Disclaimer: Now that it is finally over, I have to confess it. I had hoped this moment would never come, but in the end there's no way to delay the inevitable. I lied to you all because... I actually do NOT own Kingdom Hearts.

Warnings: Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll (not necessarily in this order), yaoi triangles... ah, come on, I bet you stopped read the Warnings at Chapter 2 anyway

Main Pairings: Sora / Riku / Roxas triangle

Author's notes: A double chapter to celebrate the end of the story. And to reach the fated number 30, I admit it (I really didn't want to end on 29).

Awesome Beta Reader: Saxocalyptica

Chapter 29-30: A New Beginning

When Roxas reached his room that evening, Sora was busy at the desk, uselessly trying to understand why he couldn't resolve maths problems no matter how hard he tried. He quickly welcomed his roommate before getting back to his exam model, but only ten minutes later he gave up definitively.

"Man, do you think I can pass with an average score of 22% of correct answers?"

"Passing is old-fashioned, anyway."

The brunet sighed, letting himself fall on the back of the chair. Then he suddenly realized that it was the first time since he had officially started to date Riku that he was alone with Roxas. He suddenly started to feel a little uneasy.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" his roommate asked mockingly. The brunet didn't answer immediately and the two of them spent ten long seconds staring at each other. Then, he finally answered.

"Roxas, listen..."

"I know." the other boy asserted calmly. "It could have worked, it simply wasn't meant to be." At the worried expression on Sora's face, Roxas talked again. "We would've killed each other in a week top, any case."

"That's probably true." the other boy admitted, smiling weakly. "So... we're both officially out of the closet, I guess."

"I Guess. How is it going with your boyfriend, by the way?" When he saw his friend blushing, Roxas rolled his eyes. "Ok, I'll take it as a 'we're totally in love with each other'."

Sora didn't get the time to answer, because someone knocked at the door at that precise moment. When he opened it, a silver-haired boy was staring at him, looking surprised.

"Hey, already ready to go?" At the puzzled look of the brunet, Riku talked again. "Geez, Sora! Can't believe you've forgotten our date."

Sora felt a hot rush running up his body, instinctively turning his head over his roommate. Riku, that until that moment didn't seem to have noticed Roxas' presence, blushed too.

"Oh, my, you two are so cliché that it has to be an act. Please, do as if I was not here."

"I... I didn't forget anything, anyway." Sora exclaimed, trying to ignore Roxas. "We were meant to meet in a couple of hours."

"Well, actually..." Riku paused, clearly intent in carefully choosing his words. "I thought you were still having classes."

Roxas lowered a little the book he was reading, getting interested in what the upperclassman was saying.

"Wait, you mean that you're here... for Roxas?"

"Yes, pretty much. You think I can..."

"Oh, ehr... sure." Sora blabbered more surprised than ever. "I... I'll just wait outside then, just call me when you're over." he added before reluctantly stepping out of the room. Riku closed the door so that he and Roxas were finally alone.

"Physical aggression is against the law, you know?" the blond boy said mockingly, slowly getting down from the top bunk. Riku stared at him in silence for a few seconds before talking.

"I just wanted to... thank you, Roxas."

"Beg your pardon?" The blond boy couldn't believe his ears: after all that had happened, Riku had every reason to hate him. They hadn't really talked to each other since their last encounter in Axel's apartment. So, to someone like Riku to thank him, was definitively strange.

"I know what you did for Sora." Riku started, calmly. "We've had our differences. And I know I haven't always been gracious with you."

Roxas took a deep breath. "Nah, you haven't, but... I guess I owe you an excuse too." At the surprised look of the upperclassman, he kept talking. "I treated you horribly, even by my standards. I didn't like some of the things that you did, but that didn't give me the right to insult you when you came to me with the best intentions."

"Wow, I can't believe it!" Riku answered, exaggeratedly surprised. "I would have never expected something like that from you. Really humble. A bit out of character, but I like it, keep going, please."

"Don't make me regret it." he warned the other boy.

"Alright, I'm sorry. But still..." He was looking clearly nervous and Roxas didn't fail to notice it. "There is something else that I wanted to ask you!"

The blond boy looked at him, suspicious, waiting for a question. He felt that it was something that really mattered to Riku and, for a moment, he thought how he could take advantage of that, before quickly realizing that that was the kind of behavior that he was trying to drop.

"Do you like Sora?"

The question kind of surprised Roxas, not really expecting something so blunt and personal. "Well, he's an ok guy. I could even say that he's a friend."

"You know very well, what I mean!" Riku repeated, clearly determined to get an answer.

The blond boy closed his eyes and took and sighed. "Alright, I think I owe you this much. You're right, I liked Sora. His way of being was so cute and adorable that I just wanted to hug him and keep him with me." He paused for a second at the shocked expression painted on Riku's face. "Just for the record: try to tell this to someone and I'll kill you. Painfully."

"Understand. So you..."

"No!" Roxas replied. "I don't feel like this anymore. He had always loved you, with every fiber of his being." He sighed, then smiled. "But when I realized that, I also understood that we weren't meant for each other. It wasn't easy at the beginning, but in the end I think it was for the best. I'm seeing... someone else, now." At Riku's inquiring look, Roxas blushed a little. "A... anyway, I'd say that I consider Sora... kind of a brother. So, just remember one thing: try to hurt him and I'll be coming for you."

"Likewise." Riku smiled.

Roxas' tone of voice changed sharply. "Well, you got your answers, now get the hell out of here, I'm a busy guy". The blond boy took back his book and resumed the lecture. Riku obeyed promptly.

"Hey, Roxas."

"Mmm?"

"Thank you."

"Goodbye, Riku."

A few months later

Sora was late!

Nothing new, of course, everyone was used to him being late, but tonight he couldn't afford it. He was running under the peaceful starry night sky, across a shady district of Twilight Town. When he finally reached his destination, he quickly climbed the stairs until he finally reached Axel's apartment.

"You're finally here, Sora!" Axel welcomed him in. He was wearing his usual apron and looked kind in a hurry when he opened the door. "I'd welcome you better, but the dinner is gonna burn. Want to know what is the dish of the day?"

"I'm more interested in knowing of which day it is." Sora answered jokingly.

"This one is old."

"Your food is too."

Axel looked at him discomforted before turning back and heading towards the kitchen corner of the room. "You spend way too much time with Roxas. Seriously, what would you all do without me?"

"A balanced diet, probably." a voice replied from the couch in the room. "Hey, look who has finally decided to deem us worthy of his presence." That was Larxene's way of greeting Sora.

The brunet took a moment to look around him. Zexion, Demyx and Marluxia were there too, intent on putting the final touches on a huge banner. Somehow, the little flat looked really comfortable.

Demyx budged a little to check behind Sora. "Are you alone? Where are the others?"

"What others?" Sora asked not really understanding who else should've come.

"I see." Axel answered without distracting himself from cooking. "Roxas didn't tell you, then."

The brunet looked at the other boy perplexed. Just as he was about to ask what was he talking about, the doorbell rang again. "Go open the door, it may be someone you know." Axel answered enigmatically.

Sora slowly reached the door, wondering who could Axel be talking about. It couldn't be Roxas, of course, he had referred to 'others' people. When he finally opened the door, the tall figure of Riku surprised him.

"Hey. How are you doing?" the silver-haired boy asked smiling.

Sora hugged him immediately, not even giving him the time to react. Riku didn't push him back.

"So it's official now?" Kairi asked, peeking from behind the upperclassman.

"So romantic. So gossiping."

"Geez, my teeth are about to rot."

Selphie and Tidus' sarcastic remarks announced their arrival. Sora stock out his tongue at them. Axel greeted everything and they took place in the small apartment that was quickly getting full of people. But Sora knew it wasn't over yet, as there was still someone too much important to miss. And at the moment he was starting to wonder when he'd show up, the ring belled one last time, precisely at the moment the other boys were finishing to hang up the banner.

"You should go open, Sora!" Axel repeated, making the brunet starting to wonder if he really was doing something for him or he was simply too lazy to go open himself.

The moment he got closer to the door, Sora recognized immediately the distinctive voices of Cloud and Leon bickering. He was still a little diffident towards them, especially after his dive in the lake, but after all that had happened he had decided to let it all go.

When he opened the door, Leon's voice was resounding in the whole building. "Oh, please, you're not that interesting!" He was speaking to Cloud and it looked like he hadn't even realized that Sora was there.

"I swear, that vagabond in the alley offered me some money to see me naked!" the blond boy answered. He was looking more flattered than outraged.

"Don't get too excited, he asked me the same thing." Sora interrupted them, forcing the boys to acknowledge him.

"Little Sora! We're glad to see you again! We have so many questions to ask you!"

"Absolutely!" Leon confirmed calmly. "Like, are you top or bottom with Riku?"

"Please, just tell me that Riku is bottom! It would be the best news ever!"

"Shut the hell up, Cloud!" Riku's voice boomed somewhere from the room, his pale complexion betraying a light blush. But Sora was already focused on someone else behind the two boys. Roxas smiled a little when Sora acknowledged him. Naminé, who was standing next to him, greeted him, then she quickly proceeded to enter, dragging Cloud and Leon with her.

"Hey, roomie!" Roxas greeted Sora.

"Only for a couple of more weeks, then I'll move with Riku, you know." the brunet answered, just a slight trace of guiltiness in his voice.

"I know, I know, at last I won't have to stand you two anymore, you're so sweet that you make me sick." Roxas joked.

Sora laughed. "Bizarre, Tidus just said the same thing, must be true. But you'll have to find someone to replace me, you know..." The blond boy looked away embarrassed. "Come on, don't blush. My rough-tough roommate would never do that." He the got closer to him and whispered: "I'll give you a hint: where there's the ass is the behind."

"Shut up, little virgin." Roxas answered outraged. "At last I'm not a bottom."

"Nice try, but Cloud already tried that one the other day. No details, my sexual life is off-limit."

A moment of silence ensued, interrupted by the Larxene's booming voice from inside the apartment. "Hey, lovebirds, we're waiting for the birthday-boy!"

Roxas moved a little on his left and peeked in, over Sora's shoulder.

"Please," he asked his roommate. "Tell me that that embarrassing thing with 'happy birthday, Rox' on the wall is not for me."

"I can lie if this will make you feel better." Sora answered with a smile. "Any case, if I was you I'd be more worried about the cake Axel is cooking."

"Ugh! I don't know how I will survive his cooking when we'll live together." he said nonchalantly. "Let's go in, they're waiting for us."

As an answer, Sora grabbed the other boy by the arm. "Wow, wow, wow! Wait a second, you can't drop a bomb like that and pretending nothing happened. You're going to live with Axel?"

"I'll need a new roommate once you'll be out, remember? And Axel doesn't mind leaving this place, tonight will be the last time we'll party here, otherwise why do you think I asked him to celebrate my birthday here and not at my home?"

"I thought it was because your father would kill you if you threw another party in there."

"Yeah, that too." Roxas smiled. "Not that that could stop me, of course, but we're way too few to fill that big house, don't you think?"

The brunet smiled in return. "Should we go in, then? I think everyone is waiting for your big entrance. Oh, and by the way, the banner was Riku's idea."

"Sneaky little bastard."

Once Roxas entered in the room, Sora closed gently the room behind him. He got just a second for himself before everyone started to sing 'Happy Birthday' ("I swear, the song wasn't my idea" he would later lie to Roxas), but, during that short time, he found himself thinking to all that had happened during his first few weeks in Twilight Town and how much everyone of them had changed.

Sora took place on the couch next to Riku (the upperclassman had thrown Demyx on the ground to find a place for him) and found himself smiling while Axel was bringing what was supposed to be a birthday cake.

"Why are you smiling? We will have to eat it, you know?" Riku asked, sincerely worried.

'If this is the price to pay to being this happy, I'l gladly accept it.' Sora thought, leaning against Riku's shoulder.

He was at peace with himself.

End Notes: The End. Yes, the story is finally over, even if it took a lot longer than what I thought. When I first started to conceive this fic it was a completely different story, but I'm perfectly happy with the result, and I hope you are too.

For the story "per se", I'd like to know your opinion, what could have been managed better (aside from the time between updates, I know that was bad :) and what would you have liked more in the story (I'll take the assumption that if you've reached chapter 40 you liked it, at least a little bit :).

For the poll ("who do you think will end up with who?"), well, lots of people thought it would have ended with Sora and Roxas together. From one side I'm really happy, because my main objective was to create a story not really predictable (and I'm glad that I tricked a lot of people with the "who kissed Sora under that tree?" part :). On the other side, I'm sorry, because I didn't mean to disappoint al the people that wanted a SoRoku story (a few reviews were quite harsh, ouch :).

Finally, I want to thank all of the readers and reviewers that have followed me until here, both old and new, especially NonsenseVerse, Theblackcoat, mondkind11, pianogirl89, Candasaurus, XionTheBlackRose, Lord Nitro, P13YoLoCrazFan, Rinney, Insert-something-creative-here, MoeMoePinkNinja, YouJustWatch, lovleydragonfly, Yojimbo, MyHamstersHateMe, RoseShine 76, DaphneMezereum, TotoroKid, Fuck Me Gently With A Chainsaw, LionessDeity, Nacchan Sakura, Svenja, NeoRulez, IllMariZemyx, The Dark Flair, CloSephi - SoRiku, Team Wingless, Fiore, ChibiRealm, Ctopher, jennelyn12, ItsRainingNe0n, Akaimina, Axeex, Angelcataanna, Your Fan, AshHoffman, Sokailover, TetraWithDamagedFins, AquaNovaSeb, SuNa, Bellatrix-96, Rikulovrr, (each of whom wrote more than 2 reviews, so thanks a lot).

A really special thank to rinsegaku, rintisku, Roadway, MSamthebest, Roadway, Another Night Without you, tellurium52, PyschopathicXangel, LuLupus, FullOfSugar, Drake Trevor Oliver who kept encouraging me, giving me suggestions or just being cool enough to exchange a few PM :).

And finally, the biggest thank goes to Saxocalyptica, my awesome beta-reader who corrected most of the mess in my chapters.

Don't assume your dreams are just fantasy. If you can imagine a world, believe in it... and dive in.