Disclaimer: I don’t own anything.

Warning: BOY x BOY CROSSING. USE CAUTION!

Summary: After a certain model gets “fired” from his job, he comes back to Destiny Islands to live with his parents. Sora, who fails to see the excitement in the model’s arrival, begins to wonder why, exactly, this model was “fired” and just what he’s hiding from the rest of the world.

A/N: This is a REWRITE of the original. The original will soon be taken down. If you do not know why there is a rewrite, please refer yourself to Chapter X of Only You Would Know Me.

Cover Boy
•••
Chapter One: Dream Boat
•••

Sora’s torture all began with the latest issue of Popular, one of the most popular magazines in the world. Targeted mostly at females (and Sora suspected a few gay boys), it was a female version of Maxim that the brunet rather not have anything to do with. However, his troubles all started with this certain magazine and they all ended with the same magazine.

“Isn’t he dreamy?” Selphie sighed to herself, gazing at a blond-haired boy in the magazine. “Gosh, look at him! I would murder to have him as mine,” a girlish sigh left her lips and she flipped the page, making an ‘ooh’ sound at the next picture. It was just like her and Kairi to sit around on the weekend reading what Sora dubbed as trash. Who cared about stupid boys in magazines?

Hell, who cared about stupid girls in magazines?

“Ooh, Selphie, look at him!” Kairi had flipped the pages of the magazine and pointed to a brunet who was obviously posing in a very “sexy” manner. Both girls ogled the page, mouths agape, and stared at the male model. Whatever they saw in these boys, Sora didn’t know.

“Oh GOD, look at –“

“Shut up!” Sora snapped and rounded on both girls. They were sitting on the brunet’s back porch, on small fold out chairs and near a large, blue umbrella that had been closed up. The sun was setting and from his backyard, there was a very brilliant view of the sunset, as well as a nice view of the ocean. His mom had made them iced tea and brought them snacks as she always did on Friday afternoons after school. It was a custom she followed since all three of them had been in fourth grade.

Kairi frowned, “what’s your problem?”

By the tone in her voice, it was obvious Kairi was more hurt than upset. It was very unlike Sora to snap at people and even less like him to tell them to shut up. Sure, he might ask someone to politely be quiet or maybe, at the rudest, a ‘shh,’ but in all her time of knowing Sora, he had to really be provoked to say something like ‘shut up.’

“I just…” he softened, “I just don’t want to hear about these dumb guys anymore… We were supposed to be studying our history notes together, not ogling half-naked men.”

Selphie held the magazine sideways and watched as one of the photos unfolded, “or fully naked men,” her cheeks tinted pink and Kairi, unable to help herself, leaned in and her eyes went wide as a smile spread across her lips.

“You guys!” Sora yelled, bringing both females back to earth, “what’s so great about those guys, anyway?! Strip away the good looks, the muscles, and the famous part, and what do you have?”

Irritated, Selphie muttered “you” under her breath, earning an elbow in the side from Kairi. Sora didn’t appear to hear and he turned around, grumpily, and watched as the sun sank lower into the horizon.

“Sorry, Sora,” Kairi folded up the magazine and set it down on the porch railing, ignoring a whine from Selphie. She pulled her chair up next to his and glanced at the sunset before offering a big smile to Sora, “it’s not like either of think those guys are any better looking than you.”

Selphie pulled her chair up on Sora’s other side and leaned in towards him, “oh no, Sora, you’re the hottest.”

The brunet blushed and tried to look away from Selphie, but only caught Kairi’s eye instead.

“The sexiest,” Kairi whispered against his ear.

“The greatest-“

“Smartest-“

“Most char--“

“Okay, okay!” Sora stood up and walked to the edge of the porch, smiling, but trying hard not to. “Stop… stop patronizing me…” he looked away, trying his best to look jaded, but failing. “Let’s order a pizza and call it a night. Do you guys want to spend the night? Will your parents mind?”

Selphie grinned, “my parents won’t mind. They don’t find you much of a threat.” Kairi nodded eagerly, agreeing wholeheartedly with the brunette’s statement.

“Yea, my parents neither. Probably the whole gay thing,” Kairi said this more to Selphie than to Sora, but the brunet glared suddenly.

“What do you mean the whole gay thing?”

Kairi looked blank, “do you not know?”

“Know what? You’re gay?”

Kairi laughed as if he had said a really funny joke and Selphie smiled in amusement. Sora continued to glare at both girls, waiting for an answer. Sora wasn’t gay. Sure, he may have given off a gay vibe, but that didn’t make him gay. He liked girls and nothing was more irritating and self-confidence crushing than having his two best friends think he was gay. If they thought he was gay, then that meant strangers probably did, too.

“Sora, you haven’t figured it out yet?”

“Obviously not,” he snapped.

Kairi frowned, “everyone’s known since you were like… six.”

“Known what?!” he was exasperated at this point and he was becoming more and more upset. Kairi seemed to be stalling because she realized she had said something she very well couldn’t take back.

“You’re gay.”

Those crushing words Sora hadn’t wanted to hear flowed from Selphie’s lips and Sora stared at both of them, mouth agape, and then he stormed inside, slamming the back door behind him and ignoring both girls as they both rushed to follow him.

“Okay, fine!” Kairi was following Sora through the kitchen, through the living room, into the foyer and up the stairs. “You aren’t gay! My mistake!”

Sora shook his head, “I thought everyone’s known since I was six,” he grumbled nastily.

Kairi bit his lower lip, “Sora, come on! Don’t be like that…”

The brunet had stormed into his bedroom and slammed the trapdoor, knowing very well he was being childish and would have to apologize later, but he wasn’t gay. He would admit he had feminine tendencies and he did like things like jewelry and clothing, but that didn’t make him gay. If that made him gay, then all those models Selphie and Kairi flipped out over must’ve been gay too. More so than Sora because they were all busy wearing make-up and striking poses and having their pictures taken.

“He’s mad,” Selphie sighed and stared up Sora’s bedroom door. He had a ladder that he climbed up to get to his room, but he had yanked it up in a huff and shut and locked the trapdoor.

“He’s more than mad,” Kairi sighed, “he stormed up a ladder. I’ve never seen anyone do that before…”

•••

Saturday rolled around and Sora opened the trapdoor and threw down the ladder, climbing down it and hopping onto the floor. Hair was a mess and his pajamas were rumpled and clinging uncomfortably to his body. His pajama pants were loose and baggy and his t-shirt was his father’s before he had passed away three years ago.

The sleep was rubbed from his eyes and he walked down the steps into the foyer and then into the living room, scowling when he found Selphie and Kairi sleeping on the pull-out sofa together. They had spent the night anyway and by the looks it, they did each other’s nails and watched romantic comedies.

Another one of Sora’s favorite pastimes. Maybe he was gay.

Still, even if he was gay, they had no right to say so unless he said it first. Much like talking trash about someone’s boyfriend. It just wasn’t done unless the other girl (or boy) was doing it first.

Annoyed still about last night, he flopped down on the unoccupied loveseat and scowled at the magazine that had caused all the trouble. If it hadn’t been for this stupid thing, they would’ve studied their notes, had pizza, and had a sleep over much like they did every Friday. Sora blamed Popular wholeheartedly for the whole ‘gay’ thing being brought up.

He had a sleep over every weekend and no one had said anything about him being gay before last night. He figured the magazine was cursed, probably. Evil and out to get him like most books.

Fingers reached towards the magazine and he flipped the cover closed, his eyes suddenly being graced with the most beautiful human being he had ever seen in his life. Mouth hung open, eyes widened, and he stared at the sight before him. This boy was probably the hottest, sexiest human he had ever had the pleasure of looking at.

Eyes scanned the front page and Sora was astounded (yet he blamed a lot of it on airbrushing) by the model’s pale complexion, his piercing, beautiful aquamarine eyes, and his (what seemed to be natural or an excellent dye job) lovely locks of silver hair. He was muscular, but not overly so, and Sora couldn’t help but find himself blushing when he realized this boy was completely naked except for a small fig leaf covering over his private area.

Sora could very well make out his happy trail and he felt the heat in his face and the butterflies in his stomach become much more intense.

Maybe Popular wasn’t just a junky, soft-core porn magazine.

Or maybe it was and Sora was just much too flustered by the GOD on the front cover to think much about anything else.

Eyes scanned the page once more, up and down the model’s gorgeous body, and he licked his lips. In large, white letters under the word Popular, Sora saw the name Riku Salvador and noted that somehow it seemed familiar… The name rang a bell and he couldn’t put his finger on it, but…

Kairi stirred and Sora threw the magazine down as if he had been caught with something he shouldn’t have had. To be fair, he didn’t want to help support the argument about him being gay, but on the other hand, he would’ve liked to turn to page fifty and see more of that beautiful boy.

“Mornin…” Kairi mumbled, sitting up and stretching her arms, “are you still mad? If you’re not gay, I believe you,” she yawned and wiped the sleep from her eyes.

Sora shrugged, “I forgive you.”

She grinned and laughed slightly, “okay, good, because I wouldn’t be able to stand it if we weren’t friends anymore.”

Sora felt the same way.

•••

Monday rolled around in no time and Sora had boarded the ferry that would ship him and his other classmates to the local high school which rested a good mile or so from his house. A yawn left his lips and he leaned on the railing, gazing out at the ocean and watching as the sun rose. It was way too early for school and summer was still dragging on. It was nearing mid-September now and it was still very warm.

Sora didn’t much mind. His skin had been kissed by the sun and his tan complexion, he was told, was very attractive. Part of him figured Kairi was just trying to make up for calling him gay, but he took the compliment with a small, polite smile.

Another yawn overtook him and he closed his eyes briefly and then immediately snapped them back open when Kairi and Selphie began to frantically yell his name. Glancing around the deck of the ferry and unable to see either girl, he opened his mouth to call for Kairi, but was suddenly pummeled by both girls, each giggling and squealing and talking at once.

“Whoa! Hey!” he shook them off, “what’s the big deal?”

“Ohmygod!” Selphie thrust the latest issue of Popular at Sora, “see that BABE on the front?” she pointed her index finger to Riku Salvador and the brunet nodded, trying hard to keep from blushing.

He had been thinking about this photo all weekend long and had been a little upset when Kairi and Selphie went home Saturday night with the magazine in their greedy hands.

“Yea? What about him?” he kept his voice even.

“We heard on Chatter –“

“Chatter?” Sora raised a brow, “is that like Twitter?”

“No!” Selphie looked disgusted at Sora’s question.

“Chatter is this television show that gives you the latest scoop on celebrity news and gossip,” Kairi explained, “but that’s not the point! Last night on Chatter, we heard that Riku got fired.”

Both girls looked extremely excited and Sora failed to see what was so wonderful about this poor boy losing his job.

“Why is that –“

“HE’S COMING TO LIVE HERE,” Selphie yelled in her excitement, “he used to live hear when he was reeeeally little and now he’s coming back!”

Sora stared, blankly, at both girls.

“… TO LIVE HERE,” Selphie said again. “ON DESTINY ISLANDS. WITH US. TO LIVE HERE.”

Sora still stared blankly.

Selphie frowned, “you’re such a party pooper.”

Kairi smiled at both her friends, “you can’t tell me that that’s not the LEAST bit exciting, Sora. Even if you don’t think he’s gorgeous, you can’t tell me that having an international star living on our tiny islands isn’t cool.”

Sora shrugged, “I guess.”

“Hey, look! There’s Wakka and Tidus!” Selphie pointed across the deck to both boys, “let’s go inform them!” and off they both went, Selphie bolting in their direction and Kairi eagerly following.

Sora turned back to look out at the ocean and the rising sun. Secretly, he did want to smile and be excited about Riku coming to live here, but… But how in the world was he supposed to claim he wasn’t gay if he was busy jumping up and down because one of the sexiest men on the planet was coming to live here?

Through his teeth, Sora muttered something along the lines of, “Riku will be the death of me.”

A/N: I’m hesitating on posting Only You Would Know Me (the rewrite) because has a rule about posting the same story twice. I really don’t want to get banned for doing that, but I also don’t want to take down Only You Would Know Me too fast without everyone being able to get a good look at Chapter X.

HOWEVER, I do have the first chapter of the rewrite written and I will post it soon! Please enjoy the first chapter of Cover Boy and bear with me!

On another note, Kill Me, Kiss Me will now be titled The Church of Hot Addiction. I like the title better as I figure it suites the story better and I also like Cobra Starship.
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL NEED TO ALERT / FAVORITE THE REWRITES AS THE ORIGINALS ARE BEING TAKEN DOWN.

That is all!