pas de trois

by spacebeyonce

haruka in the making. sorikai, part three to emboite and assemble.

hi! hello! this took a long fucking time. and I'm tired. boy am I tired.

but she is HERE. BABY TIME. this took me WEEKS but I DID IT.

this exists because a month or so ago I had a terrible case of baby fever and I needed to get it out in some fashion. so now we're here. if you don't like to read about babies and the making therein, you don't have to read this, it's okay! I've got a lot of other stuff you can read, it's cool, I understand. but uhhh if you've been waiting for this - on you go, then! over 20k of stuff. it's saturday, you've got nothing going on, right?

if you've read emboite and assemble, carry on. if you haven't...hey go read that.

pas de trois: a french term, referring to a dance between three people

---

"I have something I need to tell you." Kairi says to them as they're getting ready for bed.

Her tone is solemn, serious – it makes both Sora and Riku pause in their motions, sharing a concerned look. "…Okay?" Sora answered slowly, cautious. "Uh – what is it?"

Kairi's lips press together. "I've been off my birth control for a month now."

"Oh my god."

She watched, bemused, as both men flopped back onto the bed, all the tension leaving them in a rush. "Jesus Christ." Riku says in a burst of air, and Sora stretched limply over the blankets, blinking slowly at the ceiling.

"I…don't understand the reaction I'm getting right now?" Kairi says slowly. Riku raises his head, staring at her in disbelief.

"You sounded like something was wrong." He says incredulously. "I thought I was going to hear bad news! Instead – jeez, Kairi."

"I thought my heart was going to stop." Sora says blankly, still staring at the ceiling.

She huffs, crossing her arm over her chest. "Well, sorry – I just thought this was really important! And it is kind of serious stuff!"

"Yeah, I know, Kairi, but honestly, you –"

"Oh." Sora says softly, cutting off whatever Riku was about to say. The realization slowly spread across his face, wondrous, and Kairi sat back, feeling a little smug. There. That was the reaction she was waiting for.

She watches Sora as he sits up, eyes bright. "A month? Really?"

"Mm-hm."

"What does that have to do with –"

"Riku, think about it!"

"Think –"

His brow wrinkles for a second, but his face quickly smooths out as he finally connects the dots, and all the fight quickly leaves out of him. "Oh my god." He says quietly. "Kairi, you…really? You think so?"

"Yeah." She fiddles with the blankets, looking between the two of them. "It's been a couple years since we got married, yeah? So why not. I'm ready for it – let's try."

Kairi had been thinking about it on and off for the last few months. It was during one of her breaks between her classes when she finally decided to do something about it, shaking off the fog of daydreaming that hovered over her – a girl with Riku's eyes, a boy with her hair and Sora's smile – her dreams. Her guesses. Well, why keep guessing? What was she waiting for? They were settled – they had jobs that paid well. A home. A support system that was a short drive away. It could work – it could happen.

So – she went to the doctor. She has to go back again in a month, but – she's done it. It was a step forward.

Sora and Riku were staring at her, wide-eyed, and now she was starting to feel self-conscious. Kairi's eyes slid away, scratching at her cheek. "It's not a big deal, guys." She mumbles. "You don't have to stare like that – nothing's happened yet."

"Well, yeah, but -!" Sora wriggles in place. "A baby! We're gonna have one! Eventually! I'm so excited!"

"Hey," Riku said slowly, and his tone made the hair on Kairi's neck stand up, "is that the reason for that time a couple weeks ago in the kitchen when you –"

"No!" Kairi screeched, face burning, and she tackled a cackling Riku onto the bed while Sora said, incredulous, "no way – in the kitchen? Kairi!"

-o-

When Kairi first made the decision that she finally wanted children, she wasn't sure who to talk to at first.

Her doctor, while kind, had been clinical – it could happen at any time, watch out for these symptoms, be back in a month – and though Kairi was excited for the future, she still felt…shaky. She couldn't ask her dad – Kairi loves him to bits, but she wasn't entirely sure how to talk to him about this.

In the end, she asks her mothers.

"How did feel when you decided to have kids?" The question bursts out of her, leg bouncing anxiously from where she was sitting on the couch. Jun and Minato blinked at her, surprised, while Nanami pressed a hand over her smile.

"Well," she hums, amused, "I don't think I can answer this – by the time I showed up, the baby had already been made. I just hoped he liked me."

Sora and Riku had work for the day, and Kairi used her day off to invite her mothers over. They sat together in the living room, and Kairi did her best not to fidget too much as she asked her question.

Nanami's laughter was interrupted with a grunt as Minato elbowed her into the side, rolling her eyes.

"That's a tough question…" Jun hums, bringing a hand to her chin. "I was nervous, of course – but certain of my decision. I always knew I wanted a family. When Aouli and I got married we just…talked about it. You've talked to them, right?"

"Yes." Kairi nodded shortly. "We've – we've been on the same page for a few years now."

She could feel the heat of her embarrassment already curling around her ears, but she did her best to ignore it. Kairi desperately needed the advice, but she can't get over the mortification of the constant, underlying message this conversation entailed.

She was working to overlook it, though.

"That's really all you need." Minato chimes in, leaning back into the couch. "Haruka and I played it by ear. It's not like there's a schedule or anything – as long as you three want to, well…like I said - that's all you need."

"…Okay."

Kairi could feel herself relax a little, and she halts the nervous jiggling of her leg. "I…how did you…you know? Feel? When it was happening."

"Oh, god, I was sick as a dog with Sora." Jun sighs loudly. "Mostly around fish – which was a problem, given that we're a fishing town! And Aouli makes this fish stew that tastes so good…when I realized I couldn't have it, I almost cried. It was easier with Nalani, I think."

"I was tired." Minato mused. "So tired. Like no matter how much sleep I got, I just couldn't feel rested. Haruka told me he would find me asleep in the most random places in the house."

"Don't let their stories freak you out too much." Nanami says, noticing the wide-eyed look on Kairi's face. "It's different for everyone – you could have a completely easy time of it."

"I know…" She bites at her thumb. "I also wonder…will I still be able to work?"

"I don't see why not." Minato shrugs. "When I was pregnant with Riku, I still taught at the studio until, ah…a couple months before he was born, I think. As long as you talk to your doctor about it and listen to your body."

"Okay…okay." Kairi slowly relaxes into the couch, letting out a deep sigh. "Sorry for bugging you about this – I want to do this, I do. But…I'm still really nervous."

"Oh, sweetheart." Minato smiles. "It's fine to be nervous – it's normal! You're about to go through a really big change. It makes sense, to be a little scared."

Jun stands and moves to sit next to Kairi, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "Minato's right – being nervous is fine. But there's no pressure, no schedule. You don't have to force it. Just...see what happens."

She smiles at Kairi, teasing. "We'll keep your secret for you – if you need anymore advice, just call us. Or come visit!"

"Either way," Nanami pipes up, "we're really looking forward to meeting our grandbaby."

Kairi goes scarlet all the way to her hairline, and she buries her face in her hands as her mothers laugh, bright as the sunlight streaming into the room.

-o-

Kairi takes the words to heart.

There's no schedule, no rush – she doesn't need to worry about it.

So…she doesn't worry about it.

A month comes and goes, and when Kairi goes to her doctor's appointment and gets confirmation that nothing has happened yet, well…she tries not to feel too disappointed. There's no rush – she has so many other chances.

The days pass as they usually do – she goes to work. She comes home to her boys. She is loved.

They don't get intimate any more or less, now that they're trying for children; whenever it does happen, it does the way it always happened – whenever the mood struck. And honestly it didn't take much. A smile, a kiss pressed against skin – they were all so easy for each other already.

No rush, no pressure, no worry – it will happen when it happens. And when it does, Kairi will be ready.

Embarrassingly, she loses track of time. Enough that she didn't really notice, at first.

-o-

Kairi has been really tired, lately.

Sora's been catching her sleeping all the time – all the time. It's odd, because out of the three of them, he's usually the one that has to work to get out of bed. When they were kids, Kairi always called him their 'sleepyhead', a teasing smile on her face.

But now it's Kairi who's the sleepy one, always looking worn even after a long night's sleep. If Kairi comes home from work before him, Sora will find her curled up on the couch, fast asleep.

"Hey, Riku?" Sora asks. "Have you noticed that Kairi's been really tired lately?"

It was a warm Saturday, a day off for all of them, and they were walking hand in hand through the open-air market, making a quick shopping trip. Kairi had asked them to bring home some fruit, and Sora was going to make sure they brought back fruit in abundance, only picking out the best stuff.

Riku hums, running a hand through his hair. "…Yeah." He admits quietly. "I've been…a little worried about it."

Sora sighs loudly, glad that he wasn't the only one who noticed – but of course Riku would see it, too. "Me, too! Has she been working longer hours?"

"I don't think so…I'm pretty sure the intro classes don't go on too long. Sometimes Kairi wraps up her lessons before I do."

"Hmm…" Sora brings a hand to his chin, tilting his head. "That's true…"

"And besides," he continues, "this has been going on for weeks – almost three months."

"It has?" Maybe Sora hasn't been looking as closely as he should. "Should we, I don't know – should we go on vacation? Do we need time away?"

"I don't know. What if –"

Riku suddenly cuts himself off, biting at the inside of his cheek. Sora narrows his eyes.

"Riku," he says in warning to his husband, "don't hide your thoughts from me. Never hide from me. What were you thinking? Just say it, it's okay."

"I'm just…worried. What if it's something bad?"

And, oh – Sora understands the hesitation, now.

A little chill runs down his back, at the thought of Kairi being sick in some way – no. No, that can't be it. It's probably nothing bad.

But…

"I don't want to stress Kairi out over nothing." Sora says slowly, considering. "But…it probably wouldn't hurt to bring up going to the doctor. Besides – it could be nothing! Or, well – nothing bad. Maybe it's just, uh…an iron deficiency?"

That got the reaction he was hoping for – Riku brought his free hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter. "An iron deficiency." He chuckles. "Sure, Sora – you may be right."

"Of course I am! Now – we should probably actually do what we came here for? Not good to keep a lady waiting, you know."

"Right, right…"

Sora pulls Riku along until he spies a fruit stand, and he – he tries not to overdo it. Mostly just grabs some blueberries and strawberries, some oranges – oh, but the mango is also in season, too – oh, and there's some melons! They should probably grab one, melons are great around this time, too –

"Sora," Riku says dryly, looking at the bags hanging on their arms, "this is a lot more than just a bit of fruit."

He pouts, puffing out his cheeks. "I couldn't resist, okay! We can afford it – all the fruit looked so good. And we have a good fridge! It won't spoil!"

Riku rolls his eyes – but it must be fine, because he leans in to kiss the pout off Sora's lips. "I'll hold you to that." He says as he pulls away. "Come on – let's go home."

When they return home with their small hoard of fruit, Sora finds Kairi the way he's always found her, these past weeks – on the couch, fast asleep.

She was wearing one of his shirts, which makes Sora's heart melt in his chest, and a book was held loosely in her hand. Her head was tilted to the side, mouth parted slightly as she breathed, deep and even. Dark circles shadowed beneath her eyes. It made his stomach ache – what if Riku was right, and something was wrong?

He forced himself to shake those thoughts away, going into the kitchen to help Riku put away their groceries. It's going to be fine. Sora fiercely reminds himself. Don't worry so much!

Kairi didn't move an inch despite the noise they made in the kitchen, and Sora sat next to her with a sigh, quietly taking her in.

There were other signs that she had been up and about since they were gone, which was a relief – her hair was damp from a bath, curling around her neck, and her nails were painted a soothing mint green. It calms him a bit; maybe she had only just fallen asleep?

"Kairi," he murmurs, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear, "it's time to wake up."

She sighs a little, turning her face into his hand, and Sora enjoys the way her lashes flutter against her cheek as she slowly wakes up. "Sora…?" She mumbles, slivers of violet peeking out at him. "…Time's it?"

"Just a little after one."

"Ugh." She yawns, rubbing at an eye. "I fell asleep again? I was trying to read…"

"You were out when we came home." Sora explains, apologetic. "We brought home some fruit, just like you asked!"

That made Kairi brighten up, sitting up straighter as she puts her forgotten book aside. "You did? What kinds?"

"Oh, all kinds! Berries, oranges – and the mangoes looked really good, and I saw some melons –"

She cuts him off with a laugh. "Of course you went overboard."

"Everything looked so good!"

"Mm…you said you got oranges?"

"Yeah."

"Can we share one?"

Sora's heart squeezes in his chest. "Of course we can!" He hops to his feet. "I'll go get one now! Riku! Come sit with Kairi!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Riku sighs, stepping out of the kitchen and making a beeline for the couch. Sora starts to head to the kitchen, but is stopped by Kairi letting out a squeak, whipping around in time to see Riku heft Kairi into his arms, jiggling her for a second before sitting on the couch with her curled up in his lap. Kairi presses a laugh and a kiss into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck, and Sora's lips automatically curve into a smile as he watches his spouses press close together, holding each other tight.

This is why, Sora thinks, this is why nothing can be wrong – because it would be cruel. So cruel, to have this happiness for just a short time.

He grabs the best orange from the fruit bowl and returns to the living room, Riku and Kairi easily making room to include him as he sits. He peels the orange slowly, removing the skin in a perfect spiral, and the smell of oranges fills the air around them. Kairi lets out a content sigh and smiles when Sora hands her an orange segment. "Thank you." She says, so sweet, and Sora would peel a thousand oranges for her. A million.

She bites half of the orange slice, wiggling happily in Riku's lap, and then she holds the other slice up to him, tilting her head back so she could see him. "Riku, here – it's really good, Sora picked the best one."

"They're all the best ones." Riku said, leaning down to carefully grab the orange with his teeth. "Sora was very picky."

"Hey." He says, pointing at him. "You were picky, too! What, like we were going to let Kairi have garbage fruit?"

Riku, chewing on his orange piece, didn't respond, and Sora gave him a stink eye as he handed Kairi another orange piece. "You're lucky you're so pretty." He grumbles, and Kairi laughs.

"I knew you married me for my good looks." Riku smirks, holding out a hand for an orange slice. Sora rolls his eyes. "You caught me," he says, thick with sarcasm as he places another orange piece in his hand, "I'm only here for your body."

"He saw the lift and he was lost forever." Kairi says solemnly, and snickers into Riku's shoulder as Sora sputters loudly, mortified.

"Wh-what? What lift? There's a lot of lifts! How – who even said I've seen a lift?!"

"Oh, I have my sources," she says slyly, "and one of them starts with 'Xi', ends with 'on'"

"Xion." Sora hisses. Of course it was Xion, that gossip – he was gonna send a glitter bomb to her house on her birthday.

Kairi lets out another laugh that is quickly smothered by a huge yawn. "Oh, sorry…"

She wipes away the tears clinging to her lashes. "That was rude, sorry – I don't know why I'm so tired…"

Sora bit hard on the inside of his cheek so his expression wouldn't give his unease away, and he puts the remains of the orange aside, sharing a look with Riku over Kairi's head. "Kairi…" Riku started, sounding so gentle. "Have you thought that maybe…you should go to the doctor?"

"The doctor?" Kairi's brow wrinkles, confused. "No, not really. I only went just a little while ago. Why? Should I?"

"Probably." Sora pipes up. "Kairi…it's fine to be tired sometimes, but you being this tired is weird. You haven't been working too much or anything, have you?"

"No. My hours have been the same as always."

"Then you should probably go to the doctor." Riku says. "Just in case. It could be something small, but…you shouldn't have to feel so tired all the time. You know?"

Kairi hums, looking contemplative. She rubs her cheek against Riku's chest, over his heart. "I know." She answers, looking between them. "I've worried you two, haven't I?"

"Just a little." Sora admits easily – they would never lie to her, neither of them. "It's probably nothing bad, but – it's good to check."

"I guess…" Kairi mumbles. She looks down at her lap, thoughtful, and Sora reaches out to take her hand, not caring about the fact that their hands are sticky from the orange. Riku idly rocks Kairi back and forth in his arms, and Sora watches as her eyes widen, lighting up with – something.

"…Okay." She finally says. "I'll…I'll call my doctor. See when I can go in."

Sora lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He pulls Kairi's hand to his lips, pressing kisses over her fingers, across the ring they bought for her. Riku presses kisses into her hair, rubbing a cheek over the crown of her head.

"Thank you, Kairi." Sora presses into her skin, and she laughs.

"You don't need to thank me." She says, but he does. He does. He's thankful that she's listening to them, that she's taking their feelings seriously. Because it could be nothing – it could. But what if it isn't?

Sora's glad she listened. He couldn't imagine continuing in a world without her.

Kairi lets out another yawn. "Can we keep eating the orange in bed?" She asks. "I'm still tired."

"Yeah, alright." Riku answers easily, scooping Kairi up and rising to his feet. She laughs, letting go of Sora's hand to wrap her arms around his neck. "I can walk, you know!"

"I know, but I want to carry you."

It was good that they were all off today, Sora thinks as he scoops up the remains of the orange, because odds were very high that one way or another, they would be spending the rest of the day in bed.

-o-

Don't worry about it, don't rush. There's no pressure. No schedule.

It was easy to take those words to heart, to forget.

Kairi felt like such a moron.

She had thought it was odd, how tired she felt – but she didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary. They've been, you know – they've been trying. But she hasn't felt any different. Nothing has really changed.

Or so she thought.

She didn't pay any mind to her cycle the month before; it was lighter than usual, spotty, and came and went in days. Kairi had always been pretty regular – maybe this was just part of getting older? Maybe she was working too much? It didn't matter – the point here was that she brushed it off. And maybe she shouldn't have.

"I was tired…like no matter how much sleep I got, I couldn't feel rested."

Minato had told her herself and everything – and Kairi went and forgot.

When they were in high school, Selphie would always tease, saying that the three of them shared one braincell, and Kairi had it most of the time. Would Selphie laugh at her now, at how forgetful she's been? Maybe. She should give her a call.

Anyway.

It didn't really matter – not now, when all Kairi could focus on was that little whooshing heartbeat. The only sound that filled her ears.

"So, it looks like you're about thirteen weeks along." Her doctor was saying, dragging the ultrasound wand across her stomach, and Kairi could only listen from a distance. "Heartbeat is really strong…"

Kairi wanted to burst into laughter. She wanted to dissolve into tears.

The tiredness she thought was abnormal, but nothing serious. The weight gain that she thought was retirement from the stage finally catching up to her – it's all in a different light, now.

Three months. Three months! She was such an idiot.

"Everything looks good." Her doctor assures her, soft clicks filling the air as she takes pictures. Kairi didn't look away from the screen, focused on those tiny arms, the curve of a spine. "The fetus is at a good size. You've put on a decent amount of weight – everything's going as it should be."

"I…" Kairi presses a hand to her cheek, overwhelmed. "I…can I – I teach, at the dance studio. Can I still – do I have to stop?"

"Hmm…" Her doctor purses her lips. "Have there been any other problems you've been noticing? Anything aside from the fatigue?"

"No…" Classes had been going on as well as they've always been; even though Kairi felt so tired all the time, seeing her students and guiding them through the motions always gave her a burst of energy.

Her doctor hums again, placing a hand to her chin. "…You're just going into your second trimester," she starts slowly, "so for now I'll say yes. Take it easy, though – get an assistant if you can. As the months go on, keep in touch – the answer may change depending on how you are."

"Okay." Kairi nods quickly. "That makes sense. Can I – um."

She bites her lip, suddenly feeling shy. "Can I…get a copy of the heartbeat? And the pictures?"

Her doctor's expression softens, and she smiles, nodding slightly. "Of course you can. You don't even have to ask. Congratulations."

It was very surreal. The thing she's been wanting these months had already happened, right under her nose. She wonders when it happened – which time was the one that did it? She's been so tired, just like Minato said, so…the baby was probably Riku's – though in the end it doesn't really matter, because this child will be theirs. All three of them. Their baby.

She was going to have a baby.

Oh wow.

Kairi returns home in a daze.

-o-

Riku has noticed that Kairi's been very quiet, these past few days.

It doesn't seem bad – it's a thoughtful silence, like Kairi has retreated into herself to mull over something.

He's trying not to worry about it.

But.

Riku's been worrying ever since Kairi came back from her doctor's appointment two days ago and didn't immediately tell them how it went. All he knows is that nothing was wrong, but she had something she needed to think about for a little while.

And he knows Kairi wouldn't lie – not about this. But why wouldn't she tell them right away?

He could see that Sora was concerned, too, even though he's been trying to hide it – but they have to trust her. She'll tell them when she's ready.

Until then, Riku has been keeping a close eye on her.

Now more than ever, Kairi has been stealing their clothes, wearing shirts and jackets that she practically swims in, tying the hems of shirts into a swift knot as they go to the studio for practice. She's still tired, but it hasn't stopped her classes, as far as he knows; Riku checks in on her when he has time, and she constantly reassures him that it's fine, she's okay – and she is. She is.

But during the quieter moments –

Sometimes, he catches her. Staring out the window, or biting at her thumb, an absent, far away look in her eyes. Like she was thinking. What was she thinking about? Was it something to worry about? When would he get to know?

Riku gets the answer almost a week after Kairi's doctor appointment.

It was late in the day when he finds her in the kitchen, mulling over something he can't see on the counter. The gold light of sunset dripped into the room, syrupy, hitting Kairi's hair and turning it fiery copper.

"Kairi?"

She turns to him smoothly, core settled, hips centered – a rest position. Did he startle her?

"Are you okay?" He steps into the kitchen, and she smiles, humming a little.

"I'm fine. I was just – thinking."

"You've been thinking a lot, the past few days." He prods, cautious. "Mind letting me into your head a little?"

"I…"

Her fingers spread over whatever she was looking at on the counter – photos? Was it something Sora had taken?

"I've been waiting to get these to tell you…" She picks up one of the photos and hands one to him. "I…guess my being so tired was a little odd…"

Riku's hand shook somewhat as he reached out to gingerly grab the photo, and he braced himself, preparing for what he was about to see –

The photo slipped from his numb fingers to the floor.

"Kairi." He gasps, taking a shaky step forward. "Kairi, are you -? Really?"

She bites at her lips, but not even that can hide her smile – eventually she just gives in and beams at him, practically glowing. "You're going to laugh at me." Kairi says, teasing even though her voice was shaking. "It took me three months to notice. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Three months? Three -?

Riku staggered closer. He placed his hands on Kairi's cheeks, looking into her eyes, and then his hands dragged down, down, down – over her shoulders, down her arms, over the slopes of her hips – as his knees finally gave out and he sank to the floor.

"Kairi," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around her hips and pulling her close. "Kairi, Kairi…thank you, thank you…"

Gentle, he rubs his face back and forth over her stomach, where – there, right under his cheek. Their baby was there.

It was happening. It was really happening.

Wow.

Riku's vision blurs over as his eyes rapidly fill with tears, and he sniffles, pressing a kiss to Kairi's stomach. "Kairi," he mumbles as her fingers slide into his hair, "Kairi, I'm so happy. I'm so – I'm so, so happy. Oh my god."

"Oh, you softie." Kairi says, despite her own voice being thick with tears. "I thought you were going to tease me because it took me so long to find out."

"Maybe later." Riku presses another kiss to her stomach. "I'm too happy to make fun right now."

"Small blessings." Kairi sniffles quietly, combing her fingers through his hair. "Wait until Sora finds out."

Snorting, Riku hides his smile in Kairi's shirt. "He's going to bawl."

"Should we tell him when he gets home?"

Riku is quiet for a second, considering it. Then, he raises his head, gently placing his chin on the barely-there swell of Kairi's stomach. "No." He finally says. "Let's tell him in a big way – let's surprise him. Do you know that email I told you about a couple weeks ago?"

Kairi's brow furrows in thought before her eyes light up with recollection. "I do! You wanna tell him then?"

"Yes. Did the doctor give you anything else besides the pictures?"

When Kairi nods, Riku grins. "Let's plan it out before he gets home."

-o-

Recently, a fine arts magazine reached out to them, asking for an interview.

Riku was going to ignore it until he saw who it was from – OrganiXIII. OrganiXIII, one of the most well-known editorials, and they were reaching out to him? Why?

So he paid attention.

Apparently, they wanted to cover a spread on Kairi and himself – a sort of where are they now kind of deal, seeing where ballet's brightest stars ended up after stepping back from the spotlight.

Or that's what the email said.

"We weren't that great." Riku grouses to Kairi and Sora one evening after telling them about the email. "And why so soon, anyway? It hasn't been that long since we've retired."

"Riku." Sora says flatly. "Riku, you two have a trophy case."

"Okay, but that doesn't mean –"

"No, nope, shhh, don't finish that sentence. I don't wanna hear it." Sora holds a hand up, rolling his eyes. "Kairi, please don't tell me you think this, too?"

Kairi hums, tapping a finger against her chin. "Well…the trophies are from high school and college –"

"Ugh!" Sora throws his hands up. "They still count! And you two have been in newspapers!"

"And? So have you!"

"Still!" He nudges both of them. "This is a great opportunity! Why not do it?"

Sora did have a point, so…Riku considered it. He and Kairi talked over it on their own time.

"I still think it's weird." He says. "We haven't been retired for that long – what do they even want to know?"

"Even though it's only been a few years, a lot has changed." Kairi reasons. "It's a good opportunity, like Sora said – and we're gonna get paid."

"…Well…"

So Riku reached out and accepted it – but only on one condition. Sora would be the one taking the photographs. Because of course he would be.

They didn't know that request would work so much in their favor, but they're glad for it.

-o-

"Do you have everything you need?" Kairi asks as Riku parks at the dance studio, and Sora hums.

"Yup!" He grins brightly, patting the bag on his lap. "I didn't need all my gear for this, so I'm all set – it shouldn't take long."

Riku made sure one of the dance halls was cleared out for as long as they needed it, the other teachers in the studio covering their classes. Sunlight streamed into the empty room, and Kairi placed her bag aside with a loud, happy sigh.

She's always looking forward to spending time in the studio; Kairi's workload isn't as intense, since she's working with kids, but she's happy to spend the day here all the same.

Kairi stretches her arms overhead, soaking in the sunlight, and hears a faint click. She turns her head in time to see Sora lower his camera with a cheeky smile. "Just doing a test shot." He explains, and Kairi rolls her eyes, seeing right through him.

She remembers that she and Riku are his favorite muses, after all.

"What do you want us to do?" Riku asks, setting his own bag to the ground. Sora shrugs. "I dunno – it doesn't matter! Just be yourselves!"

"Oh, is that all?" Riku smirks. "You're so easy to please."

"Just be ourselves, huh?" Kairi muses aloud, cutting in just in time to stop any brewing bickering. "Alright. Riku, can you help me stretch?"

They won't be at the studio long; Sora already took a few pictures of them at home, to capture a more domestic feeling, in case that's what the magazine wants. They're taking pictures at the studio because that was the whole reason OrganiXII was reaching out – the reminder that they were once ballet's brightest stars.

And still are! Kairi thinks to herself, adjusting her large tshirt with a huff. Just because they don't do shows anymore doesn't mean they stopped being good at what they do.

"All good?" Riku asked quietly as Kairi sits on the smooth wooden floors, and she nods, smiling.

"All good." She assures him. "Just need help like I usually do. Do you want me to braid your hair after this?"

"Do you really need to?" He asks, pressing his hands against the middle of her back. "It's not as long as it used to be, you know."

"No." Kairi agrees, moving into a full split. "But I want to – I just like to do it."

Behind her, Riku huffs fondly, and she grins as she leans into the stretch.

Kairi has noticed that her center of gravity has been off – just a little. Not enough to make her feel truly off balanced, but enough that she noticed. She didn't pay it much mind during her lessons – but now that she knows the reason, she can't stop focusing on it.

Distantly, she can hear Sora's camera clicking away, and Kairi tucks a smile into her arm.

"Good?" Riku checks in, offering a hand to help her to her feet, and she takes it gratefully.

"Yeah." She smiles. "Thanks, Riku. Here – I'll braid your hair, before we go back to stretching."

"You don't have to make an excuse to touch my hair." He reminds her as they switch places, and Kairi ignores him with a roll of her eyes. She doesn't hear Riku complain as she starts to comb her fingers through his hair, relaxing into her hands while she takes care to get rid of any knots or tangles before creating a neat braid to the middle of his shoulders.

"Not as long as it used to be." She repeats mockingly, giving the finished braid a gentle tug. "Seems long enough – it's as long as it was when we were sixteen!"

"Yeah, yeah." He grumbles, slapping his hands on his knees as he pushes himself up with a grunt. "…When are we going to tell him?"

Riku's voice lowers as he asks the question, and Kairi steps into his space with a smile, keeping up a nonchalant front by tucking a stray hair out of his face.

"In a bit." She says. "Let him get some pictures in, first – I'd feel bad if we threw him out of his work zone. Now -"

Kairi steps back with a skip in her step, clapping her hands together. "Let's finish stretching and dance a little! While my energy is up, come on!"

She dances over to the barre, and Riku follows her without complaint.

"Let us know when you're all set, Sora!" Riku calls as Kairi leans into a new set of stretches, and Sora hums absently, already raising the camera back to his face. "I will!" He promises, tone distracted. "You two are doing great!"

"We haven't done anything." Riku grumbles, joining Kairi on the barre to stretch.

"Oh, Riku, you know Sora thinks we're lovely even if we don't do anything."

He doesn't say anything to counter her, and she watches a flush creep over the shell of his ears.

Eventually they finish stretching, but Kairi doesn't really want to fall into any serious dances yet – so they play around a little. It reminds her of the way they used to act when they were kids, making up little dances just for the hell of it, for fun, spinning around each other while Sora watches on, starry eyed.

So much has changed – but that, at least, has stayed the same.

"Should we do something a little serious, now?" Kairi asks, breathless. She gets in Riku's space, reaching for his hand, and rises en pointe, smiling up at him as he cups the nape of her neck, eyes soft.

"Probably." Riku murmurs. "What should we do? There's a lot to choose from."

Kairi hums to herself, thinking about it. There really was a lot to choose from. Her eyes slide over to Sora, who's watching them from the sidelines. His camera wasn't even raised, and his eyes were soft as butter as he stares at them. It makes Kairi want to go over and kiss him right away.

"Maybe…" She nibbles at her lip, thinking about it. "The pas de deux? The one Sora saw first?"

"Sure." Riku says easily. "You sure you don't wanna do the one with the lift? He might pass out if he sees that in real life, since technically -"

A surprised laugh burst out of her. "What? No!" She smacks at his chest. "That was for fun! And you think I can pull that off, like this?"

"Right." He looks abashed, and Kairi doesn't want them to look like that at all. She drops back onto her heels and reaches up to pinch his cheek.

"Cheer up!" She grins at him. "We have to woo our husband now. Let me grab my phone and get everything ready."

Kairi can't deny that the pas de deux from their show at Radiant Garden has a soft spot in her heart – she may be a little biased, but how can she not be, when she got something so wonderful out of it, in the end?

It was hard work – but it brought her love.

She connects her phone to the speaker installed in the studio, making sure her little surprise was set up before moving to the edge of the room, waiting for her cue. "All set!" She calls out, and Riku nods, moving to the center of the room.

Seeing the way Sora's entire being lit up as the first low note of the piano echoed across the room made Kairi feel light as air. She had to bite at the inside of her cheek to hold back a smile, counting the beats in her head as she waited for turn to move.

The movements don't come as easily as they did years ago, when they were drilling the step sequences into their brains – but Kairi rises onto her toes and steps forward in time with the lighter chimes of the piano. Relishes in the way Riku's face lights up, like it's the first time they're seeing each other.

Sora's camera goes off now and then, but it's distant, background noise. Kairi is more focused on each measured movement, every careful step, moving – gently, gently! – into a leap in time with the first aching pull of the violin's strings, Riku's hands on her sides as he helps her look like she's floating to the ground.

She's forgotten just how hard it is – to make every movement look so graceful, to make it appear like she was walking on air. Years of effort, hours of work – perhaps she's taken for granted the lighter load teaching children has given her. Perhaps part of her misses the challenge.

Riku grasps her sides, falling to his knees, and Kairi leans in until her toes barely brush the ground, Riku holding her up. The baby presses against her abdomen slightly – an unfamiliar pressure. It's fine. She'd adjust.

It gets a little easier as the music goes on. They wind around each other, dancing in and out of each other's space, Kairi just out of reach as Riku constantly chases after her. She lets herself break character near the end, when the music rises to its crescendo, laughing brightly in Riku's arms as they spin together. She just felt so light – the happiness in her gut was bubbling up and spilling over, and she couldn't hold it back.

Near the end of the dance, Riku apparently decided to go off script, surprising her a little – instead of staying close to her, ending the dance wrapped up in each other, he steps away, their entwined fingers the last thing to part, just as the song fades into silence.

Kairi watches as Riku moves over to Sora, trying to catch her breath, and Sora beams between the two of them, so bright it's almost blinding.

"That was really good!" He cries out, holding his camera aloft. "I got plenty of pictures from that, so if you two want to go home now, that's fine. Or we –"

It took Sora a second to realize that something else was playing over the speakers now. That's fine – Kairi was happy to wait.

When it finally sank in, he froze, and Riku was by his side just in time to catch his camera as it slipped from his hands. She's glad – Sora would've been devastated if his camera broke.

Standing in the middle of the room, Kairi laced her hands behind her back and smiled widely as the recording of their baby's heartbeat echoed along the studio walls.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thu-

"Kairi." Sora croaks out. His head jerkily turns to Riku, lost. "Riku? What –?"

Riku could only laugh helplessly, giving him a shaky smile. He looks back at Kairi and takes a shaky step forward. His eyes were so bright. "You – Kairi. Are you -?"

She couldn't hold it in anymore. She had to tell him now – now.

"Surprise!" Kairi says, quietly giddy. "It took me three months and a doctor appointment to figure it out, but –"

"Three months?" Sora repeats faintly. "Three – Kairi? You – really? Really really?"

"Mm." She nods, rocking back on her heels. "Really really."

His face crumples, then, tears rising to bead on his lashes and spill over his cheeks. Kairi can't stop the giggle that slips out – they knew he was going to cry. Sora stumbles over to her and Kairi meets him halfway, grabbing his wrists as he holds her face like she's something precious.

"I can't believe it!" He cries. "I – really?"

"Really!" Kairi laughs. "Sora, I swear – we're gonna have a baby."

More tears run down his face at the words, and he laughs wetly, overjoyed. "Wow!" He says, sniffling. "I – wow! You're amazing. I love you."

She grins at him, running her thumbs over his skin, and Sora leans in to kiss her with an intensity that makes her back bow slightly. Kairi presses her laughter into his mouth as he kisses her over and over, and faintly she can hear a camera go off.

She and Riku don't have the eye that Sora has, when it comes to taking pictures – but in that moment she loves him, then, that he tried anyway. And she hopes that it comes out well, that they can keep it, because Kairi wants to stay in this moment forever – wrapped up in their joy.

-o-

Sora tells Roxas first – of course he does.

When Roxas picks up his phone that evening, he isn't expecting to be greeted by Sora outright bawling into his ear.

"Sora?" He asks, concerned. "Hello? Are you good?"

"Roxas." Sora wails. "Roxas, we're gonna have a baby – I'm gonna be a dad!"

Roxas' phone slips out of his stunned grasp and clatters to the floor.

-o-

"Alright, my little guppies!" Kairi calls out in her beginner's class a few days later. "Gather close – I want to tell you something before we get to work."

The children gather around her, and Kairi takes them in, staring down at their expectant faces with a smile. "I wanted to let you know," she starts, "that I might not be able to teach you guys in a few months."

She holds up a hand as a distressed gasp ripples around the room. "It isn't forever! It won't be until the winter, but I'll need to go for a little while."

"Why?"

Kairi's eyes land on little Strelitzia, who had asked the question. "It's because," she says patiently, "in a few months, I'll be having a baby."

It was funny, watching the children's eyes, already so wide, go even wider. Excited voices pipe in, piling on each other.

"A baby?"

"I remember when my momma had my baby brother a while ago – he looked like – like a raisin!"

"Do you know when it's gonna come?"

"How come your belly's all small, then?"

"Is it gonna be a boy or a girl?"

"Are you still gonna be able to see our recital?"

"They should be here between December and January." Kairi answers patiently. "I don't know that yet, because they're still very little – that's why my stomach is still kind of flat, too. I won't know for a few more months. And of course I'll still see your recital – don't think this means you get to slack off, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Alright. Now, speaking of your recital – to the barre, everyone! It's time to stretch!"

-o-

When they invite their parents over to tell them the news, Riku's mother squeals at such a high pitch it makes his ears ring, while Sora's mother bursts into tears.

"Oh my god!" Riku watches as Uncle Aouli – Aouli, just Aouli now, but habits are hard to break – hops to his feet and sweeps Kairi up into a hug. "A baby! Junie, our first grandbaby!"

He lets her go just as Uncle Keone steps in, and his eyes are so soft as he pulls his daughter close. "My extraordinary girl." He mumurs into her hair, and Kairi presses a grin into his chest as she wraps his arms around his waist, squeezing tight. "Congratulations, sweetheart."

"I know we talked about it," Jun sniffles as Minato rubs her back, "but I'm still – I'm so happy."

Sora goes to comfort his mother, and Riku is pulled out of watching the commotion around him by a hand on his cheek. "Alright?" His mother asks, and he nods, blinking back into focus.

"I'm good." He assures her. "It's just…really surreal. You know?"

"Mm, I know."

Riku instantly feels a little silly for saying that because of course his mother knows. How could he think otherwise?

"Oh, don't make that face." His mother gently pinches his cheek. "It's fine – it's going to feel different for a while, for you. And then things will settle. And then you'll be thrown off balance again. We're here to help when you need it but – will you be ready for it?"

"Yes." He answers instantly. As surreal as it was, they had talked about this – they had planned this. The discovery may have surprised them, but they spent weeks preparing for this. They were ready – he was ready.

"Yes." He says again. "It's…it's surreal, but – I'm really, really excited."

Riku can feel it, bubbling up in his gut, stretching his cheeks into a wide smile, and his mother smiles in return. "I know I came into your life late –" She starts, and he shakes his head, trying to cut her off with a feeble "mom, it's fine –"

But she wasn't deterred. "I know I came into your life late – but no matter what, you're my baby. You are. Always. And I'm so, so proud of you. You're going to be a great dad, I know it."

Riku didn't want to cry. He's cried plenty these past couple days, and when he wasn't weepy, Sora and Kairi have cried enough for him. Despite that, he can feel the telltale prickling of tears, and he sniffles, looking away. "…Thanks, mom." He finally says, and he pulls her into a hug, resting a cheek on the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Their parents would be staying over for a while, and Sora made sure to cook something so everyone would have something to eat. Kairi was starting to tire a little, as the visit dragged on, but she stubbornly stayed awake, saying that she would just get some sleep later. It was nice, having their parents here – excitement and fussing aside, they always bring a warmth that Riku is always glad to be around. It makes him miss their childhood town, some, but he was happy all the same that they chose this place to make a home together – close enough to old, familiar places, but far enough to be somewhere new. To make their own lives together.

Surrounded by noise and the clatter of plates and silverware, Riku allows himself a little smile.

-o-

Sora wasn't in bed.

The absence slowly wakes Riku up, and he pushes up onto his elbows, blinking slowly. He focuses for a moment, wondering if he just went to the bathroom – but it was quiet.

Another one of those nights, then.

Riku glances over at Kairi. He remembers the promise he made, to wake her when this happens so they can find Sora and talk to him together – but for once, he thinks he's going to just let her sleep. He'll apologize to her and make up for it, but these are special circumstances. Kairi has just been so tired, and now that they know the reason why, well – it only seems fair to let her get as much rest as she can.

So Riku leaves her wrapped up in the blankets, her tiny snores filling the air as he leaves the room to go find where Sora's hiding now.

For once, he doesn't have to look for very long.

He finds his husband in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a contemplative look on his face. A mug, long emptied, is cradled in his hands, and he rolls it back and forth between his palms. For a moment, Riku just leans against the entryway and watches him. Then, he announces his presence.

"Can't sleep?"

Sora hums deep in his chest as he blinks rapidly, focusing back on the present. He looks up at Riku and smiles a little, putting the mug in his hands aside. "Kind of." He laughs lightly. "I knew you'd come find me. No Kairi this time?"

"I thought about it, but – I figured it would be best to let her sleep. She's been so tired."

"Mm."

Silence falls over them. But it's not bad – not at all. It's peaceful; it matches the quiet night outside, the calm rhythm of the waves pushing back and forth. Eventually Riku moves, going to the table to take Sora's mug and put it in the sink for him before returning and offering a hand.

Sora stares at it, just for a second, before he takes it and lets Riku gently pull him to his feet.

"Were you thinking?" Riku asks, wrapping his arms around Sora's waist, and he winds his arms around his neck.

"I was."

"It's nothing bad, is it?"

"No." He shakes his head, that little smile still on his face. "Not at all."

Slowly, they start to absently sway back and forth, an absent dance through the beams of moonlight streaming into their kitchen.

"I'm just happy." Sora tucks his face into the curve of Riku's neck. "So happy I don't know how to hold it. It's just – I know we talked about it. But it's amazing, isn't it? So soon, everything is going to be so different."

"Yeah." Riku squeezes him a little tighter. "It's exciting – but I'm also a little scared, too."

"Really?"

"Mm. I just…want to do right by them. Both of them."

Sora pulls back a little to look at him. The moonlight reflects in his eyes.

"…Then I guess I'm a little scared, too." He finally says. "I think it's fine, though – being scared. Kairi is probably scared, too. It's a really big change for all of us. But I know that as long as we're together, it'll work out. We'll do great!"

Riku lets out a soft sigh of laughter. "At least you've got faith in us."

"Of course I do! Riku, you're gonna be a great dad, you'll see. It's gonna be okay."

It shakes him to his core, his spouses' belief in him. With them by his side, it feels like everything will work out just fine. "Well, if you believe that, then there's no doubt that it's true."

Sora laughs as Riku noses his way past tousled bangs, breathing him in before pressing a kiss to his forehead. He trails his lips down, along the shell of his ear, the line of his neck, until he hides his face in the soft bit of skin he loves – where his neck and shoulder meet. He breathes in again, slow, and they continue their pointless slow dance in the kitchen, swaying back and forth.

Their hearts beat against each other, slow and steady. Always in tune.

"Hmm." He says, soft. "…We should go back to bed. I'm tired. Aren't you?"

"Aah…a little. Plus, we shouldn't leave Kairi alone for so long."

"True. I don't want her to wake up without us."

Surprisingly, Kairi hasn't moved from where Riku had left her, only the top of her crimson head poking out where the blankets surrounded her. Quietly, they slipped back under the blankets, pressing kisses to her cheeks as they went, and curled themselves around her. She stirs a little, but other than that, she doesn't wake – a testament to how tired she was. She never likes to sleep in the bed alone.

Hunkering back under the blankets, Riku checks on Sora one last time and finds bright blue eyes staring back at him. Rubbing his cheek against his pillow, Sora gives him another smile before settling in, his eyes sliding closed. Between one breath and the next, he was asleep, and Riku always envied him for that – how quickly Sora was able to fall asleep, with no issue at all.

But it's fine. He follows after him eventually.

-o-

After the excitement of discovery dies down, things eventually go back to normal. Or as normal as things can get.

Kairi is ecstatic when the constant exhaustion that's been dragging her down vanishes as she crawls into the fifth month of her pregnancy. The morning she wakes up and doesn't feel like prying her eyes open would be a great effort, she almost whoops with glee. That was a change Kairi liked – a very good change.

There are other changes, too.

Her belly has gotten – bigger. Somewhat. It's…weird. Fascinating? She isn't sure how to really describe it. But it's been interesting to watch, the curve of her stomach growing more and more, the weight she's carrying getting more pronounced, her chest and hips getting softer. She can still dance though – Kairi will be alright, as long as she can still dance. But this change is…fine. It's fine. Expected. She knew what she was getting into, but…it's still so odd. Different.

Another change is the cravings. The cravings.

All Kairi wants to eat is fruit. All the time. The constant want for it before made so much sense, now.

She'll settle for anything – a fruit cup. A shitty apple from the grocery store – anything, as long as her cravings were satisfied. Lucky for her that she lived in a place that was abundant with fruit of all kinds, and even more lucky that she has two lovely husbands that make sure the fridge always has something. It's amazing they haven't cleared the stands in the market, with how often they buy fruit these days. But Kairi is grateful to be indulged so fully. It's another change she doesn't mind.

There are…other changes that she is fine with. But it's surprising all the same.

"Sora, Sor-a -ah -"

He laughs into the curve of her neck, where he was pressing lush, sleepy kisses. "Wow," he mumbles, "you've never reacted that way before."

Kairi scowls, face flushing hot. She almost wants to push his face away, but damn it all, she wants him close. Closer.

It's Sunday. And on Sunday, they all have a day off to spend it however they please. And right now, Kairi is perfectly content with staying in bed.

At her back, Riku sleeps on, his even breathing soothing in the quiet air that early morning brings, and it calms Kairi down somewhat. Somewhat.

"I –"

Sora decides to press another kiss to her neck, and Kairi almost jumps out of her skin. "I don't know why this is happening!" She explains in a tight whisper, voice squeaky as she clutches at the sleeves of his nightshirt. "I – I don't remember it feeling that sensitive."

He hums against her neck in thought. Kairi has to bite at the inside of her check to stop herself from letting out the most embarrassing moan on earth. Was he doing this on purpose? He was probably doing this on purpose.

"It's probably because of the baby." Sora finally says, and his tone is sure. His hand slides lazily over the curve of her hip, fingers dragging against her skin as his hand slips under her nightshirt, and he wasn't slick about it at all. That cemented Kairi's feeling that he was absolutely doing this on purpose. "I've been doing a lot of reading, you know? An up in sensitivity can happen."

Kairi makes a soft noise to let him know she was listening, trying to pull all her focus away from the hand on her waist. This was ridiculous. Sora was probably right about the increased sensitivity, because his hands on her always felt good, but it never felt like this – like her whole body was one exposed nerve.

Sora then decides to press a kiss to the skin behind her ear, and Kairi can't stop the little noise that slips out.

"S-Sora!" She smacks at his arm as he snickers. "Cut it out! I know you're doing this on purpose!"

"Of course I am!" He kisses her again. "Sorry, Kairi. But this is fun. It's just so different."

Teeth graze her earlobe, and a noise Kairi has never made before drifts into the air. Clutching at his sleeves like a lifeline, she squirms closer until they were pressed together from chest to hip, and Kairi is grateful that her belly isn't big enough to get in the way. "Cut it out." She whispers. "You're gonna wake up Riku! What'll we do then, huh? You know he doesn't like being woken up."

"Too late."

An arm drapes over her waist, and Kairi jumps a little at the feeling of Riku's voice, rumbly with sleep as it trails down her back. "What's going on?"

"Good morning, Riku!" Sora says happily, and his hand slides further up Kairi's side, fingertips brushing against her ribs. "I found out something really interesting just now!"

Riku hummed softly, inquiring Sora to go on while he sleepily rubbed his cheek against the crown of Kairi's head. It made her smile at how cuddly he was in the mornings – even now, sandwiched between the two of them while Sora continued to play her like a fiddle, skin jumping and twitching as he trailed his fingers lightly over her side.

"I found out that apparently, baby has made Kairi really sensitive in spots."

Riku's next hum is deeper, rumbling in his chest with his intrigue, and Sora's grin is devious.

"Sora –" Kairi starts to say, but he dips in to kiss her again – thankfully on her cheek, this time. It was a safe spot, not sensitive at all, but she shivers regardless.

"I wonder," Riku asks quietly, his hand wandering to join Sora's under her shirt, "just how far that goes?"

Kairi can feel the curve of Sora's smile as he nuzzles against her cheek. "Who knows!" He chirps. "But I wanna find out. Do you, Kairi?"

She presses her lips into a thin line. "Guys," she says slowly, just to give them an out, "it's, um – it's Sunday. Don't you want to do anything else?"

"I'm down with Sora's Sunday plans so far." Riku says, sounding more awake by the second. His arms tighten around her, and Kairi squirms a little at his fingers tracing over her belly. "Kairi?"

Just their hands resting against her skin was making her feel like a livewire – but, she thinks wryly, Kairi wouldn't mind a little more. She relaxes against Riku's chest, drags her hands over Sora's arms and shoulders to cup his jaw and pull him into a kiss. "Fine," she says against his lips, "let's find out. Boys – don't tease."

Turns out that Kairi really is sensitive all over – and with that sensitivity is a hunger in her belly that feels unending. They don't get out of bed for a while on that day, but Kairi was perfectly happy where she was.

Besides, it was Sunday – it's not like they had any other plans in mind. It was nice. It was fun.

So, it's been good change. Mostly. Hiccups here and there, but nothing too concerning, yet, and Kairi is grateful. And more grateful still that whatever comes her way, she doesn't have to deal with it alone.

-o-

Halfway through the sixth month of Kairi's pregnancy, Xion and Naminè come by to visit.

It wasn't a surprise – Sora knew that the three of them have been trying to plan a visit for almost a year, now. The thing about adulthood, he's learned, is that a lot of it is spent trying to make time to see a friend. It was a little easier, when they were close – working together, able to see each other in a short drive's distance.

Now, it's a little trickier.

But the stars align in the end, and the house is filled with voices and laughter just for a moment before Kairi calls out, "we're going out! Be back in a bit!"

"Huh?"

That makes Sora scramble up from where he was sitting on the couch, rushing to the foyer just as Xion was opening the front door. "You – you're going out?" Sora asks helplessly. "I – I thought you, um."

Kairi raised an eyebrow, and suddenly he didn't want to finish the thought at all. But stupidly, foolishly, he pushed on. "I thought you'd, uh. Stay home?"

Kairi's other eyebrow rose to meet its pair, and she placed her hands on her hips, puffing up in that familiar way that told Sora she was ready for a fight. With her round belly, it looked extremely cute instead of intimidating, but he would rather die a thousand deaths than say that now.

"Sora," Kairi said in warning, "I'm not sick. I'm just pregnant. I can go out."

"I know, I know." He agrees helplessly. "I just – I worry, that's all. I –"

"Sora." Xion chides. "She's just carrying a baby. Besides – we'll be with her the whole time!"

"We won't be gone long." Naminè promises. "We're just going to have lunch, catch up for a bit. That's all."

Well, now Sora feels kind of bad. He didn't mean to ruin their good time before it even started! It's just – he worries a little bit, every now and then. That's all. But he can't let that worry stop Kairi from living her life! Everything's been fine so far – he shouldn't borrow trouble where there isn't any.

His guilt must have been showing on her face, because Xion smiles, trying to take away some of the sting. "Don't be so stingy, Sora." She teases. "We'll be back before you know it. We came by to see you and Riku too, you know?"

"…Yeah. I know."

Kairi still looked a little miffed, and Sora smiles, apologetic. "I'm sorry, Kairi. Go, have fun. I'll be here when you get back, okay?"

"…Okay." She says, reluctant. "But we're going to talk about this when we have time, alright."

"Yeah."

He waves them off as they step outside, and the front door snapping shut sounds incredibly loud. Sora groans, dragging a hand over his face, and walks with heavy feet back to the couch, blindly searching for his phone. He knows that he shouldn't really bother Riku while he's at work, but – he needs to talk about this now.

"Riku," he groans as soon as he answers, "I screwed up."

"Okay?" His husband answers, befuddled. "Not what I was expecting when I answered the phone, but I'm glad it isn't anything serious."

"No! It is serious! Riku, I made Kairi mad."

"Ohhh." He draws it out, understanding. "Okay, maybe this is serious. What did you do? You two were happy when I left."

He's right, they were pretty happy this morning; Riku was almost late to his intermediate classes because Sora and Kairi were a team effort, cajoling him for one more kiss after the other to try and keep him in bed. And then, of course, Xion and Naminè's visit was on their minds, which added to the good mood –

Until he decided to open his big, dumb mouth, that is.

"Okay, so you know how Naminè and Xion are here, right?" He continues when Riku hums with recall. "So they got here, and it's been great, and we spent some time catching up, but –"

"…But?" Riku presses when Sora's voice trails off.

"…But then they said they were gonna go out. And I, uh –"

"Oh." Riku sighs in understanding, and Sora loves him so much, in that moment. Loves that he has people that can understand him so quickly. And then – "Sora, you big dummy."

Hm. Maybe he takes that back. Maybe he wants a divorce, actually. But that's not fair - he knows he deserves it, and that's why he groans into the phone. "I know." He stresses, voice slipping out in a whine. "I feel really bad!"

The speaker crackles as Riku sighs heavily. "I know it's easy to give in to worry about this – I worry too, sometimes. But we can't keep her stuck in the house – that's not fair to her at all. How would you feel?"

"…Not great." He mumbles, scuffing his slippered foot across the floor.

"Yeah. She doesn't need us hovering over her all the time. Let her have some space. And make sure you apologize!"

"I did! But…I'll apologize again."

"Good."

Sora can almost see Riku's sharp nod, and he has to bite back a smile. "I'll let you go – I'm sorry to bother you."

"You can bother me whenever you want." He says immediately. "But I do need to get back to the kids. I'll see you in a few hours, okay? I love you."

Even after so many years, hearing that still makes him blush. "I love you, too." He answers shyly. "Bye."

Once he hangs up the phone, Sora is left with nothing to do. He doesn't want to sit on the couch and twiddle his thumbs, so he turns on the television, letting something mindless play in the background as he goes to the kitchen to make something for lunch. Perhaps he'll get something started for dinner, as well. Xion and Naminè are probably going to stay for dinner, so he'll make enough for everyone!

He makes a sandwich for lunch that he quickly scarfs down, and is halfway through getting a bread dough together, sauce that he made for pasta bubbling away on the stove when he hears the door open.

"Wow." Xion sighs. "It smells good in here. Sora, are you stress cooking?"

"What?" His voice cracks in the middle, caught. Damn Xion for knowing him so well! "Huh? No I'm not! I'm just – uh -"

He quickly wipes his hands on a dishtowel and leaves the kitchen to meet them in the foyer, and immediately screeches to a halt. Xion is holding the door open, ushering in Naminè, who has an arm wrapped around Kairi –

Kairi, whose face is blotchy red and streaked with tears.

Sora's heart immediately drops into in the ground.

"Kairi –" He gasps, taking a stumbling step forward. Panic rushes over him so fast it makes him feel sluggish, his eyes rapidly darting between his friends and his wife. "Are you okay, are you – is baby okay? Was - was it what I said? I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to upset you, I –"

"It's fine!" Naminè rushes in to explain. "It's fine, it – it's nothing bad! And baby's fine – Kairi's just a little overwhelmed right now, that's all. Yeah?"

Gentle, she gives Kairi a nudge, and she nods, swiping at her tear damp cheeks. "Yeah." She answers, sniffling. "I'm okay, I just – I need a second, that's all. I'll be back in just a bit."

She shuffles past them, her hands cradling her belly – she's been doing that more often, as the months pass. Kairi said she was fine. That she just needed a second. But –

Sora can't help but follow her to the guest bathroom a few seconds later, feeling like he was being pulled along by a string.

"Oh, Sora." Xion sighs. "We're gonna play some of your games and give you two a minute. Okay?"

"Mm."

"Wait, should we check on what's cooking in the kitchen -?"

"It's Sora's cooking, so it'll be fine –"

Kairi is in the middle of blowing her nose when Sora pokes his head in, the faucet running quietly in the background. "Kairi?" He asks quietly, not wanting to startle her. "I know you said you're okay! But, uh – I still wanted to check on you. So."

"Of course you did." Kairi sighed. But she was smiling, so it couldn't be all bad, right? She pulls a spare washcloth out of the drawer and runs it under the sink, wringing it out and patting her face. "I really am alright." She assures him. "Something just – happened. I'll tell you later."

"Really? You aren't, uh – mad?"

"No, I – well."

She lets out a short breath and tosses the washcloth aside, stepping up to him and cupping his face in her hands. Sora goes still, and stares into Kairi's serious eyes.

"Sora," she says slowly, and every part of him listens, "I am perfectly healthy. Baby is perfectly healthy. If we go out of your sight for a little while, nothing is going to happen. Do you feel this way when I go to work?"

"No! Ah." He hesitates, because that isn't fair – he shouldn't lie. Kairi deserves honesty. "I…sometimes. A little bit. It's dumb, I know."

"Sora, nothing that worries you is ever dumb. But instead of trying to keep me stuck in the house all the time, maybe talk to me about it?"

He looks away, abashed. "I don't want to annoy you…" He murmurs, reaching up to press his hands over hers.

"Making you feel better isn't annoying." Kairi counters. "If it makes you worry less about us, I'm fine with doing it as many times as you need."

She looked so serious as she promised that – so sincere. What else could Sora do but lean in and kiss her? "Okay." He mumbles into her lips. "Okay." He sniffles lightly, and then rubs their noses together. "I'm sorry. Let's go hang out with our friends, okay?"

"Why are you apologizing?" She laughs. "Let's go."

Sora idly couldn't help but wonder what it was that Kairi wanted to tell him later as they returned to the living room, hand in hand. But he quickly puts the thoughts aside; he knows that he'll find out eventually, anyway.

-o-

In the end, Xion and Naminè end up staying over.

Once Riku came back home, talking over dinner went on longer than expected, and when they noticed the time, the three of them couldn't stand the idea of them getting back on the road so late.

"Just stay the night." Kairi urges. "The guest room is open. You can leave in the morning!"

It took a little more cajoling, but their friends caved eventually, and after making sure the two of them had something to wear for bed, they prepared to turn down for the evening.

Kairi got the first shower, and by the time Sora stepped out of the bathroom, she was lying in her usual spot in the middle of the bed, a contemplative look on her face as her hands rested on her stomach. To her right, Riku was already in bed, breaths slow and even with an arm thrown over his face.

"Everything alright?" Sora carefully prods as he fluffs the blankets for bed.

"Mm." She nods shortly, focused. Her hands slide around the curve of her belly, this way and that. "I'm fine. I'm just – oh!"

Kairi jolts a little, startling him, and Sora blinks rapidly at the grin that threatens to split her face, wide and wild. "Sora!" She cries out loudly, "Riku! Quick – give me your hands! Come here!"

Confused, Sora could do nothing but obey, offering a hand and letting Kairi yank him onto the bed. Riku is jolted awake from his doze, and he pushes himself upright onto an elbow, blinking in a daze as Kairi grabs his hand.

"Kairi -?"

"What -?"

Both Riku and Sora speak simultaneously, and they both fall silent as Kairi presses their hands against her belly. Her brow furrows again as she slides their hands over the curve, concentrating. Searching. And then –

And then there's a tap against their fingers.

Sora feels like the wind's been knocked out of him. Riku looks the same way. Slowly, they turn as one to Kairi, and she grins up at them, her hair haloed around her head as their baby kicks one more time against their fingers.

"I felt it when I was out having lunch with Xion and Naminè." She explains breathlessly. She's practically glowing, she looks so happy. "I was so startled that I burst into tears in the middle of the restaurant."

Sora and Riku were lucky – at least they got to cry in the privacy of their own home! But Kairi won't give them too much grief about it.

-o-

Seven months in, it starts getting a little hard for Kairi to dance.

It was expected, but that doesn't make it any better.

It made Riku ache inside, seeing Kairi so tired when the day comes to an end, struggling to pick up after herself and clean the studio long after the kids have left. He made sure to adjust his schedule and end his classes a little earlier, so he could be around in time to help Kairi straighten up before they go home. It's the least he can do.

Today, when he enters Kairi's studio, he finds her at the barre.

Golden afternoon light streams into the room, making the wood floors shine. Kairi's eyes were closed, the set of her jaw focused as she slowly breathed in and out, left arm raised in third while her right hand rested on the barre. Inhaling slowly, she carefully squats down into a plié, and Riku could almost hear her teeth grinding in determination as she rises back up before squatting down, over and over, a fine sheen of sweat gathering on her skin.

"Riku." She calls out quietly. Her eyes are still closed. It still amazes him, how she just knows when he's there.

"Yeah?" He answers, confirming his presence as he finally enters the room.

"I…"

She looks so disgruntled as she finally opens her eyes. "I'm not going to be able to dance anymore, am I?"

Riku's smile is tiny and sympathetic as he moves closer. "I don't think so, Kairi." He says softly, and the look on her face in response to that almost broke his heart.

"Hey." He moves close, wrapping her up in his arms, not caring about how sweaty she was. "It's not forever." Riku swears as Kairi hides her face in his shirt, holding him as tight as she could with her belly in the way. "It's just until baby shows up, okay? After that, you'll be back to doing fouettés and jetès like a pro."

"I know." She says, and her voice is so small. "It's still – it's really hard. Riku, I'm gonna be so bored."

A laugh burst out of Riku's chest. "Bored! Kairi, you won't be bored – didn't we promise you? In our vows? Every day is always going to be fun."

Kairi hums into his chest. "I guess you did, didn't you?"

"And Sora will be home sometimes –"

"But he won't be home every day."

"Some days is better than no days." Riku points out. "He works from home more often than not, yeah? So you won't be by yourself. And you can still go out, you know. It'll be okay."

"…I know." Kairi finally says, raising her head to look him in the eye. "I'm just being difficult. I just…wasn't ready to stop, that's all."

"Yeah." Riku gives her a gentle squeeze. "But it's gonna be alright – you'll be back before you know it. And you can't miss the kids' recital."

"I would never -!"

Baby chooses, then, to announce their presence with a solid kick that has Kairi cutting off her words, letting out a soft grunt as they look down.

"Kairi." Riku says solemnly, his lips twitching to hide his smile. "I don't know if you noticed, lately, but – I just, I really think that there's just – something between us. Have you felt it?"

That got the exact reaction he wanted – Kairi rolling her eyes so hard they looked like they'd pop out of her head, groaning loudly as he shoved him away. She turned her back on him, but not quick enough for Riku to miss it – the little smile on her face.

"You and Sora have been saying that for days, and every time it's not as funny as you think it is!"

Riku was quickly on her heels. "Then what's that smile on your face, huh?" He goads, and she puffs up just like he knew she would.

"What smile! You're seeing things!"

"Noooo, you're definitely about to laugh –"

"Am not!" Kairi cuts in, stifling giggles. "I don't know what you're talking about! Come on – you came here to help me clean up, didn't you?"

He was tempted to tease for just a second longer – but he decides to let it go. He was able to make Kairi smile, in the end, which was his main goal. So he lets out a quiet laugh and follows Kairi around, helping her pick up things and put the studio back to rights before the locked everything up.

"Do you think," Kairi says suddenly as they're walking to the car, "that, um – would Auntie Minato mind? Taking over my classes?"

"Not auntie anymore." He reminded her, even though it was a little hypocritical – he still struggled too, sometimes. "But I think so. Give her a call when you can. When do you want to do this?"

"Let her take over? Mmm…" She pursed her lip, leaning against the side of the car. "I guess…I can make it to the end of this month. And then…"

Kairi wraps her arms around herself. The air is a little cooler, now that it's creeping closer to winter; even their island town is overcome with a slight chill. It also reminds Riku that they're just a little closer, now – closer to everything being so different for all of them.

"…You don't have to decide today."

"I know." She says as Riku moves around the car to open the door for her. "But I should probably start thinking about it now. So when it's time – everything will be ready."

Riku's attempt in the studio at lifting Kairi's spirits didn't last long; the drive home was silent, with Kairi looking out the window, hands folded over her stomach. She didn't speak up again until they pulled up to their house, Riku turning the car off and leaving them in silence.

"…I guess I'll give Minato a call this weekend." She muses. "So that way she'll know and have time to prepare."

"Okay."

Kairi sighs a little, and Riku has to reach out, placing his hand over hers. Her fingers were cold.

"It's not forever." He reminds her. "Okay? I promise."

Finally, she turns to look at him. In the darkness of the car, he can see the faint curve of her smile.

"Okay. I believe you."

-o-

"Have you guys thought about names?"

Kairi looks up at Sora's question, popping another grape in her mouth as she thought about her answer. "Yeah," she finally says, swallowing. "I've thought about a couple. I guess we should finally pick, huh?"

"I think so." He says, amused, as he returns to his seat next to her on the couch. "Since we're getting closer to December."

"Or January." Kairi mumbles, stubborn – but he's right.

It's been a few weeks since Kairi started staying home, and she was officially halfway through her eighth month. She thought it was impossible for her belly to get any bigger, but it surprises her every day. It wasn't as boring as she'd feared, being home all the time, because like Riku had said – Sora was home quite often. He spends a few hours on his laptop, back at its usual perch on his knees after they turned the office into a nursery and spends the morning answering phone calls and responding to emails. After that, though, his attention is undeniably hers, so it isn't too terrible.

"Do you have anything in mind?" Sora asks as Kairi turns on the couch to face him, trying for a moment to cross her legs before he pulls her legs into his lap, rubbing at her swollen ankles. She sighs, both in thought and in pleasure at the ache being taken away. "I have a few." She says. "What about you?"

"I have a list." Sora answers seriously, and Kairi snorts with laughter. "What?! Not to be embarrassing, but I've thought about this for a while."

"Oh, you're so cute." She coos, leaning back into the pillows. "Should we wait for Riku?"

"He can give his options when he comes home. If we do this now, we can narrow down the list some, so there's less stressing."

"Alright." Kairi scoops her phone off the table and opens up her app where she has her lists. In the corner of her eye, she sees Sora doing the same thing. "You go first."

"Okay – I've got Kai, Aolani, Mei, Kaito, - or maybe Haku – and Chikyu is nice, too -!"

"Sora!" She gapes at him. "I only have, like – three names! Oh my gosh!"

"Kairi." He whines. "I told you I thought about this! Well, what do you have?"

"Okay, well –"

Well, now she doesn't want to say. Kairi feels a little embarrassed, as she looks down at her small list of names. Sora was a lot more thorough than she was.

"I have, uh – well, uh – Hotaru, and Kota, and – um."

She hesitates at the last one, biting at her lip.

"Kairi?" Sora prods, and she sighs, pushing her back into the pillows on the couch.

"I was thinking – well. I'm really attached to this one. But I was thinking – I really like, uh. Haruka."

She can feel Sora go still, his hands on her ankles freezing. "…Haruka?" He finally says. "You…you want to name the baby after Uncle Haruka?"

She nods, nervously biting her lip. "It really works – it fits even if the baby is a boy or a girl. Do you think…Riku would mind?"

Kairi knew she was taking a risk, naming the baby after Riku's late father. But – she wanted to do it. She's thought about this for a long, long time, and – it felt right. Every time she smooths her hands over her belly, she thinks Haruka at the baby, and something in her settles.

"I think…" Sora chews on his lip for a moment before putting his phone aside. "I think that your choice has got all of mine beat."

Something in Kairi relaxes. "You think so?"

"Yeah! Kairi, I really, really like it. And I think Riku would like it, too."

"I hope so…" She squirms a little, nervous. "I guess we can ask him when he gets home."

"Mm!"

She quickly looks up at Sora, twisting her fingers over the rise of her belly. "I liked all your options though! They were really good…"

"You think so?"

"Yeah! You can name the next one."

It didn't hit her, what she'd said, until Kairi saw Sora gaping at her and her words eventually sank in. When they did, she blushed so hard she could feel the heat radiating off her face.

"Wow, Kairi." Sora sputters, starting to laugh. "We haven't even had the first one yet!"

"Stop!" She whines, covering her face. "Don't laugh at me! It just slipped out!"

But it was too late, Sora folding in half as he cackles loudly, and Kairi could do nothing but squirm in mortification, trying to curl up into a ball.

"Sora, come on!" Weakly, she kicks out at him. "Don't be mean!"

"I'm not!" He catches her foot mid-kick, pressing a kiss to the knob of her ankle. "I think it's sweet. I'm sorry if you thought I was being mean."

Bit by bit, Sora places himself between her legs, trailing slow, careful kisses over her ankle and up the line of her calf. "It's sweet." He repeats, and Kairi tries not to shiver at the feeling of his breath brushing over her skin. "I'm happy. I wanna have, like, ten kids with you and Riku."

Kairi barks out a laugh. "Ten kids?" She asks incredulously. "That's excessive – but also not surprising. I told Riku you'd be gung-ho about having kids ages ago."

"Ah, you know me so well!" Another kiss – this time higher, pressed against the bend of her knee.

"Ten is still too much, though." Kairi sternly reminds him, and he hums, lips trailing against her thigh. She has to work to keep her voice steady. "Maybe just two – or three. And a dog. I want a dog."

"A dog, really?"

"Yes! But not right away! Maye in a few years…"

Her voice trails off at the feeling of Sora's nose brushing against the crease where her hip and thigh meet. "Hey." She warns shakily, reaching down to tug at a lock of his hair. "Don't start something you can't finish."

"I'm not." He promises. "I got where I wanted to be, anyway."

Careful not to put too much weight on her, Sora wraps his arms around Kairi's hips and presses a loud kiss against her belly. "Haruka," he croons, rubbing his cheek against the taught skin, "Haruka, my sweet baby – your papa loves you so much, do you know that? I bet you do!"

Kairi feels a kick in response, and from the way Sora's expression brightens, he felt it, too. Sora continues to coo heartfelt nonsense to the baby, and her heart squeezes so tightly in her chest that for a moment she wonders if it will burst. She's so full of love that she thinks she's choking on it.

"You big softie." She whispers past her tight throat, combing her fingers through Sora's hair. "I really do hope Riku likes the idea."

"He'll like it." Sora answers confidently. "I know he will. Trust me."

Kairi does trust him – she does. But she can't let herself relax until Riku comes home, and they tell him what they decided.

She'll never forget the way his expression went slack from shock, and then –

And then, bit by bit, Riku lights up all over, his eyes shining as he shakily tells him that it's a perfect choice.

They let Riku have the middle spot that night as he cries silently into Kairi's shoulder, Sora wrapped around him from behind.

It's fine. They understood.

-o-

Sora can tell that the weight was getting to Kairi.

As Haruka's arrival creeps closer, Kairi's belly continues to grow and stretch. It was almost comical at first, how her stomach appeared to dwarf her due to her short stature. Now it just makes his heart hurt.

Kairi is tired all the time, now – it reminds him of the beginning months before they had found out about the baby. But now, she can't even get comfortable enough to sleep. Usually, she slept in the middle between them, but now she sleeps off to the side, wrapped up in a pregnancy pillow as she tosses and turns for most of the night.

Sora helps wherever he can, to make it easier for her during the day. He makes her tea, rubs her ankles and shoulders, grabs pillows for her back when she naps on the couch – anything that was in his power, he would do it. Just to make this a little easier.

He didn't get the full scope of how much this was taking a toll on her until he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth for bed and found Kairi weeping quietly in the shower. She doesn't notice him, too busy wiping away her tears. Her belly hangs low and heavy, and she places a hand under it, valiantly trying to carry the weight.

"Baby, please," she's saying, wiping her soaked hair out of her face, "give your poor mama a break, huh? I'm – I know you don't mean it, but…I'm really tired…"

Sora feels like his heart is breaking into a million pieces. Quietly, he slips out of the bathroom and moves to the bed, shaking Riku awake. "Riku," he says quietly, "wake up really quick."

His husband wakes slowly, prying his eyes open into slivers as he rolls onto his back. "Sora?" He yawns, rubbing at one tired eye. "What is it?"

"Kairi's crying."

That wakes Riku up instantly, and he jolts upright, strands of hair slipping out of his braid. "She's what?" He gasps. "Why? What happened?"

"It's the baby." Sora quicky raises a hand as Riku looks frightened. "Nothing bad! You know how it's been, the past few weeks –"

He smiles, a sad little thing. "I think she's just tired."

The expression on Riku's face is as helpless as he feels. "What do we do?" He asks as Sora pulls him out of bed.

"We're gonna help. Come on –"

Pulling Riku to the bathroom door, Sora knocks, wanting to give Kairi a second and not startle her. "Kairi? Can we come in?"

"Um – y-yeah, you can. I'll – I'll open the door."

Kairi has stepped out of the shower and was standing on the bath rug, dripping water and swiping at her face as they stepped into the steam filled room, closing the door behind them. "Kairi…" Riku starts cautiously. "Sora told me you were crying…are you okay?"

"Ah." She smiles at them – or tries to – eyes rimmed red. "It's nothing. I'm alright –"

"Kairi." Sora gently interrupts their wife, scolding. "You don't have to lie to us. It's okay, you know? It's okay if you don't feel well."

The hiss of the shower sounded abnormally loud as the three of them stood together, waiting. But that must have been all she needed – to know that it was okay.

Kairi's face crumples immediately, and fresh tears pour down her face and drip off her chin as she hiccups loudly, automatically bringing her hands to her face to cover herself, to hide.

"I don't even know why I'm crying." She sobs. Sora and Riku share a look while Kairi wipes at her eyes, and they give each other a stern nod and start stripping down. "I-I just – oh, I don't know."

Kairi lets out a gusty sigh. "I was just. In the shower. And the water felt nice on my back. But then I tried to wash my legs and I can't anymore and – and then a muscle in my back twinged and I just –"

"Kairi."

She looks up when Sora places a hand on her shoulder. "Wh – guys?"

"Go on." He gently turns her around. "Back in the shower."

"Why?" She asks blankly, following his gentle urging and stepping back under the water, Sora and Riku soon following after her. "I – we can just go to bed –"

"Nope." Riku denies. "Sora's gonna help you clean up. And I'm gonna rub your back. After that, then we can go to bed. Okay?"

Kairi's eyes glaze over with fresh tears. "…Okay." She says, her voice small.

It's a tight fit for the three of them to be in the shower together – but they've made it work plenty of times before, and they're going to make it work now. Sora grabs a washcloth and quickly lathers it with Kairi's favorite soap while Riku brushes her soaked hair away from her face with gentle hands. She looks lost, as Sora gently grabs her hand to drag the washcloth up her arms, over her shoulders and across her collarbones.

"You don't have to," she protests as he scrubs the nape of her neck, "I already washed –"

"Yeah, but I didn't do it." Sora says, nose stubbornly in the air. "So now I'm gonna."

"Kairi, where does your back hurt?" Riku cuts in, rubbing his hands over her soapy shoulders, and Kairi hums, absently letting Sora wash her other arm.

"Oh, um. Mostly my lower back –"

"I'm on it."

They were such a great team, Sora thinks as he continues to gently scrub Kairi down. Him and Riku, working together to take care of their most precious person, who's been working so hard. He washes her stomach, runs the washcloth over the taut curve of her belly, and presses a kiss there after, not caring about the streaks of soap being washed away.

"You're giving your poor mom a hard time." He murmurs, and Sora hears Kairi's breath catch in her chest. "Be nice – she's working hard, you know, and needs to rest."

He leaves one more kiss before crouching down, blinking water out of his eyes. "Keep her steady, please." He says to Riku, and he gets a nod in response before he pats Kairi's knee. "Lift your leg a little."

Contentment sits heavy in his chest as he scrubs over the curve of her hips and thighs, behind the bend of her knees; Sora is glad that at the very least, they can do this. They can bear the weight in their own way; they can help Kairi when she needs it. Ease her hurts for as long as they can.

"I'm sorry." Sora hears Kairi say softly.

"Why are you sorry?" Riku asks.

"I…don't know. But I just feel bad. You were sleeping, Riku, and I –"

"Kairi." Riku cuts her off, stern. "It's my job to take care of you. It's both our jobs. We promised, remember? And you – you're tired. You're hurting. Why would we leave you like that, when we can do something about it?"

"I know, I know…" Kairi sighs. "I just feel like a bother."

"Well, that's so far from the truth it's ridiculous." Riku says stubbornly, and Sora can't help but nod in agreement. "It's okay to want help. It's not a bother – it's never a bother. So don't feel bad."

Sora smiles a little, satisfied, and carefully lowers Kairi's leg. "There!" He chirps, pleased, rising to his feet. "You're all clean. And now Riku can rub your back!"

He grins as Kairi blinks at him, red nosed and sleepy eyed, placing his hands on her hips as Riku trails his hands down her back. "You said your lower back, right?"

"Uh-hu – oh."

It was good that Sora had gotten a hold of Kairi – she goes boneless, eyes fluttering shut as she lets out a groan of relief that echoes in the room.

"…Wow." Riku says quietly. "Kairi, were you hurting that badly?"

"I – uh –" She struggles to focus, leaning forward to press her forehead against the crook of Sora's neck. "It knots up a lot more often now. But what can I do about it, you know?"

She slides her hands over her stomach. "The weight." Kairi whispers. "It feels like too much, sometimes."

Turning her head, she presses a light kiss against Sora's skin. "But I have you. And I have Riku. And you're helping me."

Her voice cracks at the end. "You're helping me, even though you could've just gone to bed – and I would've understood. But you're here."

Sora couldn't imagine just – going to bed. Leaving Kairi alone in the shower, crying. In what world? He'd carve his own heart out before letting that happen.

"We'll always be here." He swears. "Always."

"Come on," Riku says softly, "let's dry you off."

It's a team effort once again, Sora using one towel to dry Kairi's body off while Riku gently rubs a towel through her hair. "Hold on a second." Riku says, leaving the towel draped over her head as he steps out of the bathroom.

By the time he returns, Sora has finished drying Kairi off, and she was blinking slowly and pink all over when Riku returns, a bundle of clothing folded in his hands. "Alright," he says, shaking out the clothing and revealing one of his t-shirts, "arms up."

"Will it fit?"

"It's one of my shirts, so – the one you like the steal sometimes. The soft one. And what does it matter if it doesn't fit? We're going to bed, we're the only ones that are gonna see."

And it turns out, it just barely fits, stretching over her belly and hanging over the tops of her thighs. But it was good enough. After Sora helps her into a pair of underwear and Riku combs her hair, they return to their bed, Kairi sandwiched between them. He wishes that Kairi could sleep between them like before, but it's not comfortable, now. So once they get to bed, Sora reluctantly lets her go, sliding under the blankets as she arranges her pillow to cradle her stomach and hold most of the weight.

Sora didn't even pretend to hide the fact that he was studying Kairi as she carefully got into bed. Her eyes were still red from her tears, but the stressed wrinkle on her brow was gone. She still huffed and grunted as she got comfortable, but she looked…fine. Better.

"Do you feel a little better now?" Riku asks, as though he'd read Sora's mind. The two of them settle beneath the blankets and wait.

The smile Kairi gives them in return is brilliant.

-o-

The holidays months pass by uneventfully. The baby still doesn't come.

Kairi is really trying her best not to show it, but she's so worn out.

The baby is kicking all the time – twisting and turning, like they're trying to get comfortable. It keeps her up half the night, a stray kick or a hard shove sending her awake with a gasp. It brings back the familiar exhaustion of her first trimester, only it's so much stronger, now.

Sora and Riku must see that she's getting a little stretched thin, and so they decide to spend the remainder of December in their hometown, informing their parents that they're coming to visit for a couple weeks. As nice as it would be to stay at Sora's house again, they decide to stay with Kairi's dad, instead. Her old house has more rooms, so they can have space, if they need it – and she just misses her dad. In fact, when they arrive to his home, Kairi immediately latches onto his side, and waves her husbands away, letting them go to visit their own parents.

"You look tired." Her father observes, ushering her to the couch, and Kairi swallows down a sigh.

"Everyone's been saying that." She says wryly. She doesn't fight him when he helps her sit down. "But I am tired, honestly."

"Having a hard time?"

She laughs. "You can say that! Dad, I am so ready to have this baby now."

Her father smiles, reaching out to brush a thumb across her cheek. "They'll come when they're ready." He says. "Do you want anything to eat, while I'm up."

"Mm…yes, actually…do you have any fruit?"

The craving has started up again recently, in the last few days, but nothing she does seems to satisfy it. Every time she gets hungry through the day, she finds some fruit to snack on – but there's still that itch. That craving. Like what she has isn't enough. She wants something, but she doesn't know what.

When her father brings her a bowl of strawberries, Kairi fights to make sure that the disappointment doesn't show on her face.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Her father asks as he takes a seat next to her, and Kairi cuddles up to him as best as she can, resting her cheek on his shoulder as she bites into a strawberry.

"Mm."

She's still tired, and hungry for – something. Her back hurts constantly, the weight too much to bear, some days. But despite it all, she is happy. So, so happy to be home.

-o-

The answer comes to Kairi a few days later in the middle of the night.

The revelation makes her sit upright, blankets pooling around her waist as she blindly reaches out for Riku's shoulder, shaking him awake. "Riku," she says urgently, "Riku, Sora, wake up!"

At her back, Sora jolts awake, and Riku groans, one hand blindly pawing around until it finds her stomach. "Whass'it?" He slurs. "You okay? S'it the baby?"

"No. I –"

Kairi hesitates, biting her lip. Behind her, Sora yawns, resting his chin on her shoulder as he blinks blearily into the dark, waiting. But now Kairi feels silly – do they have to do this now? Can't it wait until the morning?

But no. Her gut is telling her – she needs this now. She has to do this now.

"I don't want you two to get upset," she starts slowly, "but I, uh…want something."

She did this a lot during her second trimester, too; waking them up in the middle of the night, pleading for some fruit to eat, for something that they didn't have. The guilt hasn't lessened any.

Riku hums, and Kairi watches his silhouette raise a hand to rub his eye as he sits up. "Okay." He sounds a little more awake, now. "We can go get it."

"What do you want?" Sora asks, his voice close to her ear. "An orange? Some mangoes?"

"I want…" She hesitates, just a second more, before letting the words fly –

"A paopu fruit."

Kairi can feel even the air around them go still in surprise. Something in her belly settles, and she thinks, yes. Yes. This is exactly what she's been wanting, the whole time. Just the thought of the taste – tart sweetness, soft flesh giving under her teeth – it has her mouth watering.

"You…what?" Sora croaks. "A – a paopu fruit. Huh?"

"I know, I know." She starts, placating. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry to do this so late. But, but I – I can't stop thinking about it. I've been wanting one for days. Days and days. Could we? Please?"

It's so much to ask for – especially in the middle of the night. Paopu aren't sold in stores – there's candies and wine, certainly. But the fruits are harvested fresh from the tree to make that happen. No one in the Destiny Islands tries to sell paopu – if you want it, you have to go get it yourself.

Riku, who's been stunned silent this entire time, finally speaks, blankets rustling as he shifts. "…Alright." His voice is so quiet. "Alright. Let's go get a paopu fruit."

"Wow." Sora's voice is light with excitement. "A midnight adventure. We haven't done this since we were kids! Where should we go?"

Kairi's heart leaps into an excited tempo, and she swells with emotion – she loves these two so much. How can she hold it all?

"Can we go to the play islands?" She asks, her excitement slipping through. "We can even, um. Stay there. It'd be like a sleepover!"

"Or like our third date." Riku says, cheeky, and she can feel the heat of Sora's blush radiating off his skin.

"Well, I don't think it can go exactly like our third date." Kairi pats her belly. "Gotta take it easy now, you know. But – let's go! Let's grab some things, and – and just do it! Quietly! I don't want to wake dad up…"

Quickly, they got dressed, grabbing whatever they saw first and pulling it on over their pajamas. Kairi went to grab some pillows off the bed while Sora sneakily moved to the linen closet down the hall to grab some extra blankets and bedding after pulling the one they were using off the bed.

"Kairi, is the portable heater still in your old room?"

"I think so? I'll go check –"

They made silent trips to the car, loading up the trunk with everything they needed, and soon they were on the road, heading towards the beach. "We could've walked, you know." Kairi grumbled, and Sora rolled his eyes, backing out of the driveway. "We are not walking."

The islands always looks so surreal at night – Kairi thinks she'll never get tired of looking at it. It's not as cold as Radiant Garden was, but there's still a bite to the air when they leave the car and pack their things in the rowboat.

It felt like they were rowing across the night sky. The sea was inky black, only the light of the moon guiding their way, and the pinprick of stars reflected on the water's surface. It made Kairi feel a little dreamy, leaning over to trace her fingers across the water while Sora and Riku manned the rowboat.

The silhouette of the play islands got closer and closer, and Kairi could see the tree –

Their paopu tree.

She almost didn't wait for the boat to dock, but she quickly remembered that she can't move the way she used to. It would probably be best to wait.

Sora ties the boat to the dock before Riku swings himself out and crouches down with hands outstretched, the two of them working to help Kairi get out of the boat. Once she was taken care of, they started to unpack their things, the only things they allowed Kairi to hold being the pillows. She pouted about it a little, but decided not to kick up a fuss, trailing after them as they made their way to the treehouse. Once they got there, Riku tells her not to come into the treehouse until they call her, taking the pillows from her hands.

And then she was out on her own. So – might as well take a walk.

It felt a little strange, being back here, Kairi muses, rubbing her hands over her belly. The play islands feel constantly unchanging – always the same, whenever they come by here. Like time has stopped for this little island in the sea. No matter how much they've changed over the years, this, at least, is still the same. When she was younger, it was soothing to her – knowing no matter how far she goes, how much she changes, she can always come back here and be wrapped up in this constant familiarity.

Her wandering feet cross the bridge, the wood creaking softly with each step, and then she's there.

The paopu tree hasn't changed at all. She runs a hand over the curved trunk and feels nothing but fondness, remembering so many days sitting here and laughing with her friends, cheering Sora and Riku on during their play fights and watching the sun set. The paopu fruit seem to glow with how bright the skin is, even in the dim evening light, and Kairi stares at them, tracing the way the leaves swayed in the wind with her eyes.

"There you are!"

She turns just as Sora runs up to her, Riku at his heels. "We came out to get you and you were gone!" He cries out. "But I guess it was for the best."

"Yeah, it'd be a little redundant to help Kairi into the treehouse and then have to help her back down." Riku says dryly, and Sora gives him a stink eye. "We're already pushing our luck with this."

"Yeah, well…as long as we're careful, I'm sure we'll be alright. And we ended up where we needed to be anyway!"

He hops up onto the large, curved branch of the paopu tree, kicking off his shoes before climbing up to the fruit. "I'll pick you the best one." Sora swears, and Kairi can't hide her smile.

"Here –" Riku steps up to her, placing his hands on her sides. "Do you want to sit up on the branch?"

"Oh!" Kairi brightens up. "Yes, I do!"

"Riku." Sora interrupts. "Kairi. No!"

"How come?" She pouts, and Sora looks between the two of them incredulously.

"We are not," he stresses, pointing at Riku, "putting our very pregnant wife on the paopu tree."

"It's not like we're gonna let her fall –"

"No!" Sora points at them again and almost loses his balance, sending Kairi's heart slamming into her throat – but he quickly rights himself. "Sit on the ground instead! It's safer, it's smarter, and we'll still be near the tree. You can even lean against the trunk like you used to when you were trying to act like a brooding bad boy. But! No sitting on the branch."

"Aw, you're no fun." Kairi grumbles. "I wanted to sit on the branch."

She doesn't argue any further, though, letting Riku help her sit as comfortably as she could on the ground. It was a little chilly, and the cold quickly sank into her skin through her pants, but she ignored it.

"You sounded so dad-like just then, did you know that?" Riku calls up to Sora, wrapping an arm around Kairi's shoulders and pulling her into his side.

"Well, it's good to know that being around you two has given me plenty of practice."

"You're one to talk!" Riku scoffs, lips twitching as he tries to hold back his laughter. "Like you were a perfect darling."

"Yeah, but I'm not the one that tried to put Kairi on the tree! Anyway – catch!"

A blur of yellow flies towards them, and Riku snatches it out of the air to gently place it on Kairi's lap. "It's not as great as it is in the summer," Sora says as he hops down from the branch, taking a seat on Kairi's other side, "but it's probably still good."

That tart-sweet scent rises up to her, and Kairi's mouth immediately starts to water. Sora really did pick a good one – bright and golden yellow, the flesh perfectly soft. Running a gentle thumb over the shape, Kairi smiles. "Thank you." She murmurs, breaking off a piece of the fruit. "I know it was annoying, me asking for this –"

"You're never annoying for asking for what you want." Sora assures, leaning back on his hands. "We're happy to give you whatever you want. Any time."

The smile on her face grows, and Kairi brings the paopu fruit to her lips.

It's exactly what she wanted – what she's been craving for days. Juice drips down her wrist, leaving a chilly trail in the night air, and Kairi does a full body wiggle, letting out a squeak of pleasure. "So good." She sighs, taking another bite. "You really did grab the best one, Sora."

"I told you I would!"

She hums around another bite, leaning against Riku's chest, and the three of them fall silent as they stare out at the sea.

It was so calm out, tonight – peaceful. So much so that Kairi was ready to fall asleep right there, sandwiched between the people she loves. But they have a perfectly done up treehouse waiting for them, so that won't do.

"Hey."

She doesn't speak again until Sora and Riku's attention was on her, eyes curious.

"There's a lot of this." Kairi gestures to the paopu fruit on her lap. "I don't think I can finish all of this by myself. Let's share it."

The reactions she got were priceless.

Sora's eyes went wider than she's ever seen, and he stares at her like it was the first time he's ever seen her. Riku, meanwhile, sputters words she can't string together, and a dark, rosy flush quickly spreads across his cheeks and down his collar.

It was curious – but thrilling. Riku never liked the stories about the paopu fruit. He always wanted to hear the scarier stories the island had to offer instead. So this is…interesting.

"Share," Sora repeats faintly, "you want to – to share the – with us? Really?"

"Are you – uh." Kairi doesn't think she's seen Riku so flustered since the first time he saw her naked. "Are you sure? Kairi? With us? You know you don't –"

Kairi stares at them, blinking rapidly.

"Sora." She says slowly. "Riku. We are married. We are about to have a child."

"Yeah, but – this is a big deal!" Sora bursts out. "Kairi, you know the stories!"

"I do. That's why I wanna share it."

She breaks off more pieces of the fruit, holding it out to them. Her husbands continue to gape at her. "We," Sora says weakly, grabbing the piece she offered, "we aren't even doing it the right way."

"That's okay – it's just us, so no one's gonna judge. If you want, we can do it the right way another time."

"Once is probably enough." Riku cuts in, taking his offered piece of paopu. His face was still flushed, but at least his tongue loosened up. "If we try and do it again, we're probably pushing our luck."

Kairi can't resist the opportunity to tease. "I'm surprised at you, Riku!" She chirps. "I remember very well you saying multiple times when we were kids that you thought the paopu legend was just, and I quote, gooey romance stuff."

"It is gooey romance stuff." He confirms stubbornly. "But you still have to respect legends like this. And, you know. You wanna do it. So. We'll do it."

"Oooh, I feel so loved. I can feel your enthusiasm!"

"Kairi." Riku groans. "Don't be mean."

"Of course we want to do this with you!" Sora gently nudges her with his elbow. "There's no one else on earth I'd want to share this with. I was just surprised, that's all."

"Me, too." Riku says. "I'm sorry, Kairi – I want to do this. I do."

He presses a kiss to her hairline, and Kairi hums, placated. "Alright." She says softly. "Alright."

The tart sweetness hasn't changed. But it tastes better sharing it with them, she thinks.

"You're my favorite people on this earth." Kairi finally says when their hands are empty, juice that was left behind drying on their skin, making it sticky. "I want to be with you two forever. Even after that. No matter where we end up, or if we just – start all over again, but with different faces. I want to be able to find you two no matter what."

Two pairs of arms wrapped her up, and Kairi laughed lightly as she was squeezed between them, sticky, paopu-flavored kisses pressed to her face, her lips.

They went back to the treehouse a little after that – it was very late, after all – and Kairi was delighted to find out that they had done it up exactly the way they had it for their third date, the portable heater making the space warm and toasty. She didn't know they left the string lights here!

"Wow!" She says, pulling off her jacket, "how pretty!"

"We wanted it to be nice, even though we're just going to sleep."

Sleep. Just at the mere mention of it, Kairi felt her eyelids grow heavy, and she yawned widely, stretching her arms overhead as best as she could. "It is nice." She confirmed. "And we should definitely sleep. Can I get some help?"

She feels better than ever, now that the hungry pit in her belly has finally been satisfied; Kairi thinks that she'll even be able to rest without any trouble. The baby hasn't kicked, or twisted or turned, not once – she's feeling good about her odds. Even better when she noticed that someone grabbed her pregnancy pillow when she wasn't looking. Her heart melts in her chest; so thoughtful!

"Ready to sleep?" Sora asks, stepping behind her to place his hands on her arms, and Kairi nods with a smile.

All Kairi felt was warmth – the warmth of the room, the warmth of the two bodies wrapped around her –

The warm, content feeling, settled in her heart.

When she finally falls asleep, it's the best rest she's gotten in months.

-o-

The next morning, when Kairi's water breaks, she thinks at first that she has wet their makeshift bed.

It wouldn't be the first time; she remembers one exciting occasion where the baby donkey kicked her bladder so hard that she immediately wet herself before she could even try to make a break for the bathroom.

Sora and Riku thought it was funny. She thought it was mortifying.

So that was what she had thought, when she woke up that morning and found the blankets underneath her damp, her pajama bottoms soaked through. But then she noticed she felt – off.

Her back was hurting. More than it had ever hurt before. There was a deep ache, low in her belly, between her hips, and the twinges of pain made her wince.

It dawns on her slowly. Suddenly she is wide awake.

Perhaps this is something more.

Perhaps –

"Sora." She says loudly. "Riku! Wake up. Wake up!"

They wake quickly, blinking sleep out of their eyes as Kairi's frantic tone makes them rise. "Kairi?" Riku asks, voice one octave lower with sleep. "Are you okay?"

Sora looks around wildly. "Is everything – oh."

They notice it, then – the wet blankets, Kairi's soaked pajamas. The wince on her face and the way she clutched her stomach.

"Boys." She says seriously. "It's go time."

A beat of silence.

"Holy shit." Sora gasps.

Even though she aches, Kairi can't help but laugh.

-o-

It worked in their favor that they decided to visit home; it meant that they didn't have to rush here.

She calls her father as Riku and Sora scramble to pack everything up as fast as they can. She had left a message when they left the night before, so he wouldn't have to worry – even though there was no need. But, well. She guesses he's allowed to worry a little bit, now.

"What do we do?" Sora asks as they leave the treehouse. "Should we – uh –"

"We've gotta go back to Keone's." Riku says, quickly taking charge as he watches Kairi wince through another ache. "And call the doctor."

She doesn't think she's ever seen them row so fast in her life; it would be funny if she wasn't so focused on keeping her breathing even. It was starting to sink in – it was happening. After today, they were going to be parents.

Kairi works to keep her breathing even.

The moment they're back at shore, Sora sloppily docks the boat while Riku throws everything into the car, gently ushering Kairi into the backseat. "Go, go, go, go, go!" He urges Sora once he's in the car, phone already to his ear as he calls the doctor to let her know what's happening.

Kairi doesn't have to worry. They're going back to her father's now. Sora and Riku are handling everything.

All she needs to go is close her eyes and breathe.

A vice squeezes around her middle, so tight that it steals all her breath. It takes everything in Kairi to not make a sound. She doesn't want to worry her boys more than they already are.

She closes her eyes. Breathes through it.

-o-

Kairi is in pain for hours.

Hours.

It drags throughout the morning, well into the afternoon, and Riku doesn't know what to do – he's never felt so powerless in his life, watching his wife lie on Keone's couch with a hand over her eyes, her father brushing her hair back from her face and Sora feeding her ice as she silently cries from the pain.

He feels sick with worry. He paces back and forth across the floor, goes back to ask Kairi's doctor again and again why it was taking so long.

"First pregnancies are different for everyone." Her doctor told him the first time when she had just arrived and looked Kairi over. "And the labor is just as different. For some, it takes a few hours. For others, it takes all day."

Unfortunately, it's looking like Kairi is the latter.

The house is a lot more crowded, now – all their parents arrived an hour after they returned home, and they tried not to fuss over her too much. They brought her something to eat, even though she says she isn't hungry. They bring her cool drinks when she says she isn't thirsty. They coax Kairi up to walk around, even when she says she doesn't want to move. They take turns, walking with her around the house, and eventually they move outside. They can't go to the birthing beaches yet – and it's making Riku's skin itch with nerves.

"Soon," the doctor promised after another examination, "but not yet – she's nearly there. Perhaps in another hour or two."

Seven and a half hours in, after Kairi's fifth walk, she asks to use the shower, wanting the hot water to relax her back. Sora and Riku usher her to the bathroom upstairs, leaving their family behind, and under the hot stream of water, pressed against Sora's chest, Kairi weeps.

"I'm so tired." She cries silently. "It hurts."

"I know." Sora soothes, voice thick with tears. "I know it hurts, Kairi. I'm so sorry. You can do this – we'll be with you the whole time."

Kairi can only sob in response, and Riku, standing outside of the shower, feels wretched.

Kairi is no stranger to pain – neither of them were. How many days did they spend, bandaging blistered skin, icing and rubbing muscles that they pushed to the limit in pursuit of perfection? At least those days he could do something – he could rub ointment in Kairi's feet and bandage them for her. He could rub her muscles and press a kiss to them afterwards.

But this? This was beyond him. This, he could do nothing about.

He's never felt so helpless.

After the shower, Kairi dozes a little, not even bothering to dress. Or at least, she tries to doze. But the baby just wouldn't let her. Eventually, she gives up. Asks Sora to pass on to everyone that she'd like to go to the beaches, soon.

While he does that, she asks Riku to help her dress.

"Something comfortable," she says, smiling wryly despite her fatigue, "and I guess I shouldn't wear pants, huh."

So he helps her put on a borrowed maternity dress – soft, comfortable, and gifted by Jun after Sora's panicked whispers into the phone that they didn't have any good clothes for Kairi to wear for something like this.

"Riku."

Kairi clutches at his forearms, bowing her head. "…I'm tired." She says again, and Riku's heart breaks.

He sighs, a soft, sad thing. Leans down until his head rests against hers. "I know." He murmurs. He rests his hands against her hips, light as air. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

Her breath hitches, and Kairi groans long and low in her chest, face twisting in pain. Her hands tighten around his arms, and Riku helps her breathe through it as best as he can. "It feels different." She gasps. "It feels – I don't know. It's just different. We should probably go now."

"Okay." Riku nods rapidly, guiding her to the door. "Okay, Kairi. Do you want shoes?"

"No, no, I – no. Let's go."

The drive was silent. Riku drives this time, so he doesn't fidget himself into the ground. The sun was starting to set, the sky dyed a vibrant blend of orange and gold, the ocean looking like it was on fire. As soon as they parked, Kairi was out of the car, holding her stomach as she walked across the sand to the sea.

"Riku." Sora says faintly. He has never seen him so scared. Riku reaches out and takes his hand.

"I know." He brings Sora's hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the ring there. "I know. It's going to be okay, Sora. Together, right?"

He could see the whites of his eyes, they were open so wide. In his peripheral, he can see his family – their family, walking over to where Kairi waited, standing at the shore. Sora was clutching onto his hand so tightly. He kisses his ring again and waits.

"…Mm." Sora nods, and his jaw sets. "Together. Like always."

They get out of the car and go to Kairi.

She's standing in the surf when they reach her, not caring about the chill of the ocean as it swirls around her ankles. Perhaps it's a relief. She isn't even wearing a jacket, arms bare to the wind that tugs at her hair and the hem of her dress. She stands tall. Waiting.

Riku and Sora quickly kick off their shoes and join her.

"Kairi?" Riku asks, sliding an arm around her waist. She makes a soft noise in response. "Are you scared?"

Sora sidles up to her other side, and she doesn't speak right away. That's alright – they don't mind waiting a little.

"I'm scared." Kairi finally answers. "But that's okay."

She smiles. Despite the fatigue shadowing her eyes, the curl of pain at the edge of her smile, she is glorious. Riku can't look away.

"It's okay." She repeats. "To be scared. But it'll be worth it – at the end of this, we'll have something amazing. Something we made all our own."

Kairi stands a little taller. "And I have you two with me! So I know I'll be fine. No matter what comes."

So brave, their Kairi – always so brave. It gives Riku courage, too. He breathes in, slowly. Breathes out. His grip on Kairi tightens, just a little.

"Yeah. We'll be fine."

Together, the three of them stare at the setting sun.

-o-

Haruka is born just a mere few hours later. Her cries echo across the beach just as the last sliver of sunlight dips below the horizon.

-o-

"Kairi, you're amazing." Riku says for what feels like the thousandth time, and Kairi smiles. She's exhausted but radiant, back in Keone's house and lying on their borrowed bed.

"Yeah, I am pretty great." She agrees quietly, and Riku snorts out a quiet laugh – nothing too loud, though. He doesn't want to wake anyone.

At Kairi's back, Sora is fast asleep, swollen redness still around his eyes, drying tear tracks on his face. His arm is draped over Kairi's chest, and a tiny, tiny little hand is holding onto his finger, refusing to let go even in sleep.

Haruka is so, so small – Riku can't get over it. His hand covers the span of her back, and whenever she grabs onto his finger, her little hand barely wraps around it. He's been astounded by her ever since he heard her first cries.

After she was born, they couldn't move for a while, sitting on the sand and marveling over her.

"Oh, Riku, look –" Kairi traces over her face. "She's got your nose!"

"And my mom's hair." He adds on wryly, looking over the thick black hair that covered her head.

"I think she's got Kairi's chin." Sora muses, raising her little hand to kiss her knuckles. "Definitely her eyes."

"She's going to smile just like you." Kairi says confidently to Sora, and his eyes shine with fresh tears. "I know she is."

Kairi hasn't put her down since they came back to the house, letting Haruka rest against her chest, skin to skin. The baby pillow they wedged between them for her to rest on feels pointless – how could they even think about putting her down?

"It's funny." Kairi muses, brushing light fingers down Haruka's back. "I was so tired. The weight of her…it dragged me down, some days. Part of me was looking forward to the day she'd come out, so I wouldn't have to carry her all the time. But now I never want to put her down."

"Mm." Riku reaches out and touches the petal soft curve of the baby's cheek. Her face, smooshed up against Kairi's chest, twitches slightly, rosebud lips mouthing at nothing. She's so soft. He was so shocked when he held her on his own time, he buried his nose in her downy hair and breathed in that unique baby scent, already imprinted on her skin. She's a marvel. They both are.

"You're so amazing, Kairi." Riku says again. "Thank you."

Kairi settles deeper into the pillows, and a little smile traces over her face as her eyes slide closed.

"You're welcome." She mumbles. "I think…I'm gonna sleep. Is that okay?"

"It's fine. I'll watch over you." He couldn't imagine trying to rest now.

"'Kay." She yawns. "Love you."

"I love you, too."

Even as she sleeps, Kairi makes sure the baby is securely resting against her chest. Sora stirs, just for a moment, but it's only to cuddle closer, his thumb absently brushing against Haruka's hand in sleep.

Riku couldn't breathe for a second, looking over his sleeping loves. He couldn't believe it. What is he supposed to do, with all this love in his chest? How can one person hold it all?

Haruka yawns, letting out a tiny squeaky noise, and Riku can't stop the goofy smile that appears at the noise. "Everything's fine." He whispers, placing his hand over Kairi's on the baby's back. Haruka snuffles in response.

"Don't I know it." Riku agrees. "Being born is hard work – but you can rest easy. I'll take care of you."

As lighthearted as he sounds, he means that promise with everything he is.

Riku is tired. His eyes itch with the need to sleep, and his body is sluggish, ready to rest after a day full of so many big emotions. But he's also never felt more awake. He feels like dancing. He feels like doing a million fouettés and jetès, wants to put choreography to the happiness spilling over in his heart.

Maybe one day, his daughter will dance with them, too. The idea makes him smile.

He settles beneath the blankets. Rearranges them to make sure everyone is covered. He'll sleep eventually, he knows. For now, he's happy where he is.

---

and that's it! we're done!

I just wanna say thank you to my twitter timeline, and all the baby videos and pictures that made this possible. I would like to give a special shout out to the photoshoot a mom did for her six month old where he was dressed as a cowboy and he's so chunky and fat and cute. thank you so much.

but yeah! that's it! and I'm pretty sure I've got nothing left to give for this series lmao but who knows. as of now though, it's officially, officially done. so hey!

comments and kudos are appreciated! tell me what you thought, if this gave you a feeling, all that - you know how it goes. thank you so much for reading, and I hope y'all enjoy your weekend!

oh, and! if you follow my tumblr...perhaps keep an eye out for a drawing

okay! until next time!