my vernacular in the first place, you lunkhead. [He sits back, folding his arms and turning his eyes away, his gaze sort of glancing off the glass behind him.]

Do I have to spell it out in bold print? For Light's sake, I'm trying to tell you I'll do my best, but... [His shoulders sag a little.] I'm kinda... bad at having friends a lot of the time, let alone anything more. So I might need some help, okay?

Sheesh, dense as dark matter, this one.

Help with wh--

[ his voice dies, because it clicks in riku's head, and he's left leaning forward, peering up at lea with confused and accusatory eyes that slowly fade away into surprise. his lips part, and he leans back a little where he sits, clearly not having expected that answer. it's no act; it's clearly written on his face that, whatever he'd had in mind for this, acceptance--hell, even lea trying--had never been on the table at all. ]

B-but... what?

[When Riku leans in, Lea reflexively leans back, bonking his head against the glass behind him. The hell's that look for? Isn't this the answer Riku wanted? Like, yeah, okay, he seemed pretty convinced it wasn't the one he was gonna get, but, surely he wouldn't have said anything if he hadn't at least hoped it might be reciprocated...

[Lea glowers at him.]

D-don't act all confused about it now, you're the one who started it. [He folds his arms, suddenly feeling a little overly defensive.] I asked for time because well... [He unfolds one arm and taps his fingertips against his chest.] The gears are kinda rusty, okay? So I wanted to think about it, and when I thought about it, I thought maybe I could g... [He swallows, like he's still not sure he's even using the right words for this feelings nonsense.] Give it a try.

I mean, I like you. I just never really gave any consideration to anything more than that, you know? Until... until you said it. So. [TSUNDERE INTENSIFIES.] So I'm the confused one; this was your idea!

I--I just... [ riku's stumbling over his words, cheeks bright red, extending down into his neck and his ears. oh, light. ] I never thought you'd--

[ a little exasperatedly, his hands splayed out. ] I told you because after all this time, you deserved to know! I told you, I wasn't expecting a reply. I never thought you'd actually...

[ it boggles his mind. he's raking a hand through his hair again. ] I--I thought you deserved an explanation, especially if I was going to leave.

'All this time'? [Lea suddenly looks a little flustered himself.] Just how much time are we talking here, sport?

[He just shakes his head then, holding up one hand in a rather classic 'WAIT' gesture.] Aa--forget it, it's fine, it doesn't matter how long.

[He starts to thank him for being upfront about it, but then Riku keeps talking. Lea holds both hands up then.] Whoa, whoa. [He makes a time out gesture.] Hang on, back up the gummi ship, whaddaya mean leave? [Lea looks genuinely confused here.] You got a long mission or something coming up? Sheesh, rude; spill your guts and then go away for two weeks so I can stew?

[ ... a slow sigh. ]

I didn't think you'd react in any way besides wanting to stop being friends-- [ somehow, his ears tinge again, and he, for some reason, has to fluster and add in; ] a-allies. So... I was gonna leave you alone.

Stop being...? [Lea stares at him for a moment, like he's slightly out of focus and he's waiting for the image to clear.] You know, for a smart kid you're pretty stupid sometimes.

I've had three best friends over the course of my life. Er... lives. Two of them tried to kick my ass on account of some... extenuating circumstances. They mostly succeeded, for the record. They're still my best friends. [He figures he doesn't have to name names.]

The other one? Literally became a different person. [In more ways than one.] He treated me like crap and literally left me for dead. You were there when Naminé found me, remember? [He folds his arms and shakes his head.] I'm still gonna save that son of a bitch if it's the last thing I do.

[Lea rarely swears; he usually finds more creative words to get his point across. Sometimes, though, it's really the only one that fits the bill.

[He meets Riku's eye and just gives him a hopeless sigh.]

In the grand scope of things? Wanting to be more than friends is far from the worst infraction that's ever been thrown in my face, okay? Sorry, bub; once we're friends, you're gonna have to try a little harder than that to get rid of me.

[ riku sighs through his nose, listless and confused. he didn't expect any of this to go this way. why did it go this way? he's not sure. ]

O--okay.

[ another sigh as he tries to figure it out in his head. affection towards himself is really hard for riku to grasp. ]

So you're... you're actually... willing to do this?

[Lea's in the same boat, bro; he frequently has a hard time liking himself at all, so the idea of someone being interested in anything more than passing acquaintances is odd enough. More than friends? Never crossed his mind.

[He frowns at Riku, but it's out of uncertainty more than anything else.]

Well... yeah, I mean... I have no idea what I'm doing. The last time I attempted anything like this I was like thirteen and holding hands was a big damn deal. My ah... previous job didn't really allow for much of a social life, you understand.

[ he laughs a little to himself, and helplessly shrugs. ]

I've never tried this before, not really. I had too many people to take care of. [ he lifts his bandaged hand to his neck, closing his eyes. ]

I liked Kairi, but... hm. [ he smiles a little and shrugs. ] I think even you know how that story goes. Anyhow, the closest I've gotten to trying this was going out on a date around a year ago. She disappeared a few days after we went out. So, not the best...

[He grimaces.] Ouch, that's harsh. I'm sure she had no control over it, but... that still sucks.

In any case... bein' someone's friend is really all I have any experience in. Er, aside from, you know. Bein' someone's enemy. Or a huge pain in someone's ass. But that's beside the point. Point is... I really dunno what I feel. I'm still trying to figure out how to feel again, so this is pretty uncharted territory for me.

Mostly I just wanna be upfront about this, I mean since you were, and all. [He rubs the back of his neck and sighs.] You're my friend, and I can say that without hesitation. But anything more than that, I'm not even sure what it's like, so... the only way to find out is to try, right? [He shrugs a little.] So let's try.

Aa! [No you can't talk just yet.] You've just gotta make me a promise though. If this doesn't work... you gotta promise you aren't gonna take off. I've watched too many important people walk away because of stupid misunderstandings, and I'm not keen on adding you to the list.

[He holds his fist out. Gotta bump it, man; this is a promise.]

Whatever happens, you're stuck being my friend; got it memorized?

[ LEA STOP INTERRUPTING HIM BEFORE HE CAN GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE

that 'aa' actually makes him slump in position, narrowing his eyes. he sobers quick, raising an eyebrow, then silently bumping his fist. ]

... I don't run off unless it's for someone's safety.

[ then, a face. ]

You've got to come up with a new catchphrase. That one's getting stale.

Your face is stale. [Because Lea is five years old.]

And no, none of that either, with the safety. I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself--the last time someone disappeared because she was worried her presence was hurting someone it just made everything worse. [He points a finger directly at his nose.] So, no. Denied. No running off.

Forget what I said about you being older than me. You're four. [ arms crossed--and he pulls back when lea jabs his finger at him. ]

Alright, alright. [ mumble mumble. ] No running off.

Four, really? I was shooting for a strong six and a half. Guess I better brush up.

[He looks satisfied by the reply though; he knows Riku takes promises probably about as seriously as he does himself. He smiles faintly, feeling a little lightheaded. This is really weird and new, and definitely not something he would have given much thought to without prompting, but Lea's never been afraid to try new things. It's part of the reason he was so efficient at his job; nothing ventured nothing gained was kind of par for that course.

[The smile fades a bit then, and his expression slowly shifts to befuddlement. He scratches his head and glances at Riku.]

So... now what?

[ that strange smile has riku looking away, a bit of tinge to his cheeks, as he rubs his neck again. sheesh.

--wait, what. ]

Uh--well, I was gonna get something to eat before I have to go on a shift...?

[ what do you mean 'now what' ]

Great. [Lea gets to his feet, then offers Riku a hand.] You can buy me that burger you owe me.

[Maybe this won't be so difficult after all.]

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limitstorm - 2013-11-24 06:29 (UTC) - Expand

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