Work Text:
It played in his mind over and over again, like an endless loop.
Her stupid apologetic smile as the colorless crystals swallowed her whole, letting her fade away into particles of shining dust which flew away into the sky.
Her final wishes rang through his head clear as day
“All those hearts that I’ve captured…Kingdom Hearts…set them free.”
What made it worse is that it was raining. It was raining quite hard, actually. But he couldn’t tell why he was soaked. It was either from the wetness leaking at his eyes, causing his throat to hurt and his eyes to be all puffy and red. Or it could’ve been this rain, which now felt like salt in the wound to him.
But Roxas was determined. If her favor was the last thing he’d ever do for her, then so be it.
It was freezing outside, and the coats they gave the members were thick, but not thick enough. Roxas’ throat was sore. He could feel how raw it was, and the cold winds that followed the storm didn’t help. Earlier, he’d sat on his knees, his face buried in his hands as all the anger and sadness came out in muffled wails and whines, with salty, wet streaks came out from his eyes, down his cheeks, and stopped below his chin, soaking his gloves. He had seen some girl do just that while he was on a mission with Axel once. When he asked what she was doing, the red head bent down and whispered in his ear that she was crying, and to not bother her.
“Oh.” He wiped his eyes, feeling a pair stare at him. The blonde frowned as he looked up, seeing the faint silhouette of a man, the strands of a blindfold mixing in with the length of his silver hair. He wanted to see more of him, to confirm his suspicions of who he was, but the downpour had other ideas. The rain seeped into Roxas’ eyes as he quickly moved a hand over them.
When the irritation in his eyes died down, Roxas moved closer to the building, looking up once more with his hood further down near his eyes to find the figure looking down at him. The guy may have had a blindfold on, but he could tell he was staring at him. He did nothing else but stare back at the man with a lifeless expression, paying no mind to the swarm of heartless circling around him. The silver haired man turned his back to him quickly, but Roxas could swear he saw a small, sympathetic smile come from him.
It was hard to think that just a day or two ago, he, Xion, and Axel were sitting on the clocktower, eating ice cream as they usually did. It had became the three’s daily tradition. Sure, it was a simple thing, but it was something they were content with. Oh how the blonde wished he could snap out of this trance and this would all be some terrible daydream. He wished he could be up on the clocktower, ice cream in hand as the three talked about their day, some harmless banter between Axel and Xion start over something stupid while Roxas props up on his elbows and smiles, taking in the sunset.
But that was just wishful thinking now.
Once he snapped out of his thought, he sighed, making quick work of the heartless.
Now, to use those keyblades on something, or someone else. That someone noticed him begin his ascent up the skyscraper, and dived off it in perfect timing. Out of desperation to do at least a little damage, or slow him down, Roxas threw one of his keyblades up at the man, only for him to effortlessly catch it, carrying on with his fall towards the concrete.
Roxas landed on top of the building, tightly gripping onto his remaining keyblade. He kneeled down, watching as the taller man finished off what heartless he didn’t find earlier. Growing tired of waiting for him to finish, Roxas jumped down, slamming a foot into one last heartless he hadn’t already killed. He leaped back, wiping off his coat for any dirt or something else.
This time he finally got a good look at the figure before him. He eyed him down, from his long, silver hair that shone brightly in the moonlight even though it was slightly messy from being a bit unkempt, to his collarbones and the soft looking skin around them which Roxas got the strange urge to run his fingers over, to the rest of him covered by his coat. It was the same he and the 12 other members wore daily, leading him to further believe the quite pretty man before him was the imposter Xemnas and Saïx had talked about over the past few weeks.
So, with all his pent up anger and other weird emotions he was trying to figure out, he decided to indulge his curiosity…a bit harshley.
“Who are you?”
“Why does it matter? I’m here for you.”
He was taken aback by the man’s words. What did he do for this guy to be after him? Had he even done anything? It made his head hurt to think about.
“It matters because it matters to me.” He stepped closer. “Let’s try a different approach. Why are you here?”
The man softly sighed, his back now facing Roxas. He couldn’t look at him another second without losing his mind. The way he stood with his keyblades in hand, the way he walked, the way he talked, the way his lashes fluttered when he closed them to get a deep breath, everything about Roxas was gorgeous to Riku. He didn’t know what to do with himself.
Roxas huffed, growing more and more aggravated.
“Oh for god’s sake! If you won’t tell me that,” He caught himself mid swing and lowered his keyblade, sighing. “Will you at least answer the first question?” He gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
To which the other slightly turned his head over his shoulder.
“I’m Riku.”
Roxas stepped back an inch, moving the hand off his shoulder and to his side. He silently mouthed the name to himself. “Riku…” It felt so familiar, yet he’d only seen the man when she was with him. Roxas was still mad at him, but it would be rude not to introduce himself. Just as he opened his mouth, Riku spoke. “No need to say anything. I’ve heard a lot about you already. Roxas, right?” He nodded. “I figured. I think her name was Xion. She was the one who talked about you a lot. She didn’t leave the organization sooner because she didn’t want to leave you or Axel. That’s what she told me.”
Riku looked at the shorter man, walking a bit closer to him. Roxas remembered what he had said a few minutes ago. “What do you want from me? Why are you trying to stop me?” Riku frowned. He knew the shorter man had good reason for his actions, but he had no choice. There was no other way around this. “You are part of the reason Sor-”
“Sora?! Enough about Sora!” Roxas shouted, cutting Riku’s words off as his pent up anger started to release.
“Why does that bother you so much?” Riku knew the answer to that very well. Roxas was never supposed to exist. So DiZ’s plan was to bring him back, and shove him into a computer until he could return to Sora. He hated that plan. He thought it was an awful way to send someone off, nobody or not. When he heard all about how wonderful Roxas was from Xi-...her, he stood by those thoughts even more. He heard how he acted like some tough edgelord, but was actually a really sweet and at times, a really shy guy. He heard how fluffy his hair was, and how rosy his cheeks would get if they were sent somewhere cold on a mission, and a lot of other things from the girl that made him more and more curious about him.
What Riku failed to notice while in his train of thought about Roxas was that said man was charging toward him angrily. When he did notice, he barely missed it, falling to the ground unscathed. The blonde huffed, aiming keyblade first for him again. Riku took the man’s other keyblade and blocked it, pushing him a foot or two back. This gave him a small chance to stand up, before running towards Roxas, who was already coming at him, which ended with the two meeting halfway. Their keyblades clashed against each other as the two started to argue.
“Did you ever even have a plan?!” Riku asked first, a bit of worry in his tone.
“Of course I did! I’m going to set Kingdom Hearts free, just like she wanted. Then we can all be together again!” Roxas started to push him forward.
“How the hell did you expect to do that? They’d kill you if you even got close to it!” Riku pushed him back, creating a little distance between them.
He wasn’t mad at Roxas, surprisingly. He was more concerned if anything. He noticed the splotches on his face, his empty yet angry expression, the way he just charged at him without thinking twice. He also took notice of how tight the trenchcoat seemed to fit on him, taking in how his chest quickly rose and fell as he panted. He also noticed the way Roxas would look at him, his eyes lingering in oddly specific places for them to just be considered a “quick glance”.
“What’re you staring at?” Roxas snapped, backing up even further from Riku. He cleared his throat, shaking his head. He didn’t mean to stare, he just couldn’t help it. Which Riku not giving Roxas a proper answer only set him off even more. Riku was so secretive, and annoying, and…and beautiful. All of it pissed him off to no end. So he came at him again, and this time it worked in his favor. Riku didn’t notice it until the last second, leading Roxas to successfully knock him down. He fell straight on his back, his head bumping against a street lamp.
Roxas stood in front of him, catching his breath. He looked at Riku, and how his hair fell in front of his blindfold. He never understood why people liked their hair long. He thought of the way Axel gelled his hair back every morning to keep it out of his eyes, and how he’d complain in the mornings about how his hair would get in his face. It confused Roxas why he wouldn’t just cut it short, but he didn’t want to bother Axel so he just never asked.
Riku stood up, holding the lamp post for support. “Why?! Why do you have a keyblade?”
Roxas had heard enough from him tonight. Riku was impossible. He was an impossible, gorgeous asshole. And just the slightest gaze at his tinted red lips gave Roxas the urge to kiss him. So he decided to take matters into his own hands.
He walked over to Riku, still holding his keyblade. He was still talking, but Roxas was too aggravated to care about what he was saying.
“Are you even listening to m-”
“Oh shut up!” Roxas rolled his eyes, finally compelling in his urges to kiss Riku. He dropped his keyblade, letting it disappear as he wrapped his arms around Riku’s neck. He was an inch or two taller than Roxas, so he had to stand on the tips of his toes to reach him better. All of this shocked Riku, thinking the other man hated his guts. Which honestly, he probably did. But that didn’t matter now, because the same man who tried to fight him a minute ago was now kissing him, and Riku wasn’t complaining. He leaned against the post, holding Roxas by his waist as he kissed him back. Was he still pissed that he was part of the reason Sora couldn’t wake up? Yes. But was this gonna stop him from kissing Roxas? No.
He silently gasped when he felt a cold, gloved hand reach for his blindfold. Riku carefully nudged his hand away. “Sorry to disappoint you, but…” Roxas was quick to take the hint. He never got an answer as to why though, so his train of thought flew across its tracks.
He was about to ask if he could get an answer when Riku took his turn at interrupting him, kissing him softly with his hands on his shoulders. Roxas huffed, still a little angry with him, but he still kissed him. He kissed back, putting his anger into the kiss as he tightly wrapped his arms around the taller man, pulling him to his chest. Riku unzipped a part of Roxas’ coat, letting him move a hand from his shoulder to his chest.
Roxas hated how he liked this. He hated how he felt the heat rise in his cheeks as Riku’s hands moved to the small of his back, pulling him even closer. He hated how even in the freezing cold of the rain, he was burning up and the man currently kissing and caressing him was the cause of it. He loved it, actually. But come on now, Roxas was way too stubborn to admit that.
He started to slowly unzip Riku’s coat, but got too impatient and yanked down the zipper, letting it fall just off his shoulder. Seeing the exposed skin as an opportunity, Roxas moved his kisses there, leaving open mouthed kisses along the pale skin. Even though he tried not to react, Riku shuddered at the feeling, grabbing one of the other’s gloved hands and squeezing it tight.
Roxas chuckled at the squeeze to his hand, only leaving more kisses. But these were more like light pecks. He pulled away, his hand still tightly gripped in the other’s. Riku’s hair was soaked from the rain, but that’s not what caught his attention. What did though was the sight of his head pushed up against the post, a panting, and most likely sweaty mess. His breathing was heavy and his cheeks were rosy, and if it wasn't for the blindfold he’d assume his eyes were squeezed shut. He was quite proud of his work, adorning a smug grin.
Riku, who’s eyes were in fact shut, opened them and took a deep breath. He giggled quietly, shaking his head to get a little water out. “It’s not fair if you get all the kisses, now is it?” He sneered, wrapping his arms around Roxas’ waist. He buried his face in the crook of his neck, trailing the tips of his nails up his spine oh so slowly, causing the other to let out a shaky breath. The tips of his nails were replaced with a firm hand once they reached his neck.
The teasing was unbearable to Roxas. He wished Riku’s gorgeous ass would hurry up and kiss him already. As if the mentioned man read his mind, his wishes were fulfilled and Riku pressed their lips together once more, yet with much more passion. His uncertain feelings about Roxas clearly changed now that he’s put the pieces together for his side of the story. He no longer pities him…well, not in the moment. It’s just like someone said—he really was a sweet guy.
They continued to kiss each other, their lips moving together in perfect harmony for as long as they could until they ran out of breath. When that time came, they broke apart, panting and slightly disheveled.
Riku cupped Roxas’ cheeks, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. He stared deep into his eyes which seemed like an endless ocean to him. An endless ocean whose waves crashed gently along the now warm sand, heated from the salty air. That ocean was dark the further it went on, shaded by the dead of night.
“You gonna stand there and look into my soul all night?..” The other raised a brow, grabbing the hands cupping his cheeks and holding them tightly in his own. Snapping out of his thoughts, he shook his head and lowered it.
“Go.” He huffed.
“What? You’re really gonna let me walk out of here…after that?”
Riku groaned, wishing the other would leave before it got harder to let him. “Listen, it's…I know I'm going to regret it if I don’t, so please, go. Go before DiZ gets here.”
And with that, Roxas sighed. Sure, he was still very confused, but deep down he cared about Riku. So, with a dishearty expression plastered on his face, he nodded and gave Riku one last peck, zipped up his coat, and made his way back to the castle.
Why? Just why?!
Why, out of 12 other people, would they send Roxas on a mission to hunt down the traitor?!
Luck…wasn’t exactly in his favor this week.
He wandered around Twilight Town, searching high and low for the man he’d kissed only a few nights ago.
And there he was, in the middle of the woods. It took forever to find him, so it was already sunset, but to see Riku again…Roxas guessed it was worth the hard work.
“...Riku?”
The mentioned man looked over his shoulder, and quickly ran from the scene.
“Riku! What the hell?!”
Roxas ran after him behind the tree he’d ran past, but the cloaked man was nowhere. He looked around the area, yet no sight of Riku.
“Roxas, it’s not what you think, I promise I’m not upset with you.” Riku said quietly, but loud enough for the other to hear his words.
He huffed, put away his keyblades, and crossed his arms. He didn’t want to, but he’d listen.
“I didn’t want you to find me again. I know you have to, but I also know that deep down you wouldn’t turn me in. But even so, I may be wrong. I don’t know how you feel about me–no one does but you. So I really…really hope you can forgive me for this. All of this.”
Roxas, as confused as ever, looked frantically around him, trying to find out where his voice was coming from.
“Riku…what do you mean by that?”
There wasn’t an answer. Just the uncomfortable silence.
“Riku. What. Do. You. Mean?!”
The only response he got was the crows squawking above him.
Riku, who was perched in a tree behind Roxas, felt guilty. He hated it. He didn’t want to do this, but DiZ wouldn’t exactly give him another choice.
“Riku, I just want an answer.” He cried out.
Roxas’ only answer that time was a harsh hit to the back of his neck, which hurt like hell for a second or two, and in a moment’s notice he was out like a light.
Riku let his keyblade disappear, feeling awful about what he had just done.
“Don’t worry yourself over him. You did the right thing Riku.” DiZ put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him lightly.
“I know, but-”
“No buts. This was the only thing you could do. Remember, once he’s out of the picture, Sora can wake.” DiZ patted his back, and scooped up the unconscious boy under his arm.
“Yeah, right. Sora can wake up again.”
Riku was given the option to help put Roxas into the fake town, but opted not to, saying he felt ill.
Which he did…in the head. After entering the mansion, he made his way to the white room and knocked on the door.
“...Come in!” Namine, who’d been peacefully drawing, shouted quietly.
Riku opened the door, shut it behind him, and took a seat on the edge of the girl’s bed. She looked at the frown forming on the man’s face, as well as the wet spots on his blindfold.
“Is something wrong?”
“Namine…I couldn’t-” His voice cracked. “DiZ is…” The rest of the sentence he tried to get out turned into choked and muffled sobs as he moved a hand over his mouth.
“Riku…” Namine set her drawing pad and pencil aside, rushing over to his side. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, one of her hands caressing his shoulder.
“I’m so sorry. I know how much you wanted him to be able to live.” He nodded, hugging Namine back. She held him there, comforting him while he sobbed in her arms, both of them hearing the computer’s low yet loud humming from downstairs.
“Gotcha!”
Hayner chuckled, nudging Roxas in the stomach playfully as he ran to catch up with the others. The other giggled and followed suit.
Well, he was going to, until he tripped and fell. On what he did not know. With a groan, he got up on one of his hands, the other rubbing a scraped spot on his chin that he’d definitely have to put some kind of relief ointment on later.
Before he could fully stand upright, something harshly grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up, barely off his feet. Confused and in pain, he turned to look at the hooded figure. He could’ve sworn he recognized seeing the person’s bangs somewhere before, but when he tried to remember where it only caused his head to hurt. The figure didn’t bother to loosen his grip, but instead pulled Roxas even closer until their bodies were against each other and their faces were just inches apart.
“Hey! My arm hurts you kno-”
His words were cut off by the soft sensation on his lips, which was the strange person’s lips on his. For some reason, even though Roxas was still pissed by this, he felt the feeling to be quite familiar. He furrowed his brows, but didn’t bother to push this person off of him. It’s not like he could if he tried though, this figure’s grip was really tight. After a good minute, the figure parted from him, wiped his lip, and cupped his cheek. He looked at him longingly before tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, mumbling something that fried Roxas’ brain even more.
“What?”
“Roxas! Three minutes!”
He turned to look at the three standing on the steps of the station, all looking a little concerned.
“O-Okay..” He turned back to look at the figure, but he was nowhere to be found. He frowned a little, a loose tear falling down his cheek. He wiped the tear and looked at his hand. Then he looked back at where the figure should’ve been, and shook his head.
He smiled a little, the thought of the figure leaving his mind for the moment as he entered the station. When he got in, he had lost the munny somewhere, for it was no longer in any of his pockets when Olette asked for her pouch back.
“He took it!”
“...Roxas? Who’s he?” Olette asked, seeming more worried than she was earlier.
“Yeah dude, there wasn’t anyone there.” Pence chimed in, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Roxas’ mouth hung wide open. Sure there was someone! He wouldn’t have made up some guy who grabbed his arm, kissed him, asked him a really strange question, and stole his money…would he?
“But..But I-”
“Roxas, It’s ok. Don’t worry about it. We’ll make more munny and go to the beach some other time!” Hayner wrapped an arm around him. “Right guys?” He gave Pence and Olette a concerned look just out of the blonde’s view. They had all noticed he’d been seeing things this week, but didn’t bother to say anything because they didn’t want to worry or upset Roxas.
“Right!” Olette smiled, nudging Pence to do the same. He did, and nodded too.
The four went about their day, making their way up to the ledge of the clocktower with some ice cream, acting as if nothing happened.