Mistletoe [for Riku]

[wizard_errant]

Dairine likes the Christmas decorations, even if it's all a bit gingerbread house, but by almost Christmas she's sort of stopped noticing them. She'd been out training with the Titans, which had left her exhausted and sore but in a good way, and after a good hot shower she's in sweats and a t-shirt and looking for something to curl up with and read

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[twilit_seeker]

Riku had spent the better part of the day running around the island making snow-Heartless. They were all over the place now; next to the dojo, peeking out from behind the Winchester, and even guarding the entrance to the compound. His shoulder and wrist had finally healed, and making snow-Heartless had been the first thing that had come to mind when trying to decide how to make the best use of that fact. Well, maybe not the first thing, but he wouldn't be up to sparring with Roxas until he regained some of the strength in his arm

[wizard_errant]

"What?" Dairine turns around, tossing the comic books onto a chair and rolling her eyes. "Yeah, no problem," she says, closing the distance to the doorway. "What're you stuck on?"

[twilit_seeker]

"Uh, I dunno." He checked his coat and his clothes, but nothing seemed to be caught. "Nothing that I can see, but I can't seem to get past the doorway either." He tried again to move into the rec room but was unsuccessful. "What's going on here?"

[wizard_errant]

Dairine frowns, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "What the--" She reaches for his arm to tug him out from the doorway, but the result is the opposite of what she intended and a moment later she's stuck inside the doorway with him. "What the--?"

[twilit_seeker]

For some reason having Dairine so close to him made Riku nervous. He had no idea why, as he'd faced tougher challenges than standing next to a pretty girl. Okay, maybe not one as pretty as Dairine, but still...

He cleared his throat self-consciously and tried again to figure out what they were stuck on. When he couldn't find any likely culprits on the door frame or on the floor, he looked up at the ceiling. That was when he noticed a Christmas decoration hanging innocuously above their heads.

"Is that what I think it is?"

[wizard_errant]

"Huh?" Dairine tilts her head to look up, and sees the innocent=looking plant hanging from the ceiling. "Oh, good grief."

[twilit_seeker]

"That is mistletoe, right? You don't think..." He'd already been a victim of 'island magic' as Zell called it a couple of times before, and he had a sneaking suspicion that he'd just run afoul of it once again.

"That's why were stuck here, isn't it?" he said, sounding vexed. "It's some kind of stupid island prank."

[wizard_errant]

"Yeah," Dairine says hesitantly. She's still squinting up at the offending plant, that being somewhat less awkward than actually, say, looking at Riku, her lip caught thoughtfully in her teeth. "I think you're right."

[twilit_seeker]

Riku tried to come up with a solution to their predicament while Dairine studied the apparently magical mistletoe. Only one thing came to mind though.

"I think the only way we're gonna get out of this is to... um..." His mouth suddenly dry, Riku's voice faltered and his cheeks turned slightly pink.

[wizard_errant]

Dairine's cheeks are rapidly colouring, and she hasn't actually looked back at him yet. "Um, yeah," she agrees, as if the words are dragged from her. It's not that the idea is all that unappealing, but she does so hate things being out of her control. "Think so, yeah."

[twilit_seeker]

There was nothing else for it. Riku knew he'd have to kiss her before they'd be able to leave the doorway. Still, for some reason he hesitated, his cheeks burning hotter at the thought of it.

He gave himself a mental shake. Kissing Dairine was nothing compared fighting Ansem and surviving the Realm of Darkness, right? Besides, he had to admit that kissing Darine was something he'd thought about doing more than once these last few days. With that his his reluctance faded, and dropping his coat to the floor he took Dairine's face in his hands and turned it towards him. Closing his eyes behind his blindfold, he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to hers.

[wizard_errant]

Adventures and interpersonal interactions are entirely different categories, and not really comparable when it comes to what's more scary. And really, the incredibly practical Dairine wouldn't even blink at the idea if her heart weren't racing a bit at the idea, a fact just embarrassing enough to almost--almost--make her pull away. But then she'd have to explain why, and also they're going to be stuck in the doorway, and besides then his lips have touched hers already anyway and oh.

[twilit_seeker]

He no longer cared why he was kissing Dairine. The taste of her lips and the warmth of her skin was all that mattered. He stroked her cheek with his thumb before threading his fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck. His other hand moved to rest on her waist as he deepened his kiss.

[wizard_errant]

There is a part of Dairine's brain that is hardwired to think about these things analytically, and this part is somewhere in the background now contemplating warmth and softness and the exact angle at which Riku's thumb brushes across her cheek. It is not this part that is currently in control of the rest of her--for instance, the hand that reaches up to cover his before falling away, the way her eyes flutter closed for the briefest of seconds, or the part that thinks, far less coherently, that feels nice.

[twilit_seeker]

Time seemed almost to stand still for Riku. He couldn't say how long he stood there, his lips caressing Dairine's and his hand caught in the silken strands of her hair. All he knew was that for the first time in months he felt truly content, here, now, with Dairine in his arms.

Even so, slowly but surely the more practical part of Riku's mind was starting to re-assert itself, and it took great pains to point out that he probably didn't want to spend too much time kissing someone in the doorway of one of the most popular rooms in the compound. So it was with great reluctance that Riku finally broke their kiss. He gently extracted his hand from Dairine's hair and moved it so that his hands bracketed her waist.

"Wow," he said in a breathy whisper, moving back slightly but not releasing her right away.

[wizard_errant]

Dairine ducks her head, her face going bright red. "...I think we can get out o the doorway now," she says, cursing internally at how shaky and low her voice sounds.