A/N: This is my half of a fic-art trade with the amazingly talented savaage-nymph from tumblr, who made the most GORGEOUS illustration of knight!Riku and dragon!Sora for me. Seriously, love, I can't get over how perfect it is! She gave me some specifications that I haven't included yet, and I'll leave a surprise for the rest of you (for now). Enjoy
Matters of Pride
Chapter 1: The 7:05
Sora wasn't sure when he'd first seen him, whether it had been when the guy started riding the same train as him daily, or some time after, the familiar finally detaching itself from the rest of the world. However, once he noticed the fall of silver hair and brilliant aquamarine eyes, he couldn't not notice.
Without fail, when Sora boarded the 7:05 for his morning commute, he was there, slouched in a seat or standing with a hand wrapped around a support bar. Sometimes, when Sora was staying late, he saw him on the way home—always sitting, then—although the time in the evening was much less reliable. It was quieter at night, less crowded, giving Sora a better view of the silvery head.
He'd never seen someone look so removed from their surroundings; sure, everybody lived in their own bubble while riding the train, but when Sora looked at him, it was more like he was on a different plane of existence.
Of course, that could have just been Sora being dramatic.
Still, it was as good an excuse as any for Sora to study him covertly. More often than not, he caught the aqua eyes downcast and brooding, silver brows angled ever-so-slightly, a subtle tension in his shoulders, lips tight. Sora wondered what kind of life caused that much unhappiness in a person. Not that his life was sunshine and rainbows, either, but he'd long ago learned to always look on the bright side of things.
It wasn't long before Sora decided to take it upon himself to bring a little joy to his fellow passenger.
"Morning! Mind if I sit?" Sora asked over his scarf. It was late fall, a chill in the air making his morning coffee all the more welcome. He was acknowledged with a brief flick of eyes and a shrug, his target shifting a messenger bag into his lap to make room for Sora to sit beside him. "Thanks!"
The response was little more than a grunt, his gaze returning to the window to watch the passing scenery.
Sora changed tack, rustling the paper bag in his hand. "Want a donut? They gave me an extra one."
Another of those sly glances. "I was told not to take sweets from strangers," he said flatly.
Sora suppressed a smile. "I thought it was just candy? But I guess it's the same concept. Anyway, I'm Sora. So, not a stranger now, right?"
He didn't bother to look over this time. "Knowing your name doesn't make you less of a stranger. Give it to a homeless person."
Sora's lips dropped into a frown. "I got it for you."
This got the guy's attention. "I thought you said they gave you an extra one."
"Well, they did," Sora drawled, "because I ordered an extra one."
"You don't even know me." One of the silver eyebrows had risen out of its usual brooding state.
Sora rolled his eyes. "That's the point. I want to. Geez, just take the donut already, would you?"
"Ha." It was a derisive sound, not a laugh so much as a huff, as he turned back to face the window.
Sora screwed his face up as the train braked, approaching his stop. With his own huff—frustration, not derision—he pushed the paper bag into the guy's hands and lurched to his feet. "There! This is my stop, so bye! Have a good day!" He hoped the guy would enjoy it, but then again, Sora could only hazard a guess to whether or not he even ate sweets, let alone what kind of donut he might like best.
Sora's feet slowed as he stepped from the train platform and onto the street. Maybe that hadn't been the best way to cheer someone up, and maybe he really had only annoyed the guy. He dismissed the thought almost as soon as it surfaced—even if that were the case, Sora being Sora, he would just keep trying until he succeeded.
The next morning, Sora ordered a bagel instead of an extra donut, and tried not to bubble with excitement as he waited on the train platform, watching the clock tick to 7:05. He caught a glimpse of silver in a window as it pulled up, and Sora almost bounced into the car when the doors slid open. Almost. Instead, he took calm, even steps, until he was standing over his target.
The other shot him an impassive glance. "There's other seats open."
"I suppose there are." Sora held out the paper bag. "I got a bagel for you this time. No sweets! There's even cream cheese, if you like."
This time, the aqua eyes were appraising. "A bagel, huh."
Sora nodded. "With cream cheese!"
He shifted his bag onto his lap, freeing the seat next to him for Sora, and accepted Sora's gift with much less reluctance than the morning before. He even nodded in approval after ascertaining that the bag did indeed hold a bagel, rather than a donut.
Sora eyed the parka the other wore, heavier than the weather called for, with a ruff of fur lining the hood. "Aren't you a little hot in that?" His response was a shrug that shifted the fur higher on his neck. "By the way, I didn't catch your name."
"I didn't give it."
Sora raised an eyebrow, but tried again. "Well, I'm asking for it. I think it's only fair, since I told you mine."
"I never asked for yours."
"Aw, come on! I gave you a donut and a bagel. That should earn me your name, shouldn't it?"
"I didn't ask for those, either." Sora's face screwed up into a pout, and he was about to say something else, when the other interrupted him. "Isn't this your stop? Sora."
He glanced out the window to see that the platform coming into view was indeed his stop, so he missed the brief little smirk that flitted across the other's lips, while his own drew into a frown. "Yeah. But this isn't over," he added, turning his attention back to his neighbor. "You won't get rid of me that easily."
"You're leaving now, aren't you?" he asked pointedly. Sora hesitated as he stood up, taking in the gaze leveled at him. He couldn't quite read the expression, but he swore there was something feral about it. A challenge, maybe.
"I'll bring you a bagel again tomorrow," he promised. The tactic had earned him a warmer response this morning than the one before, he thought, so perhaps a little perseverance would get him somewhere. He tore himself away from the aqua eyes to exit the train, and he was just outside the door when the other's voice called after him.
"Onion."
Sora turned around to find those eyes still boring into him. "What?" A few other passengers jostled him, some of them grumbling, as he blocked their path, blinking.
"I like onion bagels."
The train door slid shut, and with a rumble, it sped off, leaving Sora there musing. Well, that was progress, wasn't it?
The next morning was Friday, and Sora was as excited for it as he was reluctant to see the weekend. He'd be able to give his stranger the onion bagel, and he'd be free of class for the next two days. But that also meant he wouldn't see the silver-haired man on the train again until Monday morning.
Well, Sora could be patient.
Still, Sora couldn't suppress his grin when the train pulled up to the platform, silver hair visible in one window, framed by fur. Despite the Friday morning crowd, the seat next to him was still occupied by the canvas bag. Sora wondered if he'd saved the seat for him, or if it was luck, but the eyes already on him hinted that the latter was more likely.
Sora met his gaze with a beam and offered the paper bag. "I brought you an onion bagel today. Happy Friday!"
"What's happy about it?" he asked, shifting his bag to his lap and accepting the bagel.
Sora thought about it for a moment before answering. "Well, we've made it to the end of another week, right?"
A shrug and a grunt. "I suppose." There was a crinkle of paper, and Sora was surprised to see his companion tear a piece from his bagel and bring it to his mouth. He smiled, and found himself captivated watching the other eat. There was a certain violence in the way he tore the bread, but then he took small, careful bites. Aqua eyes slitted when he noticed Sora watching, and he shrugged his fur-trimmed collar higher. "What?"
Sora gave a shrug of his own. "I'm hoping it's a good sign that you accepted food from me."
"What do you want from me?" Eyes still narrow, face guarded.
"To be your friend. You looked like you needed one." It was an honest answer; he was curious, but his intentions were pure. For the most part.
He snorted, features relaxing a fraction. "How so?"
"You always look so tense and unhappy. I mean, not like I was stalking you, I just noticed, you know?"
A silver eyebrow angled up. "I'm not a morning person."
Sora bit his lip, face heating up in embarrassment. "You know, I never thought of that?" He gave a self-deprecating laugh.
There was a ghost of a smile on his companion's face at that. "Really, never?" When Sora shook his head, the corners of his lips curved up more.
There was silence between them as the other resumed eating his bagel, Sora retreating into his own thoughts and berating himself for not thinking of something so simple. On the other hand, that didn't stop him from wanting to befriend him.
A pressure against his arm brought him back to the real world, his neighbor leaning against him. "Sora, your stop."
"Oh. Thank you." The contact had been brief, and Sora wondered if he'd imagined it as he stood up.
"My name is Riku."
Sora's face lit up. "Riku," he tested the syllables, and decided he liked the way they rolled off his tongue. "Nice to meet you! Officially," he added.
Riku rolled his eyes. "Goodbye, Sora."
Sora waved with enthusiasm as he stepped off the train.