Sora buried his son days after the war's end, a single boy among the other fallen soldiers (had it been his decision, he would've demanded a proper burial for Ventus). He wrote to Naminé of their son's passing, tears dotting the page and blotting the ink in some places.
They escorted the British out of Yorktown, where they would stay until returning home. The French soon departed as well, and the American soldiers saw them off for their departure.
Heading to the nearest tavern afterward, Roxas noticed something: hidden away in an alley, a dirt-caked, black-haired boy with eyes the color of honey sat crouched, a tiny scrap of bread in his filthy hands. He looked to be about eleven, but his emaciated frame made him look older as he neared the resemblance of a skeleton.
"Axel, look." He nodded his head toward the boy.
They gathered at the mouth of the alley, but did not go deeper in case the boy decided to run away. Axel and Roxas approached the boy slowly, and the boy tensed.
"It's alright, we're not going to hurt you." Roxas assured.
"Je...je ne comprends pas..." the boy answered.
"Dammit, does anyone speak French?" Axel asked, his gruff tone frightening the boy more.
"Axel, lower your tone," Roxas scolded. "Do you speak English?"
The boy regarded him with his honey eyes before replying. "L'anglais...? Je...I...speak little..."
Roxas beamed. "Great!" He placed a hand on his own chest. "Roxas."
Axel did the same, saying his own name.
The boy put his hand on his own chest. "Je m'appelle Vanitas...Vanitas."
"Vanitas? Is that your name?" Roxas asked.
Vanitas nodded.
Roxas looked over at Vanitas' hands, the scrap of bread too small and too moldy for sustenance. "We're going to the tavern; come with us. We'll feed you."
Vanitas seemed to understand the word "food". He rose to his feet slowly, and they led him out of the dark alley into the light.
There should not have been any British in the tavern, save for a certain silver-haired soldier sitting at the bar, his mug half-full of mead.
Sora's heart nearly stopped when his eyes fell upon Riku, and his skin paled.
"You should talk to him," Reno whispered.
"No," Sora said firmly, "I've had enough of the British."
He sat with his family, ordering nothing but a pint of mead; his stomach had been too disagreeing when it came to food since Ven's death. Naminé had written him back, thanking him for the notice. No doubt she had cried, as the paper was crinkled with dried tears.
Roxas ordered an extra meal for Vanitas, whose eyes glinted with the deep desire to devour his meal, but knew to pace himself.
The family did not speak much throughout dinner, and soon the sun sank below the horizon.
"I suppose we'll turn in for the night." Roxas said, standing. "Vanitas? You can share a room with Axel and me; we'll request a room with two beds."
Vanitas nodded, following them down the hall.
Hayner was the next to go, having said nothing all through the night. He had been missing Olette, as well as Pence. Prompto soon followed.
Reno, the last to leave, clapped Sora on the shoulder and said, "Talk to him."
Sora, his mind fuzzy with mead, glanced over at Riku, who still sat at the bar.
Reno disappeared upstairs, and it felt as if the bar was empty despite the others around.
Sora didn't want to speak; he had no choice when Riku asked, "Is this seat taken?"
"No."
"Do you mind if I sit down?"
"...No."
Riku sat across from Sora, his mug still half-full. Sora briefly wondered if Riku had drank more than half a pint.
"I haven't seen you in a while..." He offered.
Sora didn't answer; instead, he took a swig from his mug.
Riku sighed. "You're probably wondering what I'm still doing here..."
Sora had been wondering, but wasn't sure if he wanted to know.
"Well...Sephiroth died in battle, and I figured that was an invitation for my freedom. With no officer's control, I decided to let myself go." Riku answered.
Sora finished off the last of his mead and stood. "I'm going to bed."
He stormed off, but Riku followed. "Sora, please..."
He caught Sora by the wrist, but he wrenched free of his grip.
"Let go of me!" Sora demanded.
"Sora, please, listen to me!" Riku begged.
"What is there to listen to? I know you still love me, but I...our romance was a silly teenager's romance; we have to face the destiny that was given to us. My destiny is with Naminé now..." Sora said. "Please...just leave me alone and don't - "
Sora was cut off as Riku captured his lips. His eyes fell shut as he melted into the kiss, and a warmth ignited in his blood. He had avoided kissing Naminé for the very reason that he could never feel that warmth with her.
Their kiss broke, and they stood in silence briefly.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." Riku admitted. "I've missed you so..."
"Riku..." the name lingered on Sora's lips.
Desire replaced his rationality as the alcohol filled him, and Sora griped, "I've longed for your touch."
"Sora...no, you were right; you have a wife and child waiting for you at home," Riku reminded him.
"My son is dead," Sora spat, "I watched Sephiroth's bullet pierce his flesh..."
Riku stopped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."
"I've craved you," Sora gripped Riku's shirt, drunkenly stumbling into him. "Please...take me away from everything I have to face come morning..."
Riku's integrity crumbled at the sight of Sora's wanton gaze, and he hurried to his room, dragging Sora behind him. He slammed the door shut, routinely stripping his shirt, shoes, and socks. He pushed Sora onto the bed, sprawling over him.
Sora's hands wandered up Riku's sides as their lips collided into a fit of passion.
"Riku..." Sora whispered, his eyes fluttering.
"We...we shouldn't be doing this..." Riku mentioned, but he was unable to stop. He had succumbed to Sora's desire.
"Touch me..." Sora begged.
Riku unbuttoned Sora's shirt, letting it fall apart. He buried his face in Sora's chest, kissing and licking his skin.
"You're still so beautiful," Riku murmured, rolling his tongue over Sora's nipples.
Sora bit his lip, running his fingers through Riku's hair.
"For too long have I forgotten what making love feels like," Sora mused.
"What do you mean...?" Riku wondered, his wet lips stamped down Sora's torso.
"I've felt nothing for so long..." Sora explained, "even when Ventus was - conceived - I couldn't find the desire to do this with my wife...she never gave me the feelings I felt with you."
Riku stopped, his lips just at the knot of Sora's trousers.
"Riku?"
"You're married...I'm...this is wrong." Riku insisted.
Sora combed his fingers through Riku's silver locks and locked eyes with him. "Please...don't stop..."
Riku sighed, untying Sora's trousers distractedly. He slid them down Sora's legs, leaving Sora in his undergarments, evidence of Sora's desire a secret no more.
"You're already hard...?" Riku wondered, pressing his palm against Sora's bulge.
"Mm...I started getting hard when you sat down..." Sora admitted.
Riku's cheeks flushed, and with nimble fingers, he freed Sora's length from his undergarments. Replacing his dread with desire, Riku eagerly downed Sora's cock into his warm, wet mouth.
Sora hissed a curse beneath his breath and pressed his palm against Riku's forehead.
Riku's eager tongue curled around Sora's dick, tasting the sweet saltiness of his skin. His green eyes threw Sora a hazy gaze filled with desire when he occasionally glanced up at him.
Sora squirmed underneath Riku's control, his body responding to Riku's touch.
Slowly, Riku recoiled. He dragged Sora's undergarments off, making a spectacle of removing the man's clothes.
"Sora...how long has it been...?" Riku wondered.
"H-huh?"
"Since I...since we did this...?" Riku's fingers brushed Sora's thigh.
"I was fifteen, you were sixteen..." Sora answered.
"How old are you now?"
"I'm...thirty-one." For the first time, Sora realized his age. By colonial standards, he had become an old man, and he still hadn't experienced much of domestic life since the war.
"Me too..." Riku replied solemnly.
Sora's voice softened. "Riku? Don't stop..."
Riku smiled - something he hadn't done since the war - and brushed his thumb over Sora's thigh. He spread Sora's legs apart and pressed his lips to the tender skin, licking over the junction between Sora's inner thigh, so close to his sensitivity.
Impatient, Sora tugged gently at Riku's hair. "I want you..."
"Mm, I know..." Riku murmured. "But I haven't touched you in so long...I want to savor every second with you."
Riku lay his arm across Sora's body, reaching up to touch his chest as he sucked a small bruise on Sora's thigh.
"Riku..." Sora whispered breathlessly, his head spinning. He felt as if he were losing his virginity all over again.
With his other hand, Riku popped two fingers in his mouth, sucking on them to wet them. He brushed them over Sora's hole, and Sora shivered.
"Wh-Why are your fingers wet...?" He asked.
"I licked them," Riku answered. "Are you ready?"
Sora nodded, and Riku plunged his fingers into Sora's entrance. Sora arched his back, a hot stinging pain tearing him.
"Riku, it hurts..." Sora groaned.
"I'm sorry, the spit is drying..." Riku answered. "Do you want me to stop?"
"No, don't stop now," Sora begged.
Riku nodded, sliding his fingers against Sora's walls, which loosened gradually.
"Ungh...Riku...it hurts but it feels good..." Sora mumbled.
Riku spit on his hand and plunged a third finger inside, the saliva dripping down his wrist.
Sora gripped the sheets tightly, his body rigid as the pressure built. Riku gently slipped his fingers out, then took to undoing his own trousers.
Sora watched, softly stroking his own cock to keep himself busy as Riku teased Sora with just barely revealing himself in the flesh.
"Did you touch yourself like that when I left?" Riku wondered.
"Sometimes...when I missed you so much I couldn't do anything..." Sora admitted, "I'd go into your room at the tavern, hoping the blankets still smelled like you even after I washed them far more than the other rooms' blankets..."
Riku chuckled. "You're so naughty, Sora..."
"Can you blame me...? Did you think about me?" Sora retorted playfully.
"I didn't get a lot of privacy in training," Riku replied, "but if I did...of course I thought about you..." He let out a gentle laugh. "One time, Sephiroth almost caught me..."
Sora's cheeks flushed at the thought of Riku hastily pumping himself to finish before returning to training. He barely noticed until Riku moved to the bed that he was completely naked.
"Riku...you're so beautiful." Sora sighed.
Riku leaned down to kiss Sora gently. "Thank you; you too..."
He draped Sora's legs over his shoulders, a position Sora hadn't found himself in before. His muscles strained in protest as he forced himself into this new shape.
"Are you ready?" Riku asked.
"Yes," Sora breathed.
Riku spat into his hand again, stroking his own cock and coating it with the slippery substance. He pressed the tip to Sora's entrance, slowly squeezing himself in. Sora's walls, reluctant at first, gradually spread to accommodate Riku's size.
Riku laced his fingers between Sora's, and he captured Sora's lips in his; they were fully connected as Riku began a slow, sensual rhythm in his hips.
Sora kissed Riku with desperation, aching to fill his body with the warmth Naminé had unknowingly failed to give him. To his happiness, Riku's kiss alone was enough to send Sora's body into inferno.
Riku thrust his hips swiftly now, the tip of his cock rubbing against Sora's prostate. Sora jerked, each subtle brush sending his body into convulsions of pleasure.
"Riku..." Sora murmured, his eyes glazed with lust.
"Sora..." Riku whispered in return, his eyes locked on his lover's. He squeezed Sora's hand, his pace growing faster as his body became more desperate for release.
"R-Riku...I'm going to cum..." Sora groaned, his cock twitching in response.
"Me too..." Riku grunted, ramming his hips into Sora's ass.
Sora grasped Riku's hand as his body seized, his release tearing through him. His eyes were forced shut, and the small of his back lifted from the bed as his semen spurted out. Unfortunately, the unfamiliar position of his legs caused him to pull a muscle, the hot agony turning his pleasured moan into a pained cry.
Riku, unable to tell the difference at that moment, gripped Sora's thigh as his body went rigid. His orgasm sent pleasure bursting through his body, and his release carelessly spurted inside Sora.
"RIKU!" Sora shouted, his thigh still screaming in pain. "OW!"
"H-huh?" Riku replied dumbly, his mind still numb from the pleasure.
Sora pusher Riku off to the side, accidentally forcing Riku out of his ass. Sora seethed as the sudden feeling overwhelmed him, and he clutched his cramped thigh to his body.
"I pulled a muscle..." Sora groaned.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for you to!" Riku replied quickly. "Here...walking on it stretches it back out."
He helped Sora off the bed, letting him lean against him as he walked him around the room until the pain subsided.
Propped against Riku's warm body, Sora felt like a young man first experiencing love again.
"Is it better?" Riku asked, and Sora nodded. Playfully, Riku pushed Sora back onto the bed.
"Do I sense a round two?" Sora joked.
"Do you even have the stamina, old man?" Riku retorted.
"You're older than I am!" Sora laughed.
Riku flopped onto the bed beside him, pulling the covers up. Sora nestled up to Riku, curling into his warmth.
"I missed you so much," he murmured.
"I missed you, too," Riku agreed. "I...no, I shouldn't say that..."
"Please, say it," Sora begged softly, already knowing what Riku was going to say.
Riku kissed Sora's forehead. "I love you...I love you so much..."
Sora's heart twisted. "I love you, too..."
"I wish there was a way we could be together, forever..." Riku sighed.
Sora racked his mind for an answer. "Well, you might not want to act on this idea right away, but...Kairi's husband died in the war...you could remarry her so we could always be close."
Riku chuckled. "You don't mind sharing me with your sister?"
"Not like that!" Sora cried, pushing Riku lightly. "But like I said, she might want some time to mourn..."
"What about your wife? Even if the physical distance is solved, I don't know if I could continue...this..." Riku admitted.
Sora's heart dropped. "Neither do I...God, I feel so awful now..."
Riku grimaced. "Me too...but...that doesn't change my feelings for you." He kissed Sora's forehead. "I'll talk to you in the morning - clothed, downstairs."
Sora nodded. "Goodnight, Riku."
"Goodnight, Sora."
Sora closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. For once, he didn't have nightmares.
- "I...I don't understand..."
- "English?"
- "My name is Vanitas."
Don't fucking cheat on your partners, idk why but I always do this with SoRiku...