First Touch

He hadn't known he could feel so good.

The four of them had gathered; Riku—both the replica and his other self—Sora, and Naminé. There hadn't been a lot of opportunities for them to hang out, so when Sora and the other Riku offered a guided tour of Destiny Islands, Riku and Naminé accepted eagerly. They liked their other friends of course, and Riku had come to be fond of all of them. Xion offered unique insights, being a fellow replica, while Aqua understood what it was like to wander the Realm of Darkness. Each and every one of them had wisdom to share. In the end though, there were things they had experienced together that none of the others had. Even Axel respected that this reunion needed to happen without him, at least this time.

We've made amends, Riku thought, and I've gotten to understand him, meet his friends, like him even. Now and then though, it's okay if it's just us. We're the ones bound by the chains of memory, after all. 

Either way, visiting Destiny Islands sounded like a lot of fun. It was a place he hadn't really explored, all his memories of it false—stolen from Riku or reshaped by Naminé. His heart yearned for it, even as he knew his desire for it was born of next to nothing.

As it was though, it was beautiful. Naminé and he were giddy as Sora and Riku showed them around the mainland and their childhood play island. For the former there wasn't much to see, because explaining why there were two Rikus would be too difficult for any of them whilst maintaining world order, and thus their ability to explore was limited. For the latter though there was plenty; the boardwalks and bridges, the tide pools and springs, the caverns and copses of tropical trees all promising wonder. 

Amazing—that was the only word for it. The humid air sinking into his skin, the tide's cool rush around his feet, the grit of bark and sand, and the waxy balm of leaves beneath his fingers. Salt and sweet scents filled the air, seaside breeze his ears, and the colors all sparkled bright and rich before him. It was beautiful.

It was also too much. 

His body seemed attuned to the environment. He could feel it all, every touch, every sensation slipping under his skin and crawling through his veins. Sand under his nails, saltwater in his eyes, the wind chapping his lips. It all combined with the wet and the damp, the heat and the too much of it all. He'd excused himself from his friends, unwilling to ruin their day, but even the little shack he sheltered in was overwhelming. The water-warped wood and the endless drip rattled in his skull and buzzed in his body. The sterile Castle Oblivion and the aching endless Darkness had not prepared him well for the reality of this world. He wanted to squirm out of his skin, his flesh, his bones until he could fly away, free of it all.

And yet somehow he still longed for something. He didn't know what it was, what he sought, but the closest he could come to it was rubbing his face against his own hand. It made it all more bearable, a touch that soothed, that sated, that took from the assault of the world around him and let him float sweetly away.

A touch I've never known.

The other three found him eventually, crouched over on the ground with his head between his knees. He'd jumped when Sora touched him, hadn't heard him due to the hands on his ears and the buzz between them. "What's wrong?" Sora asked, and Riku stuttered.

He hadn't wanted to tell them but the truth came out eventually. Both his secrets tumbled out—the way this world suffocated his senses, and the strange need that had stirred inside him since coming here. His cheeks burned and his stomach roiled. He didn't know why he was embarrassed, he just was.

Yet none of them made fun of him. Instead they'd taken his hands, guided him back to the boat and across the sea, snuck up the stairs of Riku's house to his room and shut the door. Sora made a nest on the floor and the other Riku fetched them all cool drinks and snacks—plain, to keep from overpowering another  of his senses. Naminé closed the windows and their gauzy curtains, Riku's dim lamp and the remaining sun enough to light the room.

When he was settled, fed and watered, they surrounded him on the floor. "We're going to try something, okay?" Riku said. 

"If you don't like it just say so," Naminé added.

Sora grinned. "But give it a chance, alright?"

They reached out, each one touching him. Their fingers ran through his hair, glided down over his cheeks. It made Riku feel like some sort of cat, but not in an unpleasant way. Almost, he asked them to stop, but something deep inside protested. So soft, it whispered, so sweet. I feel...

He couldn't say what it was, just that he wanted more of it. Sora and Naminé worked down his chest together, each taking one side. They squeezed the muscles of his arms, his abdomen, his legs. They tended to each hand and foot, left Riku gasping. It was intimate, but there was no fire in him. Instead he felt as if he were melting, leaning into the other Riku where he sat behind him.

Everything felt right, everything felt good. All the tension, the aches, the buzzing in his body washed away, cleansed by hair ruffles, the stroke of thumbs over his cheeks. Hands massaged his neck and shoulders, his back, his chest, all the poison in him purified. He couldn't stop the noises he made; little mewls and purrs. This is so good, so good...

"Aw, he's kinda cute like this," Sora giggled. "Riku's different when we pet him, though not by much."

"That's personal, Sora," Riku complained. "I mean I know you're right but— "

"Ah..."

"Boys," Naminé said, "focus on him."

"Alright," Riku murmured, smiled. "It's interesting, seeing what works for him."

"Alike yet unalike," Naminé reminded him. "Now focus."

They did. He caught smatterings of their conversation, talk of inviting others to later sessions mingling with the words 'overloaded' and 'touch-starved'. They floated over his head and off with the wind, irrelevant to the sweet touch that left him flushed and glassy-eyed. Tears trailed down his cheeks.

"I..." He tried, but didn't know what he wanted to say. 

It didn't matter. The others knew what he wanted, what he needed. They crowded him, sheltered him as they touched. Riku writhed, curled up in their laps and rolled onto his back. When he'd had enough of that he turned onto his stomach, words lost but actions loud, showing what he wanted. Time disappeared until finally, finally the other Riku shifted him onto his back again and got on top of him, pressing the full length of their bodies together. Riku shuddered, fell apart so pleasantly as his other nuzzled his face, Sora and Naminé covering his sides.

He felt so good, so safe, so whole for the first time ever. "Thank you," he whispered, words slipping from his lips.

"Don't mention it," Riku replied, holding him tight.

"We're here for you," Sora added.

"Always," Naminé said.

Surrounded by love and touch, Riku sighed. Body loose and mind at peace, the others covered him in blankets and held him as he drifted off to sleep.