Reborn Hero

“Hahaha!” A bubbled up burst of laughter erupted from Strelitzia’s lips, her hand curling up against her mouth to stifle the amusement that permeated through her. Never had she thought that Riku was the type of person to be so humorous. Not that she was complaining. It reminded her of another gray haired boy who looked stiff on the outside, but held a secret gentleness. 

It helped to break the ice between them and Strelitzia felt her awkwardness melt away as their laughter rang in time with each other. 

“I don’t know! Sounds like it might be a herd mentality!”

"If anyone overheard us, they'd think we were talking udder nonsense."

Okay just one more-

"So is this how you say hello to all the strangers you meet?" If so, Riku couldn't deny that it seemed effective. He might have felt silly, but not anxious. A definitely step up for him.

querencia (n.) where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self

change pronouns/tense as needed!

from the sick…

“i’m not sick, just tired.” (i)

“i don’t want any soup. i want real food.” (ii)

“i’m not taking medicine. it’s fucking gross.” (iii)

“i can’t take today off.” (iv)

“do we have any aleve? my head is pounding.” (v)

“either it’s the soup or you being here, but i’m starting to feel better.” (vi)

“can i have some more tea, please?” (vii)

“took off work. i’m sleeping all day today.” (viii)

“y’know… cuddles cure colds quick.” (ix)

“i don’t care if i get you sick, you’re sleeping with me.” (x)

“i feel like shit.” (xi)

“did i die and go to hell?” (xii)

“i think i’m gonna throw up–” (xiii)

“shit, i’ve never been this sick in my life.” (xiv)

“i’m gonna fuckin’ die.” (xv)

…to the comforter

“damn, you’re burning up.” or “damn, you’re hot.” (xvi)

“quit whining and drink the damn soup.” (xvii)

“which is worse, medicine or staying sick?” (xviii)

“i hid the car keys. you’re. staying. home.” (xix)

“how long are headaches supposed to last?” (xx)

“do you feel better?” (xxi)

“c’mon, you have to drink the tea. it’ll help your throat.” (xxii)

“i’ll check up on you later.” (xxiii)

“i know your sick but… maybe we can cuddle? watch a movie?” (xxiv)

“i’m gonna go before i get sick.” (xxv)

“you look like shit.” (xxxvi)

“you’re still alive, right?” (xxxvii)

“i swear to god if you throw up, i’m not cleaning it.” (xxxviii)

“you need to rest.” (xxix)

“someone’s out of it.” (xxx)

it’s been a while since i did actual starters, huh? like my own and not from an album or game. well, here ya go!

           ► SORA LOOKED AT THE OTHER  with an unamused expression on his face. Seriously? All he did was process medical forms? Talk about a boring life. His assumptions of this Riku being a social recluse were turning out to be true the more he opened his mouth to speak  &  now he was just picturing the guy in a dark room surrounded by cats while he baby talked to them which caused him to shiver.

With a roll of his eyes , he briskly took the bags from the silverette's hands  &  began walking.  ❛  Yeah , yeah. I'm a man of my word.  ❜  The cool night air felt good ,  &  when the other commented on his complexion , he suddenly had the violent urge to abandon him. Did he really look that bad? Well , if he did , he certainly wasn't feeling the way he looked. He felt completely okay.

You just need to be patient. You just need to give it some more time. His father's voice echoed in his thoughts and for a moment Riku found himself pressing his lips together into a thin line. Patient felt like all he even was. Why was it so bad to start feeling like sitting around quietly wasn't getting any results?

Something in Sora's attitude shifted rather abruptly. Riku would have dwelled on it further if a familiar metallic taste flooded his mouth. He stiffened, nodding without really paying attention to what was being said.

"Yeah--" The response was cut off and mumbled out as Riku took the bag from Sora. Off to the right was a road that led to a small set of houses and it wouldn't be hard to pick out the one that he lived in. It was small but more than big enough for just him, and it gave him the privacy he needed to hide away from the world when he needed to.

Like now.

It wasn't like Riku wasn't curious about Sora, but the brunet had been given off every sign and vibe that he wanted nothing to do with him outside of spending some idle time with him to burn off some boredom. And it certainly had been one of the more interesting nights that Riku had in awhile, but he remembering why exciting things didn't mix well with his life.

"You're interested in what I believe? I have to say, that is surprising." He tilts his head, watching him carefully for any signs that he might fall. ".. I do. I didn't always, of course, but I suppose once someone sees the things I have, they begin to believe in all manner of impossibilities."

At the question, Xeha finally looks down, the streak of headlights below were almost calming. Like staring down at a meteor shower.

Hearing his name had his head snapping around to face the stranger.

Riku hadn't missed what the stranger's earlier response had been, but it had been like trying to listen to something while his head was buried beneath sand. It all had felt and sounded so distant and full of static that none of it had registered. All of that had gone away with the singular sound of his name, though, erasing the dreamlike feeling the moment had and replacing it with something far more cold and unsettling.

He was cold. A t-shirt and jeans were hardly appropriate clothing to wear while standing so high up with the wind enthusiastically playing with his hair.

"It was nice meeting you too! Bye Macaroni."

He waved to them both, waiting for Riku to turn away before running off in the other direction

He had been texting Riku since they had parted ways and if Sora was honest he was glad he had taken the chance and became friends with Riku. It felt like they had been old friends forever.

He was at the coffee shop he worked part time at. Considering it was that deep cleaning day he had mentioned to Riku when he remembered that conversation he would look out the windows to see if he could find his new friend.

[txt to SORA] look [txt to SORA] it's them [txt to SORA] image.png

The invitation to meet up at Sora's place of work had been one made on a whim and one Riku hadn't really thought he'd be taking him up on, so it was hard to say who would be more surprised when he found himself standing outside of the cafe mentioned. It was after midnight and it was hard to ignore just how much of a certified creep he felt in the moment, but his nerves were mostly a bundle of excited energy as he bounced on the balls of his feet outside of the shop after sending Sora off a quick text announcing he was there.

Darkness... A stray through was creeping into Riku's mind as he turned to glance out at the empty streets. For such a big city, it felt so... empty at times. And while nighttime normally felt safe and comforting, in this moment it felt strangely empty and almost-

"Ah!"

            ► A SMALL LAUGH PAST HIS LIPS  before he held his hands up to show Riku he didn't mean to make him upset , but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying this. The silverette's words contradicted his actions  &  he wondered if he could push his buttons even more.

  ❛  Mmm~ Don't worry. The redhead doesn't seem dangerous. So the chances of me actually winding up in a ditch are about 20 percent. The guy seems to be the passionate lover kinda guy , which means he'll be good in bed. Really , the only thing I have to worry about is whether or not I'll be walking tomorrow.  ❜

But it wasn't stopping him from feeling so strangely sick in the pit of his stomach, and hearing Sora talk about how hard he was going to run off and get f-

A hand reached out to almost against his will to snag Sora's wrist. This time his grip was firm. Not painful, but it would take more than just a slight tug to be freed. Riku didn't look straight at Sora either as he did, staring off somewhere to the side as his mind raced.

And was it ever different! Used to the comparatively tiny city of Radiant Garden, Quadratum was daunting with it’s towering buildings that seemed to plunge into the sky itself and more people than Ienzo had ever seen. He’d felt out of place immediately. Unfamiliar worlds wasn’t a new concept - he’d explored a fair share as Zexion, but this was so different than anything he’d dealt with before. It took him a while to settle in for the long haul - he’d already expected that this world would not be easy to search for any of the missing guardians and, though they’d theorized time moved differently in this world, they’d had to no way to calculate how quickly - or slowly - it moved.

Lost in the lecture he’d been watching, taking mental notes along the way, Ienzo had, for the most part, managed to weave his way in and out of the crowd, but then he was jostled backwards, shoes scuffing against the disjointed sidewalk, almost losing his tablet, before he caught his balance. The other person wasn’t so lucky and Ienzo quickly slipped his belongings into his bag to free his hands to help.

“Pardon me, I didn’t see you.” He noted the the teen reaching around him for glasses and phone, and bent over to pick up the glasses that had skittered out of reach. “Let me give you a hand, it’s my fault for not paying attention.” 

It was hard to imagine the moment could become even worse, but Riku found himself proven wrong when the stranger uttered what felt like the worst set of words out loud to him:

"You're - I'm sorry, Riku, if I'm not mistaken?"

Riku felt his blood run cold as he slipped the glasses on while slowly looking up at the other. The young man sparked no memory or hint of recognition outside of the normal sharp buzz of static that burst through Riku's thoughts whenever he tried to really remember anything. Had they met before? Where could they have met before? There were really only two places that Riku frequented and he hoped a resident working at the hospital wouldn't think it was okay to act like they knew one of their patients out in public.

lilium's excuse to post songs / no longer accepting!

Send in 🎧 and I’ll post 3 songs I think best fit my muse

Elastic Heart by Sia

And I will stay up through the night And let's be clear, won't close my eyes And I know that I can survive I'll walk through fire to save my life And I want it, I want my life so bad I'm doing everything I can Then another one bites the dust It's hard to lose a chosen one You did not break me (You did not break me, no) I'm still fighting for peace Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart But your blade—it might be too sharp I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard Yeah, I may snap and I move fast But you won't see me fall apart 'Cause I've got an elastic heart

Dream by Imagine Dragons

I know all your reasons To keep me from seeing Everything is actually a mess But now I am leaving All of us were only dreaming Everything is actually a mess We all are living in a dream But life ain't what it seems Oh everything's a mess And all these sorrows I have seen They lead me to believe That everything's a mess But I wanna dream I wanna dream Leave me to dream

Valley of the Dolls by MARINA

Born with a void, hard to destroy with love or hope Built with a heart, broken from the start And now I die slow In the valley of the dolls, we sleep Got a hole inside of me Living with identities That do not belong to me In my life, I got this far Now I’m ready for the last hoorah Dying like a shooting star In the valley In the valley In the valley

Send in 📻 and I’ll post 3 songs that I think best fit our muses relationship

You Are a Memory by Message To Bears

I was calling For the last time We've been here before They found the pictures in the snow I can tell your eyes Looked beneath the blue I walk underneath the trees For the last time

Neptune by Sleeping At Last

I'm only honest when it rains. If I time it right, the thunder breaks When I open my mouth. I want to tell you but I don't know how. I'm only honest when it rains, An open book with a torn out page, And my ink's run out. I want to love you but I don't know how.

Ghost by Jacob Lee

Nearly identical.

Maybe he was imagining things, but their eyes didn’t seem to be quite the same shade, and the hair was just a bit off, with his own being shorter. Beyond that, though…

There was a hot spark of something that felt like an electrical fire that ripped through his skull, but the pain felt strangely… dulled as his body shifted into auto-pilot. Forget fight or flight; dissociation and going numb was the real way to handle threatening situations. The stranger clearly was on guard - or had been, before collapsing back into the sofa. Riku just eyed him flatly as he took a few steps forward, stepping not quite up to the stranger and more around him, clearly intending to circle around the sofa to get behind where he was sitting.

“I feel like I should be the one asking you that. You’re in my dad’s house.” That they looked alike was…

Oh.

The pain was still there, but it melted into a sudden burst of anger that felt like it was burning through his veins. Oh. Oh. So many things seemed to click together at once. Why his father always seemed to hate Riku so much, why he wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible, why they had left the islands after his mother died-

“Holy shit. You have to be some bastard affair baby, huh.”

“The fuck’s your problem?” He barely managed to grind out the question as soon as he heard the other person (himself?) call him a ‘bastard affair baby’. His head still ached and screamed at him, but he braved the pain to glare at the stranger. Why was he getting closer? He got to his feet and backed away from him.

“I’m... I’m me,” he said. Now that he was looking at the other person again, he was getting flickers of images... memories? Bright lights. Resignation, and yet... resolve. And love. So much love that it hurt. There was also the sense of wrongness. Like he wasn’t meant to remember this. He grit his teeth. Whoever this person was, he seemed pretty upset about his being here. Not only that, but he also appeared to be related to Dad. The stranger maybe even knew Dad better than he could. And there was something so off about him... he couldn’t place his finger on it. He crossed his arms. “I’m nobody’s bastard kid. I barely know Dad beyond the fact he owns this house. I don’t have any memory of anything before this morning... I don’t even know how I got here.”

Why was he telling him this? He had no reason to trust this person... but his heart told him that he could. He could trust this person with his very life. Why did he feel this way? He bent down to pick up the remote and turned off the TV. It helped to alleviate the headache a little. He still placed a hand on his head, groaning a bit at the pain. Maybe making direct eye contact with the inexplicable source of your pain wasn’t the brightest idea.

“Who the hell are you, anyway?” he asked, looking down at the stranger’s shoes. At least staring at those didn’t make his head explode. “I’m... My name is... It’s Riku... I think.”

That...

Ah.

It took just a moment for the righteous fury to fizzle away into something that was nearly... nothing. It was a strangely tired feeling coupled with a slight pang of hurt, a soft ha, and resignation. So much resignation.

"Sit down. You look like you're in pain." Riku stopped and, instead of moving closer, backed up to give the other space.

"My name is Riku... too. Also Riku. Which... means that the old bastard really isn't that creative when it comes to naming his kids." It was said with an expression that could have been called a smile, though it felt a bit too hollow to really match. A bit too sad, really.

"I'm-- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" Startle him? Insult him? Scare him? All of the above, but Riku just settle on letting out a heavy, wistful sigh as he reached up to rub at the back of his head. Man, this was a mess.