This was originally part of something longer I was planning out, but since I got into a fight with the mechanics of canon, I made this into a stand-alone. If I ever work things out, I might continue this.
Sora knows he is dawdling at this point.
There's really no reason to stick around for any longer. After all, he said the last of his goodbyes to the Dream Eaters already; he should be whipping out his Keyblade to open a path back into the real world by now. He told them he wouldn't take long after all, and that knowledge itches at the back on his mind, mildly irritating and somewhat guilty, like unfinished homework and unmet deadlines.
Well, Sora never considered himself above procrastination, anyways.
So he stays put and draws in a deep breath instead, letting his eyes drift half-closed. From his seat on the stairs in the First District, Sora rests his chin in his hands and let his gaze fall onto the soothing glow of the lanterns in front of him. Traverse Town always had beautiful lights, but he never had the time to just stop and admire their vibrancy, not when they cast the very same shadows that lurked at his feet.
There were too many things he never got around appreciating in his travels. In the grand scheme of things, relaxing for a few more minutes wouldn't hurt. Besides, he hears a saxophone playing, soft and fleeting in the background. He listens with his head swaying vaguely in time to the music.
His eyes fly open when he hears the shuffle of footsteps join the saxophone, approaching from behind, steadily gaining in volume. On instinct, he stiffens a little, muscles tensing, diaphragm tightening.
"Ah, there you are."
Sora lets his guard relax, breathing out the tension with a relieved exhale, amiability rushing in to take its place and tugging up the corners of his mouth. After all, he can recognize that voice anywhere.
"Hey," he greets absentmindedly, as Riku descends down the stairs and drops down to sit beside him.
"Hey yourself," Riku says. He knocks his knee against Sora's. "You took so long that I had to go find you."
"Oh, uh." Sora chuckles sheepishly, bringing up his hand to scratch the back of his head. Those extra few minutes ended up being the difference after all. "Oops?"
"What will I do with you?" Riku says, in a tone Sora figures he should call a fond exasperation.
He looks at Riku from the corner of his eye, taking in his posture (he's slouching much less now, Sora notices) and the way he too gazes at the lights, relaxed and contemplating. Close together like this, with their sides almost touching, he feels his heart hum, wanting to float up high, and he wonders if Riku has the same feeling too.
He has half the thought to ask, but that demands more words than he has the energy for right now, so he elbows him playfully in return instead. "For a guy who thought I was here too long, though, you don't look like in a rush to leave."
Riku smirks, tilting his head up to study the stars. "You picked a nice spot to slack off, so it's your fault that I don't want to leave now."
Sora elbows him again, and easy laughter drifts through the First District, bouncing off brick walls and cobblestone pavement, and fading into the night sky. He hops to his feet, brushing the grit off from the seat of his pants, before he extends his hand to Riku. "Let's go walk around," he says.
Riku's grip is warm and calloused like his own, and it tingles where their palms make contact.
"Anywhere in mind?" Riku asks, as he hoists himself up. Sora lets his fingers tighten slightly against Riku's, perhaps somewhat unconsciously, clasping their hands together for a moment a longer than usual before reluctantly letting go.
Sora thinks for a moment, his mouth in a thoughtful frown as he taps his chin with a finger. "The Fourth District has some really nice lights," he says eventually. His frown morphs into a competitive grin. "I'll race you."
Unsurprisingly, their race turns into a game of tag somewhere midway, leaving them breathless and laughing and sprawled over the floor of the little tower overlooking the Fourth District.
Tag was really something, Riku thinks, when he could jump off walls and leap great heights in the Realm of Sleep.
Up until now, getting to chance to goof off and have fun with Sora in a completely different world wasn't something he had the chance to do before, he realizes. Bringing an arm to rest under his head, he wonders if this is what could have been, if they had gotten off the island and made it safely to the other side, in a universe without Xehanort's meddling, the Heartless, and the Organization.
"So," Sora almost-wheezes, once he regains just enough sufficient breath for proper speech. "Did Yen Sid give you any top-secret Keyblade Master duties while I was gone?"
Pfft. Top-secret. There was nothing top-secret about being told to go home for a few hours, in his opinion. "Nope."
"What? Nothing at all?"
"Well, he did say we should take some time off and rest up, if that counts, and—"
"I completely and totally agree, since I could use the sleep." Sora interrupts, nodding in approval, his hair rubbing against the floor and growing even messier. "But go on."
"He also told me to bring Kairi to the tower." Riku pauses at this point, sitting up because the floor was hard and made it uncomfortable to lie on his back for too long. "He found out she could also wield a Keyblade," he says, his tone more serious; sombre.
"Kairi, huh." Sora murmurs, fiddling with the cuffs of his gloves. "I guess she's fighting now too?"
"Yeah. Mickey's going to train her and Axel together, and bring her up to speed." Riku swivels to swing his legs over the side of the tower, letting them dangle in the air. "She seemed pretty eager to get started, actually. I think Axel's a little scared of her."
Sora laughs softly at that, sitting up and copying Riku's motion, seating them side-by-side once again. "Good for her," he says, swinging his legs. "She never liked watching from the side anyways. We'd kick a lot of ass together, the three of us."
"Yeah, we would."
The strings of lights sway lightly in the breeze, and Riku watches how they illuminate Sora's face, filled to the brim with hope.