It was well past midnight when Sora got the text.

[I need your help with something. Can you come over?]

X X X

Life on Destiny Islands was easier to return to than they could have expected.

Although Sora's mother had forgotten him for almost a year, she didn't mention it when she welcomed him back with open arms, crying when he showed up on her doorstep after almost a three year absence.

"You disappeared in the middle of a horrible storm! I thought you'd drowned, or gotten lost at sea!"

Riku's parents treated him with the same cold indifference as always.

"Oh, were you gone? We've been so busy, you know. Well at least you've gotten that rebellious phase out of your system."

X X X

Sora and Riku started summer school, fighting to catch up so they could enter Kairi's grade that fall. After each session, Riku would go over to Sora's house so they could help each other study and do homework. They had only been back for a week, but news travelled quickly on the small island, and gossip spread even quicker. Despite the rumors that had begun to circulate, Sora's mother always greeted Riku with a broad smile, never questioning why her son had run off with him for three years.

Sora would stretch out on his bed, textbooks scattered all around him, leaving Riku to sit on the floor, leaning against the side of the bed. Every so often, Sora's hands would reach down and play with Riku's hair, dodging away when Riku would swat at them.

"I'm not a girl." He'd finally grunted in annoyance one day.

"I know." Sora had simply laughed in response, running his fingers through Riku's hair again. "You're Riku."

Riku stopped swatting away his hands after that.

X X X

"Your hair is far too long." Riku's mother commented over dinner a few days later.

"It's always been long." Riku gave her an odd look. "You never had a problem with it before—"

"You weren't hanging around with that boy as much before." His father muttered.

"I…don't get it. Sora and I have been best friends since we were kids."

"Yes, well… It was always the three of you. You, Sora, and the mayor's daughter." His mother's lips were pursed tight.

Riku opened his mouth to protest, to remind her that Kairi had only been their friend for a few years, but his father cut him off.

"Now it's just you and that—" at his wife's warning glare, he cleared his throat. "—boy and…"

"People talk, dear." Riku's mother finished for him, and Riku winced under her stern gaze. "And we don't want that, do we?"

Riku could feel the color drain from his face as he realized what she was implying. His father was right; Kairi hadn't been hanging out with them as much this summer, and Kairi's return to the island had been so shortly after the world's rebirth that no one had noticed her absence. All they had known was that Sora and Riku had disappeared at the same time, and returned together. Even though the pair had hardly spent any time together over the past few years, no one could have known that, and they had been all but inseparable since their return…

Seeing the distress on Riku's face, his mother forced a tight smile. "Don't misunderstand us, dear. What you do in your personal life doesn't bother us. But… in the company that we keep, reputation is everything, and discretion is key. Unfortunately, discretion is now a luxury you no longer have. You and that boy… You've become the talk of the island. Your father and I have had had the misfortune of having to listen to many tales of what could have transpired during your absence… Rumors of elopement have even been floating around, can you believe it?" her laughter was light, but her eyes were dark. "These rumors shall fade, of course. All rumors do. All you have to do is…lay low for a little while. Put some space between yourself and—"

"Sora. Not 'that boy'. His name's Sora. And…I…" Riku lowered his gaze to his plate. "I'll stay away."

Satisfied with her son's response, his mother changed the subject to the fundraiser the mayor was throwing that week, and Riku remained silent.

X X X

Riku didn't go to Sora's house to study that night. Instead, he turned off his phone and locked himself in his room.

Sora… had Riku ever felt as strongly as anyone as he did about Sora?

Before the storm that changed their lives, Riku had harassed Sora, joked about sharing a paopu fruit with Kairi. But when the storm came, and when the darkness came with it, all Riku had wanted was for Sora to be by his side. Even as they both went on to fight for Kairi, each in his own way, there was an undeniable pull, keeping his focus primarily on Sora.

Locking himself on the other side of the Door was supposed to be the end of it. Sora and Kairi would go back to the islands, fall in love, and live happily ever after while Riku would slowly fade into darkness. Their story had been decided. It was over. Done. Set in stone, forever to be passed down to the generations below them.

But Sora had searched for him, and Riku's plan to stay out of Sora's life had fallen to pieces as soon as he saw the Keyblade bearer's body hanging suspended in that pod in Castle Oblivion. Seeing Sora like that had broken him in a way that guarding over Kairi's lifeless body never had. He should have known what that meant, should have known that what he was feeling was dangerous.

Of course, by the time he realized how strong his feelings were, it was too late. DiZ had teased him, saying that Riku's eyes burned with his feelings for the Keyblade Bearer. Roxas had seen it too. Once Riku realized what he had to do, what he had to become in order to save his friend, he covered his eyes with a blindfold, not wanting anyone else to see his weakness, and never wanting to see his feelings for Sora reflected in the cruel eyes of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.

When Sora had asked him about the blindfold, King Mickey had stated that his eyes "couldn't lie" and Riku had deflected Sora's question, retorting that he'd been trying to lie to himself, not wanting his friend to know the truth; not yet.

"Not ever." Riku corrected his own thoughts quietly. From what he'd seen of other worlds, they were far more accepting than Destiny Islands of that kind of relationship—"Not that there would ever be a relationship. Sora would never feel the same way." He frowned, then ran his fingers through his hair, imitating the way Sora would play with the strands.

When Riku showed up for summer school the next day, his hair was tied back into a low ponytail and tucked into his collar. He spent the day avoiding Sora's questioning gaze.

X X X

Riku managed to go two weeks without talking to or making eye contact with Sora. He would go straight home after summer school each day, and kept his phone off. On the fourth day, Sora followed him home, but the maid wouldn't let him through the front door, stating firmly that the family wasn't entertaining guests.

The fifteenth day was the night before orientation, which took place the day before the start of the school year. Riku stood in front of the floor length mirror his mother had insisted on installing in his room, twisting strands of hair between his fingers. With a sigh, he picked up his phone to send a brief text.

[Sorry.]

He didn't have to wait long for a reply.

[Riku! What's going on? Why are you avoiding me?]

[Haven't you heard the rumors? Being around each other is a bad idea right now.]

Minutes passed, and no reply came. Riku frowned, realizing that their friendship would never be the same again, not after what people were saying about them. The thought of them being together had probably never even crossed Sora's mind, and now that it was probably at the forefront of his mind, Riku could almost see Sora's frown of disgust.

He had just turned his phone off when he heard a tapping on his window, almost shouting in surprise when he saw Sora's face pressing against the glass. He hurried to open the window, rolling his eyes as Sora floated into his room and landed gracelessly onto his bed.

"Someone kept a few tricks from Neverland." Riku said quietly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sora just shrugged, fixing him with a piercing blue gaze. "You fought thousands of Heartless. You spent a year fighting to protect me while battling the darkness inside your heart. We fought Xemnas together and you broke a rib keeping from getting hurt."

Riku remained silent as Sora spoke, a frown on his lips.

"And when everything was over, and we thought we were going to be stuck on that dark beach forever, you stayed strong, pretended everything would be okay so I wouldn't freak out or worry."

Riku didn't try to correct Sora, didn't tell him that everything would have been okay because he didn't care where they were, so long as they were together.

As if he had heard Riku's thoughts, Sora's gaze softened. "So why did a couple of rumors get to you?"

"I didn't want to lose you." Riku admitted, looking away so Sora wouldn't see what the rest of the island already had. "Besides… it looks bad. Two guys hanging out all the time."

"Is that all?" Sora laughed, causing Riku to glance up at him. "That's easy to fix. We'll just make it look better. Problem solved!"

Riku rolled his eyes again, but Sora's smile was infections and he couldn't fight the answering smirk that tugged on his lips.

X X X

Orientation was a nightmare.

As expected, their reputation preceded them, and Riku could feel the cold, judgmental glare of every teacher and student as he went to each of the classes on his schedule. Sora had a few classes with him, and in those classes, the teachers were somehow even colder. He and Sora didn't speak through the whole ordeal, merely exchanging brief glances every so often. Riku overheard more than one teacher's cruel comments about the two of them, and one of the teachers had actually taken him aside and told him that 'scandalous behavior would not be tolerated in this establishment'. He was more than grateful when the day was over and he was allowed to go home.

After a late dinner, Riku spent a few hours tossing and turning in his bed before turning on the lamp on his nightstand and going to stand in front of the mirror, glaring at his reflection.

His fingers threaded through his hair for a few moments before falling to his sides and clenching into fists. In a moment of clarity, he realized what he had to do. He went to his desk, rummaging through the drawers until his fingers closed over the object he was seeking. He pushed his desk chair over to the mirror, turning it so the backrest faced the mirror. He folded his arms on the top of the backrest as his knees framed the back of the chair.

After a few more moments of silent contemplation, Riku tightened his hold the object in his hand, the metal of the blades cool in the palm of his hand. Slowly he brought the scissors up to his face, positioning the blades around a wide strand of hair. He took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut, hands shaking as the blades came together. The scissors fell to the floor, followed shortly by a few silver strands.

He buried his face in his arms, refusing to look at his reflection, or at the few strands on the floor. "I can face down the king of darkness, but can't even cut my hair? Kingdom Hearts, what's wrong with me?" He sighed, then pulled out his phone to send a brief text.

[I need your help with something. Can you come over?]

Moments later, Sora was climbing through his window. Noticing that he was still in his pajamas, Riku winced.

"Sorry. I forgot how late it was."

Sora waved him off. "Don't worry about it. What's up?"

Riku wordlessly gestured to the scissors on the floor. Seeing the silver hairs around the blades, Sora's eyes widened in understanding.

"You sure about this? I mean… You haven't cut your hair since—"

"Since before. Yeah. I know. And I'm sure."

Sora sighed, stepping forward to run his fingers through Riku's hair. Riku's eyes closed and he leaned into the contact. "You know I'm terrible with scissors." Sora said quietly.

"I trust you." Riku replied, keeping his eyes shut. Sora sighed again, this time close enough so Riku could feel the exhale against his cheek as the other boy wrapped his arms around Riku's shoulders.

"I don't care what about rumors, Riku. They… they weren't there. They don't know what we went through, how hard we fought to keep them safe. If they did, maybe they wouldn't care that…" Sora trailed off, fingers still playing with the strands of Riku's hair.

"That what? That we're close? Sora…" Riku struggled to find the words as he opened his eyes and met Sora's kind gaze with his own. "Even if they did know, it wouldn't change anything. That…closeness. It looks like…. It looks like we're together. And that's not okay here."

"Why not? Why should it matter to anyone else who… who you care about? I mean. Love is love, in all its forms." Sora pulled away to look at Riku in confusion.

"You and I understand that pretty well, but this world hasn't quite grasped the concept yet, apparently." He replied. "Besides, it's…not true for us. Just rumors… right?"

"We're not kids anymore, Riku."

Riku frowned at that, and Sora continued. "We fought in a war, you know? And…when you're sitting there, at the edge of the worlds, after everything is over… You realize the stuff that's really important. And when we were sitting on that beach, all I could think was how happy I was that our paths had finally crossed… for good this time. We were always separated, you know? And… I remembered… after you locked yourself behind the Door… All I wanted was to find you. Doesn't that…mean something? I mean. I look at all the people I've met, everything they've gone through. And the driving force for all of them… for all of us… is love."

Sora winced. "I'm…really bad at this. I guess, what I'm trying to say is—"

"I love you, Sora." Riku said suddenly, cutting him off. "And…when the rumors started… I was afraid you'd find out. I was afraid you'd hate me. And I… I need this." He motioned towards the scissors on the floor again. "A new beginning, leaving the past behind, yadda yadda. But… I couldn't do it. I can't do it. Any of it. Cutting my hair or new beginnings. Not without you."

Sora nodded as he took a step closer to Riku, pausing to pick up the scissors before standing behind him. Riku glanced up at Sora in the mirror and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Um. How short?"

Riku rolled his eyes and pulled his hair up into a ponytail, tying it securely with a rubber band. "I just…want it gone. So. Above the band. Okay?"

Sora bit his lip, but nodded again, letting his fingers run through his hair for a final time before the scissors sliced through the strands. Sora's eyes were wide as he spun the chair around to face him, giving Riku an apologetic look.

"Hey… don't freak out, okay? I wanted to do this." Riku stood to his feet and pulled Sora into a tight hug, pushing the chair aside to do so.

Sora's arms wrapped around his middle, squeezing him tightly for a moment before he let go. "I know. It's just weird… You look completely different." He laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, well. Different isn't bad, right?"

"Nope… So long as you're still you." Slowly, Sora reached forward and ran his fingers through Riku's hair. The movement was unfamiliar, short and choppier than it had been in the past. "I…love you too, you know."

Riku's breath caught in his chest at that, and he had to cough to cover it up. "Really? You—"

"Yes, really." Sora cut him off immediately, smiling broadly. "I wouldn't have fought so hard to find you if I didn't. And… all this stuff going on? It doesn't matter. We'll get through it."

Riku nodded and closed his eyes as Sora resumed playing with his hair. "Think Kairi'll be mad?" he asked quietly, leaning into the touch. "I mean… It was always supposed to be you and her, right?"

Riku could feel Sora's shrug and he looked up in concern. "She's my friend, and I'll do anything to keep her safe. But… a lot of time has passed. A lot of things have changed. I'm not the kid I was when we left the Islands."

"You're still a kid." Riku teased.

"Just because you're less than a year away from eighteen doesn't make me a kid!" Sora stuck his tongue out in response, pulling his hands away from Riku's hair to cross his arms over his chest defiantly. "I'm a Keyblade Master, thank you very much! Can a kid be a Keyblade Master? I don't think so!"

"Keep telling yourself that." Riku laughed, but stopped when the familiar feeling of his hair tickling his shoulders didn't accompany the movement. "Huh…I guess this is going to take some getting used to."

"If you can get used to living on Destiny Islands after the years we've had, I think you can get used to not having your hair blow majestically in the wind." There was a smirk on Sora's lips, but his eyes were kind, understanding. "We'll get through it. All of it. Everything will be okay."

Riku hesitated before speaking again. "I…can't lose you again, Sora. Not again, and not because of… all of this. Any of this."

"I'm not going anywhere, okay? Unless the King summons us for another mission, in which case, I'm out of here, and you're coming with me. Okay?"

Riku could feel a huge weight off his chest at that, and he gave Sora a genuine smile, grinning broader than he had since that fateful night years ago. "Okay, Sora. But you're not flying the Gummi Ship if that happens."

"Hey! I'm a great pilot!" Sora protested, but he was smiling, too. "I'll make sure we survive. So long as we're together, everything will be okay. Even if I accidentally crash the ship into a jungle planet. Again."

And in that moment, when there were hundreds of people thinking poorly of them, when there were a thousand questions still unanswered, when there was a chance that they would be stuck on that world for the rest of their lives…

Riku believed him.