Title: That Song on the Radio
Author's Note: I'm not sure what possessed me to write this…the excessive amounts of shojo and romance novels have finally gone to my head.
Thank you to my (secretly) wonderful little sister for editing this. :)
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to SquareEnix and Disney.
Warnings: Homosexuality and craploads of clichés. Seriously, beware the sheer cheesiness of this.
Unbeknownst to most people, Sora actually enjoyed reading Shakespeare and poetry and those fairytales about princesses and heroes and 'happily ever after's. You know, when he wasn't busy saving the worlds and all. He looked at the simplistic storylines and uncomplicated characters and he just knew that was exactly what he wanted. While other little boys were dreaming of excitement and adventure (coughRikucough), he envisioned falling in love with some girl from the islands, settling down and having at least three kids with a house facing the ocean.
When he told Kairi, she smiled this beautiful smile and told him he was such a sweetie, causing him to stammer and blush and feel like his heart was going a mile a minute.
(When Riku found out, he laughed so hard he actually fell off the island into the ocean and then Sora was laughing too because, hey, the jerk got what he deserved.)
Admittedly, taking an unexpected journey to save all the worlds as the Keyblade Master had not been part of his plans. But, meeting all these different people and seeing their stories end happily had only strengthened his own dream of achieving the same.
After a while, it was obvious that there were certain ways that things had to be done, certain clues that hinted you were in love. Through careful and thorough investigation (i.e. pestering everybody until they answered him), he now had quite a collection of hints and clues for the perfect relationship. He wrote them down and, who knows? Maybe fifty years from now when all three of his kids had left, he could turn this into an anniversary gift and she'd call him a sweetie and he would blush and they would smile at each other. Because if he was the hero in his own story, then Kairi would surely be his princess in distress. Now all he had to do was wait for the happily ever after.
So Sora dug up a red notebook from somewhere (red for romance!) and enthusiastically wrote down all the steps of 'being in love'.
When your eyes meet, the rest of the world falls away.
He remembered the shy give and take of glances, looking away just when the other turned around. And finally, the accidental meeting of blue eyes and suddenly, it was just the two of them, smiling at each other.
(He also remembered that Riku had this freaky power to always catch him when he was staring and they'd share a glance and smile knowingly, frustrating their friends who didn't speak RikuandSora.)
You always get tongue-tied when she's around.
It was actually quite annoying to trip over your own words and have nothing ever come out right because you're just so nervous around her.
(Thankfully, Riku was always there to translate gibberish into actual, intelligible sentences.)
When she smiles, all is right in the world.
Kairi's smile is beautiful and absolutely perfect in every sense of the word. Every time he saw it (which was fortunately, quite often), his stomach filled with butterflies and the whole room just seemed to light up.
(When Riku really smiled, not smirk or do that weird quirky thing with his lips, his smile was slightly crooked and sat awkwardly on his face. Hardly anyone ever saw it and it certainly didn't light up any rooms, but Sora would be extra hyper and bright for the rest of the day.)
Her hair is like silk.
Sitting behind Kairi in class, he found himself staring more often than not at the fall of auburn hair reaching just past slender shoulders. It looked so soft and silky, perfect for running fingers through. Or, so he'd imagine, anyways. A guy can dream.
(Whenever he had a chance, he loved to touch Riku's hair. It felt exactly the way it looked: perfect, despite the fact that Riku did almost nothing to take care of it. He loved to simply pick up a strand and run his fingers down to the end, then let it fall back to the mass of silver. It was a strangely intimate gesture, watching the lines of Riku's back and forcing them to use soft voices and words. He had a sneaking suspicion that he might be the reason why Riku didn't cut it.)
The first kiss is always magical.
He had been nervous about it for weeks, not sure if it was going too fast or if he was going to make some kind of horrible mistake. What if he was a bad kisser? That would make things so awkward between them! But then, it finally happened and it was just perfect. They were on the beaches of their childhood home, watching the sunset after a romantic date at a nearby restaurant. He looked into her eyes and, just like that, their lips fit together like two puzzle pieces and he saw fireworks. He remembered every single detail from what was quite possibly the happiest day of his life, from the clam soup he ate at dinner to the cherry chapstick Kairi wore.
(His first kiss with Riku was almost an accident, except not really. They had just been hanging out as always, doing something so ordinary that he didn't really remember what it was, when their eyes clashed and it just happened. There was an awkward bumping of noses and a deer-in-headlights moment when they tried to figure out if they should close their eyes or not. Riku's lips were chapped from the sea breeze and he was sure his were no better. That day was a blur for him and, in the end, he really only remembered the warmth of the sun, the slightly awkward smiles they exchanged afterwards and how much his nose hurt. It was by no means perfect, but he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.)
Her voice is possibly the most beautiful thing you ever heard.
He was sure that he would be content to listen to Kairi talk for hours. Her voice was melodious and simply amazing, never failing to put him in a good mood. And the handful of times he heard her sing, it was like a chorus of angels! It was almost enough to make him cry (except he didn't, because he was, ya know, a man, and men didn't do that).
(Riku had a really nice tenor voice, which he used to rub in his face before Sora hit puberty. It was a lot…quieter than it used to be, though, after all the journeying and stuff. He sometimes yearned for the days when Riku's voice was filled with the old, infectious confidence again. Now, he just sounded subdued and reserved.)
When she's not around, you feel lost.
He still remembered the hopelessness he felt, not knowing where Kairi was or whether she was safe or not. Even knowing she was back at the islands couldn't help him shake the feelings of loss, like he was a bottle thrown out into the sea.
(Riku never gave him the opportunity to feel lost. Even though they must have been worlds apart at one point in time, he always felt Riku's presence, if not in his heart, then somewhere very near it.)
The way she says your name makes your knees go weak.
When she calls your name in that beautiful voice, every other noise temporarily shifts to the background and all your attention is on her. It's like music to your ears when she's smiling and happy and it's your name on her lips.
(Riku never said his name the same way twice, which is quite a feat when they've known each other since they could walk. His favorite ones were the challenging way that got him geared up for a mock battle, the quiet, serious tone that always made him listen and the softly teasing one that made his stomach do weird dance moves.)
Your heart beats faster whenever she's around.
It was amazing how much time he could spend with Kairi and still have his heart gallop like a horse and skip beats to a rhythm only it knows.
(Around Riku, his heart was always steady, calm and strong. It was when Riku's not around that he feels like his heartbeat is somehow off.)
You call her cute nicknames just to see her blush.
Some time ago, he jokingly called her 'Princess' and somehow the name stuck. How could he resist that charming little blush she wore every time he said it?
(He loved saying Riku's name, the way it just rolled off his tongue like it was meant to be there. He had never considered calling him anything else because Riku was just Riku.)
You get jealous when she shows a little too much interest in other guys.
He couldn't help but resent the people she smiled at a little. He had done so much to keep that smile there and, well, didn't that make her his? But he knew she wouldn't appreciate the possessive sentiment, so he settled for being put out. He just wished they'd back off a little. After all, only he and a few (one) other people deserved her smile.
(He wanted to share Riku with the world so that they would all know him as well as Sora did and see just how absolutely wonderful Riku is.)
A perfect couple will never fight.
The thought of fighting with Kairi was laughable at best. Sure, they had their fair share of disagreements, but they were always willing to compromise and, in the end, they were both happy.
(Both he and Riku were rather stubborn people, and they tended to clash more often than not. In the cases where there were shouting and hurt feelings, he always ran home and he knew Riku would be at the paopu tree. While the arguments were explosive, he figured it was okay since, half an hour after he'd gone home, he'd feel terrible and what if Riku never talked to him again? And he'd run to the paopu tree, but it was all good, because Riku would meet him halfway there.)
You can drown in her eyes.
Her eyes were deep and kind and warm. He felt like he could just stare into them and get lost in their blue depths.
(He loved Riku's eyes. They were a unique blue-green color he had never seen anywhere else, no matter what world he went to. The King was right when he said Riku's eyes couldn't lie. He could tell when he was angry, happy, upset or embarrassed very easily. If eyes were indeed windows to the soul, he hoped Riku could see in his how much he was treasured.)
You would do anything to make her happy.
To see that beautiful smile and hear that perfect laugh, he knew he would do almost anything. From saving her from kidnappers to pulling silly faces and generally making a fool of himself, there is nothing he wouldn't do for her.
(He never had to try and make Riku happy because he just knew that he made him happy, just like Riku always made him happy.)
Seeing her cry eats at your heart.
The most painful sight in the world was seeing Kairi's tears. Seeing her cry made his world jerk to a stop and his heart would ache. He would find the lost dog, help her study for math, fix the fight between her friends, basically change the world for the sake of her smile.
(The one and only time he ever saw Riku cry was when his mom died. His expression was set in stone, but the tears rolled freely down his face and that was when he realized that, sometimes, it took strength to cry.)
You love the way she smells.
He never got tired of sitting near her and getting a whiff of whatever perfume she had on that day. She always smelled so nice, like flowers or some kind of fruit, and he knew he'd never get enough.
(Riku smelled like sun and beach, sand and sweat. He smelled like hours spent on the play island and mock fighting with toy swords. He smelled like the ocean on a warm, sunny day and the evening rains in the summer. Riku smelled like home.)
She fits perfectly in your arms.
She was so soft and just the perfect height for him to wrap his arms around her waist. Their bodies fit like two pieces of a puzzle and it was like he was made for her and her for him.
(There was nothing soft about Riku, all hard muscle and lean lines. They were an awkward fit, as Riku was almost a full head taller and both of them were still growing into their bony limbs and mature bodies. But there was something to be said about how Riku's chin would rest on the top of his head and how easily long arms could fit around his shoulders.)
The hero must always save his damsel in distress.
The one and only thing he would ever protect with his life and save time and again from all kinds of dangers would be Kairi. Whenever she needed him, he made sure to be there for her, for she was the princess to his hero.
(Riku neither needed nor wanted his protection because he was more than capable of taking care of himself. If Sora were the hero and Kairi his princess, then Riku would be the unseen guardian that made sure they got their happily ever after.)
It was only after Sora looked back at all he wrote that he realized Kairi was not the only person he had been thinking about. Somewhere along the line, his best friend became something more.
When had his fairytale gone so off course? There had never been another girl (or, in this case, guy) in the equation. The hero was not supposed to love more than one person.
And it was love, wasn't it? Two vastly different loves, but love all the same. With Kairi, he had no doubt that he would find the fairytale ending he had been looking for, with the three kids, house on the shore and happily-ever-after. With Riku…
He didn't actually know. Every day would be a surprise. Who knows? Maybe their relationship would keep growing from friendship into soulmates. Maybe they'd decide to stay where they were. But no matter what happened, he knew they would go through this together, just like they always have.
He grinned and closed the book, shoving it under a convenient pillow before going to wake his sleeping friend.
"C'mon, let's go find Kairi and head to the island. It's getting boring here!"
And Riku would grumble and he'd complain, but in the end, he would go anyway because he was Riku and this was Sora and it was just how things worked.
As they go off in search of the missing point of their triangle, Sora wonders if there had ever really been a choice at all.
Because in the end, on that dark beach at the end of the worlds with the letter in his hand, it was Kairi he was going home to, but Riku that he refused to leave behind.
End Note: This turned out a lot longer than I thought it would. Hopefully, the cheesiness hasn't killed anybody yet…But, if anyone's still there, I would love to hear your thoughts on this!