I want to say this is an AU-ish wayyy post KH3 fic, but I'm not even sure if that makes sense. Then again, this pairing doesn't make sense so it's all good. Don't question it.
-.-
Prom Anxiety
At exactly 7:02pm, Riku arrived in Twilight Town via train. It didn't take long for him to maneuver through the thick crowd of people and stumble upon a very angry, but well dressed Roxas leaning against the wall next to the ticket booth. He chose to wear the traditional black tux, but did absolutely nothing with his rat nest hair.
"You're late," Roxas hissed.
Riku waved him off as he walked past him. "By two minutes, calm down."
Roxas pushed off of the wall and quickly fell into step beside him. "It started at seven. It's a ten minute walk from here to the event center."
The silver haired teen stopped mid stride and pivoted toward the shorter boy. "You expect me to walk for ten minutes in a suit? In this heat?"
"What else was I supposed to do? Order a limo with my nonexistent munny? If you would have gotten here earlier—"
"It still would have been hot and we still would've had to walk for ten minutes, genius. Or your friends could have picked me up."
Roxas scoffed. "My friends don't know you. Why would they go out of their way to pick up some random island boy?"
"Oh, but this random island boy is good enough to be your friend's prom date?"
The blond silently fumed for all of five seconds, then collected himself. "If I didn't already have a date, I would have taken her myself. Unfortunately I do, so I had to call you. No one else can do this."
Riku found that a little hard to believe. There was someone else. He didn't know if it was his dislike for the boy gnawing at him or if he had a genuine reason to be suspicious, but he didn't trust a word he was saying. "Cut the crap and tell me why I'm actually here."
Roxas checks his watch and sighs. "Fine, but let's at least walk while we talk."
He definitely was not looking forward to sweating in his suit, but decided it would be better than just standing there. He shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed as he started toward the train station exit. "Go on."
The shorter teen remained silent for a long while, which irritated Riku to no end. He tried to stay patient in case this was a difficult subject for him to talk about, but he also didn't want to be duped into following him without receiving a proper explanation.
But then he finally spoke. "Olette has some…issues with the other girls at school. My guess is that they hate her because she's the valedictorian. She's sacrificed her social life for four years to get where she's at now and I'm so proud of her, but me being proud doesn't deter the mean girls."
Riku raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. He had a feeling that wasn't all.
"Olette's my best friend. I want her to be happy, but I also want those girls to eat crap. So I thought…I thought that if she had an attractive prom date, they'd leave her alone."
He sighed. "So you set your friend up for a blind pity date?"
Roxas opened his mouth to respond but stopped. He rubbed the back of his neck with a pained look. "You mind not telling her that that's what this is?"
Of course he wouldn't do something like that. He wanted the girl to have a good time, not feel like she was burdening him in any way. Roxas was the one inconveniencing him. "I won't."
"Good. She also has some self-esteem issues, but she won't ever tell anyone else. She always smiles and laugh it off. So be good to her tonight. Don't make her doubt herself."
"I won't," he says again.
"And make sure to—"
"I know what I'm doing!" Riku blurts. "I got it. Please don't make me jump off a bridge before I even get there."
Roxas glared at nothing in particular as he began to walk a little faster. "It may seem excessive to you, but I'm serious. If you mess this up, I'll mess your kneecaps up."
"I doubt you can even reach them," Riku grumbled. He knew Roxas was more than capable of following through with that threat, but he wanted to have the last word.
A little less than ten minutes of slightly aggressive banter later, they arrived at the event center. Despite being tired and out of breath from walking so far so quickly, he was amazed by the sight. The building wasn't very tall, but it was bright and beautifully decorated. There were lights of all colors everywhere, but the main theme seemed to be blue. He looked around at the other groups of people who were entering the building to make sure he wasn't out of place in his dark violet suit. He felt a bit at ease when he saw someone walk up the steps in a bright yellow suit.
"I just texted her. She's getting out of the car now," Roxas told him.
Riku's eyes widened. "Was she sitting out here waiting for me to get here?"
"Yes, yes she was. I hope knowing that haunts you at night."
He sneers at the younger teen. If there weren't so many witnesses he'd have taken him on right there and then.
But then Roxas smiled. "Here she comes."
Riku turned to see who he was talking about and nearly choked on his own saliva. He was absolutely stunned at the sight of a brunette carefully climbing the stairs in a formfitting, strapless dress that matched his suit perfectly. He couldn't help but noticed that purple looked really good on her. Her hair was styled in a layered bob, and it was decorated with a single flower pin over her left ear. Her makeup was…
Well, Riku didn't know the first thing about makeup. All he knew was that it looked natural and…really good.
His heart picked up speed as she neared the top of the steps. The surrounding lights caused her pretty green eyes to sparkle. When they met his own, she quickly dipped her head down to hide a shy smile.
"I dragged him here just like I said I would," Roxas complained. Still, he couldn't seem to keep the smile off of his face as he embraced her.
"You literally did not have to, but thank you," she laughed as she pulled away. They shared a quick look before she turned to face him again. "Hi, it's so nice to meet you."
Riku quickly wiped the shock off of his face as he took the hand she offered him. Her voice was soft, and had a slight rasp to it—maybe a bit nasally—but it wasn't off-putting. He couldn't believe that the girl in front of him had self-esteem issues of any kind. He was well aware that it was possible, and he wasn't calling Roxas a liar. He just wondered what would cause someone who looked like that to be so unsure of themselves.
"Nice to meet you, too," he smiled. "Sorry I'm so late. The train—"
"No, it's okay. You're here now."
"And prom is in there," Roxas gestured dramatically towards the double doors. "If we could move this night along, that'd be great."
The three of them moved towards the door. Before Riku could even enter the building, he felt a tight grip on his upper arm. He looked back to see Roxas flashing a tight smile. "Don't hurt her, pretty boy."
"Don't touch me, half pint."
The inside of the building looked even better. The moment he stepped inside, his eyes were drawn to the glowing blue lanterns hanging from the ceiling. He allowed himself to just stare for a few seconds more before he turned his attention to the other decorations. There was a huge Cinderella-esque carriage on the left side of the room, baby blue streamers hanging along the walls, two long tables filled with finger sandwiches, tiny cupcakes, fruits, and a chocolate fountain, and a dance floor in the middle of the room where the tiles each lit up a different color when you stepped on them. In the far back was a stage that held two thrones, to the right of that was the DJ, and a few feet away from that was the line to have your pictures taken.
"Who paid for all of this?" Riku wondered allowed as he walked further into their prom.
"We did." Riku turned his head to look at Olette, who looked just as amazed. "It came out of our senior packet."
He knew about senior packets, but he wasn't interested in purchasing it. He just wanted to graduate and get on with the rest of his calm, heartless-free life. It had taken him a long time to readjust to school life after his return, so things like prom and senior trips weren't all that important to him. He was more than willing to stay home while everyone else went, but then he was threatened and guilt tripped by Roxas.
"It's nice," he smiled as he looked the room over once more. "So ah…what do you do at prom?"
Olette snorted. "You just enjoy yourself. It's kind of like one big group date."
Group date? He didn't even know what it was like to go on a regular date.
He scratched his head as he looked at all the other prom goers. There had to at least be a hint as to what they could do, but everyone was either eating, kissing, or huddled into their own little cliques. He'd never felt so out of place before. "Uhhh…"
"How about we just dance?" Olette offered.
Riku grimaced. He also didn't know how to dance.
"I could introduce you to my friends…?"
"Perfect," he laughed awkwardly, and it quickly spread to his date. Just as he was about to ask where they were, he saw two other teens walk by. They held hands and laughed quietly together as if they were in their own little world. They looked happy.
I want her to be happy.
He inhaled deeply as he looked down at Olette, who was already looking up at him with a sweet smile. His face warmed as he looked down at the empty space between them. "Should I…just…" Coherent words escaped him, but he still offered his hand to her. He wasn't quite sure if he was supposed to, but he wanted her to have an amazing prom experience, despite not knowing what the heck he was doing.
But Olette seemed to understand. She gently took his hand and lead him toward a group of colorful, loud teenagers. When they were close enough, all eyes were on them. He tried his best to smile a real smile and not let his nerves get to him.
"I made it!" Olette chirped as she released his hand to hug a familiar blond, and then another familiar-looking darker haired girl. Everyone, this is Riku." He offered them all a smooth hey and a brief wave. "Riku, this is Hayner, Pence, Roxas—of course, Xion, and Naminé."
He already knew Xion and Naminé, but he still gave them the obligatory greeting and played it cool.
And then the boys started asking questions.
"I that your real hair color, or did you dye yours too?"
"You're from Destiny Islands, aren't you?"
"You came all the way here for prom? The time difference is like six hours, isn't it?"
"How do you know Olette?"
"Guys, please," Olette panicked. "I didn't bring him over here to be interrogated."
Riku, who definitely did not think before he acted, placed his hand on her lower back. Once he realized what he'd done, it was too late to take it back. "I don't mind answering a few questions. Yes, I'm from Destiny Islands. You should know Sora, he's my best friend. This is my natural hair color, the time difference is kind of big, yes, and I met Olette online."
That last part was a stretch, but it wasn't a complete lie. He had only talked to her a couple times and that was so they could decide on a color for their attire. But they talked in an online group chat that Roxas had made so technically…
"In that case, welcome to our prom," Pence said. "When you're ready, you can meet me over there and I can take your picture. You don't even have to wait in that god awful line."
"Pence!"
He sighed. "That I now have to deal with. Excuse me."
Riku chuckled along with the rest of the group. He seemed like the type of guy who always had too much on him plate, but always overcame regardless of the circumstances.
He started to say something, but then the song that was playing faded into something else. Xion lit up as she grabbed Roxas by both of his wrists and tugged. "Roxas, this is the song."
Roxas, who kept stealing glances their way, perked up as he heard it too. "It is! Let's go!" He grabbed her hand and practically bolted towards the dance floor, but not before grabbing Naminé's wrist and dragging her along too.
Hayner sucked his teeth as he watched them go. "How did he get two prom dates and I couldn't even get one?"
Olette smirked as she elbowed him. "Don't look so down. There's always next year."
"Just what are you trying to say?!"
"You're dumber than a bag of bricks and you're getting held back."
Riku found himself laughing a little bit harder than he should have. He couldn't help it. For some reason, he had expected her to be passive like Naminé, or kind to a fault like Kairi, but she wasn't. Her level of comfort with her friends reminded him of his own friendship with Sora. And if she was the Riku of their little group, he could see himself really getting along with her.
Hayner scoffed. "I don't have to stand here and put up with this slander. I'm gonna go grab something to eat."
"Leave enough for everyone else."
He looked like he wanted to say something else, but quickly walked away instead. He muttered something under his breath, but neither of them could understand it.
The two of them sighed happily. He turned his head to ask her if their relationship was always like this, but noticed that his hand was still on her lower back. Had it really been there the entire time?
"I am so sorry," he panicked as he quickly retracted his hand. "I didn't mean to—"
"Riku," she giggled. "Stop. You're here as my date, not my royal guard. A little physical contact won't kill us."
He nodded, although his nerves were still all over the place. What if Roxas made a mistake asking him to do this? How was he supposed to give her a good time if he didn't even know how to have one? What if he was already messing up her entire night by not dancing with her?
Olette placed her hand on his upper arm. "It's okay to be a little freaked out by all this. I'm not quite sure how to act either. I do know that there aren't any written rules for prom, though, so let's try to make our own fun. Okay?"
Again, he nodded with an easy smile. He wasn't about to let his social skills (or lack thereof) get in the way of her night. He had come to make the people who gave her a hard time drop their jaws and boil with jealous, and that's what he was going to do. Right after a couple deep breaths.
It did get easier as the night went on. They walked around, filled up on cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries, and got to know each other a little better. He told her a little about his travels and his home, and she told him about her plans after high school. She wanted to be a bioengineer, and he listened carefully as she explained all the specifics to him. She was crazy smart, and really passionate about it, and she made him want to know more about it.
He told her about his plans as well, though they weren't as grand. Riku wanted to buy his own gummi ship and travel a little more. The gummi ship part excited Olette because it was the most eco-friendly vehicle to ever exist. And it was nice to see her get interested in something that he was interested in. She listened to him too, and never once made him feel like he was talking aimlessly or boring her to death. He liked that he had her full attention.
Eventually, they made their way over to Pence, and he bumped them to the front of the line just like he said he would. When the flash went off, he rushed over to show them a quick preview.
"You two look really good together," he smiled. And Riku agreed. Despite everything he'd been feeling for the majority of the night, they looked comfortable together. They just sort of…fit.
"It looks so good! You're gonna kill it at art school!" Olette cooed as she threw herself at him. He caught her and wrapped her arms around her, giving her an awkward pat on the back.
"You're embarrassing me," he hissed through a strained smile.
She pulled away with a laugh. "Sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just proud of you."
His face softened as he returned to his place behind his tripod. "Thank you. Now go enjoy prom."
Olette took Riku's hand and lead him towards some random part of the event hall. He tried not to overthink it. She was only holding his hand, it wasn't that big of a deal. Plus, he was kind of getting used to it.
The DJ picked up the mic as another song faded from the speakers. "The night's starting to wind down, so the next hour will be for all the couples."
A soft ballad began to play, and most of the prom goers paired off, with the exception of Roxas and the people who chose to line the walls. Olette squeezed his hand gently as she looked up at him. "Do you know how to slow dance?"
He did not. He didn't even need a mirror to know that it was plain as day on his face.
"It's not hard. I could show you?"
Riku looked at the crowd hesitantly. This felt like one of those things that he just had to do. "Sure."
He let her lead her to the floor. He noticed that the overhead lights had dimmed a considerable amount, leaving only the blue lanterns to light up the room. She turned to him with a soft, but determined look on her face. And she looked unbelievably beautiful in this ethereal glow.
"This isn't ballroom dancing. It's mostly just swaying—maybe a twirl or two if you're feeling fancy." She took a step closer and wound her arms around his neck. He gulped as he looked around for Roxas, who had managed to glare at them through the see of people. "And your hands are supposed to rest gently on your partner's waist."
He tried not to cringe as he lifted his hands and placed them where she had instructed. Roxas was going to forcibly remove his kneecaps for this. "Like this?"
"Mm-hm. And now you just sway…"
They danced, albeit a bit awkwardly. Riku still wasn't convinced that he was doing anything right and it bothered him.
After a while, he just couldn't take it anymore. "I'm sorry if I'm being weird. I just don't know how to do this prom thing. I think I overestimated my ability to stay cool in social situations."
Olette's brow wrinkled. "What? Riku, you've been the perfect date all night. I wasn't too sure how this would work out, but I'm really happy you were my date."
He snorted. "You're telling me you don't want to die of embarrassment right now?"
"Not at all. I feel comfortable around you. I like that you're not acting all cocky and being a touchy-feely creep. You're painfully shy, but it's…cute."
Riku's face just about burst into flames as he turned his head. "Right…"
Olette snickered. "Am I embarrassing you too? Have you never been called cute before?"
"No. I-I like it. And I think you look amazing."
She smiles up at him. It's the kind of smile that wrinkles the corner of her eyes, evidently making him weak in the knees. She looks so happy. He's making her happy.
"You're sweet," she whispers softly. Her eyes are sparkling again, but it has nothing to do with the lights. Riku relaxes at the sight. It sucked that it had to happen so late in the night, but he was finally sure that he was doing okay.
Prom ended, much to his chagrin. He felt as though he could have stayed there and danced with her all night. The two of them left the hall, hands glued together as they descended the stairs together. With each step, he felt his heart sink a little. The night was really over, and he'd wasted the majority of it being weird.
When they reached the bottom, she turned to him with a kind of dazed look on her face. But it was happy. "Thank you again for being my date. You've made this night unforgettable."
"I'm glad you enjoyed my awkwardness," he laughed, and she joined him.
She sighed. Happily. "I should find Roxas. His friend is our ride home and they'll both go ballistic if they can't find me."
He nodded toward the parking lot. "Trust me, I know. Go ahead."
Olette released his hand and started walking. He watched her go, feeling slightly empty and unsatisfied. He didn't want it to end. Not just the night, but them getting to know each other. He jogged forward. "Olette!"
The brunette turned, looking over her shoulder as if she had been expecting him to do just that. "Yeah?"
Oh great. What was he even supposed to say?
"I'll message you."
Idiot!
She smiled. "I was hoping so. Goodnight, Riku."
There. At least he knows she still wants to talk to him after this.
"Goodnight…"
Riku began the ten minute walk back to the train station, but slower this time. He wanted to give himself time to reflect. Halfway there, he got a message.
From: Roxas
Olette really enjoyed herself. And the other girls couldn't stop staring at her. Thanks, pretty boy.
He smiled to himself as he pocketed his phone again.
-.-
I think I did pretty well for someone who's never been to prom, eh?
I hope you enjoyed this fic. I know it's pretty random, but it was fun to write and I want to explore these two more. And yes, you did see a hint of rokunamishi (Roxas/Naminé/Xion). Thank you so much for reading.