Title: Patience and Perseverance
Author: Ainahim
Pairing: Riku x Sora
Rating: K+
Summary: Riku x Sora SHORT one-shot. Be patient. Wait for the opportune moment. Are you really ready to tell him how you feel?
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is not mine (insert witty author comment here), neither are Riku and Sora (another witty comment), so leave me alone (one last witty comment.)
…
Their entire relationship had been composed of being patient and waiting. It had been composed of persevering but not always finding. The most agonizing for both was being patient in their perseverance.
For Sora in particular, it was still excruciating. He had already endured enough just searching for Riku through so many different worlds, every failure to find him planting another bruise on Sora's already suffering heart. The only thing that hurt worse than failing to find him at all were the ones where he'd been so close…he'd known it had to have been Riku, but he'd just barely missed him. Those pains cut and internally bled, but he'd stay strong so as not to worry his party.
It was an entirely different story now. He knows how he feels, but it's so difficult to say it. There has been only one opportune moment, and Kairi had to dash it by appearing out of nowhere. Sora's feelings are still bundled up inside and it's still agonizing. He's persevering Riku now that they're together again - but not together enough, damn it – and so far it's been a total flop. Being a hero, though, he had to keep his eye on the optimistic side. There would be another opportune moment, one where a certain girl wouldn't run in with a message from a certain king…it was just so hard to wait for.
Sora was ready. Sora was ready to tell Riku how he really felt.
Riku was not ready. Riku wanted to be ready. He wanted so badly to be able to say, "Sora, I love you more than I love the air I breathe," but he was not a sap. He couldn't give in to that feeling. But oh, how he wanted to. All those horridly romantic thoughts, all those lusty dreams, he had to keep them bundled up in his head. Keeping it all up there, however, got to an amazingly painful point. He had been patient. For years now, he had been patient, waiting for this feeling to go away. It never did. And now it almost felt as if Sora was the one being patient, waiting for Riku to do something, to say something. Every time Riku convinced himself of that, however, it was always dashed by logical thoughts. Thoughts that told him he was interpreting his friend's actions wrong.
Eventually the ache grew too large, and he knew he could not deny his feelings any longer. One day he would tell Sora how he really felt. One day when he was actually ready.
…
Riku was sitting on the tree as always. Sora smiled to nothing in particular as he walked up behind his friend and rested his arms on the tree, leaning his head against the pocket his arms made before looking up at the silver-haired boy.
"Have you been sitting here all day again?"
Riku smiled, his gaze still forward and decided to ignore the brunette's question by asking one of his own. "You gonna come up here or what, Sora?"
The young hero rolled his eyes but hopped up next to his friend anyway, landing closer than he usually did. This landing wasn't on purpose but he certainly wasn't complaining about its convenience. Riku stiffened slightly, but tried to act like it was no matter.
Which, of course, was a total lie. It was hard to keep his composure feeling Sora barely an inch away, as if radiating his aura into Riku's own and trying to infect it. They were both silent, both listening for sounds of rustling in any place behind them. But there was only the breath of the wind trying to coax them along.
Thank goodness they at least wouldn't have to worry about Kairi being around. Just at that moment, Riku looked down at Sora at the precise time Sora looked up, and those gazes met. Together their gazes are like the ocean, but separate they're just ingredients that need to be blended in the correct way. Their eyes held each other.
This is the opportune moment.
Are you ready?
Riku was ready this time. All thoughts of doubt flew from his mind as he leaned in carefully before gently pressing his lips to Sora's. There was no tensing or hesitation, but it was like in that one kiss there was release. The waiting was finally over. Sora leaned into the kiss, running the fingers of his left hand through Riku's feathery hair.
When they pulled away there were identical blushes on their cheeks. Sora smiled and said the first thing that came to mind:
"Jeez, Riku, what the heck took you so long?"
…
A/N: Uhm, so I tried to write the second chapter to "Heartfelt Dances and Spotlight Romances" and I got this. That second chapter absolutely refuses to be written. Not my best, but it was still fun to write.
