Work Text:
Ventus fidgeted a bit with the bouquet in his hands. He had this. He totally, absolutely had this. Tell his boyfriend that he was the most handsome thing in the world. Tell him that he was grateful for everything he’d done for him. Tell him that even if their hearts were no longer nestled together, they were now closer than ever before.
…Actually, the more he thought about this, the more it started to sound a bit embarrassing. Actually, the more it began to sound really, really embarrassing. Maybe this was a bad way to go about Valentine’s Day. Actually, maybe this was a terrible, way too sappy idea, and Sora would laugh at him and say something stupid but somehow really meaningful and he’d feel like a total idiot.
Sora was pretty good at being so blunt that it hit people right in the heart. Plus he had a smile that made Ventus feel like Sora was living up to his name, was the clear bright blue sky that stretched on and on forever, beyond the horizon, filled with hopes and possibilities and futures. So he definitely had to come up with something better to say. Something that would really express how much he loved him and how his heart felt at peace around him, recognizing Sora as a safe, precious home.
Someone’s hand landed on his shoulder and he startled, jumping up a bit and turning around.
Aqua chuckled. “Nervous about something…? What are you hiding behind your back, Ven?”
He laughed awkwardly. “Ahaha, you know… nothing. Nothing at all.”
She chuckled again, a knowing look in her eyes. She was like a big sister to him, so of course she could figure him out at a glance. He cursed her powers of observation. They were probably part and parcel of the ‘Keyblade Master’ package.
“Aren’t you going to go see him? He’s not going to magically show up if you just wait around.” Aqua’s smile was less like ‘knowing’ and more like ‘unbearably smug.’
Ventus scowled. “He might,” he huffed. “He absolutely could, Aqua.”
He probably wasn’t going to. Sora might not have even remembered that today was Valentine’s Day. His boyfriend was adorable and sweet and tossed rare items and Keyblade chains at him like they were cheap tourist knick-knacks, but he wasn’t always the best at planning in advance. Or remembering dates. Ventus would admit that he also messed up with those kinds of things sometimes, but he could plan well when he tried. So he could at least top Sora at this.
“I bet you a hundred munny that he won’t,” a voice rang out, a third person stepping into his room.
Ventus rolled his eyes. “Do either of you remember how knocking works?”
“You left the door open,” Aqua pointed out. She and Terra exchanged what Ventus could only term ‘big sibling telepathic communication.’ The way they looked at each other… He was never going to understand either of them. Ever. They were far too ‘adult’ for him - He was kidding, he understood them all too well. They’d all had their lives ruined and their master killed by a monster, and they’d grown up together. So of course they all understood each other deeply.
He walked right past both of them. “I’m heading out!” he announced, not bothering to look back at either of them.
They were snickering behind him, so he just marched and marched. He was going to go to Destiny Islands and give Sora his stupid bouquet and give him his stupid sappy speech and then he was going to drag him to the beach and kiss him stupid and then -
There was a third person waiting outside. Alright. Scratch all of his decisions thus far. He was going to drop dead on the spot. Maybe he could go back to sleep. He’d been dreaming for, what, a decade? If he went back to sleep now until after Valentine’s Day, and Sora had to kiss him awake, that sounded just fine.
“Good afternoon!” Ventus said loudly, grinning. He definitely wasn’t sweating or nervous or hiding a bouquet of forget-me-nots behind his back. Nope. Not him. Not him at all.
Sora grinned back. His hair looked messy, and he was wearing his school’s uniform, albeit with the collar undone. He’d probably come here straight from school - he was in his final year now. Ventus had been homeschooled by Eraqus, and his memories of his life before were still hazy and impossible to recall. He had vague flashes sometimes of Xehanort’s cruel face, and of pain. And, even more rarely, he would have soft whispers, kind faces, and yet remember only their presence, all details scraped from the memory. It would have been painful, he thought, if he knew what he’d lost. But as it was, he had Aqua and Terra, and he had Sora, and he was happy.
If he’d been someone else before… then that person wasn’t him, right? Then that person wasn’t ‘Ventus.’ And for the sake of ‘Ventus,’ and the people that loved him - for the sake of this person smiling before him - he wouldn’t let his ‘self’ slip away for the sake of worn-down memories and a lost past.
If he could express such sentiments easily and smoothly, without blushing or feeling awkward or sounding corny, he would have done it in a heartbeat.
“Heya, Ven,” Sora greeted back, already stepping in close for a hug that Ventus accepted easily. Sora was such a physical person that he was used to the constant touches, the constant warmth. Every inch of their skin that pressed together was soothing, anchoring him to reality and to happiness.
“Are you holding something?” Sora asked as he let go of him, tilting his head a little. “Is it…” He glanced away. It was embarrassing, now that he was before the person he loved, and had to present his gift and explain it.
“It’s, well…” Ventus took a deep breath. Nothing to do but go for it. He could do this. Sora was sweet and gentle and kind. He wasn’t going to punish him if he made a mistake. “Today’s Valentine’s Day, so…” He held out the bouquet to Sora. “Normally it’s not like we do flowers, but, for today, I thought… something like that would be nice…” he mumbled. “And, I know roses are what most worlds prefer for today, but…”
He’d been forgotten for a long time. But it was thanks to Sora’s heart, to Sora not forgetting him and sheltering him, that he had been able to continue living, and that his heart had not been dragged into the darkness for all eternity.
Sora had a bright smile on his face as he accepted the bouquet, gently hugging it to his chest. “It’s okay if it’s not roses,” he promised. “We don’t even have those on Destiny Island.”
“I could’ve made you chocolates, though…” Ventus argued weakly. “Or, or I could have at least gotten something cooler. Like the Wayfinders Aqua made for Terra and me. …But better. Way, way better. Not that Aqua’s presents aren’t the best, just… well…”
Sora chuckled, his eyes shining, and then kissed Ventus, stopping his rambling entirely. It also had the pleasant side effect of making him close his eyes, his thoughts and his anxiety becoming blurred. Ventus was a storm that could be calmed only by the arrival of a clear blue sky.
“It’s ok,” Sora whispered against his lips. “I like what you got me, anyway. Who cares about what ‘normal’ Valentine’s Day gifts are? We’re the ones that should decide that for ourselves, right?”
Ventus chuckled. “Yeah… you’re right. I got all worried for nothing… Ahaha…”
They laughed together, their laughs mingling and becoming one, just as their hearts had been once. Entangled, entwined, indistinguishable. Sheltering each other, protecting each other’s light.
“Plus, I actually… Um…” Sora’s face went red.
Ventus stepped back, smirking. “What is it, Sora? Cat got your tongue?”
Sora scratched the back of his head, the bouquet already safely tucked away. “It’s… They, er. They didn’t turn out that good. I wanted to do it by myself, because it was for you, but I’m not used to cooking alone…”
Ventus had to keep himself from performing a body search to try to find what he was about to be given. He was almost sure it was chocolate… but Sora was Sora. He could never be entirely sure of what Sora would do - it was one of the things he loved about him. They were both way too energetic and way too quick on their feet and fast in their thoughts to be able to be predicted without years of experience, lots of intuition, and a pinch of luck.
Sora smiled, sheepish and shy and sweeter than what he had made and anything he could ever make. Sweeter and more delicious than any chocolate in the world, and Ventus was all the richer for it. “Here.”
Like it was a scene from one of the TV shows they’d watch together on Sora’s couch while his mom brought them snacks and asked about their day… Sora held out a box. It didn’t have the best wrapping: too much tape had been used in some places to try to fix all the creases that disrupted the pattern of golden hearts on a blue backdrop, and there were even a few tears - but it didn’t matter. Ventus took it carefully, hugging it to his chest for a moment. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to open it. If he kept it closed like this forever, a memory forever preserved and bundled up, then he couldn’t ruin it. It would be perfect for all eternity. A beautiful dream that would never end…
But it would be cruel to waste Sora’s efforts like that, and he wanted to taste whatever it was anyway. So, with his greedy hands, he tore the wrapping Sora had so carefully taped together, before the other boy’s very eyes. And yet, Sora grinned. Because this gift had been wrapped so carefully for Ventus’ sake, it was only fitting that Ventus do as he wished with it. And to tear it open quickly, to retrieve the precious contents within, was tantamount to an expression of appreciation.
“It’s…” Ventus blinked, looking at it in silence for a moment.
Sora laughed nervously. “I… Please don’t laugh…”
It was misshapen and crude, with visible lumps and chips, but in the end, it was a paopu fruit-shaped chocolate. He didn't think there was a single reality in which he would have been able to laugh at such a sincere thing.
“Is it fine if we split it?” Ventus asked.
“...Splitting it is okay.” Sora grinned. “So, you like it?”
He snorted. “Of course I do! You made it for me! So long as you didn’t switch the salt and the sugar…”
“Hey, I only did that one time!” Sora whined.
“Anyway… Here we go.” Ventus carefully took the chocolate and split it into two equal pieces, before handing Sora one. “Let’s do it at the same time.”
They smiled at each other. Maybe this wasn’t a real paopu fruit, but the intent was clear. And their wishes were true. After all, their destinies had been intertwined for so long that it would be impossible for them to part. After all, Ventus’ heart had been shaped by Sora’s, and Sora’s heart had been shaped by Ventus’. It wasn’t entirely clear what was influence and what was original, what was his and what was his. It was comforting to be tangled together.
The first bite of the chocolate was sweet and overpowering, and the kiss afterwards was messy, chocolate-stained lips meeting and unsaid words being exchanged between them.
Silently, ‘I love you.’
With a sunny smile, ‘For eternity?’
With blue eyes crinkling with laughter, ‘Until it’s time to part.’
Nothing can last forever - not love, not lives, not darkness, not light, not even memories, not even hearts.
But, for as long as it would last, Ventus thought that this moment was perfect.