tags: polyamorous relationship, wholesome fluff, childhood best friends to lovers, best friend!riku
the three of you are a classic case of childhood best friends to lovers! you've done it all; the pining, the yearning and the worries about ruining the friendship. until eventually, everything worked out and you became a couple! or well… throuple!
sora and kairi are the type who work well in a polyamorous relationship, since they have so much love to give, that you'll never feel like they like one of you more than the other
plus, they aren't jealous at all! why would they be? they know you so well, they just know that you'd never pick one of them over the other or play favorites
sora and kairi are both very affectionate partners! holding hands, hugs, cuddles and kisses are a daily occurrence!
you're the kind of throuple where everyone envies you for how wholesome you are, while also occasionally rolling their eyes, cause you're just TOO sweet and lovey dovey–
riku is the main one to roll his eyes at you three, while also being your biggest defender! he had to endure your cuteness all those years, so he has kind of gotten used to it. though please, don't get too affectionate around him or he might lose it–
I love how in pretty much every modern au/quadratum based fic for kingdom hearts we all just put Sora in a coffee shop and make him be a barista. Love to see it ❤️
The clinic was able to remove the sling, but the doctor sternly reminded you that you still had to be careful and not damage it again. To you, it was more of a suggestion, nothing is going to stop you from participating today's tournament.
You also needed to talk to Roxas. Yesterday barely felt real, time doesn't stop and keys aren't suitable to be a blade. Roxas surely could explain what was going on, and the sooner you found out the better.
As you made your way to the pitch, anticipation began to crawl up your spine. You couldn't tell if it was out of fear for talking to Roxas - or fear of learning things outside your little world - or excitement about the tournament. You had been waiting for this day since you learned how to fight.
The tournament is strictly 18 and above. Your birthday was two months ago, a day you didn't even celebrate. Hayner had turned 18 during the winter, and a couple weeks ago you heard that Roxas was aiming to sign up for the tournament too. Seifer had been especially mad at that news.
The walk through the town was normal, not a single one of those white creatures popping up out of the blue. Then again, they had seemed to want Roxas, only him. The way they slithered around, hissing a word you couldn't make out, entered your mind sending a shiver down your spine. You enter the from the Market Street entrance, not surprised to see multiple people - struggle tournament volunteers - still setting everything up.
A few booths lined up by the garage, one was for sign ups, another for food, and the last was the first aid station. It wasn't anything fancy, but good enough to cover the scrapes that came with the competition.On the far side, you can see a board, someone currently drawing a bracket. If you saw it correctly, it looked like a eight man tournament, which was usually the number in the past years. But this time, one of those spots belonged to you.
While it was a popular event every year, not a lot of people signed up to give it a try. The normal people who sign up are in a different class compared to casuals, it deterred a lot of variety. Hayner, Roxas, and you were actually the biggest additions to the roster in recent years.
In the middle of the Sandlot, people were setting up a platform. It was raised off the ground, insuring that if someone steps out the ring during a fight, it would unbalance them and cause them to fall. In fact, it was a suitable strategy to try to just get your opponent to step out, but it felt like an easy way out to you.
Even though the tournament didn't start for another half-hour, you had hoped Roxas was already here. He'd be as excited as you, if not more, so the odds of him booking it here first thing was very high. You were proven correct when you see a familiar pair of blonde spikes decend the stairs from the backalley.
"Bingo," you mutter, making your way over to him. He had sat down on the bench just outside of the back alley entrance, his face looking more tired than normal.
"Roxas, you're here early," you approach as casually as you could. There was no telling how he would react to your questions, so you need to ease him into it.
"And so are you," he comments, his voice flatter then you remember. You raise an eyebrow, eyes tracing his facial features. Now that you're closer to him, the circles under his eyes were darker than you've ever seen them. His blue eyes often sparkled - not that you've been staring at them - but today even those seem to be dimmed. Maybe the Hayner thing from yesterday kept him up all night.
"You look like haven't slept. Excited?"
"Yeah, but not enough to lose sleep. I just haven't been sleeping well, I guess." He shrugs, trying his best to appear indifferent. You frown, all too understanding. Insomnia could be a bitch, but this seemed different than that. He looked worse than a couple of lost nights, something darker was keeping him up.
"I can give you sleep advice if you want some," you shrug, digging your hands in your pant's pockets. It wouldn't be much, just the things your mom has taught you while struggling with your own shadows.
He shakes his head.
"It'll pass, please don't worry about it." Something in his eyes told you to drop it. You let out a soft sigh, but nod. Deciding to not push things that didn't need to be. Maybe now it was time to get to business. You run a hand through your hair, trying to steel your nerves.
"Listen," you begin, "I think we should talk about what happened yesterday."
His glance shoots at you, on defense immediately. He couldn't blame you for being curious, but you really chose the worst time to ask about it. A sigh escapes him as he he straightens out, scratching his head.
"I really don't know much." And he doesn't, he had been thrown into all of this. Plus, telling you would be moot, he had no business dragging anyone into this mess. Then again, it could be nice to finally get some things off his chest.
"I won't tell anyone. S'not like I have anyone to tell, anyway," you tap the floor with the top of your shoe. He kisses his teeth as he stares at you for a moment. You seem earnest, and it's not like he was ordered to keep the information a secret any way. Maybe telling you could help him solve some of his own questions. He hums a bit, before nodding.
"Fine," he sighs, "but tomorrow. Meet me in the back alley around nine, we can talk about it then." He stands, stretching a moment before turning to you. "We have other things to worry about today," he nods to the entrance you had used. Seifer and his gang had arrived.
"Oh yeah, we have to kick their asses." You knew Seifer, Rai, and Fuu were entering, they have every summer since they were able. You hope you got to fight Rai or Fuu first, they would be good warm ups. Seifer and Hayner would be less ideal, it was a toss up if you could beat them. And then there was Roxas, he was something else entirely. You hoped you never had to go against him.
"Roxas!" A female voice called. Olette had just turned came from the back alley, immediately seeing the two of you. She walks up to you, a smile on her face. "Oh, hey!" She says your name, like the two of you had always talked. "You excited for today?"
You nodded, surprised that she was addressing you so friendly. You'd had thought that no one from this group would give you the time of day after seeing you with Seifer constantly.
"Where are the others?" Roxas nervously looked at the stairs. Olette noticed, her eyes softening. Roxas had gotten the chance to stop Pence and her after Hayner stormed off on him. The situation didn't really make sense, just that it was a chance happening and they had gotten into a fight with some weird creatures. She had wanted to ask about it, but Roxas had looked just as exhausted as he did now.
"They'll be here soon. I saw them in the Usual Spot just a few minutes ago, but they were going over fighting strategies for Hayner." She had entered and then left just as fast. While she loved her friends dearly, there was only so many times that she could listen to all the different ways that they could come up with on how to hit someone with a bat. So, she avoided it all together by just coming to the pitch.
"And Hayner, is he…?" Roxas' sentence dies out. This was your time to go, even though were curious about the situation. Olette's eyes shift to you, not wanting to divulge something private without his consent.
"I'll let you guys talk." You wave a hand. "I gotta sign up still," you jut your thumb towards the booths. The two of them bid their goodbyes before going back to their conversation. You got out of there the moment they turned from you. You don't think about the way your heart ached for a moment. A hidden desire stirring to life, but you couldn't point what it actually was. You bite the inside of your cheek as you stalk to the sign-up booth.
Mr. Tula greeted you from behind the booth as you approached.
"It's finally your time," he smiles brightly at you, the way he says your name is almost proud. You nod, taking the pen he held out.
"I've been looking forward to this day all summer." You look at the page on the clipboard. There already a few people signed up - Seifer, Rai, and Fuu being the majority. You sign and give the clipboard back to Mr. Tula.
"Hayner and Roxas too. I'm sure you three will shake everything up." He winks. You're not sure how to respond to that, mumbling some agreement that you didn't mean. There was still some time till the event started, so you excuse yourself. Just as you were about to walk away, Vivi came walking up to the booth. Mr. Tula gave him the clipboard to your surprise.
"You're competing, Vivi?" You ask, eyeing him as he signed. Glancing where he signed, you raised an eyebrow. The word 'Vivi' was written way to big, filling atleast two lines, but the word was nearly illegible. The letters blended together, it was like this was his first time ever writing.
The mage looked at you, yellow eyes searing into your skin. He smiles at you before letting out a laugh. It makes your skin goosebump. You can't remember the last time you've heard Vivi talk, but you knew that something was off.
"Uh, okay." You scratch the side of your head, confused and a bit terrified. "You have fun with that," you didn't wait around to hear his reply.
You managed to get a good stretch by the time Mr. Tula stepped onto the platform. The crowd hushes the moment they see him, the excitement palpable. You stood off to the side, leaning on a building. They didn't have a special place for the fighters, so everyone was scattered among the crowd. You didn't mind it, it gave you the option to hide if anything goes awry.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," he begins, "Struggle-fiends of Twilight Town!" Cheers erupted, drowning him out. "It's time for the summer's most sizzling clash!"
The cheering continued, louder than before.
"That's right! Today will be showcasing some new rookies. Who will be the one to break through the ranks and take on our champion, Setzer?!" You frowned at that name. He's been the title-holder for three years now. In fact, not liking the guy is one of the main things you agree with Seifer on.
"Seifer, y'know!" Rai screamed from your left. Rai, Seifer, and Fuu stood a few feet away from you, but none of them noticed you were there. You weren't even surprised that Rai cheered for Seifer rather than himself. The guy was a level ten ass kisser.
"And who will leave today as our new struggle champion?!" A small chorus of 'Hayner' and 'Roxas' could be heard between the praises of Setzer. Seifer's name was thrown in there too, but it was mostly from his lackies. You wouldn't be surprised if you learned that your name wasn't uttered once.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, Setzer strutted onto the middle of the stage as his name began to die out. He flipped his hair over his shoulder, a scream of fan girls following after. His ego rolled off of him, you could almost smell it. You gag internally, disgust covering your features.
Mr. Tula said a few more words - you had tuned him out for a moment there - before giving his all: "LETS STRUGGLE!!"
The next person to get onto the platform was Biggs, the shopkeeper. He was one of the main people running the tournament, right next to Mr. Tula.
Anxiety pooled in your stomach as he began to introduce the fighters. You can't believe that you finally get to compete. It was almost like a dream come true. You look throughout the crowd, seeing Roxas's blonde hair stick out like a sore thumb. He managed to put a smile on his face when his name was called, but it dropped the moment the attention was off of him.
"Lastly, you better watch your feet when you fight them, I heard that they have a mean low kick," He calls your name, causing the people near you to turn. It felt like a spotlight suddenly shining down on you, sweat building on your brow. A moderate amount of claps and whoops swished through the crowd. You could feel the ends of your ears turn warm, no doubt tinted with blush. You bow your head slightly, a smile etched on your lips.
"So, who will win this sweltering summer Struggle?! Who will take home the grand prize?" He points to the trophy. It had finally been put out on display. "The summa cum laude of struggle - the Five Crystal Trophy!" The trophy every year was different, hand-made by local craftsmen. This years trophy had been made by a glass-maker. You could tell that a lot of love and care went into it, the blue stained glass had no visible defects. The glass sprouted from the base of the trophy like tendrils, all five of them curling on their ends in different directions. Each had an orb: red, blue, green, yellow, and purple. The twilight sun hit the piece perfectly, blue speckles of light dancing on the table.
It was the most beautiful trophy you've ever seen.
Biggs then left the stage, passing the bracket which had finally been filled out. You step closer to it, trying to read the names. Roxas and Hayner were the first fight of the day, but you were the second. It seemed the Struggle gods had blessed you and gave you Fuu as your opponent.
Fuu wasn't a bad fighter, but you knew she kept her left open, like she was totally blind to it. Knowing your opponents fighting style was a crucial advantage for you. After your fight was Seifer and Rai, which you already knew how that would end. And in the last bracket, you saw Vivi's name. It looked like no one else signed up, meaning he got to fight the winner between Seifer and Rai. You shuttered at the thought of Seifer and Vivi going face to face. The blonde would wipe the floor of the Black Mage.
You look back to the stage, Hayner and Roxas had already taken their places, each carrying a bright blue bat. Hayner was glaring at Roxas, his anger from the day before still apparent. Meanwhile, Roxas was looking at anywhere but his best friend. Finally, as Mr. Tula joined them, the two of them had started to talk to each other, the cheers drowning out their voices. But then you saw it, a smile. The two boys had physically relaxed, the strain in their friendship mended once more.
"Our first match of today's Struggle tournament will be between Roxas and Hayner!"
You held your breathe. The first fight was always intense, showing everyone what to expect for the rest of the tournament. It sucked that it was Hayner and Roxas' first fight though. The tournament was single elimination. You had no doubt they had been paired together on purpose. Same thing with Rai and Seifer. It was entertaining to see best friends force to fight each other.
Once the platform cleared of everyone besides Hayner and Roxas, the bell sounded. Both boys sprung into their battle stances, emotion wiped from their faces. Excitement dances on your skin as you watch them hit bats together, Hayner parrying Roxas off of him
Roxas flew back, his feet barely touching the floor before dashing back in for another try. Hayner blocked the hit once more, but Roxas' recovery was perfect. He took the block in stride, instead his bat switches hands and hits Hayner's left side. The blonde grunts, trying to bring his bat back up for another block but Roxas had found an in.
You had expected Hayner to be the more aggressive fighter, but Roxas was near unstoppable the moment he found a weak spot. It was like he locked onto it, aiming to hit it every chance he got to, bringing his opponent down as fast as he could. It was almost suffocating the way Roxas made sure to keep swinging in Hayner's face, making it near impossible to recover.
Hayner did manage to get Roxas off of him, but he was already showing signs of slowing down. While the bats were made out of foam, it didn't take much power to make it hurt. Every fight left you covered in bruises, making your skin a blotchy mess of yellow, blue, and blacks.
After a few more blocks, Roxas had manage to get another hit in. It wasn't too long till Hayner fell to the floor, conceding. The cheers were deafening, Roxas' name echoing through the pitch.
"And the winner is Roxas! Hayner did a great job too." Hayner looked worse for wear. He laid flat on the ground, staring up at the twilight sky in a daze. You felt bad for him, but then again someone had to lose.
After a moment, the two got off the stage, moving to stand with Olette and Pence. You couldn't help but stare, the group were all smiles and laughter. Hayner didn't look upset that he had lost, instead he clapped Roxas on the back. You couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit envious, but you swallow it. It wasn't their fault that you were lonely; in fact, there was no one else to blame but you. A couple of years ago, they had offered to hang out with you, but you turned them down. Seifer had already taken you under his wing by that point, and you had promised to be at the Sandlot that evening.
Seifer had broken Hayner's arm a little after that, ruining any chance of them asking you to hang out again. Now you had no one.
You worry your lip with your teeth as you blank out, eyes still on Roxas. It took a moment, but eventually he felt your stare, turning to match your gaze. The blue looked darker from where you stood. Endless.
Briggs calls Fuu and you to the stage. It was enough for you to finally break eye-contact. Fuu made her way onto the platform, you climbing on a moment later. You both chose a bat, standing facing each other.
Fuu looked bored, already in her battle stance. Her eyes stared ahead, not at you but past you. She always had been strange like that, disinterested in everything that wasn't her friends. You can't recall ever hearing her laugh or smile though, completely stoic in every situation.
"Good luck you two!" Briggs calls, exiting. You follow Fuu's lead and get in your own stance. Your squat, balancing on your tip-toes as the bat hung limply for your hand. The bell rang a moment later.
Fuu instantly went on the defensive, watching as you push off the ground, sailing forwards with your blade pulled back ready to swing. When you do, Fuu meets you with a block, her foot kicking you back. A cough escapes you, but you ignore the pain from the kick.
She goes for the hit this time, one-armed and to the side. You dodge, rolling to the side ending up behind her, you bring the bat down on her back. She grunts, stumbling forward before turning around, making eye contact.
She looks the same as before, but there's a slight edge to her stare.
You charge, brain shutting off as you let your instincts take over. Fighting was so freeing for you, making you focus on things no one else does. As you got closer, you could see the twitch of a hand, anticipation at what you're going to do.
"Watch your feet," you call as you fall into a low kick, sweeping her ankles. She falls as you stand and hit her. Once, twice, three times. She dodges the fourth, rolling to the side and to her feet. Instinctively, she swings making direct connect to your bad arm. A yelp escapes you as you try to back up, but she follows, swing in motion.
You managed to block the onslaught of hits, your arms hurting more and more, the foam was able to absorb only so much. It takes a moment, but you finally swing back. The end of your bat stabs her chest, a gasp leaving her as she takes a step backward. You follow with a hit to the side, then another.
Time ended as she fell to her knees, breathing heavy.
"And with that, heres your winner! The crowd cheered your name, louder than you expected. You don't smile, instead you find Fuu, wanting to see if she was alright. She was slowly getting off the floor, using the bat as a crutch. Your quick to get to her side, offering a hand. She looks at it for a moment, before nodding.
"Thanks," she mumbles as she stands to her full height.
"Sorry about your ankles." You say, noticing that they were already starting to bruise. She shrugs, looking down. You didn't know what else to say you watch as she nods at you before limping her way towards her friends. Even though you were on bad terms with that group, you refused to let an opponent get up without offering help. It was the least bit of decency you could muster.
You drop off on the other side, feet stinging as you make contact with the ground. A few people nearby gave their congratulations, causing you to smile and bow your head. This kind of attention was foreign to you, but it didn't feel bad. You were sort of embarrassed, but other than that it was kind of nice. For the first time, you felt like you have carved a little space for yourself in this world. Even if it was something silly like doing well in the summer tournament. It was still something.
"Hey, good job," Roxas calls out as you walk past. You hadn't realized you had gotten off on their side. The other three turned to look at you as well, each sending you a thumbs-up.
"Yeah, you did really good out there," Olette says, smiling at you once more. The girl had a magnetic energy about her, her smile lighting up any space.
"Thanks you two," you clasp your hands in front of yourself, almost shyly. It was hard to accept compliments, not really out of insecurity but unfamiliarity.
"Oh yeah," Pence hums, "doesn't this mean that they go against Roxas next?" Right. You look at the bracket, your name now rests next to Roxas'. A spike of anxiety rolls in your stomach, how unlucky for you.
"Now that's going to be an interesting fight," Hayner smiles, eyes squinting ever so slightly.
"Totally. I've never seen you two fight each other before." Olette nods.
You couldn't believe how openly they were talking to you. There was always a tiny thought in the back of your mind that they didn't like you, and always will. They were never cruel to you, but they also paid you no mind. Even in school, you never interacted with them. Then again, you never gave them a reason to want to befriend you. Their bully was someone you hung out with on the daily, and you never stood up for them if Seifer said something too harsh. They had their reasons to think lowly of you.
"Next in the ring is another pair of best friends Seifer and Rai!" You had no doubts that Seifer will win. Rai already lost to Seifer on the daily, this was just a cakewalk. You sigh, crossing your arms in disinterest.
"Man, this is going to be one-sided," Hayner yawned. A murmur of agreement broke out in the group.
"And there's no chance Vivi takes out Seifer either. It looks like a straight shot to finals." Pence pulled out his notebook, a sketch of the bracket in it. You peak over, seeing that he's been keeping notes of every fight. You can't help but wonder what he has written about you, but you don't ask.
"As long as either one us take him out, I don't care," You had to agree with Roxas. It didn't matter if Seifer beat out Rai and Vivi, one of you will be there to stop him and win for yourselves.
The fight had been exactly what you expected. Seifer was able to evade Rai's attacks without a problem; in fact, it seems like Rai had only been able to hit Seifer once. Seifer was on top of his game today, landing blows you've never seen before.
"This is a slaughter," Roxas mumbles from beside you. You hum in agreement, too in awe at what you just witnessed.
"We've never seen Seifer so serious before, that was an amazing fight you two. Seifer wins!" You frown at the announcement. There was a chance that Seifer could win it all. Your skin crawled at that thought.
Biggs once again calls you the stage, this time with Roxas. He nods before you both made your way to the platform. "Give them a hand as they get into place."
You move to stand several paces away from him, bat in hand. Sweat dripped down your spine as you got in your battle stance. You tried your best to focus in on Roxas, not shocked to find him already looking back at you - analyzing you even before the fight began.
The announcer counts down before ringing the bell.
Roxas runs at you, bat extending in front of him. You slide out of the way, he shoots past you leaving his backside open. You swing at the chance, but he twists his body, arm sticking his bat out to block.
He beats you to the kick off, his foot slamming into your hip as he knocks you back. A grunt escapes you, as you're casted backwards but you land on your feet. He doesn't let you think as he closes the gap once more, bringing his bat in an upswing. Bringing your bat down, you hit the block. The knock distracts him for a moment, enough to allow you to hit him in his side. You try for another, but miss as he dodges you. The moment he's behind you, he brings his bat down on your back.
"Shit," you clench your teeth as you see blue flash from the corner of your eye. The impact isn't too bad, but good enough to stop you for a moment - one that Roxas took advantage of. He swings again, bat making contact with your side. You groan as you get sent flying a few feet away, bat falling out of your hand.
Landing on your side, wooden platform slamming into your hip. You don't have time to even cry in pain as Roxas' shadow covers you. You don't have your bat to block, so you roll out of the way, Roxas bashing into the wood where your head would've been. You waste no time, kicking your body upwards - pain rippled through you but you just clench your teeth. The moment you're on your feet, you look for your bat. It had managed to roll towards the end of the stage, threatening to fall off and end your chance of beating Roxas.
You manage to grab it before Roxas could attack again, but he was right behind you. You can't even turn all the way around before trying to block, your arm at a funny angle. Roxas' ever-observant eye had noticed the awkward positioning; using it to his advantage, he brings up his foot and kicks at your legs. You falter, still much too close to the edge. Roxas doesn't even stop before kicking you again, this time you lose all balance and teeter right off the edge.
"Just like that, Roxas secured his place in the finals!" Loud cheering followed your humiliating loss. A rush of red pools in your face, but you don't let the tears that followed spill over. Instead, you get up and dust yourself off.
"Hey, you okay?" Roxas asks, dropping from the platform, bat no longer in hand. A look of genuine concern on his face. You wanted to glare at him, how could he beat you and then ask if you're okay?
"I'm good," you lie, you might not be that physically hurt, but mentally you could feel a storm brewing. Roxas looks like he doesn't believe you, instead furrowing his brows even deeper. "Seriously, it's fine." It's fake assurance, but you couldn't handle pity at the moment. Especially from the one who had won against you.
"If you say so." He lightly shrugs, still unbelieving but he turns a blind eye.
You nod as you check the damage done to you. There's a few minor cuts from being thrown around, but nothing too serious. You wouldn't be surprised if you woke up black and blue tomorrow as well.
"That fight was amazing, you two." Olette, Hayner, and Pence rush over. "We also got you guys some drinks." Olette pulls out two bottles of water, handing one to you. You take it, eyes wide in surprise. How long had it been since you last ate or drank? The tournament has been going on for a few hours now, the twilight sky still the same shade as before. The sun wasn't particularly burning, but it was enough to tan the skin if left long enough in it.
Roxas gives his thanks before downing his, you follow suit shortly after. It was refreshing, almost giving you a second wind. Though, you wouldn't want to fight Roxas again anytime soon.
"So it looks like Roxas is going to fight Seifer next." Pence reminds as Seifer and Vivi take the stage for the next fight.
"Damn, Vivi doesn't even get a chance," Hayner shakes his head in mock disbelief. Pence smiles sheepishly, scratching the side of his cheek.
"There is a slight chance he wins, but I don't see it happening." The short boy shrugs, doubling down.
"I don't think I've ever seen Vivi fight, actually." You hum, staring at the Black Mage as he stood on the platform. But you were shocked to find that he was already staring in your direction. You blink, an unease spreading throughout you. The voices of the others talking begins to melt away.
You try your best to follow his gaze, eyes landing on Roxas just a few feet away from you. It reminded you of those creatures from the day before. They seemed obsessed with the blonde, only caring to go after him in the short time they were around.
You're about to alert Roxas as you turn back towards Vivi, but the words die in your throat. Vivi had shifted his gaze to you now, it was subtle but you couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. This was so out of character for him; in fact, he was acting weird earlier too, just laughing at you. Like he could read your thoughts, you see his head move and you know he's laughing. If you focused hard enough, you could hear it through the crowd. He continues to laugh as he stares, mocking you from afar but you have no idea why.
"You good?" A hand touches you, making you jump and turn. Roxas stared at you, hand just lifted from your shoulder. He still held the same look of concern as before, but it was more on the side of cautious.
You blink - one, two, three times - as you try to figure out what to say. You couldn't tell him the truth, it would make you sound nuts. You look back at where Vivi stood, his gaze now on the Mr. Tula approaching the stage.
"I thought I just saw something in the crowd, but it was nothing." You wave a hand trying to be nonchalant, looking away hoping that he would buy it, only to look back after a second. He nods, opening his mouth but shuts it as Mr. Tula starts to talk.
"Whew, poor Seifer! He's had to fight two of his boys today. Alright boys, I want a clean fight." A moment later the bells sounds.
Vivi takes the initiative, surging forward at Seifer. The blond jumps back, not expecting to take the defensive. He blocks another hit from Vivi, confusion etched on his features.
"Man, when did Vivi get so tough?' Hayner asks. You shrug, intensely watching Vivi. You wanted to see if you could find anything to explain his weird behavior, but you watched as Vivi ends the fight before it could truly get started.
Seifer was able to get a hit in, knocking Vivi to the side. He smiled to himself, but then a look of horror spreads on his face as Vivi dashes in front of him and hits him square in the face. Seifer lands on his back, blood spurting from his nose. Two people from the first-aid booth rush onto the scene. They assess the injuries for a moment before moving him back to the booth to try to stop the bleeding.
"Is head hitting even legal?" Pence's eyes are about as wide as your own.
"As long as it doesn't cause lasting injuries." Hayner grimaces as he eyes the blood on the stage.
"Vivi wins if it's just a nosebleed and not broken." You frown at Roxas' words. You couldn't believe that Vivi was able to take down Seifer so fast. Not even Roxas could do that.
It took a moment, but soon Mr. Tula's voice echoes through the speakers.
"I-I'm not sure what happened, but the winner is Vivi. The final match will take place in thirty minutes so the next two fighters can prepare accordingly."
"Good luck, Roxas. You're going to need it." You mutter, catching the blonde's eyes. He nods, lips pulled in a tight line.
"They're right. We had no idea how strong Vivi actually was." Hayner throws his arm around Roxas' shoulders. "This guy might end up worse than Seifer."
Roxas shrugs him off, shaking his head. "Wow, some friend you are. Aren't you supposed to my on my side?" He smirks.
"I mean come on, it took one hit to down Seifer." But Roxas rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, well, I'll win without even touching Vivi." Blue eyes twinkled as his smirk grows. This kid was totally bullshitting. Hayner caught it too, but nods.
"Alright, deal. Ice cream is on you if you hit him." He sticks out his hand which Roxas quickly took. The shake was firm, one pump maximum. You couldn't help but smile, for a moment your troubles weren't at the forefront of your mind.
Only for that serenity to break like glass as Seifer makes his way from the first-aid booth to your small group. Rai and Fuu were right by his side as usual. You couldn't help but stare at the trail of blood that stained the front of his clothing.
He stops in front of Roxas, eyes glaring into him.
"That's not Vivi," A beat. "Thrash'im." And then he walked out of the Sandlot, Rai and Fuu hot on his heels.
"Who is he to order us around," Hayner sighs, crossing his arms as he squints at the exit. He didn't seem to be actually upset. "And what does he mean that isn't Vivi? Who else could it be?"
"I don't know, but Seifer would have a good understanding of who Vivi is." Pence adds, a thoughtful look on his face. "Wouldn't you also know Vivi?" He turns to you, everyone's attention shifting.
"Not really," you answer truthfully with a shrug. "But I have never seen him fight before. I didn't even know that he knew how to swing a bat."
"He does usually hang out in the back when we end up sparring, huh." Hayner taps his mouth with a finger, deep in thought.
"Maybe he was hiding his skills from Seifer too," Olette adds, palms pressed together in front of her.
After a couple more minutes of talking, Mr. Tula called for Roxas and Vivi to make their way to the stage. The trio all wished Roxas luck, cheering his name as he turns from them. You stay silent, having already offered your good luck earlier. Your gaze follows as he walks to the middle of the Sandlot.
Once geared up, they face each other. You couldn't help but shiver at the sight of Vivi. Something just wasn't right about him. That, and how he beat Seifer so easily. That was nearly inhuman.
Vivi was staring Roxas down, like he was the only person to exist. Roxas stared back, eyes squinting. The moment the bell rang he was running towards Vivi. He pulled his bat over his head, about to slam down but it never did. It looked like something invisible was physically keeping Roxas from hitting Vivi. He tries again, but he isn't able to bring the bat more than an inch over his head. He continues to struggle, never getting further until he eventually gives up. But then you notice it.
The silence.
Hayner, Pence, and Olette stood silent with arms raised, mouths open wide as the cheer for their friend got stolen from them. In fact, everyone in the crowd but you were frozen.
"This again?" You breathe, looking towards Roxas who stayed moving. He doesn't turn towards you, keeping his eyes on Vivi.
It started small, but a bright light soon blossomed over the mage, hissing filling the silence. Hissing that you recognize. Your skin pricked with goosebumps, hoping that those white creatures weren't returning. When the light dulled, Vivi was gone but standing in his place was one of them, dread filling your core. Then to further showcase your bad luck, three more dropped from the sky. Roxas looked around, frustrated that he had to once again fight these things.
A familiar light shines and soon he was holding the Kingdom Key. He doesn't waste a moment being amazed, instead, turns and immediately tries to hit the nearest creature.
You had to get over there and help, but you quickly spot an issue. The path to the middle was completely blocked by still bodies. There was little wriggle room around most people, but you would have to physically move some if you wanted to get to Roxas.
You move quickly, but carefully, not wanting to knock anyone over. Though, you really wished you didn't have to do this at all. You couldn't help but notice how cool everyone felt, like they weren't even real to begin with. It was just you and the stillness.
By the time you got to him, Roxas was finishing off the last one.
"Ro-" you start but clapping, sharp and fast, cuts you off. Both of you look to see a tall body dressed in a dark cloak.
"Roxas." A male voice calls, "all right. Fight, fight, fight." You could see the sarcasm dripping from his hood. He walks to Roxas, stopping a few feet away. Roxas to take a step back, eyes full of distrust.
Why did this guy know who Roxas was?
"So you really don't remember. It's me, y'know," he reaches and pulls off his hood, "Axel." Bright, red hair spiked in every direction. Like Roxas' hair, it completely defied gravity. His skin pale making the two purple tattoos lining his cheeks stand out even more. Green eyes blazing as they stayed on the blonde in front of him.
Alarm bells go ringing in your head. A sudden ache creeps up within you, something familiar stirring you the more you think about the color of his eyes.
"Axel?" Roxas finally asks.
Axel yawned, "talk about blank with a capital B. Even the Dusks aren't gonna crack this one." He then summons his weapons. Fiery red wheels - chakrams - twirl under his hands until he was able to grab on.
"Tell me what's going on," the blonde ordered, finally over this little charade. He didn't know who this red headed guy was, and he didn't want to keep dealing with this shit.
Axel smiled, tight and perfectly controlled.
"This town is his creation, right? Which means we don't have time for a Q and A." He hardens his stance. "You're coming with me, conscious or not. Then you'll hear the story."
Whose creation? Just who is this guy?! You don't have time to think much more as Roxas shifts, settling into his normal battle stance. A fight was inevitable.
He moves once more, this time backing up to create more space, but that invisible wall stops him once. You watch as he grits his teeth and slams down his Keyblade.
Panic sets in your bones the moment the Keyblade left his hands, giving up his ability to fight this guy. You couldn't continue to stand by and watch. Quickly, you try to spot anything that could be used as a weapon, but nothing useful stood out. You bit the inside of your cheek, the panic spreading towards your brain where it can fully take over.
Call.
The voice from before urges once more, silencing the panic instantly.
Call for it.
It felt like the voice was rummaging inside your brain, echoing even in the deepest corner.
Focus inwardly.
Something within you listens automatically as you close your eyes. You had no idea what was going on, but the voice soothed any worry you had each time it instructed you. It made you feel safe.
After closing your eyes, you focus on your breathing. You feel the air moving around you, how it expanded your lungs each time your breathed. You followed it like a thread, pulling deeper and deeper until you couldn't follow it anymore. Your hands move on their own, clasping together in front of you.
Envision.
An image deep within your mind overtakes you. A pocket watch - older than any you've seen before - rests at the end of a chain. The face of it was that of a standard watch, the hands ticking out of sync. The oak wood was polished, golden details shining. From the other side of the chain sprouted a hilt. The handle was golden, guarded by the same wood from the pocket watch. This wood was beautifully carved. Lines were etched in a pattern, ending at the upturned corners in a spiral. The blade was a decent size, golden in color. There was a row of larg clock hands sticking out from the side, each a different size. At the very top of the blade was a house-like structure, it reminded you of a cuckoo clock your mom used to have.
"Come to me, Grand Veil."
From behind closed eyes, you can see the shine of a bright light. When you open them, you stare at the Keyblade now resting in your hands. The weight felt familiar, lighter than you expected. It almost felt like it was alive, thrumming occasionally.
"Okay, fine. You ask for it," Roxas challenged, bringing you back to ground zero. It seemed like they had continue to chat while you were in your daze.
"Roxas!" You call, climbing onto the platform. Roxas and Axel's attention snaps to you. The blonde looked confused, eyesight zoning in on the blade in your hands. There was no time to explain, so you just shrugged at him.
"I'm fighting with you," you say instead. His gaze snaps back to your face, eyes furrowing. He nods, it's curt but enough to ease the tension in your shoulders. You nod back, happy to be of some use.
When you look at Axel, he looks like he just saw a ghost.
"You…," he breathes, eyes wide and somehow even more green than before. "You're ali-"
"Don't get distracted," Roxas slams his Keyblade into Axel. You didn't like how he looked at you. Like you weren't supposed to be here. Was he about to say alive? You didn't have time to think, the hit finally knocking sense back into Axel.
He lets out a chuckle, devoid of humor.
"Oh, this is such a situation for them to put me in," He sighs, running a hand through his spikes. Then he turns to Roxas and suddenly tosses a chakram, making Roxas jump back as it clashed to the floor where his feet were.
"Start making sense," Roxas swings again, hitting Axel in the chest. The redhead used the hit to his advantage, twirling his chakrams to keep Roxas in place. You jump in, swinging down on Axel. Dropping Roxas, he dodges easily.
You follow, already jumping up for an overhead hit as Roxas approached him from the ground. He rolls his eyes, quickly shooting a chakram towards Roxas. It hits him in the arm, the teeth marking their territory. He then holds a chakram up, using it as a shield to block your hit.
"My, my, quite aggressive, aren't we?" He smirks, pushing you off and throwing a burning chakram at you. You dodge, but his smirk turns into a grin as he recalls it, hitting your back. The fire licks at your clothes and skin, burning what it could. A groan rips from you as pain blossomed all over your back as you're knocked forward onto your knees.
"Leave them alone," Roxas yells, Keyblade hitting Axel in the chest once more. It hurts worse than before, causing Axel to pause, leaving an opening for Roxas. The blonde doesn't let Axel breathe, slamming his Keyblade down on him once more.
"Leave," Whack. "Us." Whack. "Alone!" Bam!
He finishes, Axel stumbling back. Just then, another light grabs their attention. You manage to stand upright as a man in red materialized in front of you. His red robes covered every inch of him, even his face was hidden in wraps and belts. One golden eye peaked out through the wrapping, barely passing over you and landing on Axel.
"So it was you," Axel grumbles before lighting his chakrams. He slings them towards the newcomer, but they disappeared right before they were about to hit him. The man continued to stare at him, but now he looked unimpressed.
"Roxas," he calls, turning to the blonde. "This man speak nonsense."
"Roxas, don't let him deceive you," Axel countered, taking a step forward. You stay where you are, the burn on your back keeping you from moving a single inch.
The man in red scoffs, once more calling for Roxas. Axel followed suit. It sounded like two needy children demanding attention.
"Roxas."
"Roxas."
Axel's calls seemed to turn desperate, while the newcomers felt like more and more like a demand. A call to action, but Roxas didn't know what that action was. Roxas backed up from the two, looking between them while breathing hard. He covers his ears, trying to muffle them.
This makes you move. Ignoring the pain, you rush to him, taking a stance between him and the other two. You doubt you could take them, but you had to stay standing for your newfound friend.
"Don't listen to them, Roxas," you yell, your blade at attention. "They won't get through me."
The man in red seemed to look through you, like you didn't exist in his world.
"Roxas, stop this immediately." He orders once more. Meanwhile, Axel couldn't keep his eyes off of you. He looked like he had something to say, but he keeps his mouth shut.
"Hayner, Pence, Olette." You hear Roxas mumble from his position on the floor. You don't turn to look at him. He says their names again, louder this time but you're still the only one who could hear him. Finally, he gathers himself from off the floor, yelling their names into the sky.
A bright, white light flashes from him, casting outward. You can't help but shield your eyes as you finally turn towards him.
The light overtakes you, then a second later the sound of cheers fill the area. You uncover your eyes, looking at Vivi standing across Roxas. You somehow were back in the crowd. Hayner, Pence, and Olette loudly chanting Roxas' name next to you. Roxas seems to be as equally confused, looking at his sword and then back to Vivi. You put a hand on your lower back, the burn from before gone like it never existed.
Then, Vivi falls to the floor, knocked out. Roxas had just taken out Vivi without hitting him.
"He did it," Hayner whisper-yells, grabbing Pence's shoulders and shaking them a little bit.
"What just happened?" The announcer asked. The crowd goes down to a murmur, everyone asking the same thing. Then, from the middle of the Sandlot, there was movement.
Slowly, Vivi gets back up. He looks around, as if lost on how he got there.
"What's going on? How did I…?" He trails off. It doesn't take long for him to stalk off, heading towards the exit Seifer had used previously. The weight on your shoulders sudden lifts, this Vivi appearing to be the normal one.
"Well, that was strange. Anyway, time for your title match! Give me Setzer, give me Roxas." Roxas stayed where he was, staring at the spot Vivi was just at. He had just went through something traumatizing, but had to appear normal for everyone around him. His eyes finds yours once more. You nod, letting him know that you were with him. He doesn't nod back, but you swear you saw the corner of his mouth twitch.
Setzer took his time striding to the middle of the platform. He stopped to give air kisses at some passing fan girls, causing them to scream. In the few hours that have passed, his ego had somehow gotten bigger. You would almost say it was impressive if it didn't totally annoy you.
"Alright, we want a clean fight between you two," Mr. Tula smiles at them. Setzer flips his hair, eyes setting on Roxas. You couldn't help but notice that Setzer somehow towered over Roxas. Has he always been this damn tall?
"There's only room for one up here," Setzer grinned. Roxas remained silent, eyes burning holes into the ground.
"Well, may the best man win!" Mr. Tula smiled before letting the two get into position.
You watch as Setzer turned to Roxas, muttering something to him.
"Roxas, focus!" Hayner calls, not liking how this looked already. "Why's that guy just talking to him?"
"I don't know but it smells fishy." Pence sticks out his tongue, gagging.
"Roxas, our underdog hero, versus Setzer, our defending champion! The winner of this match will be the true champion. That's bragging rights for a whole year, folks!" Mr. Tula laughed.
"Do you think Roxas will win?" Olette asked, looking at the Hayner worryingly.
"It's Roxas, since when has he lost a fight. Well, except to me." He gives Olette a lopsided smile. You frowned as you stood next to them. You haven't been able to mourn the loss to him, or really feel the embarrassment of how you lost.
It seemed like Roxas rarely lost fights, often finding a way out of impossible situations. It truly was a skill of his. You wonder how it felt to be truly good at something. You had to work your ass off to get where you are today, and even then you were on the the bottom side of the scale. To someone like Roxas, this had come natural. He didn't need to show up everyday to practice. Hells, he doesn't even spar that often.
The bell sounded for the fight, Setzer shrugging off his cloak. Roxas glared at the silver-haired man, whatever he said had personally offended him.
"Come on, Roxas!"
"Keep fighting."
"Show him what a true fighter looks like."
His friends screamed words of encouragement for their best friend. It made your inside tingle, something like envy burrowing in your chest. Even though you've spent the day by their side, the envy reminded you at the end, you were alone. You didn't have them in your corner, they were just some kids who have been nice. You frown, eyes downcast.
Maybe in a different life, you were friends with them instead.
Roxas had fought hard, and well enough to win. Setzer had angrily handed over the belt, seething like a kid whose candy just got taken by his parents. It wasn't a surprise, Setzer had seemed like a sore loser just as he was a sore winner.
"And the trophy," Mr. Tula hands the glass-stained beauty to Roxas.
"Good job, Roxas, I never doubted you," Hayner pats Roxas on the back. The blonde jerks forward from the hit, not expecting the strength.
"Weren't you doubting me earlier?" Hayner lets out a cough, trying to ignore the question.
"That was amazing," Olette gushed in Hayner's place. Pence gave him a thumbs up, face full of pride.
And then there was you. You stood on the outskirts of the group, they had swarmed Roxas the moment the fight was over, talking over each other that it was hard to make out what they were saying. You didn't know them well enough to intrude more than you have today. You just listen to snippets as the rest of the crowd began to clear out.
"Don't you owe me some icecream, Hayner?" Roxas smiles, looking at his friend. Hayner sniffs, pushing Roxas' face away.
"Yeah, yeah. So you did the impossible, big deal." He shrugs, but you could see the pride shining in his eyes.
"We can even go to the clocktower! We haven't been up there in awhile." Olette is already checking her satchel. Pence nods, obviously happy with the plan.
"Sure, that sounds good." The blue eyes turn towards you. "But just give me a moment." He speaks lowly before walking to you, trophy still in hand. You didn't hide that you were watching them as he stops a few feet in front of you.
"You still down to talk?" His eyes bore into yours, a seriousness swirling in them. You nod, averting your eyes.
"You bet, nine sharp." You wouldn't miss it for the world. Especially after everything that happened today.
"If you're late, you owe me lunch." Your eyes snap to his face, grin shining at you.
"Deal, key-boy." You hold out your hand. He follows, sealing the promise with a shake. You don't fail to notice how soft his hand is, but before you could think more about it, he lets go and lets it fall back to his side.
"Roxas! Let's go," Hayner calls from the exit. Roxas nods, waving at you before running off.
You wave back, but quickly drop your hand the moment his back was turned. You couldn't help but watch as his backside retreats further and further. Once you lose sight of him, you turn your sights to the hand he had held.
This was turning to be your first actual friendship, and you couldn't help the smile that spread across your lips.
The walk home was different than before. Everything felt brighter, from the buildings to the people. You know you should be more upset with how today had gone, but you couldn't really find it within you. You were going to get answers and hopefully find a way to continue your friendship with Roxas.
Not just him though, the other three had seemed to not mind you during the whole tournament. You had let envy cloud you for awhile there, but at the end of the day they had treated you like a friend. Olette had even gotten you a drink, something that she didn't realize meant the world to you.
When you got home, you found your mom putting down the last dish of your favorite dinner. No matter win or loss, she had it hot and ready for you. You told her about the tournament, leaving out the events with Axel and the man in red. In the end, she was pleased to hear that you had spent time with some kids your age for once.
You just smiled at that.
That night, you found yourself staring at the ceiling.
"Grand Veil," you whisper into the darkness. Raising your hand above, you try to summon the blade, but nothing came. You try again, closing your eyes and trying to imagine it like you did earlier. Alas, nothing came to your call.
You frown, finding that you miss the weight in your hands. Even if it was a short time, you had grown attached to the thrumming it let out occasionally. You sigh, dropping your arm and twisting towards your door.
Shortly after, you find yourself closing your eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Tears poured down your cheeks as you sat on the side of a road you didn't recognize. You had somehow managed to lose your bodyguard, but didn't remember how to get back home. No one had passed you since you realized you were lost, making you feel truly alone for the first time in your life.
You had found yourself on a patch of grass, a few trees casting shadows as the sun began to sink further into the skyline. You buried your head in your hands, muffling the sounds of your cries.
"Hey, —, you hear that?" A voice asks from around the corner. "Sounds like crying." You peak from behind your hands. You see two older boys round the corner, talking quietly to each other.
One had red hair with gravity-defying spikes. He was talking to another boy with long blue hair. This teen looked disinterested in what the redhead was saying, eyes shifting around before landing on you. Quickly, you hide behind your hands putting the famous 'I can't see them, they can't see me' tactic to work.
You hear them approach, yet you continue to try to make yourself smaller. Embarrassed for being caught crying like the child you were. Your father had raised you better than this.
"Hey, kid, you okay?" The redhead asks, squatting next to you.
"They look lost." The blue haired teen speaks. He then kicks your foot. "You lost, kid?"
They stare as you slowly peak from the cracks in your hands. The two of them hovered over you, the sun shining behind them. Slowly, you nod.
"Geez, how'd you end up all alone out here?" The redhead asks, but his word usage made tears well up in your eyes once more. You were alone. You start crying without meaning to, fat droplets rolling down your cheeks.
"You made them cry. How does it feel to make a child cry with your face?" The blue haired teen smirked, not really moving to comfort you.
You don't see the glare the redhead shoots, but you feel as he pats your shoulder. He didn't like seeing people cry, especially kids.
"Hey, do you like icecream?" He asks. The question gets you to stop crying, giving a small nod after a moment. "Well, would you look at that, so do we! How about we go get some and then find your home. You don't need to worry anymore."
You look up at them, a small smile on your face. "I would like that."
"You only remember your name?" Donald echoed, a look of confusion passing his features.
"Gawrsh, I can't imagine how scary that must be," the dog gives you a sympathic look, but it felt wrong. He seemed like a guy who should always be smiling, not looking at you like you're a drowned stray.
"There is one more thing I remember, another name." It's been pounding in the back of your skull since you've woken up.
"What name?" Sora finally chirps up, heading titling to the side as he gives you his all of his attention. Suddenly, your mouth dries, the word croaking out of your throat.
"Ansem."
You follow Sora, Donald, and Goofy throughout their KH2 journey. Relationships are forged, enemies are made, and memories are a fickle thing that like to haunt you. They persist a question, one you needed to know the answer to: "Who are you?"
Aged-Up | Genderless | No Y/N
You stare uninterested as Rai tries to beat Seifer with a struggle bat once more. This has been going on for what felt like hours, and will continue unless one of you put a stop to it. You look over to Fuu and Vivi, but quickly look away when you realize they were wrapped up in their own little world.
This is how you spend every day. You sat on the bench watching two teen boys struggle for dominance while the other two pretended you didn’t exist. It was perhaps the worst way you could spend your summer vacation.
“Come on, Rai, do something, man.” Seifer yells, pushing another attack off like it was nothing. He looked like he barely started to sweat while Rai was making a pool where he stood. You crinkle your nose, not even wanting to know what it smelt like over there.
Seifer’s comment just fuels Rai as he brings the bat down onto the blonde once more. He jumps back in time completely dodging the attack. Why did these two even spar? Seifer was way more composed and calculated, able to predict every attack his friend threw at him. It also made Rai more and more angry, spending years trying to finally get one up on Seifer. Alas, Seifer always came out on top.
Honestly, it was boring as hell.
The only time Seifer even had a challenging matchup was when Hayner and Roxas came around. Though, they stopped doing that a while ago after Seifer broke Hayner’s arm. You couldn’t blame them, he had been rather ruthless in that fight.
“Yo, squirt.” Seifer called. You hadn’t noticed that they stopped fighting and were looking directly at you. Seifer had this habit of calling you squirt, you doubt he even knew your real name.
“What do you want, Seifer?” You try to hide the annoyance, knowing it would just make him more pissed than normal.
“Show Rai how it’s done.” He tosses you the bat that Rai had been using. It lands by your feet with a thunk. You stare at the bat unimpressed. Sometimes, Seifer had you fight instead, this was the only time anything interesting happened.
You shrug, standing and grabbing the bat. It was light in your hand, familiar. The Sandlot had become a home away from home. Growing up, you spent a lot of time practicing by yourself with the dummies they kept in one of the sheds.
Until Seifer saw you, then he decided to take you under his wing. He never really told you why he decided to do so, but you had a reason to suspect that it was to have someone to fight that wasn’t his other two friends.
Well, fight someone who actually managed to keep up with him.
By the time you reach him, his patience has dwindled. Rai jogs to the sideline, excited to watch you two throw it down once more.
“Just don’t maim me this time, alright?” You ask, squatting to the floor. You balance on your tiptoes, ready to pounce the moment Rai gave the go.
Strength wasn’t the reason you were good at fighting. In fact, you were more on the weak side, but what you lacked in muscle you made up in agility. Seifer had compared you to a rabbit at one point, annoyed by how you managed to bounce around the pitch dodging everything he threw at you.
“Yeah, yeah.” He waves, getting into a stance as well. Rai held up his hand and started to count from three. The moment he said go, you were pushing off the ground, putting your weight in your legs to allow you to angle your jump.
Swinging from above, you aim a hit towards his shoulder. He counters you easily, pushing his bat onto yours. He manages to push you off of him, but you’re back on him within seconds. Your attacks are fast, barely giving him room to breathe before bringing the bat down on him once more.
Seifer guards with perfection, but you can see the sweat starting to build up on his upper brow. He pushes you off once more, jumping back this time in order to get away from your clutches. The moment his foot touches the ground, he’s jumping up in the air and shoving his bat down at you.
You twist your body away, barely dodging the bullet. From experience, you know that it hurt worse than anything else he could throw at you. It’s like he packed the end of his bat with metal, slamming it down on any visible body part before continuously wacking on it afterwards.
No wonder Hayner got his arm broken.
During the fight, Seifer threw out quips, trying to anger you into a frenzy. The older teen had done this for years, no longer having any effect on you. He swings once more, but you drop to the floor swinging out a leg directly into his own.
He topples back, giving you the opportunity you’ve been looking for. You bring your bat around hitting him square in his stomach. He lets out an ‘oof’ but composes himself quickly.
“That was dirty, brat.” He snarls, glaring at you.
“I learned from the worst,” you wink at him, smiling.
The fact that you were making a joke out of this pissed him off more. Fighting was a serious matter to Seifer, sinking his entire being into it. Then here you come, smiles and jokes while moving around like a damn rabbit. You hear him growl before he charges.
He swings once more, aiming directly for your left shoulder. He hits his mark, pain exploding in your shoulder and down your spine. A strangled cry escapes your body as you drop the bat involuntarily and grab your shoulder.
“Too hard.” You hear Fuu yell before you hear her start jogging towards you. You can’t even look at her, too busy trying to blink away the tears that threaten to fall. You have never cried in front of them and you plan to keep it that way.
“Yeah, way outta line, y’know.” Rai agrees. He had appeared on your other side without you noticing. Vivi surely was nearby as well.
“Tch, whatever.” He drops the bat in front of you before walking away. The other three are confused, not really knowing what to do. You don’t blame them when they start to follow their leader, their footsteps echoing around your head.
You’re able to finally look without bursting into tears, only to see the backsides of those you dared to call friends. Hell, they weren’t even that.
Seifer had left the premises entirely, the only thing you can see is his white coat disappearing behind a corner. Fuu, Rai, and Vivi are on the other side of the Sandlot, crowded around the billboard.
You don’t know why they haven’t left as well, but you notice that all of them refuse to look at you. How cowardly. You grit your teeth as you stand, your hand still clutching your shoulder. Looks like your mom is going to receive yet another medical bill in the next few days.
Not wanting to see them any longer for today, you turn your back and start towards the opposite exit. The way spat you out towards Market Street and even farther from your home, but you just couldn’t go past them.
Just as you start to go down the path, four teens stop in front of you.
Hayner sniffs out your name, eyeing you curiously. You don’t fail to notice the way his eyes widen when they finally see your hand clutching your shoulder. If only the floor could open up and swallow you right now.
“Hey, did Sei-, “ Pence was about to comment before your glare cut him off. Last thing you wanted them to do was butt into your little friendly spat with Seifer. Gods know that will only bite you back in your ass.
“I’m fine.” It’s half-ass, but it warns them to back off. They all exchange looks before nodding. You hated when they did that, the whole synchronized nodding. It was like all four of them were able to tell what the other was thinking instantly.
It also flared your envy, but you didn’t have the capacity to truly wallow in that. Maybe later when you have ice on your shoulder and could finally think a coherent thought that didn’t end with ‘fuck Seifer.’
“Alright, if you say so.” Hayner knows better than anyone what this feels like. You meet his eyes, a quiet understanding passing between you. You nod in thanks before pushing past them, not bothering to question why they were even heading towards the Sandlot in the first place.
You faintly remember Seifer mentioning something about them stealing something this morning, but you barely paid any attention once it turned more rant-y. A Seifer rant was the worst type of torture outside of maybe getting your fingernails torn off one by one.
A shiver went through you at that thought, but you quickly wiped it from your head. You exit the small pathway, opening up to a bigger area. Apartments and houses lined the street, the sunset showering them in a hue of oranges and yellows.
Twilight Town’s sky still confused you. Growing up here, you kind of accepted the answer that it was always sunset, but when you sometimes when you dream, you stand underneath a dark sky covered in stars. Sometimes you'd catch the silhouette of a large being, spiraling like a castle.
As you walked, houses and apartments began to turn into shops and restaurants. Noise began to blossom everywhere as more and more people came into view. Market Street was the hub for all things you ever needed. You could spend hours here and not even begin to uncover all the secrets it had to offer.
It even had a movie theater tucked away in an alcove. You used to spend a lot of your time tucked away in the corner seat and watching anything that came on the screen. It was a reprieve from everyday life, that is until Seifer decided to come into the picture.
You remember it clearly.
It was a few years ago now, you were about to head into your last year of middle school. The people at school sucked, always making fun of you for one thing or another. It got to the point where you were debating on asking your mom to homeschool you.
The only places you felt safe in were either the movie theater or the Sandlot when no one else was around. You had always wanted to learn how to fight, hoping that one day you could teach a lesson to those who belittle you.
You had gone to the Sandlot that day after school. You had a routine and that day the pitch was for sure going to be empty. You set up the practice dummies in a row. There were three of them and the paint on them was beginning to stretch and tear off in places. Years of abuse evident on each bump littered throughout them.
You thought of them as your friends. You even named them, though you couldn’t remember what the names were. You were pretty sure one of them started with a V, but beyond that you were lost.
You grabbed the bat with the guarded handle, liking that at least one of your hands was protected. It was heavy and took a lot to swing, but you managed to hit each dummy over and over again. You even began to come up with combos and name those as well.
“What’re doing in my Sandlot, squirt?” A voice from behind scared you. You scream, losing the bat mid-swing. The voice laughed deeply and you turned around to see an older blonde teen. You had seen him here before, but always stayed out of his way due to the constant frown he wore.
“O-oh, sorry, I was just, uh…” you blank. His stare bore into you, causing you to shrink smaller. He was about sixteen from what you could tell. His other three friends stood a ways off, talking among themselves. High school kids were so scary.
“Speak up.” He orders, his eyes somehow becoming more intense.
“I was just practicing to fight, sir!” You practically shout, terrified at what this guy was going to do to you if you didn’t answer right then. He arches an eyebrow.
“Oh yeah? Hey, guys, the squirt is practicing how to fight. How cute is that!” You flinch when he says cute. You know it’s an insult, even though he had a smile on his face when he said it. He reminded you of your bullies at school, except he was ten feet taller than any of them.
His friends then crowd you two. They looked at you unimpressed.
“Perform.” The purple-haired girl said. Her voice was completely devoid of emotion, but it sounded like she was urging you to show her your skills.
“Show us what you got, y’know!” The other big teen confirmed your suspicions. The small boy with a hat so big it covered his face just gave you a nod. You never noticed how odd this group looked.
The blonde didn’t say anything more, just staring at you intensely. Slowly, you grab the bat once more, trying to ignore how sweaty your hands were. One slip and surely they’ll laugh at you. You move to stand in front of the middle dummy. Awkwardly, you get in a stance, your legs wobbling from unfamiliarity.
You grip the bat tighter before striking the dummy. It was a lame hit, barely even making a sound. White heat filled your core, making you want to just run and hide from everyone. You couldn’t though.
You swing again, this time deciding to hit and then follow with a kick. It was something you were work-shopping before, so it didn’t feel that weird. You hit your mark, the dummy actually moving this time from the impact.
After showing them a few more moves, Seifer signaled you to stop.
“Come back to me when you want to spar.” Then he turned around and walked off. That meant he was impressed, right? His friends followed him, but the big man was giving you a thumbs up and a smile.
Two months later is when you approached Seifer again. The two of you fought and you lost horribly, but Seifer had invited you back out the next day to do it again. Ever since then, you were in the Sandlot everyday with them. That didn’t mean you were friends, perse.
It always felt like you were the odd man out in the group. They seemed to go everywhere together meanwhile you only hung out with them in the Sandlot. Still, they never told you to go away, so you took the win for what you wanted it to be.
That was until now.
Somehow, you had managed to walk yourself through the entirety of Market Street in the direction to the clinic. Pain throbbed from your shoulder, a reminder that you did need to get it checked. Sighing, you head towards the clinic hoping it was going to be cheaper than the last time you were here.
The next day, you found yourself at a loss. For the first time in two years, you don’t go to the Sandlot. Instead, you decide to just explore the rest of Twilight Town. Maybe find something new.
The doctor had put your arm into a sling, advising to not do anything excessive for the next few days. You only had the choice of listening because you needed your arm to get better in time for the struggle tournament.
You exit out of your house way later than normal, having to actually take time to get ready and not upset your arm. At one point, you even had to call your mom to help. She was understandably upset at the situation, but tried her best to not take it out on you. She understood that this was a big deal and didn’t want to further isolate you. She was perhaps the one good constant thing in your life.
Sunset sky welcomed you as you walked down a pathway. It was gorgeous, but sometimes you ached for something else. Like the night sky from your dreams. Sadly, all you knew was an unending stream of purple, orange, and yellows.
Before you know it, you’re about to hit Market Street once more. Instead, you veer right, going down a different path that had a few shops, but was way less busy. A few people milled about, quiet voices in conversation as you walked by.
“Roxas?” You asked when you see the blonde staring intently at a billboard. He pivots to face you, eyes widened. Once he realizes it was you, his brows furrow.
“What are you doing here?” His voice isn’t friendly as he says your name. Instead there was a subtle warning in it, like if you got too close he’ll bite. You can’t really blame him, his bully was someone you hung out with everyday.
“Exploring?” You question lamely, cringing as such a half-baked answer. Honestly, you had no clue what you were doing. Your routine had been completely thrown off, there was nothing else in Twilight Town that you could think of doing.
He gives you a look that says ‘don’t bullshit me.’ Idly, you rock back and forth on the balls of your feet.
“What about you, huh? You’re just staring at that billboard.” At a quick glance you could see the words ‘Help Wanted’ lighted in neon.
“I’m looking at odd jobs.” You take a step closer to see that a few people have posted listings. Odd jobs were something you heard of, but you’ve never done one personally. It was a good way for a teen to get money quickly though.
Slowly, you’re realizing that you’ve kind of spent your entire life in a bubble.
“Your arm looks pretty busted, by the way.” You look at your arm, frowning.
“Yeah, Seifer went a little overboard.” His eyes widened at that. You thought it was obvious when you saw them yesterday. Hayner had gotten it straight away, which made sense since he had been in a similar situation.
“Wait, Seifer did that to you?” The hardness in voice had completely dropped. You shift your weight from one foot to another, not liking the sudden attention.
“Uh, yeah. We were sparring and I guess he got mad and,” you pause, not wanting to really think about the pain again. “Anyway, yeah. He got me pretty good.” Roxas sucks on his teeth for a moment, eyes shifting from your face to your arm.
“Fuck that guy.” You gasp in shock, not really expecting to hear him talk like that. “Seriously, that guy needs to be knocked down a peg or two.” Why haven’t you talked to this guy before? He seemed like a really cool kid.
“That’s why I’m going to beat his ass in the struggle tournament.”
“Don’t worry about it, I kicked it pretty well yesterday after you left.” He smirks, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Oh man, I wish I stayed then.” You sigh almost dreamily. It’s been a long time since you’ve beaten Seifer yourself. It would’ve been amazing to see him land on his ass for once.
“Hayner and I are signing up for the tournament too, so at least one of us has to beat him.” It’s not a surprise that they’re participating. The two blondes were an electrifying duo, especially when they fought against each other.
You really hope your arm is good enough to fight. It would destroy you if you had to sit out after everything that happened.
“Good luck then!” The two of you smile at each other before Roxas draws his attention back to the board. “Do you know which one you’re doing?” There were three options: mail delivery, cargo climber, and a grandstander. You had no idea what the last two even meant, but mail delivery seemed like an easy job. Roxas must’ve thought so too because he takes the posting off the board.
“The fastest one, easily.” He turns the paper around, reading the instructions. You wanted to lean over his shoulder and read as well, but knew that would be creepy. This is like your first official conversation with the guy.
The two of you had always been aware of the other, but it did surprise you that he knew your name.
“This is actually insane. He wants me to cross Twilight Town within ten minutes.” You don’t know if he’s continuing the conversation or just talking out loud to himself. It was always hard to tell with most people. Fuu’s blunt way of speaking was a godsend to you, she never said anything she didn’t mean and in way less words.
“That’s impossible.” You respond anyway, fearing that he was actually speaking to you and then you ignore him. It’s something that has happened before but the other person didn’t react too well. For some reason, it’s something you never want to do again.
Roxas agrees, lulling the conversation. Feeling awkward, you scramble to think of anything that could help.
“Well, it’s impossible unless you have something that could get you there. Does the trolley run that far?” You hum, but it seemed to hit Roxas hard.
“Oh! My skateboard! I can just use that.” He pounds a fist into his hand, nodding. He sends you a small smile. “Good idea." He says your name making you blush from the compliment, but nod in appreciation.
After that, Roxas decided it was his time to go. He waved goodbye as he walked in the opposite direction from you, paper in hand still. You felt like your heart could beat right out your chest. For now, it felt like it was a good thing you were forced out of your protective bubble.
You hum all the way back home to rest. Seifer might’ve lit the fire to win that tournament, but Roxas stoked it, making it burn a bit brighter. Even if you didn’t win, it would all be worth it. Your mom is confused when you’re all smiles for the rest of the day, but doesn’t question it. Happiness looked really good on you.
The next day you decided you wanted to go explore the woods that surrounded one of the walls or Twilight Town. Nothing but a lone mansion sat out there, but it had been somewhere that always interested you. In middle school, you were too scared to venture out there, but now you felt more than confident that you could handle yourself.
The woods carried a very different vibe than Twilight Town’s warmth. They were dark and confusing, the trees sprawling high into the sky. The tree seems to watch your every move and honestly it makes your skin crawl.
It took fifteen minutes, but finally you found the Old Mansion. It was in the only clearing the woods had to offer, taking as much space as it could. Trees brushed against the cobblestone fence, in some places it had even begun to break it down.
There was a gate that blocked you from getting onto the grounds, but you can see that the grass was freshly cut and the hedges were nicely trimmed. Did someone live here? From what you could remember, it had always been abandoned. Maybe someone decided to take pity on the building and helped clean it up. Though, they missed a few spots on the actual building where ivy was slowly making its way to the top.
You could probably climb the gate and mosey on over with no issue, but something about the mansion warned you to stay away. Like something bad would happen the moment you stepped a single foot past the gate. Deciding to listen to the warning, you stay put.
Watching the building for a few more minutes, you noticed that on the second floor, one of the windows had been completely blocked by a curtain. It felt out of place, another air of mystery being stacked on top.
“Hey, lemme go!” You hear a voice yell from the way you came. Abandoning the building, you rush back into the forest.
Roxas was crowded by three…things. They had long, grey bodies. On the top, they had what resembled a head, but no eyes and a zipper-like contraption for a mouth. On the top of its head was an emblem, you’ve never seen it before but it struck an odd cord deep within you. These things were dangerous.
One of the creatures had grabbed Roxas with one of its too-long fingers. He struggled to get out of its grasp, using his other hand to try and pry it off. He yells again, pulling even harder as the other two begin to loom closer to him.
“Watch out!” You yell before you even thought about it, moving towards the one that had grabbed Roxas. You jump in the air, kicking at its arms. The moment you make contact, it lets go of Roxas, slithering back. It seemed to eye you, assess you.
Your name falls from his mouth as he looks at you bewildered. You don’t have time to respond before the creature is making another move to grab Roxas. The blond grabs onto your non-injured arm, dragging you towards the exit to Twilight Town. “Come on, we can’t fight them.”
You don’t need to be told twice! He keeps a hand on your arm as he leads the two of you out of the woods. Even when you make it back, he’s pulling you through streets and alleys. The creatures are chasing you the entire time. They slither back and forth buildings and if you strained your ear you could swear they were hissing . It sounded like a word, but you couldn’t make it out.
Thankfully, an alleyway spits you into the Sandlot. Roxas continues to run, showing now signs of stopping. In horror, you noticed that he was leading you directly to Seifer.
“Hey, chicken wuss.” The tall blonde calls, his eyes hardening as he realizes it wasn’t just Roxas. “And traitor.” He adds, looking directly at you as you come to a stop. You were about to cower, but the sound of hissing fills the pace. The creatures come flying out of the alleyway, zoning in on Roxas.
“Who’s that?”
“I dunno, but they’ve already crossed the line!” The older teens seem to realize how serious this was. Vivi, the semi-pacifist, just moves behind the others, letting them fight for him. “Find a weapon!” Seifer orders the two of you. There were a few struggle bats scattered across the pitch. Roxas and you both pick one up just in time for the creatures to make their move.
They separate all of you. Rai and Fuu were off fighting one while another cornered Roxas. The last one had pushed you to Seifer, the blonde gave you a scowl as you stood next to him. The creature didn’t have time for the weird history between you two, jumping straight at Seifer.
It fell to the floor, dropping onto its head and kicking its leg out towards the blonde. He dodges in time, swinging his bat down. The creature does a backflip backwards, escaping the hit. You grit your teeth as it slithers back but towards you.
You swing at it, but miss entirely. Instead, the creature plants its hand onto the floor, bringing its feet to its chest. It kicks out both legs in opposite directions, causing distance once more. Standing up right, it seems to elongate its body as it once again jumps towards the two of you.
Dodge.
A voice commands from deep within your head. You roll out of the way as the Dusk's leg swings where exactly where your head would've been. You didn't have time to stop and ponder what the voice was because the Dusk was back on you.
You jump to the side, another hit missed. You swung at it, missing even though you should've contacted the creature. You really wish you could use your other arm, if you managed to land anything your strength is severely lacking to do any damage.
You fight for several minutes, neither Seifer or you able to make contact once. It doesn’t damage you either, instead it seems to do its best to create constant distance. It was fast, way faster than anything you’ve ever seen.
It pushes you towards the pitch where Roxas was fighting one by himself. He seemed to be having the same struggle as you. Not a single hit is able to land on these things.
“They’re too slippery!” You yell as Fuu, Rai, and even Vivi get pushed back by their own creature.
“We gotta do something.” Seifer mumbles, glaring darkly at the beings. All three of them began to surround you. Their mouths open and ready to sink the hidden teeth into your flesh. You feel panic shoot down your spine as you lose more and more space between them.
“No good…” He tried his best to create space, but it wasn’t enough. Just as they closed in, they switched tactics. Instead of walking closer, then begin to walk around the small group. It was terrifying how they were in unison, like a singular mind was shared between the three of them.
It was like time had stopped all around you. You watched as Seifer and his gang all stopped moving and even breathing.
“What the hell is going on?!” You nearly scream, the confusion and weight of everything finally crashing into you. There was no way this was possible. It was like magic, except you were pretty sure that didn’t exist.
The creatures stop their synchronized walking, their eyes set on something just beyond you. You turn around to see Roxas standing outside the circle they created. The creatures bypass you, closing in on the blonde. You couldn’t really understand, but the creatures seem to only have eyes for him.
“R-” you’re about to call out to him but someone beats you to it.
“Roxas! Use the Keyblade!” A voice from one of the nearby roofs calls. A girl stood there leaning over a railing. She was blonde with most of her hair going over one shoulder and a set of deep blue eyes. She was dressed very basic wearing nothing but a mid-length white dress.
“Keyblade?” You ask, the name familiar on your lips. She looks at you with wide eyes. It was like she wasn’t expecting you to be the one to answer her. Her lips move, about to say something, but instead she turns around and runs off.
At the same time, the creatures descend on Roxas. He yells the moment the girl leaves. You turn to him quickly, only to see the creatures jump onto him and knock him to the ground. Once again, like magic, the moment his body hits the ground then the creatures disappear from sight. The blonde himself is knocked totally unconscious from a quick glance.
“Roxas!” You yell, rushing to him and crouching down by his head. You don’t touch him, but instead just make sure he was at least okay. He didn’t seem to be in any pain, actually he looked pretty peaceful.
“Well, guess the twerp couldn’t handle the heat.” Seifer’s voice cut through the sound of your beating heart. It seemed like whatever time spell they were under wore off when the creatures left. “Left the traitor here sobbing after him. Get a grip.”
He’s on you within moments, putting a hand on your bad shoulder. He doesn’t press down so you’re not in pain, but you know he would if you even dared to move. You just try your best to look at him, but he’s staying out of your sight.
“Pretty bold of you to go running to the enemy the moment things heated up.” He nearly spits. Fear is coursing through you, the fight and now this is becoming too much to handle. He puts a bit of pressure onto your arm, causing you to groan.
“I- I ran into him by accident,” you get out, the pressure diminishing now that he had gotten you to speak. “Let go, please. ” You beg. He lets out a ‘tsk’ before removing his hand.
“It’s not like it matters why. We’re done with you.” You can hear him walking off, tears once again threatening to fall from your eyes. They weren’t really your friends, but you still found comfort in hanging out around them. For once, you weren’t alone, you had found something worth fighting for, and yet, they threw you out the moment trouble came brewing.
“Seifer, strike a pose, y’know?” Rai calls. You whirl around seeing Fuu holding a camera and Seifer standing a few feet away from Roxas and you. You stand, anger replacing the fear.
“How’s this?” Seifer puts a hand on his waist, a smug smile resting on his lips. Fuu clicks the camera.
“Are you seriously taking a picture of Roxas unconscious?!” You knew Seifer was a dick, but this was extremely low even for him. The sadness you felt prior diminished instantly, maybe this falling out was a blessing in disguise.
“So what if I am? The idiot deserves it for getting knocked out.” That smug grin widens as he looks at you. You take a step towards him, the bat still in your hand. One swift hit to the head should set him straight.
A groan from Roxas stops you, he moves an inch as he begins to come to.
“How ‘bout one more, y’know?” Rai calls out once more as Fuu takes another picture. As he slowly gets up, Roxas is able to piece the situation together. You try to help him up, but he just shrugs you off, anger already fueling him.
“What’s that for!?”
“Keepsake.” Fuu smiles, putting the camera away.
“Those freaks in the white jumpsuits are gone, y’know?”
“Cakewalk.” You were tired of these two. That fight was not a cakewalk; in fact, all of you would have almost lost if the white creatures didn’t disappear on their own. Did they not remember that they had even stopped time?
“Wait a secon-” you begin, but Roxas gives you a look that shuts you up. It was a glare, but something in it told you that it would be better to keep it between the two of you.
“What were those things anyway?” He asks, bringing the attention back to him.
“Outsiders, that’s what.” Roxas shakes his head, not believing Seifer’s words. Outsiders didn’t even begin to describe them. “And if they don’t wise up to the rules around here, I might have to take ‘disciplinary measures.’”
No way did these guys fight the same creatures you did. No one could even land a hit, how would he be able to stop something that strong? Rai was quick to back up Seifer though, unwavering loyalty to his leader.
“Oh yeah, Seifer’s always lookin’ after the town, y’know?” You roll your eyes at that one. Seifer is the reason most of the problems even happen. He’s always picking fights with those weaker than him, though you probably were at fault for that too since you never stopped him once.
Just then, three more people entered the Sandlot. The rest of Roxas’ friends stared at the five of you. You could feel Hayner’s glare from across the pitch, knowing it was solely aimed at his so-called best friend. It looked like Roxas was just hanging out with you guys out of his own free will. Another traitor among the lot of you.
Nothing is said as Hayner lets out a breath before turning and walking off in the direction he came. Olette and Pence follow him, both not knowing what to say or do.
“Wait up,” Roxas calls, running after them. Seifer calls after him about the tournament tomorrow, but you don’t really pay attention. These last few days have been really weird, something wasn’t adding up.
“I swear, if he manages to win tomorrow, I might just blow a gasket.” Seifer lets out before turning away from you as well. The rest of them filter out of the Sandlot, leaving you there by yourself.
What just happened? And who was that girl who showed up earlier?
That night, you were curled up in your bed thinking the day over. So much happened that you couldn’t even create a proper timeline of it all. The weird white things, the girl, the word Keyblade, everything was so confusing.
You let out a groan, shifting to stare at the ceiling.
Roxas didn't seem to be as confused as you, going through everything in stride. In fact, it felt like you were the only one who was lost. Seifer and his gang just accepted the white creatures with open arms, that is if they stayed in their lane.
Why were they so obsessed with Roxas too? You had noticed that they went for the blonde only, ignoring everyone else. They were also hissing something, you could've sworn at one point you managed to make out 'Roxas.'
And then the voice. You couldn't even begin to explain how you heard it from within. You want to chalk it up to pure instincts, but you couldn't shake the feeling that it was something bigger. It was all so strange, you wish you knew where to start to even begin to unravel it all.
You eventually close your eyes, the heaviness of sleep undertaking you to a dream that you've seen way too many times.
A night sky covered in stars sprawled as far as you could see. It was later in the night than you were used to being outside, but your father has finally began to loosen the chains he kept around your throat.
"Hey, kid, are you falling asleep on us?" A voice laughs from your left, you turn but their face glitches out of existence. A void staring at you, but it didn't scare you. You knew this person, felt safe in their presence.
"Just taking it all in," you breathe, the words escaping you subconsciously. "This is my first time outside this late, y'know."
"Surprised you haven't snuck out before, knowing you." Another voice, the face once again out of reach.
"Now that you say it, you are kind of a goody-two shoes, huh." The first responded, laughter still on the edge of his voice
"You know that I have to be, you don't have my father to go back home to," you sniff, trying your best to act indifferent. The other two don't comment, a pause hung in the air.
"Well, to celebrate this first, I got the best new thing to hit this dull place," The first held up three bars of pale blue icecream. Your mouth instantly watered. "The old quack finally perfected his recipe," he holds out one of the bars to you.
You take hold of the popsicle, the bottom already beginning to drip down the stick. Taking a lick, you exhale blissfully. It was the perfect mixture of sweet and salty, the hints of coconut just melding it all together. It was the best thing you've ever tasted.
You wish this moment could last forever, but the moment you go for another lick, it goes dark.
summary: you playfully avoid your boyfriend's kisses!
“get back here~!”
sora and you were laughing and giggling, as you ran across the beach on destiny island. the sand underneath your feet slowed you down and as you kicked off your shoes, you ran towards the water.
“i've got you now–!” just as you entered the water, sora grabbed you by your waist and spun you around. as he tried to plant a kiss onto your lips, you turned your head away, giggling to yourself.
“come ooon, let me kiss youuu~” sora pouted, trying a few more times, until he eventually grabbed your cheeks and finally pressed his lips onto yours.
“see?” he grinned amused. “you can't escape my love! nor my kisses~”
tags: silly & wholesome fluff, established romantic relationship
when sora first notices his hoodie is gone, he panics a little! did he put it in the washing machine and forgot? did he throw it in some corner that he can't remember?
but as he starts to look around the apartment, he finds you in the living room, sitting on the couch – wearing his hoodie!
you just give him a sweet and innocent smile as you greet him. but your sweet voice just makes things worse for sora!
sora short-circuits for a moment, staring at you, as his face flushes red! you look so damn cute in his hoodie! and seeing how it's a little too big for you… oh man, it melts his heart!
once sora has his composure back, he quickly rushes up to you and starts grinning widely, picking you up and twirling you around, before placing you down and taking a good look at you
“you look so cute in my clothes–!” he beams with excitement. “do you want to borrow my jacket too? or another hoodie? oh, i also have–”
and that's how he continues to ramble on about what of his clothes he wants to see you in next. and you can best believe that he'll happily lend you anything you want from now on!
☆Roxas
🎐Roxas talking with you about what comes after hs (°ロ°)
☆Sora
☆Riku
🎐Say something. Riku visits you during the one year he's gone (⊙ˍ⊙)
--more to be added as I play more (oﾟvﾟ)ノ
tags: wholesome fluff, childhood friends to lovers, mean!riku (to reader, as kids), hurt/comfort, sora comforting reader
sora and you grew up together and even back then, you were always crying over every little thing. fell down and scratched your hand? crying. dropped your ice cream? crying. watched a scary movie? crying.
while riku was the one rolling his eyes at you, but sora was always the one rushing to comfort you. and even as you two grew older and you remained a cry baby, sora was still there for you!
sora never made fun of you or made you feel stupid for crying so much. he knew you were sensitive and he always tried his best to shield you from anything that could hurt your feelings or upset you
when he became the wielder of the keyblade, one of the first things he did was tell you he'd use his sword to protect you and keep you safe – which made you tear up from happiness!
seeing sora grow even stronger being the keyblade wielder, you wanted to grow stronger as well! you began to tag along with him to other worlds, even if you were terrified of it!
you still cried about every little thing, but sora could clearly see a change within you! you were trying to improve and that just made him fall for you even harder…
he always praised you after every little thing you did, telling you how much he loves you and how happy he was to see you tag along with him, despite of how scared you might be!
