Summary: After everything that happened in the realm of sleep, Sora feels safer when Riku's here. One-shot, where I explore the possibility for their friendship to evolve in a simple, natural way.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters are definitely not mine, otherwise I wouldn't need to write a fanfiction to fulfill my need for fluff.

Warning: It's all rather cute and innocent, but it's still Soriku. so if you feel the need to hate on everyone who likes this pairing you might want to read something else instead because I don't want to be involved in a shipping war. I'm too old to care, thank you very much^^

A/N: So apparently my brain felt it needed some closure after DDD and this fic happened. I've had it in my mind for a really long time and finally decided to write it down properly. It's funny, I didn't even ship Soriku that much before, I mean I found them cute but I wasn't really involved... But then DDD happened and... *coughs* Platonically or not, it's undeniable that there's a great amount of affection and admiration between them. I like the idea of them becoming more than friends in a very natural way, like if it was just the next step in their friendship. Anyway, that's how I tried to paint things here, and I hope you'll like it!

The story will focus mainly on Riku's thoughts, except for the beginning.
Please forgive me if there are weird mistakes, English isn't my first language.

The Tower was silent when Sora came back from Traverse Town in the late hours of the night, but he could still see some light coming from the upstairs room where Yen Sid's study was. The magician was going through one of the gigantic books spread over his desk, and he raised his head as Sora walked in.

"I'm glad to see you back."
"Thank you! Um... are all these books about Kingdom Hearts?"
"I'm looking for clues as how to get Mickey's friends back, if we are to gather the 7 warriors of light. Riku has already brought here your friend Kairi from your world, she is to begin her training alongside Lea soon."

Sora frowned, not being exactly ok with involving Kairi in all the battles... They didn't have much choice though, if they wanted to stand a chance against Xehanort.

"Right..." he trailed off, lost in his thoughts.
"Is there anything you need, Sora?"
"Oh uh, yes. Is there anywhere I could sleep?"
"I'm afraid the Tower is a little overcrowded, but if you don't mind sharing a room with a friend, I believe Riku took the first one by the stairs, and Kairi the second one."
"Thanks. Good luck with the books!"

Sora left promptly. Tired as he was, he couldn't care less having to share a bed with someone as long as it meant finally sleeping in one. He freshened up quickly and changed into his pajamas before heading back towards the bedrooms. The hallway was dark, and his eyelids were heavy... The feeling reminded him of this fleeting moment before dropping in the dream world, and Sora had to lean against the wall to support himself as he started feeling dizzy. Clenching his fists, he tried to regulate his breathing and get accustomed to the darkness.

I'll never understand how Riku was able to fight without seeing anything.

Riku. Riku had brought him back from the dreams. This was reality. Everything was ok. With one hand still on the wall, Sora managed to make his way to Riku's room. He didn't really consider staying with Kairi instead, not only was she always in a bad mood when woken up, but this uneasy feeling wouldn't go away and his heart was telling him he would feel safer with Riku. He opened the door, trying to be as silent as possible.

Riku was fast asleep when a faint sound outside his room triggered his defense reflexes. Someone was definitely trying to come in. He sensed the door close behind the intruder and he sat up suddenly, summoning his Keyblade in a flash. There was a loud yelp and Riku stopped his arm above his head, blinking as the lights were turned on and he realized who the intruder really was.

"Sora?"
"Ye-yes, it's me, now put your Keyblade away, do you want me to have a heart attack?" Sora said, a hand clutching his chest.
"What- what are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Riku asked, still pretty dumbfounded and not lowering his arm.
"Well, I just came back... and Yen Sid said there were no more rooms available, really I had thought he could summon new rooms you know but apparently not- seriously, are you still pointing your Keyblade at me?"

Riku's eyes moved upwards and he realized he was still holding his weapon; he relaxed his hand to make it disappear. He ran one hand through his hair and breathed deeply to recover from having been woken up so suddenly.

"Sorry... You were saying?"
"Anyway, I have to share a room with someone... Do you mind?"
"What, were you scared that Kairi would kill you if you snuck up in her room in the middle of the night?" Riku asked with a teasing smile.
"You know what-"
"That wouldn't be a very dignified ending for the hero of light," Riku interrupted, his grin widening.
"Seriousy, just- shut up, ok?"

Riku chuckled at Sora's jaded look, but patted the empty space next to him in the bed.

"You can sleep here of course, it's not like we haven't had a sleepover before."

Sora gave him a small smile and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall pensively.

"After everything we've been through... Those times seem so far away."
"Are you having regrets?" Riku asked, his eyes fixed on the back of Sora's head.
"I don't know," Sora said with a sigh. "I mean, some of it was really great, like meeting everyone and traveling to all these worlds... and in any case we couldn't have avoided it, our paths were set a long time ago, but... I just wonder sometimes, will we ever be carefree again? Like when we were kids?"

Riku shifted, uneasy. This wasn't like Sora.

"Well, when we defeat Xehanort..."
"If we do defeat him."
"Sora," Riku said, grabbing his friend's arm and trying not to sound too worried, "are you alright?"

Sora swallowed hard and forced his lips into a smile before turning to face Riku.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Just tired, I guess."
"Right..."

Riku's gaze was piercing, and Sora knew that he wasn't buying any of it.

"Anyway, sorry I woke you up. Let's sleep ok? I really am exhausted, so, good night Riku!"

The older boy didn't answer, but let go of his friend's arm. Sora turned the lights off and slipped under the covers, facing the wall again. Riku remained seated for a while in the dark room, staring at Sora's shape in disbelief. The uneasy feeling in his chest had grown and he felt like he was about to be sick.

What just happened?

After the fight with Xemnas, Riku had wanted to give up. He was wounded, there was no exit in sight, it was hopeless. But Sora had carried him, told him to think positive, and together they eventually found an exit. This was the usual Sora, always seeing the good in everything... The Sora he grew up with, the one who never stopped believing in him even when he had given in to the darkness. Tonight... was different. Was it just because of what had happened during their exam? Would it pass? Surely you can't expect anyone to stay positive all the time while living a life like theirs but... Sora used to be.

What did they do to you? What happened in your dream?

Closing his eyes, Riku quietly lay down next to Sora and took his face in his hands, still trying to calm himself down. He was taking deep breaths, and making a silent vow to hunt down every single one of Xehanort's vessels, when he noticed that Sora was starting to writhe in his sleep. Even in the darkness of the room, Riku could see that his friend was struggling. He tried to slowly grab Sora's hand, hoping it would soothe him; but as soon as their fingers touched, Sora sat up in the bed, screaming.

Riku immediately got up to turn on the lights, and then sat next to his friend, putting one hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. When Sora looked up, it was worse than a punch in the gut. He was shaking and shivering, his hands were gripping the sheets so hard that his knuckles were white, and a look of sheer panic was plastered all over his face. Without further thinking, Riku pulled Sora's trembling body into a tight embrace.

"It's ok. You're ok. It was just a nightmare. Everything's ok."

Riku was no stranger to nightmares. He had lost count of the number of nights he had woken up in the same state as Sora, with the desperate need to find a mirror just to make sure he was still himself. But that was his issue. He accepted it as a punishment for his past actions, and he could deal with it.

But Sora... Sora didn't deserve to be punished. This shouldn't happen. Could they really not have avoided it all? Even if he hadn't succumbed to the darkness, and the Keyblade wouldn't have passed down to Sora, the worlds would still have been in danger. There was no guarantee that Riku alone would have been able to do everything Sora did. And yet, part of him still felt responsible and the fact that Sora was now crying and holding on to him for dear life wasn't helping. He tightened his hold and kept whispering to Sora that everything was ok.

Long minutes passed until Sora's breathing became less erratic and his body stopped shaking. Riku backed away just a little, keeping his hands on Sora's shoulders and trying to meet his friend's eyes. The fear that still lingered in them didn't make Riku any happier.

"Sora, talk to me."
"I- I can't tell. Reality, dreams, nightmares... how am I supposed to tell the difference now?"
"What?"
"Back then... It was switching so much. The people changed, I changed, I never knew whether I was awake or not."
"Sora... what did they do to you?"
"I think... It was a dream within a dream. But it was so confusing... and everyone, Roxas, the ones we need to save, they were there too, and I felt their pain... They've been suffering so much, for so long."

Riku bit his lip to refrain from cursing and made another silent vow to slowly and painfully destroy all these assholes once he would have hunted them down.

"Ok, Sora, look at me. This is reality. I promise you," Riku said, one of his hands now firmly placed on the back of Sora's head.
"How can I be sure?"
"You just have to trust me on this, but I'm telling you, I'm real."

Sora stared silently into Riku's eyes for a few seconds. Finally, he nodded and smiled faintly.

"You had long hair in my dream."

Dumbfounded, Riku blinked before letting out a heartfelt chuckle.

"See, I told you that cutting my hair was a good idea. And don't worry, if you ever get lost in the dream world again, I'll always be there to bring you back. I'm your dream eater, remember?"

Sora's smile widened, and as the tension left his body he fell forward and hid his face in Riku's t-shirt.

"Thanks, Riku. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault," Riku replied, putting his arms back around Sora. "Will you be ok?"
"I don't know. Falling asleep seems kind of scary now." Sora laughed softly against Riku's chest. "What a great hero I make- afraid of sleeping!"
"Hey stop that, making fun of you is supposed to be my job!" Riku answered with a soft smile. "Anyway, just… come on."

Without warning, Riku fell back on the bed, pulling Sora down with him. The younger boy let out a surprised yelp as his head landed on his friend's chest.

"Riku—what?" Sora asked, raising his head a little to be able to look at Riku.
"Let's keep the lights on, ok? You can sleep now, I won't let you go."
"But... you..."
"Can't hear you, already sleeping!" Riku replied, his eyes closed and a wide grin on his lips.

Sora rolled his eyes a little, but rested his head back on Riku's chest, smiling. The regular breathing of his best friend was soothing and the warmth that enveloped him made him feel safe. It wasn't long before he fell into a dreamless sleep.

*Knocking sound*

Hmm?

*More insistent knocking*

What's that noise?

"Riku, Sora? Are you awake?"

Axel? Riku groaned as he threw his left arm over his eyes to avoid being blinded by the light. His right arm was still wrapped around Sora's back, and it seemed that the younger boy was still fast asleep.

"Sorry guys, but Yen Sid asked me to-"

Riku's half opened eyes met with Lea's, who stood frozen on the doorstep. He glanced down at Sora and then back at Lea... and it clicked. Riku's eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Lea had left and closed the door.

Riku covered his eyes with his left hand and muttered "Great" when the knocking started again.

"Ahem... sorry, but um, Yen Sid asked me to tell you that there's a meeting in an hour. Anyway, see you then."

Riku considered getting up and catching the redhead, but Sora was pretty much a deadweight on his chest.

"Well, at least you've been able to sleep," Riku sighed before slightly shaking the sleeping boy. "Sora? Sora, come on, wake up."

The muffled groan that answered him was enough to convince Riku that they would never be on time for Yen Sid's meeting. He really wanted to have a chat with Lea beforehand though, so he tried a usually foolproof technique.

"Sora? If we hurry there might still be some cake left from yesterday..."

Sora immediately raised his head a little.

"What, cake- I'm awake, I'm awake." The sound of Riku's laughter made him turn his head and frown. "What's so funny?"
"Nice bedhead," Riku replied, still laughing.
"Fine, make fun of me. Well you're not getting cake either."

Sora let his head fall back on Riku's chest and tightened his hold on the older boy's waist to prevent him from getting up. Riku kept laughing for a little while but finally managed to gather his breath.

"Come on Sora, we need to get up, there's a meeting in less than an hour."
"Meetings are so boring..."
"Regardless... I think that our presence is pretty much required. Also, Axel-"
"Lea."
"-Whatever, that guy came to wake us up earlier and, um... He kinda happened to walk in."
"And?"
"And... do you realize that you're lying half on top of me?"
"So?"

Riku snorted in disbelief and looked down at the mess of hair still on his chest. Really, Sora couldn't be that naive.

"Well, some people might think that-"
"I got that, but why should I care?"
"Uh, I don't know, let's say that if you want to date Kairi it's not a very good opening..."
"Who says I want to date Kairi?"

Riku shot Sora a weird look, but he could still only see his hair.

"Um, you? I don't know, it was pretty obvious back on the islands."
"Fine, I'll give you that. But it was like... what, 2 years ago? And so much has happened ever since..."

Sora lifted his head a little and turned to meet Riku's gaze.

"Does it look to you like I want to date Kairi?"

Riku narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what was going on in Sora's mind but without success. He was suddenly feeling very anxious and swallowed hard.

"Sora... What are you trying to say?"

Eye contact was severed as Sora rested his head back on Riku's chest. Riku heard his friend take a deep breath before answering.

"I'm not sure. Just... I haven't slept so good in a long time. And, I don't know, this..." Sora tightened his hold on Riku a little as he spoke, "... it just feels right, you know?"

Riku stared at the back of Sora's head, contemplating what he had just said. He wasn't really sure what was happening, or if anything was happening for that matter. It's not like he had time to think about this kind of stuff over the last years, not with fighting the darkness inside him and protecting Sora. He had always assumed that when all of this would be over they will be back on the islands together and Sora would be with Kairi. And it was ok, really. He had loved teasing him about it back then because his face was always priceless, but Riku had never really been interested in Kairi like that. She was a precious friend... Well, both of them were precious to him, and especially Sora.

Sora had always been his best friend, someone he would fight and bicker with; but also someone he would always end up laughing with, someone he would do anything to protect. This is why he could never completely forgive himself for what had happened with Ansem and Maleficent; why he would spend the rest of his life trying to make amends. He thought back to the time when Sora was asleep in that pod; the time when he had taken Ansem's appearance and kept hiding from Sora; and also his journey in Sora's dreams... Always so close, and yet so far. And last time, if Lea hadn't arrived at the last second, if he hadn't been able to wake Sora up... Riku couldn't dare imagine the consequences.

But it was ok. Right now, in this moment, everything was ok. Sora was here, in his arms, and he was warm, he was alive. Riku needed nothing more. Suddenly, it was like something broke inside him and he felt a wave of emotions hit him... Relief, that Sora was here and safe; fear, that something worse might happen to him in the future; and always this desperate, overwhelming need to protect him. Instinctively, he tightened his hold on Sora, pulling him even closer against him, and he buried his face in the messy brown spikes.

This... can be anything you want it to be. As long as you're here and safe, this is all I need.

Sora smiled at Riku's silent answer and closed his eyes for a little while, simply enjoying the moment.

"Riku?"
"Hmm," came the muffled answer.
"Your heart is beating faster."
"Shut up," Riku replied shortly, burying his face in Sora's hair even more.
"Also, I can't breathe."
"Right, sorry... Sorry," Riku said, quickly freeing Sora from his embrace.

The younger boy sat slowly on the bed and stretched his arms out before looking back at Riku with a happy smile.

"So, cake?"

Riku laughed heartily and sat up, extending an arm to ruffle Sora's hair.

"You're unbelievable," he said, with a genuine fondness in his eyes.
"Ah, but that's why you like me!" Sora replied with a chuckle, slightly leaning into Riku's hand.

Riku didn't answer. He merely stopped laughing, smiling pensively at Sora while his hand moved to cup the younger boy's face.

"Riku?"
"Hmm?" Riku simply replied, his eyes focusing on Sora's again.
"Thank you."
"What for?"
"You know... Saving me, protecting me... Everything," Sora answered, moving in a little closer.

None of them could say who closed the distance, maybe they had both leaned in at the same time. Their lips touched softly, both boys unsure of what they were doing, but this simple feeling was enough to convey how deeply they cared about each other.

Something so natural.

The kiss lasted barely more than a second and they both pulled back, staring silently into each other's eyes for a moment. Riku's heart was racing as he anxiously scanned Sora's face for a reaction.

Eventually, Sora lifted one hand to grab Riku's, which was still gently cupping his face, and squeezed it softly.

"Hm. It feels right," the younger boy said with a radiant smile.

The sound that escaped Riku's throat was halfway between a sob and a chuckle, as he felt relief replacing anxiety in his heart. He felt his body crumble and rested his forehead against Sora's to hold himself up, a wide smile on his face. Sora started laughing, his free hand fumbling around for Riku's other one before gripping it tightly.

"We are so going to be late," Riku breathed out, his voice breaking a little.
"Right, we should probably go," Sora replied, "I still need breakfast if I'm going to survive the meeting."

Riku laughed softly and they both let go of each other.

"I'll go get ready," Sora said, jumping out of bed. "I left all my stuff in the bathroom, I didn't want to make too much noise... Well, that failed."
"Ah, don't worry. I was glad to know you were back."
"Aww, Riku, were you worried about me?" Sora said teasingly, bending over a little to bring his face closer to Riku's.
"Of course I was, you always get in trouble when I'm not here," Riku answered in the same tone, moving in a little closer.
"Hm, then I guess I'll have to stay with you again tonight?"
"I don't see any other option..." Riku's voice was now only a whisper.

Their faces were now only a few inches apart, both staring at each other with an amused sparkle in their eyes. Riku was barely breathing, waiting to see what Sora would do.

The younger boy didn't give Riku any time to react, he closed the distance suddenly, planting a small kiss on the corner of his friend's mouth and rushed to the door.

"See you at breakfast!" Sora said to a very dumbstruck Riku, before leaving the room.

Riku stared at the door for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

You really are unbelievable.

THE END