Kingdom Hearts III Countdown Challenge
Day 6 (December 30th): Other Trio
"What if it rains?"
The sun was shining and the sky was cloudless.
"The flowers are all the right colors and stuff right?"
Since the flower vendor was not here to say it herself, he would like to say it for her: Please give Aerith a little credit. She's been selling flowers for years.
"They didn't, like, get ruined or something, right?"
Of course not. Cloud delivered them himself. Give him a little credit, please and thank you.
"What if Stitch loses the rings?"
Stitch was a cute and fluffy alien-thing that has arms and can walk on two legs, not a horse and an overeager chameleon.
"What if she trips and breaks her neck?"
Blue eyes met the ceiling.
"What if I trip and break my neck?"
And that was it.
Roxas liked Sora, he really did. As jealous as he had been before, he couldn't help but grow to like the boy who was once his Other. Roxas couldn't envy Sora anymore, not when Sora had what it took to save the many hearts connected to his. And Sora did. It was because of Sora that Roxas was here and looking into a mirror with Sora rather than within him.
But if Sora continued to carry on about the apparently endless list of things that could go wrong with his and Kairi's wedding, Roxas was going to throttle him. With a stick.
Sora tugged on a spike of his hair as he squinted at his reflection. "Are you sure I look okay?" he asked anxiously, "I want everything to be perfect. She deserves it... What if I look like some troglodyte next to her?"
The way he said this implied he could imagine nothing worse.
At this point, Roxas was ready to take on Xehanort and his Seeker of Darkness again, all of them, at the same time, if it meant he didn't have to listen to Sora panic over everything anymore.
Before he could rise from his seat on Sora's bed to slap some sense into the panicking groom however, Riku held out a hand and flashed Roxas a look and mouthed 'I got this.'
Roxas stayed sitting as instructed while Riku rose to his feet, approached Sora with a sort of grim determination, spun his best friend around by the shoulder and…
"Owwww! Rikuuu-"
"Now, listen to me very carefully, Sora," Riku said, pinching Sora's cheeks, "You look fine. The flowers are fine. The rings will be fine. When three o'clock hits, you are going to walk out of this room and to the altar. You will wait there for Kairi and when she appears, she's going to look so great you can help but have a big, stupid grin on your face. She will join you at the altar and the two of you will exchange your vows and become husband and wife. Then you are going to be absurdly happy and grow old together while Ventus and I fight each other to be named godfather to your beautiful children. Everything will be fine. Okay?"
Silence.
"Okay."
Roxas felt his respect for Riku go up a notch. Even though he resented the implication that Roxas didn't want godfather rights to Sora and Kairi's beautiful children.
Sora slapped his cheeks, his pout giving way to his characteristic bright-eyed determination. And then-
"What if I forget what to say? I'll look like an idiot and Kairi will leave me forever!"
Falling into darkness and crawling his way back into the light must have done wonders for Riku's tolerance for the inane because all the older keyblade master did was sit Sora down on his bed before he passed out.
Suppressing a sigh, Roxas handed Sora a bar of sea-salt ice cream (kept frozen through the creative application of a Blizzard spell) he had been saving for an emergency. And this was an emergency.
Sora stared at it, cross-eyed. "What if it ruins my tux?"
"Eat it before it melts."
"Not everyone can inhale ice cream like you, Roxas," Sora said with a cheeky grin, despite taking the bar as offered. Riku gave Roxas a grateful look, but none of them spoke as Sora ripped open the packaging and put the blue treat into his mouth.
For a few minutes, Sora ate and there was peace. The sun shone through Sora's open window, dappling his room in warm light. When Sora finished the last of the ice cream and looked at the stick.
"See?" Roxas said, leaning back and nodding at the stick. Winner! "Everything will be fine, Sora. You'll see."
When the fated hour arrived, Sora was still nervous, yes, but not in a state of panic. He straightened up and adjusted his (already perfect) tie and tucked the chrysanthemum Riku handed him into his jacket.
"I'm getting married," Sora said, as though this just occurred to him.
"Yes," Roxas answered bluntly before he could stop himself. "You are."
"I'm marrying… Kairi?" His blue eyes darted between Roxas and Riku as though he wanted to make sure.
"Yes," Riku answered with far more patience than Roxas thought was possible in the face of such a stupid question."You are."
A beat passed. Sora gave a nonchalant shrug, his anxious expression settling into one that said I'm fine with that and placed his hands behind his head.
When Sora's back was turned, Riku leaned in and whispered in Roxas's ear, "Make fun of him all you want, Roxas. Just wait 'till it's your turn."
There was a part of Roxas, one that could no longer be explained away by him being half-Sora, who still nursed a rivalry with the other keyblade master, which only amplified his annoyance with Riku and the knowledge that he was probably right
But Roxas didn't want to give Riku the satisfaction of knowing Roxas knew he was right. So, the former Nobody settled for a scowl as the three of them filed in one by one into the car with Sora's parents for the drive to the beach.
Sora continued to mumble his vows to himself the whole way. By the end of the drive, Roxas was pretty sure even he had it memorized by now.
All eyes were on the bride when she appeared at long last, arm in arm with her adoptive father.
Kairi looked absolutely beautiful. Even Roxas had to take a second look. It was as though the Three Good Fairies took the light of her pure heart and fashioned for her a gown of white silk and pale pink lace to wear and a crown of Thalassa shells to pin in her hair.
But nothing, nothing, could outshine the light in her eyes when she looked at Sora waiting for her at the end the shell-lined path at the ocean's edge.
As for Sora… The big, stupid grin on his face made his thoughts clear for all to see, just as Riku predicted.
Unable to stop himself, Roxas glanced at Naminé. She caught his eye and smiled. He blushed as Riku's words repeated themselves in his head once again. Make fun of him all you want. Just wait 'till it's your turn.
He quickly pushed this thought out of his mind. This was Sora and Kairi's wedding, not the time or place for Roxas to think about anyone else's.
When Kairi had reached the altar she handed her bouquet of chrysanthemums to Naminé and took Sora's hands.
The groom swallowed, looking nervous. When he opened his mouth nothing came out, causing Roxas and Riku exchange a look of panic. Had Sora forgotten his speech after all?
However, one reassuring smile from Kairi and the keyblade's chosen one was alright again. Sora took a deep breath and, his sky blue eyes never once leaving hers, began to speak.
"Thinking of you wherever you are…"