The fog horn blasted through the air, making Riku jerk forward out of shock as that deafening boom sounded right behind him. A curse fell from his lips and he very nearly staggered over as that ringing horn continued to vibrate throughout the entire dock, rattling the floorboards beneath his feet and making his ears ache for several long, drawn-out seconds. He quickly saw that he was not the only one wincing away from the noise, and he watched as the dainty, gloved hands of the ladies standing opposite him lifted to delicately press against the ears to smother the noise. Their expressions were so comically horrified by the affronting sound that he let out a snort of laughter – just as the horn finished its blaring, in time for several coiffed heads to whip in his direction. They had clearly inferred the reason behind his amusement, and it didn't help that he was still openly staring at them while he snuffled his laugh into an unconvincing sneeze, instead.

He heard Roxas's cackling laugh behind him the second that those noses turned up at him, but the scoffing sound only made the women turn their judgmental, beady eyes on him, too so that the Irishman's loud chuckle cut off with a wince.

"Whoops," Roxas muttered, grinning, and Riku soon felt a pair of familiar, calloused hands tugging at his shoulders and twanging his braces until he took the hint and they both quickly skipped out further down the docks. He could feel those snobby gazes following them as they dashed out of the way, but they were quickly swallowed up by the rest of the assembled masses there in no time at all.

The crowd was absolutely enormous. Riku had seen his fair amount of crowds in his day, especially when he'd skipped over to the pub on a busy night or caught up with the other common folk on a soup night at the local shelter, so he was not usually perturbed by the massive amount of people that could collect in one area. He was used to dodging jabbing elbows and stomping feet and, like Roxas, he was very well acquainted with slipping in between groups so that he could surreptitiously slide his way to the front of a queue without being overly distracted by the various, moving obstacles that stood in his path.

However, he was not accustomed to seeing quite so many posh, wealthy people crammed into one space – although he suspected that the experience was harsher on them that it was on him. The amount of parasols that had been withdrawn to shield the ladies' pretty, white skin was truly astonishing, when really it hadn't even hit high noon and the sun had only just barely graced the sky. Riku' tanned skin only soaked up the sunshine that fell upon his face, so he was honestly baffled by the distress that was rolling through the upper class collective that were frantically trying to escape the cheery, golden rays that were shining down upon the dock.

The idea that they had all come crawling out of their manors for just one boat was hard to believe for a boy who had been diving off of that pier since he was barely able to swim, but he supposed it was hard to call the mammoth vessel in front of him just 'a boat'. Out of anything that had ever docked at their harbour, Riku was sure that 'The Titanic' was the only one that had ever earned the name of a ship, at least in his humble opinion. He was also sure that anything else that came pulling up later today was going to seem like a sad little rowboat in comparison, no matter how impressive the owner thought it might be.

He was just hoping that he would be on the ship at that point, waving down at the tiny little vessel that feverously paddled out of the way of the cruiser while they all laughed in the sea air.

"This is never going to work, man," Roxas said in his ear, with an insulting amount of scepticism in his laughing voice. His hands were still loosely curled around Riku' shoulders as they made their way through the squeaking crowd of snobbish not-quite royalty, and the older boy reached his arms around to pin his friend against his back so he wouldn't lose him in the chaos.

"It's definitely going to work," Riku shouted back, tilting his head a little so that the words would carry. "You just have to have a little bit of faith in me, alright? And confidence. Try and look confident – and, if you could make yourself sound a little less like an Irish ratbag come to wreak havoc on their boat, that would be helpful."

"Should I sound more like you, then?" Roxas asked, in a passable impression of Riku' own accent – which, admittedly, wasn't particularly noble, either. However, he said it far more mockingly than he was capable of to give it the unflattering tone of someone who had barely mastered the English language.

A grin flashed onto Riku' face, and he pinched the waist that he was holding as he shot back, "Exactly. As you know, I always get greeted with tea and scones the second someone hears my princely voice, so you go ahead and talk like that for the rest of the trip."

He only heard the other boy's raucous, genuine laugh in his ear as they continued, and Riku dragged Roxas through to the other side of the crowd, until they were very nearly pushed onto the edge of the boat ramp that extended from the edge of the dock onto the ship. Riku staggered to a halt as he saw that the planks were about to cut short beneath him, and he laughed again as Roxas tugged him back before they could fall into the deep water beneath them. The chains had fallen away at this section of the pier, leaving only a haphazardly draped section of rope in place of what should have been a much stable barrier, and they were both far too amused by the thought of trying to break onto the Titanic as stowaways only to drown in the water beneath the ship itself.

"You are such an idiot," Roxas told him, as they both stumbled back – unintentionally knocking over a new stack of luggage that had neatly been piled near the planks so that the servants could run them back and forth. There were so many bags there that Riku had to wonder whether they believed that they were going to be permanently moving into the boat for the next few weeks. He realised that some people treated this as a very long holiday, rather than the adventure that he and Roxas wanted it to be, but he didn't remember seeing someone building a summer home up on the top deck for whoever was shipping their entire lives onto it.

"Oi, do me a favour, will you?" he asked, staring incredulously at the masses of baggage as they hurriedly straightened it so that they could commence pretending it had been someone else that knocked it over.

"Yeah, what?"

"When I become incredibly, filthy rich and I can have whatever I want, make sure that I don't start being a complete twat and spending all my money on things that don't matter." As evidence, he held up a large, styled hatbox for Roxas's inspection before he warily placed it on top of the pile with the rest.

Roxas scoffed under his breath. "If you end up incredibly, filthy rich you're going to be spending it all on me," he stated, in a tone that implied that it was obvious information. "You're going to be buying me steaks and caviar and cheese for the rest of my life if you get any sort of cash. And frosted cakes, too. And beer."

"Does it ever bother you that your life's aspirations have boiled down to what kind of food you can get?" Riku interrupted serenely, without any strong sort of malice in his voice. There was fondness in his blue eyes as he exchanged a highly amused glance with his closest friend.

"Not in the slightest," Roxas replied easily. "Especially since I know you owe me enough that you'd have to do it, anyway."

Riku only shrugged one shoulder. "Fair point," he allowed.

They quickly moved aside once the bags were stacked back into a pile that was far less neat than the one that they had been originally placed in, shuffling over to one side of the queue as they watched the process of the people being let onto the boat. There was an official standing at each entrance, beady eyes narrowed in suspicion of even the most primly dressed stiffs that danced their way over the ramps, and they held their hands out for the small stacks of paper that made up the tickets for their boarding. Ideally, their plan would have been far more successful had they managed to acquire any actual passes to allow them on the boat, but fate had not been kind enough to let those tickets fall into their laps without question and so theirs was going to be a far more unconventional arrival.

"Never going to work," Roxas said again, shaking his head. "Look, they're actually checking each individual name on there before they let people on, d'you really think there's a chance they're going to take one look at us and think 'You know what, these two guys look legit, let's chuck them on without even asking for a ticket'."

"Well, I hope they're not going to 'chuck' us on at all, personally, because the ramp doesn't look that stable, but I wouldn't mind if that's how it turned out. Faith, Roxas," he reminded the other boy, when the blonde lad let out a sputtering protest to those words. "Have faith. You always hear about people talking about stowaways on this boat or that boat, so there has to be a way to get it done successfully."

Roxas's brow furrowed. "If they actually got it done successfully, we wouldn't have heard about it, Riku," he pointed out blankly. "They would have just gone on the boat without anyone knowing who they were."

That gave the older boy pause for several frowning seconds, but he waved a hand to brush the matter away as he gave a very lame, "That's not the point. The point is faith, confidence… and a hatbox."

"Righ—what?" There was a strange excitement in the other boy's face as he banged his elbow against Roxas's and patted at his hand, a slow smile building on his face. "Right, Ri – Riku, you've already got my attention," Roxas said pointedly, as the other boy's tapping became more like punching than anything else. "What are you looking at?"

The grin that had stretched Riku' lips was one that Roxas had seen before, and it wasn't any more welcome in that moment than it had been every other time it had sprang onto his handsome face. It was part youthful and innocent, but it was also twisted into a crooked smirk of malice that only just managed to hide the truly corrupt spirit of the filthy, cheeky, mischievous creature that lurked behind the tanned skin and cheekbones that somehow fooled everyone else into thinking he was a nice person.

"How's your cockney accent going?" he asked suddenly.

"It's fine," Roxas replied warily, still frowning at his friend, and he tried to follow Riku' joyful gaze over to what seemed to be a fairly nondescript section of the wharf. His eyes skated over the bland wooden planks, trying to find what had made such a bright glint spark in the other boy's face. "Okay, you're really gonna have to step in here because I don't see what we're doing here."

He barely got the words out before Riku' hands suddenly shot out to grip Roxas by the arm, and he dragged the younger boy forward toward the stack of luggage that they had only just neatened. He hastily seized the first box that he came into contact with, and he physically shoved it into Roxas's startled hands before he began stacking them, one over the other, until he could barely see over the belongings that were now balanced against his chest.

"Uh, Riku?!"

"Wait," the older boy hissed, as he quickly grabbed a few bags of his own and slung them over his arms. He seemed to find nothing amiss with the situation; his expression stayed clear and calm as he manhandled someone else's possessions without care for the undoubtedly rude owners that might have been slightly irritated to find them rummaging through their luggage.

"I really don't—"

"What are you doing?" The uncertain question came from the new boy that was slowly approaching them from the edge of the platform, his young face drawn into a mask of confusion as he watched the two young men that were picking up the bags. He had the tan line of a working class boy, with the skin most golden above his brow and nose, but there were no distinctive rope burns or other markings that would have proclaimed him as a regular rigging boy on the docks.

Riku' eyes flitted up and down his slim frame once before he flashed a bright smile and jerked his head far back down the crowded wharf. "The boss says he wants to see you," he lied easily, and it was fortunate that the bags in Roxas's arms prevented anyone from laying eyes on the startled look that crossed his face. Riku even managed to tack on a sympathetic look for the boy as he added, "He was pissed, too, so I don't know if you've been messing with any of the supplies in his office or nothing, but he said to get your ass down there right away. We're supposed to take over."

A distinctly nauseous look crossed the boy's face as he nodded. "Uh, alright," he managed in a slightly stammering voice, and wiped his hands down his shirtfront before he moved to push past them.

"Oi, wait!" Riku called, as the boy began to jog away. He hefted the luggage in his arms. "Where the hell are we meant to be taking these, anyway?"

"Oh, there's a bay right inside the door, the others'll show you where to go. It's really simple, you only need to carry them just inside the deck and they take it down for you. If they tell you otherwise, head down to the right to find the sleeping quarters. They'll tell you everything."

Riku grinned at him. "Thanks, mate." The boy quickly jogged off toward what they could only assume to be the manager's office at the far end of the docks, and Riku' eyebrows twitched up smugly as he turned and flashed another blinding smile toward his stunned friend.

The only response that Roxas could manage was, "If you can lie like that, how come we're always being chased out of the pub for your gambling debts?"

"Because I cheat," the older boy replied cheerfully. "Now come on, before he comes back."

There wasn't any time for them to be hesitant or cautious in the way that they elbowed their way through the weary crowd; pushing through with many loud calls of 'excuse me' and obnoxious apologies that rendered the pleasantry useless the very first time that Riku stomped on a woman's foot and shouted 'I'm sorry' over one shoulder as she pranced out of the way. Roxas barely managed to contain his laughter at the sight of his friend clearing the sea of people with only a few overdone bellows and a flailing of his free arm as he felt for the edge of the decking.

Soon enough, Riku was blindly pushing another man out of the way as he finally stepped up onto the edge of the boat ramp; striding forward seemingly without any concern for the man that soon thrust out a hand to stop him mid-step.

"What do you think you're doing?" the man demanded, in a decidedly posh accent that Riku was almost certain was put on for the job. There was the nasal twang and the sense of superiority, but there was something in the man's mannerisms and the tan line of his wrist beneath his starched shirt that had him convinced he was faking it. In all honesty, that made the deception far easier; given that he was a complete fraud, too.

"We're supposed be taking these in," Riku replied, letting his voice become frustrated and beleaguered as he readjusted his grip on the bags like they were paining him. "They said to carry them straight over before people started complaining."

He was not expecting the man to come back with such a bored reply of, "Have you got your token?"

"Yep," Riku said, with the instantaneous confidence necessary to get away with any lie. "I already showed it to the bloke over the other side, but you can fish it out right now, if you like." He fought to control the smirk threatening to break free on his face as, impulsively, he shifted the bags in his arms so that he could thrust his hip out in the man's direction, pocket-first. For once, he was completely at peace with any and all comments that Roxas had made in the past about his overly tight pants, or the various wolf-whistles that he tended to get every time he so much as arched his back in front of his mates back home. He could already tell that there was no way that this man was going to break character to try and stick his hand into the side of Riku' trousers and wiggle around for what he could only imagine would be a somewhat small token to denote their position on the staff.

He watched the discomfited look that crawled over the man's face, but he did not immediately act.

"Excuse me, but is there some sort of complication here?" a haughty female voice suddenly snapped, and though Riku could barely turn around where he was trapped on the plank; he flicked a glance over his shoulder to watch a particularly delicate flower strolling forward with a sneer on her face and another silly parasol clamped in her hand. Even the guy standing beside her looked weary of her behaviour as he slouched there, his face tipped up toward the sun like none of the others' were.

Even though he immediately took a dislike to the woman who so pointedly stared past him, Riku still had to admit that she was somewhat useful as he added, "Right, is there a complication?"

"No, no complication, miss," the man replied quickly, shaking his head and looking far more working class than he had a moment ago while addressing Riku. "I'll just be back in a moment, please wait here."

Riku had always found it interesting how some of the worst treatment came from comparatively common people, rather than the rudest snobs; as it seemed that once anyone ordinary was given any sort of power over another, they became even worse for it. After years of being stomped on, they were suddenly the ones lifting the boot to crush the rest, and it almost made Riku hate his own fellows more than the poor elitists sweltering behind him.

Still, he was inclined to change his mind once more as, while watching the man skitter back onto the boat with only another thin coil of rope blocking off their passage, he heard the young 'lady' start to speak again.

"I don't understand why we have to wait in this dreadful heat for hours," she complained, and Riku made sure to keep his face within her line of view as he rolled his eyes.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Roxas whispered suddenly, leaning forward a bit. "If not, I reckon we should just leg it now before he comes back with a manager that'll just do that for us later."

Riku shook his head, and did his best to look suitably reassuring for his friend. If he'd had a free hand, he would have at least given him a pat on the shoulder, but as it was he settled with a smile and a cocky wink. "I said it'd work, just give it a second."

"Really, if my father were here, we'd already be on the boat. There's plenty of room; it's plain for everyone to see, and I can already feel how much cooler the air is from inside."

Roxas looked slightly uncertain still, but he shrugged. "Alright, if you say so."

"What did I ever do to earn your trust, my dear?" Riku asked saccharinely, fluttering his eyelashes a little, and Roxas just snorted.

"Nothing – and I mean that literally, mate."

"I don't see why they can't just let us through just to get out of the sun for a little while! That's all I'm asking, is that too much? I wasn't made to stand around in this."

Finally, Riku couldn't stand it any longer and – no matter the fact that he was currently trying to be as subtle as possible in his attempt to sneak onto the most famous boat in recent history – he turned and looked the woman directly in the eye and asked, "You do know that it's the reason you're alive, right?"

She looked so startled that he was talking to her that his question managed to slip past her practised, snooty defences. "Pardon?"

"The sun," Riku clarified, gesturing with his chin up toward the blue sky above their heads. Beside him, Roxas gave a muted groan and turned his face away like he could pretend they weren't associated in any way. It wasn't the first time he had done that, either. "That big bright thing in the middle of the sky? It's keeping you alive right now."

The woman looked honestly lost as she asked, "Is there a purpose behind you telling me all of this?"

"Just that maybe you could be a little more grateful," Riku shrugged, and Roxas openly lifted his shoulder as best he could to shield his face from view.

The girl's eyes widened so much that Riku could see every outline of the make-up that had probably been painstakingly prepared before she had begun to perspire just enough to loosen its hold. He was about to make the mistake of commenting on that, too, but he was distracted by a muffled burst of laughter that had not come from either him or Roxas – who was usually the first person to look to as a source of any sniggering.

Instead, Riku' gaze shifted onto the bored lad who had been standing behind them throughout the entire exchange, although Riku had not been aware that he was listening to their conversation at all. Now, he glanced over to find that the boy had his palm pressed to his mouth in a blatant effort to stifle the rich laugh that had almost escaped a moment ago, and his bright ocean blue eyes were dancing with mirth as they lifted to meet Riku'.

He seemed unaware of the irritation that was building in the girl's flushed face as he stared - his smile revealing dimples that could not quite be hidden by the hand clamped over his lips – until the prim and proper young lady snapped, "Sora!"

The boy startled, dislodging a few tousled spikes that he absently smoothed away from his forehead as he turned back toward the other woman with a very unconvincing look of contriteness on his face. "I'm very sorry," he apologized instantly, lowering his head just a little bit while his shining eyes darted once back to Riku'. They flicked back to the girl's a moment later, but that one glance was so full to bursting with barely suppressed laughter that Riku bit down on his cheek to hide his grin as he turned his back again.

Only a few seconds later, their doorman with an overblown sense of importance returned with a cool look on his face and the slight flush of a man who had just been scolded. His voice was very curt as he pulled the rope barrier back and ushered them inside with a muted, "Take the bags inside and carry them below deck as you're instructed."

Riku only took the moment to throw a smug smile over his shoulder toward Roxas – unintentionally catching the gaze of the spiky-haired Sora as he did so – before he skipped lightly over the railing with a soft whistle and a suggestive wink for their stony-faced doorman as he went.

Told you guys I had another story coming soon :) Yes this story is based on the Titanic, was it hard not to guess the story though? Come on I made it pretty obvious. And yes they all are British, well except for Axel, he's Irish! :) Tell me if you guys like it or not.