FIC: Be Mine (CloudxRiku, R)
Title: Be Mine
Author: Page of Cups
Pairing: Cloud Strife/Riku
Other Pairing(s): Leon/Sora
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Rating: R
Theme: #23 Candy
Disclaimer: Kingdom Heart totally doesn’t belong to poor little ole me. It belongs to a bunch of rich people at Disney and Square Enix. Being as poor as I am, I am not affiliated with the rich people at either of these companies. I’m not even qualified to clean their toilets. So there.
Author’s Note: This story is dedicated to Aly for the idea, the Romans for being sick and twisted, and Sora because he’s just so precious. Happy Valentine’s Day! <3
“All right. Who gave you an electric drill?”
“What?”
“I need to know who to fire.”
Cloud scowled, pulled the drill in question’s trigger, and drove a screw the rest of the way into the drywall panel. He turned his head toward Aerith and glared.
“Very funny. You know what? They gave me a drywall knife, too.”
“Seriously. Who do I fire?”
“Why don’t you try Leon? And, anyway, you can’t fire them. They’re volunteers.”
“What’s your point?”
“That you can’t fire volunteers. You can’t afford to fire anyone. If you could, Leon would’ve fired me ages ago.”
“I think we can make an exception for the person stupid enough to give you power tools.”
“Well that would be Leon, so if you’d like to fire our dictator, go right ahead. I’m behind you the entire way.”
Aerith turned her head away and into her shoulder, almost hiding a small, somewhat amused smile. As the corner of her lips twitched into a half-smirk, her eyes rolled back to Cloud. He sighed, waited, glared, and then shrugged.
“What?”
“He left you here to drywall this entire block by yourself, didn’t he?”
“No. He left me here to drywall this entire block with Sora, but that’s pretty much the same thing, isn’t it?”
Aerith lifted her head to consider Cloud full on, smirked again, bit her lip, and dropped her eyes to the floor for a second. When she met his eyes again he huffed, practically threw the drill on a nearby workbench, and snatched up a measuring tape. She lightly patted the basket hanging from her arm full of lunch bags for the hungry Radiant Garden Restoration volunteers.
“Where is Sora?”
“That’s an excellent question. Wish I could tell you. He took off about an hour ago to ask Leon something he probably already knows the answer to and never came back. My bet is that he ran into Riku on the way and now they’re both skipping out of work.”
“And you wish you were with them.”
“Please don’t start with me today.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“Don’t be silly, Cloud. There’s no way you could possibly know what I’m thinking.”
“I don’t like Riku that way.”
“I didn’t say you did.”
“But you’re thinking it.”
“I thought we already covered that issue.”
Cloud glared at her again, snatched a pencil from the work bench, and drudged over to a large slab of drywall, the tape measurer in tow. Aerith covered her mouth with her free hand and chuckled to herself, shaking her head. She cleared her throat and shrugged.
“Sora probably just got detained with Leon. That happens from time to time.”
“Meaning every day...”
“You know how they get together. Sora seeks Leon out and once they start talking Leon can’t stop.”
“Don’t lie to me, Aerith. Sora’s lazy. The fact that he’s got it bad for Leon doesn’t help.”
Aerith’s lips twisted into that tight smile again, as if she had a secret she was trying not to spill.
“You think so?”
Cloud glared as he marked a line on the drywall. He let the tape measurer clatter to the floor.
“No. It’s just blatantly obvious, that’s all.”
“You know the same could be said about you and...”
“I knew you were thinking it.”
Aerith shrugged.
“Maybe you’ve developed a sixth sense.”
“Maybe I’ve been listening to ‘jailbait’ jokes for enough months now to know when it’s coming.” Cloud grabbed the drywall knife from the floor and made a cut into the slab. “Are you going to give me my lunch or are you going to keep standing there, torturing me, while I starve like a kid from the Midgar slums.”
“For that comment I ought to let you starve.”
“Not my problem you were a kid from the Midgar slums. You’re too sensitive.”
Aerith rolled her eyes but her smile never faltered as she pulled one of the lunch bags from the basket. She laid it on the workbench and lightly slapped him across the head. Cloud’s jerked back and turned his head up to face her. He glared as he rubbed the offended area on his skull.
“You had it coming to you,” she said.
“Sometimes I think you like to torture me.”
“Sometimes I do. There’s one more thing. This is for you.”
Aerith reached into the basket a second time and produced a small, garishly pink envelope. As she held it out to him, Cloud considered the thing, eyebrows knitted together. His name, written in an even more obnoxious, curly scrawl made accepting the envelope even more horrifying. He stared at it but made no attempt to take it.
“What is that thing?”
“We-meaning Yuffie, Tifa, and I-are throwing a Valentine’s Day party tomorrow night. It was Yuffie’s idea. Everyone working on the Restoration gets an invitation.”
Cloud licked his lips and continued to stare.
“Not interested.”
“Cloud!”
“I’m sorry. I can’t. It’s too short notice. I’m busy.”
“With what? Microwavable dinner? Because all the food is going to be at the party.”
“I have plans. It’s Valentine’s Day. You should have considered people would be busy.”
“You don’t even have a boyfriend. You don’t even have a girlfriend! And everyone you are friends with is going to be at the party. You don’t want to be all alone on Valentine’s Day.”
“Yes, I do.”
“You don’t have plans.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Cloud, take the invitation. You’re coming. I know you don’t have plans because I know everyone you know and you don’t like to meet new people.”
“That’s absolutely right. I can’t come to your party. There will be new people there.”
“You’re coming.”
“I don’t do parties.”
“You do now.”
“I don’t do Valentine’s Day.”
“You do now.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Cloud Strife, you are coming tomorrow if I have to drag you across Radiant Garden kicking and screaming. If you want to make an ass out of yourself it’s your problem.”
“Go ahead. Let me see you try.”
“You’re coming.”
Aerith dropped the invitation on the ground and turned, humming to herself over Cloud’s continued protest and swinging her basket as she left the house. Cloud glared at the envelope on the floor for several seconds and then stabbed it with the drywall knife.
.:.:.:.:.:.
Cloud awoke the follow morning with no immediate recollection of the encounter with Aerith the day before. All he was aware of was that the sky was still dark, Sora was entirely too loud for this time of morning, and the aroma of fresh coffee was drifting up from the kitchen into his bedroom. Cloud groaned as he stared through blurry eyes at the clock, but the numbers were too fuzzy to make out. He considered in this haze that going back to sleep was a fantastic idea, but if Sora was awake, so was Leon, which mean he had five to ten minutes of uninterrupted time before one of his three roommates entered his room uninvited with coffee to coax him out of bed.
If it were Riku sent to wake him that wouldn’t be too bad. Riku was calm and polite at this time of morning, but if it was Sora...
Almost nine months had passed since Sora and Riku fought against the leader of Organization XIII and returned to Destiny Islands. It had been almost eight months since the King sent them to investigate a disturbance in Radiant Garden, and seven months since the problem was eradicated. Initially Sora had wanted to go home, but Riku wanted to stay, and in the end it was only Kairi who left on the return Gummi Ship for Destiny Islands.
There were no homes available at the time, and even if there had been, Leon refused to allow Sora and Riku the run of their own house. It was never official, inviting Sora and Riku to live with them instead of simply ‘crashing’ there forever. Leon just simply told Cloud one day they were moving to a bigger house and to pack up.
It was almost six months since that day. Cloud still hadn’t learned how to sleep through the Sora alarm clock.
Cloud groaned and rolled from his bed, feet finding the floor only because he’d subconsciously learned to walk during these ungodly hours (courtesy of Leon) and a person could only greet the new day by face-planting on a hard floor so many times. He staggered from his bedroom and down the stairs, gripping the handrail in a tight fist to prevent a face-plant down the stairs (that had been worse than the bed). As he lumbered into the kitchen Leon looked up from the table and nodded.
“I was just about to send Sora,” said Leon. “I’m impressed you got up on your own.”
“Sora’s dulcet tones woke me.”
Leon smirked.
“Just another good reason I like to keep him around.”
At the mention of his name Sora bounced into the kitchen from the living room. Riku followed close behind him. How they all looked so awake was almost sickening.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Cloud!” said Sora, rushing over to the table. Or maybe he was walking. Even the way he fell into a vacant chair felt rushed, but it was hard to tell with Sora sometimes. “I have a present for you.”
That was when he noticed the large plastic bag clutched in Sora’s one hand and a stack of plain, white envelopes in the other. He dumped the contents on the table and rifled through them.
“He already gave me mine,” said Riku, walking over to the coffee pot. He pulled a mug from an overhead counter and glanced back. “This might take a while. He’s got cards for almost everyone in Radiant Garden.”
“Well I couldn’t just leave anyone out,” said Sora as he shifted through the envelopes, turning some of them over, and casting others aside. “That wouldn’t be very nice. Just hold on. I know it’s here somewhere. Wait. Here it is!”
Sora shoved one of the white envelopes and a large, foil-wrapped thing on a stick in Cloud’s empty hands. Riku sat in the vacant chair beside him with two mugs of coffee and pushed one in front of Cloud.
“What is this?” said Cloud.
“It’s a Valentine’s Day card,” said Sora.
“And a lollipop,” said Riku.
“It’s shaped like a heart.”
“That’s because it’s Valentine’s Day,” said Sora. “Geez, Cloud. Don’t you know anything?”
“Yeah, Cloud,” said Riku, smirking over his coffee. “Don’t you know anything? I would think that even someone as moody as you would understand you give out heart-shaped lollipops on Valentine’s Day.”
Cloud tried to glare at him, really did. That kind of light-hearted teasing was usually enough to crawl under his skin, but the way Riku did it was just...endearing.
“I have one for you, too, Leon,” said Sora, grabbing an envelope and lollipop, holding them to his chest for a few seconds as if nervous, and then thrust them forward. Leon raised an eyebrow.
“You gave me one last night,” he said.
“Did I? I must have forgotten. Well, you can never have too many valentines, right?”
Leon blinked and took the offered gifts. Riku snorted and Cloud looked over at him.
“Sora couldn’t pick which one to give him so he made out five cards for Leon,” Riku explained, his voice soft. “There’s more where that came from. Kind of makes you wish Valentine’s Day was more than once a year, doesn’t it?”
Cloud regarded the almost gentle way Leon opened his envelope and shrugged.
“Almost.”
“Aren’t you going to open your card?” said Sora.
Cloud looked up.
“What?”
“Your card. Aren’t you going to open it?”
“They’re really great,” said Riku. “You’re going to love it.”
Now Riku was wearing the same tight smile Aerith got as if he were keeping a secret, but considering Riku had already received his card, this wasn’t that much of a surprise. Cloud carefully looked over Sora’s face, blue eyes visibly brimming with anticipation. He carefully slid a finger under a corner of the flap and slit the envelope open. He pulled out the card only to be greeted with a cartoonish image of Sora’s friend Donald Duck. Yellow bubble letters professed that Sora was just ‘quackers’ about him.
“Aren’t they great!” said Sora. Across the table Leon laid down his own card emblazoned with King Mickey. “I found them in the market a few weeks ago and I just couldn’t resist.”
“I got Pluto,” said Riku.
“Yeah...” said Cloud. “Great.”
“Well I like them,” said Sora.
“So do I,” said Leon. He actually gave Sora a smile. “I’m going to go get dressed and head out to the castle. Riku? You coming?”
“Yeah,” said Riku. “Just a sec.”
He stood from the table and carried his mug over to the sink. Sora frowned.
“Can I come, too?”
“I need you to keep an eye on Cloud drywalling again today,” said Leon. “Is that okay?”
The expression on Sora’s face read that it was clearly not okay, or at least not preferable, but he nodded anyway. Riku snickered as he rinsed out his mug and placed it on the counter.
“Don’t look so down,” Riku said. “It’s not that we don’t want you there. Leon’s just afraid you’ll break the computer again.”
“That was one time!”
“Two times, actually.”
“Three,” said Leon.
“Three?” said Riku.
“How do you think he met Tron?”
“That was Donald!” said Sora, pumping his fists. “That’s not fair!”
“But you were the one bashing the keys first,” said Leon.
Riku laughed as Sora followed Leon out of the kitchen listing all the reasons why he shouldn’t be kept from the computer. Cloud sighed, turned the heart-shaped lollipop over in his hands, and glanced at Riku.
“Guess I should get dressed,” said Cloud.
“Yeah,” said Riku, looking down at his own pajamas. “Me too.”
An awkward pause followed as they simply looked at each other, and then Cloud broke contact staring at the floor, the table, his valentine-anything but Riku. He heard a small laugh and glanced up to see Riku shrug.
“I’m going to go do that, then,” said Riku.
Cloud nodded. Riku hesitated a second longer by the sink and left the kitchen. He sighed, rolled the lollipop between his thumb and index finger a few more times, and then dropped it on the table.
Ten minutes later Cloud found Sora, Leon, and Riku waiting in the living room for him. He glanced at the candy boxes and flower bouquets on the coffee table as he pulled on his coat.
“What’s all that about?”
“What?” said Sora. He glanced around the living room and then laughed. “Oh. Those are Riku’s.”
Cloud’s stomach clenched. His bewildered mood shifted into irritation.
“From who?”
“His admirers,” said Sora, still laughed. Riku shoved him in the arm, but this only made Sora laugh harder.
“Just people,” said Riku. “It’s nothing. It happens every year.”
“They want to be his valentine.”
Leon watched the exchange with amusement as he pulled his own jacket on and then left through the front door. Riku shoved Sora again as they walked outside only to have Sora shove him back, laughter only growing more hysterical.
“It isn’t funny.”
“They lurve you.”
“At least I got presents.”
“I don’t need presents from just anyone,” said Sora, sticking out his tongue.
“Yeah. There’s only one person you want them from.”
Sora’s laughter died as he shoved Riku harder.
“Shut up!”
Cloud watched the two teens interact a second longer and then quickened his pace to catch up with Leon. He was smiling again.
“They’re fun, aren’t they?” said Leon.
“I knew someone ate your brain when you let me use the electric drill,” said Cloud.
“I can’t wait for the party tonight,” said Sora, running up and squeezing between them. “There’s going to be ice cream.”
“Because it’s just not a party without ice cream,” said Riku as he fell into stride beside Cloud.
“That’s right.”
“I’m not going,” said Cloud.
“What?” said Sora. “What do you mean you’re not going?”
“I mean that I’m not going. I’m not interested.”
Riku stared at the ground and shoved his hands and his pockets. Sora gaped. Leon frowned and shook his head.
“Oh yes you are. If I have to go, you have to go,” said Leon. “I don’t care if I have to threaten you with a month of work with Yuffie. It’s not beneath me.”
“I fought against Sephiroth with Yuffie,” said Cloud. “I think I can last a month.”
“I’ll give her sugar.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’ll give her sugar, caffeine, and helium.”
“Helium?” said Riku.
“You’re a sadistic bastard,” said Cloud.
“You have to go!” said Sora. “It’s going to be fun! And everyone’s going to be there! It’s okay if you don’t have a valentine. I don’t have one, either. We can still have fun!”
Cloud almost rolled his eyes, but Sora looked so crushed, his voice so pleading that he thought better of it. He settled for a glare.
“I’m not going because I think Valentine’s Day is a disturbing and barbaric holiday,” said Cloud.
Sora frowned. His eyes looked as if they wanted to widen, but his eyebrows were pulling down, and his facial muscles just couldn’t coordinate on an expression. Riku blinked. Leon laughed.
“And why is Valentine’s Day a disturbing and barbaric holiday?” said Leon. “I have to hear this.”
“It’s romantic,” said Sora. “Valentine’s Day is for telling everyone you know how much you care about them.”
“Valentine’s Day was a festival known as Lupercalia where men slaughtered goats, ran around covered in blood, and whipped women with the sacrificed animals’ skin in the name of fertility,” said Cloud, sneering. “There was also this disgusting little lottery where men picked the names of virgins out of a hat and whoever they picked was their lover for the next year.”
Leon snorted; Riku actually outright laughed. Sora looked horrified.
“Nuh uh,” he said.
“Oh look at him,” said Riku. “It’s like you just told Sora Santa Claus doesn’t exist.”
“Hey, that was you! And he does exist. He lives in Christmas Town. It’s your fault I was on the naughty list.”
“The point is that Valentine’s Day isn’t disturbing and barbaric,” said Leon. “A little tacky, but that never actually killed anyone.”
“Yes, it is. That little lovefest you call Valentine’s Day was all a cover-up when some genius decided that Lupercalia was effing retarded but the people who practiced it couldn’t just stop. How the hell were they going to have babies then? So here comes some fantastical story about St. Valentine and how he was a patriot for marriage and love. People had their babies and we got stuck with Valentine’s Day. It’s demented.”
“I think Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about the meaning you put into it. It isn’t exactly the same holiday anymore. I see nothing wrong with one day a year to celebrate love. Who cares where it came from?”
“I cannot believe this. I thought you of all people would agree with me.”
“I have abandonment issues, Cloud. That doesn’t mean I’m sick enough to think Valentine’s Day is a demented holiday. Only you would actually have principles based on an outdated, archaic practice no one even knows about.”
Cloud glared at Leon for a few seconds, but the other man’s face remained unmoved. Sora was looking at Leon with something like hero worship. Riku glanced up from the more interesting points on the ground.
“How do you know that, anyway?” said Riku.
Cloud shrugged.
“I can read.”
“Okay. Why do you know that?”
“I don’t know. I just do.”
“Well get over it,” said Leon. “I have to go to this stupid party and so do you.”
“I don’t think it’s stupid,” said Sora.
Riku gave a pointed look to Cloud and Leon and then slipped around the back to sidle up by Sora.
“I don’t think it’s stupid, either,” said Riku.
Leon sighed.
“I didn’t mean I think Valentine’s Day is stupid. I just don’t really go to parties, and...”
“It’s okay,” said Sora. He was smiling, but it was a crushed kind of smile. Cloud looked away and tried not to feel guilty, but Sora had this sweet demeanor about him that made it more than difficult. “I just thought it would be fun.”
“I’m sure it will be,” said Leon. “Just don’t leave me alone with those people.”
Sora actually brightened a little this time.
“You want to hang out with me at the party?”
“Sure.”
“You want to be my valentine?”
Leon swallowed. Riku bit his lip and smiled.
“Better watch what you say, Leon,” said Riku. “If you say yes you and Sora just became lovers for a year.”
“What?” said Sora. “No! That’s not what I meant! I...”
Leon shrugged.
“Okay.”
Cloud thought Sora might pass out right there.
“Okay?”
Leon shrugged again.
“Sure. Why not?”
Riku patted Sora on the back as they came to a stop by a row of new houses all in need of drywall.
“I guess this is our stop...” said Sora.
“I’m crushed,” said Cloud.
“I’m sure,” said Leon. “We’ll be over at the castle if you need anything. If not, I’ll see you tonight at the party.”
“Okay!” said Sora.
“You too, Cloud.”
Leon and Riku parted ways, Riku waving goodbye, as they headed toward the castle. Cloud muttered something unintelligible to even himself as he walked into the house he’d been working on at the end of yesterday and snatched his tape measurer from the workbench.
.:.:.:.:.:.
Cloud almost wondered if this new row of housing wasn’t really necessary-just a project to keep Sora and him occupied without destroying anything important. Sora was in and out all day. When he was around Cloud had him measure out and cut drywall pieces while he put them up. When he wasn’t around, he was running around the better part of Radiant Garden with his stack of cards and lollipops, ensuring all the Restoration workers, his new friends, and Donald’s nephews all received their gifts.
Around one o’clock the door opened and Sora trailed in, grinning.
“I’m back, and look who came with me!”
“Hey,” said Leon as he and Riku trailed Sora into the room. He set a cardboard box just inside the room. “House looks like it’s coming along. I’m impressed.”
“You should be,” said Cloud, setting down the drill. He grabbed a clean cloth from a work table and wiped his forehead. “It isn’t like I’ve been getting much help.” Sora had the decency to appear sheepish. “So what are you doing here?”
“Sora came by with his stuff for Cid and convinced us to come over for lunch.”
“Leon got another card,” said Riku.
Sora looked abashed as he shifted his weight between his feet. He gave Cloud a reluctant smile.
“I don’t know,” said Sora. “I guess I made more cards out for Leon than I originally thought. Anyway, Riku just came ‘cause he’s got to take some of his stuff back to the house.”
Cloud looked past Sora to where Riku was already sitting on the floor surrounded by more flowers, large red aluminum foil boxes of candy, piles of cards, and small boxes still wrapped and tied with string. Riku scowled as Sora said this and tried to hide some of the gifts from view.
“Who did those all come from now?” said Cloud, a littler harsher than intended.
“His admirers,” said Sora, snickering. “He told you this happens every year.”
“Shut up,” said Riku. “It’s not my fault if everyone thinks I’m gorgeous.”
“It doesn’t help that you tell people you’re gorgeous,” said Leon.
“I only say it because it’s true.”
“Cloud just probably told them all what Valentine’s Day is really about and now they’re hoping to snag you for the next year. If you see anyone coming at you with blood or goats, run.”
Riku snorted. Cloud glared. The irritation started to come back as he thought of people stopping by the castle all day bearing gifts, asking Riku to be their valentine, and Riku too polite (and perhaps self-centered) to decline. It wasn’t exactly that Aerith was right and he wanted Riku or anything, but the idea of someone else wanting him and acting on it just grated on his nerves. There were more important things to do than focus on Valentine’s Day.
“Valentine’s Day is a sick holiday,” said Cloud. “I can’t help that. More people should know. Then they’d stop wasting their munny on cards and candy and flowers on something demented. It’s like having a national prostitute day.”
“What’s wrong with that?” said Riku, grinning. “Bet I’d get a lot of gifts for that one, too.”
“You’re sick,” said Leon, laughing.
“No, Valentine’s Day is sick,” Cloud continued. “Think of how twisted little kids are running around asking each other to be their valentines. They give out, like, thirty of those cards, the sick fucks. They’re a bunch of little whores.”
“You think I’m a whore?” said Sora.
“What?”
“Sora gave out, like, two hundred of those cards,” said Riku, smirking. “And he’s even worse because he knows.”
“That doesn’t mean I think he’s a whore.”
“You’ve dug yourself a hole,” said Leon. “Choose your words wisely.”
“And if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” said Riku. He opened one of the heart-shaped boxes and popped a chocolate in his mouth, grinning. Cloud huffed. “It’s okay. We know you don’t really mean it.”
“No, he does mean it,” said Leon. “He just means it because he’s feeling defensive. Probably scarred-never got any valentines as a child or something, and clearly he’s not getting any now...”
“What he’s trying to say is that we forgive you for always being the negative one. Can we eat now?”
“I’m hungry,” said Sora.
Cloud chose to ignore the blow to his ego that just transpired between Leon and Riku. He did get valentines as a child. Maybe he didn’t get many, but he did get some. Sure, he didn’t get anything today (except that card from Sora, but getting a card from Sora was like getting a card from that nice kid in school who even gave cards to fat, smelly kid). It didn’t matter, though. He didn’t want cards. Cards were a waste of paper because you couldn’t even do anything with them. He didn’t want flowers or candy. It’d be embarrassing walking around Radiant Garden the way Riku was loaded down with little presents like that. He wasn’t scarred. Leon didn’t even know what he was talking about.
“You can go ahead and eat if you want, but Aerith hasn’t even been by yet, so...” said Cloud.
“Yes, she has,” said Sora. “I just saw her.”
“We have your lunch,” said Leon. “Aerith’s avoiding you. She doesn’t want to give you an opportunity to decline the party invitation again.”
“She says you’re going if she has to send Yuffie after you under the arrangement that if Yuffie gets you there, Aerith will see what she can do to make Vincent Yuffie’s valentine,” said Sora.
Leon raised an eyebrow.
“Get it?”
Cloud sighed.
“Get what?”
“Vincent being Yuffie’s valentine? Vincent Valentine?”
Cloud groaned and banged his head against the drywall.
“That was terrible.”
“Aerith’s joke. I think she was serious, though. I offered to throw in sugar, caffeine, and helium on top of it all.”
“I need you to come, anyway. I’m going to need someone to rescue me,” said Riku, rifling through the cardboard box Leon had brought in upon arrival that held their lunches. He passed one to Cloud. “Leon’s Sora’s valentine, which essentially means they’re going to talk to each other and ignore everyone else. Over half of Radiant Garden is invited so someone is bound to harass me about being their valentine. I don’t want to get man-raped tonight. I need a bodyguard.”
“You come highly recommended,” said Leon.
Cloud searched the other three faces for the joke this time but found nothing. He scowled.
“By who?” said Cloud.
“Aerith,” said Sora as he peeled the crusts off his sandwich and put them with Riku’s food.
Most of the time she was sweet and Cloud couldn’t possibly understand how anyone could not like her. Then things like this Valentine’s Day party happened. Sometimes Cloud was certain Aerith was out to torture him and was actually a sadist hiding behind a pacifist. Cetra or not, she was a conniving, manipulating, and unyielding pest he couldn’t rid himself of.
.:.:.:.:.:.
The Valentine’s Day party Cloud couldn’t get himself out of was scheduled to begin at six o’clock that evening. Restoration jobs on a regular day either lasted until six or a major task was completed, whichever came first, but a special exception was made today. Cloud couldn’t even enjoy straightening things out and packing them up today at five. The hour early would have ordinarily been wonderful, but this hour early came attached with a stupid party so Radiant Garden’s couples could coo at each without anyone telling them to get a room.
It also came attached with ostentatious pink and red heart-shaped balloons, or at least that’s what Cloud learned when he arrived with Leon, Sora, and Riku at ten of six under Leon’s close scrutiny. Sappy love songs issued from Aerith’s small house, and Cloud turned to run. Leon grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“I have to go,” said Cloud. He strained against Leon’s hold. “I’ve just developed an allergy to the color red.”
“Balloons!” Sora yelled. He ran up the stairs and into the house, swinging the plastic bag of lollipops and carrying his shrinking pile of cards.
“I told you helium would be involved,” said Leon.
“You threatened me with helium, and now that I’m here so is it,” said Cloud, struggling. “You broke your part of the deal. I’m a free man.”
“I think it’s pretty,” said Sora, reappearing at the door. “Come on! Come in! There’s streamers and hot chocolate and it’s so romantic!”
Riku snorted as he climbed the stairs to Aerith’s house. “You kind of sounded like Selphie for a second there.”
“What? Nuh uh.”
“Yeah, you did.”
Riku walked past Sora into the house, chuckling to himself. Sora stood there, pouting after him, and then made an exaggerated motion to excuse himself inside. Cloud fell limp in Leon’s hold and sighed, turning his face back toward his captor and resorting to try and look pathetic.
“That isn’t going to work on me, Strife. If I have to go, you do, too.”
“I think you want to go. You have a valentine.”
“As if you care whether you have one or not. You think it’s demented.”
“So? That has nothing to do with you actually wanting to go.”
“I’d rather spend the evening at home drinking drain cleaner.”
“So you don’t want to party with Sora?”
Leon’s eyes narrowed and he released his hold on Cloud.
“No more than you want to party with Riku.”
Leon left Cloud standing outside and disappeared into the house. This was his chance to run and make a break for it. There was no one to force him inside. He still didn’t move, staring at the house.
He hated Leon. Really did. What was that supposed to mean? That he didn’t want to party with Sora any more than Cloud wanted to party with Riku. Cloud didn’t do parties. He didn’t do Valentine’s Day. Sure, his friends seemed to be under some sort of impression that he had feelings for Riku, and maybe there was some truth to them, but that didn’t mean he wanted to party with him. He didn’t want to be his valentine, unless Riku asked, because then it might actually be sweet instead of demented. So what was that supposed to mean? He thought of all people Leon would understand.
Oh. Okay. Well that was good news for Sora. At least he wasn’t making an ass out of giving Leon four cards already today for nothing.
After a lengthy debate with himself, turning to and away from the house, Cloud took a deep breath and attempted to steel his nerves. He would go in, make an appearance, and leave. Then no one would be mad or come down on him, but he wouldn’t have to actually really celebrate Valentine’s Day.
In truth he probably should have gone home. Sora was right in that it was sort of romantic, but Leon had probably been more accurate in calling the holiday tacky. They were more balloons inside with red, pink, and white streamers all over the place. Little confetti pieces shaped like arrows, cupid, and more hearts in-what other colors?-red, pink, and white lay on every surface. The love songs that sounded corny outside were even worse on the inside. There was an abundance of flowers as couples stood around, talking, and drinking hot cocoa. Sadistic small children were exchanging valentines by the dozen.
Yuffie almost knocked him over within thirty seconds of his entrance, yapped on for almost five minutes, and Cloud made a quick getaway when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Aerith found him next, pointedly ignoring her triumphant smile as she insisted he have a good time. She was followed by Tifa, who was sitting with Rude in the living room watching Marlene and Denzel playing a Valentine’s Day game that Yuffie had orchestrated with a few other kids. Tifa was (if the two thousand times she said it was any indication) very pleased he actually came.
In a search for some sanity, Cloud excused himself and went looking for Leon. His stomach did that clenching thing again as his nerves prickled when he passed Riku in the kitchen surrounded by girls with gifts all asking him to be their valentine. The only solace that kept him from breaking out First Tsurugi and bashing their heads in came in the polite rejections Riku was handing out like Sora passed around Valentine’s Day cards. He was friendly, but firm, leaving no room for argument. It was actually kind of sexy.
Five minutes later, though, he’d wished he had just stayed with Riku in the kitchen. The fluffy, romantic feelings that seemed to possess people on Valentine’s Day had cracked even impervious, cold Leon. Cloud found him in a shadowed corner by the staircase, head bent so close to Sora’s that their noses were practically touching. He heard them whispering to each other, saw Leon’s hand on Sora’s waist, and decided he had more than enough of that display. He turned around and headed back into the kitchen.
In his absence more potential suitors had arrived to make Riku their virgin love slave for the year. He was surrounded with guys and girls, all giving him gifts, all asking him to be their valentine, and all hinting at more to come after tonight. Cloud rolled his eyes, pushing his way through people to get to Riku. At his approach, Riku’s face brightened. Several people in the crowd glared at him.
“Hey,” said Riku, grinning. “Thought you went home.”
“Almost. Having a good time?”
“It’s better now that you’re here.”
Cloud heard a few groans and the group began to thin out. He looked around, eyebrows lifted.
“Did I break up the fun?”
“They just know they can’t compete with you.”
Cloud felt as if he’d just taken a large pill. He swallowed as Riku hopped up to sit on the counter and motioned to a large pile of flowers, candy, and gifts.
“Think you can help me carry all that back to the house later?” said Riku. “I’d ask Sora or Leon or something but I don’t know where they got off to.”
“They’re making out by the stairs.”
Riku’s jaw dropped. He stared.
“They were making out?”
“Not yet, but it was headed in that direction.”
Riku closed his mouth and sat back, frowning.
“Well...good for them. Good for Sora. I mean, he’s crazy about Leon. They’re each other’s valentines. Good for them.”
Cloud watched Riku, sitting slumped, almost depressed for a few seconds and then he tore his eyes away. He glanced around the kitchen at plates of food and snacks, the various cakes and cookies, and then his eyes fell on Riku’s pile of gifts. Considering them, he took in all the varieties of presents from people hoping for Riku’s affection. His skin prickled. His blood felt on fire as he picked up one small box wrapped in blue cellophane, turned it over, and shook it.
“What about you?” said Cloud. “Did you pick your lucky valentine, yet?”
Riku sighed. He grabbed a box of conversation hearts and tore it open, reading one before popping it in his mouth. Shrugging, he sighed a second time.
“I’m not interested in any of them.”
“You don’t have anyone special you want to spend Valentine’s Day with?”
Riku smiled and hopped off the counter. He pulled another heart from the box, read it, and placed it where he’d been sitting. With the box closed up, he slipped it into his pocket and grabbed a plastic bag from under the sink.
“Maybe,” said Riku, shoving his gifts into the bag. “Just no one who’s asked me yet. I think I’m going to head home. I’m not feeling so great. Can you get the rest of these when you leave?”
Cloud blinked, irritation gone as he looked at the remaining pile. He nodded.
“Sure. Are you okay?” Cloud swallowed and took a breath. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“Nah. I’m just going to go to bed. Try to have a good time. The party isn’t that bad.”
Riku smiled as he turned and left Aerith’s house through the back door. Cloud glanced back at the counter where Riku had place the conversation heart and picked it up. He read it once, twice, and then stared at the door where Riku was no longer standing, his heart high in his chest.
“Where did Riku go?” said Aerith, walking into the kitchen. “I thought you were supposed to be his bodyguard.”
“Home. He said he didn’t feel well.”
Aerith nodded as she opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of juice.
“You think he’s okay?”
“I think so.” Cloud stared down at the candy heart and rolled it between his fingers. “Hey, Aerith?”
“Hmm?”
Silently Cloud held his palm out toward her, the candy heart sitting in the center. She glanced at it and smiled that secret smile.
“Oh, Cloud, I’d love to but...”
“Not you. Riku. He left it here before he went, and...”
“And?”
“What do you think?”
“Flowers and chocolate usually work best.”
“What?”
“If you’re interested, flowers and chocolate usually work best. He doesn’t really need them considering how many he’s gotten today, but I think they’ll mean more coming from you.”
“That’s not what I asked...”
“You asked me what I thought. That’s what I think. I also think you should probably go after him before he goes to sleep. It’s still Valentine’s Day for another five hours. Better make it special.”
“But...Valentine’s Day...Do you think he’s asking, or...”
“I think he’s hinting, and he’s already given you all you need to say.” Aerith laughed to herself as she grabbed a sleeve of plastic cups and headed for the living room. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Cloud.”
.:.:.:.:.:.
So here he was-emotionally distant and troubled Cloud Strife standing in front of his own house holding flowers and a half-eaten box of candy (long story) with a conversation heart in his pocket trying to figure out where to go from here. There was always the obvious option of inside, but that meant dealing with where to go after that, which led to Riku, and though that was most likely the main objective, it wasn’t an alluring one. Not that Riku wasn’t alluring, because he certainly was, but Cloud had no idea what he was supposed to do or say in these situations, which was the basis of the exact unappealing factor of going into his own house. Bearing flowers. And a half-eaten box of candy he was going to have to somehow hide if Riku caught him before he threw it away.
It was only now that he wondered if choosing to leave the gifts from all of Riku’s other potential valentines back at Aerith’s was a good idea. Maybe Riku would think he was rude, especially after Cloud ate half of the chocolates intended for him, and it would be the source of his undoing. Maybe Riku would think Cloud felt jealous and threatened (both likely true) and take back his conversation heart offer to ‘Be Mine’ back, because as Cloud had heard, acting jealous and threatened was not attractive.
“Are you going to come in?”
Cloud glanced up from where he’d been staring at his feet to see Riku outlined in the doorway looking upon him with amusement.
“Um...hey. Hi. How long have you been standing there?”
Riku smirked.
“Out here? About ten seconds. At the living room window? About five minutes. I was starting to worry. You’re just standing there with flowers and a box of candy. Thought maybe someone stained in blood ran by and whipped you-like Valentine’s Day finally made you comatose or something.”
“Very funny,” said Cloud.
“So...? Are you coming...?”
“Oh. Yeah.”
Cloud shifted his weight between his feet and willed himself to walk forward instead of running away. As he got to the door he chucked the candy box into the shrubbery running along the side of the house. Riku closed the door behind him.
“So where’d you get the flowers?” said Riku, dropping onto the sofa.
Cloud looked down at the bouquet in his hands and shrugged.
“The market.”
“You bought them?”
“Uh...yeah.”
Riku straightened.
“Oh. Who are they for?”
If Aerith was a manipulative, unyielding pest, Riku was a professional at playing dumb and digging for compliments. Honestly. Who did he think the flowers were for? Cloud tried to think of something to say-something that didn’t sound rehearsed or idiotic. He tried to think of something to say that didn’t just answer that very simple and forward question with equal simplicity and bravado.
“I got your conversation heart.”
Riku snorted. Cloud closed his eyes for a pained moment because then maybe he wouldn’t have just violated rule number one by sounding idiotic, but Riku was still chuckling. Guess not.
“Okay,” said Riku. “So...”
Cloud swallowed and thrust the flower bouquet at him.
“These are for you.”
Riku’s smile was genuine, more than it had been when receiving the gifts from others all day long. He took the flowers, looked at them for a few moments, and then glanced up.
“You took the hint.”
“Aerith spelled it out for me. I...um...kind of left all your other stuff there, too. I...er...”
“It’s okay,” said Riku, still grinning. He stood up and disappeared into the kitchen, coming out a few minutes later with the flowers in a vase. He set them on the coffee table. “Weren’t there chocolates, too?”
Cloud bit his lip.
“No.”
“Yes there were. Where’d they go?”
“I lost them. Outside. It’s too cold to go look. I’ll just find them in the morning.”
The corner of Riku’s lip tugged as his eyes narrowed. He brushed past Cloud and out the front door. Rustling sounds drifted into the house, and then Riku came inside, a slightly beaten and opened heart-shaped box in hand. He looked as if he were trying not to laugh.
“About that...” said Cloud. “Those weren’t for you. Well...okay, they were, but not from me...from someone else...so I...”
“Ate them?” Riku supplied.
Cloud’s lips twitched. He shrugged.
“Something like that.”
“And the rest of them are broken open.”
“I only like certain ones.”
“You bought me chocolates, ate them, and threw them in a bush to hide the evidence.”
“I was nervous.”
Riku smirked, skirted around Cloud to drop the box on the coffee table, and then he was uncomfortably close, breath hot on Cloud’s face.
“Why were you so nervous?”
“I wasn’t nervous.”
“You just said you were.”
Cloud bit his lip and tried to look away, but Riku moved into his line of vision, and when Cloud tired to turn the other way, Riku moved again. He huffed.
“That’s really irritating.”
“Why were you nervous?”
“Because...Because I don’t do this. And I don’t know how to do this. And I’m bad at doing this, so...”
“Just ask me.”
“What?”
“Just ask me.”
Cloud swallowed. Riku’s eyes were intensely staring into his own.
“Ask you what?”
It was, apparently, possible to get closer even though Cloud was sure it couldn’t be done, because that was when Riku took a step closer, sliding one leg between Cloud’s. His face, just far away enough for him to see the whole thing, was becoming more amused and assured by the second. When Cloud swallowed again, Riku’s smirk grew.
“You know what to ask me.”
“I’m really not up for making an idiot of myself today.”
“You won’t know if you’re making an idiot of yourself unless you ask. Look at Sora. He put his heart out there all day and it paid off. Maybe you should do the same.”
Riku stepped back and away, breaking the friction-the sheer electricity-that had been building from such a close, tense moment. The sudden loss of heat made Cloud even more aware of how tight his muscles had gone, standing that close to Riku, and how sorely he missed it now. He stepped closer into Riku again, this time gripping him by the hips and pulling him back to his body. Riku laughed.
“You don’t have to be so forceful,” said Riku. “All you have to do is ask.”
Cloud swallowed again. A terrified, panicky feeling was racing through his body right now, nerves jittery. He took a breath.
“Be my valentine?”
Riku smirked again.
“Only if we do it the archaic and barbaric way.”
Cloud’s eyes widened at that.
“What?”
“We’ll do it in the spirit of Lupercalia. I say yes and I’m your lover for the year. You’re just lucky I’m still technically a virgin.”
For all the complaining he’d been doing over the years about Valentine’s Day, the Lupercalia lottery was possibly becoming a fetish as he stood there, still gripping Riku’s hips. He also hadn’t counted on the tightening in his abdomen at the mention of Riku’s technical virginity. Another fetish, he supposed, but that could have been developing just because Riku was so close, and his lips were right there, and...
“Can we skip the goats, blood, and whips part?” said Cloud.
Riku snorted.
“We can skip the goats and the blood. Whipping is optional.”
Cloud pressed his lips together and nodded.
“Okay.”
“Okay. Then I’d be honored to be your valentine.”
Riku closed the last of the space, draping his arms around Cloud’s shoulders and pressing their mouths together. The heat was even more delicious now, and Cloud wondered why he’d protested so much when this was just wonderful. It was doing things to his body his brain couldn’t even comprehend, and then Riku broke the contact, leaving his arms around Cloud’s neck, but pulling back.
“I’m not kidding about the year,” said Riku. “We can discuss renewing the contract next Valentine’s Day.”
Cloud shook his head and despite himself, laughed.
“Okay.”
“Valentine’s Day still demented?”
“Now more than ever.”
Riku grinned.
“But I don’t hear you complaining anymore.”
Cloud’s only response was to close the distance again with another one of those breath-stealing kisses.
Author: Page of Cups
Pairing: Cloud Strife/Riku
Other Pairing(s): Leon/Sora
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Rating: R
Theme: #23 Candy
Disclaimer: Kingdom Heart totally doesn’t belong to poor little ole me. It belongs to a bunch of rich people at Disney and Square Enix. Being as poor as I am, I am not affiliated with the rich people at either of these companies. I’m not even qualified to clean their toilets. So there.
Author’s Note: This story is dedicated to Aly for the idea, the Romans for being sick and twisted, and Sora because he’s just so precious. Happy Valentine’s Day! <3
“All right. Who gave you an electric drill?”
“What?”
“I need to know who to fire.”
Cloud scowled, pulled the drill in question’s trigger, and drove a screw the rest of the way into the drywall panel. He turned his head toward Aerith and glared.
“Very funny. You know what? They gave me a drywall knife, too.”
“Seriously. Who do I fire?”
“Why don’t you try Leon? And, anyway, you can’t fire them. They’re volunteers.”
“What’s your point?”
“That you can’t fire volunteers. You can’t afford to fire anyone. If you could, Leon would’ve fired me ages ago.”
“I think we can make an exception for the person stupid enough to give you power tools.”
“Well that would be Leon, so if you’d like to fire our dictator, go right ahead. I’m behind you the entire way.”
Aerith turned her head away and into her shoulder, almost hiding a small, somewhat amused smile. As the corner of her lips twitched into a half-smirk, her eyes rolled back to Cloud. He sighed, waited, glared, and then shrugged.
“What?”
“He left you here to drywall this entire block by yourself, didn’t he?”
“No. He left me here to drywall this entire block with Sora, but that’s pretty much the same thing, isn’t it?”
Aerith lifted her head to consider Cloud full on, smirked again, bit her lip, and dropped her eyes to the floor for a second. When she met his eyes again he huffed, practically threw the drill on a nearby workbench, and snatched up a measuring tape. She lightly patted the basket hanging from her arm full of lunch bags for the hungry Radiant Garden Restoration volunteers.
“Where is Sora?”
“That’s an excellent question. Wish I could tell you. He took off about an hour ago to ask Leon something he probably already knows the answer to and never came back. My bet is that he ran into Riku on the way and now they’re both skipping out of work.”
“And you wish you were with them.”
“Please don’t start with me today.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“Don’t be silly, Cloud. There’s no way you could possibly know what I’m thinking.”
“I don’t like Riku that way.”
“I didn’t say you did.”
“But you’re thinking it.”
“I thought we already covered that issue.”
Cloud glared at her again, snatched a pencil from the work bench, and drudged over to a large slab of drywall, the tape measurer in tow. Aerith covered her mouth with her free hand and chuckled to herself, shaking her head. She cleared her throat and shrugged.
“Sora probably just got detained with Leon. That happens from time to time.”
“Meaning every day...”
“You know how they get together. Sora seeks Leon out and once they start talking Leon can’t stop.”
“Don’t lie to me, Aerith. Sora’s lazy. The fact that he’s got it bad for Leon doesn’t help.”
Aerith’s lips twisted into that tight smile again, as if she had a secret she was trying not to spill.
“You think so?”
Cloud glared as he marked a line on the drywall. He let the tape measurer clatter to the floor.
“No. It’s just blatantly obvious, that’s all.”
“You know the same could be said about you and...”
“I knew you were thinking it.”
Aerith shrugged.
“Maybe you’ve developed a sixth sense.”
“Maybe I’ve been listening to ‘jailbait’ jokes for enough months now to know when it’s coming.” Cloud grabbed the drywall knife from the floor and made a cut into the slab. “Are you going to give me my lunch or are you going to keep standing there, torturing me, while I starve like a kid from the Midgar slums.”
“For that comment I ought to let you starve.”
“Not my problem you were a kid from the Midgar slums. You’re too sensitive.”
Aerith rolled her eyes but her smile never faltered as she pulled one of the lunch bags from the basket. She laid it on the workbench and lightly slapped him across the head. Cloud’s jerked back and turned his head up to face her. He glared as he rubbed the offended area on his skull.
“You had it coming to you,” she said.
“Sometimes I think you like to torture me.”
“Sometimes I do. There’s one more thing. This is for you.”
Aerith reached into the basket a second time and produced a small, garishly pink envelope. As she held it out to him, Cloud considered the thing, eyebrows knitted together. His name, written in an even more obnoxious, curly scrawl made accepting the envelope even more horrifying. He stared at it but made no attempt to take it.
“What is that thing?”
“We-meaning Yuffie, Tifa, and I-are throwing a Valentine’s Day party tomorrow night. It was Yuffie’s idea. Everyone working on the Restoration gets an invitation.”
Cloud licked his lips and continued to stare.
“Not interested.”
“Cloud!”
“I’m sorry. I can’t. It’s too short notice. I’m busy.”
“With what? Microwavable dinner? Because all the food is going to be at the party.”
“I have plans. It’s Valentine’s Day. You should have considered people would be busy.”
“You don’t even have a boyfriend. You don’t even have a girlfriend! And everyone you are friends with is going to be at the party. You don’t want to be all alone on Valentine’s Day.”
“Yes, I do.”
“You don’t have plans.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Cloud, take the invitation. You’re coming. I know you don’t have plans because I know everyone you know and you don’t like to meet new people.”
“That’s absolutely right. I can’t come to your party. There will be new people there.”
“You’re coming.”
“I don’t do parties.”
“You do now.”
“I don’t do Valentine’s Day.”
“You do now.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Cloud Strife, you are coming tomorrow if I have to drag you across Radiant Garden kicking and screaming. If you want to make an ass out of yourself it’s your problem.”
“Go ahead. Let me see you try.”
“You’re coming.”
Aerith dropped the invitation on the ground and turned, humming to herself over Cloud’s continued protest and swinging her basket as she left the house. Cloud glared at the envelope on the floor for several seconds and then stabbed it with the drywall knife.
.:.:.:.:.:.
Cloud awoke the follow morning with no immediate recollection of the encounter with Aerith the day before. All he was aware of was that the sky was still dark, Sora was entirely too loud for this time of morning, and the aroma of fresh coffee was drifting up from the kitchen into his bedroom. Cloud groaned as he stared through blurry eyes at the clock, but the numbers were too fuzzy to make out. He considered in this haze that going back to sleep was a fantastic idea, but if Sora was awake, so was Leon, which mean he had five to ten minutes of uninterrupted time before one of his three roommates entered his room uninvited with coffee to coax him out of bed.
If it were Riku sent to wake him that wouldn’t be too bad. Riku was calm and polite at this time of morning, but if it was Sora...
Almost nine months had passed since Sora and Riku fought against the leader of Organization XIII and returned to Destiny Islands. It had been almost eight months since the King sent them to investigate a disturbance in Radiant Garden, and seven months since the problem was eradicated. Initially Sora had wanted to go home, but Riku wanted to stay, and in the end it was only Kairi who left on the return Gummi Ship for Destiny Islands.
There were no homes available at the time, and even if there had been, Leon refused to allow Sora and Riku the run of their own house. It was never official, inviting Sora and Riku to live with them instead of simply ‘crashing’ there forever. Leon just simply told Cloud one day they were moving to a bigger house and to pack up.
It was almost six months since that day. Cloud still hadn’t learned how to sleep through the Sora alarm clock.
Cloud groaned and rolled from his bed, feet finding the floor only because he’d subconsciously learned to walk during these ungodly hours (courtesy of Leon) and a person could only greet the new day by face-planting on a hard floor so many times. He staggered from his bedroom and down the stairs, gripping the handrail in a tight fist to prevent a face-plant down the stairs (that had been worse than the bed). As he lumbered into the kitchen Leon looked up from the table and nodded.
“I was just about to send Sora,” said Leon. “I’m impressed you got up on your own.”
“Sora’s dulcet tones woke me.”
Leon smirked.
“Just another good reason I like to keep him around.”
At the mention of his name Sora bounced into the kitchen from the living room. Riku followed close behind him. How they all looked so awake was almost sickening.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Cloud!” said Sora, rushing over to the table. Or maybe he was walking. Even the way he fell into a vacant chair felt rushed, but it was hard to tell with Sora sometimes. “I have a present for you.”
That was when he noticed the large plastic bag clutched in Sora’s one hand and a stack of plain, white envelopes in the other. He dumped the contents on the table and rifled through them.
“He already gave me mine,” said Riku, walking over to the coffee pot. He pulled a mug from an overhead counter and glanced back. “This might take a while. He’s got cards for almost everyone in Radiant Garden.”
“Well I couldn’t just leave anyone out,” said Sora as he shifted through the envelopes, turning some of them over, and casting others aside. “That wouldn’t be very nice. Just hold on. I know it’s here somewhere. Wait. Here it is!”
Sora shoved one of the white envelopes and a large, foil-wrapped thing on a stick in Cloud’s empty hands. Riku sat in the vacant chair beside him with two mugs of coffee and pushed one in front of Cloud.
“What is this?” said Cloud.
“It’s a Valentine’s Day card,” said Sora.
“And a lollipop,” said Riku.
“It’s shaped like a heart.”
“That’s because it’s Valentine’s Day,” said Sora. “Geez, Cloud. Don’t you know anything?”
“Yeah, Cloud,” said Riku, smirking over his coffee. “Don’t you know anything? I would think that even someone as moody as you would understand you give out heart-shaped lollipops on Valentine’s Day.”
Cloud tried to glare at him, really did. That kind of light-hearted teasing was usually enough to crawl under his skin, but the way Riku did it was just...endearing.
“I have one for you, too, Leon,” said Sora, grabbing an envelope and lollipop, holding them to his chest for a few seconds as if nervous, and then thrust them forward. Leon raised an eyebrow.
“You gave me one last night,” he said.
“Did I? I must have forgotten. Well, you can never have too many valentines, right?”
Leon blinked and took the offered gifts. Riku snorted and Cloud looked over at him.
“Sora couldn’t pick which one to give him so he made out five cards for Leon,” Riku explained, his voice soft. “There’s more where that came from. Kind of makes you wish Valentine’s Day was more than once a year, doesn’t it?”
Cloud regarded the almost gentle way Leon opened his envelope and shrugged.
“Almost.”
“Aren’t you going to open your card?” said Sora.
Cloud looked up.
“What?”
“Your card. Aren’t you going to open it?”
“They’re really great,” said Riku. “You’re going to love it.”
Now Riku was wearing the same tight smile Aerith got as if he were keeping a secret, but considering Riku had already received his card, this wasn’t that much of a surprise. Cloud carefully looked over Sora’s face, blue eyes visibly brimming with anticipation. He carefully slid a finger under a corner of the flap and slit the envelope open. He pulled out the card only to be greeted with a cartoonish image of Sora’s friend Donald Duck. Yellow bubble letters professed that Sora was just ‘quackers’ about him.
“Aren’t they great!” said Sora. Across the table Leon laid down his own card emblazoned with King Mickey. “I found them in the market a few weeks ago and I just couldn’t resist.”
“I got Pluto,” said Riku.
“Yeah...” said Cloud. “Great.”
“Well I like them,” said Sora.
“So do I,” said Leon. He actually gave Sora a smile. “I’m going to go get dressed and head out to the castle. Riku? You coming?”
“Yeah,” said Riku. “Just a sec.”
He stood from the table and carried his mug over to the sink. Sora frowned.
“Can I come, too?”
“I need you to keep an eye on Cloud drywalling again today,” said Leon. “Is that okay?”
The expression on Sora’s face read that it was clearly not okay, or at least not preferable, but he nodded anyway. Riku snickered as he rinsed out his mug and placed it on the counter.
“Don’t look so down,” Riku said. “It’s not that we don’t want you there. Leon’s just afraid you’ll break the computer again.”
“That was one time!”
“Two times, actually.”
“Three,” said Leon.
“Three?” said Riku.
“How do you think he met Tron?”
“That was Donald!” said Sora, pumping his fists. “That’s not fair!”
“But you were the one bashing the keys first,” said Leon.
Riku laughed as Sora followed Leon out of the kitchen listing all the reasons why he shouldn’t be kept from the computer. Cloud sighed, turned the heart-shaped lollipop over in his hands, and glanced at Riku.
“Guess I should get dressed,” said Cloud.
“Yeah,” said Riku, looking down at his own pajamas. “Me too.”
An awkward pause followed as they simply looked at each other, and then Cloud broke contact staring at the floor, the table, his valentine-anything but Riku. He heard a small laugh and glanced up to see Riku shrug.
“I’m going to go do that, then,” said Riku.
Cloud nodded. Riku hesitated a second longer by the sink and left the kitchen. He sighed, rolled the lollipop between his thumb and index finger a few more times, and then dropped it on the table.
Ten minutes later Cloud found Sora, Leon, and Riku waiting in the living room for him. He glanced at the candy boxes and flower bouquets on the coffee table as he pulled on his coat.
“What’s all that about?”
“What?” said Sora. He glanced around the living room and then laughed. “Oh. Those are Riku’s.”
Cloud’s stomach clenched. His bewildered mood shifted into irritation.
“From who?”
“His admirers,” said Sora, still laughed. Riku shoved him in the arm, but this only made Sora laugh harder.
“Just people,” said Riku. “It’s nothing. It happens every year.”
“They want to be his valentine.”
Leon watched the exchange with amusement as he pulled his own jacket on and then left through the front door. Riku shoved Sora again as they walked outside only to have Sora shove him back, laughter only growing more hysterical.
“It isn’t funny.”
“They lurve you.”
“At least I got presents.”
“I don’t need presents from just anyone,” said Sora, sticking out his tongue.
“Yeah. There’s only one person you want them from.”
Sora’s laughter died as he shoved Riku harder.
“Shut up!”
Cloud watched the two teens interact a second longer and then quickened his pace to catch up with Leon. He was smiling again.
“They’re fun, aren’t they?” said Leon.
“I knew someone ate your brain when you let me use the electric drill,” said Cloud.
“I can’t wait for the party tonight,” said Sora, running up and squeezing between them. “There’s going to be ice cream.”
“Because it’s just not a party without ice cream,” said Riku as he fell into stride beside Cloud.
“That’s right.”
“I’m not going,” said Cloud.
“What?” said Sora. “What do you mean you’re not going?”
“I mean that I’m not going. I’m not interested.”
Riku stared at the ground and shoved his hands and his pockets. Sora gaped. Leon frowned and shook his head.
“Oh yes you are. If I have to go, you have to go,” said Leon. “I don’t care if I have to threaten you with a month of work with Yuffie. It’s not beneath me.”
“I fought against Sephiroth with Yuffie,” said Cloud. “I think I can last a month.”
“I’ll give her sugar.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’ll give her sugar, caffeine, and helium.”
“Helium?” said Riku.
“You’re a sadistic bastard,” said Cloud.
“You have to go!” said Sora. “It’s going to be fun! And everyone’s going to be there! It’s okay if you don’t have a valentine. I don’t have one, either. We can still have fun!”
Cloud almost rolled his eyes, but Sora looked so crushed, his voice so pleading that he thought better of it. He settled for a glare.
“I’m not going because I think Valentine’s Day is a disturbing and barbaric holiday,” said Cloud.
Sora frowned. His eyes looked as if they wanted to widen, but his eyebrows were pulling down, and his facial muscles just couldn’t coordinate on an expression. Riku blinked. Leon laughed.
“And why is Valentine’s Day a disturbing and barbaric holiday?” said Leon. “I have to hear this.”
“It’s romantic,” said Sora. “Valentine’s Day is for telling everyone you know how much you care about them.”
“Valentine’s Day was a festival known as Lupercalia where men slaughtered goats, ran around covered in blood, and whipped women with the sacrificed animals’ skin in the name of fertility,” said Cloud, sneering. “There was also this disgusting little lottery where men picked the names of virgins out of a hat and whoever they picked was their lover for the next year.”
Leon snorted; Riku actually outright laughed. Sora looked horrified.
“Nuh uh,” he said.
“Oh look at him,” said Riku. “It’s like you just told Sora Santa Claus doesn’t exist.”
“Hey, that was you! And he does exist. He lives in Christmas Town. It’s your fault I was on the naughty list.”
“The point is that Valentine’s Day isn’t disturbing and barbaric,” said Leon. “A little tacky, but that never actually killed anyone.”
“Yes, it is. That little lovefest you call Valentine’s Day was all a cover-up when some genius decided that Lupercalia was effing retarded but the people who practiced it couldn’t just stop. How the hell were they going to have babies then? So here comes some fantastical story about St. Valentine and how he was a patriot for marriage and love. People had their babies and we got stuck with Valentine’s Day. It’s demented.”
“I think Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about the meaning you put into it. It isn’t exactly the same holiday anymore. I see nothing wrong with one day a year to celebrate love. Who cares where it came from?”
“I cannot believe this. I thought you of all people would agree with me.”
“I have abandonment issues, Cloud. That doesn’t mean I’m sick enough to think Valentine’s Day is a demented holiday. Only you would actually have principles based on an outdated, archaic practice no one even knows about.”
Cloud glared at Leon for a few seconds, but the other man’s face remained unmoved. Sora was looking at Leon with something like hero worship. Riku glanced up from the more interesting points on the ground.
“How do you know that, anyway?” said Riku.
Cloud shrugged.
“I can read.”
“Okay. Why do you know that?”
“I don’t know. I just do.”
“Well get over it,” said Leon. “I have to go to this stupid party and so do you.”
“I don’t think it’s stupid,” said Sora.
Riku gave a pointed look to Cloud and Leon and then slipped around the back to sidle up by Sora.
“I don’t think it’s stupid, either,” said Riku.
Leon sighed.
“I didn’t mean I think Valentine’s Day is stupid. I just don’t really go to parties, and...”
“It’s okay,” said Sora. He was smiling, but it was a crushed kind of smile. Cloud looked away and tried not to feel guilty, but Sora had this sweet demeanor about him that made it more than difficult. “I just thought it would be fun.”
“I’m sure it will be,” said Leon. “Just don’t leave me alone with those people.”
Sora actually brightened a little this time.
“You want to hang out with me at the party?”
“Sure.”
“You want to be my valentine?”
Leon swallowed. Riku bit his lip and smiled.
“Better watch what you say, Leon,” said Riku. “If you say yes you and Sora just became lovers for a year.”
“What?” said Sora. “No! That’s not what I meant! I...”
Leon shrugged.
“Okay.”
Cloud thought Sora might pass out right there.
“Okay?”
Leon shrugged again.
“Sure. Why not?”
Riku patted Sora on the back as they came to a stop by a row of new houses all in need of drywall.
“I guess this is our stop...” said Sora.
“I’m crushed,” said Cloud.
“I’m sure,” said Leon. “We’ll be over at the castle if you need anything. If not, I’ll see you tonight at the party.”
“Okay!” said Sora.
“You too, Cloud.”
Leon and Riku parted ways, Riku waving goodbye, as they headed toward the castle. Cloud muttered something unintelligible to even himself as he walked into the house he’d been working on at the end of yesterday and snatched his tape measurer from the workbench.
.:.:.:.:.:.
Cloud almost wondered if this new row of housing wasn’t really necessary-just a project to keep Sora and him occupied without destroying anything important. Sora was in and out all day. When he was around Cloud had him measure out and cut drywall pieces while he put them up. When he wasn’t around, he was running around the better part of Radiant Garden with his stack of cards and lollipops, ensuring all the Restoration workers, his new friends, and Donald’s nephews all received their gifts.
Around one o’clock the door opened and Sora trailed in, grinning.
“I’m back, and look who came with me!”
“Hey,” said Leon as he and Riku trailed Sora into the room. He set a cardboard box just inside the room. “House looks like it’s coming along. I’m impressed.”
“You should be,” said Cloud, setting down the drill. He grabbed a clean cloth from a work table and wiped his forehead. “It isn’t like I’ve been getting much help.” Sora had the decency to appear sheepish. “So what are you doing here?”
“Sora came by with his stuff for Cid and convinced us to come over for lunch.”
“Leon got another card,” said Riku.
Sora looked abashed as he shifted his weight between his feet. He gave Cloud a reluctant smile.
“I don’t know,” said Sora. “I guess I made more cards out for Leon than I originally thought. Anyway, Riku just came ‘cause he’s got to take some of his stuff back to the house.”
Cloud looked past Sora to where Riku was already sitting on the floor surrounded by more flowers, large red aluminum foil boxes of candy, piles of cards, and small boxes still wrapped and tied with string. Riku scowled as Sora said this and tried to hide some of the gifts from view.
“Who did those all come from now?” said Cloud, a littler harsher than intended.
“His admirers,” said Sora, snickering. “He told you this happens every year.”
“Shut up,” said Riku. “It’s not my fault if everyone thinks I’m gorgeous.”
“It doesn’t help that you tell people you’re gorgeous,” said Leon.
“I only say it because it’s true.”
“Cloud just probably told them all what Valentine’s Day is really about and now they’re hoping to snag you for the next year. If you see anyone coming at you with blood or goats, run.”
Riku snorted. Cloud glared. The irritation started to come back as he thought of people stopping by the castle all day bearing gifts, asking Riku to be their valentine, and Riku too polite (and perhaps self-centered) to decline. It wasn’t exactly that Aerith was right and he wanted Riku or anything, but the idea of someone else wanting him and acting on it just grated on his nerves. There were more important things to do than focus on Valentine’s Day.
“Valentine’s Day is a sick holiday,” said Cloud. “I can’t help that. More people should know. Then they’d stop wasting their munny on cards and candy and flowers on something demented. It’s like having a national prostitute day.”
“What’s wrong with that?” said Riku, grinning. “Bet I’d get a lot of gifts for that one, too.”
“You’re sick,” said Leon, laughing.
“No, Valentine’s Day is sick,” Cloud continued. “Think of how twisted little kids are running around asking each other to be their valentines. They give out, like, thirty of those cards, the sick fucks. They’re a bunch of little whores.”
“You think I’m a whore?” said Sora.
“What?”
“Sora gave out, like, two hundred of those cards,” said Riku, smirking. “And he’s even worse because he knows.”
“That doesn’t mean I think he’s a whore.”
“You’ve dug yourself a hole,” said Leon. “Choose your words wisely.”
“And if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” said Riku. He opened one of the heart-shaped boxes and popped a chocolate in his mouth, grinning. Cloud huffed. “It’s okay. We know you don’t really mean it.”
“No, he does mean it,” said Leon. “He just means it because he’s feeling defensive. Probably scarred-never got any valentines as a child or something, and clearly he’s not getting any now...”
“What he’s trying to say is that we forgive you for always being the negative one. Can we eat now?”
“I’m hungry,” said Sora.
Cloud chose to ignore the blow to his ego that just transpired between Leon and Riku. He did get valentines as a child. Maybe he didn’t get many, but he did get some. Sure, he didn’t get anything today (except that card from Sora, but getting a card from Sora was like getting a card from that nice kid in school who even gave cards to fat, smelly kid). It didn’t matter, though. He didn’t want cards. Cards were a waste of paper because you couldn’t even do anything with them. He didn’t want flowers or candy. It’d be embarrassing walking around Radiant Garden the way Riku was loaded down with little presents like that. He wasn’t scarred. Leon didn’t even know what he was talking about.
“You can go ahead and eat if you want, but Aerith hasn’t even been by yet, so...” said Cloud.
“Yes, she has,” said Sora. “I just saw her.”
“We have your lunch,” said Leon. “Aerith’s avoiding you. She doesn’t want to give you an opportunity to decline the party invitation again.”
“She says you’re going if she has to send Yuffie after you under the arrangement that if Yuffie gets you there, Aerith will see what she can do to make Vincent Yuffie’s valentine,” said Sora.
Leon raised an eyebrow.
“Get it?”
Cloud sighed.
“Get what?”
“Vincent being Yuffie’s valentine? Vincent Valentine?”
Cloud groaned and banged his head against the drywall.
“That was terrible.”
“Aerith’s joke. I think she was serious, though. I offered to throw in sugar, caffeine, and helium on top of it all.”
“I need you to come, anyway. I’m going to need someone to rescue me,” said Riku, rifling through the cardboard box Leon had brought in upon arrival that held their lunches. He passed one to Cloud. “Leon’s Sora’s valentine, which essentially means they’re going to talk to each other and ignore everyone else. Over half of Radiant Garden is invited so someone is bound to harass me about being their valentine. I don’t want to get man-raped tonight. I need a bodyguard.”
“You come highly recommended,” said Leon.
Cloud searched the other three faces for the joke this time but found nothing. He scowled.
“By who?” said Cloud.
“Aerith,” said Sora as he peeled the crusts off his sandwich and put them with Riku’s food.
Most of the time she was sweet and Cloud couldn’t possibly understand how anyone could not like her. Then things like this Valentine’s Day party happened. Sometimes Cloud was certain Aerith was out to torture him and was actually a sadist hiding behind a pacifist. Cetra or not, she was a conniving, manipulating, and unyielding pest he couldn’t rid himself of.
.:.:.:.:.:.
The Valentine’s Day party Cloud couldn’t get himself out of was scheduled to begin at six o’clock that evening. Restoration jobs on a regular day either lasted until six or a major task was completed, whichever came first, but a special exception was made today. Cloud couldn’t even enjoy straightening things out and packing them up today at five. The hour early would have ordinarily been wonderful, but this hour early came attached with a stupid party so Radiant Garden’s couples could coo at each without anyone telling them to get a room.
It also came attached with ostentatious pink and red heart-shaped balloons, or at least that’s what Cloud learned when he arrived with Leon, Sora, and Riku at ten of six under Leon’s close scrutiny. Sappy love songs issued from Aerith’s small house, and Cloud turned to run. Leon grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“I have to go,” said Cloud. He strained against Leon’s hold. “I’ve just developed an allergy to the color red.”
“Balloons!” Sora yelled. He ran up the stairs and into the house, swinging the plastic bag of lollipops and carrying his shrinking pile of cards.
“I told you helium would be involved,” said Leon.
“You threatened me with helium, and now that I’m here so is it,” said Cloud, struggling. “You broke your part of the deal. I’m a free man.”
“I think it’s pretty,” said Sora, reappearing at the door. “Come on! Come in! There’s streamers and hot chocolate and it’s so romantic!”
Riku snorted as he climbed the stairs to Aerith’s house. “You kind of sounded like Selphie for a second there.”
“What? Nuh uh.”
“Yeah, you did.”
Riku walked past Sora into the house, chuckling to himself. Sora stood there, pouting after him, and then made an exaggerated motion to excuse himself inside. Cloud fell limp in Leon’s hold and sighed, turning his face back toward his captor and resorting to try and look pathetic.
“That isn’t going to work on me, Strife. If I have to go, you do, too.”
“I think you want to go. You have a valentine.”
“As if you care whether you have one or not. You think it’s demented.”
“So? That has nothing to do with you actually wanting to go.”
“I’d rather spend the evening at home drinking drain cleaner.”
“So you don’t want to party with Sora?”
Leon’s eyes narrowed and he released his hold on Cloud.
“No more than you want to party with Riku.”
Leon left Cloud standing outside and disappeared into the house. This was his chance to run and make a break for it. There was no one to force him inside. He still didn’t move, staring at the house.
He hated Leon. Really did. What was that supposed to mean? That he didn’t want to party with Sora any more than Cloud wanted to party with Riku. Cloud didn’t do parties. He didn’t do Valentine’s Day. Sure, his friends seemed to be under some sort of impression that he had feelings for Riku, and maybe there was some truth to them, but that didn’t mean he wanted to party with him. He didn’t want to be his valentine, unless Riku asked, because then it might actually be sweet instead of demented. So what was that supposed to mean? He thought of all people Leon would understand.
Oh. Okay. Well that was good news for Sora. At least he wasn’t making an ass out of giving Leon four cards already today for nothing.
After a lengthy debate with himself, turning to and away from the house, Cloud took a deep breath and attempted to steel his nerves. He would go in, make an appearance, and leave. Then no one would be mad or come down on him, but he wouldn’t have to actually really celebrate Valentine’s Day.
In truth he probably should have gone home. Sora was right in that it was sort of romantic, but Leon had probably been more accurate in calling the holiday tacky. They were more balloons inside with red, pink, and white streamers all over the place. Little confetti pieces shaped like arrows, cupid, and more hearts in-what other colors?-red, pink, and white lay on every surface. The love songs that sounded corny outside were even worse on the inside. There was an abundance of flowers as couples stood around, talking, and drinking hot cocoa. Sadistic small children were exchanging valentines by the dozen.
Yuffie almost knocked him over within thirty seconds of his entrance, yapped on for almost five minutes, and Cloud made a quick getaway when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Aerith found him next, pointedly ignoring her triumphant smile as she insisted he have a good time. She was followed by Tifa, who was sitting with Rude in the living room watching Marlene and Denzel playing a Valentine’s Day game that Yuffie had orchestrated with a few other kids. Tifa was (if the two thousand times she said it was any indication) very pleased he actually came.
In a search for some sanity, Cloud excused himself and went looking for Leon. His stomach did that clenching thing again as his nerves prickled when he passed Riku in the kitchen surrounded by girls with gifts all asking him to be their valentine. The only solace that kept him from breaking out First Tsurugi and bashing their heads in came in the polite rejections Riku was handing out like Sora passed around Valentine’s Day cards. He was friendly, but firm, leaving no room for argument. It was actually kind of sexy.
Five minutes later, though, he’d wished he had just stayed with Riku in the kitchen. The fluffy, romantic feelings that seemed to possess people on Valentine’s Day had cracked even impervious, cold Leon. Cloud found him in a shadowed corner by the staircase, head bent so close to Sora’s that their noses were practically touching. He heard them whispering to each other, saw Leon’s hand on Sora’s waist, and decided he had more than enough of that display. He turned around and headed back into the kitchen.
In his absence more potential suitors had arrived to make Riku their virgin love slave for the year. He was surrounded with guys and girls, all giving him gifts, all asking him to be their valentine, and all hinting at more to come after tonight. Cloud rolled his eyes, pushing his way through people to get to Riku. At his approach, Riku’s face brightened. Several people in the crowd glared at him.
“Hey,” said Riku, grinning. “Thought you went home.”
“Almost. Having a good time?”
“It’s better now that you’re here.”
Cloud heard a few groans and the group began to thin out. He looked around, eyebrows lifted.
“Did I break up the fun?”
“They just know they can’t compete with you.”
Cloud felt as if he’d just taken a large pill. He swallowed as Riku hopped up to sit on the counter and motioned to a large pile of flowers, candy, and gifts.
“Think you can help me carry all that back to the house later?” said Riku. “I’d ask Sora or Leon or something but I don’t know where they got off to.”
“They’re making out by the stairs.”
Riku’s jaw dropped. He stared.
“They were making out?”
“Not yet, but it was headed in that direction.”
Riku closed his mouth and sat back, frowning.
“Well...good for them. Good for Sora. I mean, he’s crazy about Leon. They’re each other’s valentines. Good for them.”
Cloud watched Riku, sitting slumped, almost depressed for a few seconds and then he tore his eyes away. He glanced around the kitchen at plates of food and snacks, the various cakes and cookies, and then his eyes fell on Riku’s pile of gifts. Considering them, he took in all the varieties of presents from people hoping for Riku’s affection. His skin prickled. His blood felt on fire as he picked up one small box wrapped in blue cellophane, turned it over, and shook it.
“What about you?” said Cloud. “Did you pick your lucky valentine, yet?”
Riku sighed. He grabbed a box of conversation hearts and tore it open, reading one before popping it in his mouth. Shrugging, he sighed a second time.
“I’m not interested in any of them.”
“You don’t have anyone special you want to spend Valentine’s Day with?”
Riku smiled and hopped off the counter. He pulled another heart from the box, read it, and placed it where he’d been sitting. With the box closed up, he slipped it into his pocket and grabbed a plastic bag from under the sink.
“Maybe,” said Riku, shoving his gifts into the bag. “Just no one who’s asked me yet. I think I’m going to head home. I’m not feeling so great. Can you get the rest of these when you leave?”
Cloud blinked, irritation gone as he looked at the remaining pile. He nodded.
“Sure. Are you okay?” Cloud swallowed and took a breath. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“Nah. I’m just going to go to bed. Try to have a good time. The party isn’t that bad.”
Riku smiled as he turned and left Aerith’s house through the back door. Cloud glanced back at the counter where Riku had place the conversation heart and picked it up. He read it once, twice, and then stared at the door where Riku was no longer standing, his heart high in his chest.
“Where did Riku go?” said Aerith, walking into the kitchen. “I thought you were supposed to be his bodyguard.”
“Home. He said he didn’t feel well.”
Aerith nodded as she opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of juice.
“You think he’s okay?”
“I think so.” Cloud stared down at the candy heart and rolled it between his fingers. “Hey, Aerith?”
“Hmm?”
Silently Cloud held his palm out toward her, the candy heart sitting in the center. She glanced at it and smiled that secret smile.
“Oh, Cloud, I’d love to but...”
“Not you. Riku. He left it here before he went, and...”
“And?”
“What do you think?”
“Flowers and chocolate usually work best.”
“What?”
“If you’re interested, flowers and chocolate usually work best. He doesn’t really need them considering how many he’s gotten today, but I think they’ll mean more coming from you.”
“That’s not what I asked...”
“You asked me what I thought. That’s what I think. I also think you should probably go after him before he goes to sleep. It’s still Valentine’s Day for another five hours. Better make it special.”
“But...Valentine’s Day...Do you think he’s asking, or...”
“I think he’s hinting, and he’s already given you all you need to say.” Aerith laughed to herself as she grabbed a sleeve of plastic cups and headed for the living room. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Cloud.”
.:.:.:.:.:.
So here he was-emotionally distant and troubled Cloud Strife standing in front of his own house holding flowers and a half-eaten box of candy (long story) with a conversation heart in his pocket trying to figure out where to go from here. There was always the obvious option of inside, but that meant dealing with where to go after that, which led to Riku, and though that was most likely the main objective, it wasn’t an alluring one. Not that Riku wasn’t alluring, because he certainly was, but Cloud had no idea what he was supposed to do or say in these situations, which was the basis of the exact unappealing factor of going into his own house. Bearing flowers. And a half-eaten box of candy he was going to have to somehow hide if Riku caught him before he threw it away.
It was only now that he wondered if choosing to leave the gifts from all of Riku’s other potential valentines back at Aerith’s was a good idea. Maybe Riku would think he was rude, especially after Cloud ate half of the chocolates intended for him, and it would be the source of his undoing. Maybe Riku would think Cloud felt jealous and threatened (both likely true) and take back his conversation heart offer to ‘Be Mine’ back, because as Cloud had heard, acting jealous and threatened was not attractive.
“Are you going to come in?”
Cloud glanced up from where he’d been staring at his feet to see Riku outlined in the doorway looking upon him with amusement.
“Um...hey. Hi. How long have you been standing there?”
Riku smirked.
“Out here? About ten seconds. At the living room window? About five minutes. I was starting to worry. You’re just standing there with flowers and a box of candy. Thought maybe someone stained in blood ran by and whipped you-like Valentine’s Day finally made you comatose or something.”
“Very funny,” said Cloud.
“So...? Are you coming...?”
“Oh. Yeah.”
Cloud shifted his weight between his feet and willed himself to walk forward instead of running away. As he got to the door he chucked the candy box into the shrubbery running along the side of the house. Riku closed the door behind him.
“So where’d you get the flowers?” said Riku, dropping onto the sofa.
Cloud looked down at the bouquet in his hands and shrugged.
“The market.”
“You bought them?”
“Uh...yeah.”
Riku straightened.
“Oh. Who are they for?”
If Aerith was a manipulative, unyielding pest, Riku was a professional at playing dumb and digging for compliments. Honestly. Who did he think the flowers were for? Cloud tried to think of something to say-something that didn’t sound rehearsed or idiotic. He tried to think of something to say that didn’t just answer that very simple and forward question with equal simplicity and bravado.
“I got your conversation heart.”
Riku snorted. Cloud closed his eyes for a pained moment because then maybe he wouldn’t have just violated rule number one by sounding idiotic, but Riku was still chuckling. Guess not.
“Okay,” said Riku. “So...”
Cloud swallowed and thrust the flower bouquet at him.
“These are for you.”
Riku’s smile was genuine, more than it had been when receiving the gifts from others all day long. He took the flowers, looked at them for a few moments, and then glanced up.
“You took the hint.”
“Aerith spelled it out for me. I...um...kind of left all your other stuff there, too. I...er...”
“It’s okay,” said Riku, still grinning. He stood up and disappeared into the kitchen, coming out a few minutes later with the flowers in a vase. He set them on the coffee table. “Weren’t there chocolates, too?”
Cloud bit his lip.
“No.”
“Yes there were. Where’d they go?”
“I lost them. Outside. It’s too cold to go look. I’ll just find them in the morning.”
The corner of Riku’s lip tugged as his eyes narrowed. He brushed past Cloud and out the front door. Rustling sounds drifted into the house, and then Riku came inside, a slightly beaten and opened heart-shaped box in hand. He looked as if he were trying not to laugh.
“About that...” said Cloud. “Those weren’t for you. Well...okay, they were, but not from me...from someone else...so I...”
“Ate them?” Riku supplied.
Cloud’s lips twitched. He shrugged.
“Something like that.”
“And the rest of them are broken open.”
“I only like certain ones.”
“You bought me chocolates, ate them, and threw them in a bush to hide the evidence.”
“I was nervous.”
Riku smirked, skirted around Cloud to drop the box on the coffee table, and then he was uncomfortably close, breath hot on Cloud’s face.
“Why were you so nervous?”
“I wasn’t nervous.”
“You just said you were.”
Cloud bit his lip and tried to look away, but Riku moved into his line of vision, and when Cloud tired to turn the other way, Riku moved again. He huffed.
“That’s really irritating.”
“Why were you nervous?”
“Because...Because I don’t do this. And I don’t know how to do this. And I’m bad at doing this, so...”
“Just ask me.”
“What?”
“Just ask me.”
Cloud swallowed. Riku’s eyes were intensely staring into his own.
“Ask you what?”
It was, apparently, possible to get closer even though Cloud was sure it couldn’t be done, because that was when Riku took a step closer, sliding one leg between Cloud’s. His face, just far away enough for him to see the whole thing, was becoming more amused and assured by the second. When Cloud swallowed again, Riku’s smirk grew.
“You know what to ask me.”
“I’m really not up for making an idiot of myself today.”
“You won’t know if you’re making an idiot of yourself unless you ask. Look at Sora. He put his heart out there all day and it paid off. Maybe you should do the same.”
Riku stepped back and away, breaking the friction-the sheer electricity-that had been building from such a close, tense moment. The sudden loss of heat made Cloud even more aware of how tight his muscles had gone, standing that close to Riku, and how sorely he missed it now. He stepped closer into Riku again, this time gripping him by the hips and pulling him back to his body. Riku laughed.
“You don’t have to be so forceful,” said Riku. “All you have to do is ask.”
Cloud swallowed again. A terrified, panicky feeling was racing through his body right now, nerves jittery. He took a breath.
“Be my valentine?”
Riku smirked again.
“Only if we do it the archaic and barbaric way.”
Cloud’s eyes widened at that.
“What?”
“We’ll do it in the spirit of Lupercalia. I say yes and I’m your lover for the year. You’re just lucky I’m still technically a virgin.”
For all the complaining he’d been doing over the years about Valentine’s Day, the Lupercalia lottery was possibly becoming a fetish as he stood there, still gripping Riku’s hips. He also hadn’t counted on the tightening in his abdomen at the mention of Riku’s technical virginity. Another fetish, he supposed, but that could have been developing just because Riku was so close, and his lips were right there, and...
“Can we skip the goats, blood, and whips part?” said Cloud.
Riku snorted.
“We can skip the goats and the blood. Whipping is optional.”
Cloud pressed his lips together and nodded.
“Okay.”
“Okay. Then I’d be honored to be your valentine.”
Riku closed the last of the space, draping his arms around Cloud’s shoulders and pressing their mouths together. The heat was even more delicious now, and Cloud wondered why he’d protested so much when this was just wonderful. It was doing things to his body his brain couldn’t even comprehend, and then Riku broke the contact, leaving his arms around Cloud’s neck, but pulling back.
“I’m not kidding about the year,” said Riku. “We can discuss renewing the contract next Valentine’s Day.”
Cloud shook his head and despite himself, laughed.
“Okay.”
“Valentine’s Day still demented?”
“Now more than ever.”
Riku grinned.
“But I don’t hear you complaining anymore.”
Cloud’s only response was to close the distance again with another one of those breath-stealing kisses.