Updates every Saturday?
Title: How to make the Track Team (part 3/ ?)
Pairing: Riku/Roxas
Prompt: Wooing by ice cream
Words: 1189 words
Rating: PG 13, for language
Summary: Olette is helpful.
Sighing, Olette placed her hand on Roxas’ shoulder for comfort. “I’m sorry about yesterday,”
Roxas waved it off as Olette retracted her hand. “I’m not worried. I have until next month, I’ll be fine,”
“But what if you fail again next month and he doesn’t let you try out again?” Olette asked.
Secretly, Roxas feared this. It was, seriously, the worst case scenario. He could go back next month, run the hundred metres again and then get a time of eleven or twelve minutes. Or worse- sixteen, seventeen minutes!
“That’s why I run every day,” Roxas stated. He tried to sound confident, but even that, that was dubious.
Olette leaned against his locker, sighing again. “Well, that’s good,”
“I have to improve or-"
“Or what?” Olette asked. She closed her eyes. “What would happen if you don’t get on the team?”
Roxas didn’t want to think about not getting on the team. He didn’t want to let Riku think that the only thing Roxas was good at was failing at running quickly. He didn’t want Riku to think of him badly at all.
“You know what,” he muttered.
“I know,” she replied, opening her eyes. As Roxas closed his locker, she continued. “I know you like Riku- but this can’t be the only way to get his attention,”
“The only thing I have in common with him is Sora,” Roxas said, toying with the lock. “And that’s not something to bond over,”
“If you like him so much, you should talk to him more,”
“You make it sound so easy- that’s all you girls do,” Roxas said darkly, remembering what Riku had said yesterday. “I don’t know what to talk to him about,”
Olette shrugged. “Talk to him about what you know, what you like,”
“I doubt he reads or plays that many video games,”
“Then talk about ice cream. Everyone loves ice cream,” Olette said, giggling.
Roxas snapped the lock shut. “That’ll be plan B,”
Olette stood up properly, facing Roxas. Her eyes focussed on him. “If you like him that much, you’ll find a way to talk to him without killing yourself over running,”
He rolled his eyes. “I am not killing myself over this,”
She only shrugged. “I’m just telling you what I think, Roxas, I want to help,”
***
After resisting the urge to press the snooze button, getting dressed in shorts and tying up his running shoes- Roxas stepped outside. It was nearly seven in the morning, the sun was bright, but the air was cool. Everything felt calm, quiet. He inhaled the morning air and made his way out of the drive way and to the bike path.
Roxas wiped the sleep from his eyes, yawned one last time and started jogging.
It was calming- the bike path was cool and isolated from the rest of the suburbs of Destiny Island. The trees, though sparse, lined the path. His breathing was good; Roxas kept his breathing even, despite the cool air hitting his lungs.
The bike path was always empty- usually reserved for those going to the neighbouring islands by foot to their boats. However, the more commercial ferries were more popular. Roxas liked the path for its negligence of the island. He liked it being his secret. Well, Roxas knew that Sora, Riku and Kairi knew about the path because they went to their island nearly daily- but as they aged, they frequented the island only during the summer break.
As the path came to an end, Roxas slowed down as the gravel of the path merged with the sand of the beach. He wasn’t alone. Sitting on the beach, watching the far- off island, was Riku. He was wearing his track suit, his hair in a ponytail- Roxas stood in panic. He wasn’t sure why: He rarely ever saw Riku without Sora or outside of school. Cautiously, he made his way up to Riku.
“Hey,” Roxas said, sitting next to him.
He turned his head slowly, making a scoffing noise. “So you’re training?”
“Yeah,” Roxas replied, stretching out his legs on the sand. He tried his best to avoid digging his feet into the sand. “I told you, I want this,”
Riku nodded, glancing back at the island. “You took the path?”
“Yup- you?”
“On most days,” He said, folding his legs beneath him.
“And on others?”
“I go through town,”
Staring at his feet, Roxas sighed. He didn’t want an awkward silence but it was inevitable. He barely knew anything about Riku, and what he did now was through Sora and the track team. He glanced at Riku, who turned his slightly away. Just sitting there, Roxas felt his face heat up. Olette’s advice was suddenly becoming impossible to follow. He tried to open his mouth, just to try and say something (anything), but nothing came out. Roxas just wanted to leave the beach unscathed of further embarrassment.
But he needed to try, at least.
“So, uh-” Roxas cleared his throat and glanced from Riku, to his feet and then back to the island. “I know it’s too early in the morning, but do you like ice cream . . ?”
Once Roxas heard Riku chuckle, he knew it was a stupid, stupid thing to say.
“Ice cream, really?” He asked, sounding a lot less serious than usual. Roxas turned to him and nodded. “I don’t eat ice cream that often,”
“Wh- why not?” Roxas asked, running his hand through his hair. He didn’t want the conversation to end . . . this may be his only chance- he needed-
Riku shrugged. “I don’t know . . . sweets aren’t my thing,”
“Well, sea salt ice cream isn’t too sweet,” Roxas replied.
“Sea salt ice cream?” Riku repeated. He sounded amused. “That’s a flavour now?”
“Yeah!” Roxas said, albeit too enthusiastically. “Yeah, it is- it’s really good,”
Riku stood up slowly, stretching out his arms. “I’ll take your word for it,”
“You’re going?” Roxas asked, scrambling to stand up.
“Yeah, I need to get back home and shower,” he said, tightening his ponytail. “Class starts soon, anyway,”
Roxas nodded as Riku headed towards the public entrance to the beach.
It wasn’t until Riku nearly passed the bike stands when Roxas realized that-
“RIKU!” he shouted and as hoped, Riku stopped.
“What?”
Roxas ran up to him, nearly tripping through the sand. “After school, some time, do you wanna get some ice cream with me?”
Riku laughed again, Roxas wondered if this was another stupid thing to say, but he tried his best not to glance away.
“Sure,” Riku replied. “After school?”
Roxas nodded quickly, not believing his luck. “Yeah- I’ll meet you after class,”
“Okay, I . . . I’ll catch you later, then,” Riku said, turning around slowly and started jogging.
He suddenly felt as though all of the air in his lungs was stolen from him- butterflies took up the remaining, empty space inside of him. Roxas wanted to stay in the one place, right there on the beach, forever and ever, never forgetting the feeling.
However, as Roxas glanced at his watch, class started in forty minutes.