kingdomdressing | (no subject)

I can tell.

[She pockets her hands, and still doesn't look at him. Her eyes are completely focused on what lies beyond that door.]

...I don't know what to do.

[He's letting some of that conflict, that vulnerability show, because of who she is.]

It's... right fucking there.

I can see it.

[She moves, steps away from him and the door to give him space, and crashes back against the wall. Her eyes are closed when she turns her face up to the ceiling.]

But I'm not sure I want to go back. I thought I was certain I didn't want to, but now that it's here...

[He feels that pull. It's home, no matter what's happened there in the past. And damn if he doesn't miss Halloween Town.]

[She squeezes her eyes shut briefly, then the muscles in her face relax and her expression goes blank.]

This... might be your only chance to go home.

I know.

[He glances back at her briefly, then back toward the town, running a hand through his hair roughly.]

Fuck. I know.

[She's not done! She turns her face toward him, eyes still closed.]

But if you do go, there's still a good chance you'll lose your heart.

I know.

[He doesn't care that he's repeating himself.]

I don't... want to be him.

... Question is, would you rather risk it and go home?

[If he can get past that, it would have to be better than this place.]

[He swallows and stares out at the town again. He never... thought he'd miss it so much. But he's not surprised by his own actions when he takes a step away from the doorway, reaches for the doorknob... and slams the door shut.]

[Riku's surprised. She flinches at the slam and her eyes snap open, staring at him and then door and back again. Her? She expected him to leave.]

[He's left staring at the door, hands limp at his sides. He still feels sort of lost, even though the choice is gone now.]

Why didn't you go?

[It's probably not a question she should ask, but Riku can't understand why he didn't. She really can't.]

There's no one important to me there.

[Which puts this place above it, even if he misses Halloween Town itself.]

[...well. That makes her stare at him, at a loss for words. She still can't believe he just... shut the door like that. An answer like that just baffles her more. He usually seems so unhappy with this place, compared to how he talks about Halloween Town.]

Would you leave, if you had to leave behind the people important to you?

[He's not looking at her. It feels strange to say something like that, because there isn't really anyone other than her that falls into that category, for him.]

No.

[She looks away even if he's not looking at her, eyes on the ground. When did she become that important?]

I realized a long time ago that I'd never leave, even if given the choice.

Funny how that works.

[It's... not even that he considers her anything more than a friend... it's just that back home, while he has home... he doesn't really have friends. And he likes that more.]

Mm.

[She knows that, but it doesn't make her wonder any less.]

Maybe that's the real point of this place.

You think it's actually something that meaningful?

Honestly? I doubt it. But it sounds better than being ripped off of our worlds for some unknown being's laughs.

[She sounds so bitter.]

You've got a point there.

[He doesn't blame her for the bitterness.]

[She looks at him, expression serious and entirely guarded.]

Regret closing that door?

...a bit. I probably won't get a chance like this again.

[He looks up at the ceiling.]

But for the most part... no. It's better here, for a lot of reasons.

Mm. As long as you think that, then you should be fine.

[She smirks, but there's something she's not saying behind it. Something sad.]