#( hello i'm here to deliver on classic underappreciated anime aus )

[dawnled]

our wings are our dreams , & on towards the sky ! / @kukyc !

some might find the aches & pains jolting through his body to be concerning - but , practicing under dedicated people like the top performers of kaleido stage , idolising those like layla hamilton , for riku it was to be expected . if anything , the more it hurt , the more it was a sign of a good day's hard work .

he's softened over time, most certainly , as has layla , with the presence of new people at the stage - while he still pushes himself to work hard , to perfect his acts as much as he can , he's no longer working himself ragged for the sake of perfectionism , at least not as much as he was .

it gives him time to take a breath , to sit for a few moments to rest before making his way around the stage , keeping a curious but mindful eye on others & their work . the stage , especially since the arrival of the newer recruits , has been livelier , brighter , a little bit less tense .

it's as he's passing by one of the practice areas that he spots vanitas , hanging by his legs from one of the trapeze bars - he must have been there for a while , as the trapeze has long since lost its momentum , but vanitas' gaze seems unfocused . perhaps he's zoning out , or maybe he's lost in thought ---- either way , it makes riku snicker , just a little bit , to see him jolt as riku presses a cool bottle of water to his cheek , the motion so sudden that the trapeze & its chains jostle with it ; if it were a less - trained individual , they probably would have fallen off the trapeze completely .

riku , at the very least , offers the bottle as an unspoken apology - though whether or not vanitas will take it ( or snatch it , might be more appropriate ? ) is another thing entirely .

" working hard today ? "