cinderlea | (no subject)

(no subject)

[ Riku disappears first. Vanished in her sleep, in the middle of the night, collapsing in on herself in a shimmer of starlights. This isn't like last time. No warnings, no chances to say goodbye, no hesitation or resistance. She just isn't there.

Lea goes minutes after Riku, in the same way. But she's awake, lounging on her couch, having a conversation as she flips through her phone. Here and then gone, like a flame. This isn't the first time either of them have gone home, but it's the first time it's so abrupt. At least it isn't death. The last time Riku went home was seven years ago. She was gone for a month, and she came back with shorter hair and the Mark of Mastery. The last time Lea went home, no one really noticed. She thought she was used to it by now.

Things are different this time. Disorienting. Lea meets Kai in the training, for real this time. Riku has her memories, or at least most of them. They're hazy, dreamlike, but real. She has them all. She remembers how old she really is and how long she's been gone. She remembers everyone she cares about, and everyone that won't change here. She keeps her ice magic and takes what she's learned here to use there. But time is fluid. She doesn't feel like she's been gone for seven years.

Lea's are gone, for now. She lives everything new and fresh, with the dressing room appearing only in dreams vivid enough to unsettle her.

Things aren't the same for every world.

Things go better than expected.

The core story is the same. The heroes rescue the ones that need it, they bring everyone back, they defeat the darkness, and they go home. How and when and who — these things vary, but they do it all together and they go home together. And then their story is over, at least for now, and they come back.

Unlike how they went out, Lea and Riku reappear together on the beach. Coming back is just as disorienting, and neither has their phone, so they get their bearings and confirm memories with each other, of the dressing room and of home, and then separate to find their friends.

They've been gone two months. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ I mean... She's not going to pretend it's not awkward, but at least it makes her less embarrassed to be shirtless. Less than before, anyway. She doesn't restrict Isa from sitting up, and follows her, propping her own body up with her elbows as she listens. Fuck. No. Why. Why does she have to consider Xemnas as a person and not as a villain now. Fuck. ]

Maybe she didn't want to... come across like that, I guess.

[ Even if that's how it was, or how it started, and it was creepy and inappropriate considering everything. The point is that she's trying to defend Xemnas, and not immediately cast it in a negative light, for Isa's sake. She tried. ⭐ ]

I don't know. We were all feeling weird shit by the end, even when we were pretending not to. Maybe she felt lonely. Maybe she felt like... she didn't want you to feel like you had to.

[ This is uncomfortable for her, but she's earning that fucking gold star. ]

Don't think we'll ever understand it unless we find one here. But I get it. You had... something, no matter how it was.

[(the problem is that Xemnas was a villain a lot of the time, Isa just can't see that because she was never allowed to see that.

there's a full Isa wibble going by the time Lea's finished, because it's not fair that Lea's actually getting it and being understanding and sympathetic and realistic and several other things that Lea often isn't, and here's Isa falling apart over her dead boss when she should be continuing to seduce Lea.

she rubs a hand over her eyes, which are definitely damp, and then sighs. she wants a hug and a nap and to get Lea off and forget about this conversation, not in that particular order.]

I'm sorry. I killed the mood again, I keep doing that, but... thank you. For getting it. You didn't have to, I know you had no love for her.

[ Yeah, well, we help our girlfriends cope with trauma over time, or something. Speaking of. ]

I know, I'm the best best friend.

[ And a dumbass, but go with what you know works, amirite? If she's too serious it'll just help Isa dwell, or something. She's gonna sit up proper, to touch foreheads or something. ]

Sometimes things are... more important than old grudges. 'Sides, I won. I've got you here now.

Honestly I think that's more of a win for me, but yeah. I wouldn't have anyone to clean up after, otherwise.

[or make out with and then overshare with and sometimes fight with. she leans appreciatively into the forehead touch, and hesitantly drapes her arms over Lea's shoulders.]

Are things totally ruined for tonight or should we try and get back into it? I could go either way, I think, so it's up to you.

[ Damn, she's determined. Lea is continually impressed by how easily Isa can get straight to business. Although, perhaps now is not the best time... On the other hand— ]

Maybe not ruined. But, hey, you look tired. How about we move to the bed and see where it goes from there?

[on the other hand, hormones, and their shirts are already off, so this sounds like a good plan to Isa. Lea gets a smooch right on the mouth since she's there, and then Isa turns to get her feet on the floor and stand up, holding out a hand for Lea.]

I've been tired since I hit puberty, so if I fall asleep on you I'm afraid you're on your own.

[she must be okay if she can joke. and this is a joke, because bed for this kind of activity is much better and there's no way she would fall asleep.]

[ She takes Isa's hand, but lets go of it temporarily once she's up to stretch with both arms high above her head. It's the kind of stretch that gets you up on your toes. ]

Fine. But just so you know, this isn't gonna be like with her. You're the one who knows what you're doing here.

[ god why am I just the one learning from people all the time now. I used to be cool. ]

[congrats, Lea is now thinking about why Xemnas knew how to do anything at all. also Lea just relinquished the chance to just walk to the bed like a normal person, because while she's stretching Isa's gonna just get her around the middle and hoist her over a shoulder. we've discussed this, the only person who think Lea is/was cool is probably Xion, if that.]

And I only know what I'm doing from having it done to me, so it'll be a learning experience for both of us.

[ Hoork, that's the sound Lea makes when she's tossed over Isa's shoulder. They're all lucky she has such a strong stomach. Thinking about Xemnas having sex with anyone might test that, however. ]

Guess that's a good way to look at it.

[listen man, you didn't see/experience. Isa's going to try very hard to recreate, but like, better, and different, because that's important here. she gets Lea upright again by setting her on the edge of the bed, and smooches her for good measure, while she's probably still disoriented.]

I'm as nervous as you are, so um. Don't be surprised if I freak out again, a little. You're welcome to freak out too, it's only fair.

[Isa's hiding it well, shh.]

[ Lea looks very suspicious of this potential freakout when Isa is doing things like talking about getting banged by Xemnas and also tossing her over her shoulder, but sure. She likes this smooching thing. ]

Who, me? What have I got to freak out over?

[listen, she's just trying to prepare for all possible reactions. given how this evening has already gone, someone freaking out is pretty likely. Isa plops down next to Lea on the edge of the bed, and then flops backward to stretch a little. she's a lot more nervous than she looks tbh, but that's how Isa rolls.]

Being that tall? Eating hot sauce on perfectly good pizza? Your first sexual experience involving another person? Take your pick.

[ All of those are perfectly reasonable activities to not freak out over, she thinks. But she will not vocalize it, because she has the self-awareness to realize that last part is not true. Instead of letting herself look nervous, though, she makes a big show of rolling her eyes and then flops back completely on the bed, stretching her arms up over her head. Fine, we're being casual. I got it. ]

I'm not that much taller than you.

You're not, but it feels like you are sometimes because you're such a stick.

[a stick apart from that waist to hip ratio, that is. if either of them allows themselves to look nervous this entire thing will probably implode. Isa does her part for being casual by rolling onto her side to drape an arm over Lea and smooch her cheek. she wishes there was a guidebook for this shit, why is it so scary and difficult!!!]

I know you're not complaining about my high metabolism.

[ Not with your huge muscles and ability to toss me around like a ragdoll and all that. She doesn't really react to the arm, and just turns to face Isa after the smooch. Just to look at her face, probably too close for either of them to keep their cool after too long. It's scary because they haven't done this and they've known each other for so long, and for Lea, it's like being a teenager again. She's not really sure she likes that part. ]

[no, that part sucks, being uncertain about what's okay and what's too much, and for Isa trying to convey that without it just turning into talking about what she personally has and hasn't experienced (and of course who she experienced it with). at least both of them having their shirts off went okay and no one died. Lea will almost certainly lose her shit first; Isa's been winning staring contests since she was a baby, probably.]

I'm glad we don't have to financially support it, that's for sure.

Don't even start. You were hanging out with Axel the whole time we were gone, weren't you?

[ Her appetite is nothing compared to that. Yes, Axel is a unique case with underlying supernatural reasons, but still. She doesn't eat that much.

She just eats like, constantly.

This is a good distraction so she doesn't have to look away, too! Oops. ]

[hang on, Isa's about to do something like blow a raspberry on Lea's stomach to break the tension. she might also be concentrating on how she'd happily just spend the rest of her life kissing Lea.]

Mm. He could kill his own food if he needed to, at least.

What? I'm offended you think I couldn't.

[ Wait what. Is she doing that now, or after? ]

[at the moment she's just kind of staring at Lea's mouth and frowning, but then she makes it worse by slowly sitting up to gaze ominously down at Lea. she's really working the doom face, but sadly it's not distinguishable from the actual i'm-gonna-murder-you doom face.]

You absolutely couldn't. I'm gonna do something.

[ One fear. Just when Lea thinks she's going to kiss her, too. Isa has the privilege of being one of the only people to really see Lea's deer-in-headlights expression, except on extremely rare occasions with Roxas and Xion and maybe once with Kai, during training. Oh god, she's scared, but not really in the fear-for-her-life way that it used to be. ]

Wh— What are you gonna do?

[she's really looming, like "did you do your part of the school project," or "where is that report i asked you about three days ago." it might be for a really serious kiss, but no, the scary face drops, and Isa ducks her head to do a really great raspberry against Lea's bare skin, right under her ribs. take that, anxiety and jitters. this tactic was first used to try and get child-Lea to stop laughing, by idk, giving her hiccups or something, but surely it was used other times, to get her to stop crying or something.]

[ You bitch. In 0.1 seconds Lea goes from mildly terrified for her life to explosive, arm-flailing shock-laughter. She scrambles and tries to get away while shoving at Isa's shoulders. ]

Seriously?!

[ C: Isa laughs and flops sideways across Lea, resting her head on her hand.]

It's just us, and it's weird, but it was getting scary-weird, and it doesn't need to be.

[ She looks distrustful but still in her laugh-jitters, arms and shoulders tense in preparation from another attack. But she does look more relaxed, overall. ]

That's one way to make it not weird.

[ A beat. ]

What else you got?