notes; Remember when Santa and Sora were talking about Riku – who we learn had convinced Sora that Santa wasn't real when they were, respectively, eight and nine? Why isn't there more fic about that?! DX Such cute possibilities! Come on, people! orz
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Two
At age six, Sora makes a list to mail Santa. His mother smiles and pets his hair while he writes it, and tells him to leave it on the table, she'll address and send it out for him. He grins up at her and goes back to scrawling his wishes.
When Riku hears, he smiles.
Sora asks "Do you think he'll get my letter? Mom might get the address wrong since she's so... Forgetful."
Riku looks away and sort of laughs. When he looks back, he's smiling again. "I'm sure he'll get it anyway. Santa's magic like that."
Sora looks relieved.
---
At age seven, Sora doesn't make a list. He rambles to his mom about the latest games and toys he wants, but if Santa is so magical, he'll just know, Sora thinks. He tells Riku about this theory, and the older boy makes the same face, does the same sort of laugh, and gives the same smile.
Sora frowns. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Riku snorts. "Nothing."
Kairi taps Sora on the shoulder, and playfully sticks her tongue out at Riku. "He's just being silly, Sora, forget it."
Sora grins, then joins in the 'making faces at Riku' game.
Riku doesn't mind, so he just laughs and shares a knowing look with Kairi. Her eyes say let him be, and she laughs.
---
At age eight, Sora mentions Santa once, briefly, and Riku gives him an exasperated look.
"He's not real, Sora. It's just your mom writing 'Santa' instead of her name on the tags."
The brunet blinks. By the next day, everyone knows he doesn't believe in Santa anymore. But he frowns on Christmas eve, because he does still believe in Santa. But Riku is always right.
Kairi pats his shoulder and tells him "You're allowed to disagree with your friends, you know," but he shrugs it off.
---
At age nine, Sora decides to make a new tradition. On Christmas, he calls Riku and hangs up instead of leaving a message. (This frustrates the older boy, and is thus: endlessly amusing.) Then he calls Kairi so the phone is busy when Riku calls back. He would still call her, but it's the timing that makes it even better.
"Merry Christmas!" He enthuses, and he's not surprised by the festive buzz in the background. The mayor has family, of course, and he insists that they are Kairi's family too. A party; holiday music and warm candles everywhere. This is what Kairi describes, but before the call drags on too long, her mayor insists she come socialize with the guests more.
"Remember to call Riku, too!" Are Kairi's last words, and Sora would salute if she could see him.
Riku hasn't called back, and the young brunet quickly forgets his mission.
---
At age ten, Sora still thinks it's a fabulous tradition. It takes him until two in the morning to remember said tradition, but it's still fabulous. He calls Kairi first, because she's usually in bed by this time. He can almost feel the warmth of the blanket, and he hears the fireplace crackling close behind her.
After the usual 'Merry Christmas,' Kairi whines about the time and hangs up on him. Her voice was drowsy anyway – he wonders if he'd woken her up, but isn't particularly bothered by the idea. This time he remembers to call Riku.
The older boy sounds tired when he picks up, but in a different way. Sora says Merry Christmas, and there's a bit of a pause. Finally, through the silence, "Yeah. Merry Christmas, Sora."
---
At age eleven, the call with Kairi takes nearly an hour. Girls can talk a lot, the brunet thinks, and frowns at the phone. "Kairi? I gotta call Riku still, okay? Before tomorrow?"
"Hm? Alright. I'll tell you the rest at school, okay?" It's not really a question. Sora hangs up before she can start talking again. He heard the sound of people behind her – another party. There are plenty of people she could be talking to. He dials Riku's number and waits.
It's hardly nine at night, but Riku still sounds so tired. "Yeah?"
"Merry Christmas!"
"... Hi Sora."
The same awkward pause, and Sora starts to think about it. He hadn't noticed before, but it's always so quiet at Riku's house. The younger boy has been there once before. It was big.
And empty.
"Merry Christmas," Riku says, and sighs. "I gotta go, okay?"
They both know it's a lie.
---
At age twelve, Sora calls Kairi and nearly hangs up before saying anything in memory of the last year. But he's careful not to let her get started, and the call is quickly over. The brunet stares at the phone skeptically. To call Riku? Does Riku want him to call? They argue a lot, but they're still friends.
So he calls. He dials the numbers slowly, to the point where his mom asks if he's forgotten the number (he pouts and shakes his head). Riku picks up the phone, and Sora wonders; why don't his parents ever answer? When was the last time he'd seen the older boy's parents? Talked to them? When was the last time Riku had seen his parents?
"Hello?"
Sora nearly hangs up, but manages an awkward "Uh. Merry Christmas?"
"It's early for you," Riku says – Sora can just imagine the silver-haired boy twirling the phone cord around his fingers, held in one hand, and wearing that expression that looked bored but meant simultaneously annoyed and amused. Riku-studying is one of Sora's favorite past-times – up there with Kairi-watching and video games. Riku continues, "You usually call way later than four in the afternoon."
"Nothing better to do, I guess," Sora says.
Riku huffs, and says irritably, "Spend time with your family," before hanging up.
Sora stares at the phone and listens to the dial tone for a long moment before seeking out his mom.
---
At age thirteen, Sora calls Kairi. She laughs; "We just saw each other half an hour ago, Sora." (Stumbling, blushing and awkward, cheeks red, breath warm, and shoulders bumping to share the scarf. They'd hung out all day and he'd offered to walk her home, but even on the islands, night time in winter was cold.)
"I don't care," he says, and means it. Kairi laughs again; he loves Kairi's laugh, but imagines this would be a horribly embarrassing thing to tell her. So instead he jokingly adds "Riku probably feels abandoned, I should call him too."
There's something in the way Kairi remains silent for a moment that makes the brunet go over his words again, wondering if he said something wrong. But she says, sincerely, "You do that, then. I should go meet more aunts and uncles of mine, anyway." He doesn't have time to say he didn't mean right away, because the red-head hangs up almost immediately.
So he calls Riku.
"Merry Christmas!" He says when he hears the click – he knows it will be Riku that picks up.
Riku chuckles. "Yeah, you too."
"Think it'll snow this year?"
"It never snows here, Sora. You know that. It just gets cold, windy, and rains."
"I s'pose so." And in just an instant, Sora thinks of the stretching silence and the awkward cold nothing that could fill up the phone call. Before it can come to that he rushes to say "Wanna come over?"
Echoing silence and then "... Yeah."
When Riku shows up, the boys are noisy and warm together, and the silver-haired boy forgets about the empty house with the too-big rooms and too-quiet evenings.
---
At age fourteen, Sora shows up at Riku's house without warning. He explains that he has permission to spend the night from his mom, and later adds that he'll need to borrow the phone to call Kairi – but he's saving one call by showing up on his own.
Riku just stares at him, bewildered.
"Merry Christmas," Sora says after a moment, realizing he'd forgotten to say it. Then he adds, without missing a beat, "Where's your kitchen again?"
An hour later finds them with freshly baked cookies beside them, video games on but ignored, phone on the floor with a dial tone from the call to Kairi, and scratches on the boys' arms from wrestling and fighting; arguing and flailing. Noisy. Riku finally returns to the video game, munching on one of the chocolate chip cookies as he attacks the younger boy's character.
Across the room, Sora squawks indignantly. "That's not fair!" He cries. "I'm way over here, I can't defend myself!"
"You were the one who volunteered to start a fire," Riku reminds him, but never-the-less quits and goes to one player.
Sora pouts. "Well, because sitting in front of the fireplace is the best ever." After a pause, there's a warm orange glow to the room, and the brunet plops himself down beside Riku. "Put it back on two player."
"Winner gets bragging rights."
Sora has to lean over Riku to grab a cookie, and after taking a bite, "Fair enough; but we don't tell her about the baking part, right?"
The look they share is dead serious, despite the freshly baked cookies in hand. "We don't tell her about that part," Riku affirms.
---
At age fifteen, Sora sleeps. His mother buys presents to mail to her family off the islands, and thinks this is too few, but can't place who she's forgotten. Kairi can't bring herself to attend the Christmas parties or to socialize with her 'family'; unsure of why. She sits by the phone and when asked if she's waiting for a call, she looks up thoughtfully.
"No," Namine says, regarding the present Riku holds out to her.
"Yes," He argues, voice too deep and skin too tan. Hair too long and heart too dark. Rather than dark, Namine thinks to herself, uneasy. This man is such an unstable boy inside. She wishes it could be outside too.
"Do you have any Christmas wishes?" She asks, not pressing the present issue farther, and takes the small box into her hands.
"No." Unspoken: They wouldn't come true. Because Riku wants. Riku wants to remember this boy. This stranger he can't remember anything about except for I want to protect you, I need to atone, you are important. Why is he important?
Namine doesn't miss the way his shoulders tense, and sets down the present on a near-by table. "Are you certain?"
"... Snow, I guess."
It isn't until months later that he remembers Sora. The boy stares at him with an odd look that might be recognition, but they fight and Riku protects him from the shadows. The land of dragons, this world is called, and he trudges through the snow. Sora used to wish for snow, but the few times he's seen the brunet recently, the boy hasn't been taking notice of it in the slightest.
It had never snowed at the islands. Too tropical a place for it there, and at the distant memory of warmth, of home, and of hot sand and a burning sun, he shivers. Snow is pretty, but too damn cold. He still finds himself thinking I want to play in the snow with Sora.
---
At sixteen, Sora hands Riku a Christmas present. "By the way," he says, mock-casually, voice over-loud. "I met Santa, and he said to tell you he exists." The brunet falls onto the couch in Riku's living room.
Riku just blinks. "Okay."
"... Is that it?" Sora is reaching for the phone.
The older boy looks bewildered. "I guess it is?"
Sora doesn't appear to have heard Riku at all, and after dialing, holds the phone up. "Hey, is Kairi there?" Riku can't hear the response, but he sees the brunet's face brighten and his tone change to a distinctly happy one. "Merry Christmas!" A pause. "Uh-huh. Riku's house. You wanna come over? ... Oh, I guess so – well, I'll see you at school, okay?"
When Sora hangs up, Riku looks up through his bangs, quizzically.
"She's busy with the mayor and stuff. She said merry Christmas to you, too."
The older boy smiles contentedly.
"Anyway, like I was saying, Riku? You were totally wrong about Santa." Gloating is Sora's new favorite past-time. "I met him, and he's really cool."
Riku shrugs. "I figured he wasn't real because I never got anything for Christmas."
Sora blinks. "What, like, presents?"
Another shrug. "Presents or wishes – whatever. I just gave up on the idea that those amazing things happen." Hair hiding his face; always when he says something important. Sora frowns at this, but resists the urge to push back the silver bangs. "But I'm back now, and I believe you. I mean... After... Everything, I'm not really sure I deserve anyth--"
Sora smacks him upside the head. "Wish for something!"
Riku holds his head, glaring half-heartedly at the brunet. (Sora remembers when such an offense would earn a tackle at least, but forces himself not to be too upset at the change.) "I don't have anything to wish for. I'm happy with this." Unspoken: With you. "Good actions don't cancel out the bad." Unspoken: I'm still on the naughty list.
Sora hits him again. "Make a wish! Santa will make it come true this time; now that you believe in him!" Unspoken: Mistakes don't count as bad actions. Mistakes can be forgiven and atoned for.
It takes nearly an hour for Riku to decide on anything, but he rubs his head and after giving the younger boy a sour look, brightens slightly and, voice soft, says "I want it to snow."
But it doesn't.
---
At seventeen, Sora throws open the door to Riku's house. (He's memorized where the spare key is kept, and gets tired of knocking and waiting and occasionally not being heard at all.) Riku is sitting on the couch, and looks up to the brunet.
"Hey. Merry Christmas." He says, and is promptly hit in the face by something Sora tosses. After a moment of blinking in disbelief, he picks the fallen item up from his lap. Sora's necklace; silver chain and crown pendant glinting in the dim living room light. There are two key-chains hanging from it, awkwardly long and not meant to be on a necklace. The first, three silver circles in the shape of a mouse – specifically: King Mickey. The second, a small golden lamp.
Riku blinks at it some more.
"Christmas presents," Sora explains, giving Riku a 'you're a retard look' – but when you're getting those from Sora, you should take it with a grain of salt.
But it's your necklace that you always wear, but I don't deserve it, but these are for the keyblade, but it's your necklaceis what almost tumbles out his mouth, but Riku can only manage to stare.
Sora bounces over to him and jumps onto the couch, over-excited. He points to the Mickey Mouse key-chain. "See, this one is Mickey. I was thinking you probably miss him and stuff, so it'd be like he's always with you. Well, he is anyway, but, something you can hold, yeah? And this one," the brunet points to the lamp, "is a magic lamp. The real ones have genies in them, and they grant wishes."
Without a chance to respond, and questioning how much hot cocoa Sora has had in the past half hour, Riku watches the younger boy energetically dart off to get the phone. He eyes the necklace, not feeling compelled to wear it or take off the key-chains just yet. He just stares, feeling vaguely touched, until he's startled by a sudden weight on the couch, nearly half an hour later.
"Kairi sure talks a lot." Sora says. "Not that it's bad or anything."
Riku chuckles, and runs his thumb over the wishing lamp key-chain. After a pause, he asks idly, "Any Christmas wishes for Santa?"
"Nope! I'm good with just this. What about you?"
"Do I get two wishes?" The silver-haired boy holds up the necklace with one hand. "One for Santa, one for the lamp?"
"I guess so," Sora says, and kicks his heels against the floor as if impatient. "So? What do you want?"
Riku looks thoughtful. He thinks: I want it to snow, I want to give you a sorry that's worth what I've done. I want to be able to put it all behind me like you can. I want Roxas and Namine to have their own lives. I want my family to come home for Christmas, just this once. None of the sullen thoughts show on his face, and he looks back to Sora. The older boy holds up his fingers to count off on them; "Well, first I want dinner. And after that, I want a fire in the fireplace."
Sora laughs. "I think we can handle those without Santa or Genie. You make dinner, I'll start the fire."
Riku nods, and after detaching the key-chains, pulls the necklace over his head on his way to the kitchen. It looks sort of silly on him, but he doesn't tuck it under his shirt. He clips the two key-chains to the belt-loop of his pants for now, and starts on dinner.
So the boys huddle together in front of the fireplace, plates in front of them and TV on but ignored. They grant their own wishes, and Riku is grateful to Sora. Despite that, through his smiles and laughter he thinks I still haven't reached redemption.
---
End
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notes; Something in the KH2 novel that made me happy: In the land of dragons, Riku has this internal monologue about how he wants to play in the snow with Sora. S-so cute! Riku is such a gigantic woobie!
In other news, I like the idea of Riku being on the naughty list forever. Sure, I love my Mr. Insecurity aka Riku, but... Isn't it tragic and lovely if he really never atones? And everyone forgives him anyway? Lovely lovely