Archive of Our Own ^beta

It's like clockwork. Each day, after training and chores are out of the way, Sora and Riku meet up. It doesn't matter where they are; somehow, their hearts always manage to lead them to each other, so they've long since forgone texting each other their whereabouts. Why bother when it just takes up some precious seconds they could spend getting closer to each other? At least, that's how Sora sees it. And his heart hasn't steered him wrong before.

The aches of today's training settle in his muscles by the time he wriggles out of talking with Yen Sid about his progress. The old man talks too much about the wrong things. Where was that enthusiasm about telling him things when he was active duty? He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. It was still damp from his shower when he entered the office. Now, it's basically dry. At least that means that Riku will hug him, probably. The last time he came fresh from the shower, Riku just laughed and held him at arm's length when he tried to fall into his embrace.

Distracted by thoughts of Riku's hugs – they're his favourite – he lets his heart take the lead without looking where he is going. Naturally, that means when his heart rejoices, he doesn't pay attention to it and ends up rounding a corner and running straight into Riku's chest; Only when he feels laughter rumble in his ears does his awareness return. He flails with his arms a bit and quickly settles them on Riku's hips, pushing himself away from his chest to look up at him.

"Riku!"

Still caught up in the tail end of his laugh, the one hand held over his mouth does little to cover the mirth sparkling in his eyes.
"Hey there, Sora."

"Hi, Riku!"

Riku's gaze falls to Sora's hands on his hips so Sora quickly yanks them away like the warm skin under his fingers burned him.

"What were you thinking about?" Riku asks.

"You," he blurts like an idiot. Riku's eyes widen. "I- I mean, your arms! Around me! You hugging me!"

It takes several seconds for Riku to regain his composure while Sora watches the red rising to his cheeks with equal parts embarrassment and wonder.

"If you want a hug, you can just ask." He averts his eyes and scratches his cheek.

"Really?" Sora says excitedly, embarrassment forgotten. It never occurred to him that this was a thing he could do. "Oh, uh, yes please!"

Riku chuckles. "Come here."

He opens his arms and Sora falls into him, sneaking his arms around Riku's hips and putting his ear over his heart. He doesn't mind being shorter than him all that much in these moments. Especially not when Riku rests his chin on his head and leans into him. The weight is comfortable.

Sora doesn't know how long they stay like that – Riku never pulls away first and Sora loves his hugs – before he gets fidgety and wiggles against Riku's hold. Riku snorts and lets him go.

"Let's go," Sora says, smiling at Riku.

"Let's," Riku agrees, matching his smile.

Without a destination in mind – they never have one – they begin walking aimlessly. Like this, Riku doesn't pace in his room because of thoughts he can't outrun, and Sora can catch up with the thoughts that threaten to leave him behind.

Eventually, Sora begins chattering about the day. They talk for so long that the sun doesn't bother trying to get their attention anymore and leaves without saying goodbye. As miffed as it is now, it'll return to greet them the next morning.

At last what drags them out of their bubble is Sora's stomach rumbling loudly

"I'm hungry!" he moans, cutting himself off from whatever he was talking about before. To play up his hunger-induced fatigue, he pretends to stagger and leans heavily against Riku, who wraps an arm around him and gently ruffles his hair.

"So I heard," he says with a chuckle. "Stop by the kitchen?"

"I won't make it," Sora sighs, clutching his stomach, "go on without me."

Riku pinches his cheek. "Never. Need me to carry you?" he teases.

But Sora knows he'll do it if he wants him to, and getting carried by Riku sounds really good right now. So he nods, and Riku lets go to kneel down in front of him. Sora puts his hands on his shoulders and his gaze falls on Riku's back, where the Dream Eater sigil is hidden by the fabric of his tanktop. Though Riku told him it's there during one of their late night conversations, he hasn't actually seen it. He had been almost asleep when Riku brought it up and was too tired to ask to see it. The next morning he wondered if he hadn't just dreamed that up, but the knowledge seared into his brain. Yet somehow he could never bring himself to breach the topic again. What does it look like? Pink, like Meow Wow's, or the black that was on his clothes? A different colour altogether? What does it feel like: like normal skin, like a scar or... like stained glass?

"Sora?" Riku's voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

He squeezes Riku's shoulders and laughs sheepishly. "Right, sorry."

"Don't be. Seems like you've got a lot on your mind."

"Yeah." It's Riku, mostly.

He finally gets on and Riku rises with no effort, holding Sora's legs for support although Sora could just as easily wrap them around his waist and cling to him without his help. He's done it before.

"If you..." Sora hums to show he is listening. Riku shakes his head, reconsidering. "I'm here. Always."

Sora laughs quietly and buries his head in Riku's shoulder. "Thanks, Riku. It's something I need to figure out for myself."

Riku nods and starts walking. He's noted Sora being distracted a couple times before, but he never asks what's wrong. All he does is say stuff like this, like Sora needs the reassurance that Riku won't go no matter what's up. They're his own offers for Sora to speak up, offers he'd normally be all to happy to take, because talking things over with Riku always helps him figure things out, if it weren't... this. If it weren't Riku who makes him feel and act so weirdly, something he can't explain to himself. Being around Riku always made him happy and warm, but lately, the more he thinks about it, the more he notices other things. His pounding heart when Riku smiles, his breathlessness when Riku laughs, his craving for Riku's attention – which, at first, he had chalked up to them being apart for so long. Thinking of Riku as cute and pretty and handsome – though, after asking some of his friends, that actually seems to be quite normal. Being around Riku is the good kind of weird, a kind he's never known before. Meanwhile Riku behaves the same as always. He's gotten softer, maybe, paying more genuine compliments that Sora eagerly soaks up. And... he lets Sora get away with more. Whereas asking for a hug would have gotten him the teasing of a lifetime before, now he just... gets to do it. Riku just hugs him when he asks.

He nuzzles closer against Riku with a long-suffering sigh. This is too much for his tired brain and Riku is pleasantly warm.

When Riku gently lowers him on one of the stools by the breakfast bar, Sora is only barely awake.

"Sleepyhead," Riku says fondly, tugging a stray strand of hair behind his ear.

At the sudden lack of warmth, Sora cracks his eyes open. He watches Riku pull open the cabinets searching for food, yawning all the while.

Riku sets down a bowl in front of him and plops down on the seat opposite of him. His chin rests on one hand as he watches him eat, his drooping eyes betraying his own tiredness. A small, content smile is on his lips, and when Sora smiles back, it broadens and Riku's eyes light up in that cute way.

On the way to Sora's room, Riku doesn't carry him. He tries not to be too disappointed.

Originally, Riku only intended to drop him off and return to his own room, but Sora, unwilling to part just yet, convinces him to brush their teeth together. Riku has his own toothbrush here anyway. Plus, Sora is almost asleep on his feet, so "someone has to make sure he makes it to bed", as Riku put it.

They stumble out of the bathroom together and Sora only has to tug on his hand to get Riku to follow him to the bed. When he lets himself fall down, Riku joins him, too, dragging the blanket from under Sora and covering both of them with it. Sora huddles a bit closer to him so that their legs are touching and they can comfortably share a pillow.

"Good night, Riku," he says with a yawn.

"Sweet dreams, Sora."

In the middle of the night, the moon drags Sora from his sleep. It's not unusual for him to wake up randomly; he doesn't need nightmares for that, he'll just suddenly open his eyes without a trace of sleep in them.

Though usually he doesn't open his eyes to silver hair. At some point during the night they must have moved closer to each other. Now, Sora is cradling Riku's head to his chest, nose buried in his hair. Their legs are tangled together. He blinks a couple times, disoriented, and focuses on the even rise and fall of Riku's chest. His own breathing is a bit too fast, and with each fluttering inhale his stomach grazes Riku's hands that lie between them. He pulls away to stretch out the kinks in his neck. Almost instantly Riku's hands twitch and chase after him, grasping at Sora's shirt. He looks down at Riku's face. It's twisted into a frown, a slight pout on his lips. Obligingly, Sora moves back, and watches as his face smooths, the pout replaced by a small smile. Riku never looks like this when he's awake.

Sora reaches out to trace the smile, but his brain quickly catches up with him and he freezes, his hand hovering in the space between them. His heart beats wildly in his chest. This, right here, is weird. Even as kids Riku could make his heart pound but never like this, just by existing when their faces are just centimeters apart. Never when Sora wants to trace his lips with his finger. They look soft. Does Riku use lip balm? He's never seen him with one. Sora licks his chapped lips. If he does, would he share with him?

He quickly averts his eyes, looks higher at Riku's forehead. His hair is a mess do, deciding this is a safer thing for his hand to do, Sora smooths it back. Suddenly, he's struck by the desire to plant a kiss right there on his forehead. His heart stumbles and he has to hastily swallow down whatever embarrassing sound threatened to escape his mouth. He hides his face in Riku's hair again, desperately hoping his heartbeat won't wake him up. He takes a deep breath to calm himself. It fills his nose with the faded scent of Riku's shampoo and with the smell that is just undeniably Riku. He can't describe it. It feels like comfort and memories and home, and it fills his stomach with butterflies.

He presses a soft kiss into Riku's hair and cradles his head, waiting to fall back asleep.