The Fall

-X-V-X-

The cliff was a long way down. It's not like I was going to jump or anything, but… it was still pretty far. And it was always just as fascinating.

Every now and then, I'd climb up the mountain and sit on the edge of a rock like this, just… looking down at the water so far below. People always say not to, because then you'll fall or something like that, but it was just too mesmerizing not to. Plus, it made me appreciate my sense of balance.

And my life.

Was I ever in love with my life.

How could I not be? Great best friend, people to hang out with, a good mother… and moments just like these.

I loved my life. I loved my best friend Riku. I loved Wakka and Tidus and Blitzball. I loved my mother and my house. I loved the island. I loved the ocean. I loved the sky. I loved the way the ocean reflected the sky.

And I loved the feeling of falling.

Sometimes, Riku would call out all the guys and we'd go to a cliff similar to the one I frequented, but closer to the water, and we'd dive off. Well, Tidus and I would, and sometimes Wakka. Riku said he was afraid of the water, but he's just a safety freak and keeps watch on us in case someone doesn't pop back up out of the water. He'd always have his phone ready…

And he always freaks out whenever I disappear to the cliff like this. He didn't know that I go to such a dangerous place—he'd kill me and lock me up in the basement if he knew—but maybe not knowing is much worse than knowing. I'm not sure…

When I sat there with my legs dangling over the edge, I got a case of jitters and my hands would start shaking. Adrenaline would pump and I got so scared that I crawled away from the edge, not even daring to stand up. Once I was at least a meter's distance from the drop off, I pushed myself up by my hands, rocks sticking to my palms, and I ran down the mountain, breathless before I began, my mind wanting to scream for mom or Riku. When I got home the house was empty, and I buried myself under a blanket and curled into a corner of the couch, unable to get the images of the cliff out of my head, but I wasn't sure I wanted them gone.

It was just something different.

I wished I could take Riku there, but he wouldn't like it.

After a time, the door opened and closed, and the jitters slowed a bit. I still shook, and resolved that I absolutely would not remove myself from the blankets until it stopped.

Riku had other plans.

"Sora, what are you doing?"

"Uh…"

"C'mon, So, your mum said she'd get us tacos for dinner later," he bribed.

"Just gimme a sec, Riku," my muffled voice requested.

"Hmm… Nah, don't feel like it," he replied playfully… and a weight pressed lightly on the blankets on either side of my shoulders.

"R-Riku, what are you—eeek!"

Riku yanked the blankets off and pulled them to the side, allowing me to follow after with my hands still clenched in the material. I fell to the floor with a thud, my back rolling to touch Riku's shin, and I felt him wince.

"Geez, Sora, are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere, are you? I could run for some band-aids if you need some—,"

"I'm fine, Riku. Fine. Calm down—I fell less than a foot to the floor. What, do you want me to break a bone or something?" I teased with a light grin, holding my still-shaking hands together as I stood up.

Riku winced at my words, and my stomach felt sick. I said something wrong, didn't I? "Sora, why would you say that? I don't want you to break a bone, that'd be horrible! I care about you."

"…Sorry. I shouldn't have teased you about that."

"You know how I worry. It's fine. Now, come on, I want some tacos."

I giggled and took the offered hand, allowing myself to be led out the door and towards the market, jitters ultimately ceased for the time.

We walked along the block in silence, shoes tapping against the pavement and clouds in the sky drifting. I wondered why Riku didn't let go of my hand, but he'd been doing that a lot lately, more physical contact than when we were kids—I think it had something to do with seeing Selphie and Tidus get together, those two were always all over each other in cuteness, it almost gave me a cavity.

-X-V-X-

Special Days

-X-V-X-

Winter had something special about it.

So did Summer, what with the swimming in the ocean and the ice cream and seeing Riku shirtless, but… winter was magical, as summer was comfortable.

Sora preferred magical. He loved swimming, it was the best thing in the world, but once he saw the first snow sparkling on the ground in the early morning, all thought of water is shoved out of his mind and he dons all winter gear possible, intent on making a snowman and snow-angels and eventually going back inside, where his mother would give him hot chocolate—with extra marshmallows—and he'd sit by the window unless Riku came over.

Some facts: Sora lived on Destiny Islands.

Destiny Islands did not, in all actuality, have winter.

Therefore, Destiny Islands did not get snow.

Now, let's watch as our poor brunets dreams for a white Christmas go flying out the window.

When Sora came down the stairs early (as usual) on Saturday morning, he wasn't expecting to find his best friend and boy-of-wonderful-dreams Riku conversing with his mom, nor was he expecting them to be discussing a trip to Twilight Town.

"…he'll love it. And he'll get to see his brother…" Sora heard Riku say in a hushed tone as the younger eavesdropped from the next room.

"I heard from his father that Roxas was actually in a relationship," whispered his mother, gossiping to Riku as if they were two old ladies with nothing better to do.

Actually, Riku's hair was a shade of grey, technically speaking.

"Really? Who with?"

"I'm not sure, he said Roxas was tight-lipped. Cid brought up the question of what gender it was while he was visiting, and Roxas got all flustered." Sora sighed. His mother and father, despite being divorced, still gossiped like mad, worse than she and Riku. "Leon is terrified that Roxas hooked up with a guy. I guess you'll have to squeeze it out of the boy when you get there?"

Sora decided to heed his guilty conscience and end the eavesdropping there, already grinning from ear to ear about a trip to Twilight Town, not to mention being able to see his brother, AND his brother finally was dating someone! He couldn't wait!

"Get where?" Sora asked casually, laying on the acting skills as he rounded the corner with a smile.

"Sora, guess what Riku brought you?" his mother almost squealed.

"Uh, mashed potatoes?"

Sora noted Riku's twitching hand, the efforts of resisting to slam his palm into the awaiting forehead, a usual act when Sora played the 'I-have-no-idea-what-you're-talking-about-so-I'll-say-something-random' game.

"Plane tickets," Riku filled in with a flick of his head. "We're going to Twilight Town, just you and me. No adults until we get to your dad's house."

Sora gaped.

He'd honestly expected that his mother was going to come with them, but… reviewing the conversation in his head, he realized that it would be kind of weird for his mom to visit her ex-husband's house for the holidays.

So instead of sitting there with his jaw attempting to touch the floor, he shut his mouth, did a spin in his spot, and clobbered Riku with a giant hug more commonly known as a Rabid Glomp©.

"Gak—Sora, get off!" Riku was laughing at the affection, though, and had a big enough 'aren't you proud?' smile when Sora pulled away.

"JUST you and me? SERIOUS?" Sora inquired.

"Yes, Sora. Your mom isn't coming, and she hasn't issued for any guardian of any sorts. My brothers are all busy and/or going away for the holidays anyways."

Suddenly and without warning, Sora's face fell to sadness, and Riku's smile dropped along with it.

"Sora, what's wrong? Did I—,"

"Any word from Cloud?" Sora turned to his mom. The woman shook her head, depressed and knowing that her son was absolutely convinced that Cloud would send a letter of some sorts.

It had been a year and a half since Sora's older brother had run away.

"What do you want for breakfast, hon?" his mother questioned instead, clearly wanting to change the subject.

Sora blamed her. Sora blamed his mother, Tifa, for driving off his beloved older brother, JUST because Cloud had had a relationship with Sephiroth. A month before Cloud had been kicked out/ran away, Sephiroth himself had disappeared and caused Cloud to fall into a state of depression like no other.

The day Cloud had run off/been kicked out, the blond and his mother had held a conversation that generally went with the plotline of Tifa telling her son to get a girl and get over his best friend, and Cloud following up with freaking out, and admitting his sexual preference.

Tifa didn't like that. Insert shouting here, and Cloud was out the door with little more than a back pack in hand. Sora wasn't home at the time. He was at Riku's. But even though Tifa had lied to cover up what she had done, Sora still knew.

"Eggs and bacon," Sora replied, melancholic and suddenly tired. Riku rubbed his back comfortingly as the boy laid his head down on the table after taking a seat.

-X-V-X-

The flight to Twilight Town was every bit as nerve wracking and exciting as Sora expected. Riku allowed him the window seat, and was constantly taking hold of Sora's hand—the left one, that rested on the arm between the seats—to tell the boy to calm down and stop bouncing, it was still a few hours until they arrived.

Sora bounced around just for the purpose of getting Riku to hold his hand again and again, so eventually Riku just ignored his friend and continued to read his book… until Sora started poking him.

"Riku, are we there yet?"

"No."

"What time is it?"

"3:15, and we'll be there in an hour."

"Oh. Okay."

"…"

"So, Riku, I'm bored."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

"…Don't you have a book in your backpack?"

Sora sighed and dragged out his book, doing his best to focus on the riveting tale of Stanley Yelnats and the charming camp Greenlake.

And then they arrived and got off the plane, and Riku was forced to hold Sora's hand for longer than five seconds, because if he didn't, the younger boy would go bouncing down the hall and would absolutely MURDER his brother, if Roxas was even there, waiting, as opposed to the boys' dad Leon.

But soon enough they emerged from the closed-off hallway, and immediately spotted bed-head blond hair buried within the crowd of awaiting families. Leon was nowhere in sight, however Roxas was standing next to an incredibly tall red-head who could possibly be an anorexic.

Riku finally let go of the death grip on his best friend, and the brunet shot forward, enveloping Roxas in a Rabid Glomp© before the redhead standing behind the blond could note the presence of the brother.

"Roxas! Ohmigod, Roxas, HOW ARE YOU? It's been HOW long? Geez, send a letter or something every now and then, why don't you? And—Hello."

Sora was inevitably cut off by the redhead breaking apart the two brothers, allowing the blond one to breathe as Riku watched the proceedings from afar. Eventually, the boy slowly approached to calm down his friend.

"Uh, Roxas, is this your friend? Hi, I'm Sora, Roxas' twin brother from across the sea!" Sora stuck out a cheerful hand for the redhead to shake.

"I'm Axel. Got it memorized?" said the redhead, tattoos standing out starkly on pale cheeks. Green eyes flashed down to Roxas.

"Sora, slow down, I could've introduced him if you'd have shut up for a moment back there. C'mon, dad's at home, Axel's driving us back then skedadling for the rest of the day. RIGHT, Axel?"

Axel was fixed with a death glare, the general message being 'obey me or I'll relieve you of a few limbs'.

Axel nodded meekly, clearly familiar with the boy's wrath.

"Hey, I'm Riku, Sora's friend," said Riku, finally catching up. Introductions were passed around once again, and they headed out to Axel's vehicle.

"So, Roxas, I was eavesdropping on Riku and mom, and—,"

"Wait a sec, So, you were what?"

"Uh, well, I heard mom say that you were seeing someone? So, who is it?" Sora was clearly getting enjoyment from watching his brother squirm, ignoring the 'I'm not telling's and other such complaints as the blond looked anywhere BUT Sora or Axel, and Axel stiffened up completely and pretended not to hear anything.

"I'll tell you later," Roxas finally caved, and Axel shot him a surprised look.

Riku observed this all with an amused smirk.

-X-V-X-

Axel's vehicle was a large white van (the kind plumbers and other services use), with only two proper seats and the back compartment filled with… was that gasoline? There were two attached-to-the-walls fold-out seats for Riku and Sora though. Road conversation was short and full of small-talk (the "So how's mum doing?" kind of thing) and the radio, which was blasting out something only Axel liked and Roxas continually threatened to change the station.

They arrived at Leon's two-story house after ten minutes of awkwardness and pleasantries, and Riku was forced to meet 'The Dad' as if he and Sora were dating (oh, how Sora wished) and Axel made a quick getaway as if he never existed in the scenario.

Riku was given the guest room. Sora was to share Roxas' queen sized bed.

Dinner conversation, over spaghetti and meatballs, was a disaster.

"Have you heard anything from Cloud?" Leon had asked. Sora shook his head without an answer.

Riku supplied with, "Not yet," which only earned him a glare from Roxas, as if to say 'this is a family conversation, you don't belong here', though Riku was under the impression of being considered very close to a family member by Sora and didn't care what Roxas thought.

"He'll send a letter or a post card or something," Sora babbled, avoiding eye-contact with everyone, "I'm sure he will; he can't just leave us like that. He'll send something soon."

No one had said anything after that. Sora just dipped his head and continued to eat his pasta. Roxas crunched on some garlic bread, and when dinner was finished, Riku was offered first shower.

Sora and Roxas got some time to talk, alone and without friends/family around to bother them. Unfortunately for Roxas, his brother immediately jumped on the question he'd wanted an answer to all day.

"ROXAS! So, who is it? Tell meeee!" Sora would guiltily admit that he as just as bad with gossip as his mother, BUT: he was good at keeping secrets. That was the difference.

Sora, compared to Riku, was a blabbermouth, though. But that was only because Riku soaked up info like a SPONGE and you could only get something out of him if you asked him specifically.

"Uh, first thing's first. Are you homophobic?"

"No. That was the reason Cloud got thrown out. I hate mom for that."

Roxas regarded Sora with a Look that was so indistinguishable that Sora started to worry, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

"…Okay then. It's Axel."

"Axel, from this afternoon? Why?"

"You haven't really met him yet Sora, he's amazing. Passionate about everything that takes his interest."

Sora considered this for a moment, and decided to trust his brother's instincts on this. Axel looked like a shifty guy, sure, but he also looked like a guy who got the fullest out of life.

"Well, I'll trust you on this one. But I'm telling Riku. Riku won't tell anyone, I promise." The last bit as simply to assure his brother, after the worried look had crossed Roxas' face. Sora placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. "I'm… kind of happy for you."

And then Riku knocked on the door and ruined the moment, telling Sora to go take a shower.

-X-V-X-

The next day, Riku was informed, and the elder boy quietly expressed his support for Roxas and Axel with a smile that was almost an all-knowing smirk. Roxas frowned at Riku all through breakfast, but Riku didn't notice, shooting glances at Sora to gauge the boy's reaction of the idea of homosexuals.

Surprisingly to Riku, Sora seemed completely comfortable with it. Riku had thought (seeing as Sora had sadly never expressed his precise emotions on the Could incident) that Sora wouldn't like the idea of gay people, seeing as that's what caused Cloud to go away in the first place, but… it was quite the opposite.

Sora had a secret smile on his face. But that had nothing to do with asking Roxas if they could explore the town a little bit.

"Did you bring winter-wear? It gets cold," warned his brother, familiar with the local winter weather.

"Yup! Mom got us both all suited up. I even got a red scarf and matching hat!" claimed Sora with a grin, jumping up from his chair and moving to rinse his cereal bowl in the sink. "Say, where's dad?"

"He's still sleeping, it's Monday. He doesn't have to work."

"Leave a note, then?" Riku suggested, and they did just that, getting dressed moments later and Roxas called up Axel to be the chauffeur for the day.

Riku would put Axel under the category of 'whipped'.

Sora would file Axel under 'devoted'.

Roxas would shove Axel into the 'Claim'd by Rox' folder.

But that is just how young boys' minds work.

-X-V-X-

Sora used the term 'romantic' to describe Twilight Town. The place was covered in sparkling snow, and the main 'hang out spots' were so tied together that they had to walk or take a small train called a tram. The sky was as blue as possible, and the snow reflected the light, causing Roxas to whip out a tube of sunscreen. That earned confused looks, until Axel explained that it was more likely to get a sun burn on a sunny winter day than it was at the beach in summer.

They spent the day hanging around the market, a few of Roxas' friends tagging along as well, all set for a random shopping trip and had no qualms in making Axel hold all the bags. Riku and Sora took pity on the redhead and helped him out, following at a slower pace and preferring to lag behind Roxas&Co.

With no warning, Sora's coat sleeve was tugged on from behind, and the boy turned to meet the blue-green gaze of a taller man.

He looked about Cloud's age, Sora noted with sadness, and couldn't help the dwelling thoughts on his brother as he watched the black haired man examine him.

"Are you Sora?" asked the man.

"…Yeah?"

"I'm Zack, nice to meet you," Zack vigorously shook the brunet's hand, seeming to put his entire being into every motion he made. "This is for you."

Sora was handed a letter, with his name handwritten on one side, no other marks showing. He looked up… and Zack was gone.

Wow.

"Sora, c'mon! What're you doing?" Riku called from up ahead, Roxas' gang not even noticing the absence of Sora. In fact, the blond and his friends were already rounding a corner and were out of sight, so it was just Riku and Axel waiting for him.

Sora tightened his grip on the letter and decided to save it for later, shoving it in the largest pocket of his parka before speeding up and assuring his friend that nothing was wrong.

-X-V-X-

The shopping trip ended when Axel complained about the bags he was forced to carry, and Roxas' friends felt that they should go home or to… what did they call it, the 'usual place'? Sora and Riku were confused. Axel just looked tired, gazing up at the sun and setting all the bags on the ground.

"See you 'round then, Roxas," the blond's friends called as they disappeared.

"Hey Ax, wanna go to the clock tower?" Roxas inquired, his tone suggesting that it was a common place for the two to hang out.

"Rox, the sky's getting darker," Sora contributed, noting the turn of colours from blue to orange.

"Sora," whispered Riku as the younger boy's brother ignored him, "it's called Twilight Town for a reason; night takes its sweet time getting here."

Sora shivered at Riku's breath on his neck, but only shrugged and didn't say anything. Truthfully, he wanted to read the letter that Zack had given him… but Roxas and Axel were already trekking their way up a hill, a tall building looming over them and striking four gongs—the hour of the evening.

Sora wanted to read that letter.

Riku held his hand and was leading him up the slope, though, so Sora figured it could wait just a little while, as he could get some quality time with his best friend on the clock tower. Actually, Sora reasoned that he should read the letter with Riku, to avoid accusations of keeping secrets. It's not like the letter was something incredibly important, it was just out of the ordinary.

It's not every day some stranger comes up and hands you a letter with your full name on it.

-X-V-X-

The clock tower had a striking brilliance all on its own. The kind of stone it was made of seemed to radiate the same light as the sun was using to illuminate the town, a lovely, terra cotta orange. The four boys dangled their feet over the edge, a space between them to separate them into pairs. Riku and Axel sat next to each other with at least a half a meter in between, with Sora on Riku's other side and Roxas holding Axel's left hand.

Quietly and slowly so as not to knock him off balance with the action, Sora drew out the letter he'd been given and carefully peeled the envelope open.

"What's that?" Riku asked, leaning over, comfortably close.

"Some guy stopped me and handed this to me when we were in the market place earlier. I wasn't too sure what to do with it, but it has my full name on it…"

He pried a piece of paper from inside and both boys began to read the scrawl.

Dear Sora Lockhart,

Hi, I'm Zack Fair. Just so you know, I really shouldn't be writing this letter right now. If Cloud finds out, he'd have a hissy fit!

"Cloud! Riku, he mentioned Cloud!"

"Shh, Sora, keep reading."

But I'm going to write anyways, because you deserve to know that Cloud is fine. He's staying with me, at any rate, so I hope I know his state of being at least a little bit. Because you're his little brother and all. He talks a lot about you and Roxas, you know. You, mostly, though, because Roxas can take care of himself and you can't.

"I can so," Sora complained. Riku once again shushed him.

I found Cloud about a year and a half ago, just wandering through town. I drew a portrait of him—I'm an artist, by the way—and showed it to him. Cloud claims that's what stopped him from committing suicide.

So then I took him to get coffee, and then I took him home, and he's still here.

What I need to know, however, are a few answers to these questions.

Who is Tifa?

Who is Sephiroth? Were he and Cloud involved in any way?

Who is Aerith, and how did she die?

So if you have any sort of answer for me, would you be able to meet up with me? I'll be at the only café existing in Twilight Town tomorrow from 2 to 4. I won't have anyone with me, but feel free to bring a friend.

Sincerely,

Zackary Fair

P.S. Cloud and I are in a relationship. Hope that doesn't scare you off! ;P

"Holy shit, Riku," Sora whispered.

"What?"

"This means that Cloud is in this town. Near us. We could've passed him on the street today!" Sora's voice grew gradually louder, attracting the other couple's attention.

"Everything alright, So?"

"Roxas, Cloud is in Twilight Town." The deadly serious tone in Sora's voice almost made his brother laugh, but then he realized that the brunet really was serious, and he shut his mouth.

"…Go on," Axel prodded.

"He's staying with a friend of his, uh, Zack Fair," Riku supplied. Tomorrow at 2 we'll go to the café to meet up with him. I think we all need some answers."

"Come with us!" Sora pleaded, and his brother agreed immediately.

The two had been affected by Cloud's disappearance in nearly the same way, though Roxas didn't know anything about it until a phone call from a hysterical Sora asking where their older brother was.

It was so long ago.

A year and a half…

Sora grinned. They were going to hunt down Cloud no matter what!

"I wonder if he's happy with this Zack guy," Axel mused after reading over the letter with Roxas.

"Probably, else he wouldn't have stayed there," Sora replied. The sun dipped below the horizon, sinking slowly, and it was time to head home. Conversation on Cloud and the newly introduced Zack didn't cease until they reached Leon's house, but that was purely because Leon was also violently homophobic, much like his ex-wife.

"Hey, boys, welcome home," Leon called from the kitchen, the smell of dinner filling the house and attracting all four to the kitchen.

Leon turned, apron tied to his front and spoon in his hand to view the boys as they removed the last of their winter gear in the main entrance.

"Another one?" he asked. Roxas and Sora looked up from their boots in confusion as Riku chuckled. Axel shyly rubbed the back of his head—he wasn't supposed to have come inside.

"This is Axel, a friend of mine," Roxas acted fast, but it wasn't like Leon suspected romance between them, and the incident was blown over quickly.

Dinner that night was ribs, with sides of baked potatoes and mixed vegetables. Axel stayed for dinner and after, helping clean up before following the other boys into the den in the basement. The redhead was kicked out eventually, when the other three were about to shower and head to bed.

Excitement for the next day filled the air.

-X-V-X-

They woke up late. Leon was already off to work, but several cereal boxes were set out on the island counter for them, complete with bowls and spoons. Food was consumed in a hurry, and after washing up and getting dressed, the boys were on their way to the market, fully prepared to spend the next two hours wandering aimlessly until Roxas led them to the only café in Twilight Town.

And that was precisely what they did. Axel said the previous day that he would meet them at the café, so there was no point looking for him, but Roxas did stumble across his three friends at the dollar store. As it came close to two o'clock, he shooed them off and they headed for the café.

Sora took Riku's hand in his anxiety, needing a form of comfort and possibly someone to restrain him from following Zack home and searching the guy's house for Cloud.

-X-V-X-

The warm atmosphere of the café helped sooth the two brothers, and Riku rubbed his thumb across the back of Sora's hand in a relaxing motion.

Axel was spotted immediately, sitting at a corner table with three open seats, and Roxas welcomed him with a discrete kiss on the cheek. Sora wasn't paying attention; too busy scanning the building's customers for Zack.

As Riku expected, the moment the younger boy spotted who he was looking for, hands were released and he was off like a shot, rushing across the room and screeching to a halt in front of a black-haired man holding a mug between his hands.

Riku, Roxas, and Axel followed at a walking pace, Roxas moving faster than the other two, all eager to hear some news about the one man that caused the brothers such distress.

"Sora!" exclaimed Zack with a smile. "You made it! I thought you were gonna label me as a freak or something…" he ducked his head in apology.

"Tell me about Cloud. Where is he? Is he alright?" Sora was cut off by Riku wrapping an arm around his head, hand covering his mouth.

"Slow down, So," Riku whispered, then released the boy's mouth, holding out his other hand to Zack to shake. "I'm Riku, Sora's friend. This is Roxas and Axel."

"Zack Fair, nice to meet you all. Especially Sora and Roxas; Cloud told me a lot about you."

The four boys pulled up chairs to the round table, listening eagerly.

"So… what can you tell me about Tifa?"

There was a sluggish, dramatic pause. "…Cloud never told you?" Roxas asked needlessly.

No, apparently, Cloud didn't tell Zack much of anything.

"…Tifa's our mom," Sora filled in. "She found out about Cloud being, uh, gay. So she freaked and kicked him out of the house. But the story I'm supposed to believe is that Cloud ran away 'cause of Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth?"

"I think he and Cloud were dating—,"

"—Or at least fuck buddies—," Riku contributed bluntly. Sora elbowed him to be quiet.

"—But he disappeared about a month before mom kicked Cloud out, and I think it was Cloud's depression that revealed how he felt about Seph."

And that was that.

Roxas was the next one to speak. "Aerith was a really good friend of the family—she lived in Midgar, though, and owned a flower shop. She was killed in a car accident—a piece of metal straight through her heart."

Again, there was a heavy silence that told the members of the table to mourn for a moment, before Sora, almost crying, whispered a few words.

"Aerith never owned a car. Never liked them."

…And that was that.

-X-V-X-

"Why isn't Cloud with you?" Axel asked, willing to change the subject for everyone. He was the least involved; he'd never met Cloud before. The only way it affected him at all was through Roxas and all the blond's emotions.

"Cloud thinks that if he came in contact with his little bros, Tifa would shove them out the door, too. He's being a bit of an overcautious bastard…" Zack stopped for a second, hand on his chin in thought. Then, his eyes lit up, and it was like you could see the light bulb flicker on. "I KNOW! I could set something up! Uh… Sunset Hill, tomorrow. I'll bring Cloud there around, say, four, when the sun just starts to go down. Then you guys come along, as if you're just exploring the town!"

Sora wore a shit-eating grin as he agreed.

Riku knew the brunet wouldn't get much sleep that night, being up too much thinking about his brother.

As the boys were preparing to head back home to the video games in the basement, Zack stood and grabbed Riku's bicep when no one else was paying attention.

"Cloud described Sephiroth to me once, in case I spotted him on the street. You look kind of what he desc—,"

"Sephiroth is my oldest brother," Riku stated. "Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz are triplets, they look more like Seph than I do. But Sephiroth would never cut his hair. If you're going to look for him… he wouldn't be in a place like Twilight Town."

Zack loosened his grip and let Riku leave with the group, the older man sitting back down and taking his mug in his grasp again, the hot chocolate within in need of reheating. Zack didn't care. He had a few thoughts to ponder.

Zack worked his way slowly around bringing Cloud to Sunset Hill. First, he'd come home for dinner (greeted by the sight of an adorable Cloud in an apron) and suggested going out the next day—his boyfriend readily agreed. Around 1pm, Cloud asked if they were going to go somewhere today.

"Sure," Zack waved a hand in the air, "why not? Let's go to town."

And off they went. By two PM, they were seated on the edge of the hill, arms threaded through the fence and legs hanging beneath, fully willing to not move for a while.

They stayed there for two hours… and Zack began to wonder if Sora and Roxas were even going to show. Cloud noticed something off—the other man kept glancing around, and when the blond said that they should head home, Zack refused. "Just a little bit longer, okay?"

Cloud stood up. Zack tilted his head back, "Hey, where're you going?"

"Just stretching my legs."

"Couldn't hurt," Zack shrugged, and stood up as well.

He began to do squats.

"…Uh, Zack, what're you doing?"

"Squats, what's it look like?"

"You're not doing them right."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not."

"Does it even matter?"

"If you're trying to get something out of it, then yes, it does."

Zack sighed and stopped squatting. He patted Cloud's shoulder. "Cloud, my dear, you need to loosen up a bit. Seriously, you take things too seriously. My way of doing squats is fun, you see, so— uh, you alright?"

Cloud's eyes had widened, and he let out a strange, strangled squeak, not a motion erupting from his body except to blink heavily, as if he were trying to shake off sleep.

Then there was a yell, a name, and twin blurs, and Zack's hand was no longer on Cloud's shoulder, but hanging in mid-air.

Riku and Axel blinked amusedly at the older man, slowly following behind the two brothers.

"Nice to see you again, Zack," they greeted once they were within range.

"You too. Uh, hang on a sec—," Zack reached down and lifted up two squirming boys by their collars, feet barely touching the ground as Cloud was freed from their babbling and crushing combined weight.

"…Thanks, Zack," Cloud said stoically, still in shock. He brushed himself off, then turned to his brothers, whom were now set on the ground, the collars of their coats still in Zack's death grip.

"What are you doing here?" asked Cloud.

Sora shook off Zack's hand, an uncharacteristic scowl on his face. He brought up his palm and slapped Cloud across the cheek.

Roxas stepped forward in a flash, and sucker-punched his older brother in the gut, both younger siblings watching in satisfaction as Cloud doubled over in pain, one arm on his stomach, and a hand pressed to a stinging cheek.

"Whoa, whoa, hey! No violence please!" complained Zack, before Axel tugged on the man's arm.

"It's a brother thing, let them be."

"Cloud, you ASS HAT." Sora was mad. Sora was angry. Roxas was pissed. The two never looked more similar when they mirrored each others emotions, like so.

"What the hell were you trying to ACCOMPLISH?" shouted Roxas, leaning forward with fists on his hips, much like Sora.

"OVER A YEAR, you bastard."

"Why didn't you send a letter?"

"Or something!"

"Couldn't have been that hard to pick up a pen!"

"You're worse than Roxas at keeping in touch, and that's saying something."

"…Hey, what does that mean?"

"Besides the point, Rox." Sora rounded on his elder brother once again, jabbing a finger into the elder blond's face. "Tell. Me. Everything."

Cloud placed one hand on Sora's shoulder, and one hand on Roxas', pulling the two in for a hug. He whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"You're so not forgiven," Roxas whispered back, and everything was set into a stalemate.

Cloud fell heavily to the earth (there was no snow on Sunset Hill, just dirt), loosely curling up as his brothers sat on either side of him. "Will you… understand if I say I was scared?"

"Cloud, we know about a lot of things," said Sora, watching Riku bring Axel and Zack to the edge of the hill so as not to eavesdrop. "Mom was unfair to you. Zack told us about you and him; we're okay with it."

"I'm actually with Axel, for that matter," added Roxas.

"So if you're gonna stay with him—I don't think mom's going to let you come back—at least send me and Rox letters, 'kay?"

"Roxas…" said Cloud, a small smile on his face, "it sounds to me like Sora forgives me. What about you?"

"Whoa, not so fast! I won't forgive you until you promise to send letters!" Sora interjected, shuffling forward on his knees so as not to be ignored.

Cloud ruffled the brunet's hair. "I promise. What about you, Rox?"

"…" Roxas sighed. "Alright. Just… keep in touch, okay? Seems to me like you were never far from dad's place anyways, so make an effort to meet up with me every now and then. You can bring Zack if I can bring Axel."

Cloud hugged the younger blond again, this time with a grin that Sora reflected.

Axel approached, sensing the siblings had forgiven each other, and asked, "who's up for some ice cream?"

Roxas laughed.

"Uh, Axel? It's like… winter. I don't think we can even purchase ice cream, let alone be able to eat it," Riku deadpanned.

"…Well we can still try, can't we? Don't ask, just do it! That's what makes life fun!" The redhead offered his boyfriend a hand, and Roxas took it to heave himself off the ground—but didn't let go once he was up. Zack and Cloud did the same… and Riku just lifted Sora up with one hand under the boy's knees, the other behind his back, just to be different.

Sora didn't complain, just laughed. All were wearing smiles as they descended the hill—and Riku found out that you can buy ice cream in winter.

-X-V-X-

Some Times

-X-V-X-

"Riku, hold still!"

"What—what are you doing?" Riku, sitting on Roxas's windowsill and holding a mug of cocoa, turned his gaze away from the falling snow and to Sora.

"Trying to draw you." Sora kept his gaze furiously on the sketchpad. "Zack said he was an artist, and I wanna know what that's like."

"What?" He started to lower the mug, but Sora looked up and just stared, in a way he hoped was menacing enough to keep Riku in place. "Ah, okay then," Riku said uncertainly, and looked out the window again.

There was silence, excepting the scratching of Sora's pencil on paper. Roxas was out with Axel, and Leon had gone shopping.

"Do you…" Riku began to say, but trailed off.

Sora looked up, confused. "Do I…?" Riku was a quiet speaker, sure, but usually he knew what he was saying before he said it (and he had this annoyingly attractive habit of whispering things in Sora's ear, as if what he had to say was only for Sora. And of course it made the brunet blush), but Riku losing his words?

Silence fell again, but Sora didn't continue drawing, wanting to know what was up. Riku sighed, and looked down at his drink.

"Are you going to finish that sentence, Riku?"

"Maybe." There were a few more long moments where Sora stared at Riku, taking the time to admire his profile while he waited for the boy to form his words. "Do you think, maybe, that these days are special?"

Sora blinked, utterly lost. "What? What do you mean?"

Riku looked up from his drink, then, and held Sora's gaze in a way that made Sora never want to blink again. "I mean—something like this moment, I don't ever want to forget it. We don't often get to be just us anymore."

Sora placed down his pencil, adjusting his position on the bed. "I think every day is special, really. But yeah, there are moments like this that stand out. Things that I love that happen all at once."

"Things that you love?"

"Mmhmm. Falling snow. Hot chocolate." He picked up the pencil again, and waved it in the air with a laugh. "Trying something new. And, of course, You. Spending time with you. I don't—um, I don't want to forget anything, but most of all, I never want to forget moments like these, moments with you." Sora looked at the blankets shyly, not entirely sure what he just said. He knew, though, on some level he kind of sort of just admitted he had a crush on his best friend.

"I'm… something that you love?" Riku sounded shocked, but not angry, not disgusted or remorseful. Sora thought of all those times—prolonged touches to the shoulder or arm, holding hands for longer than they needed, Riku whispering things only to Sora because only Sora was important enough to hear them—and there was a possibility. A sliver of hope, and Sora wondered why he never considered the idea that Riku might love him back.

"Yes," Sora said steadily. "First on the list." And he smiled, maybe a little wryly, maybe a little uncertainly, at the bedcovers.

Riku's hand was on his cheek, fingers under his ear and thumb on his cheekbone. There was a distinct click as the mug of cocoa was placed on the wide windowsill. Sora didn't blink when Riku kissed him, but closed his eyes and pressed softly back.

Riku smiled against his lips, and Sora couldn't suppress the wide grin that burst forth as Riku pulled away.

"I love you too, Sora," Riku's tone was amused, but there was something else beneath it, an admiration, a happiness that couldn't be matched.

Sora's heart glowed and flew out of his chest and up into the sky.

At least, that's what it felt like when Riku kissed him again.

An hour later, when Roxas came home, he found Sora and Riku sitting opposite each other on the windowsill, legs tangled together and laughing over Sora's horrible drawings.

'Nothing's changed, then,' Roxas thought. They didn't blow up the house while I was gone.'

A/N: OH GOODNESS. I wrote most of this story a LONG time ago- all except for Some Times, which I just finished now.

Reflections was never meant to have anything more to it- but I'd created a back story that just kind of sat there, and I ended up writing more for it.

So though I'm delving into other fandoms now such as Supernatural and Sherlock (BBC), I likely won't be active at all on anymore unless I'm reading other people's stories. I still write, even when I should be doing my homework, but nothing is finished, nothing is worth posting.

Thank you all for reading Reflections, and I hope you have an optimistically good day.