Hammock

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"Are you sure you know how to set one of these up?"

Kairi held the netted item in her delicate hands in confusion. Not once had she ever rested in a hammock, but Sora insisted they were more comfortable than her queen sized bed back home. She supposed it wasn't too odd that he knew what the bed felt like—she remembered him falling asleep against her numerous pillows when he was over to study one night.

"Yup!" he assured her with a grin, already putting a hook into one of the two palm trees they were beside. "I've seen Riku do it plenty of times. No big deal."

Kairi turned her eyes to him. "…Sure."

Sora sent her a playful glare over his shoulder. "Hey, don't give me that," he scolded lightly. "It'll be fine."

"Uh-huh," she taunted, smirking slightly. He rolled his big blue eyes and returned to the task at hand. She giggled to herself as he finished hitting the hook into the tree with a coconut, stepping out of the way when he moved next to her.

"Alright, almost done," he muttered, standing beside her as he hit the next hook into the trunk of the tree. As soon as he finished, he motioned for her to place the netting into place, his hand skimming her shoulder and sending chills down her spine despite the hot weather. "See? What'd I tell you?"

"Fine, you win," Kairi admitted, moving toward the center of their new lounger. "But will it work?"

"Of course it will."

She lowered herself onto the hammock and eyed him carefully. "We'll see about—" The redhead yelped when her body suddenly fell to the sandy ground, a light grunt leaving her at the impact.

"Kairi!" Sora cried in alarm, moving to her side instantly. "Are you alright?"

She rested against her palms and looked at the hammock beneath her. "…Yeah, I'm okay," she told him. "What happened?"

"Looks like one of the hooks wasn't secure." He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled sheepishly. "Whoops."

"Whoops," she echoed lightly, much to his relief. He helped her to her feet, and she fought the ache to keep hold of his strong hands. His slender fingers gripped hers so gently yet so firmly. His gloves kept them from gaining such rough callouses like Riku's, but Sora had always been softer than their friend, especially in the heart.

"Sorry, Kai," Sora apologized gently. His hands released hers, a few of his fingers moving to pick some sand from her ruby strands. It was a bold move, she had to admit, considering he hardly touched her when necessary anymore. Ever since the drawings in the Secret Place, things had been…different between them. It was hard for her to explain. "I'll be the guinea pig next time around."

"Such a gentleman," she teased, lightly patting his chest. To her surprise, one of his hands rose to brush against hers, keeping her fingers against the silver crown of his necklace. She met his gaze in surprise, chicory eyes resting on those of cobalt blue.

They stared at each other, as if in a new light, but it was a look they often shared for only milliseconds at a time. She'd caught it since he returned, and he wasn't always the one to look her way first. Many times the glances were followed by heated cheeks and quiet stutters, but neither occurred today. At least, not yet.

Kairi's breaths came in shallow, silent pants that passed between her parted lips. Sora's were pressed together, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. But what was he thinking? Would he tell her? Would he show her?

Sora slowly retreated, his fingertips ghosting over the skin of her arm before he separated their bodies completely. "So…the hammock," he started weakly, then clearing his throat. She blinked away her daze as he stepped past her to get back to work. She watched him curiously, studying his stiffer form and the way he avoided her gaze. It only took him a minute to get the hook back in the tree. Seconds after, he tested the hammock himself. It didn't give under his weight, to which he smiled. "Hmph," he grunted in triumph, reclining in the lounger.

Kairi put a hand to her hip when he rested his head in his hands and smirked up at her. "See? No harm done. It just needed another go," he told her, proud.

"Okay, fine, but will it hold two people?"

"It's really only built for one—whaaa!" The hammock swung slightly when Kairi joined him, her side pressed against his as she settled in as well. "If it falls again, I'm blaming you."

Kairi giggled, but otherwise didn't speak. Instead, she stared up at the large leaves of the palm trees they were beneath, taking in the gentle hiss of the waves nearby and the cooler temperature the shade provided. Her company wasn't so bad either, especially when her head ended up against his shoulder due to the dip of the hammock.

His scent overwhelmed her as she closed her eyes. He smelled of seasalt ice cream and sunshine—the perfect smell of summer. She could feel his developed arm muscles beneath her head, his hands still behind his spiky head of hair. His tan leg pressed against her paler one, his skin soft against her smooth limb. Sora was usually a heatbox, but not today; instead, he was a comfortable warmth that she found herself melting into. It helped that his heart beat steadily underneath her ear.

"Hmm," he hummed lazily, causing her to look up at him. His eyes were closed, a pleasant smile against his lips. "I guess it can hold two people."

Kairi bit her lip to contain her smile, instead admiring Sora's more defined facial features that she found herself gaping at since he returned home. The boy who left a year ago wasn't the person beside her now. Instead was a young man she hardly knew as soon as she saw him, but her heart recognized his presence immediately. And now it beat with a soothing comfort that only Sora could provide.

She prayed he didn't leave anytime soon. She wasn't sure what she would do if she was left behind again. Begging was out of the question, but maybe another promise would be enough. Sora was quite the oath keeper, as the return of her charm verified. But had she ever really doubted him?

No, not for a second. He was Sora. He would never let her down.

Kairi gazed at his handsome face for another moment before resting against his side once more. She listened to the gentle beat of his heart and felt the rise and fall of his chest; he was relaxed. He wasn't nervous about their position at all, and frankly, neither was she. This was comfortable, natural.

Between them, that was how it would always be.

A/N: A story I originally posted to Tumblr when given the prompt "hammock" for the otp. I've had it stowed away in my files for months.

Hope you enjoyed!