title: Last Smile
series: Kingdom Hearts
challenge / words: none / 245
warnings: boys love, Sora/Riku, Ansem!Riku, dark
notes: For DM.

He only smiles in the darkness.

The fine line between habitual occurrence and disturbing trend is beginning to curl like melted plastic, and the excuses are becoming weak- less plausible. It's private no longer seems to placate the second-guessings within, and I'm crazy is starting to sound not-so-crazy.

The first times were all within the limits of innocence. He does, after all, have a reputation to upkeep. A soft smile hidden within the dim lighting of the Secret Place, a Cheshire grin stolen beneath the shade of the island bridge. Riku could never let them see because Riku must remain Riku, and all must remain right within their tiny scope.

So he smiled, only truly smiled, in the protection of dusky light and flickering shadows, hidden from prying eyes and the object of his amusement.

Amusement begot enamoring.

The smiles became more frequent and the required camouflage less available. Riku felt trapped, and there was an ever present squeezing within his chest that only seemed to alleviate in the dark- the one place he didn't have to mask his enamoring.

Enamoring begot obsession.

Riku is Riku no more, and their tiny scope has been shattered. He looks at the world through eyes that are another's, and a boy that used to smile in the light now will not smile upon Riku at all.

Riku knows his smiles are no longer in innocence, and Riku knows that nothing is innocent any more.

He only smiles in the darkness.

But it's always dark now.