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Riku jerked awake, his heart racing, all of his senses alight with adrenaline.
The bedroom was quiet enough, still completely dark, no light filtering through his closed eyelids. The warm covers invited him to stay still and fall back asleep, but with the rush of adrenaline racing through him, Riku knew this was not an option.
Furthermore, he was acutely aware of something wrong, although the edges of slumber were making it hard to focus. He forced his eyes open and took a few deep breaths to orient himself. After spending weeks in Sora's dream, sleeping somewhere different every night, he wasn't yet used to waking up in a real bed again. But as he took in his surroundings, the shape of the closet, the door and the desk visible in the slivers of moonlight coming from the cracks in the curtains, he remembered. He was in his room back at the Mysterious Tower, on the left side of his double bed.
And still that latent awareness of something wrong was nudging at the corners of his mind, and if only he could just focus...
At that moment, he heard a soft moan coming from his right side.
Sora.
He was suddenly completely awake, eyes wide with alarm, and he felt stupid for not realising it sooner. Ever since he had become Sora's dream eater, Sora's nightmares always woke him up. It hadn't happened in a few days now, but that was no excuse to slack off.
Riku rolled onto his side, waiting until his eyes adjusted to the shadows before he could make out Sora's silhouette next to him. Sora had kicked back his half of the covers, blankets bunched around his hips, the waistband of his boxer briefs just barely visible in the moonlight. His shirt had ridden up a little, and Riku's gaze lingered on the pale strip of skin for a moment too long.
The night after the Mark of Mastery, Sora had shown up at the Riku's bedroom door, eyes bleary and shoulders tense, and Riku had opened the door wider without Sora needing to say a word. In the weeks since, falling asleep next to each other became the new norm. They didn't talk about it. They didn't need to, both of them just accepting this shift in their relationship as a new indisputable truth, a natural progression following the dream eater bond that they were both still trying to wrap their heads around.
The bed was big enough that they each had their own side but small enough that Riku would sense it the moment Sora's dreams shifted into something darker. Something Riku was now equipped to handle. He hadn't told Sora in so many words, but he was more than willing to sacrifice his own sleep to keep Sora's dreams peaceful, to let Sora wake up content and rested. He was glad for his new powers that provided him with the means to protect Sora from his nightmares, keep him safe in the one place he'd not been able to keep Sora safe before.
Sora moaned again, soft and low, and this time the sound was accompanied by a tiny shudder. Riku felt something inside of him twist and shift, spread across his chest, reach out to Sora, the dream eater part in him half-distressed, half-eager. The tell-tale signs of the nightmare were all there: Sora's quickened pulse, his irregular breathing, his soft moans.
Riku closed his eyes again and reached out with his mind, brushing against the ragged edges of the dream. Mentally feeling the shape of it, tracing boundaries of both light and darkness until he felt the soft give of the spot where he would dive.
He prepared himself, consciously slowing his breath, steeling himself for the darkness that would be waiting for him in Sora's dream.
Then multiple things happened at once.
Sora shuddered again, gasped out Riku's name, and Riku felt a rush of searing desire not his crash over him.
Riku froze and suddenly felt hot all over.
Fuck. Oh, fuck.
Not a nightmare, then...
Riku watched in something close to horror as Sora's chest rose and fell shallowly, and his arm came up to grasp the pillow above his head. Sora's mouth opened and he exhaled a small whine, and now that Riku realised what was happening, he could feel the flood of Sora's arousal through the dream eater link.
Shit, shit, shit.
The dream eater part of him reached out eagerly, white-hot need coursing through his veins without warning. Riku couldn't look away as Sora arched a little, melting back into the mattress, whimpering softly.
After a long moment, when Riku felt he could move again, he fell back against the sheets, letting out a quiet groan. Thinking was difficult, all but impossible, but he forced himself to ignore Sora's soft breaths and whimpers in lieu of mentally cataloguing his options.
He could lie here and wait for Sora's dream to pass. That would be uncomfortable for him, but it probably wouldn't take long. Eventually though, Sora would wake up. Either when the dream ended or in the morning, likely with sticky boxers, and the air between them would turn awkward and Riku wouldn't know how to handle it.
The second option was to leave the bed, under the pretence of needing to use the bathroom, and come back in ten minutes. That would be less uncomfortable for him, but it would still leave them with the fact that Sora would at some point wake up again.
Or he could leave and not return for the rest of the night. That would be the safest option. The kitchen probably needed cleaning. Or something. But that would mean leaving Sora to face the rest of his dreams alone, and what if an actual nightmare occurred?
Riku was sure there had to be a fourth option he hadn't thought of yet when Sora moaned again, and he felt hot sparks of want settle deep into his stomach. His own breath was suddenly coming faster, matching Sora's. He shivered all over, shifting against the mattress because it was impossible to stay still. This was more than he could handle.
He wasn't sure if it was bravery or stupidity that made him stay right where he was. He felt weak all over, every nerve crying out. Sora's arousal was so heavy in his chest that he could almost taste it, mixing with his own, responding in tune. He wasn't sure he would even be able to make it to the door in this state. Some Keyblade Master he was.
This was not the way he had pictured it would be.
He and Sora had been on the edge of something more for weeks now, every day a little step farther away from friends, and a little closer to this new profound secret growing between them. The dream eater link was a constant buzz at the back of Riku's mind, comfortable and familiar, laced with feelings of home and Sora. He knew Sora could feel it, too. Could see it in the way his head tilted just a little when he smiled, the way his eyes sparkled, tiredness masked whenever he turned to look at Riku and their eyes met. The way their hands brushed as they handed spell books over, the way their gazes lingered over brooms and dinner plates.
It was only a matter of time before things would shift further. Riku knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
But he didn't think it would be like this.
In a desperate move, he tried to block his end of the link, not wanting to feel something so intimate while Sora wasn't even aware, but he found himself unable to, the emotions too powerful to stop.
There was a tug on the dream eater link then, a soft sigh, Sora's breath catching. And Riku could feel something profound, trusted, something so Sora flow into him that it made his chest clench, made heat shiver up and down his spine.
He heard Sora breathe his name next to him and just like that, Riku stopped resisting. If Sora tugged on the link, he must want something, and Riku could never resist Sora anyway.
Slowly, very slowly, he turned his head. There was a serene look on Sora's face, the barest hint of a blush visible in the rays of silver moonlight. His hair was a mess against the pillow, the arm still curled above his head. Riku could only stare, hypnotised. Sora was beautiful.
And now that Riku had relaxed, he could feel Sora's pleasure a thousandfold, every inch of it. The moment he had stopped resisting was the moment he realised that he was hard, almost painfully so. Yet he kept his hands curled into fists by his sides.
Sora gasped, slowly rotating his hips up, and everything in Riku ground to a halt.
All of Sora's movements were slow and thorough, nothing frantic about them. Riku's heart was hammering against his ribs and his blood was rushing. Heat pooled between his legs, yet there was something oddly calm and tender in the air between them.
When Sora called out to him tentatively through the link, Riku answered. His let his own desire curl around Sora's, could feel himself responding with Sora's name through the link, wanton and easy as if they'd done this a hundred times before. The rise of Sora's answering urge. Riku reaching out further across the link, to the edges of Sora's dream, following Sora's tug. He didn't push, didn't dive, although he briefly wondered what Sora was dreaming about.
Sora's moaned his name once more, and the sound pulled at Riku's heart. Riku could feel the shape of Sora's desire, knew even without Sora murmuring his name that it was focused around him. But even though he wouldn't dive into something as private as a sexual dream, he couldn't help but trace the dream's edges, his stomach fluttering, his skin pure electricity. He was too hot underneath the covers, but he didn't dare move, not even to push them off.
And still, he didn't touch himself.
The push and pull of the dream eater link magnified the fire in Riku's head, the sparks across his skin, and as Sora's breath caught on a moan, Riku answered with a shiver and a sigh. It was almost too much, and yet not nearly enough.
He didn't know how long it lasted. It felt like seconds or hours. There was no time, just as there had been no time in the sleeping realms. Realistically, Riku knew it was probably only minutes.
Then time seemed to slow down even more as Sora haltingly arched his back and sighed deeply. His release was so clearly conveyed across the bond that Riku felt it as his own. Like the entire dream, it was unhurried, and Riku could feel every pulse of it, pleasure twisting hotly in his own stomach, his muscles clenching and unclenching with each invisible wave of Sora's orgasm. Without realising it, his back arched as well, mirroring Sora's posture. He couldn't take his eyes off Sora, the utter vulnerability on his face, the little jerks of his hips, the tremors in his arms.
Finally, as Sora stilled on the mattress, Riku closed his eyes against the blinding light in his head and forced himself to turn his head away. His entire body was shaking as if he had just fought off a horde of Heartless. The adrenaline now gone, he was left feeling empty and jittery. He was still hard, overwhelmed in a way that only Sora could make him feel, so on edge it hurt.
Vaguely, Riku realised that Sora had now gone very still next to him. Seconds ticked away before Riku dared to turn his head, hoping against hope that Sora would still be asleep. But when he opened his eyes again, it confirmed what he already knew.
Sora was awake, his entire body relaxed and slack, eyes firmly fixed on Riku. Riku jerked his gaze away to the ceiling, but that did nothing to stop the heat from spreading across his face, and he could still feel Sora's gaze on him.
Long moments passed and Riku didn't know what to do. There was no way to pretend that he hadn't just witnessed something like that. Should he apologise? Promise it wouldn't happen again?
Was Sora embarrassed? Upset? Without realising what he was doing, he sent a panicked half-formed thought across the dream eater link, and Sora's answering surge of pleased satisfaction was immediate.
Riku let himself relax just a little.
"Riku…" Sora's voice was hoarse, relaxed with sleep and that lazy post-orgasm bliss, too loud in the quietness of the room.
Riku opened his mouth to reply but found himself unable to speak. He forced himself to turn his head back to Sora, so he could at least try to convey his feelings through the look on his face.
Sora held out his left hand, letting it rest on the mattress between them. Forever meeting him in the middle.
Riku's heart surged in his chest, the dream eater part in him once again calling out silently to Sora, even after the dream had passed. He reached out his own hand, slowly sliding it across the sheets until their palms brushed.
And still, neither of them said anything more. Sora's thumb was tracing little circles across the back of his hand and Riku felt himself relax a little more.
Then Sora let out a low hum. "I could feel you."
Riku choked on a swallow, quickly brought the hand not currently holding Sora's to his mouth and coughed until there were tears in his eyes.
Sora rolled onto his side, lacing their fingers together with an insistence that had not been there before.
"I could feel you through the link. In my dream."
Sora scooted closer, shifting his head from his own pillow to Riku's, and it was all Riku could do to stay still. Legs tangled together.
"That made it so much better."
Riku's eyes went wide, his mouth dry. "Sora…"
Sora brought his right hand to Riku's hip. Brushing warm fingers across the skin, trailing over the edge of the bone below, up to his side, sending tingles all across. Riku shivered. He was acutely aware of the state of himself, leaking precum in his boxers. He had never been so close, but had also never wanted a moment to last longer.
Sora's fingers ghosted along the waistband of his boxers, across the sensitive skin of his stomach, and Riku inhaled sharply, his breath stuttering.
Riku felt emboldened by Sora's words and actions. He narrowed his eyes and felt his lips quirk up in the tiniest smirk. Suddenly he was not afraid to ask the question that had been lingering at the back of his mind since all of this started.
“What were you dreaming about?”
Sora blushed a little, his eyes narrowing. “You mean you didn't see?”
Riku blinked. “You think I'd dive into--”
“You could,” Sora said quickly and all the air left Riku's lungs. “You can. But even if you didn't, you must have guessed.”
Riku nodded, enthralled by the way Sora's fingers were just inches from where he wanted them. The air was heavy with tension, and Riku was acutely aware of the smell of sex in the room. Sora brushed his fingers lower until his palm rested on the waistband of his underwear and Riku couldn't hold back a deep moan. He pressed his eyes shut against the sensations, his entire body on fire.
“We were back on the islands, on the beach.” Sora's voice was low-pitched, barely above a whisper, and Riku felt the tiny huffs of air against his cheek at his words. “You had me on my back.”
“God, Sora…” Riku whimpered, his free hand curling into the fabric of Sora's shirt.
“Your hands were on me. You were so good. Knew exactly where to touch. How much pressure to apply.”
Sora’s palm slid lower, across the fabric of the boxers, just a slow rub, and Riku's hips jerked forward involuntarily, needing more, having teetered on the edge for far too long.
"Can I?" Sora asked breathlessly, pausing with his hand just softly pressing, and it seemed ridiculous that Sora would even need to ask, but Riku loved him even more for it anyway.
Riku wet his lips. "Please. Sora…" His voice was a rough rasp.
Sora slipped his hand inside, fingers gentle and so, so warm, and it only took three strokes, fast and wet and messy, before Riku's hips jerked and he spilled all over Sora's hand and the inside of his boxers. His entire body spasmed, all of his muscles clenching, and Sora touched him all throughout it, whispering his name in the space between them.
It felt like forever before Riku felt recovered enough to open his eyes, content to just lie there in a blissful post-orgasm haze. When he finally did, Sora was staring at him in admiration, and Riku blushed, which in turn made Sora smile.
Sora wiped his hand on the sheets, eyes alight with an indescribable fondness.
Riku felt Sora shift before he saw him lean in, and they met halfway, a soft brush of lips, warm and tingling, and Riku smiled into it, could feel the answering curl of Sora's mouth.
When Riku pulled back, he knew he was grinning like an idiot.
“We should clean up,” he wrinkled his nose at the smell.
“Ugh,” Sora said. “Tomorrow.”
Riku rolled them both over, across the wet spot on the mattress, and onto Sora's side of the bed. No longer really Sora's side, he supposed, as they curled around each other, Sora's head over his chest, against his heartbeat. Sora's hand on the small of Riku's back, Riku's arm around Sora's chest.
Relaxed with a pleasant, sleepy buzz, he thought I love you, I love you, I love you, couldn't help the feelings of devotion that he unwillingly sent across the dream eater link. Sora shuddered and sighed into his shirt, pressing even closer, and Riku felt Sora's answering call of adoration spread out all across him. His skin tingled with it as he sank deeper into the edges of slumber.
So, this was the something more, Riku thought. It didn't matter that this was not how he'd imagined it. This was better. Because it was real.