Oh jeez, so I've decided that this is one of my favourite KH pairings to write. This story is written as a sequel to my other story, Shatter The Dawn, and picks up almost a year after the events of that, rather short, one-shot. Though it would help to check that one out and get a little bit of background on this one, you shouldn't be too lost or confused without reading it, so no worries.
Summary: He should be gone by now, like always. Leaving before things get too difficult, before the sky gets too bright. The city glares down at him, and it could kill him, he knows. It is four-thirty a.m., and it is getting too late for him.
Hallow Bastion is just that at four a.m.; hallow.
The buildings stare emptily down at the cobblestone streets, gaping windows like listless eyes, not a shadow stirring, not a breath of noise. The sky is flat grey, no hint of depth to it, no sun, no moon to brighten the clouds.
As Riku walks the streets, his footsteps echoing like gunshots in the silence, it feels almost as if the shadows could spring to life again, almost, but not quite. Things have changed since the last time he was on this world, in himself as well. He is braver, stronger, and more world-weary, almost ready to give it up and go to sleep as well. Almost, but not quite.
There is sudden movement to his left, a strange creature pulls itself out of the flatness of the ground and into twitching, blinking three-dimensional living. Riku stops, hand closing around an imaginary handle, of an imaginary sword. The Heartless blinks at him, antenna flicking towards him, takes one jerky step forward and the word 'Master' gurgles out of it in the twisted, shaky language of shadows.
Then the city comes to life.
The security system turns on in a blast of light, glowing cylinders glide this way and that across the cobblestone, and all come together around the Heartless. There is a small dark cloud, a glittering pink heart, and it's over. The security system shuts back down, the sky gets a little lighter, and it is as if nothing happened. Riku continues walking.
Somewhere a innocent bird lets out a couple squawks of birdsong, then falls silent again, perhaps waiting for a reply. The city glares down at him, all shadowy tall buildings, and dark empty streets. It could kill him, he knows, if he really takes out his sword, or he could kill it. But he wants to gain its' trust, for once he wants something with all reason to hate him, to unconditionally believe in him to do no harm. Just once.
Somewhere in the distance there is the small buzz of the security system activating again, followed by the quite click of it shutting down again, something he could hear only in such silence. Riku checks the horizon—four-thirty a.m., and it is getting too late for him.
He stops walking near the center of a smaller Hallow Bastion, a square, a sprawling building, older houses lining the streets. Now, newer, fresher buildings stretch out and away, and yet, everyone knows the heart of the city and the world is right here. Riku stares up at the building, and it stares back down, uncaring, unaffected. Riku steps up to the door, simple wood, rotting around the edges and presses his hand up against it, the wood rough and chafing on his skin.
"Let me in," He asks, and nothing happens. Inside the inconspicuous door hums the security system, warily filling the door with the strength to hold off an army. "Please?" Riku tries again, nothing. He knows the password, probably, but still feels silly saying out loud. Silly and childish and thirteen again. "Open sesame?" He tries, and the hum dies down, and the door clicks open.
Inside it is dark like a cave, built like a cave. Made for the first days of their lives here, so the shadows would slip right off the curved sides. The house was built around it, like a statement, like a temporary living situation. Computer screens light the room with a buzzing blue glow, schematics and alerts scroll by on them, a complicated creation of magic and science smashed together over and over until they stuck.
But there is nothing here for Riku so he turns to the stairs, likely the weakest part of this half fortress, half home. He can imagine the girl he's never met jumping past them all, the man he's never known clumping down them anyways, and angrily replacing the steps half-heartedly later. The woman he's never seen would step lightly on them, and Him? What would He do?
The stairs creak and seem to nearly buckle underneath Riku, protesting loudly at their mistreatment. Riku winces at every wine of a nail, every squeak of old wood, afraid of stirring the house. On the second floor he checks the sky outside the window, four-fifty; a risky, just waking time, and Riku shouldn't still be here. But he keeps going.
He steps lightly past the open doors of the girl, the man and the woman and finally comes to two closed ones at the end of the hallway. Pressing his ear to one he hears nothing but the faint sounds of the house shifting in its sleep, so he goes to the other, and with a twist to the handle gently pushes it open.
Across from him is a wide window, stretched along it is a bed, lumpy blankets piled around a deeply breathing form. He goes to the bed, hand already reaching for the long dark brown hair and then stops. Next to Leon in the bed is a small blonde man, deep asleep and dreaming. Something is crushed inside of Riku. He stands there for a long time, waiting for his body to reboot itself, to start up the security system long-since deactivated. But there is nothing, no protection to leap to his aid.
Finally he lets his hand continue on its path, and runs his fingers lightly through the locks of brown hair, "Goodbye, Leon." He whispers, and turns, walks away.
But is stopped by a rough, scarred hand suddenly hanging onto his with too much strength for Riku to simply shake off. He turns back to the bed before he even knows what he's doing. Leon is sitting up on the bed, leaning forward slightly to keep his hold on Riku's hand. His hair is slightly tangled from sleep, and the dawn light lands on his perfect naked torso. Everything inside of Riku aches, with want, and with the horrible thought that Leon is no longer his.
"Riku." Leon whispers, shock lighting up his words, his eyes wide and disbelieving. Warmth pools into Riku's hand from Leon's, traveling up his arm.
"You used to sleep through everything," Riku murmurs, a small smile twitches at the corner of Leon's mouth, "Yeah well, you changed me." He replies, Riku shifts his gaze past Leon to the blonde, who snuggles a little deeper into the blankets. Leon's half-smile fades as he unconsciously follows Riku's gaze.
"Look, it's not exactly what you think." Leon starts, strain colours his voice, worry pulls at his face. Riku snatches his hand out of his, tucking his arm in close to his body he wraps his other hand around his freshly warmed one, as if to drain the last bit of shared warmth out of his skin.
Leon must see something in Riku's expression for he bursts out, "I was lonely. Just, just lonely. It had been so long since I last saw you and, and I just. Didn't, want that...cold anymore."
"And does he know that?" Riku hisses back, though he knows he shouldn't, he knows he should be gone by now, like always. Leaving before things get too difficult, before the sky gets too bright.
"Yes!" Leon whisper-shouts, "He's the same way. We just need each other to stay afloat, neither of us can deal with this alone." Riku shivers, the cold only getting to him now that he's had a taste of Leon's warmth, and had it taken away again.
In a second Leon is there, his bare chest radiating so much heat, his arms wrapped around the boy's pathetically cold body. They are almost the same height now, Riku's eyes coming almost up to Leon's, when before he could barely see past his shoulders. Riku kisses him, and it feels so warm and good and right, he runs his fingers through Leon's hair, and cups his cold fingers around his burning neck. Leon's hands run down his back, and up his shirt.
It is a long time before they stop, but they both know they could go further.
"I can't ask you to wait for me," Riku says, stepping back such a small distance, that feels so very wide. Leon half-smiles and traces the curve of Riku's jaw with the back of his hand,
"You already have." He tells him, running his thumb along the boy's bottom lip. Riku shakes his head, grabbing his hand away form his face and tracing the veins along the back of it with his icy fingertips.
"It isn't fair, if you want him-" He whispers, but is cut off abruptly by Leon's shaking head, "Riku I could wait years for you. Just don't ask me to do it alone. I'm not that strong."
"I still have so much to do—,"
"—I know—,"
"—but I'll be back soon, there's just one more thing I need to sort out, and then I'll be done. It'll all be over."
Leon looks hard at Riku, as if sizing him up, measuring him against everything he means to do. Riku's eyes are softer now, his face just as serious as ever, but more relaxed, as if already the burden on his shoulders is weighing a little less. He is taller, older and a little wiser, but sixteen is a heavy enough age on its' own without everything else.
"I know," Leon says, "Just don't forget, that when you're finished out there, there's going to be a normal life waiting for you here. "
Riku smiles, as warm and inviting and heart breaking as the sun outside and rushes through the small space between them to kiss Leon again, running his fingers through his hair, along his naked back, as Leon grabs and pulls and drags Riku as close as possible.
Slowly Riku pulls back, dots Leon's jaw, lip, neck with small goodbye kisses until the man's grip loosens and then all he's holding onto is empty, cold air.