(A/N): This took longer than I wanted it to because I kept getting distracted by literally everything else. This was also inspired when I played through Castle of Dreams when I picked up UX again because it's been a hot minute since I touched UX. Without further ado, enjoy some more fluff.
The busyness of the town had Sora and Riku scratching their heads in confusion. The townsfolk were jittery with excitement as they quickly made their way through various streets, sidewalks, and buildings. As they averted the people who were in their path, the duo found a safe spot in a small alleyway to catch their breath. "I wonder what all the commotion is." Riku sighed while glancing at the pedestrians a few ways away.
Sora looked around the courtyard and noticed there were streamers that decorated the lampposts around them and food stands were being set up at the edge of the perimeter, tilting his head slightly and lifting an eyebrow. "Maybe it's some sort of party?" He questioned before turning back to Riku, a soft smile soon appearing on his face. "Let's go ask Cinderella. She might know something."
Riku was about to ask how he knew the princess, but remembered her being one of the original Seven Princesses of Heart when he was being controlled by Ansem. He frowned and averted his gaze at the memory. He was brought back to reality when he felt a hand clutch his own, and saw Sora give him a comforting look before pulling him out of the alley and back into the crowd.
As they maneuvered through, the duo spotted more decorations the closer to the castle they got, and eventually, they began to see guards patrol the streets the longer the day went on. Riku grew suspicious, and had a feeling something was about to happen while everyone was distracted. What that something was, he had no idea, but a part of him believed he was overthinking the situation; that he was paranoid over nothing and he shouldn't be stressed out. However, if his hunch was right, his first priority would be to protect the person who matters most to him as it always has been for years.
When they approached the castle gates, unsurprisingly, they were stopped by a pair of guards who gave them both stern glares. Riku responded with a frown and lowered brows, flexing his fingers as an attempt to be ready to force his way inside the castle. Sora noticed this and squeezed his hand, silently telling him to not make a move. The brunette smiled at the two guards and began to speak. "Hi! We're here to see Cinderella and Prince Charming."
"What business do you have with the Queen?"
"O-Oh, she's the queen now," Sora stuttered in surprise, not realizing how long it had been since he last saw the blonde, and wondered if she remembered him. "Um, the business I have? Well, I want to see how she's doing, and ask her why everyone is so festive."
"The Queen is busy at the moment."
"Oh," Sora's shoulders slumped in disappointment, and he lowered his head with half-lid eyes and a frown. After a pause, he faced the guards once again with a slight smile. "Well, tell her that Sora and Riku stopped by."
"Sora!?" The pair took a quick glance at each other with wide eyes before turning back to the Keyblade wielders. "You mean the same Sora that saved our Queen two years ago!?"
"Yes?" Sora lifted an eyebrow and turned to Riku while shrugging his shoulders in confusion. Riku raised his arms in defeat and shook his head, also not understanding the situation and what it meant for the two. However, he had a little hope for what the guards were about to say.
The guards stepped aside with lifted heads and opened the gates. "The Queen has been expecting you. She has told us all about the boy with a key-shaped sword who rescued her from an evil witch. Excuse us for being in your way."
"It's okay!" Sora quickly reassured, his smile growing larger. "You didn't know it was me. But everything is fine now."
"The Queen awaits your presence." With a nod, the two stepped through the gate and made their way towards the grand staircase leading to the tall doors awaiting them. Riku was a bit peeved that the guards only recognized Sora and not himself, but he was also rather relieved they didn't know who he was. Riku was the one who assisted Maleficent in obtaining the Seven Princesses of Heart, so he was grateful they only knew of the boy who saved the Princesses and not the boy who helped kidnap them.
Sora gawked in amazement as he kept his eyes glued to the halls and floors, having no words for the design of the castle as Riku kept close behind him to make sure he didn't run off. The duo made their way up various staircases until they reached the throne room, where they spotted an older man with ravenette hair and glasses, who Sora assumed was the infamous Grand Duke, talking to a familiar pair.
The blonde of the pair averted her gaze and her eyes widened at the sight of the two teens. "Sora!" She cried out with excitement as she ran towards the brunette with a smile. She pulled him into a tight hug, causing his eyes to widen in surprise before hugging her back. "It's nice to see you too, Cinderella." She pulled away with happiness gleaming in her eyes, but slight fear filled her gaze once she spotted the silverette behind him. Cinderella shrouded away and took a step back. "Sora, why is he here?"
"Oh, don't worry," Sora gestured to Riku with a smile, placing an arm around him to comfort the blonde. "Riku's one of us now. He's dealt with the darkness in his heart, so he's not gonna hurt you."
Cinderella's gaze was still unsure, judging by the stoic expression Riku held, but she looked back to the brunette's comforting grin, and her gaze softened slightly. "Well, if you trust him, Sora, then I'll trust him too."
"He's my best friend. I trust him with everything," Riku couldn't help but smile at the brunette's statement despite his heart sinking into his stomach. For some reason, he wanted to hear something else, but he pushed those feelings aside. Sora loved all of his friends unconditionally, so Riku believed he shouldn't think too much of his words. "So, Cinderella, what's with all of the decorations?"
"Oh, it's the one-year anniversary of our coronation, so we're hosting a ball to celebrate," Cinderella quickly gazed back at her husband before turning back to the brunette, an idea soon popping in her head. "You two must attend tonight as our guests of honor. It would make me so happy."
"We would love to," Sora responded excitedly before sheepishly glancing at his clothes. "Although, I don't think we're properly dressed."
Cinderella clapped her hands happily. "Oh, that's no problem. You can have suits tailored for you. It would be my pleasure."
"What do you say, Riku?" Sora turned back to the silverette with a smile, a smile Riku could never say no to. Riku has never been a huge fan of parties as he's always wanted to keep to himself. However, where Sora went, he was always quick to follow no matter the situation. And he knew Sora would be bummed out if he didn't agree to something.
Riku nodded with a smile and ruffled Sora's hair. "You would keep asking me until I said yes," He replied as the brunette chuckled as a result. "It might be what we need after all of the Heartless we've been fighting."
Sora's eyes beamed before nodding to the blonde with a grin. Cinderella turned back to her husband and the Grand Duke and rushed towards them to tell them the news. The duo glanced at each other for a brief moment before noticing the Grand Duke stepping towards them and clearing his throat. "The Queen has asked me to give you a vacant room for the night. If you will follow me."
While following the Grand Duke, Riku glanced around at the castle paintings while Sora hummed happily in front of him. The man leading them was silent save for the occasional "Hmph" he seemed to love so much. Servants ran up and down the hall, paying little attention to the two Keyblade Wielders as they rushed to prepare for the ball. Riku began to imagine how the night would go, and all he wanted was to be with Sora alone. Not that he was expecting something to happen, but he would rather be alone with the brunette than in a room full of strangers.
The Grand Duke opened a door to their right, revealing a large bedroom with a pastel blue color scheme. The headboard king-sized bed rested against the wall to their left and a chair sat in the corner of the room next to the glass doors that led to the balcony. A dresser sat across the bed with a mirror sitting above it, and the door leading to the closet was placed next to it. "I hope you enjoy your stay." The two entered the room as the Grand Duke closed the door behind them silently.
Automatically, Sora kicked off his shoes and curled up in the middle of the bed, sighing in delight at the softness of the covers with closed eyes. "Finally, a chance to relax," He moaned, his voice muffled by the comforter. "My feet hurt from all of that walking."
"We did just walk through the entire kingdom," Riku replied while taking the chair next to the bed. "I don't know what else you would be feeling." Sora stuck his tongue at him with a pout as a response, causing Riku to laugh with a genuine smile.
The smile caused the brunette to remove his pout and grin, happy to finally see a happy look on the silverette's face for once. He rolled over and grabbed the pillow across from him and nuzzled into it. "Wake me up when we have to get dressed."
"I will." After speaking, Riku heard a light snore from the other Keyblade wielder and couldn't help but sigh before turning his gaze towards the window and watching the pedestrians below him go about their day and prepare for the ball.
Sora dusted himself off before glancing at the mirror in front of him: his signature crown necklace was tucked under the red and black schemed suit he wore, and the spikes in his hair were as unruly as ever despite the servants' best attempts at brushing them down. Sora glanced down and saw a star brooch that reminded him of the paopu fruit back on Destiny Islands pinned against his heart.
The brunette brushed hair out of his eyes before hearing a door open and turning to see Riku emerge from the walk-in closet. The silverette wore a suit similar to his own, however, the red was replaced with a dark blue, and Sora noticed he also had a star brooch pinned to his chest. The brunette couldn't help but stare in awe at how good the other teen looked, and he felt jealous for whoever he managed to attract. Sora never felt too comfortable whenever Riku was around another girl, and while he was free to date whoever he wanted, it felt off to Sora to not having the silverette by his side. They had been together since they were barely 5 years old, so he was used to being around Riku, and not being near him made him scared.
Riku lifted an eyebrow at his gaze and placed a hand on his hip. "What? Is there something on my face?"
Sora realized he had been staring and blushed before shaking his head. "N-No," He stuttered as a response before returning his gaze. "You look nice."
The silverette sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck with light pink cheeks and lowered his eyes to the ground. "Thanks. You don't look half bad either," The response made Sora's blush grow, and he coughed in embarrassment. Riku chuckled and held out one of his hands for Sora to take ahold of. "Shall we?"
The two were greeted with a large roar of chatter as they entered the ballroom, glancing around to see guards at the entrance, and while Riku still held a suspicious feeling, Sora's comforting gaze was enough to make him let it go. The duo kept to themselves aside from Sora starting the occasional conversation with another guest and Riku saying as few words as possible.
At last, the signal of trumpets called everyone's attention to Cinderella and her husband making their way down the large staircase, wearing clothing that bore a striking resemblance to what they wore on the night they first met. The king helped Cinderella on the last step and she made her way forward to face the crowd. "Tonight marks the first anniversary of our coronation," She spoke confidently with pride. "To celebrate this occasion, I have invited the men who saved me from the witch Maleficent years ago. I present to you our guests of honor, Sora and Riku!"
Riku was a bit taken back that the blonde would recognize him, but he found himself being pulled to the front of the room by the smiling brunette. Once they joined Cinderella, Sora waved to the citizens while the silverette glanced at the blonde with a confused look. She merely smiled and gestured to the people around them. Riku's lips curled upward as he joined Sora in waving.
Once there was silence, the Grand Duke stepped forward and cleared his throat. "As tradition has been for many years, the king and queen shall have the first dance of the night." The duo joined the rest of the guests against the wall before the royal couple began to dance. Riku watched them twirl around the ballroom in tune to the music, and automatically, he imagined himself and Sora in their places. The silverette pictured the two of them focusing on each other as no one else in the room mattered if there were onlookers, and they would find themselves dancing from the ballroom to the balcony nearby and enjoy the night while it still lasted.
Riku shook his head and lowered his eyes. He didn't know this world's rules and customs, so he had no idea if the people here would be accepting of two men dancing with each other no matter the reason. He glanced at the brunette next to him, who kept a smile on his face with eyes as bright as the chandeliers above them. Riku extended a hand to hold his, but pulled away before Sora even noticed.
Cinderella bowed to her partner once the dance ended, and various couples joined them on the floor while other guests made their way to the buffet table. Riku grabbed himself a quick drink and snuck into a corner of the ballroom while letting Sora chat away with whoever he wanted. The silverette was surprised Sora wasn't trying to bring him into any conversations, but believed the brunette was giving him space after seeing what happened when he forced him into conversations before the ball began.
However, it wasn't long before Sora stepped away from the small group he was talking to and jogged towards the silverette with a smile. Grabbing his hand gently, he tugged him towards the dancefloor. "Come on. Let's join them," Riku blinked in surprise, but an unsure gaze fell upon the dancing pairs, and he lowered his head in embarrassment. Sora followed his gaze and shook his head. "It's not like we'll be doing anything wrong. Let's go."
Riku released the breath he was holding in and relaxed his shoulders. "If you say so." He allowed the brunette to lead him to the middle of the floor, placing a hand on Sora's waist while one of Sora's hands fell to his shoulder. Sora nodded and they began to sway in sync. Riku had to admit it wasn't bad being with Sora like this. He twirled him a couple times, and the brunette couldn't help but laugh. The laugh caused the silverette's heart to swell, and a wide grin appeared on his face as he laughed alongside him. He was aware of the glances and whispers from the other guests, but he was too wrapped up in the brunette to care. Sora's eyes shone in the light as he gave Riku a soft look, and the look made the silverette blush.
After a few more minutes, the two pulled away, their hands still interlocked with one another as they nodded to each other as a sign of thanks. Riku looked over towards the entrance to the balcony outside and looked back to the brunette with a gesture. "Want to get some air?"
"Sure." The two silently made their way out of the ballroom and towards a nearby bench outside. Once he sat down, Sora sighed in relief as he threw his head back with closed eyes. "Tonight was fun," He said happily. "We should go to more parties like this," He leaned forward to look at Riku. "Maybe the King has something planned. What do you think?"
"I don't know," Riku placed his hands in his pockets. "Mickey is always full of surprises."
Sora hummed in agreement and stood up once again, locking his gaze to the star brooch over Riku's heart. "Say Riku, why did you choose that?"
Riku glanced at the brooch and paused for a moment, placing a hand over it before responding. "It reminded me of home, and I was thinking back to what I said before our island fell to darkness. And it got me thinking that I should have conveyed my feelings better. I just never had the time to, even after we defeated Xehanort." Sora automatically realized the silverette was talking about the day he threw a paopu at the brunette and recited the legend to him.
"If two people share one. Their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's' lives no matter what."
Sora felt a thumb stroke his knuckles gently and saw Riku with a shamed expression. The look made Sora frown and bring a hand forward to cup the silverette's cheek, causing them to lock eyes. "I get it," The brunette spoke before his frown turned into a comforting smile. "We both could have done something different when it came to our feelings."
"Sora." The brunette teen giggled before feeling a hand grab his chin and pull him forward and an arm tightly wrapped around his waist. Sora smiled and nodded for the other teen to continue, and without wasting any time, Riku brought their lips together in a deep kiss.
Sora practically melted at the touch, and was grateful Riku was keeping him on his feet. His arms moved to wrap around the silverette's neck in an attempt to pull him closer while Riku's free hand was tangled in his hair. The two rocked gently as they refused to let each other go, almost falling over because of how tightly they were holding.
When they pulled away, both pairs of eyes were filled with affection, and the light from the moon made their skin seem like it was glowing. Sora nuzzled the other with a sigh and closed his eyes while Riku glanced back at the party going on without them. "Should we go back?"
Sora shook his head with a hum. "Not yet. I want to stay here for a bit. Like this." Riku nodded before bringing Sora's face closer to kiss him again. It didn't take long for both of them to forget about the world around them as they were more focused on the music stirring in their hearts and the overwhelming desire to protect each other. The night was dark save for the moonlight that shone upon them, but neither of them cared because they knew they would help each other find their way back to the light.
