Chapter Text
“I can’t believe he took pictures of me,” Sora groaned from the pilot’s seat of the gummiship. No matter how much he liked the formal wear Elsa magically made, he had absolutely no plans of showing the entire world. Riku seeing? Fine. He could take the expected teasing, though Riku had aggressively approved of his outfit choice instead (what was that all about?).
"Calm down your Highness," Roxas laughed at him, leaning across his seat to nudge Ventus. "We don't want you getting swept up by some mystery moose guy."Ventus and Roxas chuckled, high-fiving each other.
Sora pouted, already regretting his decision to tell them anything about the day before. “For the last time, it was reindeer!” he defended. Ugh, what were the chances that the two had made his patrol group? He and Riku had left Arendelle in a whirlwind the morning after the Yule ball. Master Yen Sid had telephoned early early to recruit them for a worlds checkup. It was all hands on deck, as there were increasing reports of black creatures roaming around the quadrant.
Everyone thought it was heartless, but Sora knew better. The only force out there with that kind of organization and strength was Vanitas, and he wasn't ready to tell everyone how and why that'd come to pass.
"They're just messing with you Sora," Xion placated him, patting his knee as if he were a child. "Besides, I think it's cute that a moose guy fell in love with you."
Roxas began laughing again, setting off Ven in the process. Sora sighed at the noise, but couldn't help but smile. It was the first time he, Roxas, Ven, and Xion had gone somewhere all together. It was nice to see his heart friends getting along so well.
"Plus, Riku got some great pictures of you!" Xion hyped, turning her gummiphone his way and swiping through Riku's post. There was a good one of him and Elsa walking down the stairs, then one of him smiling and talking with Anna, and the last two of him dancing with Ryder. Roxas had been quick to comment that both pictures only caught Ryder's back - focused on Sora spinning, shimmery cape mid-flutter, in one. The other was the iconic lift. Riku had snapped a picture just as his surprise had morphed into delight.
"It's a shame Riku took none of himself." Xion pouted. "I bet he looked cool too."
"He was too busy pining over Sora," Roxas quipped, scrolling down his own Kingstagram feed.
"As always."
"Shut up," Sora demanded, face burning. "He is not pining."
"Then why did he make such a fuss when Master Yen Sid split you guys up this morning?" Ven asked conspiratorially, grin sly. "I think he looooves youuu."
"I will crash this gummiship straight into an asteroid, I swear to god," Sora threatened, knowing he was red, red, red .
"Huh, that was a very Riku-like thing to say," Xion commented innocently.
"Well they say you copy the person you love-"
"Ok, wow look at that we're here!" Sora loudly interrupted Ventus, pointing to the world made of fear and joy split in half.
Ven whooped, seat belt barely containing him. Roxas leaned over and tightened it as Ven ranted. "I can't believe a world like this exists, it's gonna be so cool you guys! Which are we going to first? Does it make sense to go chronologically or to go by what's closest? Do you think Santa will give me presents early?"
"This is Ventus very excited to check out Halloween and Christmas town," Xion narrated. Sora glanced over from the landing permissions to see her aiming her gummiphone at Ventus and Roxas. "For comparison, we have his twin Roxas who doesn't seem to care about anything because he's dead inside."
"Hey!" Roxas protested. "Everyone likes vampires and presents. I am filled with joy for this moment."
"And here is our fearless leader," Xion continued, panning the video to Sora. "He's all blushy cause we were teasing him about his boyfriend."
Sora made a screeching noise, torn between tackling Xion and not crashing the gummiship.
"He's not my boyfriend!" he defended at exactly the same time as Roxas's offscreen comment.
"Moose prince!"
Xion giggled and put her phone down. "Alright, I'm uploading it to my story. I tagged you guys!"
"Let's not forget we're going to this world for a mission," Ventus said sagely, blond spikes bobbing with his downcast gaze. It sobered the cockpit considerably. Sora knew, out of everyone, the person most likely to know about Vantias being back would be Ven. They were two halves of a whole, just like him and Roxas. Ventus would understand why he’d done it right? He hadn't disappeared because bringing back Kairi had been the final straw in his abuse of diving. No, it was because he'd brought back Vanitas, too.
"Yeah," Sora agreed, finally recovering from the teasing. It was time to have fun with friends and there was no room for frowny faces on his ship. If they ran into Vanitas, he’d figure it out then. “Our mission: We're not leaving without eating Christmas cookies!" Ventus laughed in surprise, spurring a cheer of consensus followed his words as they landed in Halloweentown. It looked...strange?
"Uh…" Sora blinked. "This is not...how it should be?"
It was Halloween, though there was a contrasting inclusion of pastel pink, green, and blue lights, wreaths with dead flowers, and Jack Skellington himself in what looked like a furry rabbit costume. Sora blinked again, turning to his heart companions wearily. "I think we have a problem." His friends stared at each other in confusion before shrugging at him with wide grins.
“Nothing we can’t fix though, right?” Ven assured cheerfully, hands on his hips. “Just zap us all with that world-change make up and lets do this!”
“Actually,” Xion held her index finger up. “I asked the three good fairies to give us an update before we left. They should auto cast the magic for us.”
“Is that why my clothes went missing after my shower this morning?” Sora wondered aloud. “I thought I was going crazy or something.” He leaned his head back into his arms and walked out the gummiship, breathing in the familiar scent of burnt ozone and fog. Startled laughing had him swirling around to a very amused Ventus and a shell-shocked Roxas. Sora held his hand to his mouth to stop from guffawing in a very Goofy-like way at the outfit change.
Both Roxas and Ventus were a strange mix of goth-cute. While Ven had sparkly green and purple carrot-shaped barrettes in his now-white hair, Roxas’s top spikes (now black) had been pulled into a messy ponytail with a shiny hair tie. Sora vaguely remembered the tying mechanism, an elastic band with multicolored orbs, from elementary school. The girls in his class had loved trading colors and clanking them together when they got bored. Kairi had worn it religiously until she’d used it to as a flinging device against Riku one too many times. His best friend had coldly tossed it as far as he could into the grassy playground, never to be found again.
Ventus was wearing the most ridiculous pair of lavender and baby blue striped tights with black bat silhouettes interspersed throughout. It maybe-almost matched the huge teal hoodie he wore, complete with a realistic skull that wore a rose flower crown. Sora wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. “Ven, take a look at yourself, too.”
Ventus did so and balked, as if it hadn’t occurred to him that his outfit would be just as strange as Roxas’s. He made an unsure sound and fingered the heart-shaped choker on his neck. “Man, what is all this? Am I cute or scary?”
Sora hesitated to respond. The colors he was wearing, despite the normal black combat boots, suggested the former. His intense black eyeliner and the fake blood splayed across his hoodie hinted otherwise.
“This is shit,” Roxas said emphatically, glaring down at his purple and black overalls. Sora bit his lip in restraint, watching his Other disgustedly trace the cat silhouettes on his clothing. Underneath the overalls, however, looked like a semblance of a normal, scratched up black shirt. Fishnet stockings led down from the shorts of the overalls into a pair of platform pink sneakers. “Fuck everything,” Roxas grit out, shoving down his black cat ears that Sora hadn’t noticed at first.
“I mean, your eyeliner is really good? The cateye swipes make the yellow of your eyes pop.” Xion giggled, finally meeting them outside the ship. She looked comfortable with her clothes and they suited her well. Her face was even more pale than usual, blue eyes wider with the running mascara down her face. She was wearing an elaborate dress that reminded Sora vaguely of Jane’s books back in Deep Jungle, with ruffles underneath and a hem lined with teddy bears. She turned to smile at Sora with deep red lips. “But I think Sora takes the cake.”
Ven and Roxas turned their attention from Xion to him, lips trembling in what Sora assumed was restraint. Sora groaned and looked down, already dreading what he would see. Why couldn’t he have kept his old outfit? He liked it, even with the weird pumpkin mask.
First of all, he was wearing a goddamn skirt. “What the fuck,” he said, voice unmistakably high. He distantly heard the three in front of him dissolve into hysterical laughter, because it wasn’t a weird, evil-Riku half-skirt nonsense thing. It was a legitimate, blush pink and black poofy plaid skirt. He stared blankly at the pentagrams and ouiji board designs on top of it, cast in white and gold in a decidedly un-Halloween way. His thin cream shirt, he realized in mortification, had legitimate ruffles in a sweetheart neck, displaying his crown necklace proudly to the world. The sleeves were large and open at the shoulders, acting more like a makeshift veil than adequate cover against the cold breeze of Halloween town. “Why?” he complained to his body, ignoring the hiccuping in front of him. As he moved, the chains around his hips swung deftly from side to side.
“Oh, my-” Roxas cut himself off with more laughter. “You haven’t even seen-”
Sora glared at him impatiently. “What have I not seen?”
Ventus collapsed into his twin while Xion calmed down enough to dig out a compact from her subspace pocket. “Here,” she offered. “And I think it suits you. Honestly!”
Sora rallied his courage and looked at himself in the mirror, grimacing as he saw the eyeliner that everyone had suffered through accompanied by unnecessary gold glitter. When he didn’t see a brown bang that always cut across his face, he panicked, shifting the small mirror upward and screaming. “What happened to my hair?!” Because for the first time in his entire life, it wasn’t spiky. It was curly and long and pulled into two distinct pigtails high on either side of his head. “Why do I look like a girl?!” he demanded to know.
Roxas clutched his stomach and made an abortive motion with his hand. “Stop, please stop I can’t breathe-” he said before peeling into laughter again. Ventus mirrored his condition.
Xion rolled her eyes and linked herself and Sora arm-in-arm. “Forget about them, I think you look good. Don’t you?”
Sora grimaced. “It looks like something Kairi should wear, not me!” Especially with the black and pink plaid. “Did the fairies do something weird to my clothes? Am I being pranked?!”
Xion sighed. “Sora, I promise you that no one is trying to pull a fast one. Who cares what those two doofuses think. Do you really think it’s that terrible?”
Sora looked into her earnest blue eyes that looked so much like his own, and suddenly knew what she was implying. Xion juggled frequently from boys clothes to girls clothes all the time. When Ventus had asked her about it, she’d confessed to the whole group that sometimes she just felt better as a boy. Maybe it had something to do with her time as part Kairi’s memories and Sora himself, jugging between two identities and two genders consistently.
Sora took a breath and opened the compact again, grounding himself by knowing that he still looked like him, despite the clothes and hairstyle. “It isn’t, actually,” he confessed to her with a guilty smile. “Sorry I freaked out.”
Xion patted his arm. “Only someone very secure with who they are could wear something so different and not feel threatened. Do you know who you are?” Her inquisitive eyes alerted Sora to what Riku had suggested earlier, that half their group of friends knew something was wrong with him. Before he could say or do anything, Ventus and Roxas infiltrated their little huddle.
“Alright, so, game plan?” Roxas asked, over the clothing ordeal. “Should we tell someone to stop messing with Halloween or…?”
“Nope,” Sora immediately responded, shaking his head and crossing his arms. It was weird to have actual weight on his head and to see his hair move with his motions. “I’m not gonna get involved in this one, guys. The worlds aren’t in danger. They can figure out their own domestic disputes.”
“Did Sora just use the expression ‘domestic disputes’?” Ventus sidelined to Xion.
“Shut up!” Sora pointed at Ven. “I’m not gonna keep the peace 24/7. It’s better for worlds to be autonomous. We come in when there’s an outside force, alright?”
“Huh,” Roxas considered him. “That’s actually a smart philosophy to have. Got any more of those in there or was this just a one-time thing?”
Sora shoved him hard enough to send him dangerously close to the eerie green fountain, gathering the attention of one freakishly dressed Jack Skellington.
“Ah! New friends. Are you here to witness the joyous occasion of new Halloween?!” he asked, rabbit hood ears bouncing with his head.
“Uhh,” Sora uncertainly trailed, taking in his friend's fluffy grey wool bodysuit horrendously accented with bright pastel bows. “Not exactly?”
“Wait,” Jack leaned down to peer at him. “Sora! Is that you in there? I almost didn’t recognize you. But I love all these colors! Sally! Sally look Sora caught wind of my new Halloween idea!”
Sora turned to where Jack was yelling, spotting a normally dressed Sally glaring their way.
“Aw, Sally, don’t be that way,” Jack bemoaned as she walked away. His shoulders dropped as she left their line of sight, only to pop back up within a second. “Anyway! Sora! You look great. These people aren’t Donald and Goofy, I take it?”
Sora turned back to his friends and smiled. “Nope! I’m showing them around my favorite places, and Halloweentown is on the list. This is Roxas, Ven, and Xion. They’re - uh…” Sora sheepishly scratched his cheek, eyes darting back to consider them shyly. “They’re family.”
“Oh! Relatives of Sora. How wonderful! We must show you everything,” Jack exclaimed, grabbing Ventus’s hand and pulling him toward city hall. “Now, keep in mind we’re making some alterations to Halloween. For instance, that fountain of acid there, traditional. Those flower wreaths hanging? New!”
Sora smiled and put his arms behind his head, watching Xion giggle and run to keep up with long-legged Jack and half-jogging Ven. It was nice to see them doing normal things. He glanced at Roxas, who hadn’t budged an inch. “Rox?” he asked.
Roxas met his gaze and gave him a wry smile. “Family, huh?”
Sora blinked rapidly, wondering if the statement had offended his Other. “Oh, uh. Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” He totally understood Roxas’s and Xion’s need to separate themselves from his own existence. So much of their lives had revolved around him.
“Nah, it’s alright. I don’t mind it,” Roxas half-smiled, mirroring his pose. “Let’s go make sure they don’t get into trouble.”
Sora was overcome with the need to hug him and tell him he was sorry, again, for everything that had happened. He wanted to tell Roxas that a big reason he’d been so adamant about getting him out of his own heart was because Sora wanted to know him. Before he’d realized Axel meant so much to his Other, and that Xion existed, they’d fought on his heart station like enemies. Ever since then, Sora had wanted nothing more but to show him he had his back.
But instead Sora snorted, meandering toward the open city hall. “Please. Ven and Xion? We both know it’s you and I everyone should worry about.”
Roxas followed, punching his shoulder lightly and laughing in agreement. “Let’s paint the town red.”
And, well, the town was already being painted. Sora shook his head in disbelief at the pink walls of city hall and the baskets of dyed eggs on almost every surface. Any hopes he had of Jack not abducting another holiday were outright trampled by Shot, Lock, and Barrel running by with bubble wands and butterfly wings.
“Yes, oh Xion you must take a look at this,” Jack insisted, motioning to one of the many baskets on the secretary's desk. “You see, this is an egg. You boil it alive and then submerge it into one of many colors in celebration of its death! They even calling it ‘egg dying’. Doesn’t it just scream Halloween?”
Xion laughed nervously, looking toward Sora for help. “Um, yeah. It sounds just lovely.”
“Sora, the four of you absolutely must join us for our picnic! There will be new activities to enjoy,” Jack clasped his hands together. “There is a game called three legs race. You get a partner and sew one of your legs together. Then, you race! Isn’t it just delightful?”
“Sew together?” Ven whimpered worriedly. “You can’t just tie them with a rope or something?”
“Well,” Sora interjected, looking at Xion’s wide eyes. “Sorry Jack, but we were just dropping by. I think we’ll say hello to Santa and then be on our way.”
Jack deflated. “Aw. That’s too bad. Well, if you have time, please come to the graveyard! Our picnic will be in full swing by then!”
“Nice to meet you, Jack!” Ventus said a little too eagerly. Xion waved goodbye and took Ven’s hand, both speeding out of the building. Sora sighed, twirling a lock of his long hair idly.
“Things look pretty cool here,” Roxas offered to Jack. “But it’s not what I expected from Halloween town. Do you have a day where everything is...traditional?”
Jack hummed. “Well, Roxas - was it? Every day is Halloween here! I thought we’d try innovate, make it more applicable to modern day. The world is changing, you know!”
Sora licked his lips. Don’t get involved, don’t get involved-
“Do, uh, the people in charge of this other holiday know what you’re doing?” Roxas ventured bravely. Sora cast him a warning glare.
“Oh, no they don’t,” Jack replied, waving it off. “I’m sure they won’t mind.”
“Actually, Jack,” Sora said before he could stop himself. “Do you know what that holiday stands for?”
Jack stared at them before dubiously replying, “No?”
“It’s a holiday that celebrates living, Jack. Like birth. Babies, puppies, kittens...It’s why the rabbit is so important to the theme! The eggs are important because it symbolizes new life!”
Jack frowned deeply. “But that’s completely different from Halloween! Halloween celebrates death!”
Sora nodded. “Exactly. That’s why you have to be careful when you do this kind of stuff. It’s like cultural - er - holiday appropriation. If you don’t know why people wear certain things or celebrate in certain ways, but do it anyway, you can completely overwrite the purpose.”
Jack sighed, pulling his bunny-ear hood down, “You’re right. Never in a million years would I have thought these things were the opposite of Halloween. There’s no way we can mix.”
Sora cast a side glance at Roxas. “Well, I think you can. You may be different, but in the end you both make up halves of the same whole - life. Everyone is born and everyone dies. We need both holidays to understand the world.” Roxas smiled slowly at him, understanding what he was saying without having to say it directly.
“I’d better get this stuff back to their world then. Close the door and never go back,” Jack said despondently.
“You can go back,” Roxas reassured the Pumpkin King. “You should go back. I think they’d be just as fascinated with you and Halloweentown, Jack. Who knows,” Roxas purposed, looking at Sora again. “Maybe they’ve been waiting for you to reach out first.”
“You’re right. Roxas, Sora, thank you. I think I’ll march over there and invite them to our picnic. Do you think they’d come? We could say it was in their honor!” Jack offered, voice getting louder and louder as an idea took full form. “Ah! This is even more perfect. Leaders must always maintain international relationships, you know. As the Pumpkin King, I must make our hospitality and existence known!”
Sora laughed at Jack’s energy. “Yeah, I think that’s a great idea. And you know what? I think Sally will love it too.”
Jack hurrahed in triumph and gathered them both in a semi-painful hug. “Thank you both so much! Stop by again for the real Halloween town!”
“Of course,” Sora answered when released. “And take me to the other place too when you find it! I’m going to show Christmas town to the others now.”
“Tell Sandy Claws I said hi!” Jack suddenly clapped, taking two baskets and shoving it in their arms. “Here! They have candy and dead eggs! Give one to Sandy Claws too, please.”
“Sure thing,” Roxas chuckled, motioning his head to get Sora out the door. Xion and Ventus met them halfway, complaining about their speed and picking at the candy in their baskets as Sora navigated them to the woods.
“So, these are holidays?’ Xion asked curiously, tracing the heart on one of the tree trunks.
“Yep!” Sora chimed, opening the door to Christmas Town and beaming at the sudden flurry of snow.
“Whoa!” Ven exclaimed, racing over to catch the snowflakes. “They match my hair!”
Sora stared at Ventus’s hair and then made a screeching noise. “Have you never seen snow before?!”
“Nope!” he replied happily. “Wow, it’s cold!”
“But it smells so good!” Xion said, leaning into the trunk. “Does it taste good too?”
“Wait, no, that smell is cinnamon and cookies, guys. Roxas, can you believe this?” Sora gestured his two fascinated friends.
“Yeah, I can,” Roxas replied easily, touching a floating snowflake. “Because I’ve only seen snow through you, doofus. Didn’t you only see it for the first time like three years ago?”
Sora made a helpless noise. “Well yeah but-”
“Oh my god I’m so tired of you talking,” Ven complained. “Just take me to Santa please, Sora.”
Sora deadpanned the group and uncrossed his arms. “Okay, fine. You wanna go to Christmas Town?”
“Yes!” Ven replied enthusiastically.
“Okay,” Sora said, smile devious. “You asked for it!”
And then he pushed Ventus right the fuck down the tree. Ven’s startled scream threw Sora into a fit of laughter before the world tilted sideways to reveal a cheshire-grinning Roxas. “Bye Sora!” he said, waving. He saw Xion appear, giggling, just before the world disappeared into black, blue, and then cold, cold white.
“Ugh,” Sora groaned, remembering this part of the portal a little too late to avoid the face full of snow. He remembered the other part just in time, rolling away before Xion took his place, followed by a disgruntled Roxas that barely missed collapsing onto her.
“Wow, you guys,” Ventus breathed. “This place is amazing.”
Sora got to his feet and breathed a sigh of relief at the unchanged town. Good old Santa never let him down. “Yeah, and it looks the way it’s supposed to,” he said to them.
“And our clothes are cute here too!” Xion said, bouncing to her feet and checking out her back.
They were all dressed in very tame, very standard velvets and furs. Sora smiled at Xion, fitted in a long-sleeved, knee-length gold dress with matching santa hat. Her tights underneath looked like candy canes, white with red and green spirals. “Our shoes are my favorite!” she grinned, poking at the small pompoms that all their ankle boots had.
“Do you think we can take this with us?” Ven asked, decked out in forest green long shorts and silver-button down sweater. “It’d be perfect for the King’s Christmas ball the day after tomorrow!”
“I don’t think spell disguises work that way,” Roxas replied, messing with the gold buttons on his red sweater. “But maybe we could buy some of these hats we all have in the village? It’d be cool to get one for Axel. This is his color.”
Sora had once again expected his own outfit to be the black version of Roxas and Ven’s, the way it had been last time he was here. Instead, he looked down to cream and gold. What was it with cold worlds giving him this color to wear all the time? “Well,” he clapped. “First thing’s first! Let’s go to Santa’s workshop!”
It took them what must have been an entire hour to get to the workshop. Xion insisted on going into every store she found interesting, and Ventus couldn’t stop taking pictures on his gummiphone. Roxas was infatuated with all the sweets and foods around them. By the time they walked up to Santa, they’d had fresh apple cider, peppermint bark, pumpkin pie, and eggnog. Sora glanced worriedly at Ven, who’d had his hand on his stomach for the past five minutes.
“Ah! Sora! You’re here,” Santa laughed, pulling his glasses off his eyes. “And during my most busy time, no less.”
Sora scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, sorry about that. I just wanted my family to meet you. Since it’s almost Christmas and all…”
Santa looked at all of them and stroked his beard. “Ah, yes. They have been through quite an ordeal. Ventus, my boy, you’ve missed Christmas one too many times!”
Ventus perked up a bit at his name being called. “Oh, yeah, sorry. I slept through it.”
Roxas snorted at the remark, drawing Santa’s attention his way. “Oh,” the short man came closer. “You’re new! I have you on my list, but this is my first time seeing you. Roxas? Was it?”
“What?” Roxas asked, confused. “You know me?”
Santa made a dismissive sound. “Son, do you know who I am? I’m Santa Claus. Of course I know who you are. I know all the children in all the worlds. You too, Xion. Don’t worry, my girl. You’re on my list too!”
Xion giggled shyly. “It’s very nice to meet you Santa. But Sora said you only wrote lists for children. Aren’t we too old?”
Santa glared at Sora. “Oh did he now? Well, that’s not as bad as telling you I don’t exist, I suppose.”
“Sora!” Ventus chided him.
“For the last time, it was Riku’s fault!” he defended himself, hands in front of him. “Besides, I thought that second thing was true. Do you watch the adults too?”
Santa laughed merrily, stomach bouncing with the motion. “All adults begin as children. In my eyes, they still are. So long as you listen to your heart, you have the soul of a child. A difficult task to accomplish in a world full of responsibility and challenge, but if you can manage it, I’ll be there to reward you once a year, every year, no matter your age.”
“So, like, even if you’re as old as Master Yen Sid?” Sora asked mischievously. Ventus guffawed at the question behind him.
“Believe it or not,” Santa smiled. “Yes. I visit little Yennie every year.”
“L-little Ye-” Ventus struggled out between laughs. Sora chuckled and thought about what Santa had told him earnestly. Last time he’d been here, the man had given him the advice he’d needed about Riku. Maybe he could help him now, too.
“Sora,” Santa addressed him. The serious tone made Sora automatically stand to attention. The man smiled serenely at him for a few seconds before taking one of his hands in both his own. “I’m very proud of you.”
Sora blinked.
“I want you to know that I see what you’ve accomplished. No matter what anyone says, or rather, neglects to say, you’ve done the universe a service that can never be adequately rewarded. All I can give you are objects, but we both know you need something else,” Santa mulled, gazing at Sora’s inquisitive face. “I hope this Christmas you’re brave enough to fight for your own heart. You’ve done too much for everyone elses’.”
And no, he would not cry. Nope, it was just foggy in the room. He vaguely registered a hand resting on his arm, gentle and small, Xion’s. “Thanks,” he croaked out. “I think I needed to hear that.”
“I know, my boy,” Santa said, patting his stomach. “Christmas is about rest and gratitude. It’s a time that encourages us to sit back and reevaluate where we are in life from a place of peace. All of you have surpassed amazing challenges to be here. Cherish one another and let each other in.”
“We will,” Xion said. “Thanks for meeting us.”
“Yeah,” Ventus agreed. “It feels so surreal, but I’m happy I got to meet you.”
“Is it okay if we hang around your town for a little while?” Roxas asked, passing over the thanks. “It’s nice here.”
“Of course! Take care of yourselves. Oh! And Ventus!”
Ventus turned around with wide eyes. “Yeah?”
“No more eggnog for you,” Santa demanded, one hand on his hip and another pointed at the blond boy. “You’re lactose intolerant.”
“I’m what?” Ventus asked, confused.
Sora rolled his eyes and groaned. “Ven, why didn’t you tell me you can’t have milk?”
“I can’t!” Ven said, worried. “Did something have milk?!”
Much to Roxas’s chagrin, they left soon after that. They had time for approximately one snowball fight and a group selfie before Ven said he wanted to die, prompting them to climb aboard the gummiship and make a brief stop at the Mysterious Tower for help. Yen Sid was unamused when they explained Ventus’s predicament, waving his hand to allow them a few hours' rest before taking off to the next location. It comforted him to hear that so far the worlds patrolled were reporting normal activity with no heartless in sight.
Sora sighed and opened the door to his temporary room, planning on taking a quick shower and scrolling through Kingstagram before taking off again. He had closed the door and flung off his jacket before realising that someone else was in the room. He jolted back, pointing at the familiar boy.
“Riku!”
It shouldn’t have been so alarming. Ever since the mark of mastery exam, he and Riku had shared a room out of fear for Sora’s dreams. Xehanort’s infiltration had been a harrowing feat that even Yen Sid hadn’t anticipated, and both of them were reluctant to leave one another alone after that. When he’d come back from death, he and Riku had been disappointed to discover their dream-eater connection had dulled considerably. Sora secretly hoped he just needed time, and soon he and Riku could play again in the sleeping realm without having to dive.
Riku blinked at him from his bed, seemingly just as surprised. His friend was wearing his normal outfit sans jacket and shoes, propped comfortably against the headboard with his phone in hand. “Uh, yeah?” he asked Sora.
Sora glanced left and right. Why was he so awkward all of the sudden? “Nothing? Um. bye?” he offered, strolling over to the bathroom and turning to close the door. Riku raised an eyebrow at him as they made eye contact again.
“Shower,” he pointed behind him. “I’m gonna. Yeah,” he finished lamely, closing the door. His face burned after the click, because the last thing he’d seen was Riku’s expression going from curious to smug and knowing and he probably knew Sora liked him ugh -
Shower. Showers are good.
He’d had feelings for Riku for a good, long time, but he’d never stumbled around his words like this before. Sora considered last night’s events as he ducked under the warm water. Riku’s warm form pressed against him, his whisper in his ear.
“I’ll find out when I unlock your heart.”
Sora scrubbed his arms harder. What was wrong with him? Sora dried off and pulled his magically clean clothes back on, looking at himself in the mirror one last time before sauntering out into their bedroom. Riku was in the same position as before and glanced up at he collapsed on his own bed.
“Hey,” he called lightly. “How’s Halloween town?”
Sora groaned, closing his eyes. “It was kind of a disaster.”
“Oh yeah? How come?” Riku asked.
“Jack decided he wanted to put Easter stuff into Halloween. It took some convincing to get him to stop,” Sora explained.
“Huh,” Riku said. “So it wasn’t because the world glamour made you wear a skirt?”
Sora opened his eyes and slowly turned his head to Riku, who was smirking at him.
“What?” he asked, hoping he hadn't heard his best friend right.
“Check Kingstagram,” Riku prompted, turning fully toward him. “Xion’s been busy.”
“Nooo,” Sora moaned, flipping over to bury his face into the pillow. “No one was supposed to see,” he said into the navy fabric.
“Don’t know what you just said Sor,” Riku laughed. His mattress bounced a bit before Sora registered that Riku sat next to him. “Wanna try that again?”
Sora huffed, turning just enough to free his mouth and get a view of Riku. “No one was supposed to see.” He groaned again, digging his gummiphone out of his pocket and opening Kingstagram. Whelp, there it was. While they’d been arguing about something, Xion had got a group selfie that showed off most of their glamors. The next four pictures were candid close ups of each of them, ending in a photo that was definitely taken by Ventus of Xion herself.
We had quite the scare with our clothes in #Halloweentown. I liked it, but the others
were a little disgruntled. #sorrysora #halloween #eggs? #keybladeweilders
Sora pouted at his own close up. She’d captured a moment where he was twirling his hair and thinking. Jack’s long arm was sticking out of the frame, which made him think it was during their heart-to-heart about the meaning of Easter. He didn’t look bad. Just different. “Hey Riku?” he asked, thumbing the ridges of his phone.
“Yeah?” Riku answered, turning more fully toward him.
“Do you think I look bad in this picture?” he asked, heart pounding. Riku leaned over him and his heart started to beat even faster with their proximity.
Riku chuckled. “Well, I prefer pictures of you with your goofy smile. But this one isn’t too bad.”
“Riku,” he muttered irritably.
“What?”
“I mean what I’m wearing,” Sora specified, hoisting himself onto an elbow.
Riku blinked before laughing at him in disbelief. “Sora, you think I care what you wear? The only reason I brought it up was because Xion also streamed your freak out over it.”
“She what?” Sora asked. “How did she even find the opportunity to do that?”
Riku ignored his question, instead looking into his eyes and sighing. “Sora, do you really think I’d care about something like that? After you accepted me in Ansem’s body back at The World that Never Was?”
Sora averted his eyes from Riku’s earnest, searching gaze. “I dunno. Maybe?”
“Hey, look at me,” Riku requested. Sora did, biting his lip uncertainty. Riku had his serious face on, which never failed to make Sora melt. “You could take any form you wanted, and I’d still be here. You know that right?” Riku asked.
Sora swallowed. “Not any form. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to recognize me.”
“Oh yes I would,” Riku fought. “Because my heart knows yours.” Sora’s heart seemed to recognize the statement, pounding firmly in his chest as Riku’s hand came to rest on it like it was home. “Do you trust me with your heart, Sora?”
Sora looked up into Riku’s comforting teal eyes and scoffed. “Of course I do.”
“Then let me unlock it, tonight,” Riku requested.
Sora frowned. “I’m not going to be here. I have an assignment at -”
“The Castle of Dreams, I know,” Riku finished. “But if you request to stay there, I can come see you and we can do it there. I’d rather not be in the tower for this, just in case Yen Sid gets wind and decides to cancel the whole idea.”
Sora placed his hand over Riku’s, over his own heart. “Yeah, okay. I have a new phone now, so I’ll text you when we’re done.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Riku muttered as if distracted, glancing at spots on his face curiously. They sat like that for a moment, taking each other in without words before a banging at their door made them jolt up.
“Sora,” Roxas called. “We’re leaving with or without you!”
“Y-yeah okay!” Sora responded, jumping off the bed as if he’d done something wrong. “I’m coming!” He sent Riku an apologetic look before abruptly deciding to hug him, taking in the sandalwood scent for two seconds before running out the door of their room.
Tonight. Tonight Riku would help him fix his problem.