clocktowerdestiny

[clocktowerdestiny]

((tbh they can pry KH1 Kairi's sassiness from my cold dead hands

I think she was a little sassy in KH2 as well iirc but she gets less and less sassy every game she's in beyond that... nah. my girl is silly and a little mean sometimes and if she gets shy it's only because she's in a difficult situation or, you know. Boys lol.))

[clocktowerdestiny]

"We both do, but I recall you complaining about it," she teased him.

Ah, when- if everything became peaceful again, it would be great if everyone could get more Riku hugs.

"Yeah... I think I'm mostly the brains of the group though." Kairi giggled. "I'm just optimistic because... I have to be. His optimism is a little bit naive, I think... but..." She leaned on him.

"Mostly I'm optimistic because I believe in you. I believe in Sora. It's not about... destiny or fate or thinking that everything happens for a reason. It's about knowing that the people you care about are good and strong, and that they won't let anything bad happen to you. Does that make sense?"

@clocktowerdestiny

Riku looked mildly affronted before the expression softened back into a smile, lightly bumping Kairi with his elbow and-- Right, he'd have to be careful with that, since she and Sora were about the same height. And he really didn't know if he could or should wind her up with teasing about that. "I have to take training seriously? Me?" But he wasn't really accusing her of not doing the same.

Ultimately, though he still wasn't all that used to making physical contact first (and rarely needed to when it came to Sora), the motion was a little slow and a touch awkward, but reaching to let one hand rest between her shoulder blades was... kind of nice. "Yeah, you're right. We just need to keep working at our strengths so we can all be ready to help each other." It sounded... simple. Too simple, almost, but he was also aware of the things the lot of them had managed to pull off before.

"You two always did share that whole optimism thing, didn't you?" Okay, that time he was definitely teasing.

[clocktowerdestiny]

Riku was so cute when he was shy... He had a lot of insecurities, didn't he? It was a shame, but it was nice when he could be open with her about them.

"Yeah! And... that means you have to take training super seriously!" She nudged him. "I will, too. And King Mickey will be there, and Lea, and... it's gonna be alright, okay?" Kairi took a deep breath and smiled. Their odds were complete and utter garbage, sure, but weren't they always? Didn't the strength of Sora's heart always get them through any and everything?

@clocktowerdestiny

He knew silence wasn't going to get a pass, as much as he wanted to ignore the thought altogether, but that wasn't really fair of him. He could just go back to side-stepping everything, keeping it all to himself, but... Lightly rubbing at the hair at the back of his neck, Riku sighed. "I'm... working on it." The was the vaguest truth he could offer.

At least when Kairi started to talk about Sora, there was a sense of relief. Not so much in getting confirmation in what was going on with Sora himself, but that she noticed too. Probably silly of him to think otherwise. "Yeah, I-- Of course it's okay, I just... hope he knows that. And knows he can talk about it if he needs to. I know that's rich coming from me, by the way." He mentioned with a mild smirk before she had a chance.

Still... "I know Donald and Goofy do their best, and... we all do. But I think we have to look out for him a little more, you know?" Maybe that was the protective part of him speaking (thoughtlessly overprotective at times), but he didn't think so. And if he could trust anyone else to look out for Sora, well...

[clocktowerdestiny]

"We were kids. What's done is done, alright? You can forgive yourself. You have to forgive yourself, Riku."

"...Yeah?" she admitted. "He's been through a lot. We all have. I hope he knows he can be himself when it's just us. That he can have big emotions, even when they're not happy ones. It's better that he takes all of this seriously. I mean, he does, and he always has..." Maybe not the time he plunged the keyblade into his heart, but. Well. "But, it's alright if he's a little bit scared, too, you know?"

@clocktowerdestiny

Gaze slowly lowering to the ground again, there was a fond smile at the mention of receiving the Keyblade from him. "Wouldn't have mattered if your heart wasn't right for it." Riku almost muttered, point made, but everything else Kairi was saying--

He knew she hadn't meant the comment like that. It just wasn't in her, and even if she had it probably would have been justified, but this... "I tried to help and I did awful things. It's... I wasn't innocent in everything that happened." A reason he so vehemently wanted to make up for past mistakes, to set things right; but in the end, he wasn't sure he was ready to talk about all of that. Or maybe any of it, not really.

Still, it did lead to another thought. "Have you--" He stopped short, not quite knowing if it was a subject he wanted to bring up in the first place. After a few more seconds of consideration, Riku sighed and flexed his hands at his sides, looking back up again. "Have you noticed sometimes he's not smiling as much?" Which sounded ridiculous, especially in things to worry about, but it had started to become a concern of his that he was sure only he knew about. Maybe not, maybe it was just his imagination...

[clocktowerdestiny]

"So... have you and Sora fought over the best ice cream flavor yet?" ((For Roxas, for inexplicable reasons.))

"...You mean to tell me sea salt isn't his favorite!?" Roxas gasped because first of all, impossible.

"I already know everything about Sora! I'm... supposed to..." Wasn't he? He should know way more than Riku, anyway!

[clocktowerdestiny]

Attention from who, she wondered. From Sora? From each other? Well, it was still always nice to know how much they all cared about one another.

"It's a good thing you gave me that keyblade," she reminded him. It wasn't to sell herself short, but to give Riku his due credit. "It's still kind of nice to be fought over once in a while. You know... At least, as long as the destruction of our world isn't at stake..." she mumbled. "It's not- I don't blame you at all. You know that, right? You were being lied to, and, you really did think you could help me, yeah? You aren't a bad person, Riku."

"...He smiles with all of his teeth, like he's not scared of anything. Maybe he's got more stuff to be afraid of these days, but- He always pushes through. He's always brave about it. He was born to be a hero, I think."

@clocktowerdestiny

He'd have loved to chalk it all up to "dumb kid stuff", and a lot of it was, but Riku looked away with a quiet cough. "Wish I'd realized we were all just... fighting for attention." And wouldn't that have solved a lot of problems before they'd started?

He turned his head and stared at Kairi, blank-faced for a number of seconds before snickering took over. "You had two idiots with no idea what they were doing saving you whenever they could stop tripping over their own feet and each other." He corrected. It was... easier to admit that than it used to be, anyway. "It's a good thing you got your own Keyblade so you don't have to worry about that anymore."

It felt extremely unfair to know, by the heat on his own face, that he was at least mirroring Kairi's blush. If not worse. "It's that stupid smile." As if that were a defense. Sora could get away with anything with that smile...

[clocktowerdestiny]

Roxas grumbled. Being a whole person was nice, but the sun was so hot and the water was so cold! How did people deal with it all the time?

[clocktowerdestiny]

"So, you thought so, too..." Truthfully, Sora was just fun to tease. They both knew that very well. Only if it was the two of them, though. If anyone else tried to tease Sora, they'd probably team up to chase them off with rocks and sticks.

"All the princesses had princes," she mused. "And Peter Pan had Wendy. Alice didn't really have one, and I... Well. I certainly had two boys trying to rescue me." Kairi smiled and fixed her hair.

"Me and Sora, huh...?" She flushed. "Selphie and I would talk about boys all the time. I said: Tidus and Wakka? Ew. Riku is right there! Sora's cute, too. Really, really cute..."

@clocktowerdestiny

"Kairi..." There was absolutely nothing to be in the least bit embarrassed about. Which did nothing to stop the flush and the slightly difficult time he was having meeting Kairi's gaze. "I-- Teased him a lot, yeah. Because I was sure he liked you, and you liked him, and--" Yeah, okay, was not ready to fully approach that subject.

Not that the other one was easier. "I guess..? I kind of just zoned out when Tidus and Wakka were talking about... stuff. And you know what Sora's like." And a great friend he was. "Then all of the people I had to talk with were kind of..." He trailed off with a little hand wave. He had a series of the worst conversation partners imaginable, but-- Alright, there were exceptions, but the point stood. "Didn't really do a lot of talking about girls. Or boys, I guess. Just... Sora. And you."

[clocktowerdestiny]

"Really?" She tilted her head. She doesn't believe it. Not at all. "I mean, you were always teasing him about me, though. Whoever wins the race shares a paopu with Kairi..." she recalled.

"Girls talk about boys all the time. You don't talk about us? I don't believe that. Not at all!'

@clocktowerdestiny

A smile remained on his face regardless of the deep sigh, but his expression was mixed at best. "Yeah." Waiting until after was a theme, it seemed like. No real surprise that they'd both been thinking it, but where did it leave them?

At least the laugh was a little easier, and the tease that came after. "Is that what's going on?" He supposed he wouldn't exactly know if girls matured faster, having come to assume Kairi was just smarter than he and Sora were. Maybe it was a little of both. Gaze falling to the ground for a moment, he turned the idea over in his head. "I never really talked with him about... all of that. Sort of avoided it at all costs, actually..." For reasons. Good reasons, according to him.

After another sigh, he dragged a hand through his hair and wished it were longer again. "I'd rather he make the decision for himself, though. Whatever he wants... he's the one who has to want it." Cycled back to the start of being very much in favor, but unwilling to push.

[clocktowerdestiny]

"Hm?" She pulled away to look at him, tilting her head.

"...Oh! Um-" Kairi laughed. "I don't know... I wanted to tell him, when this is all over. I don't know if... I mean- I'm pretty sure he'd return my feelings, but- Does he even understand his own feelings?"

"You know, whoever made it so that girls mature faster than boys must've really had it out for us. That or it's just a Sora thing. Head always in the clouds, but he's probably thinking about pirates and adventures, and not, you know, love and romance..."

@clocktowerdestiny

Snorting at the insult that surely belonged more to Sora than to him, returning the hug felt like the simplest thing in the world. Maybe that was a little strange, since they hadn't exactly hugged since they were kids, since before the... whole...

Making up for lost time, then. Not the most convenient time and place for that, considering threats ahead of them, but weren't connected hearts more powerful? "So, how do we..?" Approach Sora. Even get to the whole subject of feelings, nevermind a relationship. "I don't think subtlety is going to work."

[clocktowerdestiny]

She gasped and smiled, hugging him. "Riku!" She nuzzled into his shoulder. "I like- I'm in favor of you. Dork!" Kairi laughed. Well, even if this was resolved, the Sora thing wasn't... Oh well. They'd get to that, right?

@clocktowerdestiny

He had what he would consider some pretty reasonable ideas about why Kairi might distance herself from him, but at the same time-- She hadn't. She'd dragged him back, metaphorically and literally, but the sheer level of caution in his gaze remained obvious.

Yeah, they both... felt a certain way about Sora for reasons, alright. The sigh was just short of exasperated, one corner of Riku's mouth twitching upward. "I, uh." Oh no. Suddenly the center of attention, Kairi waiting for a response, he was crumbling. "I'm in favor of you, too."

[clocktowerdestiny]

"Yeah. Yes! Of course!" She answered immediately, taking his hands. "Of course, Riku. How could I not? I mean- Why wouldn't I? Why would I... stop?" She frowned.

"You're always looking out for me... Heck, you gave me my keyblade! No amount of darkness is ever going to change who you are. You've proven that."

"I... I am happy!" She smiled, as if to prove it. "I can be happy if I can stay friends with you guys. Maybe find someone else, who knows?" She shrugged.

At the word us, Kairi flushes.

"...I like you, too, Riku," she mumbled. In addition to Sora, anyway. There was no confirmation of Riku's feelings, and she didn't want to force anything.

"Uhm... You know what? This is dumb!" She laughed. "I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have brought it up..."

[clocktowerdestiny]

"I... I am happy!" She smiled, as if to prove it. "I can be happy if I can stay friends with you guys. Maybe find someone else, who knows?" She shrugged.

At the word us, Kairi flushes.

"...I like you, too, Riku," she mumbled. In addition to Sora, anyway. There was no confirmation of Riku's feelings, and she didn't want to force anything.

"Uhm... You know what? This is dumb!" She laughed. "I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have brought it up..."

He waited such a long time that Kairi was starting to get nervous before he finally answered her. Well, deflected, more like.

"Me? I think... Either we both get Sora, or- It's just you. I mean... You saw him first and everything..." she reasoned quietly. "I don't wanna tease you or make you jealous. Well- maybe I do want to tease you... but not to make you jealous! After everything you've been through, you deserve to be happy, right? I want you to be happy."

[clocktowerdestiny]

He waited such a long time that Kairi was starting to get nervous before he finally answered her. Well, deflected, more like.

"Me? I think... Either we both get Sora, or- It's just you. I mean... You saw him first and everything..." she reasoned quietly. "I don't wanna tease you or make you jealous. Well- maybe I do want to tease you... but not to make you jealous! After everything you've been through, you deserve to be happy, right? I want you to be happy."

@clocktowerdestiny

Back to hiding his face in his hands he went, then. It wasn't like she didn't already know, right? He thought he'd been so smooth about it, so secretive, had a full handle on all of the Sora feelings until King Mickey had given him a long stare one day and didn't actually need to say a word. Luckily he was pretty sure no moment in his life would ever be that mortifying again.

Just. Close. Especially when he almost made the mistake of letting his knee-jerk response leave his mouth: What does what I want matter? It wasn't about him in the end, and that was okay. That was fine. He'd learned to pry fingers off before claws could sink in, it just... took some time. And trauma, possibly. (And maybe he hadn't actually learned at all, but nevermind.)

Peering up at Kairi again, not completely ready to remove the hands from his face, he considered. I want to lay on the beach holding hands again like when we were kids. Silly. Stupid. And-- Impossible? Completely impossible. He didn't let himself think past that for a reason.

Riku was looking a little too long, wasn't he? Sora had more than enough love to go around, and everyone could love him. As for himself, he definitely wasn't... couldn't... "What about you?" Utterly unfair to side-step an answer like that, but he held on to some bad habits.

[clocktowerdestiny]

"Well..." She hadn't expected the conversation to get serious, but somehow it didn't completely phase her. "So- You admit it, then, huh?" Kairi let out another tiny giggle.

"But is that... Is that what... you want?" She looked at him and tilted her head.

Because it wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want to share Sora. She wanted to share Sora and Riku. She wasn't sure if- Usually, Riku would only flirt with her to make Sora jealous. But, when Sora was away...

@clocktowerdestiny [From here, because I can't just let that go--]

Riku only groaned once Kairi was more or less done laughing at him, the shoulder bump not really reassuring in any way. Yeah, alright, so they both--

And they knew--

Sora was probably oblivious. Right? He kind of preferred it that way. Sora had enough to deal with and... and...

To say that the very idea of not being included had set things into motion seemed like a horrible understatement. He got it. He understood. And it was kind of a shame that she did too, but--

But. Peeking through his fingers, he took a brave (stupid, stupid) breath and ventured, quietly, "If that's... what he wants..."

If. Big if. Because he had full confidence that they were both more concerned with Sora than themselves, and that was good. That was important, or neither of them were worthy in each other's eyes.

It was quiet and fearful and heartfelt, and Riku had to lean heavily back against her while he unsuccessfully tried to push his voice above a whisper, "I'd be okay with that."

[clocktowerdestiny]

She laughed. Stilted at first and then loud. Kairi leaned against him after she tried to catch her breath. "Me, too, buddy!" He didn't have to answer her sincerely. She knew. It used to upset her, actually, but...

"Can't have him though. Unless you'll share with me." Unfair, really, considering Sora wasn't here to offer any input, and considering there were no relationships to speak of anyway. She'd wait for him, though. She felt confident it just wasn't the right time, and someday...

"How do you feel about Sora?" - Kairi. Oof

How Do You Feel About? meme | accepting but slooow

"S-Sora?" Immediately any attempt at being aloof or cool was broken by the very mention. As usual. "We've been friends since as far back as either of us remember, Kairi, you know that." It also wasn't what she asked, and they both knew that too.

"I-- Well. He... You know how he is." Also not what she asked, but true enough. And the longer she stared at him, the worse his response became. "And he's... Well he's got more luck than sense, but-- Uh, he's. Good." Stop, stop now, stop--

"I'm in favor. Of Sora." Riku finally summed up, possibly the most mortifying and dumbest thing he'd ever said in his life. He didn't even try to stop himself from dropping his head, hiding his face in his hands and quietly wishing that made him invisible. It'd been a sneak attack, that question!

[clocktowerdestiny]

"Really? It's not- Riku!" Okay, so Kairi didn't always follow rules either, but she was a princess, and she liked to pretend that she had it all together, anyway. "...I wanna see it anyway," she admitted, begrudgingly.

"This is... Um. It is a war, Riku." She frowned. The quiet part needed saying. "But... sure, if you wanna start a vacation and finish it later. And we can... train, while we're there, right...?"

"Really...?" She laughed. Lea was only a little bit stupid. Weren't they all, really? "You've got one? You can teach me how to fly it, right?"

Her skin warmed the closer he held her. "Riku... As if one of Sora's pep talks is a bad thing! But- Um." She bit her lip. "I Kinda... try not to make it a habit of being sad around Sora, you know?"