Kingdom Hearts [Roxas x Sora]

[kame_pie]

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Pairing: Roxas x Sora (with Anti-Sora playing a small role)
Theme set: Alpha
Rating: G to PG-13
Warning[s]: Mentions of blood/violence, implied/nondescript sexual acts, "selfcest" (if you want to call it that...)
A/N: Post-KH2 for the most part. The prompt order was rearranged, but is otherwise unaltered.

1. Life.
   Keyblades clashed relentlessly, magic sparked with such violence, and Roxas raged onwards, never losing sight of what he was fighting for; if he lost now, he would have nothing - he would be nothing, holding true to the title of his nonexistence.
   
   
2. Name.
   “We aren’t fading away,” Naminé told him as they sat on the bent paopu tree, watching Sora and Kairi walk together on the beach, “I’m still me, and you’re still you.”
   
   
3. Waves.
   Sometimes the sound of the ocean rushing up against the shore reminded Roxas of the beach trip that never happened; Hayner, Pence, and Olette would’ve paid a whole year’s allowance to visit a place like Destiny Islands…
   
   
4. Wind.
   It took a good day or two for Sora to teach the blonde how to climb coconut trees without injury, but he knew his determination paid off when Roxas said he liked the way the sea breeze felt when sitting up so high.
   
   
5. Sickness.
   Roxas spent most of his first boating trip leaning over the rail with Sora rubbing his back in sympathy; it was a hard-learned lesson in where their similarities ended.
   
   
6. Taste.
   Every day, after school, they would visit the ice cream shop down the block to try a new flavor; nothing would ever top sea-salt, but the look of anticipation-turned-defeat on the brunet’s face never ceased to amuse Roxas.
   
   
7. Hair.
   Waking up with a mouthful of spikes was one of the reasons why Roxas didn’t sleep outside every night (and why Sora would sometimes be wakened by a tumble off his bed rather than the ring of an alarm clock).
   
   
8. Technology.
   They would listen to a little mp3 player as they sat by the window, on those days tropical storms kept them cooped up indoors, Sora using the left earphone while Roxas used the right, taking turns skipping tracks until the sun would come out again.
   
   
9. Smile.
   The more often Sora got to coax a grin out of his Nobody, the more he understood why Riku and Kairi always tried to do the same thing with him: it was so infectious, and it could easily brighten up his day.
   
   
10. Hell.
    On nights when visions of battles past would make his Other toss and turn in restless sleep, Roxas was always there to make sure he wouldn’t face it alone, holding him for hours at a time and fighting those battles alongside him.
    
    
11. Ears.
    Alright, so sometimes Sora would turn off his alarm clock without getting up, but the blonde didn’t have to touch his ear like that - yelling would have been more than enough to get him out of bed!
    
    
12. Completion.
    Sometimes he’d feel lonely, thinking about his friends in Twilight Town, what they did together in the past, and what they couldn’t do together anymore, but Sora kept him from ever feeling empty; Roxas didn't want to think of what he'd be like without his Other.
    
    
13. Heaven.
    Climbing hurriedly onto the roof, Sora pointed out the pinpricks of light falling across the night sky, explaining to the curious Nobody with a mix of anxiety and excitement what this held in store for them - was he serious?
    
    
14. Tears.
    The memory of feeling sad before boarding that train in Twilight Town was faint, but it never left Sora, and so after all their gear was packed onto the gummi ship, he announced their first stop would be that world of eternal sunset, no questions asked.
    
    
15. Pain.
    “Thanks, Sora,” Roxas said when their visit to Twilight Town was over, smiling rather than mentioning how his friends not even knowing his name was like salt in a wound.
    
    
16. Gift.
    Tidus never thought it fair that Sora would receive double the presents during Christmas and his birthday - he never got why his friend only opened the extra ones by himself, either.
    
    
17. Fear.
    A strange uneasiness settled in Roxas’ chest the first time he caught glimpse of a yellow-eyed Heartless crawling in the shadows of Sora’s subconscious, and that uneasiness grew the more the creature resembled his Other with each suspicious sighting.
    
    
18. Soft.
    “It’s because I don’t dump a whole bottle of hair cement in mine every day, unlike a certain someone that wastes half their morning doing so.”
    
    
19. Weakness.
    “Yours may not have walls or bars”, Sora’s shadow once whispered from the other side of the mental barrier, preying on doubts Roxas thought he buried long ago, “but a prison is still a prison, and a cage is still a cage.”
    
    
20. Melody.
    Roxas clamped a hand over Sora’s mouth before a second note could be sung, growling through gritted teeth, “If I hear Swim This Way one more time-”
    
    
21. Jealousy.
    “They’re your friends and family, too, now,” Sora would insist, oblivious to the indignant expression on Roxas’ face as soon as those bright eyes left him.
    
    
22. Chocolate.
    “The ones that taste like mint are her favourite,” Roxas recalled, nodding in approval as Sora pointed out one box to add onto the new art set.
    
    
23. Sensual.
    It bothered Roxas greatly whenever the shadow used Sora’s voice, whispering enticingly in his ear, its ice-cold breath sending chills down his spine; it was worse than having a devil on his shoulder, for this creature of darkness resided in his Other’s heart where it couldn’t be merely brushed aside.
    
    
24. Comfort.
    Sora grew to understand that his Nobody wouldn’t always like talking, or wouldn’t always have something to say, so he would lend the other boy his back as they sat together, stargazing on the roof of their home, and words wouldn’t be necessary.
    
    
25. Touch.
    “He won’t miss half,” the shadow said reassuringly as Roxas pressed a hand against the other boy’s chest, “and sharing is what you two do best, isn’t it?”
    
    
26. Innocence.
    Roxas had to shut his eyes as he drove Oathkeeper through the sleeping boy’s heart, unable to bear the look on his face, serene and unknowing.
    
    
27. Freedom.
    It was then, after hours of being separated from his Other without mental exhaustion, pacing and moving about the room with a jittery heartbeat that wasn’t in sync with Sora’s, Roxas realized there was no limit to his physical form, there was no warped subconscious to return to, there was no dark voice whispering in his ear - there was no cage.
    
    
28. Confusion.
    Sora was lost as to why Roxas’ physical form was permanent, but his worries were quickly assuaged by the blonde: “Relax, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
    
    
29. Home.
    Sora was relieved his parents took well to the new house guest - Roxas seemed happy, too, to be able to walk about freely and get his own room, rather than having to tiptoe around or stay cooped up like an unwanted pet the brunet smuggled into the house.
    
    
30. Rain.
    “Just because the rain is warm here,” Sora teased as he tossed the blonde another towel to dry his hair and another blanket to stop the shivering, “doesn’t mean you can’t get sick from standing in it.”
    
    
31. Speed.
    Wakka can hold his breath the longest, and Tidus is the best at shooting, but Sora and Roxas are the fastest in the water, giving their blitzball team a great advantage this afternoon under the hot island sun.
    
    
32. Potatoes.
    Sora was halfway down the stairs when he heard a loud laugh from Roxas, followed by his mother’s voice over the sound of two chopping knives working in unison, lamenting, “Why can’t my own son listen to me when I ask for help with dinner?”
    
    
33. Lightning & Thunder.
    The rough shape of two figures rustling underneath the bed sheets could be seen during those brief flashes of light through the rain-drenched window pane, and they could be heard when there wasn’t thunder rolling in the distance to drown them out (so it was a good thing no one was home tonight).
    
    
34. Market.
    Sora was relieved that Selphie dragged him out shopping less, now that she had Roxas willing to hang out with her and carry her bags - but he really wouldn’t have minded an invite once in a while, you know?
    
    
35. Happiness.
    Though it wasn’t as often as the others, Kairi still spent a lot of time with Roxas (for Naminé, she said); Riku seemed to be the only one unaffected, one phone call away from rescuing a summer day from absolute boredom.
    
    
36. Sex.
    On some mornings Sora had rings under his eyes and seemed bothered by physical contact, hugs from even his closest friends making him tense; he would rather claim being sick than say that it was because Roxas wasn’t there anymore to help him in his nightmares.
    
    
37. Bonds.
    Life on Destiny Islands wasn’t so different from Twilight Town; Tidus loved a good spar just like Hayner, Wakka laughed loudly at his jokes just like Pence, and Selphie loved to drag him places just like Olette…
    
    
38. Moon.
    He was just imagining the flash of yellow in Sora’s eyes - it was caused by the faulty lighting in the room that the other boy’s dad still had to fix… yeah…
    
    
39. Devotion.
    Kairi and Naminé weren’t aggressive types, so it was Riku that confronted Roxas, pushing the blonde against a wall, demanding a reason for the change in their best friend’s behaviour, as well as his.
    
    
40. Telephone.
    Roxas was bruised a pretty black and blue when he walked in through the front door, but eavesdropping on Sora yelling at Riku on the other end of the line later that night reaffirmed his belief that it was worth it, and he smirked a little when the phone was slammed back in place without so much as a goodbye.
    
    
41. Supernova.
    Sora’s figure changed shape in a blinding flash, the explosion of light quickly mutating into one of darkness, the stench of it so suffocating the blonde saw Riku gag and collapse to one knee in the distance, too late to save his best friend.
    
    
42. Death.
    “A broken heart is easier to devour,” the shadow beamed with a grin that wasn’t his, black claws plunging into Roxas’ chest.
    
    
43. Blood.
    As soon as the darkness that bled from Sora’s wounds changed from black to red, keyblades clattered to the ground, abandoned without hesitation, and this time Roxas reached out to hold the boy and apologize rather than curse him and strike him down.
    
    
44. Clouds.
    The sun wasn’t out when Sora finally came to, noting it through an unfamiliar window, and the sky looked just as the atmosphere in his hospital room felt: solemn and lacking life.
    
    
45. Sky.
    Roxas explained and admitted everything with a lowered head and deep-set frown, saying more in that one night, from dusk ‘til dawn, than Sora had ever heard from him in an entire week; the brunet could tell from the pained expressions and awkward silences that it wasn’t easy.
    
    
46. Sun.
    How could Sora still smile at him like that?
    
    
47. Hands.
    Sora remembered giving Riku his hand, refusing to abandon his friend even after falling so deep into darkness; he did so without hesitation, and here, for his other half, he would do the same.
    
    
48. Kiss.
    The sensation of lips pressed gently against Roxas’ forehead caused the first tear to fall, and the all-encompassing embrace from the boy that he hurt caused the rest to follow.
    
    
49. Star.
    Roxas remembered being frustrated in the beginning, unable to comprehend that it was Sora’s strong faith in his friends, his open heart, his ability to see light in even the darkest of places and peoples - this was why Riku picked him.
    
    
50. Forever.
    Merging didn’t seem to work; the change was irreversible (as far as they knew), but they told themselves that the worst was over, and they would be okay as long as they stayed together.