Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/13368672.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Kingdom_Hearts
  Relationship:
      Riku/Sora_(Kingdom_Hearts)
  Character:
      Riku_(Kingdom_Hearts), Sora_(Kingdom_Hearts), Kairi_(Kingdom_Hearts), Lea
      (Kingdom_Hearts), Mickey_Mouse_(Kingdom_Hearts), Donald_Duck_(Kingdom
      Hearts), Goofy_(Kingdom_Hearts)
  Additional Tags:
      Mental_Health_Issues, Implied/Referenced_Self-Harm, aka_i'm_very
      distressed_about_how_sora_isn't_treated_with_the_love_he_deserves_okay,
      Anal_Sex, Anal_Fingering, Rimming, Oral_Sex, Multiple_Orgasms, Hurt/
      Comfort, Magic
  Stats:
      Published: 2018-01-15 Chapters: 3/3 Words: 11013
****** Homecoming Hero ******
by heartspocky
Summary
     Canon AU. The war is approaching, and Kairi and Lea keep slacking off
     during training. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy plan in secret,
     consolidating information that might lead to Xehanort's downfall. Yen
     Sid keeps a watchful eye over them all. And Riku?
     Riku just really misses Sora.
Notes
     Post-DDD/2.8 (no spoilers, except minor ones in this comment, kind
     of).
     Anyway, this may or may not have come about after I noticed someone
     point out that Yen Sid drives Sora to tears during the last bit of
     2.8, and that I replayed KH2 and 3D only to find that no one gives
     Sora the credit he deserves. So have some Riku taking VERY good care
     of him after a rough mission. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) [insert 'it's what she
     deserves' gif here]
***** One *****
Riku sat on his bed for the better part of the night, caught in a cycle of
glancing out the window and staring at the clock high on the wall overlooking
his bed. He found himself chewing at his nails as he stewed, a gross, boredom-
induced habit he thought he'd left behind years ago. He couldn't help it-- he
was pace-the-room, eat-your-nails, numb-your-brain bored. Nerves gnawed at him
as he rose from the warmth of his seat, wandering aimlessly, touching his
fingertips to lamps and books and odd, spindly objects intended for mystery
purposes, only to do nothing with them.
With an abundance of time to kill for the first time in months, he began to
notice things that never would have concerned him even a day earlier and tried
to let it feel as though he were learning something of use.
For one, the wall clock displayed hands for Radiant Garden, Disney Castle,
Destiny Islands, Twilight Town, and a few other worlds they tended to frequent.
Nothing was listed for the tower, which existed on the brink of some kind of
pocket dimension, forever unmoving, unchanging.
He discovered that Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, and the islands existed on
the same time axis, their hands moving at a pace that was familiar to him. On
the other hand, Disney Castle's section crawled, each second corresponding to
at least an hour of the others'. It summed Riku's mood up perfectly. Being on
mandatory bedrest was making his skin crawl. His probation seemed endless,
leaving him at the mercy of his own mind. It was a cruel prison that left him
wondering if this was a secret punishment, devised by Yen Sid just to torture
him. Whenever he stared too long at the clock, the strangeness of his situation
set in again.
From the beginning, Riku took everything he'd learned in stride, no matter how
impossible they first seemed: heartless, Nobodies. Ships built from collapsed
walls between thousands of different worlds, somehow. Thirteen copies of the
same person, all existing at once. Time travel. He didn't have much of a
choice. If he thought about it too hard, it would make him crazy--or, at least
guarantee a headache even an Elixir couldn't chase away.
Back then, he never would've imagined what would have transpired by choosing to
open Destiny Islands' heart to darkness. There was no way he'd have been able
to explain any of it to a child version of himself, that fledging adventurer
who would have grown up believing that tales of other worlds were nothing but
fiction had he never met Terra.
Terra.
Xehanort. Ansem. Xemnas. DiZ, and Organization XIII. The new Organization.
He and his friends were preparing for war, and no one from his home even knew
that their entire lives hung in the balance. Perpetually.
Riku let out a heavy sigh, falling back onto the mattress. He was supposed to
be resting, he reminded himself once more, but again he rose, pushing himself
up with palms dug into the soft covers and jumping onto his feet before he
really knew where he would go.
There was a desk in the corner of the room, one he'd never put much thought
into back when his room was more of a formality, and that became his newest
target. The desk was small, simply constructed with only one shallow drawer
containing an old pen, a jar of ink, and a scrap of parchment. He spread the
tools out in front of him, still not quite sure where he was going with this
new activity.
After several minutes of rearranging (by the islands' time standards) he'd
managed to reach a conclusion: if Kairi could master the art of
interdimensional penpalling during his and Sora's brief stint in the world of
darkness, he could probably suck it up and write a letter to his father and
stepmother.
If only he could figure out what to say.
That idea shot, Riku placed the parchment and ink back where he found them and
stood, throwing open his bedroom door and traipsing down the hall. Just because
he was meant to be resting didn't mean he couldn't socialize, surely. Kairi,
Axel--no, Lea, Donald and Goofy, Mickey, even Yen Sid--Riku knew they were
around somewhere.
It was funny. For a time he'd been so accustomed to operating alone, his only
partnership brief and intermittent, that it had begun to feel natural. He
didn't have what Sora, Donald, and Goofy had, and he'd learned to stop
questioning it. He and Mickey just didn't operate the same way as that motley
crew did, always gallivanting through worlds as if they were intergalactic
tourists.
But now... he had to admit, it was kind of nice passing a room and knowing
someone he trusted was in it, or going into the kitchen to find a friend
rummaging through the pantries. Yen Sid's tower was becoming home in its own
way. A part of Riku had felt rootless after leaving the islands, like he had no
real home to return to. Slowly, he beginning to understand that he had many.
Riku slunk quietly down the hall, forced by habit to sneak around in the
shadows. He followed the sound of voices into what served as their meeting
room, though he strongly suspected it was nothing more than a glorified broom
closet. The room was big enough to fit all of them if needed, though it was
always a tight squeeze, and lacked windows or other homey effects. Its sole
piece of furniture was a small, round table, and a few chairs they'd dragged in
from other rooms.
Donald was audible through the door, which practically guaranteed that Riku
wouldn't be able to gather the topic of their conversation. So far, Riku's
relationship with Donald largely consisted of Riku smiling and nodding whenever
the duck spoke and waiting for Mickey to subtly jump in with a layman's
translation.
"...Hey, by any chance has anyone seen Sora yet?" he asked the moment the fowl
paused, pushing the door open. Donald let out a strangled, startled cry,
whirling around as Goofy and Mickey looked up, each regarding him calmly. "...I
just wanted to make sure I haven't missed his arrival." Mickey sent him a
concerned look as he shook his head.
"Gawrsh, he should be back any minute now," Goofy pitched in, scratching his
head. "Aw, but don't worry about him, Riku! I'm sure he's alright--in fact, I
know he is!"
"Probably got himself into trouble again," Donald griped (or something like
that, anyway), placing his hat back on his feathered head. Riku chuckled
softly, willing himself to relax.
"Yeah," Riku agreed. "Thanks anyway. I'll leave you to it."
Dismissing himself with a smile, he turned on his heel and continued down the
hall, descending flights of spiraling stairs until he reached the front door.
He knew he'd find Kairi and Lea taking one of their many breaks from training
outside, so it wasn't much of a surprise to find that the two of them were
sitting cross-legged on the grass, absorbed in a conversation of their own.
It was Lea who took notice of him first. His eyes had already been wandering
their surroundings as he and Kairi shared a joke--one Riku just barely missed,
from the sound of it. Lea paused mid-sentence, lips slightly pursed, as if he
wasn't sure if a chastisement would follow. Kairi followed Lea's gaze, long red
hair spilling over her shoulder as she tilted her chin, violet eyes landing on
Riku.
"Come to chastise us, boss?" Lea asked lazily, resting back on his elbows. His
head was cocked, a half-smile on his face. "And here I thought ol' Master Yen
Sid banished you to your room." Riku frowned.
"You make it sound as though I'm a misbehaving child. It wasn't like that."
Across from Lea, Kairi giggled.
"You really should be getting some rest, Riku," she said. "Not that you aren't
welcome to join us." Her eyes were bright with their usual good humor, the
corners of her lips tilted slightly up. Riku shook his head, placing his hands
on his hips.
"Nah, I'm just visiting. Wanted to make sure that you two aren't slacking off
any more than usual." Lea snorted in lieu of a laugh as Kairi giggled again.
"Don't worry, Master Riku," she said, smile broadening when Riku sputtered at
the title. "We've been training."
"Diligently," Lea added.
"Looks it," Riku quipped. No one else spoke, which left him standing awkwardly
above them, hands still on his hips. He dropped them, unsure what to do with
himself.
"...We haven't seen any sign of Sora yet," Kairi said finally, softly. "I'm
sure when he comes back, you'll be the first person he finds." Like Mickey, she
seemed privy to the underlying cause of his restlessness. Riku felt a mutinous
rush of blood flooding his cheeks and looked away, hoping to save face but
knowing it was fruitless.
He could have kicked himself. It was one thing to be caught off guard in front
of Kairi, his second-oldest friend. It was another to look like some kind of
lovesick teenager in front of Lea, from whom he required some amount of
respect. That was as good as gone.
Lea looked from Riku to Kairi slowly, his brows rising in comprehension.
"...Huh," he said. Abandoning subtlety, Riku waited until Lea voiced his next
thought before rapidly jumping in. "... Guess I should've realized you and him-
-"
"--you're right, Kairi. I really should be resting. We can start training again
tomorrow after everyone gets some sleep."
Mercifully, Kairi pretended not to notice Riku's segue, which had all the
subtlety of a hoard of shadow heartless trying to hide in the pale sands of
Agrabah. "When Sora's back I'm sure he'll want to spend time visiting
everyone," she pointed out. "It might be safer to pick up our normal sessions
in a few days."
"...Yeah," Riku admitted, a new round of blushing imminent. He knew he'd want
to spend at least a day with Sora on his own, and probably a few long nights if
they could get the time away.
Ideally, he'd get to spend as much time with Sora as possible before one of
them had to leave on their own again, a thought which always made Riku's gut
lurch--and for what? Sora was the strongest and toughest person he knew, but
pesky little things like logic never stopped him from worrying about his best
friend being hurt, or scared... or even just lonely.
The very thought made him nearly sick until he remembered who, exactly, he was
dealing with. Sora was the definition of a hero, a fighter, and expanding his
social circle came as naturally to him as breathing. He'd never be without
assistance or companionship.
At one time, Sora's ability to make friends with such ease had caused Riku to
nearly destroy himself in jealousy. Now it was a source of comfort: Sora would
always have help when needed, and unlike Riku, he wasn't afraid to ask for it.
Begrudgingly, Riku was beginning to come to terms with the simple fact that he
could learn a lot from his longtime friend. That he could change his own life
for the better by following Sora's lead.
Allowing himself to be inspired instead of frustrated by Sora's can-do attitude
meant forming bonds and tentative friendships with the Radiant Garden
Restoration Committee and handful of other worlds' residents, which had already
proven useful in more than a few potentially sticky situations. As far as
asking for help was concerned... well, that was another check on Riku's lengthy
self-improvement list.
Another: take more breaks. Between performing reconnaissance in new worlds with
Mickey and coming back to the tower to personally teach Lea and Kairi
everything he knew about the Keyblade, sometimes it seemed like Riku never had
a spare minute to catch his breath. The mounting exhaustion, and his ensuing
breakdown, probably, had been what finally caused Yen Sid to step in and all
but order Riku to stay in bed for the rest of the day. It had left him in this
sorry state.
With nothing else to fixate on, all he could really do was pine.
Riku missed Sora. Intensely.
"...Well, I guess it's back to bed for me, then," Riku said, still feeling
awkward. "As you were." Lea and Kairi were quiet as he walked back to the
tower, dead silent in a way that always meant they were stifling laughter.
Usually mocking, usually at him. His journey back to the room felt like a walk
of shame. Oh, there was no way there were going to let him live that down.
When he reached his room, he lay back on his bed and finally let his eyes slip
closed. He was tired, he had to admit however resistantly, and the worlds
weren't going to collapse in on themselves over the course of a ten minute nap.
Trying to calm himself, he took deep, slow breaths, counting to ten and back
down to one, letting sleep begin to creep into the corners of his mind. The
sound of Kairi and Lea, back on their feet with keyblades in hand drifted in
through the window, the clatter of clashing weapons distant and muffled.
Somewhere in the background a third voice joined in, but only briefly. Half-
asleep, Riku couldn't concentrate hard enough to make it out. All of his
thoughts were zeroed in on the boy he was longing for.
Riku was used to Sora making appearances in his dreams in all different
contexts. Sometimes they featured a great deal of kissing and touching, or the
two of them fighting some hellbeast side-by-side. Even more frequently they
consisted of Riku several years younger and endlessly chasing after him, of
Riku's anger and Sora's righteousness driving a near-insurmountable wedge into
their relationship.
Though they lacked the intensity of one of his more traditional nightmares,
those dreams were his least favorite. In them, he would struggle through
shifting, nonsensical worlds, Sora constantly out of reach, uninterested, a
cruel, careless Sora with better things to do and better people to see.
Riku always woke from those dreams angry and hurt, even though he knew that
caricature crafted by Maleficent wasn't--had had never been--real. A cup of tea
or coffee usually knocked the bad mood out of him, and by the next time he'd
see Sora, he'd be feeling more like himself.
He never told Sora about the dreams. He knew if he did, Sora would be quick to
point out that he'd spent a lot more time chasing Riku than vice versa. They'd
probably bicker about semantics for a while, and their argument would likely
end in either a kiss or a tussle.
A kiss... a kiss would be nice right about now.
Drifting further into the clutches of sleep, Riku's subconscious conjured the
feel of Sora's lips on his, vague and hazy, before throwing him headlong into
the memory of those hours after the Mark of Mastery exam: a constant reminder
that Riku had been so close to losing Sora to a state of permanent sleep, just
as they had once with Kairi. Just like that boy they still needed to rescue.
Ventus. Ven.
In his mind's eye, he caught the unusual sight of Sora's eyes shiny with tears,
body tense, trapped in a brief moment of doubt.
Yen Sid really thinks I messed up, he'd said, or something like it. I
shouldn't've let things get as far as they did, but I don't know how I was
supposed to tell that I was falling into a trap.
You didn't mess up, Riku had said fervently. This wasn't your fault. It was
Xehanort.
More happened in that conversation, but in his half-waking state it got lost.
The bittersweet recollection skipped forward, to when he told Sora how amazing
he is with the keyblade and how he'd ace the test next time around if Yen Sid
didn't just declare him Master on principle after the war ended. Sora puffed up
after he suggested it, insisting that he win the title fair and square. He
thanked Riku for saving him, blurted a confession--I could feel you with me the
whole time--and they shared their first kiss. Sora's lips had still been warm
from the tea he'd been drinking at the party. Still wet.
"Riku." He'd said Riku's name after, sounding surprised even though they both
leaned into it, both initiated it and let it linger. "Riku." Maybe their long
years of friendship had enabled them to move faster than either of them usually
would, because after the cake and celebrations had ended, they snuck off and
made love on the floor of the first empty room they could find. "Riku!"
His eyes flew open, and it was only by the grace of Sora's lightning-quick
reflexes that they avoided a collision as Riku sprung up with a cry of, "Sora!"
Riku rubbed his eyes, expecting Sora to be gone when he opened them again. But
there he was: short and slight, the light spilling in from the window making
him appear aglow. Though his eyes were tired, he was grinning. For just a
moment, Riku almost thought he could burst into song.
"I'm back!" Sora announced, lifting his arms to flex small bicep muscles. He
dropped them heavily to his sides, laughing. "Gotta say, I didn't think I'd
find you of all people taking a nap while everyone else's hard at work."
Unable to conjure up a witty retort, Riku pulled Sora close, tucking his messy
brown head beneath his chin as they embraced. Sora leaned into it with a
contented sigh, the stream of air tickling Riku's collarbone. Riku didn't hold
on for too long. He knew that if he did, he'd never be able to let his best
friend go.
Pulling back, Riku surveyed Sora more closely: there were deep, dark circles
under his unusually-dim blue eyes and he seemed a little pale. Both of his
knees were covered in dirt, and the inside of his left arm was marked with a
massive, purple bruise which spanned nearly wrist to elbow. An array of cuts
and scrapes on his limbs were crusted over with dried blood, and a second glace
at his face told Riku that Sora wasn't tired--he was exhausted. Riku's eyes
widened in alarm.
"It looks worse than it is," Sora said before Riku could get too far into a
concerned exclaimation. "I ran out of potions, and by the time I finished up I
was so tired I just hopped into the gummi ship and went to sleep." He shrugged.
"Right now, I just really need a bath." He wrung his hands, mouth open several
seconds as if he had to think about how to ask. "You're gonna keep me company,
right?"
Riku willed his expression to remain neutral as he nodded, letting Sora lead
him to the bathroom across the hall from Kairi's living quarters. Riku closed
the door behind them as they stepped in, continuing to the spacious footed
bathtub. It too seemed old, but had managed to avoid rust or stains for however
many years it had been in use. An advantage of full-fledged wizardry, Riku
supposed.
He twisted the tap, hot water spilling out and roaring as it hit the ceramic.
After waiting several seconds, he twisted the second tap, letting cool water
stream for several seconds to prevent the water from being scalding. Steam
rose, fogging the small window above their heads and giving the bathroom a
comfortably sauna-like quality.
Behind him Sora began to undress, pulling off his jacket and dropping it on the
floor. His shorts joined the pile next; they fell with a heavy sound and the
clatter of metal fasteners. Sora was unzipping his shirt when Riku turned,
unfazed by the sight of Sora nude: as children they'd bathed together, a habit
they kept up until just before puberty, to say nothing of the times they had
snuck out of their homes to go skinny dipping at night.
They really needed to do that again sometime, when all of this was over and
they'd finally get to return home.
"Hey, let me know if it's warm enough for you," Riku said, plunging his hand
into the water and swirling his arm, dispersing cold spots.
"I'm sure it's fine," Sora replied, throwing a leg over the tub's wall. He
reclined, sliding down until the water lapped his shoulders, his toes peeking
out. A happy little sound escaped him as he adjusted to the heat, just a degree
or two shy of perfection. Nearly ideal for resting his overworked muscles.
He shifted, water sloshing, throwing his feet over the edge of the tub. The air
that hit his feet was cold in comparison, the contrast making the bath seem
that much toastier. The water lapped at his neck, soaking the lower half of his
hair and slicking it to his neck. It wasn't long before only a few spikes stood
on end, still entirely dry, making him look like he was testing out a
particularly ill-advised new hairstyle.
"Yeah, it's perfect," Sora said. "Thanks."
Riku just shrugged, leaning forward to capture Sora in a quick kiss.
"So, your mission went well, I take it," Riku said. Sora nodded. Confirming
that Sora was content as-is, he finally took a seat on the floor, arm slung
casually across the rim of the tub, fingertips brushing the water's surface.
"...You gonna tell me about it?"
Sora grinned.
"Nah. How was everything here while I was gone? Kairi said you kept everyone
pretty busy."
Riku shrugged, beginning to wiggle his fingers in the water's surface, making
small waves beneath the pads of his fingers.
"You know Kairi... wouldn't lift a finger if she didn't have to. Lea either,
come to think of it." He smiled, tugging gently on a damp lock of Sora's hair.
"You guys have that in common."
"Hey!" At the sound of Riku's laughter Sora pouted, submerging himself. He sat
under the water, knees to his chest and arms crossed, for roughly a minute. If
they hadn't held so many breath-holding contests when learning to swim, Riku
might have been concerned. As it was, he simply sat back and waited for Sora to
come up for air, smiling and laughing as he always did. It took only thirty
seconds, and the smile and laugh were both briefer than Riku would have
expected.
It was no wonder: when he looked over at Sora his eyes were definitely
drooping, the seconds between each blink becoming shorter and shorter, until
his lids didn't open again. As badly as Riku wanted to talk to him--about
everything--he let Sora dose, squirting shampoo into his palm and working it
into a lather before gently massaging it into Sora's scalp. A small burst of
air left Sora's nose at the touch, something Riku recognized as the start of a
private laugh, like the little ones that would escape at sleepovers long after
they were sent to bed.
Riku was gentle, deft fingers working quickly, watching as the white bubbles
tinged a light brownish-red. It sent a shock of trepidation through him but he
said nothing. Sora was here, and in one piece. That was good enough.
"I really missed you and Kairi and everyone," Sora said suddenly, eyes
fluttering open. Riku's world was filled with deep, dark blue as he looked down
into Sora's eyes, hands still working through his soft, chestnut hair. "...I
think I'm too used to relying on my friends when I fight. I waited way too long
to heal myself, cause I kept thinking Donald would do it for me last-minute
like always."
"Last minute," Riku repeated. "...He really shouldn't be waiting that long. And
neither should you." Sora just shrugged, leaning into Riku's touch as he went
back into the proverbial bird's nest with more shampoo.
"Better late than never."
Riku shook his head, pressing his lips to Sora's wet temple. Sometimes his
optimism was maddening, but he wouldn't change it.
"Welcome back," said Riku.
Sora grinned.
***** Two *****
After an amount of time Riku couldn't quite determine, Sora announced he was
getting out of the tub.
"Where next?" Riku asked, submerging his arm to yank the plug. Rust-colored
water gurgled down the drain, spinning in a lazy circle on its way. Sora waited
until the now-tepid pool reached his waist before standing and stepping out,
grabbing a towel from a shelf across from the sink. He patted down gingerly
before tying it around his waist, then threw a hand towel over his shoulders.
He moved slowly, without that unnervingly alluring swagger he'd picked up at
some point after leaving the islands. Or rather, after being forcibly ejected
from them. By Riku.
It was always going to come back to that for him. He wondered how Sora could
ever be over it.
"Yen Sid's gonna set me up with a room tonight," Sora said, his answer delayed.
"Let's head to yours for now?"
Riku nodded, sliding a hand around Sora's shoulder. His stomach lurched
slightly when Sora shook him off, only to settle when Sora grabbed his hand
instead. They walked hand-in-hand to Riku's room, conscious of the voices still
sounding down the long hall. They knew that there was no need to sneak around,
but better to move quickly to avoid the chance of being spotted and having to
answer the questions that would ensue. They'd yet to discuss the status of
their relationship, and the last thing they wanted was to figure it out in
front of Mickey, or Yen Sid, or Lea, or anyone else--all while Sora was half-
naked.
Riku dropped Sora's clothes on the desk as Sora sunk slowly onto the bed,
releasing a myriad of oohs and other noises Riku only associated with his
geriatric grandparents as he settled.
"You're still sore?" Riku asked, eyebrows raised. Sora grinned sheepishly,
splaying his limbs across the mattress.
"Yeah," he said with a brief, tired chuckle. "Took a lot outta me, I guess."
"...Here," Riku said. Sora's head popped up from the mattress, his eyes locking
onto Riku in interest. Riku motioned for him to lay flat. "Donald, Mickey and I
have been training with Merlin these past few weeks." Riku approached the
bedside slowly, dragging the small chair with him. He slowly took a seat,
pausing to concentrate, channelling a Cure spell that bloomed slowly into a
Cura, and finally into a Curaga. "We thought it would be prudent to train with
someone who's an expert at spellcasting without a Keyblade. You should see the
blizzard spells Donald can cast now, it's pretty impressive. Anyway, it turns
out I'm a decent healer."
There was a deep shudder of something warm inside of him, something lush and
alive. It gathered in the depths of his core, taking a life of its own and
beginning to spread. Riku channeled the energy down his arms until it pooled in
his fingertips, casting a pale green glow beneath his skin. He wiggled his
fingers once, watching Sora watch him, and ran the hand down his friend's arm.
Riku could feel the stiffness of overworked muscles, tight spots loosening
under his touch. It was no wonder Sora was moving so unnaturally; Riku could
only imagine how uncomfortable even performing basic functions would be in his
current state.
Stubborn. He'd always been stubborn as hell. Riku resisted a scoff, too
concerned to be properly irritated. "This is only going to hurt for a moment."
"That's not very rea--ah." Sora's protest was interrupted by a small gasp as
Riku palmed the bruise on his arm, but the pain only lasted for the few seconds
needed to soothe it from deep purple, to yellow, fading and shrinking in on
itself until it disappeared.
"That must be better," Riku murmured. His hand slid down, feeling an unfamiliar
kink in Sora's wrist. Instantly it shifted beneath Sora's skin, forcing a gasp
from between those pink lips. "That felt like it hurt... what was that?"
Sora shook his head, brows furrowed. "...I was fighting off a big heartless and
landed wrong after a jump... I twisted my ankle and fell over. Broke my wrist
trying to cushion my fall."
"You what?" Riku's voice came out louder than he'd intended. For a split second
he worried that Sora would mistake his concern for anger, but Sora did no such
thing.
"It's fine, though! I was visiting Cinderella when it happened and the Fairy
Godmother patched me right up. I guess it just needed to set a little longer
before it would go back to normal. Well, not anymore." He lifted his hand,
smiling as he found he could twist and pivot it without any pain. "You've met
Cindy, right?"
"Yeah, briefly." If kidnapping counted, then he'd met quite a few of the
Princesses of Heart. One of these days he really did need to properly meet
Alice, Jasmine, Cinderella, and all of the other women he'd once assisted
Maleficent in abducting. To apologize and grovel, at least. "At any rate," Riku
said, shaking the thought from his head. "I'm glad you were taken care of. A
Curaga could've mended you up, too, though."
"Yeah," Sora conceded. "But you know magic isn't my strong suit. I'm not even
sure if I could cast a Curaga spell strong enough to fix a broken bone."
Riku fought the urge to chastise him, to tell him that's exactly why he should
always bring Donald and Goofy on his missions at the very least. But Sora knew
what he was doing, and the last thing he needed was for Riku to get a swollen
head over being declared Master, a title which felt useless when he measured
his own few accomplishments to his best friend's.
"Well, something to work on," he replied instead. "Here--can you sit up?" Sora
nodded, hoisting himself up with ease.
Riku moved his chair closer, feeling it come to an abrupt stop as the leg hit
the bedframe. He compensated by sliding forward as he reached one hand to
Sora's chest and another on his back. Riku rubbed in slow circles, fingers
spread, feeling Sora's every hitch of breath, every skip of his heart. Sora's
abdominal muscles had fared pretty well, but there was a knot in his lower back
that required Riku to briefly channel more magic into his left hand. Sora shook
as Riku's hand reached his stomach; Riku paused for a moment, registering the
sound of a stifled chuckle with a sigh of relief.
"That--Riku, hey--hey!--that really tickles!" Sora's smile was so much brighter
now. Riku felt less like he'd be taking advantage by giving Sora a real kiss,
so he wasted no time in connecting their lips, urging Sora's mouth open. He
wanted to cradle Sora's face, lay him down and crawl on top of him, but Riku
still had a job to do. Instead, he compromised by sliding his hands across
Sora's shoulders and neck, healing a small burn that could have been from
either a fire or a particularly cold blizzard spell. Maybe a Thundara, even.
What he wouldn't give to remove every last hint of danger from Sora's life, to
tell him he could go home and swim in the ocean again. Still, he knew that Sora
would never be satisfied to go back to a normal life. Not now that he'd already
tasted real adventure.
Tasted--what an understatement. They devoured it, the two of them, the path
long laid out for them.
And he thought he was worried now. Soon they'd be in the midst of an all-out
war--and then, he'd need to worry about Kairi and Lea, too. More than he
already did. Somehow.
Sora was the first to swipe his tongue, peeking it into Riku's mouth. Right,
he'd managed to get himself off-track. Doubling down, he met Sora's tongue with
his own, flicking the roof of his mouth to draw another ticklish giggle from
him.
The first time they kissed, Sora still tasted like vanilla bean and
strawberries from all the cake he'd eaten. Even if he'd had his memories
personally dismantled, Riku didn't think he could ever forget. He pulled back
to nibble Sora's bottom lip, savoring the groan it earned him. It was better
this time: no longer sickly sweet, Sora simply tasted like Sora.
"Can't wait," Sora murmured, warm breath rushing past Riku's neck. His skin
burst into goosebumps at the contact. The implication of his utterance was
clear; Riku had already known what they'd be doing when Sora returned, but the
affirmation sent a shock of electricty through him that had nothing to do with
magic. He swallowed hard.
"Lay back again," Riku instructed. "Heels on the mattress... I'll finish your
legs, then we can do whatever you want. Which ankle is hurt?"
"My right." He lifted it into the air and shook it for emphasis, wincing. Same
side as his broken wrist. Riku got to work right away.
"So you were telling me about the mission," he said, one hand wrapped around
Sora's slender ankle, the other rubbing a mystical trail up his calf and back
down slowly. Sora let out a happy hum.
"I wasn't." Sora corrected him gently, his eyes dancing. "Nice try."
Well, it was worth a shot. He dropped the subject--for now--returning his
attention to his healing.
The more Riku worked, the less he had to concentrate on the spell itself. When
he wasn't concentrating on casting... he could feel Sora's body working, the
blood pumping through his veins, the circulation of oxygen. It surpassed
intimacy, feeling almost like an intrusion, an invasion of privacy. A hand
still gripping Sora's ankle, Riku raised his tanned leg and began to stroke his
thigh, inner and outer, high and low; Sora's breath hitched, heart pounding.
Riku could feel it as if it were his own.
"That feels so good..." Sora sighed, throwing an arm back. He tucked his
forearm behind a pillow, shifting it down several inches to rest his head. Riku
watched the rise and fall of his chest as he massaged Sora's left leg,
following the same process for his right and pressing a kiss to Sora's knee
when he finished, the green light dimming and fading. He was treated to a full,
happy grin. "All better. You didn't have to, but thanks."
"Time to reap my reward, right?" The sentence was out before Riku could think
better of it. Sora looked up at him, face a blank mask, and Riku didn't wonder
why. It was an odd show of cocksureness from him, a hint of arrogance--
entitlement--long lost. Then Sora was smiling, laughing again.
"Sure thing. I owe you one."
Riku leaned in, tracing his tongue behind Sora's ear before giving his earlobe
a nip. A brief, gentle puff of air into his ear served as his finale, and Riku
straighened, grinning. Sora was still rubbing behind his ear where Riku'd
licked him, face flushed.
"I missed you," Riku said, gazing down at him lovingly. He knew the admission
would earn him some well-earned teasing later on, but he couldn't bring himself
to care. Right now, he just needed Sora to know.
"I've been missing you more often than not for years." The warmth was stomped
from Riku's chest, replaced by that infrequent visitor, the dark voice in his
head that whispered nothing but lies and twisted truths. And whose fault is
that? it asked him. Riku ignored it. He was getting better at doing that
lately. "And I've been wanting this since I left."
Chest heaving, Sora pulled the towel loose, arms outstretched as Riku ducked
down to nudge it off Sora's body. Their lips met, Sora running his tongue
across Riku's bottom lip briefly: a tease before he rolled onto his stomach.
Riku backed off instantly, allowing him space to move and admiring the view,
while he was at it. When Sora settled, his cheek was pressed against the
pillow, one knee pushed beneath his stomach, his other leg outstretched behind
him. Both hands were pressed palm-down onto the mattress, offering additional
stability.
Riku's eyes trailed the curve of his shoulder and back, down. Sora was waiting
for him, willing and open. With no injuries to serve as a distraction, Riku's
libido kicked into overdrive, his cock coming suddenly to life.
He nearly knocked the chair over in his rush to the bedside table, throwing the
drawer open and pulling out an oil they'd discovered worked well for this
purpose, however unintended. (Or at least, he hoped.) Riku slicked his fingers
as quickly as he could, running the pad of one slick digit over Sora's bared
entrance.
"I already know the answer to this, but..."
"I want it," Sora supplied. Seeing no need to waste another second, Riku
plunged the finger in. This was better, the tightness natural as Sora squeezed
and flexed around him.
"Okay?"
Sora met the question with a nod and a hum. Wholly encouraged, Riku slid a
second finger into the narrow passage. He glanced down at Sora's face, feeling
his cock give a twinge at the sight: his eyes were closed, mouth agape. For an
odd moment Riku wondered if he could get Sora drooling, then rapidly urged the
thought away. Now wasn't really the time to be examining the fetishes that
wanted to come out and play all of the sudden.
Riku thrust his fingers, sliding slowly out to the second knuckle and back in
again. With his free hand he palmed his own erection, feeling it continue to
stiffen at the extra attention. The wait was going to be tough, but he could
stick it out for a little longer if he had to.
Nothing could have ever prepared him, the night they lost their virginity, how
hot and tight Sora would be. Riku longed for it constantly, especially with
Sora so far away... his own hand couldn't compare. Nothing could.
Riku's unoccupied hand found Sora's ass, squeezing and pulling. Watched as his
fingers disappeared inside of Sora and reemerged, in and out, not too fast, not
too much... he increased his pace slowly, wanting to work his way up without
Sora realizing when the pace became relentless... which it would, in due time.
He wanted Sora mindless with pleasure, helpless; nothing but the best for his
friend, that special boy who spent years and traveled millions of miles helping
everyone he met, who never asked for anything in return.... It was time for
someone to take care of him for a change.
"Tell me if it gets to be too much," Riku murmured. Sora was doing so well so
far, taking him in without a word of complaint... surely he was ready for
something a little more.
Riku gave a hard push, jamming the two digits in to the hilt, holding them for
a moment before thrusting quickly, deeply. Sora let out a choking sound, lashes
fluttering, head tilting, back arched. Message received, loud and clear. Riku
reangled, pressing that sweet spot he'd found their first time together,
recalling how Sora'd had to slam a hand over his mouth to conceal his shout
when Riku found it, and how Sora had come when he brushed it a second time,
white coating Riku's fingers.
When Riku made contact Sora cried out, the sound like music. Arms shaking too
hard to support him any longer, Sora dropped onto one shoulder, knees
spreading. His free hand wandered to find his cock, stroking himself in time
with Riku's thrusts. Riku was careful to move with him, not to jab too hard now
that Sora was beginning to squirm.
Just a few moments longer, Riku thought, then they'd be ready. He watched as
Sora lowered to his elbow, fingers finding home in his mouth. He lapped at
them, taking one in and sucking, his head bobbing lazily. Both hands were at
work now, upping the stimulation as Riku worked inside him. In short, he was
doing way more work than Riku wanted him concerning himself with.
He pressed a kiss to Sora's shoulder, slowing his thrusts before he pulled out.
Thoroughly disoriented, Sora pushed himself back up onto his hands, watching at
an odd angle as Riku undressed hastily, dropping layers of clothing carelessly
onto the floor. Riku gave Sora a gentle tap, low on his back.
"Make room," he heard himself say, voice husky. With a groan, Sora pushed
himself up, shuffling several inches to the side to allow Riku to take his
rightful place alongside him. "Where were we..." Riku murmured, twisting at the
waist to reach for the oil again.
Sora slid the bottle from his hands and popped the lid open with his thumb
before Riku could even register the act of theft. He watched, hypnotized, as
Sora poured the liquid into his palm, shifting to coat his hand as it pooled.
Leaning forward ever-so-slightly, he began pumping Riku's cock, slicking it,
teasing him every time he ran his thumb over the sensitive tip, rubbing the
slit. Riku let him for a moment, breath drawn, watching those tan, calloused
hands work. Watching that wet, pink tongue moisten the lips Riku loved to kiss
and suck and bite.
Gently he placed a hand over Sora's, taking the oil and placing it back on the
table for its inevitable use later. Removing Sora's hand freed him to ease the
man onto the bed, lowering him onto his side. "...Is that enough of the oil?"
Riku asked. "Or do you need a little more?"
"...Little more," Sora decided, glancing at him for a moment before resettling.
Riku obeyed, lubing to the point of near-absurdity--and then a little more. He
fell onto his side, placing a hand on Sora's hip, pulling him closer. Sora
lifted a leg, and Riku guided himself in. Between the excess of oil and the
work he'd done with his fingers he was able to plunge deep inside without
issue, sheathing himself entirely with only one big push. Then, it was all heat
and Sora clutching tight around him, every minuscule twitch of muscle radiating
up his cock. Sora let out a half-voiced gasp as he was filled, a particular
strangled sound Riku had heard a handful of times when they battled together,
anytime he was unexpectedly knocked from his feet.
Encouraged, Riku slid his arm beneath Sora, shifting over just slightly to get
a steady grip on his cock. He worked Sora's erection as he rolled his hips,
feeling Sora shudder and shake against him. They were slow, steady; the last
thing Riku wanted to do was to hurt him, though "seeming as inexperienced as he
truly was" was a close second.
With his free hand, Riku slid his fingers up Sora's stomach, his chest,
tweaking a nipple with his thumb. Sora let out another pleased sound, beginning
to move his hips in return. Though clumsy and eager, they met more often than
not, their skin making a wet sound when they drew apart. It just made Riku
hotter, more desperate to be close to him.
He knew that he was leaking precome into Sora, the very thought giving Riku the
extra drive to bridge that last tiny gap he hadn't hit upon his initial thrust.
Sora made a deep, guttural sound in the back of his throat, a pleased "oh!"
Riku doubted that two people could be physically any closer than the two of
them were right now--Sora was filled completely, the sensitive ring of muscle
stretched and trembling, Riku's cock buried completely inside.
"Faster?" Riku asked, the vibration of his voice hitting Sora's ear, drawing a
moan out of him. Unable to form words, Sora nodded and braced himself, hands
curling into the covers. Riku pushed back, throwing a leg over Sora's hip and
digging his heel into the mattress, thrusting up to drive into Sora quickly
while maintaining his depth. Sora's breaths were coming out in a series of
gasps and pants, crying out each and every time Riku touched to that sensitive
little spot on his way up.
Without realizing it he was crushing Sora to his chest, laser-focused on
pleasuring him from the inside out, creating delicious friction against Sora's
inner walls, jerking his cock, rubbing his nipples to full hardness. Sora was
incoherent, his eyes shut tight, mouth in a silent scream, doing his best to
keep up, to keep rolling his hips back in time to let Riku slam into him
without abandon.
Remembering Sora's earlier display, Riku abandoned the stiff nub beneath his
thumb and pushed two fingers into Sora's mouth. Sora took them in eagerly,
sucking hard, wrapping his tongue around them. It wasn't long before Riku was
thrusting his fingers between Sora's lips, matching the pace of his cock and
the hand wrapped around Sora's erection, careful to mimic that familiar motion
without sticking his fingers down his throat in their excitement.
He felt Sora flexing around him desperately, heard the whines escape. Hair
ticked his collar bone when Sora threw his head back, Riku's fingers slipping
from his mouth, moaning loudly as Riku pressed them back in. Sora was jelly,
limp and weak as Riku rocked into him. Riku was delirious with pleasure; he
only wished he could touch every inch of Sora at once, wished their time
together would exceed their time apart, wished that they could always come back
to this moment, Sora twitching and coming, taking Riku with him.
"You're so good," he murmured into Sora's ear, and he meant it in every
possible sense of the word.
***** Three *****
Finally spent, Sora and Riku dozed off and on for an indeterminate amount of
time, limbs tangled as they sought one another in sleep. Riku was used to the
warmth of Sora's body, an old comfort. They always ended up next to each other
somehow, at sleepovers and slumber parties, even after they'd grown too old for
that kind of platonic bed-sharing. Riku'd been the one to cut Sora off,
sometime around his fifteenth birthday. It was the same year that his
fascination with leaving the Islands became an obsession, the same year he'd
discarded any remaining relics from his childhood, began taunting Sora more
than teasing, and separated himself from the other kids he'd grown up with.
What an idiot.
Waking slowly, Riku pressed his forehead to Sora's shoulder blade, letting out
a long breath. He felt like a balloon that someone had let go too soon.
Smaller, emptier. With his eyes shut, he could focus more on Sora's soft,
smooth skin, the way his chest rose and fell with each breath he took. His hair
was still wet, all but guaranteed to look even more ridiculous than usual once
it finally dried. Sora lay still, not yet dreaming--a possible indicator that
he'd fallen asleep only moments before Riku woke.
He knew that Sora had been restless at night following the Mark of Mastery
exam, though it wasn't something they'd discussed at any length. Riku knew they
couldn't avoid it forever. Eventually it would catch up to him, and they'd need
to address the problem before it could be solved. It wouldn't do to have a
sleepy Keybearer jaunting through worlds, fighting maniacal scientists bent on
kick-starting the apocalypse. But for now, with the comfort of knowing that
Sora was safe, Riku allowed himself a few more moments' rest.
"Ah!"
Riku heard the cry as he felt his own leg jerk out of control. It had followed
a sensation of falling, Riku half-absorbed in a dream he hadn't realized even
started playing in his overworked mind. For a split second, he could have sworn
he'd slipped off a ledge in the old Hollow Bastion.
"Are you okay?" Riku asked, connecting Sora's cry to his own involuntary
action. "I didn't kick you, did I?"
"No," Sora confirmed, shaking his head. His hand was over his heart, fingers
dug into the skin of his chest. "Just. Definitely wasn't expecting that."
"Well, good morning." A small smile accompanied the joke, followed up by an
apology. Sora shook his head again.
"S'fine. How'd you sleep?"
Riku shrugged. "Off and on. What about you?"
"Yeah, fine. Good. I slept pretty good." Sora waited just long enough to
respond that Riku suspected he wasn't being entirely truthful. "Best sleep I've
gotten in a while, at least." There. That was an opening; best to take it now
before they got too off topic.
"...You're still not sleeping well?" Riku asked, but it wasn't quite a
question. Sora flopped back onto the bed, limbs splayed. The back of his hand
smacked Riku's side on the way down, an inadvertent payback for his earlier
wakeup call.
"Err... well enough." And that was a dismissal if Riku'd ever heard one. Never
one to give up, he waited several seconds before making attempt number two.
"That sounds like a 'no' to me." At that, Sora shot him a dirty look too silly
to be taken completely seriously, his face scrunched, mouth twisted at an odd
angle.
"Well, it sounds like you need to get your hearing checked." He flipped onto
his side, back facing Riku, effectively ending the conversation. Seeming to
think better of it, Sora shifted again, rolling onto his other side. It meant
that Riku could give him another kiss, a task which he wasted no time in
completing. Soon Sora's face was covered in short, quick smooches, dotted over
his forehead and cheeks as he laughed and swatted Riku away half-heartedly.
Riku should have been relieved that Sora returned safely. Maybe he even should
have been pleased for taking him again, still caught up in post-coital
afterglow. But he couldn't stop thinking, ideas churning from the moment Sora
admitted to putting off tending to his own injuries.
"...Sora."
Sora popped one eye open, lips quirking up. "Yeah?"
"Why didn't you heal yourself?"
Though Sora tensed, his face was neutral, tone even as he spoke.
"I told you already. Magic's not my strong suit."
"Right," Riku responded, with a short nod. "But even a weak cure spell could
have helped with the bruising. I've seen you cast Curaga a thousand times. Are
you okay?"
"Well, we don't all learn as quick as you do."
Riku frowned; that wasn't it. And he wasn't going to let Sora deflect his line
of questioning.
"...You don't need to punish yourself," Riku said carefully.
"Punish myself?" he repeated, blinking. "For what?"
Riku didn't want to say it. For supposedly failing to become a Keyblade Master?
For nearly falling into Xehanort's clutches?
"For... anything that's happened lately that you think may be your fault," he
decided on, finally. Sora was still, rigid. He locked eyes with Riku, a silent
challenge: I dare you to keep talking.
Riku's fingers inched forward, palm gently cupping Sora's thigh. When Sora
didn't shake him off Riku drew him close, a firm hand sliding Sora across the
covers. In one move he rolled over, pinning Sora beneath him as he captured
those lips in a long, deep kiss.
"I don't want you to feel that way," he murmured into Sora's mouth. "I won't
let you."
"You won't let me what?" Sora asked, reconnecting their lips, running his
tongue across Riku's and letting out a breathy sound when Riku returned the
gesture. Planting his feet onto the mattress, Sora pushed his hips up, half-
hard cock nudging against Riku's lower stomach.
"You sure?"
Sora stared up, dangerously close to huffing at him again.
"Riku," he said firmly.
Okay--he was sure. Riku gave Sora's tongue a soft suck, savoring the snort and
muffled "ew!" it earned him. Riku let him go, lapping at his tongue one last
time before it retreated back into Sora's mouth, safe from any further assault.
That was fine by Riku. He'd rather be sucking something else, anyway.
The idea becoming firm plan, Riku pushed himself back onto his knees, leaving a
trail of wet kisses in his wake. He traveled down Sora's neck and chest, his
stomach, his inner thighs. Riku didn't need to look up to know that Sora was
watching him intently, waiting, measuring each breath and clutching the covers.
Sora bit his lip, scraping the soft flesh between his teeth but careful not to
draw blood as he felt Riku's tongue slowly trace the underside of his erection.
Riku wrapped his lips around the tip, flicking and his tongue over the moist
slit. He caught Sora white-knuckling the sheets, listening closely to the
sounds of his every blissful moan. Sora was so candid about his needs, so open
to try new things... Riku admired it--admired him--more than he'd ever truly be
able to articulate.
He pushed forward, taking Sora deeper into his mouth, hands beginning to
explore the quivering muscles in his thighs and stomach. He massaged along
Sora's body while sucking his cock, head bobbing, as he took in more and more
of the shaft each time he drew forward, treasuring the way Sora's hips flicked
upward ever-so-slightly every time the sensitive head brushed the inside of
Riku's cheek.
And so began a private game of hot-and-cold, Riku letting Sora's volume dictate
where he should lick, how hard to suck. He didn't stop again until he felt that
rush of warmth, tasted the salt of Sora's come coating his tongue. An unusual
taste for sure, but not something he couldn't get used to down the line.
He swallowed hard, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. Sora was panting
as if he'd just run into the room from outside, legs splayed open haphazardly,
his fingers still gripping the sheets. For a moment all Riku wanted to do was
watch him, as if to confirm that he was really there. Sora had always been
cute--a cute kid, a cute teen. That hadn't changed. Riku just wasn't sure when
Sora got hot on top of it. A lethal combination if he'd ever seen one.
Riku stroked his own cock, on the edge just from giving head.
He crawled back to Sora's side at Sora's insistence, which came in the form of
a subtle flick of his head. Unconcerned with his current state of arousal, Riku
curled against him, breathing the scent of his hair and absorbing the warmth
from his skin, lapping trails lazily against the back of Sora's neck. He knew
Sora wouldn't leave him hanging--so to speak--which is why it was only a
marginal surprise when Sora pushed his ass against Riku's crotch, the sudden
pressure making Riku's dick weep. They moved as one, their trail of thought
leading them to the same place.
Riku rolled on top of Sora as Sora looped his legs around his torso. Riku felt
between them, fingers roaming Sora's cock, still slightly stiff, down to his
hole, which was still soft, pliant, from earlier use.
"Again?" Riku asked. Sora nodded.
Riku simply pressed a kissed to Sora's temple, hand finding the oil still handy
at their bedside, and slicked himself lightly before pushing in without another
word. He felt Sora's toes curl, digging into his back, quickly joined by stubby
fingernails. Riku's thrusts were quick and purposeful, hand pumping Sora
skillfully, bringing them both to completion within seconds. In a way, it was a
relief. He didn't have much more energy in him, and he was sure that Sora's
stamina would lead him to get injured in some other, harder-to-explain-to-
their-friends way if they didn't reel it in.
It seemed a little ridiculous, though, that Riku had worked to get Sora so
clean just to dirty him up again.
"Hey," he said, voice strangled in his breathlessness. "Keep your legs open?"
Sora'd been just about to flatten his legs to the covers when Riku said it.
Without question, he stayed in place, knees drawn tightly against his chest. He
didn't even look down to see what Riku was planning, gaze fixed on the ceiling.
With a renewed sense of duty, Riku was reminded how much Sora trusted him.
After everything, Sora still trusted him.
Riku wouldn't let him down again.
He dropped his head between Sora's legs, lapping at the slick trail of come
dripping out of him, relishing the way Sora whimpered and cried out every time
his tongue flicked over his hyper-sensitive opening. More than anything Riku
wanted to know what Sora tasted like inside, curious to know how it would feel
to flick their favorite bundle of nerves with his tongue, to learn from Sora
which muscle he preferred to clench around. But, Riku realized with a sudden
sense of certainty, they would have plenty of time to get that figured out.
Riku never let himself shirk a duty or lose sight of a goal, and this wasn't an
exception. He caught every last drop, applying kisses liberally to Sora's half-
hard shaft, to his sac, his entrance, as he waited, dissonantly serene as Sora
came undone, shaking from head to toe, fingers regripping the underside of his
knees each time the slipped out from the buildup of warm sweat.
Clean again. Ish. There wasn't much he could do about the sweat or saliva that
had dried to his skin, but it beat being covered in blood and dirt any day.
Riku pressed one final kiss to Sora's flagging erection as he rose, fighting
the urge to smirk as he beheld Sora in a jelly-like state on the mattress,
stomach splattered with his own semen.
"Did you..." Riku asked, as he realized he hadn't even checked to see if Sora
had gotten off before he stopped. "...again?" Weakly, Sora nodded, holding up
two fingers. Heat rose to Riku's cheeks. "Twice?" Sora's hand dropped heavily
at his side, and he heaved a long sigh.
"That was amazing," Sora said. "But I'm empty. I don't think I could have
another orgasm for, like, a week. Maybe a month."
Riku chuckled, dabbing Sora's stomach clean with the case of a pillow he never
used. He tossed it onto the floor when he finished, mentally sending an apology
Yen Sid's way. He was all but certain this was not why they'd all been given
private rooms.
"You definitely spent enough energy to get you through another week without
sex," Riku teased. "What, were you saving up for me?"
"Heh. Well, it's not like I'm doing that with anyone when you're not around,"
Sora replied. Riku never particularly thought that Sora had slept with anyone
else on his travels, though opportunities likely presented themselves at some
point. Still, it was nice to hear.
The transition to cuddling was seamless, Riku content to be Sora's big spoon
for as long as the man would let him. As Sora slept in his arms, Riku stared up
at the clock, wishing the hands would slow down. All of them.
He held Sora as he twitched and mumbled his way through vivid dreams, as he
tossed and turned and finally went still again moments before waking. Then it
was all soft good-morning-kisses and careful, rushing hands.
"I didn't want to bring this up first thing," Sora said, running his fingers
along Riku's side, tracing a path from his ribs to his hip. "...but Kairi said
you had some kind of accident today."
If he hadn't finally been in the depths of post-coital afterglow, Riku might
have been irritated.
"Of course she did," he mumbled.
"What happened? Is everything okay?" Sora asked.
"...Yeah," Riku said, and it was the truth. He could say that now. "I came off
a little worse during a fight... I was just tired and overworked, up too late
worrying about you. And Kairi. And everything." If he hadn't known Sora for so
many years, if they hadn't been through so much together and promised each
other to be more open once they were reunited on the Islands, he would have
been more ashamed. "...I was using my dark powers and lost control. I nearly
hurt Mickey, but he got out of the way just in time. About an hour later it
sunk in, and I just... cried. It doesn't sound like a lot, but... it was
intense while it was actually happening. Yen Sid ordered that I take a break,
and I've been on house arrest ever since." He could feel Sora's eyes on him,
concern all but radiating off his lover's body. "It's nothing to worry about. I
just need to take better care of myself going forward."
Sora nuzzled beneath Riku's chin.
"Riku..."
"You don't need to worry about me," Riku said firmly, placing a hand on his
shoulder and squeezing down lightly.
"Well, I'll try but... no promises. You know that."
The sound of Kairi and Lea sparring had picked up again, somewhere hundreds of
feet below. A few times Sora perked up, listening for signs of trouble until
Riku's lack of a reaction assuaged him. Riku'd long gotten used to the panicked
frenzy of spells gone wrong. They'd figure it out; they always did.
"Hey, Sora," Riku murmured, watching a spike in Sora's frizzy hair flick back
as he spoke.
"Hm?"
"You need to take better care, too. Heal yourself when you get hurt. Stop
waiting until it's almost too late. Stop punishing yourself when you did
nothing wrong."
Sora frowned. "Riku, I'm not--"
"Yes you are. I've spent enough time kicking myself and being miserable over
things I've done to know what that looks like. Stop. Punishing. Yourself. We
need you too much, and you didn't do anything wrong."
Sora shook his head, incredulous but quick to smile. "You think you're soooo
smart, don't you?" he said. "Well, you're right."
Somehow, the admittance didn't make anything seem better.
"I wish you'd take care of yourself the way you try to take care of everyone
you know," Riku murmured.
"I know, Riku."
"It's all okay. None of us care that you didn't pass the test. Not even a
little."
"I know," Sora replied, his patience with the topic beginning to run thin
though Riku didn't pick up on it.
"We all just want you to focus on being in top form."
"I know, Master Riku."
They fell silent, the thought that Riku may be skating on thin ice not
occurring to him until he uttered his last bit of advice.
"And you're tired because you're not sleeping."
Sora drew away again, quickly, leaving a chill in his wake. His mouth was drawn
into what would've been a pout when they were kids but had evened out into
something slightly more imposing now that he was on the cusp of adulthood.
"...y'know, I didn't come back to see you first just to be lectured like a kid.
I know what I'm doing."
Riku drew back, unsure of the cause of Sora's unexpected outburst. Embarrassed,
bristling.
"No, you came up for a fuck, right?" Riku returned, and regretted it instantly.
He knew he was onto something but lacked the energy see a fight through to the
end. He didn't want to fight. Not now, not over this beautiful, wonderful thing
they shared. "That came out... I didn't mean that. Sorry."
When Sora settled down, he couldn't quite look at Riku.
"No, it's fine..." he insisted. "Maybe you're not the only one who needs some
rest. I'm sorry for snapping at you, too."
"...I'm thinking another nap might be in order." Riku tread carefully, extra-
sure that none of his bossiness shone through his words or meaning. He didn't
want to mess this up.
"I'm thinking you might be right," Sora laughed.
And how. Sora was getting grumpy; Riku was getting sentimental. It was
definitely time for more sleep. Riku held out his arms, waiting for Sora to
snuggle against him.
It didn't take long. It didn't take long for the tension from their short spat
melt away, either.
"Hey, Sora," Riku whispered, catching Sora on the edge of sleep. "...I didn't
mean to make it sound like I don't trust you. You know how to handle yourself
better than anyone. I just tend to worry too much about people I love, that's
all."
Sora shook his head as if shaking off Riku's concerns. "I get it," he said. "I
worry about you and Kairi and everyone, too." Riku skipped a beat; he'd said
love, and Sora somehow brought everyone into the equation. He shook it off--it
was another uncertainty for another day.
"I don't want you to think this whole 'Master' thing has gone to my head," Riku
continued instead.
Sora laughed. "I definitely don't think that."
"Actually," Riku lowered his voice, speaking conspiratorially into Sora's ear.
"I think it's all pretty laughable. You'd have aced any Keyblade test that was
actually worth anything... you've saved so many worlds. More than once, even."
Sora made an undecipherable sound, one that Riku couldn't quite place but did
seem to signify that he was broaching an undesirable topic again. He didn't
want to leave things off on that note, choosing instead to bring up another
topic that had the potential to be uncomfortable. Discomfort seemed to be a
running theme in all of Riku's relationships lately.
"...and one more thing."
"Yeah?" Sora asked.
"I love you."
He felt Sora go still as he considered the words.
"I love you, too," he said finally. Several long seconds passed between them,
the room quiet enough for Riku to think that Sora was out. "...Hey, Riku," the
words were accompanied by a soft nudge to the ribs."Say it again."
"I love you," Riku repeated, more firmly this time. "And stop punishing
yourself."
Sora scoffed. "You first."
Fair enough.
"Riku," Sora said next, this time waiting until Riku was beginning to doze.
Turnabout, fair play.
"Yeah?"
"Congratulations."
"Hm?"
"On the title! I'm really proud of you."
Riku smiled, brushing his lips against Sora's shoulder. "I know you are. I'm
proud of you too, hero."
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!