Work Text:
‘This party is so boring, ’ Sora thought as he swirled his glass of champagne in his flute.
He was in his best suit — a blue cutaway Fallie coat, with a heavy gold braid, cream wool trousers and burgundy satin wraparound sash with burgundy woven tie and tassels; large blue velvet cape with heavy gold braid, lined with white satin; hand-chosen by one of his stylists. He didn’t truly have a say in the matter; just wanted something that he ‘wouldn’t regret looking at in the mirror later.’
Well, he didn’t regret it.
Seeing the final product reflected in the mirrored walls on the way to the ballroom, brought a blush to his face. His hair was combed back, cheeks had a light dusting of glitter and his eyes were alight with wonder. Sure, he’s looked great in the past with outfits that his stylists have set out for him, but tonight was special .
Tonight was the night he meets the prince in the neighboring kingdom; the one he’s heard so much about as a child, but never got to see or interact with since the prince was always busy with diplomatic matters. Traveling and studying other cultures, cuisines and customs, painting or whatever else suited his fancy. Sora simply thought Riku was too good for a friendly meetup; deeming that he was simply too stuck up for formal invitations to his kingdom — maybe a friendly sparring match would change his mind? — so to hear that amongst everyone else on the guest list the Prince Riku of Elodien decided to show up as well?
It was almost like a dream come true.
“Sora,” his mother gently chided as he swirled his drink in his glass again. He boredly cast his gaze on her as she smiled warmly.
“Yes, mother?”
“Why don’t you go mingle with your guests? We don’t have meetings very often and this party is for you. It’s no point in inviting everyone here and going through all the trouble of having refreshments if you’re simply going to swirl that drink around as if it’s a potion.” She said as Sora sighed and tossed the — now lukewarm — drink back with one swallow and got up off of his throne, eager to find the waitstaff to give this glass too. Truthfully, he wouldn’t mind all of this fanfare if he knew what Riku was supposed to look like. Sora was still upstairs getting ready for this event tonight, so he didn’t see how Riku looked when he arrived, but he did hear the downstairs staff when he showed up.
All he knew was what he heard amongst the maids; that he was “devastatingly handsome with the most intense eyes you’ve ever seen,” but how much of that was really true?
At long last, he located a tray of empty glasses on a table closest to the garden and felt the breeze coming from the doors. Good on them to keep them open so the air can circulate; there were entirely too many people and it made Sora mildly uncomfortable with how much he had to smile and nod at all of the lame jokes of the girls who wanted his attention. It was an awkward, fumbling dance that Sora didn’t have the rhythm for, so he decided to not do it anymore.
He needed air. Just a few moments of it.
Discarding his cape, he set out to finally have a moment alone with his thoughts.
///
Sora always loved the garden. There were all kinds of flowers he could get sent to his room in a decorative vase. From Lillies, to orchids, peonies and even sunflowers (depending on the time of year). However, his favorite will always be the hydrangeas. They came in a variety of pinks and blues that looked stunning in moonlight. The way the scent of them danced through the air with a light summer breeze was mesmerizing.
Just as Sora was going to close his eyes and take a breath, he caught sight of someone heading towards the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. He was tall; dressed in all white with long silver hair pulled into an elaborate braid, Sora was transfixed with how elegant he was. Descending the stairs as quickly and quietly as he could without alerting his guest of his presence, he slowly walked behind him, determined to introduce himself.
Sora watched as the mysterious gentleman bowed down to a nearby hydrangea bush (almost as if bowing for a dance) and sniffed it with a grin; eyes closed. As his eyes reopened, Sora felt his face heat up. He felt like he was intruding on an otherwise incredibly intimate moment, even though it wasn’t the case.
“Oh, sorry,” The stranger said, turning to face Sora with a short formal bow of his own. “I couldn’t help but admire your beautiful garden on the way here. I’ve heard stories about how lovely the flowers are and I had to see them for myself.”
Sora didn’t have any words; it was as if his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth.
He was beautiful . Gorgeous. Stunning. Otherworldly.
His formal wear was white with gold trim, a silver vest and a few gold chains on the sides for flair. Some hairs on the side from the brain were framing his face, making him look angelic. But the real visual treat was his headpiece. Most royalty wear them, but Sora thinks they’re a waste of his time, so he doesn’t bother with it.
He might reconsider if this stranger keeps wearing them.
“You’re…fine, truly.” Sora said breathlessly, as he walked closer to him to observe his jewels a bit closer. There were three bands of diamonds — one at the top and two on the sides — that connected to two more intricate designs slightly downward, which also intertwined into a beautiful centerpiece on the stranger’s forehead. There were pearls and diamonds in the shapes of flowers that ended with an upside-down diamond that sat perfectly between his eyes.
And what eyes they were .
Calm, serene aquamarine eyes that Sora wanted so desperately to have watched him forever; or have him be watched. Observed. Spectated.
“C…Can I?” Sora asked, tentatively reaching his hand up to touch them. The stranger gave a breathy chuckle.
“Can you…?” He asked, retracting his hand, unsure. The stranger raised his hand to take Sora’s and he shivered at the contact. Laughing nervously, Sora allowed himself to be led to the center of the garden where there was a perfect view of the inner goings of the ball if he turned around, but also a stunning view of the flowers they sat amongst.
“I’m…not even sure what I was trying to ask, admittedly.” Sora said, scratching his face with his free hand.
“Well,” the stranger started, sitting them both down and observing the water below. There were a few fish that Sora wanted in the fountain and the stranger seemed to take more of an interest in observing them than anything else.
“We have the rest of the night, right?” He asked, staring at Sora through silver lashes. Sora felt his face grow warmer every second his gaze was held.
“I-I suppose so, yeah. Um…what’s your name? I don’t believe we’ve met…” Sora asked, scooting closer; leaving no space between them in the reflection of the water below. The stranger smiled his disarming smile that made Sora’s heart flutter before talking again.
“In all honesty…this meeting is a bit overdue. We were supposed to see each other long before this; but I got trapped in my duties to my kingdom.”
Wait .
“Wait, are you —”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Sora. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Oh .
“R…Riku?” Sora asked tentatively; cautiously. As if approaching a delicate situation. In a way, he was,
“Yes, it’s me,” Riku said, nervously scratching his face.
Well, it was no wonder why the maid staff were swooning over him.
“I…I thought you would be—”
“Taller?”
Sora frantically shook his head. “No, no! Uhh…stuck up perhaps? All this time I thought you never wanted to meet me because you just…didn’t want to. Like you thought I was immature or something,” Looking back, Sora did find his previous reasoning to be immature, but maybe he can redeem himself.
Somehow.
“Sora, I would never have thought that. I’ve heard all of the tales of all of the good things you’ve done for your kingdom at such a young age; the battles, fixing the employment, making sure everyone has a place to lay their head, I could never have thought of being so selfless. That’s why I took so much time to study and travel, to figure out what wonders of the world are out there to fight for. I wanted to be more like you. I mean, I even dressed up like this because I heard this was your favorite color!” Riku said with a laugh that made Sora’s heart flip.
Sora wanted to cover his face, but couldn’t bring himself to.
“Well, white isn’t my favorite color,” Riku’s smile faltered. “ But , blue is. That’s why I like the periwinkle hydrangeas the most. Their scent is very sweet. And well, they look breathtaking in the moonlight.”
“Huh, well, that makes sense. Well, now I just feel like I overdid it.”
“No, no! You look amazing!”
“I do?”
“Yeah! Awesome actually!”
“Awesome…that’s a… friendly compliment,” Riku said, his face growing warm under Sora’s stare.
“Are…we not friends?”
“Well, yeah, but I was thinking we could…I don’t know,” Riku started, intentionally breaking his own train of thought.
“We could what?” Sora asked, hanging on every word.
“I was thinking we could be…more?” Sora considered the thought for a moment, before locking eye contact with Riku.
“Best…friends?” Riku laughed loudly, causing Sora to laugh in turn. Even he thought it was ridiculous.
“Do you want me to show you what I mean instead of trying to explain?” Sora almost swallowed his tongue. Closing his eyes tightly, he nodded as he felt the gentle caress of his cheek and recognized a breathy chuckle before feeling lips on his own.
It was incredible. Riku's mouth was soft, with just enough pressure for Sora to recognize it as a kiss with intention. Each time their mouths met, it was like a dance. A waltz.
A duet for them and them alone.
Sora was seconds away from breaking contact, before he felt something wet against his mouth. His tongue?
Eagerly opening his mouth, he allowed Riku entry which deepened the kiss a bit. Sora had no choice but to grab at Riku’s coat for dear life; the expensive fabric no doubt wrinkled in his hands. As their tongues touched, Sora gasped as if electrocuted.
“Ah! Wait, wait a second ,” Sora finally said, breathless.
“Too much?” Riku said in a breathy tone.
“I…I think so? I’ve never been kissed…like that,” Riku licks his lips and smiles.
“Have you ever before?” Sora’s face grew warm again.
“No, never.”
“So I’m your first kiss then?” A moment of silence. In the distance you could hear someone loudly laughing, the band playing another song and the ripples of the water, before Sora spoke again.
“...Yes,” he said, his voice small. Riku smiled and kissed his forehead.
“I’m glad I was able to give you a new experience.” Sora ducked his face low almost into his jacket, before Riku spoke again.
“You tasted like champagne, by the way.”
