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The light catches on Sora's hair, giving him a golden halo as he smiles. It's only slightly distorted by video compression. The gummi phones have to make some trade offs to be able to transmit this much data between the worlds, after all.
It doesn't lessen the image at all, not in the slightest. Riku takes a quick screenshot and hopes that neither of them can hear the sound of it over Sora's rambling.
Speaking of, he should stop staring at his friend and start listening again, shouldn't he?
"-and they release all these lanterns, every year, to help the princess find her way home. Isn't that amazing?" Sora asks, smile wide. He doesn't wait for an answer before continuing, "I wish you were both here with me. I don't know if they show up that well through the camera."
At that, Sora spins his phone and faces it toward the sky. It's a field of small, golden lights, bobbing in the wind. They fill the whole screen with light.
Still, Riku is inclined to agree with Sora. The previous view was definitely better.
"I wish we were there too!" Kairi agrees with a frustrated sigh. "Merlin says that Axel and I are almost ready, but he still won't let us leave. I just want to see you both again! I've really missed you guys."
"You'll be done your training before you know it," Riku reassures her. "I'm sure you'll be out here with us soon."
"What are you going to do when you get out, Kai?" Sora asks. He's turned the phone back to him, so Riku gets to watch him tilt his head with curiosity. Adorable. "Does Yen Sid have a mission for you?"
Kairi hums. "If he does, he hasn't told me yet. Honestly, I'm hoping I can join you, Donald and Goofy." She pauses. "I would like to help Riku, but apparently only masters with cool darkness immunity powers are allowed to go there."
"Hey now," Riku laughs, "the king is here too. I appreciate it though."
Riku looks back at his phone screen. Kairi is laughing too, which is making her video feed shake and bounce.
Sora, though. Sora is staring into the lens with the fondest look. Riku can't really blame him; Kairi does have a very pretty laugh. But he knows that he needs to change the subject now before his heart melts and he says something he shouldn't.
"You mentioned dancing with the townsfolk earlier," Riku grasps at straws for something halfway relevant. "How many feet did you step on?"
"Riku!" Sora whines, indignant. "I didn't step on anyone's feet. I'll have you know I'm actually very good at dancing. I swept them off their feet."
"Lucky ladies, then," Riku scoffs.
"And men. And others. Honestly, everyone was lucky to dance with me!" Sora replies back with ease and Riku forgets how to breathe for a moment. His plan has backfired spectacularly.
"Wait, Sora, could you show us the lake again? I wanted to see the reflection," Kairi saves the day. Sora complies, video swinging to show the water. The lake is so still, the reflection is perfect. The lanterns appear to go on forever in all directions, like Sora is caught up in a sea of stars.
"I wish Namine could see that," Kairi whispers. "I'm sure she'd love it."
"She would," Riku agrees, just as Sora interjects with "She will!"
"We'll bring them all back, and then they'll get to see these things for themselves," Sora continues, earnest as always.
This time it's Riku's turn to smile fondly. "Yeah, we will."
Kairi nods.
Riku hears the fall of footsteps behind him. He turns and sees the king.
"Sorry, looks like break time is over," Riku turns back to his friends. "The king needs me. I'll see you both soon, okay?"
"Bye, Riku!" they shout at him in unison. He gives them a little wave before he disconnects the call.
Riku doesn't pocket his phone immediately, though. He has something important to do first.
He sets the screenshot as the background image. He's going to be in the Realm of Darkness for a while yet; he could use the extra light.
It's several hours, and several dozen heartless, before he can look at his phone again. When he does, he finds that Kairi has been texting him since they got off the call earlier.
Kairi: rikuuuuu!!! riku ri how is he so adorable all the time?? it must be exhausting
Riku smiles, and types out a response of his own.
Riku: I don't know how he does it.
He's only just pressed the send button when he sees three dots appear. Time doesn't mean much here, but he could have sworn it was late. He wasn't sure if he should attribute this to time being weird between the worlds, or just Kairi being Kairi.
Kairi: like, he kept talking about how pretty the lights were but he was the prettiest thing there!! my heart
Riku starts to type, but he realizes that he doesn't know what to say. This is not a conversation that he has had with Kairi before. There's a part of him that wants to agree with her, to finally spill his guts out about all these feelings he's finally identified. If anyone could understand him, it would be her.
But that's the problem, isn't it?
Riku's fingers hover over the keyboard, paralyzed. But it seems that she isn't having any of it.
Kairi: ri i KNOW you know what im talking about i heard that screenshot i saw your doofy face looking at him
Well then. He hesitates for a moment longer, then he takes the plunge. She started it, after all. He slams on the send button before he can chicken out.
Riku: I kept wishing he'd stop moving the phone around so I could stare into his eyes.
There, his whole heart, out on display.
Kairi: yes!! e x a c t l y i knew you would understand
Riku bites his lip as he responds.
Riku: I don't want to get in your way, though. You should just go for it. My big dumb gay feelings are my problem. Kairi: riku your big gay feelings aren't dumb besides that's being a little presumptuous, don't you think? ;) Riku: What? Kairi: what about soras feelings? he gave you a big doofy smile right back! Riku: That was for you! Kairi: we may never know for certain but hear me out can you think of anyone in all the worlds with a bigger heart? im sure hes got room in there for a couple more :) :) Riku: ?? Kairi: and to be honest im okay with sharing if its with you, you know? Riku: ????
Riku doesn't know how to respond or how to think but it's definitely really late in this world without time and he should really be getting to sleep now, thank you very much. He closes the app, then turns off the phone for good measure.
He doesn't sleep.
The morning brings with it an image from Sora posted into their group chat, and another barrage of texts from Kairi in their private chat.
He doesn't think too much of the photo at first. It's food. It looks like of like pancakes, but thinner? And in a thin sauce? Riku hasn't had much time for fine dining in the last few years; here in the Realm of Darkness every meal is just some variant of moss.
It's when he reads the caption that he gets it. Below the photo, Sora had written "breakfast @ the bistro! wish i could share it with u ❤️❤️"
Riku jumps over to the chat with Kairi to see her commentary.
Kairi: you see!! are you SEEING this shit riku i love this boy YOU love this boy we gotta do something about that Riku: Like what, exactly? Kairi: woo him Riku: Woo? Kairi: yes we will win his heart he's gonna be so wooed Riku: And how are we going to do that? Kairi: i dont fuckin know ri why dont YOU bring any ideas to the table here Riku: Be upfront and honest and tell him how we feel? Kairi: did you did you just type that with your own two hands YOU riku buddy i dont think youre ready for that Riku: Point taken. Kairi: no, no, instead we need a plan a perfect, foolproof, 5 step plan to winning his heart we gotta pull out all the stops Riku: We could start with a gift. That's classic, right? Kairi: now youre talking
Riku couldn't really believe this conversation was happening. His hands shook a little as he texted, but slowly, steadily, they made a rough outline of their plan.
If Mickey noticed the nervous smile that Riku wore for the rest of the day, the king didn't comment on it.
It was foolish to think they'd actually be able to do any of this according to said plan, though.
In fact, the plan was the last thing on Riku's mind when Sora calls them in the middle of the night.
"Sora?" he replies, voice rough with sleep. Kairi echoes his greeting from somewhere very far away.
They just get a shaky breath in respond.
All of Riku's fatigue races away at that. "Sora? What's wrong?"
Shaky inhale. Slightly more steady exhale.
"I'm sorry," Sora starts, quiet and subdued, "I just needed to hear your voices."
"What happened?" Kairi asks. Riku clenches his fist until he can feel his nails digging into his palm.
"The world I'm in right now. Xehanort somehow split it in two. My friends here, someone very important to them is trapped in the other version of the world. My friends can't get to them. It's like they don't-" Sora chokes up for a moment. "It's like they don't exist anymore. And it just reminded me so much of the test that I-I just needed to make sure."
"The Mark of Mastery Exam," Riku supplies for Kairi. "Sora and I were in different versions of the same world. Well, we thought we were." Riku struggles for a moment, caught between explaining and derailing the conversation. "But even then, Sora. I was always with you, wasn't I? I'm not going anywhere. And neither is Kairi."
"I know that," Sora sniffles. "But it's hard. When we're so far apart like this..."
"Then let's change that," Kairi interjects, voice burning with conviction. "Merlin said that Axel and I just have one final test to pass. Then I can join you out there. And I'm sure the king will be fine without Riku for a little while."
Riku starts to argue back, something about responsibility, but he finds he doesn't want to. He knows his duties, and his duty to keep Sora safe far outweighs anything else.
So, he simply agrees. "Yeah, I'm sure Mickey can handle this place for a bit without me."
"You guys," Sora mumbles in a voice thick with tears, "you don't need to do this for me. It's fine, I just got freaked out by a little thing, everything is fine."
"You don't sound fine, Sora," Kairi says in the softest voice. "And that's okay. You've been through so much. We can share some of that burden now, alright?"
"You've both been through it too though, I can't put everything on you," Sora replies.
"Sora, have you seen Riku's shoulders? You know the ones, wide as a fucking tree? He can carry a bit more on those things, I promise you," Kairi jokes.
It gets a laugh out of Sora, and that's how Riku knows she's won.
"Okay, fine," Sora sniffles. "Just for a little bit, though, okay? I don't want everything to get screwed up because of me."
"Just for a couple of days," Riku agrees. "Everything will be fine."
"See you soon, Sora," Kairi promises.
"I can't wait." Riku can hear the smile in Sora's voice when he replies, and he's not sure he's ever felt so relieved.
Mickey understands, but Yen Sid is not happy about the plan. Riku has to remind him, several times, that Sora's well being is important here too.
It's only when he brings up his obligations as a dream eater that Yen Sid finally gets it.
"Even if I do not approve, you are all going to do this regardless, are you not?" The old master asks.
"I'll do what I have to do," Riku replies easily.
"Fine, fine," Yen Sid waves him away. "Do what you must, then. And return to your other duties as soon as possible."
Riku texts Kairi as soon as he's out of Yen Sid's chambers to let her know he's on his way.
Tree shoulders: Okay, got the all clear. I should be there in half an hour. See you soon!
Way tougher than Axel: yes! operation make sora smile is a go!
He arrives right on time, and she's waiting for him. Standing in the dappled light of this timeless forest, he can really see how much she's changed. She's put on a fair amount of muscle, for one - definitely more defined than Sora's twig arms now. More than that, though, he sees it in her posture. She carries herself with a confidence now, different than what she had before. Whatever they have in front of them, he knows she's ready to face it.
All that, and the instant she sees him, she gives him that classic Kairi smile.
They meet Sora in Twilight Town. They're waiting in the sandlot when his gummi ship arrives. It hasn't even set down before he leaps out of the hatch and runs for them.
"Riku! Kairi!" he shouts. He's coming for them at full speed, arms outstretched; Riku thinks quick and does the only thing that comes to mind to avoid them all getting toppled to the ground. He grabs Sora by the sides once he charges into range, then pulls him into a spinning hug to dissipate the rest of the momentum.
Then he's just left with a beaming Sora in his arms, and he feels very silly about it. So he hands Sora off to Kairi instead. She easily holds him aloft with her new muscles. Sora's grin just widens.
In the distance, Riku can see Goofy and Donald carry a small suitcase out of the ship and set it on the ground. Noticing his gaze, Goofy looks up and gives Riku a little wave. Then he and Donald board the ship again, and they're gone as quick as they came.
Kairi sets Sora back down on the ground, and he pouts at the spot where the gummi ship was. "They said they were forcing me to take a vacation. They won't come back until one of you texts them."
"Guess you're stuck with us for a while then," Riku replies, and Sora's returning smile almost stops his fucking heart.
"So!" Kairi claps her hands together for emphasis. "We had a couple things in mind for today, if you're feeling up for it."
Sora laughs. "Sure, I'm all yours."
Riku catches the look that flashes through Kairi's eyes at that and has to stop himself from chuckling. He really isn't the only one who's got it bad.
Instead, he grabs one of Sora's hands. Kairi grabs the other.
Together, they make their way into town.
"Wait, we're going to the Bistro? Oh! That means I can introduce you to Little Chef!"
They enter the restaurant, and Scrooge immediately escorts them to a table. He waves off Sora's requests to go into the kitchen.
"It's handled, lad, don't you worry." Scrooge replies with a wink before waddling off to attend to other customers.
"Aww, I really wanted to introduce you," Sora sighs.
"Oh, it's okay," Kairi explains. "We actually already met."
"Wait, what-" Sora is interrupted by Scrooge, who has brought a covered platter to the table. He sets it down, then removed the lid with a flourish.
It's crêpes suzette, the same dish Sora himself had cooked just a couple of days ago. This looks a little different, though. The plating is a little messy, and actually, now that he looks at it, it hasn't been flambéed, yet, has it?
He leans in to get a closer look just as Riku flicks a tiny Dark Fira into the dish. Sora jumps back as the alcohol burns off in deep purple flames. Riku extinguishes it with Aero a moment later.
"That was amazing!" Sora exclaims, and finally, really looks at his friends.
He's not sure how he missed it before, because they must have been like this the entire time. But Riku is just covered in flour. His jacket is almost as pale as his hair. Kairi looks better off at first glance, but her hair is tossed haphazardly around her face. He definitely spots a tiny fragment of eggshell in her bangs.
"Did you make this? For me?" Sora thinks me might start crying for them all over again.
"Little chef showed us how to do it," Riku explained.
"I now understand why you complained about it being so hard," Kairi adds. "But it was fun!"
"It's not exactly breakfast time," Riku checks his phone as he speaks. It's just past 4 in the afternoon. "But we decided that we wanted to have breakfast with you."
"You guys..." Tears do bead in Sora's eyes now. "You're the best."
"You say that now. You haven't seen the rest of what's in store for today!" Kairi responds with a smile. "Now share some of those crêpes with me, I want to see if we actually made something good."
Kairi claps her hands. "Okay, I think it's time for phase 2!"
"Phase 2? How many phases did you plan out, Kai?" Sora asks with a laugh.
"Riku actually planned the next bit, so you can't blame me," she points at Riku, who is currently finishing the last remnants of the crêpes. They'd actually done a decent job. He glaces up at the attention.
"So, we could take the gummi ship back to the Tower, but I was thinking about taking the train? It seems like it would be a pretty view," he offers after swallowing the final bite.
"What are we going to the tower for?" Sora asks, already standing up.
Riku starts to reply, but Kairi cuts him off, "You'll see when we get there! Patience, Sora." She turns to Riku with a glare too for good measure. He raises his hands in submission.
The instant they step out of the restaurant, Sora sticks his hands out. Riku stares at him for a beat. Sora wiggles his fingers.
"You both held them before!" Sora whines, but there's a smile in his voice.
Riku rolls his eyes, but takes the offered hand. Kairi takes the other.
"I think we might have said a bad precedent," Riku tells her, speaking directly over Sora's head.
She just hums in response and smiles up at him.
His grip on Sora's hand tightens involuntarily. Sora grips harder in response.
The walk up to the station is pleasant, if a little awkward in spots. The street narrows in places, and three people side-by-side tends to block traffic. Even when they need to walk in a single file, they don't drop their hands.
They arrive at the station, and their train is ready and waiting. As soon as they board, the doors close behind them and the train begins to move from the station.
The train car is completely empty.
Sora lunges for the window, yanking his friends along with him. Riku stumbles, but manages to catch himself on one of the seats.
"It feels like forever since I last saw this," Sora muses, smiling softly into the setting sun. "I didn't understand it then, but Roxas was so sad to leave. When I looked out at the view, I couldn't understand why I felt so heartbroken about leaving it behind."
Riku shoots Kairi a panicked look. That wasn't exactly the feeling he was hoping to invoke with this.
She glares at him for dumping this on her for just a moment, then turns to Sora. "What does Roxas feel this time?"
Sora considers for a moment. "He's still sad, but it's not the same. He's glad his friends know about him now, even if it's not really the same."
Riku looks away. He might not regret his actions, exactly, but that doesn't mean he's free from the guilt of taking literally everything from Roxas. For Sora, he'd do it again, in an instant - but he knows that has more to do with his own priorities than any sense of morality.
Sora catches him pulling away and lets go of his hand. He replaces it, a moment later, with an arm thrown over Riku's shoulders.
"It's okay, Riku. It's not bad exactly..." Sora trails off, searching for words. "Just bittersweet."
Riku freezes for a moment. Then, slowly, he leans in to the touch. He wraps an arm around Sora in return. He watches Kairi do the same.
They stand, holding tight and watching as twilight slips into a sea of stars.
"Here it is," Riku gestures with wide arms, "phase 2."
He's standing in the doorway of his room. Only, it doesn't look much like his room at this exact moment. Normally, it's pretty bare - a filled bookcase makes up the entirety of his decorations. Right now though...
"Did you grab pillows from every room in the tower?" Sora exclaims.
"I even asked the sewing machine in the basement to make some extras," Riku confirms.
Sora doesn't wait for any more information before diving into the pillow fort. He rummages around inside for a while before popping his head back out. "Aren't you guys coming in?"
"Yes," Riku replies, just as the shutter of Kairi's camera closes with a click. "We just needed to get that first."
"Hey!" Sora cries. "No fair! If you take embarrassing photos of me, I deserve to take some of you." Without getting out of the fort, he lunges for their legs. Riku dodges, but Kairi isn't quite quick enough. She gets pulled into the dark abyss of the fort with a giggle.
When two sets of hands reach for him a moment later, Riku isn't able to dodge. He makes a show of falling to the ground and trying to scramble away, but he lets himself get yanked backwards. It's worth it for his two best friends collapsing on him in a fit of laughter.
"Why a pillow fort?" Sora asks when they finally catch their breath.
Riku shrugs, which shifts both Sora and Kairi up an down like a wave. "We haven't done one in so long. Seemed like a good way to relax."
"It's cozy," Kairi remarks, rolling off of Riku and onto one of the plush blankets lining the floor.
"Oh! Speaking of cozy," Sora's head shoots up, which almost takes out the low roof of the fort, "there's something I wanted to try, Riku."
Riku tenses. He has a feeling he knows where this is going. Maybe, if it is very very still, he will blend right into the floor.
"When you dove into my dreams, you became my dream eater, right?" Kairi looks up at this. Riku gave her a very high level idea of the exam, but he didn't have time to tell her about all of the details. For example, he had mentioned the existence of dream eaters. He may have possibly neglected to mention his status as one.
Sora turns to Kairi to give her the background. "All of the other dream eaters got more powerful by eating nightmares and receiving affection. Riku, will you get even buffer if I hug you enough?"
Riku's face burns. Still, he maintains his stance. Laying flat on his stomach, staring straight ahead, acknowledging nothing.
"Well, I guess it depends," Kairi muses. "Riku, have you eaten any nightmares?"
He mumbles out a quiet "Yes."
"And did eating those nightmares make you more powerful?"
"...Yes."
"Well then, it stands to reason that cuddles should do the same," Kairi concludes.
"Wait, wait, when did you eat nightmares?" Sora asks.
"The dream eaters always offered to share," Riku mutters without meeting his gaze. "It would be rude to say no."
"You mean that a blue cat-dog and a bat asked if you wanted to eat some dead monster and you just said yes?"
"It's not like there was that much other food around!" Riku snaps. "Besides nightmarestastegood."
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Kairi asks, poking him in the ribs for emphasis.
Riku sighs. He has no dignity left anyways. "I said, nightmares taste good. It's a dream eater thing. I wouldn't except you to understand," he tries to sound aloof and cocky. The perfect way to mask the burning embarrassment in his gut.
His friends roll with laughter, and it does make him feel just a little better.
Then a hand is in his hair. He tenses once more.
"Is this okay?" Sora's voice is so soft, so different from just a moment ago. It's filled with something heavy that Riku can't identify. He's suddenly very glad that he isn't looking in Sora's direction and doesn't have to face that head on.
Even like this, though, he doesn't trust his voice. Instead, he nods. With that, Sora's hand settles more firmly into his hair. Then, Sora begins to card through his hair gently, running the locks between his fingers.
Riku experiences many emotions at once. First, he is thankful for his recently shortened hair, because without it he would be dead and gone in this moment right here. Second, he is never cutting his hair again.
His eyes flutter shut. He isn't aware of the sound building in his throat until it spills over.
"Riku are you purring?" Kairi gasps out between giggles.
He doesn't dignify her with a verbal response; moving as little as possible he raises one hand to flip her off.
Sora is now scratching at his scalp and there is no way that Riku is going to do anything that could jeopardize that.
Kairi bats Riku's errant hand away, then scoots closer. She wraps an arm around his back and rests her face against his shoulder blade. Sora's hand leaves Riku's hair, and he settles into a similar position, leaning onto Riku's back. He feels Sora grab Kairi's hand and lace their fingers together.
A chime plays, and he can see motes of light floating through the air, even through his closed eyes.
Kairi gasps. Sora sounds a little too pleased with himself when he explains, "That was a disposition change. Guess you really are my dream eater, huh?"
Riku just hears "my dream eater" and his heart stops, and then it comes back twice as fast. Kairi is laying on his left side, and he knows she can hear it - she starts tapping her finger against the back of Sora's hand at the same tempo.
"What's your disposition now?" Sora asks, and Riku can hear the shit eating grin in his voice.
"You tell me," Riku grumbles back.
Sora laughs, bright and innocent like he doesn't understand what he's putting Riku through right now. Sora lifts his head and scoops a little until Riku's face is actually in view. Riku has turned away, but he feels calloused fingers at his cheeks, and they gently manuver him into place.
"Oh!" Sora's fingers flinch from Riku's face for a moment before settling back into position. "That's a, uh, very different colour on you."
Riku glares, but he knows it can't be all that intimidating when his eyes are bright bubblegum pink.
He actually knows exactly what this disposition is; every time he locks his phone after staring at his background a little too long, he catches it in his reflection. But he's not ready to say that out loud yet, so he just lets his eyes say everything he can't.
"So do pink eyes mean Riku is even stronger now?" Kairi hides her giggle behind her hand.
"No, but disposition changes can unlock new abilities," Riku points out. "Just like this one." He rolls over, lightning fast, then darts his hands out to the sides. Sora and Kairi are too busy staring into his eyes to realize that they have made themselves vulnerable. He wraps an arm around then, each, then executes a flawless dual-tickle strike. Kairi shriek-laughs and claws at his arm, while Sora jerks around, limbs flying everywhere.
It doesn't take long before they both call uncle.
Then they're collapsed in a heap once more. The only difference is that now Riku is holding them in his arms. Just a little thing that makes all the difference in the world.
"What now?" Sora asks, breathless.
"Tell us about the worlds you've been to," Kairi prompts after a moment. "I want to know what to expect."
"Okay!" Sora smiles. "Well, first, I decided to visit Herc..."
Somewhere near the end of the Toy Box, but before Corona, Sora trails off into sleep. The others soon follow.
It's still dark when Riku wakes.
And it's not just due to being buried in a pillow fort inside a tower floating in the middle of space. In fact, it's because it is stupid early in the morning and Riku's having a hard time remembering why he agreed to do this.
The reminder isn't hard to come by, of course. Sora and Kairi are both curled up into him. Sora is visibly drooling on to his chest.
He extracts himself from the cuddle pile very, very slowly. He has to steal a pillow from the side wall to take his place, but he manages to do it without waking either of them.
He watches them for a moment. Without him there, the space between them looks. Empty. A bit too wide.
Huh.
He decides not to follow that thought. Instead, it's time to make getting up this early worth it. He checks his phone for the time - 6am, right on schedule.
Before everything, he would never have been able to wake up so early, nevermind without an alarm. But it's been a long time since then, and Riku's spent more than a few nights just catching the barest amount of sleep to stay safe. If you can't wake up on time in the Realm of Darkness, you might not wake up at all.
He shakes his head of that thought as well and steps out the door. The tower is silent; Yen Sid is an early riser, but he doesn't exactly roam the halls. Every footstep feels twice as loud, any sound an affront to the quiet. When he finally makes it down the stairs and outside, he breathes a sigh of relief, but it's only once he's securely in the gummi ship that he feels like he can actually make noise again.
He's glad he asked Kairi to take the train from the Tower to Twilight Town originally; this would have been a bit harder if they hadn't left the ship here. He looks at Kairi's messages one last time before taking off.
Can bench press a boy: i ordered A Thing and i need you to pick it up please! A boy: Sure, what do you need? Can bench press a boy: thanks ri! i also need you to pick it up super early before sora wakes up A boy: Wait, why? Can bench press a boy: i want it to be a surprise! and you know theres no way ill wake up before sora please riku?A boy: Okay fine. Can bench press a boy: yay thank you! i asked them to have it ready first thing in the morning so you should be good to go it's at the moogle shop in the tram commons, cant miss it just tell them kairi sent you A boy: What am I picking up exactly? Can bench press a boy: youll see ;) ;)
Riku can't help but smile at the exchange. Kairi had sent a selfie with the largest puppy dog eyes he's seen outside of Pluto, so he didn't have much of a choice.
"I'm picking up something for Kairi?" Riku asks, trying and failing not to feel awkward. It would help if he knew what he was grabbing.
Still, it doesn't seem to bother the moogle, who simply nods. "She mentioned you'd be coming, kupo." With a flap of their little wings, they meander into the back of the shop. They return a moment later, holding a small box in their paw.
"She has very good taste. You're very lucky, kupo!" The moogle remarks as they hand over the box. Upon closer inspection, it's quite the fancy little box; it's made of a dark wood, with densely packed patterns etched into the surface. He can't quite make them out in the dim light; the sun hasn't risen yet.
"Thanks," Riku replies and departs, box in hand. He makes his way back to the gummi ship quickly, eager to see what had caused Kairi to send him on this errand in proper artificial lighting.
When he's inside the ship, under the lights, the almost drops the box. He sets it down on the console very, very carefully. Then he whips out his phone to text Kairi, beauty sleep be damned.
A boy: KAIRI KAIRI WHAT WHY DID YOU YOU CAN'T JUST YOU CAN'T JUST BUY HIM RINGS Can bench press a boy: ill have you know i had that specially crafted im not just buying off the shelf rings here why do you think i asked you for all that orichalcum besides it was your idea A boy: That's not the point! It doesn't matter how you made it, we can't just give Sora some rings! That's just The implication I No This was not what I meant by a gift! Can bench press a boy: theyre powerful accessories that will protect him in battle you know our boy loves to accessorise
He can tell this conversation is going nowhere fast, so he sets his phone down and picks up the box once more. Two narrow bands are nestled into its plush interior. Unlike the box, the rings are smooth. Really, the only defining feature they have is the colour. They look like the sunrise after a storm.
He snaps the box shut and sets his course back for the Tower. His hands shake, and he hopes beyond hope that he can stay calm enough to avoid crashing into anything on the way back.
"Riku!" Sora rushes up to greet him as he shuffles into the kitchen. "You're back! Kairi refused to tell me where you went."
"You know, Kairi refused to tell me things too, how interestin-" Riku's grumbling is cut off by the girl in question.
"We were trying to surprise you!" she interjects. "Which all of your texts ruined, by the way." She wheels on Riku. "Woke us both up."
"Oh no," Riku deadpans. "How terrible."
She sticks her tongue out at him. He returns the favor.
"So what's the surprise?" Sora asks around a mouth full of cereal. As soon as he'd confirmed Riku was physically present, he gone right back to his breakfast.
Riku's mouth, in contrast, dries up. "Uh." He looks to Kairi for support, eyes wide with panic.
She rolls her eyes, then reaches into his jacket pocket, pulling the box free. "We wanted to give you something that would keep you safe," she explains, holding it out, "whenever we aren't there to protect you."
Sora makes a curious noise as he takes the box from her. As he opens it, his eyes blow wide. Riku can hardly bear to watch.
"Kairi, Riku... They're so pretty! Thank you!" He tackles Kairi into Riku, pulling them together into one big hug.
"One should protect you from light, and the other from darkness," Kairi explains. "And they can fit together into a single ring, like this." She plucks them from his hands, and gives them a little twist. He'd missed the small catch in the rings when looking them over before, Riku realized belatedly. Now, the two bands appeared seamlessly joined.
"That's amazing," Sora gushes. He takes the ring back from her, toys with it between he fingers for a few moments. He slides it on and examines it.
"Perfect fit," he declares, holding his left hand into the air for the world to see.
Riku feels weak. He leans a little on Kairi to avoid collapsing onto the floor. There's only so much he can take, and Sora wearing their ring like a wedding band is far, far beyond that point.
"You guys are the best." Riku isn't willing to name the emotion in Sora's gaze, even if he has an idea of what it is. Instead, he just takes in Sora's radiant smile. Kairi's, too; she's looking up at the both of them and beaming. Riku, slowly, swallows his fears and joins them.
"I can't believe you're both making me row again."
"Sorry Riku, you're the buffest and therefore it is your job to row," Kairi smirks.
"You're the one bragging about being able to lift Sora and throw him like a javelin!"
"Sora's basically a twig he doesn't count."
"Hey!" Sora laughs. "That's mean!"
"If you want to be less twig-like you could row," Riku offers.
"No way," Sora shakes his head. "Besides, I think we're far enough out now. I think we can stop."
Happy to oblige, Riku sets the oars down. Kairi looks leans toward Sora, expectant.
"Are you going to tell us why we're here now?" she asks. Here, in this case, being in a canoe on a lake in the Kingdom of Corona.
Sora nods, and begins to speak. His voice is quiet, intimate. "A couple of weeks ago, you both dropped everything to help me after I freaked out. Now that we're so close to the end... I wanted to take some of the time we had left and return the favor. If tomorrow really is the final battle, I just... Wanted to spend tonight with you first."
"Sora..." Riku whispers. Tentatively, he reaches for Sora's shoulder and squeezes is. Kairi places a hand on Sora's knee.
"Plus, I had Rapunzel and Eugene help me with something," Sora reaches around behind him. He pulls out 3 paper lanterns, unlit. "You missed the festival itself, but I thought... I wanted to show it to you properly, even if it wasn't quite the same thing."
They each take one from his hands. Sora lights his with a controlled fira, flames licking up harmlessly from his upturned palm. Riku follows suit with a dark fira, strangely cold to the touch. Kairi casts a spell of her own that is like both and neither at once, flames so bright and pure that they push back the night itself for a moment for subsiding. As one, they raise their lanterns to the sky and let the air take them. In each, different colours bloom through the paper, casting dazzling lights over the surface of the water.
It catches on Sora's ring and Riku's not sure if he's ever seen something so beautiful.
Sora is watching the lanterns trail through the sky, unaware of the eyes on him. "Rapunzel told me that seeing these lanterns in person was something that she dreamed of for so long," he's quiet, but his words carry over the water. "And I thought about what I dream of. What I've been dreaming of for a long time." Now he looks down, meets their gaze. "I've been dreaming of a future that I get to spend with you." He pauses for a moment. "Both of you."
It's not clear who moves first, and ultimately, it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that they meet in the middle. It's a tangle of lips and limbs for a moment before it settles: Riku with this hands tangled in Sora's hair, kissing his forehead. Kairi close behind, arms braced on Sora's shoulders and lips pressed into the space between his mouth and his cheek. She can feel it, taste it, when he breaks into a giant grin. Sora pulls back for a moment, just to look at them both, before diving back in with gusto: he peppers them both with kisses, hands clutching at their sides to pull them closer, closer.
"I know it's greedy," he mumbles against Riku's lips.
"But I just love you both so much," he finishes the thought against Kairi's. "I hope that's okay."
Kairi hums before responding, "You know, I think we'll manage." She interlaces her fingers with Riku's, and smiles with all her light. It's blinding and he can't look away. He settles for raising her hand to his mouth and placing a kiss there, on the knuckles: a promise for the future.
Somewhere along the line they capsize the boat, but they just swim to shore, laughing all the while. They collapse onto the shore and stay like that until sunrise: together.