A/N: Written for aolily on twitter for the 2019 Soriku Easter Exchange! Please check out her art, its wonderful!

"Favorite color? Mm, mine's probably pink," Kairi said. Her long legs stretched out in front of her as she leaned back on her palms, but, observing a small spot of green on her pink Converse, she leaned forward to inspect it. It was probably just from the grass they sat on but Sora was too lazy to tell her.

They were catching up. Though the Mark of Mastery test wasn't long in the real world, for Sora, it had felt like a long time – and between the year of sleeping, and the year of adventuring, Sora felt like he hardly knew Kairi at all. The time they had before the exam was cut way too short, but now they finally had a moment; or rather, Sora created a moment while they waited for Riku to be released from the clutches of Master Yen Sid and his drawling meetings.

"So, what's your favorite color, then?" Kairi asked. As they conquered the list of Basic Friend Knowledge questions, they had discovered that many of their answers from Before had, in fact, changed. Kairi's favorite food was ice cream now instead of pizza; Sora's favorite animal was Meow Wows (which required a lengthy explanation, but they got through it); Kairi stopped wanting to be a doctor, and instead aspired to become a lawyer.

Words like "doctor" and "lawyer" were a reminder that Sora and Riku were mostly disconnected from the reality of their home world. At least, Sora felt that way. Things like school, college, working, and 'a successful future ' seemed more like concepts than Kingdom Hearts did. As a result, Sora didn't know what to say when Kairi asked what he wanted to do after high school – assuming he went. He wondered what Riku would say.

He tilted his head back to gaze up at the cone-like roof of the Tower. God, just how long was this meeting going to last? "Aqua," Sora replied - like his eyes, he thought .

Sora heard Kairi snort, and he lolled his head to see her eyes at the tail-end of a roll. Grinning, she teased, "Wow, I can already hear the wedding bells! When's the date?"

Cheeks flaming, Sora scoffed, and sat up with his legs crossed to keep his eyes away from the tower. "There's no wedding ," he muttered. Okay, his and Kairi's platonic speed-dating was officially over. "C'mon, you never decided where you wanted to go."

"What were my options again?" Kairi said, a victorious note to her tone.

Sora decided to ignore that. "Err, Agrabah, Beast's Castle, Halloween-slash-Christmas town, Disney Castle—"

"Running away?" a familiar voice interrupted. Sora spun so fast he nearly pulled a back muscle.

"Riku!" he exclaimed, looking him up and down. He was wearing his normal attire (jeans, black zip-up vest), though minus the jacket – but he looked a little forlorn, with his arms crossed like a wall and the ghost of a frown on his lips. But that was all but forgotten when Sora reached Riku's eyes – woah, they were green . Green, like the leaves of the palm trees on Destiny Islands, or the neon and emerald lights in Prankster's Paradise, or the jade Sora saw in China with Mulan – but sparkling and glistening like the thorny stars in the evening Mysterious Tower sky.

It took Sora's voice away, and he just stared. Riku walked up to the two of them, Kairi snickering next to Sora for no reason at all. He stopped a couple feet away, farther than really warranted.

"And if we are?" Kairi said, conspiratorially.

Riku didn't know what to say to that – Sora could tell by his carefully blank expression. And did his eyes get greener ? Like, forest green? The change knocked Sora out of his excessive stupor, and he jumped up, closing the too-far distance between him and his best friend. "Hey, we were waiting for you – come with us! We were supposed to see the worlds together, right?" Sora said, then nearly bit his tongue when he realized his mistake, "I mean—we need a Keyblade Master , right?"

Kairi stood, too, nodding. "Yeah! I couldn't decide what world I wanted to see first – Sora was terrible at explaining – so you can pick the first one?"

Riku blinked slowly at them and unfolded his arms. The frown Riku was holding back disappeared and the green that possessed his irises melted back to the brilliant, ocean-wave aquamarine that Sora loved. Sora blinked. Wait, that wasn't right – the green was gone? Maybe it was a trick of the light? Was he seeing things? Eyes don't change colors that quickly.

But that was forgotten when Riku smiled, a small appreciative thing, and laughed. He glanced cautiously back up at the Tower. "You want to go now ? Are you serious?"

"Ye-yeah!" Sora said, grabbing Riku's hands in excitement, "It's just a quick stop! We'll be back by morning, promise!" Kairi nodded vigorously beside him, eyes wide in hope.

Riku's eyes flickered down to their hands, and then back up, a crooked smile forming. "By morning ," he emphasized. They nodded in unison. He rustled the hair at the back of his head, seemingly considering. Sora waited with bated breath, and luckily Riku didn't make them wait long. "Fine – but, what are my choices again?"

Kairi listed them, but Sora couldn't focus on her words. He kept staring at Riku's eyes, wondering what caused them to look so green before. Maybe the grass around them, or something. Riku intently listened to their friend, which was a blessing, because Sora couldn't look away. Drowning in the glass shards of his aquamarine eyes, Sora didn't mind that he'd been seeing things. Any color looked good on Riku, anyway.

"—Sound?" Riku said, turning to Sora. His expression was observational and expectant and – oh no, he wanted Sora to reply.

"What?" Sora replied, sheepishly scratching his cheek.

"He didn't hear a word of that, Riku," Kairi said, feigning annoyance.

From the corner of his eye, Sora thought he saw sunset red in Riku's eyes. But Sora couldn't check because Riku grabbed Sora's head and aggressively rustled his hair in punishment for not listening. "I don't know why I asked," Riku said with a sigh, releasing Sora, "c'mon, Sora, get your gummi ship."

Riku wasn't mad, though; he let Sora hold his hand the whole way to the ship.

Each step Sora took was heavy and slow – reluctant. Yen Sid's orders to practice in the spar arena for the rest of the day didn't bother him, but his gravelly, disappointed comment that Sora needed to " take this more seriously " weighed heavy on his shoulders and " Stop being a distraction – Riku has enough on his plate without you getting into danger again ," dragged in his heart like an anchor was tied to his ankle.

Was that what he was? A distraction? What if Riku was as tired of him as Yen Sid was? Maybe he shouldn't have dragged Riku and Kairi out to Christmas Town last night—

He opened the large, wooden door to Yen Sid's magical arena only to find Riku already there, practicing on some training dummy with the Way to Dawn. Sora contemplated leaving – distraction his heart echoed – but the loud, low sound of the door closing behind him gave him away before he could decide. Riku turned, Keyblade de-materializing instantly. Sora felt glued in place as soon as Riku faced him. Riku had been in here for a while, made clear by the sweat glistening on his arms and his forehead. His hair was disheveled and wild. Sora's heart was a bird fluttering in a gold cage.

Riku walked over, swiping a hand through his hair to get his bangs out of his eyes. Wow, was all Sora could think . "Hey, wanna go?" Riku asked, so casual despite how much effort he clearly just expended.

Sora's entire vocabulary seemed to disintegrate the longer he stared at Riku and listened to his ragged breath. "Ehh…" was the non-committal sound Sora made. His brain caught back up and the words " take this seriously " and " distraction " went to war with each other. Taking things seriously would lead Sora to spar Riku, but Riku was so much stronger and better than Sora – what benefit would Riku get out of sparring him? Sora would just be in the way.

The conflict must have shown on his face. Riku's easy smile slipped off his face, leaving a worried frown in its place. Riku gently grabbed Sora's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

The instant that Riku touched him softly, Sora knew it was over; Sora's resolve to keep Yen Sid's reprimands to himself crumbled under the concerned gaze of his best friend. It'd always been this way, even before he knew Sora was head over heels. He groaned, hanging his head. "Ugh, I just got lectured by Master Yen Sid," he admitted.

Riku's lips thinned to a line and he nodded toward the benches near the wall. With just a soft tug on his shoulder, Sora followed Riku there and sat next to him. He squirmed under Riku's undivided attention as Riku waited for an explanation. "He was mad that we left without telling anyone," Sora explained, "how it was reckless and that now isn't the time to be getting myself and others in danger."

Riku's brows knit together. "We weren't in danger, though," he argued. "The world didn't even have Heartless."

Sora shrugged helplessly. It felt good to be supported – and it loosened his jaw to open for the other things he'd left unsaid. "He said I wasn't taking things seriously, that I was… distracting others- well, you , mostly. I just – I saw how hard you and Kairi were working and practicing, without rest, and yet neither of you have seen the fun side of all this… hero stuff. I wanted us to finally hang out, see a world…" Sora said, the sadness catching in his throat. "But I guess I was wrong." He sighed, "I'm just being a nuisance, getting in the way – I can't do anything right." He laughed, a hollow, mirthless noise that barely carried far enough for Riku to hear sitting next to him.

Riku listened silently, but when Sora looked back at his friend, his eyes had changed again. They were smoldering like the coals in a fire, orange as the pumpkins they saw in Halloweentown the night before. It rendered Sora silent – and Riku clenched his fists.

"You saved the worlds twice , Sora – you're my –" he stopped, shook his head, " our hero, you're never ' in the way .'" Sora was thrown off at how angry he sounded. "Yen Sid is full of shit," Riku muttered, then tensed his jaw hard enough Sora saw the muscles twitch in effort. He stood, piercing, orange eyes striking deep in Sora's soul. "Wait here."

And he simply walked away, hands clenched into fists at his sides. Speechless, Sora sat there in stunned silence for several moments after Riku left, the door's close echoing in the otherwise empty training hall. What was that? Sora thought. He hadn't seen Riku that angry in years , since their first adventure, and yet he got the sense that Riku was angry for him, not at him. That was disorienting, at the very least – it made Sora feel like he was in grade school again.

And then there were Riku's eyes – that was no trick of the light. It really was orange , like the color of Tron's disks in the dream, or sunsets in Twilight Town. It was unnerving, and concerning, because it was almost like the color Xigbar and the young Xehanort had in the Sleeping Worlds. It wasn't the same , but…

But – everyone was busy enough as is. He'd wait and see if Riku's eyes stayed that way, and then tell the King if it persisted. The last thing Sora wanted was to get Riku in trouble. Besides, Riku was strong – Riku wouldn't ever give in to the darkness, if that's what was changing his eye color.

Resolved, Sora looked around the arena, fighting dummies of various wear floating overhead. Riku said to wait here, and he was technically supposed to practice as punishment. He stood.

He hoped Riku would come back soon, no matter the eye color.

Riku didn't return and was absent at dinner. Sora didn't even have to ask why – Kairi and Lea informed Sora over dinner in giggly, hushed whispers. " He got kitchen duty ," Kairi told him, giving Sora a reproachful look, " because he apparently mouthed off Yen Sid – in your defense. " Lea was still a snickering mess about it, having saw it first hand. " You should have seen the look on Yen Sid's face! Riku was pissed , it was terrifying; remind me to never mess with you again ." Kairi rolled her eyes at that, but Sora could hardly believe his ears. He excused himself immediately and made a beeline straight for the kitchen.

When he burst through the door, there Riku was, soap suds covering his arms up to the elbows at the sink as he scrubbed a plate. Sora didn't know which part was funny – the soap, or the concept of Riku doing dishes - but he struggled not to laugh; unsuccessfully, because Riku looked up at his snickering. His eyes were blue again, but indignant. He smiled when saw that it was Sora.

"Well, glad you're feeling better," Riku said.

The kitchen door closed behind Sora and he approached the counter opposite his best friend. Leaning on the grey granite countertop, he replied, "Yeah, thanks to you…" Riku smiled down at the dish in his hand as he scrubbed; it encouraged Sora to continue, "So, is it true? Kairi and Lea said you bitched out Master Yen Sid."

Riku nearly dropped the cup he was grabbing and blushed so deeply even his ears were pink. Sora gasped. "You did ?" When Riku didn't deny it, Sora dissolved into giggles again. Riku snapped on the Master Yen Sid, for Sora ? Riku went off on the most powerful wizard anyone knew of, for Sora ? "Oh my god , Riku, that is awesome! " he choked out, beaming into Riku's shocked face. "I would pay all my munny to have seen that ."

Not all the pink drained from Riku's face, but he grew a small, satisfied smile. He couldn't meet Sora's gaze. "Well, you see how much good it did." He shrugged. "The King put me in here as punishment."

"Wow," Sora said, admiring Riku's bravery as always. How lucky was he, that he had a best friend who would defend him over something so small?

He watched Riku wash the soup off a cup and then put it in a semi-wet stack to the side. An idea struck him, and he stood up from the counter. He joined Riku's side by the sink. "Here, let me help."

Riku looked at him in surprise again. "You—you sure?" Riku said, head tilted to the side.

"Yeah! You did it for me, right? So, it's kinda my fault, too. I wanna help."

"Well, ok," Riku said, shrugging like it couldn't be helped, but smiled, too, "I'll wash, you dry." He nodded toward the drawer Sora was standing in front of. Within it were a stack of dry, clean hand towels. With a happy, determined grin Sora grabbed one, ready for his new task.

It was easy work; they fell into a rhythm where Sora was ready as soon as Riku finished washing a dish, and vice versa. It was mindless work, too; Sora found himself thinking again about those orange eyes, the way they seemed to burn with the intensity of the sun. But unlike the cursed, yellow eyes of their enemies, it didn't seem like a color of darkness, but rather of conviction. Besides, Riku's eyes were normal now.

"I haven't seen you get that mad in forever ," Sora started softly before he could think better of it.

But Riku didn't bat an eye at the comment, continuing almost like he had been expecting this conversation. "Did it scare you?" he muttered.

"Nah," Sora replied truthfully, before chuckling, "Remember back on the Islands? You were like that, like, all the time, when we sparred and stuff."

Riku sighed long in regret. "Yeah," he agreed.

Sora always forgot how much guilt Riku carried about that. Sora didn't really get it. "I mean, yeah, you picked on me," Sora continued, drying a glass before putting it with the other dried glasses, "but then as soon as anyone else picked on me, you'd lose your shit ." Sora chuckled in remembering; bullying Sora was basically a death sentence no matter what grade you were in.

"Pfft," Riku said, blushing lightly again, "You make it sound like a good thing." He shook his head. "I was still a jerk, though."

Sora shrugged. "I mean, I dunno. You were sometimes, but you were cool, too. Like today!" Riku looked doubtfully at the spoon in his hand. Sora tried again. "I guess, I mean that, we're a lot different now, but same in the right ways?"

Riku stopped and stared at Sora – not quite like Sora had grown two heads, but still in disbelief. Sora could feel blood rush to his face, but he kept drying the plate in his hands. Eventually, Riku returned to washing and laughed. "Well – maybe I've changed, but you haven't."

"Hey!" Sora said, affronted. He pouted down at the clean dish in his hands.

"Well, this is exactly like before – you're basically serving detention with me," Riku reasoned. Sora realized with a start he was right; back when Riku got into fights at school on Sora's behalf, and subsequently got detentions and suspensions, Sora would always sneak into the detention room, or to Riku's house, to serve out the sentence with him. They were some of the best days they shared, to Sora. Some of his most precious memories.

Sora laughed sheepishly, looking up to Riku, who stared back from the side. Sora almost dropped a dish again; Riku's eyes were purple, now. A radiant, shimmering amethyst, as deep as the Violet Waltz heartless, as varied as the Guard Armor he fought in Traverse Town, and as vast as the ground and sky of the End of the World. It was so vibrant, it took his breath away.

Riku looked back to the sink, unaware of Sora's gaping stare. He began talking but Sora couldn't hear him – couldn't focus on anything but that color. What did this mean? What was causing these color changes? Mickey's voice rang in his mind: " his eyes couldn't lie ." Riku's eyes turned orange when he was mad, or annoyed, earlier. And now, they were talking about the past, and they turned purple. Maybe it was like nostalgia, or something? Then, what did green mean?

Riku waved a freshly washed hand in front of Sora's face. "Earth to Sora," he teased. The purple was gone, back to the brilliant aquamarine. Still, his eyes crinkled at the corners from his smile.

"Wha—?"

"This is the last plate," Riku said, handing it over. Sora took it and dried it quickly as he basked in his realization. At the very least, this meant Riku's orange eyes were nothing to worry about – it wasn't due to Darkness or Xehanort or anything. He sighed a breath of relief.

Sora stacked the last plate onto the pile he'd made, and turned to Riku victoriously, rubbing his hands together like wiping off dust – the job was done. Riku tilted his head with a fond grin. "Thanks, Sora." Sora thought for a moment he saw a flash of pink in his eyes again.

"No problem!" Sora said, sincerely. He held up a hand to offer of a high five. Riku shook his head, clearly finding it childish, but he high-fived back. "We didn't get to spar earlier," Sora noted, grin widening in excitement, "wanna go now?"

"Sure," Riku agreed. Instead of pulling his hand away from the high five, Sora gripped Riku's hand.

"Great!" Sora said, "let's go."

"Hrah!" Lea cried, swinging his Keyblade down. Riku blocked perfectly, and the clash of blades made a high metallic sound that echoed through the arena. Riku pushed back the blade and rushed forward with his own slash as Lea backed up.

"Hmm," Kairi said, next to Sora on the benches. She was watching them the fighting pair to learn through observation, but it didn't seem like that was on her mind. "Riku always looks so…" she rolled her hand and wiggled her fingers as if that explained what she was thinking, "Like he's having fun, when he's sparring."

Sora was watching Riku, too – but he was more focused on Riku's eyes, as Sora had been for the last 48 hours that they'd been changing. Most the time, the colors didn't last, like a shooting star soaring in the night. Even though Riku's face was almost always in a subdued expression, his eyes flickered through the rainbow sometimes faster than Sora could blink. But right now, though…

"Yeah, well, his eyes give it away," Sora said aloud. He wished he were closer, could peer into those sunflower yellow eyes, bask in their warmth, and watch what colors emerged the closer Sora drew near and—

"Huh?" Kairi asked, taking her stare off the fight and to Sora.

"You don't see it?" Sora asked, surprised. He thought everyone was just keeping quiet about it.

"See what?"

"His eyes are literally yellow right now."

She turned her head to squint at Riku again but turned back with a frown. "They are the same color they always are," she said, giving Sora a concerned once-over. "Are you okay? Tired or something?"

"What? No!" Sora said, putting his hands defensively in front of him. Sora glanced back to the fight – it looked like they'd be busy for a while. He turned back to Kairi and leaned in to whisper. She leaned in too, and he launched into the story – how ever since they returned from their test, Riku's eyes had been changing.

When he finished, Kairi straightened up and twirled a lock of hair in her fingers in thought. "You think it's because what happened in the dreams?" Sora shrugged, though he supposed it made as much sense as anything else. "And you think they mean stuff?"

Sora blushed, though he wasn't sure why. "Err, yeah, like – yellow is fun, or thrill, and orange is mad, and purple is nostalgic or homesick, I think? I just couldn't figure out what green meant."

"When did green happen?" she asked. Sora smiled gratefully; thank Kingdom Hearts, Kairi believed him.

He told her, and she stayed quiet, twirling her hair again in thought. Then, she grimaced, her eyes flitting to the side. "Oh," she whispered. "Maybe… green with envy?"

"Envy?" Sora said, "what was he jealous about?"

She gazed to Riku again, her expression sad and sorry. "He probably thought we were going to leave without him."

It clicked into place. "Oh," Sora said. "well, he should know by now, that was never an option!" He protested like it was obvious, like Riku could hear them. After everything they'd gone through, Sora thought Riku would know better by now.

Kairi sighed. "Well, why do you think he thinks it's an option?" She looked like she expected a specific answer.

Sora didn't have one. "Err… because when we left the island the first time…?"

His friend shook her head. "You two are never gonna get it," she stated. But then she smiled fondly. "We have a couple more days before all our missions are gonna start. Why don't you and Riku go to a world, just… you two?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

" Kairi! " Sora exclaimed, louder than he should have. His whole face flushed. Whispering feverishly, he continued, "C'mon I can't just do that, I'll get Riku in trouble again! Besides, that'd be like… like…"

Kairi crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Like a date? Bold of you to assume he'd care."

Sora groaned, putting his face in his hands. "You don't know that, he totally would."

"Don't know until you try," she said, but she'd given up. She turned back to the fight, but what she said after that created an echo in Sora's heart that wholly replaced Yen Sid's lecture: "I was just saying, we don't have a lot of time left."

He peeked through his fingers to stare at Riku again, who was laughing at something Lea had said. Not a lot of time… he thought.

For all the colors Sora saw, he wished they'd give Sora the courage to tell Riku his own feelings.

The crisp, salty ocean air swept through the locks of hair peeking out from Sora's tricorne hat, smelling almost like home by not quite. Sora took a deep breath in and held it there, overlooking the calm waves out on the dark horizon. When he released the breath, it sounded like a sigh and mixed with the crash of the waves on the shore. Being near the sea always made him a little homesick, except tonight.

Two pairs of boots were lined just behind him on his left, socks tucked inside, so that Sora and Riku's feet could dangle off an empty, wooden dock of Port Royal and into the salt water below. Luckily, Port Royal was still a run-down but busy town, especially at night, so no one cared to inquire about two teenagers hanging out harmlessly at the end of the farthest pier. But, Riku insisted, so just in case, they used Donald's spell to blend into the world, and were subsequently transformed to look like pirates.

Riku looked so content, casually flicking water with one foot as he leaned back on his palms on the splintering planks holding them. Wearing a dirty blue do-rag, a loose white poet shirt, and black trousers, Riku bathed in the moonlight of the night like he belonged there. He was breath-taking, and had Sora think stupid things like ' this is home '.

And as they talked and joked under the pale full moon, Riku's eyes were flickering colors – mostly yellows, some purples, a color closer to magenta. If Riku's laughter had any say, Sora guessed they must all be happy colors, as he had thought before. Now they were blue but warm as they overlooked the sea, the waves glistening with the lights of the rowdy, drunken town behind them. Occasionally, they could hear the shouts and raucous chatter of the bars, but the brisk wind and waves carried the most of sound away. Riku took a sip of the drinks the barmaid gave them when they went sight-seeing, but grimaced and made a noise of disgust.

"Blech," he said, peering into the cup, "This is not water."

"It's not?" Sora said, lifting his glass too for a sip. He couldn't let Riku be the only one to taste. As soon as a drop of the liquid met his tongue, he exclaimed, "Eugh!" Indeed, it was horrible, whatever it was – bitter but sweet like cough syrup.

Riku laughed so hard his eyes squeezed shut. He pivoted more toward Sora, and said, "I told you it was bad, you goof."

"Jack drinks this stuff all the time!" Sora argued, pouting, "I figured we'd like it, too, since we're pirates, and all..."

"I don't think it's the drink that makes us pirates," Riku replied, then peered into the glass mug again. "I'm gonna dump it."

"Haha, yeah," Sora agreed. "Cheers, first?" He raised his glass, grinning with the glow from a night of adventure.

"Pfft," Riku laughed, then held out his glass. "Cheers." They clinked the glass before simultaneously dumping whatever vile liquid was in the mugs into the ocean.

When they leaned back, Sora naturally but accidentally layered his hand on top of Riku's. Sora's face flushed immediately, but he peered from the side to see if Riku reacted. They held hands all the time, but it felt different tonight – maybe because it was only the two of them, or maybe it was because the shadowy, blue night was so reminiscent of the Dark Margin, or maybe it was just the snacks they had earlier. Sora was becoming proficient at coming up with excuses, but Sora would be a liar if he said Kairi's voice saying ' date ' didn't float around his mind like a happy little helium balloon in his mind.

Riku's eyes flashed back to yellow as he put his glass down on his right away from Sora, but it didn't seem like he was paying attention to what he was doing. When he turned back, he was smiling. Sora relaxed in relief but got caught up in how the bright moonlight reflecting in Riku's amber eyes made them more pastel, like dandelions, or sunlight beaming through clouds in rays, or milk and honey.

It was in Riku's content, relaxed smile and shining eyes that Sora realized that this was what he wanted all along – to sit by Riku's side in a fun, new place, and watch the way Riku's eyes lit up at the sights and watch him try but fail not to smile. All Sora wanted was to be the one to show him how vast the universe was, to take him far away from those small islands he hated so much and declare home to be wherever the two were, in the same place. This was just a small taste of what that could be like, and it was already as sweet as honey. Kairi was right, that the two of them needed a night out of a little adventure, date or no date.

"Something on my face?" Riku asked, one eyebrow propped.

Sora had been staring, he realized with a start. "Oh—no!" Sora said, then bit his lip. He had considered telling Riku about the colors last night, after he had agreed to sneaking out tonight. It was now or never, and it was probably better that he knew. "No, I was, uh, I was looking at your eyes."

Riku blinked back, then tilted his head and gave a small, confused grin. "My what?" He looked away briefly like he wasn't sure if he should continue looking.

"Your eyes! I mean—" Sora started, bulldozing through so he didn't lose his steam and courage, "Ever since we got back from the test, your eyes change colors sometimes like –" Riku's expression morphed into one of confusion, the yellow in his eyes draining away. Sora scrambled to explain, "Remember how our Dreameaters' eyes would change color? It's like that!"

"They changed based on disposition – for the Dreameaters," Riku said, quick on the uptake but equally taken aback. "Have I… been acting different?" He hadn't moved, but there was something in the way he stilled that felt like he was recoiling within himself.

"Huh? No, I don't think so." Sora shook his head, remembering that he worried about that originally, too, when Riku's eyes first turned orange. "You're still 100% Riku." Sora squeezed Riku's hand in assurance, as if to coax Riku back in, and it worked; Riku relaxed, settling in a neutral but curious expression. Sora continued, "I think it's based on your feelings."

Riku paused again, but this time, he inquired, "Like…?"

Sora recounted the emotions one by one, tallying them with his fingers. "Kairi helped me with green," he finished, "its envy."

Riku was blushing again, a stark contrast against the blue light of the moon and the murky, yellowish lantern light of the town, even though it was just a small brush against his cheeks. His gaze shifted around as he grappled for words; grappled to decide which thing to say first. "Kairi can—others can see it, too?"

"Nope, just me; it surprised me, too." Riku sighed in relief. "Are you okay…?" Sora finished, mid-laugh, observing him.

"Yeah," Riku said, but shook his head, "I was just weirded out thinking everyone knew but didn't say anything."

"Haha, just imagine though – Yen Sid would have shit himself when he saw the orange eyes." Sora giggled at the thought, interrupted by Riku's shoulder bumping his.

" Or I would have gotten much worse than dishes duty," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Sora said, sobering slowly. "Then we wouldn't have been able to sneak off like this."

Riku nodded, chuckling. "Definitely." He turned back toward the sea, looking out over it. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but Sora watched Riku's eyes anyway – he wished he knew what Riku was thinking.

After he thought for a moment, Riku commented, "I didn't think I was so easy to read."

Sora almost laughed again. "You weren't," Sora admitted. He still had so many questions. "That reminds me; I was actually gonna ask…" Sora swallowed, a nervousness settling that set his hand to pick at the frayed strands of his striped, black trousers. "When me, you, and Kairi went to Halloweentown, did you think me and Kairi were gonna go without you?"

The speed at which Riku recoiled all but confirmed that Sora hit the nail on the head. Even his hand, still under Sora's on the wooden dock, clenched into a fist. Sora continued, "Ri, you know we wouldn't do that, right?" Even if Sora couldn't bring himself to confess, he at least wanted Riku to know this. "You don't have to be jealous of our adventures or anything; I don't want to have them without you!"

Riku's eye color didn't have to change to see that he was conflicted – his expression morphed into something both soft and sad. Sora had to wait and hold his breath for a response. "But you and Kairi…" He looked away, shoulders raising as if to make him smaller, "I thought you two wanted time to—to catch up."

Sora leaned forward and over, to try to glimpse at Riku's eyes. "Riku?" he asked.

"Aha, no, nevermind," he said. Then he laughed, hollowly. "Should've kept the blindfold." The hand that wasn't under Sora's had relocated to his lap in a fist where he stared tensely.

Sora didn't know what was wrong, but he tsk -ed light-heartedly, pivoting to face Riku more directly. "Ha, nope, absolutely not," he said, voice lighter and gentler – he wanted nothing more than to assuage whatever was really bothering Riku, "It's mine now."

"…You still have it?" Riku met Sora's eyes hesitantly – there were so many undulating colors there, but murky and unsure.

It left Sora yearning for more and rendered the weak filter on his mouth absolutely useless. "Yeah, I… I kept it. It makes me feel closer to you, even when you're far away."

Oh god, he'd said too much, but he didn't have time to lament it. Riku's breath hitched and he lifted his head back up and stared straight at Sora. Time halted under his gaze. "Sora…" he said in awe.

The multicolored, murky fractals of Riku's eyes melted from the crystalline aquamarine to a sweet lilac that brightened and saturated like the sun itself rose behind his irises until it radiated pink . They shone like they were filled with the soft light of a million hydrangea stars twinkling and spinning. It put the galaxy of blinking worlds hanging above them to shame. Instead of the two years of adventuring to new worlds, Sora would rather have spent the time mapping the new constellations in Riku's eyes, mapping this emotion , what was Riku feeling?

Pink , Sora thought, pink? His heart rate picked up like a hummingbird's. "They changed again," Sora breathed out, helplessly. Riku broke their eye contact, eyes flitting to the side as his cheeks tried to copy the color in his eyes. Sora automatically leaned in, wanting to drink in that beautiful color closer. They changed when I told him I kept his blindfold, Sora realized in wonder; it was the only possible trigger.

The ocean breeze picked up and blew through Sora like the swell in his heart. If he breathed, he thought he'd choke on the hope, the joy, but he couldn't hold it back. "Look at me?" he asked.

Riku listened, but slow and uncharacteristically shy – like he was caught. And he waited, like a knight waits for his king's word, his verdict. Sora couldn't stop his smile. "I think… I know what this color means," he said, but it didn't seem like Riku even heard what he said. The universe in Riku's eyes stared directly at Sora like – like Sora was the universe.

Sora always wanted to give Riku the world.

Without a second thought, without even a blink or another breath, Sora dove in and captured Riku's lips with every unspoken word he had. There were so many, he was overflowing. He latched onto Riku like a single kiss could recount a lifetime of love, balling the front of Riku's shirt in his hands. He didn't even close his eyes — didn't want to close his eyes — so he could witness every moment and discover brilliant new shades of pink.

First, Riku's eyes widened in shock, his pink irises freezing like crystalized sugar – and then they dissolved into the petals of cherry blossoms and bloomed like a rose as he slowly, beautifully, kissed back. It swept Sora up like a storm as Riku sprung into action, pulling Sora to himself by the small of his back. Sora nearly fell on him, but he didn't care in the slightest; Riku was warm, safe, and his arms were home.

Sora's heart threatened to burst out his chest with its incessant beat. How many times had Sora dreamed – literally – what this would be like? He'd never tell, but no dream could compare to this: the ocean breeze swirling around them like a cocoon and playing with their hair; the moonlight illuminating Riku's pale, perfect skin and strong jaw, and glinting off his silver hair peeking out from under the do-rag; and of course, Riku's lips pressing against his, soft and insistent, like they were a lock and key – perfectly matched and inseparable. It made Sora dizzy, no, delirious with happiness. They'd finally met in the middle; they both wanted this, and it was real .

Sora knew he'd always remember his first kiss in Port Royal, as a pirate – the dream of his and Riku's childhood selves. He'd always remember the look on Riku's face when his eyes told Sora that Riku loved him – he'd keep it in his heart and hold it hostage until his dying breath, and then maybe beyond. God, he never wanted to pull away, never wanted this moment to end – but he felt like even a second more and he'd pass out.

They separated, slow and reluctant. Sora's stare flickered between Riku's lips, slightly parted as if stunned, and his eyes, still vibrant and fuchsia and sparkling like diamonds. He was gorgeous.

"Um," Riku said, blinking. Even as he shook his head as if to dispel the magic around him, his eyes stayed pink. The simple, but unbridled smile that stole Riku's lips sent Sora to cloud-nine; no, higher than that, rivaling the Kingdom Hearts itself in exuberance.

"It wasn't fair if I knew how you felt, but didn't tell you how I did," Sora said, breathlessly. It was ineloquent and yet everything he needed to say.

"You didn't tell me," Riku said, just a breathless like he was on the verge of a laugh. Sora was losing track of all the shades flowing through his eyes, still holding galaxies and Sora himself in their thrall.

"Neither did you – you showed me," Sora replied, tilting his head cheekily. "We should uh—" He blushed despite the lateness and absurdity of it, glancing down to Riku's lips again then back up, "we should do both. More."

Riku grinned wider and huffed blissfully in disbelief. He grabbed Sora's free hand and drew near again. Their fingers fell together intertwined like they belonged together. Sora watched and waited, entranced, giddy at the thought all Sora ever had to do was ask and this could happen again and again.

"So…" Riku asked, his words a whisper against Sora's lips, "what color are they right now?"

One syllable really was too many between them. "Pink," Sora said, and kissed Riku until the horizon matched.

End notes: End notes: Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it! I'm much more active on ao3 and twitter under KaiserinAstraia if you're interested!