bakerstreet | Unofficially Official

(/slowly inches into view and waves shyly)

[ hi! c: what sort of thing would you like to do with them? any ideas? ]

(hiiii C: And I have no clue, tbh. Something prior to 3D? Fill in the in-between some.)

[ that works for me! come hold his hand, sora. just don't be all weird about it and ask too many questions. :> ]

[For the first time in a long time Sora felt like he could actually breathe again. Everything was okay, for the moment, and he could just relax and let the fact that he was home soak in. There was no doubt in his mind that he was probably going to have to leave again eventually but right now?

Right now he could enjoy the way the sun was setting over the ocean and enjoy the fact that his friends were safe. That Kingdom Hearts was safe.

He was perched on the trunk of the paopu fruit tree that was always such a staple for them whenever they visited their play island, feet dangling over the edge as he braced his hands on the trunk. The king's message was still weighing a bit heavy on his mind but he wanted--no, he needed to be able to recuperate from everything. He needed to just take a small break; nothing too long but...

A sigh escaped him and he turned himself on the trunk to lay down on it, tucking his arms behind his head to stare up at the stars.

....There was no way he was going to last a few days. He was inevitably going to run off sooner rather than later.]

[ Unlike Sora, being home felt... weird. It's the one place he'd been so desperate to escape in the beginning, ready to run away and never look back, and even if things had turned out okay in the end, Riku's still wary about what it might mean. Their roles in all of this can't be over, not with things continuing to loom over them, but this isn't the time to consider that. He wants to talk to Sora, and finding him is never as easy as it should be. Well, it hadn't in the other worlds. He'd moved too much, a bright beacon in all that darkness, and Riku had struggled to get away from it for the longest time. But here —

It's only the two of them, and there isn't so much hate and confusion in his heart anymore.

Riku stands back and watches Sora from a distance for a while, hands shoved into his pockets as he considers what to do. They'd only discussed things briefly before coming back here, their conversation short as he'd been a bit too distracted by his wounds to really give it too much consideration, but he had to know something. The courage slowly settles there by the time he walks to the tree and leans against it, looking over at his friend with the slightest hint of a smile. ]

You're overthinking it. [ It's not a question. ] We won't be here forever.

[So lost in his own thoughts, Sora hadn't even realized there was anyone else close by. It wasn't surprising when he really stopped to think about it and maybe it was bad form to have let his guard down at all--just in case--but he was startled nonetheless. Just a little.

He jumped some at the sound of the other's voice, gaze immediately shifting to the other in favor of the sky.

We won't be here forever..]

I know.

[He managed a slight smile but there was something a touch sad about it as he glanced back towards the night sky.]

I'm just worried that maybe even this is me being away too long.

[ He doesn't know why, but seeing Sora jump makes him smile. For someone with so much experience fighting now, he's still easy to scare, and though it hadn't been Riku's intention, not when he'd walked directly too him, it's almost... cute. Sort of. A lot of things had changed between them since their plans to leave the island, and he couldn't pinpoint exactly where they stood. Sora seemed so different now. The same as always but changed too. ]

Even heroes need a break sometimes. [ Which is what this feels like. ] Just relax.

[ Not that he's anymore relaxed than the other boy, but the advice sounds good. Hopefully, it'd put Sora at ease a little, and it wouldn't be weird bringing up what he wants to say. For now, Riku settles on teasing him and reaches over to lightly pull at his hair. Maybe this is just as weird, trying to pretend that nothing's happened to alter their friendship, but it's the only thing he has. ] You remember how to do that, right?

So you're relaxing too, right? I mean, you're just as much of a hero as I am!

[Because there wasn't a doubt in his mind that Riku wasn't as much of one, if not more of one, that he was. Riku had been through so much and done so much to help him through all of this...he didn't even want to think about where he'd be if the other hadn't been there to help guide him along.

He almost yelps--heroes don't yelp though!--when his hair is pulled, laughing instead as he bats at the other's hand.]

Of course I do. Do you, Mr. Serious?

[There's something about being with Riku again that fills a gap Sora hadn't realized was there, at least not completely, and for the first time in a long time everything just feels right. Like all the pieces are where they need to be.

He thinks the absolutely world of his--best friend? But was that even the right word anymore? Even Sora could tell that something was different, even if he wasn't entirely sure what it was.]

I bet you're already making plans in your head, aren't you?

[ Riku only shakes his head at the comment and the name. He's not... Well, maybe he hadn't always been so quiet about it, but being serious seemed to have manifested even more with all the time he'd spent in those other worlds, wrapped in darkness and searching for so many things. The slight smile he wears sort of thins out, gaze shifting toward the sky before resting back on Sora's face. He's grown a lot since they were last here, and he can see it in his face, in that expression of his he thinks no one can see. There's a huff. ]

Yeah. [ Admitted quietly, but he doesn't elaborate exactly, deciding to chase after the hand that had pushed his away. ] Plans to knock you out of this tree.

[ Which is why he grabs Sora's wrist and pulls, scooting him an inch or two but not enough to actually force him from his spot. He's fine like this--playing and teasing him. It almost doesn't matter that things had been hard for a while, that his heart had been in the wrong place for such a long time, and that flicker of a grin drops away, fingers curling unbidden around Sora's as he presses a hip against the curve of that trunk. This... This was the sort of stuff he'd thought about, but it's not like he can tell the other boy that.

He tries for casual, though he doesn't pull his hand away. This time, he doesn't look at him. ]

I'm glad we made it back together.

[He doesn't like the way the other's smile thins out, his own fading into a worried sort of expression as he starts to say something then stops. There's a lot that's happened to both of them that's changed them; forced them to grow up faster than they probably should have. Sora couldn't even imagine everything that Riku had been put through and it killed him inside to think that the other had suffered alone for so long.]

Riku--

[Just as words finally came back to him the other announced his plans and his eyes widened comically as his wrist was grabbed. A laugh escaped him before he even realized what was happening, Sora letting himself slide on the branch some, starting to fall off the side but enough of his body was still on it to keep him secure.

This. This was what he had missed the most. How comfortable it was to be around Riku. How much it felt like home more than anything else did.

He was laughing lightly even as the other looked away, eyes bright with joy as he squeezes the other's hand. It only clicks when Riku refuses to look at him how different this position is and Sora's smile fades once more into something gentle. Something thoughtful.]

Me too. I don't like the idea of not having you with me.

[And he meant that. Every word of it.]

[ It's so strange to feel something escalate and then stop before it ever reaches that pivotal moment, and Riku looks to the way their hands fold together, natural and easy like it's always been that way. Maybe it had been considering how they'd grown up together, but this isn't the same as that. It'd been a revelation on that long journey, the time he'd spent separated from Sora the longest and most difficult thing he's ever done. Yet, he'd learned things about himself that he might not have otherwise known, and Riku drags his thumb over the top of Sora's knuckles, along the side of his fingers. His hand is rougher, probably from wielding the keyblade, and that's different too.

When he does finally manage to meet his eyes, he doesn't like how vulnerable he suddenly feels doing it. At least it's Sora, and Sora is familiar. Sora means trust. He reflects that thoughtful look, leaning closer. ]

I won't leave next time. [ A pause, and he wants to clarify. ] Not without you beside me.

[ It's the only promise he makes that he'll stick to, increasingly focused on his friend's face and how close they are. The weather's warm, it's always warm, but there's something different about this. It settles in Riku's chest and pulls at his heart, and he wonders if it has to do with what they'd done all that time ago in this very spot with the fruit of the tree Sora's resting on. ]

[There's something so right about the other's touch, about the way it just seems so right. Like this was always meant to be. Just him and Riku. Kairi would always be an important part of his life but Riku was the centerpoint. Riku was the one he had gone through hell to find again and now that he had him...

Well.

His hand tightened around Riku's, unable to help the sudden edge of nerves that he felt as the other leaned just a bit closer.]

Promise? Promise me. I need--I just want to hear you say it, okay?

[Because it was reassuring to hear the other say the words. To hear him say that they were going to be with one another until this was all over.

He feels his heart swell at the idea of it and his free hand presses to the center of his chest as he searches the other's eyes.]

I can't do this without you, Riku.

[ Honestly, he's not even thinking about Kairi right now. He should be. He had constantly for the longest time anyway, doing what he could to keep her safe, but this was Sora. Him and Sora. The two immovable constants that circle one another. Riku still struggles with the idea that his friend is going to leave him behind, that he's always racing to catch up, but the look on Sora's face says something else entirely. He thinks he'd leave him again? ]

Hey. [ It pops out of his mouth unbidden, a soft precursor to something a bit more comforting. ] Don't worry so much about it.

[ Because no matter what he says, Sora is a worrier. He worries about others and runs himself ragged, trying to take care of everyone else before himself. Riku's there to make sure that doesn't happen, anchor him before he floats right off into that endless sky, and his smile is gentle, sweeter than anything he could have faked. They're already holding hands, and Sora has one on his chest, so it's not that far a stretch for him to use his other hand to brush at some of the other boy's crazy hair and tuck bits of it behind his ear.

It's not what he really wants to tell him, but hopefully, it says enough for now. ] I'm with you. [ He doesn't promise, not the way Sora probably wants, but it is one regardless of the phrasing. They'd get through this together. ]

I can't help it.

[It's hard not to pout because pouting is just what he does. It's an unconscious act that he hasn't been able to shake since he was little. But this time around the pout has more concerned edges to it, his eyes gentle and almost pleading as he looks at Riku.

The look softens even more when the other boy brushes his hair behind his ear and Sora can't help but lean into the touch; can't help but just need to feel the other's skin against his. Because it makes everything that much more real. Helps him remember that this isn't a dream or an illusion; that Riku is here with him again and that nothing is going to tear them apart.]

And I'm with you. Always.

[And he means that. Every single word of it.]

[ He can tell he's sort of on the cusp of pouting, and it's... well, it's adorable, the way his face twists the exact same way it had since they were little kids, and Riku shakes his head, letting his fingers slide down the curve of his cheek to the edge of his jaw. He wonders if it's his imagination, how he's leaning into the touch, but he's also selfish enough not to question it too much. This feels right in a way things haven't in a long time, and Riku needs that. He's sure Sora needs it too, lips quirking a bit so there's a softer smile. ]

I know. [ Because... what else is he supposed to say? This conversation's a lot heavier than he'd originally intended it to be, and he doesn't want to end the night quite like this. ] Sora--

[ Riku touches his thumb to the dip in the other boy's chin, considering, and there's a brief moment where the edge of it brushes against his bottom lip. But he doesn't do anything besides that, tempted to jerk away and demand a chase back to their secret place just for old time's sake. He stays still though, lingering over him and waiting for some random words to fill the air or for this strong understanding to break. It's funny how he doesn't even have the courage to tell him what he'd wanted to in the first place, and it soaks into him, the touch a bit heavier as he lets his hand settle and just continues to watch him.

It's still warm, but Riku feels a shiver working up his spine, one he's quick to ignore. ]

[Suddenly his entire world is just Riku. The island, Kairi, Kingdom Hearts--none of it matters anymore because right here and now, there's just this. There's just them.

His eyes slip shut as Riku's fingers trail down along his jaw and a shiver runs through his entire body. Every sense seems heightened just from that single touch and he can't help but just want more. Which is strange. And new. But it seems so right.]

Riku.

[Words are failing him so he can't even attempt to be eloquent at the moment, Sora far too lost in the moment.

When he finally opens his eyes again, he meets Riku's gaze and offers up a small smile, one that could easily be called a loving one. He can't help but reach out, pressing a hand to the center of Riku's chest right over his heart.]

Unofficially Official

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

skdahskdhakjsd

shh shh

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject