ʟᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ♡

      He must’ve appeared so at ease to the naked eye; his arms around his dear childhood friend’s waist (just how had he plucked up the courage to make that move again?), an almost smug smile plastered across his face, and a confident aura radiating from his being. But that was only his exterior. His interior on the other hand … ‘She’s so close …' Was one of the more prominent thoughts in his mind, repeated over and over like a chant. Another was, ‘What am I doing?’ and, ‘Nice one, Sora.’ Her stillness was definitely noted, as was her refusal to meet his eye. But yet, Kairi didn’t express any signs of wanting to pull away or get away from him     it wasn’t like he was holding her tightly enough to prevent her from leaving if she wanted to. Which posed the question: was she … enjoying this? The brunet swallowed thickly as a goofy smile spread across her face, suddenly feeling a bit more confident with himself. ❝Heh … that doesn’t really answer my question, y’know.❞

      Seconds trickled by, followed by a heavy, yet comfortable silence as Sora continued to try and make sense of the situation      only to be broken out of his train of thought moments later as oceanic hues met sapphire ones, the latter holding some sort of intense emotion that he couldn’t decipher in their depths. Hesitance? Uncertainty? Affection? Before he could guess any more, the gaze was broken as the other leaned back against him, the bridge of her nose brushing against his collar. A shiver shot down his spine as his face reddened a little at the contact, but its affect was nowhere near as strong as the following words:

"I wish we could stay like this forever."

         And it was at that moment that whatever bit of bravado he had left flew out the window, leaving him with scarlet tinted cheeks. She— she what? Gulping, he was sure that given their current proximity, the redhead in his arms could feel his thunderous heartbeat racing in his chest as he struggled to respond.

The flushing of her cheeks brightened in hue, the tone of rose shading in deeper until her face almost felt burning. How could he be so ... relaxed? They've always laughed and curled against each other, but never to the point where he was close enough for her to wrap her fingers into his spikes, and let them twirl and dance within hazel. In a way, she was unsure how to feel, what to feel or what to particularly do in this scenario. Kairi grown accustomed to being relaxed and even being cracked under pressure, she learned to keep a calm exterior and allowing to express a gentle, comfortable smile at that. 

As of right now; she was a mess, azure orbs darting from left and right, daggering from the sea, to the sandy rocks and her palms felt sweaty from all the nervousness that rushed through her veins. Attempting to brush off her fears, her bottom lip extended, lids batting towards his direction. "But, I did answer your question, didn't I? You approached me. I don't see why that was so hard to understand." Calm. Keep calm. Was the words being constantly repeated within her consciousness. In a way, the cool and collected keywielder was paralyzed, immobilized with Sora's strong arms that looped around her waist.  But, she embraced it. Sora didn't move but smuggle her closer, bringing a sort of ease, her shoulders dropping in advance with the sign of comfort from her friend. They were friends, right? But the pounding in her chest and the rush of blood flushing within her cheeks said otherwise. 

don't go breaking my heart.

           Normally, the youth would respond to a situation such as this with the reddening of his would-be-embarrassed features; twin brims curling upwards as a shaky laugh passed through them followed by him quickly darting back a few steps so as to put space between them once again. As for where this sudden bout of confidence stemmed from, he was unsure. But frankly, he couldn’t care less; his body simply moved of it’s own accord as another chuckle passed through his exterior as his arms wrapped themselves around her slender waist. What the hell am I doin’     ? Annnddd there was the award winning question of the day. Man …

Tucking a loose crimson strand behind her ear, sapphire irises averting away from the coy keywielder. The alluring emotion started to ease in, suddenly making the teen's cheeks tint into an easily prominent rose. Right now, she was on the spur of emotions, ready to fling herself in the ocean and drown herself from all the confusion versus staying with her childhood friend, someone she always cared about. Though the first option was eliminated due to the fact the sense of control over her body and actions became lost in the midst of her own apprehension. Instead for running for the hills,she stayed guarded, paralyzed by the arms bundled around her waistline. A small squeak escaped her lips as she was brought closer to his embrace. "I-I dunno! You're the one who c-came, didn't you?!" 

Though, her anxiousness stopped once she flickered her optics towards his visage, the same goofy smile and big blue eyes that was always full of optimism. And suddenly, she felt she was at home, her nerves fading away at the intensity her gaze was, simply at the features and structure of his face. Realizing the tight grip her fingers were attached to, the auburn rested against the crook of his neck, the tip of her nose brushing against the other's collar. Mostly to avoid looking him straight in the eyes and hiding her heated face. 

{♔}——

             The smell of the ocean and the sand was the the scent of home. It had been so long since he had been on the islands. He had only known fighting for so long, that it was beginning to tire him out. He hated that feeling, but fighting for what was right brought him closer to those he held dear to his heart.

            His friends.

            She had been missed. She had been waiting for so long and he was going to repay that debt in full. Jogging up to her porch step with the most eager smile, he gave a few knocks on the door, waiting for anyone to answer. The home seemed empty for awhile until a voice was heard from the inside.

                      " Hey, Kai ! Are ya home or not ? C’mon out ! "

Honestly, it was nice to have her friends home. Waltzing around Destiny Islands seemed so different when they vanished. Averting her gaze, the auburn couldn't help but frown. A bit of guilt easily dominated over any excitement she previously felt. If they were gone, saving the world, why couldn't she have done the same? 

An abrupt warming voice echoed into her ears, the voice that belonged to no other. Sora. And suddenly, those negative thoughts were pushed again once more, because in the end, it didn't matter. 

They were ... home. 

Flinging the door open, Kairi propped a hand on her hips, wagging a finger in front of the boy's face. "Jeez, Sora! Y'couldn't have asked a bit more nicely?"

Gift to my precious Cinny and her precious Hamine. (◕‿◕✿)