Tropical Bloom

The heat sits like a burden upon Sora's back, his only comforts a glass of cold water and the single tropical bloom set upon Selphie's bedroom table. The weather has him slumping, head hanging low, sweat on his brow. There's a weight to the air, and something equally as heavy in his pocket.

That last has nothing to do with the heat, but he can't rid himself of it. Not yet. He has to wait for the right moment.

"I just don't know what to do," Sora sighs, setting his elbows on the table. It soothes him momentarily, wood cool against his skin, but then his body's heat seeps in and it's as hot and sticky as everything else. He fidgets, legs chafing against the carpet. "The weather's not helping me think either. Has it always been like this here?"

"Yes," Selphie laughs, running her brush through his hair. That's a sweet sensation at least, combing out sweat as much as tangles and soft against his scalp. "Guess you've been away too long if you've forgotten what the weather's like here at this time of year!" 

"Yeah, that's true," Sora says, stares at the single blossom on the table. "Everything feels strange, coming back after all that time away, and now there's this too." Another sigh. "Riku and I have known each other forever and it's...weird, I guess, making plans to do what we're gonna do."

"You and Kairi have known each other forever too though, right?" Selphie reminds him. Her hands toy with his hair, deciding what to do. It's the price he's paid for her help—she gets to do his hair and he gets her advice. "Oh, bushy heads are so much fun!" She exclaims.

"Just don't do anything permanent, okay? And I mean, yeah, Kairi and I have known each other forever too but—but it's always been a little different between us." And one more sigh, more heat than breath this time. "I don't know if it's because me and Riku are both boys or because we've always competed or just because we knew each other when we were actual babies but it's—weird."

"But not wrong?"

"No, just weird."

Selphie hums as she works on his hair. He hopes it's a sign she's thinking hard about this. Sora knows she's his best bet when it comes down to it; she's been with Kairi and Riku—shockingly enough—and even if she's a genuine ditz who eats as much dirt tripping as she dishes it out in a fight, she's always known things. How else could she have known the color of my underwear everyday for a year? It couldn't possibly have been because he was a sloppy dresser, oh no. She just knows things. 

Besides, her school scores are better than his and, well, she got Riku to talk to them a lot faster than he would've done if left to his own devices. That meant something. That meant a lot, actually. Sora could use the help of someone who could do that.

He didn't think he was incompetent though. This was just hard. He'd never expected to be in this relationship—never expected friendship to shift, change, charge off in an entirely new direction—but he is. He's happy to be—was so excited when Kairi confessed, eager to go straight to Riku and take his hand too, even if he hadn't really thought about it. I knew what I felt—we felt. This weird feeling couldn't get to me until I'd actually taken his hand, huh?

But he hadn't gone after him. Things had been more complicated, Riku running off before Sora could do anything. His sudden distance had stung and Sora'd wanted to chase him. It'd been Kairi's hand on his shoulder that had stopped him, her words soft but sure.

"He needs time, and I think I might need it too. I want to be with him, want to be with both of you, but I need—" and she'd struggled to say it. "I need a moment with you. If you want to go to him I won't stop you, but if you give us both time I think—I think we can all be together. Happy too."

"He needs time?" Sora'd asked. "And you too? Kairi, why?"

"I forgot you, Sora. I lost my memory of you. I lost parts of Riku too, but at least I could—I could remember him. His face was there, and I always had faith in him. It was harder with you because—"

Sora had let her stop. There was a lot going on in Kairi's head then, and now too, probably. She had to believe that her heart and mine would reconnect when all she had was a shadow of me. 

"And Riku?" He'd asked.

"He needs time," she'd murmured, "or I think he does, anyway. I want to help him, but I don't think I can—don't think we can. Riku needs someone to talk to about this who isn't us. He thinks he's protecting us, still feels guilty about everything. He might always feel that way, maybe. He's been through a lot. You told me you were sleeping, right? Well I was too, in a way. Riku wasn't. We've all got weights we're carrying—"

And Kairi's voice'd cut off there, and Sora recalled flashes of golden hair. Roxas. Naminé. He thought it'd been right to take them back, keep them safe, but Roxas's weight was so heavy in his chest—almost like there was more than one person, like there were two, three, so many weights inside him pressing down on his heart, begging for release. He wondered if Kairi felt like that too, told her about it later to ease her feelings of disconnectedness, reminded her that this was something they shared, this weight.

But he hadn't said it in the moment, because then she'd said, "Riku's been carrying his weight awake, and alone, and since he hurt us, since he's been hurt, he can't help but feel the need to protect us. He's not ready to listen. If we say, "It's okay, we want you," he'll probably think we're sacrificing our happiness for him. I don't think he really knows how to share that hurt, either. If we give him space though, I think he'll be okay. He learns quick, and if someone else takes his hand—someone he loves differently—then maybe they can show him all his squishy parts and tell him that they're fine. Less involved, lower stakes, maybe."

"Yeah?"

Kairi smiled, so sweetly. "Yeah. I think Selphie'll do it. She's missed Riku too and—and she's..." Kairi tilted her head, and at the time Sora had wondered why she'd seemed so wistful. "I believe in her. If he hasn't figured things out in a month we'll go chasing him, but until then we'll give him space, okay? Let Selphie work her magic! It's cooler than ours, Sora!"

Sora'd agreed—although maybe not with that last, as Blizzaga was a pretty cool spell—and as it turned out Selphie had been able to help Riku. He'd shown up during one of their dates before the month was done—just barely, but that'd been enough time for Kairi and Sora to figure themselves out too. Oh, it'd been a little messy. Even now, Sora's sure there are complicated things lingering beneath the surface of their hearts—the pain of forgetting, the sting of knowing someone else remembers what you can't like salt in a wound. But the three of them had come together.

Almost.

But now Riku and I want to do this and it's...it's strange. Sora's not so bad at coming to terms with change, but this is different. Change when it's something new, or change you saw coming, none of it's like facing the fact that the thing you always thought would be the same isn't going to be anymore. I can travel worlds and change form, make friends with strangers, master magic, and date Kairi, but—Riku and I being together...

He wanted to be. He'd almost chased Riku for the chance. It was just that now he realized the full extent of what would change between them if they did pursue this relationship.

But Riku and I have already changed so much, especially Riku. So why does this feel so strange?

Is it because he doesn't want to lose something he's always had? Losing Riku's friendship when they'd first left the Islands had cut deep, but this wasn't a loss of friendship. It's friendship changing shape, and I won't be able to get it back once it does. It doesn't matter if things go wrong or right, because once the relationship shifts, even if it shifts back, it'll never be the same again. Each change leaves it in a different form, and the one before it is just gone forever.

So when it blooms this time, it'll blossom...or wither. And I've gotta make sure it blossoms. I've gotta figure out how to make sure everything goes well!

He sighs. All this wondering leaves him feeling strange and out of sorts, but that's okay, right? It's okay for me to feel weird, right? Right?

"Right what?" Selphie asks.

"Ah," Sora's cheeks grow warm—or warmer, considering the weather. "I didn't mean to say that aloud."

"Dork. Your mind was sailing off on the horizon, huh? Well, remember it's stormy out there! This stillness ain't gonna last forever."

"Don't I know it," Sora huffs, "but this change is happening, I guess. Gotta accept the storm's gonna come."

"Storms aren't so bad, and you're not dreading this one, yeah? You're just...conflicted." She pauses, hands carefully untangling a knot. "Even if things change, you're still best friends! You can still do all the old things you did together." He can hear the smile in her voice and wonders what's coming next. "Just now, when you guys wrestle, you've got fun, new ways to relieve all that tension!"

Sora squawks and Selphie hisses, gives his hair a pull to stop him squirming. "Selphie!" He whines, cheeks burning.

"Oh come on! You should be happy! It'll really spice things up for Kairi too! Now it'll be more than, 'Hey Kairi, can you judge our battles? Hey Kairi, can you judge our races?' Now you can do, 'Hey Kairi, can you judge who sounds better in be—' "

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Sora covers his ears. It's not enough to block out Selphie's laughter. 

"Okay, okay," she sing songs, calming down. She's brushing his hair gently again, styling it into what Sora can only assume are pigtails. Spiky, bushy pigtails. "It'll be tricky, I admit. Getting used to new things is always a bit strange. I think you'll do okay though, what with all the strange things you, Riku, and Kairi have been through and won't tell me about."

"Selphie—"

"It's fine Sora," she says, emphasizing her words with a long stroke of the brush. "I'm not bothered. I just can't really comment because I don't know what you've been up to. I do know you're pretty adaptable though, so even if you end up flustering and flailing your way through this the first time, once you wake up and go, 'Oh, I'm still the same guy,' you'll be fine."

She's probably not wrong, but it's not the most helpful thing to hear either. Sora sighs and leans back, ignores Selphie as she fumbles and fusses. He tugs at the neck of his singlet, eyes following the dew as it drips down the water jug, taking in the sweet summer hues of the bloom. "It just feels so—different. I love both of them, but all the stories I was ever told...well, I really only expected to be with Kairi. Being with Riku too feels right, but it also feels new. Nothing's changed, but everything has, and now the three of us together are gonna..."

Sora's voice catches, fades. Selphie gives a soft hum behind him. "You might be overthinking it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Selphie says. "It feels new because this is new—or a renewal, maybe. Something old becoming new again because it's changed. All the stories we were told were interesting in their own way, but we're making new ones—if you consider life a story, that is. Whatever it is though, it's got you off balance. Maybe..."

"Maybe?"

"Maybe we should try something more practical. New tools, new approaches—wouldn't you feel better about something new if you had the things you needed to deal with it?"

Sora thinks for a moment. "Yeah, I guess. But what do you mean when you say something practical?"

"I mean I could teach you some things. I've been with both Kairi and Riku, and neither of them'd mind if you slept with me."

She says it so casually it takes a second for it to hit him, but when it does all Sora manages is an oof. She smacks him then, and he's not entirely sure he deserves it. He's not entirely sure he doesn't deserve it either. "Yowch!"

"You're so rude!"

"Sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I just—I didn't see it coming is all!"

"Well you won't be coming at all if you're rude again..."

"S—Selphie—" He titters off, Selphie's little giggle-snort behind him a comforting echo to his own laughter. She's not actually offended, though he could've guessed that by the fact he wasn't being chased down the beach by a very small, angry girl. He hopes never to have to experience that again.

You probably won't ever have to do a sprint of shame like that again, but it'll be because the very small girl who used to chase you is now taller than you are. His stomach sinks at the thought. They've always been a similar height, even though she's a whole year younger and a girl to boot. All his dreams of being of a height with Riku are rapidly being replaced by a reality in which he shrinks beneath the chins of every girl he knows.

"Just think of how good the hugs will be though!" Kairi'd said, when he'd voiced the thought a few days ago. Riku had choked and spat his drink into the sink in the room over.

And now she's more grown up than me in this way too, he thinks, unsure if he means Selphie or Kairi and fighting his blush.

"Sora?" Selphie asks.

"Yeah?"

"You want a second to think about it?"

"Hmmm," Sora leans back against her hands, still in his hair. "Maybe. You've been with both Kairi and Riku, yeah? You know what they like?"

"A little. Besides, you can learn a lot about a person when you sleep with them. Not always, but sometimes. It's one way of many to get to know someone—one of the most fun, in my opinion."

Sora snorts. He can envision her behind him, cat-like grin in place—or maybe otter-like was a better word for it. Her slippery qualities would drown a poor cat, but an otter? That made more sense.

He takes a deep breath, pushes his fanciful thoughts aside—symptoms of his nerves. "You're—you won't judge me, right?"

"Not unless you wanna be judged," Selphie says.

Do I wanna be judged? He wonders, even as he says, "Kairi already thinks I'm good at sex."

"Kairi likes energy, and if she wants something softer and sweeter she can get it from Riku."

"I can't tell if you're trying to boost my confidence or take it down a peg, Selphie."

"Boost, duh, though I gotta keep your head outta the clouds. Oh, but maybe this'll help. We're similar, y'know? Both too bubbly for our own good. But since Riku had fun being with me I can't see why he wouldn't like being with you, especially with how special you are to him. He loves you, Sora."

Her words make him pause. An edge of bitterness had crept in right at the end, he's sure. His stomach turns a little—Selphie and bitterness made poor bedfellows—but worse than that is the pang in his chest. It makes him think as much of Roxas as of himself. See me for myself. See me as special. Please, please, please see me.

It sits heavy in his chest—another strange thing he never expected. He knows Kairi can feel Naminé sometimes too, and the weight that comes with her presence. Bitterness, envy, guilt, shame.

Sora clears his throat. "Well, I believe you. I know they love me. But I think they like you too Selphie, and not just because we're alike! Maybe we don't all like each other the same way— but then who does, right? Everyone's got their own light and—and..." Something builds in him as he talks, beginnings of a storm emerging from the heat. Sora's not great with words, would rather let his actions and emotions speak for him. 

So he does. "I've got it!" He exclaims, goes to stand. He's full of energy, full of need, scales tipping from laziness and lethargy to move, move, move in a single moment. All he gets for it is a, "Yowch!" though, moving too fast for Selphie to let go of his hair in time. 

"Damn it Sora, get down!" She laughs, cusses, hands fluttering as she tries to soothe the places Sora's unintentionally yanked. "Gosh, you're so wound up!"

"Sorry!" He says, a little whiny. That hurt, dang it. "I just decided is all.  I think we should, ah— I think we should do what you said. Practical stuff. You can teach me some things, and when we're together you'll get to see how different we are, right? I mean we're still alike, but still different, but still alike..."

Selphie snorts. "Don't give yourself a headache, Sora."

"I won't!"

"Alright, good. And I'm sure you're gonna prove we're very different." He can hear the grin in her voice when she adds, "You're gonna prove you're naïve, at least."

"Hey!"

"Aw, it's not a bad thing. You are a doofus sometimes, but that makes it all the more fun to teach you." She pauses. "Well, it's fun to teach you when it's something you want to learn anyway. I think you'll wanna learn this, though. It's like I said; this is renewal, a new understanding of the self. Now, sit still and let me finish your hair so we can start playing. I've got a lot of experimenting I wanna do with you! You're gonna be so pretty, and then you're gonna be a mess."

"Wait, what?"

"Shush, trust me. We're trying new things, Sora, and waking up to a whole new world of possibilities. By the time you're done with me, anything you do with Riku is gonna seem tame by comparison."

"Selphie!?"

"Just trust me, Sora. Let a girl have a little fun and who knows?" She chuckles. "Maybe you'll convince Riku and Kairi to try this sometime and have a lot of fun. Oh yes! You'd all be so— " He's sure her eyes are twinkling back there, though he doesn't turn to check. "Oh, with this I'll have got all three of you blossoming!"

He snorts, but he can't help feeling nervous—and a little excited. A part of him likes that word; blossoming, just like the pretty bloom on the table. Well, a flower that blossoms is entering the next stage of its life. That's kinda like renewal, right? A rebirth of the self—from sprout to bud to bloom. A bit more advanced that drive forms, anyway.

Just as exciting as his 'transformation' though, is how delighted Selphie seems about the whole thing. She's contagious, dang it. Girls do have cooties after all, but I guess it's the kind of cooties you want to catch!

"Alright!" Selphie exclaims, drawing him back to world and all its mess and heat and sweat. She's just about done with his hair, taking out the goofy pigtails she's given him and brushing it out one last time.

Then he hears the soft snap of barrettes and a squeal. "Oh, so cute!"

"What've you done to me?"

"Nothing! Nothing compared to what I'm gonna do, anyway." She snickers, adds more softly, "Oranges suit you, Sora."

Sora sighs, a little embarrassed but no worse for wear. He knows which barrettes he's wearing now; glittering yellow sea glass stars and two big, chunky oranges with a green leaf each. "Already flowered and gone to fruit, huh? Is this the experiment you were talking about? Getting me to wear hair clips?"

"Nope. Or, well, it's only the beginning of it. C'mon, take a drink, Sora." She tops off both their glasses, finishing the last of the water. Sora idles while she sneaks out to refill it, returning with a jug of sweet and sour tropical juice. "For after," she clarifies, before putting it down alongside a rather pretty pouch. It reminds Sora of the one he saw sometimes at Kairi's place—the mythical makeup pouch, something that sat on island shores far beyond those of his boyish experiences.

Up until now, he thinks, gulps. What's she gonna do though? Get dressed up? She's already wearing makeup. 

He drops the thought when Selphie climbs into his lap, giggles. "Woah, listen to your heart go!"

It's pounding in his chest. The world outside is hot, but inside seems hotter and wetter. He's sweating, but it's not so embarrassing when he knows she is too. Somehow she still smells pretty, like fresh fruit and the sea. He'd say it's because girls smell good, but so does Riku. Tidus and Wakka smell like ball game funk though.

Selphie cackles and Sora jumps, realizes he said that aloud. "They do though, y'know?" She says, nuzzling against him. He relaxes.

Her lips are soft and balmy when she kisses him, mouth hot as she presses her tongue against his. He pushes back, eager, her weight in his lap a pleasant one. She's wearing a skirt, so the only thing between her skin and his pants is her underwear—already damp—and that thought has him instantly hard. 

"You're so easy," she teases.

"Hey," Sora says, "I can't help it!"

"S'not an insult, dork." She pulls away, presses her hand to his chest when he follows. "Slow down a second. I've got a lot more planned and I think you're gonna like it, but you gotta give me room to breathe, sheesh."

"You got in my lap!" Sora exclaims, though he knows she's not actually scolding him. "So what's this mysterious plan, huh?"

"Just gimmie a sec," she says, turns to the pouch and opens it to reveal an assortment of tubes and compacts, bits and bobs. She clicks her tongue. "Now, here's how it's gonna be. I'm already done up y'see, and—" She holds up a little mirror, assesses her face, "—it's held up pretty well considering the weather! But you, well..." There's a smirk on her face as her voice trails away.

It's then it clicks, and Sora blushes. "You—wanna do me up? Like with makeup?"

"Well, duh. This is about you, Sora! I wanna do you up, dress you up, and then plain old do you. We're exploring things, right? And doesn't that sound good to you?"

"Ummm..."

"Ugh," Selphie rolls her eyes. "Here, try this. Imagine me doing Kairi and Riku up all pretty."

Sora chokes, flustered, but he does. How could he not? The image of Kairi—all dressed up in shades of pink and white, red and the occasional purple in the outfits his mind selects, dark liner around her eyes and her face flushed pretty colors—is perfectly pretty. Sometimes boyish, other times feminine, all the while revealing in the best of ways.

His mind stumbles over Riku—the images new, still so new, although maybe not as new as he thought when he turns over all the rocks in his head and discovers some of the things he's imagining stir dreams from times long gone by. He has to try harder though—and boy, there sure is one part of him taking that to heart—and he's both embarrassed and relieved to find it's not that difficult to envision Riku dressed up in whites and pale blues, with trims of gold and black, lips glossy and cheeks a tender pink. He can even imagine Kairi and Riku laid out on the bed, ready, waiting, and he wants, needs to—

"Woah Sora, tie your ship up at the docks for a sec there buddy!" Selphie exclaims. "You get any harder and it won't matter if there's clothes between us!"

Sora chokes again. "I—"

"It's fine, dork. Means you were doing what I asked." Her laughter fills the room. "But you see? Kairi and Riku—it's different imagining them like that, but it's nice! It might change how you see them, but that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"But what's that got to do with dressing me up?"

"Well, you gotta let me have some fun," she says, "and it's good to get familiar with what you find interesting, and you definitely found that interesting. Besides, you might discover you enjoy dressing up too, that they might enjoy it when you do it." She pokes him in the chest, smile a little softer. "This is about getting comfortable with changes you never saw coming. Putting on pretty clothes and makeup—they don't really change you, but they kinda feel like they do. You're always cute, Sora, except when you're a pain—" and they both laugh there, tension easing.

"Come on, Selphie!"

"No, shush, shush. You're always cute, but this is a different sort of cute. A different flavor, maybe? Like trying a new fruit for the first time—a different sort of sweet."

"You think I'll like it?" He asks.

"I think you're adaptable, so probably. But you gotta embrace this kinda change when it comes to you, and when it comes to others too. Complicated feelings are fine and all, they happen, but once the bloom blossoms things won't be the same. That's okay. Scary, but okay. Considering how important Riku and Kairi are to you, I don't think the flower's gonna wither. And if that's not enough," she pauses, and there it is again—that edge of bitter to her sweet, "just think of what the weight of not doing it will feel like. That's it's own sort of burden—like being stuck in a mire, I guess."

Like a flower drowning, Sora thought. But I won't, Selphie, and neither will Riku or Kairi…or you.

Selphie smiles, despite how heavy her last words seemed, and slips her arms around his neck again. "So, you wanna know what it's like? To blossom?"

Sora's heart flutters. "Y'know, I think I do."

And just like that she's her bright self again, and her smile flashes like a stray beam of sun, blinding. "Yay! Trust me, you'll be thanking me for this later! Oh, this is gonna be great!"

Oddly enough, Sora believes her.

They both rise, but their attempt to begin experimentation is interrupted by a shadow over the room; a tropical storm swamping the summer's burning, blue skies. Selphie cusses and rushes outside to rescue a bunch of her pot plants, all far too delicate to endure the wilder weather. Sora helps, arranging them around Selphie's bedroom as she brings them in. They make a spot of brightness in the gloom, colors seeming more vivid than usual as Selphie shutters her window and clicks on her ceiling lamp. 

It's still hot, of course, and they both know the storm won't change that. Somehow, though, the weather's shift has Sora buzzing, anxious, eager. 

"You ready?" Selphie asks.

"Yeah," Sora says. "Let's do this!"

The rain begins to fall just as Selphie gets to work, Sora sitting as still as he can while she does his makeup. She's got a whole kit somehow stuffed in that tiny pouch, although he knows she doesn't tend to wear much of it. For special occasions, he supposes. He knows she's wearing some now, knew even before she mentioned it. Makeup might be a whole other world to him, but he has slept over at Kairi's before. He's seen the subtle differences between a natural face and a 'natural' look.

"You don't wear makeup all the time, do you?" Sora asks, while Selphie fusses about with a compact of something.

"No," Selphie says. "I like my face as is. It's pretty cute, right?" He hums, agreement, and that makes her grin. "I like makeup, but I always wanna be happy with my actual face. It's really fun to put on though, y'know?"

To emphasis her point, she dabs the powder on his cheeks, eyes twinkling. The attention does something to Sora's brain, makes it gooey. Sometimes he finds being doted on overwhelming, annoying even, but other times it leaves him feeling fuzzy inside. Right now he feels both, with the addition of something strange doing flips in his stomach. He doesn't know how he feels about that, so he reaches out and pulls back a petal to see what lies inside.

Nice things. Kairi and Riku and me doing each other up—only I haven't learned a single technique from this. But maybe Kairi could do our makeup. Maybe she could lean in and whisper instructions. 'Close your eyes. Rub your lips together. Now press your lips to his.'

Sora blinks, swallows.

Oh, okay.

He doesn't miss Selphie's little smirk as she applies his gloss, shivers when she touches up her own using the same tube. It shimmers slightly, the color a warm, tropical sheen that looks good on her.

"It looks good on you too," she says when he tells her, handing him her hand mirror. "Take a look."

Sora does. A little, "Wow," slips out as he stares at himself—perfectly familiar and completely alien. His eyes are a little smokier, more—sultry? Yet somehow Selphie's managed not to take away from his natural 'playfulness', as Kairi likes to call it. Though she'd also say they were 'lazy days' blue in color. 

It doesn't seem a contradiction. Nothing does, considering the different sides of himself Selphie's captured—including parts of himself Sora didn't even realize were there. His cheeks are brighter, and not just because he's blushing, and his lips shine full and inviting. Inviting what!? He wonders, even as he squeezes his legs together, feeling too hot. The rain outside pours down.

He looks away from the mirror to Selphie, her lips split in a toothy grin. "Like it?"

"I—I dunno. I think so? It's just—"

"New in unexpected ways," Selphie giggles. "You're never gonna be the person you were before you saw this side of yourself, and that's okay, yeah?"

"Yeah," Sora says, "but I—I can wipe this off when I'm done. I can't wipe away what Riku and I do, can I?"

"No. But what you and Riku and Kairi do will be so much better, I promise. Like, I'd promise that on a paopu fruit, and you know I take those seriously."

Sora rolls his eyes and smiles. "I know. But c'mon, is this all? Weren't you gonna dress me up and show off all your sex knowledge? How am I supposed to make it 'so much better' without all that?"

Selphie pinches his cheek. "Watch it, you. If you're getting cheeky that means I'm not trying hard enough."

"No you're fine!" He squeaks. Truth is a lot of his cheek's just bravado, and it fails the moment their game of dress up starts. Guess I really am getting the full tour of those unknown girly shores, he thinks, as Selphie unpacks half her wardrobe. She doesn't hesitate as she whips out fancy underwear and skirts and dresses, tiny shorts and strappy shirts. Then she's casting aside her own shirt, unbuckling her bra without warning. Sora stares, and he keeps on staring even as she drops her skirt and underwear, a string of wetness between her panties and body snapping as they fall.

Well, at least she's as into this as I am.

Still, he blushes when she turns to look at him, embarrassment building as she reminds him without words that she's not the only one who's supposed to be naked right now. He rises, takes off his shirt and shorts and underwear. There's no hiding how hard he is—red and dripping already. Her smile is as much a smirk as it is sweet, and a little hungry too. Almost, he hopes she'll pounce. She doesn't, and he breathes a sigh of relief and disappointment both when she turns her attention back to her clothes, selecting outfits for the both of them.

"I'm not gonna ask you to wear any of these for long," she says. "I just wanna see what they look like on you, okay? You've gotta keep the underwear though!"

His stomach does a flip, but it's not a bad feeling, just weird. She's definitely gonna eat me. Relief and disappointment came too soon, huh?  He hopes they're the only things that do.

Selphie picks out a set of simple but cute underwear for herself; bra and panties in warm, golden hues. They're a little softer than the usual vivid, tropical shades she wears, matching her lip balm more than anything else. They're nice though, with multiple layers of thin, lace frills, not quite delicate enough to tip the look from summer fun to dainty delicacy. Sora can't imagine Selphie going for that anyway. Riku, though...

He gulps—whether that's due to his imagination or Selphie's presence, or the fact she's about to dress him up is anyone's guess.

Selphie doesn't bother putting anything else on, apparently content in her underwear. This dress up's really all about me, huh. Her humming mingles with the rain outside as she assesses her clothes, then picks out a set of underwear and approaches him.

Another realization hits; she intends to put them on him herself.

It's, well, it's a lot to take, but he lets her, obediently stepping into his panties when she tells him too. His heart skips a beat at her commands—quick, clear guidance appreciated after the past year and a half of his life defined almost entirely by confused half-instructions, chaos, and things he really didn't want to do. And some I did, I suppose. His heart skips another beat when he notices his panties are significantly more sheer than Selphie's, the front only a little more opaque than the back. The waist has one large frill around the hem, but otherwise they're simple, neat.

"Made to go with everything," Selphie giggles. "I've only worn them a few times, but they're really not for me. You, though, you look so cute in them, Sora!" Her voice rises to a squeal as she tucks him in, his eyes snapping shut at the sensation of her hand on his cock, so warm but so brief. He twitches, but Selphie doesn't give him any attention beyond an exclamation of, "Well, looks like you're having fun!"

Sora snorts, but he's already blushing so he really can't get any more embarrassed. He does stutter when she insists he wears the matching bra to go with his panties, but that's mostly because he doesn't really know how to put it on. 

"Well duh, I'm gonna show you! C'mere!"

He does, lets her slide the straps up his arms and buckle the back, settle it over his chest just right. She adjusts his pendant too—the only piece of his own clothes he's still wearing. Neither it nor the underwear make him feel any less naked. But that's probably the point, haha...

"Ah, Sora! You're so—ah!" She squeals when she's done.

"Really?" Sora asks, voice cracking, eyes darting away. Maybe I can get more embarrassed. His cheeks are still burning, stomach knotting, dick leaking and staining his new panties. He's glad she seems okay with losing this pair of underwear, because he has a hunch this'll be the end of the line for them.

The rain pours down outside as they play—or rather Selphie does, mixing and matching the clothes she's laid upon the bed and then dressing him in them. She asks him to pose and he does; embarrassing poses, innocent poses, alluring poses, and all with a ridiculous amount of bending over. She makes him look at himself in the floor length mirror of her wardrobe, and Sora's head spins. He feels torn two ways—between the cool side of himself, the one who fights, who laughs, who lazes on the beach and goofs about with his friends, and this undeniably cute self he sees in the mirror. But both are always there, aren't they? They exist together—the same body in motion, the same heart reaching out.

His attempts at self-examination sort of fall to the wayside the more he bends though. Thoughts pool and turn to warmth, flooding his stomach as he peeks up his own skirt.

If that weren't enough, every time he turns to Selphie she's leaning back, legs spread, quite happy to show him how wet she is. It's comforting to know he's not the only one enjoying this, comforting to see the affect he has. And if I'm like this, imagine what Riku and Kairi are gonna be like when we try it out.

It's funny, how he doesn't doubt they'd want to try it. They're both more into this sort of thing than I am and I—I'm...

Well, maybe he's not one hundred percent sure about that last part, but whatever!

They go through three different dresses, five different shirt and skirt sets, a couple of outfits made up of painfully short shorts and strappy crop tops, and the most embarrassing of all, her school uniform, before she's content. He kinda wishes she'd let him know that normally, but Selphie being Selphie, she grabs him around the waist and drags him back to the bed with her school skirt still caught on one of his legs. He kicks it off, but can't quite bring himself to pout in the wake of her giggling.

"Couldn't you have just told me you'd had enough?" He asks.

"Nah," she says. "Besides, I wanted to touch you. You really are pretty, Sora. If you wear skirts more often you'll wow all the boys!"

"Shut up Selphie," he laughs, and she sticks out her tongue.

"Rude! And here I was gonna say you could wow all the girls too!"

He rolls his eyes, still laughing, but she has a point. He looks good in her clothes, would probably be able to wear some of them when he's out adventuring or going about his routine—though if it were the former he'd have to ask the Fairies to enchant them. Imagine fighting the Heartless in Selphie's school skirt. Imagine battling Nobodies in one of her summer dresses. Imagine wearing those tiny shorts and doing anything other than bending over, desperate for a fuck.

Sora shakes his head. I think I'm good with my own clothes for now. What we're doing is about so much more than that anyway.

He looks down at the girl under him. Selphie's lips quirk in a lazy smile. It's a little looser than her usual grin, but just as inviting, just as dangerous.

Just as fun.

"So, uh, what next?" He asks. He and Selphie haven't really fooled around before, but a childhood of casual camaraderie and his own recent experiences with Kairi and, less intensely, Riku, have loosened him up a bit. A lot, all things considered. I mean, I'm wearing her panties right now!

"Sex, duh," Selphie teases, adds, "I wanna teach you what Riku and Kairi like, how they like to get fucked, what it feels like to be them, maybe."

"Kairi and I have had sex though!"

"I know, but I bet there are still things I can teach you about her." She says it a little too smugly, the edge in her voice too strong, but Sora doesn't call her on it. "I can teach you about Riku too, and seeing as he's the one who's got you worried I figure that's enough."

"So what are we doing first?"

"First, I wanna see how you top, cause Kairi's pretty good at it but Riku..."

Sora cocks his head. "What's wrong with Riku?"

"Nothing really," she shrugs. "He's fine. Not a lot of 'booyaka', but fine. He's gentle, sweet, but in a 'cool' way, y'know? You pay enough attention and you can tell he's trying too hard, holding back a lot of the embarrassing bits of himself. If only he knew how cute he sounded, ahhh..." She trails off. "If you wanna hear him really whine you need him to bottom. He likes that better."

"Does he?"

"Yep. Now you," and Sora squeaks, because her hand is on his crotch, "can fuck him as you are without needing to change either of your shapes, although it might be fun if he and Kairi switch parts for a bit. Different bodies feel differently, ain't that a shocker!"

"Switch—oh! That magic Riku mentioned..."

"Mmhm, he told you, huh?"

"Yeah, but he was kinda sketchy about it."

"He's probably got the same hang ups you do," Selphie teases, reaches up to pinch his nose. Sora squawks and she giggles, lets him go and says, "I wanted to use it on you—for a round or two, maybe? It'll give you an idea how different bodies feel, and if you use it then you can really play around with positions. How you do Riku, or how you get done, or how Kairi gets to do or be done by the both of you..." She trails off, a little caught up in her own fantasies. "I could fuck you in both holes at the same time."

Sora chokes. To be fair to himself this is a lot—fucking Selphie, but also being fucked by her. "You—you wanna do it in both holes? But how would you even..."

It's his turn to trail off as Selphie reaches under her bed and takes out a rectangular box. She opens it and all Sora can say is, "Oh," before adding, "How did you get your hands on that?"

"Ah..." Selphie shrugs. "I kinda wasn't supposed to take it, but I wanted one so I figured if I snuck into that store full of adult toys and just took it and left the munny..."

Sora raises a brow, glances down at the box as Selphie opens it. A glass dildo sits inside on a plush cushion, lovely and obscene as it catches the lamplight. He blushes, swallows. It's been out of the box before he's sure, just as he's sure he can see straps peaking out from under the pillow. "Oh."

Selphie hums. "Hmmm, straps or no straps?"

"Uh—"

"I think no straps this time," she decides without his input. That's probably for the best, because Sora's tongue is floundering in his mouth. "Straps are more secure but this is, well, it's double-sided! And I've got pretty good stamina and muscles down there." She winks, laughs. "Plus it's kinda...it's easier to take it outta me that way. I can slip off it while keeping it in you, and then we don't have to stop and fiddle around with straps and buckles and all that."

"You—want to keep it in me the whole time?" He asks.

"Well, maybe not the whole time, but when you've got both holes I want you to—to feel the difference between only being fucked in one versus having something in both. The feeling changes, y'know?"

He gets the picture. "Okay, okay!" He squeaks. "Wow, Selphie, you sure..."

"Blossomed?" She grins.

"That's one word for it."

"Oi, don't be rude," she says, sets the box aside so she can give him a shove. "You can top me first though. Everyone needs a warm up."

Sora snorts. "Your turn to be rude, huh?"

"Aw, I'm not being rude Sora! I'd just get right down to doing you if I thought you'd suck. I trust you though, goofy as you are. Hey, listen, if you've got any stamina left at the end you can top me again as thanks too." A wink. "I'll compare the before and after, just so you know how all that marathon sex between you and Kairi and Riku is gonna—"

"Selphie!"

"Alright, alright, but I do wanna see if you slow down a bit. I'm not sure you know how to be mellow or gentle, Sora. You're bouncy, and probably a bit rougher than me. Not so lazy after all, huh?"

"I can be mellow! Gentle too!"

"I'm sure you can," she says, poking him in the chest, "but I kinda wanna see if taking it changes how you give it. When you switch up positions and who's in who, well, you might just switch up your approach too." She pauses, something strange in her eyes. "Maybe I do wanna judge after all. Maybe I wanna see how good you and Kairi and Riku'll be together..."

Sora wonders if he should be upset. He isn't. "Maybe you should just come over and set us all straight," he says.

"Maybe I should. I mean, Kairi is the closest thing you've got to a top after all, and she's, ah..."

"Hey!"

"I'm kidding, Sora," she says, pinching his cheek again. He ducks away with a huff, smiles at her giggle. "Well, not quite kidding. Riku's not a top and Kairi's Kairi, but you, well, I guess it's time to find out. Show me what you got, alright? 'sides, I'm too lazy to top all the time. You lot can put in the work too!"

"Well, I'm definitely not a pillow princess, so there's that."

"Good. I hope you're not, anyway, considering Riku..."

Sora's brain fries, the wet of the storm and the heat in the air not helping put the image Selphie's conjured from his mind. It should be hard to picture—competitive, eager to show off, determined to be a role model Riku, a pillow princess? But he likes it. And isn't that the point? I'm scared of the sides of him I haven't seen and yet that's exactly what I'm after. That's what I want to see. All those pieces of him, all those the pieces of me.

A change in who they were to themselves and to each other—a bond renewed.

Well, only if I do this properly! He thinks, and turns his attention to the girl beneath him.

Selphie laughs, teases him about wandering thoughts. "I'm right here, y'know! Riku's not that much prettier than me, is he?" Sora shrugs and she snorts, and on a whim he kisses her nose. He might be with her to learn more about himself, to learn about Riku and even Kairi, but he wants to spoil her too. 

I've gotta give it my all. That seems like the best way to say, 'thanks for everything, Selphie. Also, don't compare yourself to Riku—he's competitive.'

With that in mind he takes her cheek in hand, learns forward and kisses her. His fingers tangle in her hair, her hands sliding over his back. His muscles aren't as big or easy to grip as Riku's, he knows that, but he hopes they're nice for her to hold. I mean, Kairi said they were, and I know she's fine with teasing me whenever she gets the chance so it's gotta be true! Although then she teased me for puffing out my chest about it and all that, ah...

He rolls his eyes at the Kairi in his head, then leans back while tugging Selphie's legs apart to see how wet her panties are. They're soaking already, wet against his own when he settles on top of her. One hand slides up to play with her chest, the other on her hip as he kisses her, tongues sliding, pressing inside. He rolls his hips, slow at first but quickly getting into it.

His heart's already pounding, body eager and raring to go. His necklace swings between them with the speed of his thrusts, warm to the touch. He pushes against her, pressure building as he rubs his cock along the length of her slit. Her breathing comes in pants, catching, little moans slipping out whenever their lips part. Sora's mingle with hers and he can't be bothered to be embarrassed when he feels so good.

I'm always noisy anyway. Can't hold back.

With one arm still on the bed, its hand on Selphie's cheek, he reaches down with the other to slip her panties off one leg. She lifts it, ready, trembling, eyes bright with want. Her tongue darts out between her teeth, licks tropical balm off her lips.

Sora's whole body burns as he reaches into his own panties to take out his cock. He gives himself a squeeze, whines. Can't really judge Selphie for how  jittery she is when I'm shaking like this. A gentle breeze could make me come right now!

But he can't afford to do that, can't leave Selphie hanging, so he focuses, lets his cock go and strokes her instead. She's already soaking, and it's easy to gather the wet on his fingers and press them against her clit, rolling it in circles. Kairi likes that, and Selphie does too judging by her breathy little whimpers.

And Riku. Riku liked this.

Maybe I will too.

He gasps, tries to shake that thought off as he slips one, then another finger inside Selphie. She's already so loose, tilting her hips up for him, and she's lovely, really lovely, but his mind tangles. It's hard to keep Kairi and Riku out of his thoughts, hard not to imagine the three of them doing this soon, and yet he can't ignore Selphie, can't put aside his desire to make her happy, his desire to be happy. It all mixes up in the moment, the reality and the fantasies all pouring into his stomach, heat building, begging for something. Begging for everything. 

He wants to please Selphie. He wants to please Kairi and Riku. He wants them to feel good.

He wants to feel good.

"Hold on," he says, voice cracking. She doesn't tease though, merely hugs him close as he guides himself inside her. She's hot and warm, and wetter than the storm outside. A gasp slips past his lips as he pushes deeper inside her, letting go of his cock once he's settled and holding her close. He waits a moment, two, then swirls his hips.

He can be slow—I can be mellow, I swear!—but maybe not right now. Anxiety and desire and the boundless energy bottled inside him release, coming out in quick, small thrusts as he fucks Selphie. She clenches around him, breathy, moaning, and he can hear his voice, an echo of her own. He buries his head where her shoulder meets her neck and kisses her, tries to keep the noise down.

"No one's here," Selphie says. "My parents are—ah—visiting friends." She laughs, voice tripping up into a whine. "Wouldn't hear us over the storm anyway."

He can't tell her his sounds are making it harder to hold out. He can't tell her he has to kiss her, has to let some of the heat sloshing inside his stomach escape or else it'll overflow and spill everywhere before he's really started.

He can't tell her, but he can show her, because she's warm and wet and lovely and lively and fuck, he's so excited, so ready for this, so ready for more that all he can manage is, "I'm gonna, I'm gonna—"

And then Selphie spasms around him, moan a pitch too high, and Sora can only distantly wonder if his voice was what she needed as he lets go. The heat floods out of him and into her, and he sinks into the feeling of Selphie around him—her arms, and her cunt.

They collapse then, Sora dropping down beside her only to sit back up a moment later when he realizes he's getting cum all over her panties and bed sheets. He tries to wipe it off, apologizes, but she just laughs and gives him a gentle push. "C'mon," she says, "you're gonna need to eat something if you wanna be up for round two. Get to it mister, before you make a bigger mess!"

He blushes, but doesn't protest. Head buried between her legs, he laps at the cum spilling onto the bed, eats himself out of her, rubs his tongue over her folds and shivers at how soft and wet she is, how open and easy. Like Kairi is.

Like Riku too?

Like I could be?

"Good, that's good," Selphie murmurs, pets his hair, and he laughs.

"What am I, a dog?" He complains, but he's not unhappy.

"Yep," she says, "my pretty, pampered puppy. Now up boy! Get on your hands and knees!"

He yelps when she smacks his ass as he crawls by. It's not enough to sting—just enough to feel owned. The feeling shocks him as much as it stirs something in his stomach. The tangles are back, flower stems twining, petals ready to open and reveal something messy and beautiful. Something strange. Something new.

That feeling sits in his stomach, though it takes a backseat to curiosity as he watches her remove the glass dildo from its box. She slathers it in a fruity lube from her bedside drawer, humming softly. That's going in... Sora thinks, and then stops.

"Do you eat well, Sora?"

The question catches him off guard. "Uh." He has to think, but he's sure he does. Goofy made sure we always had healthy meals on the Gummi Ship, and the stuff we ate travelling the worlds was pretty varied but probably good overall—

Then he realizes why she's asking and flusters, stutters a, "Yeah, I eat—fine, I eat fine, yeah, ahhh..."

Her laughter mingles with the distant thunder. "Okay," she says. "Just checking." Then her hands slide to the hem of his panties, slipping them down over the curve of his ass and parting his cheeks. Sora strangles a cry—not upset, just a little surprised. His heart's hammering again, but he's curious, stomach full of butterflies. Selphie's murmuring comforting nonsense behind him, her breath against his back. She trails lower and lower, and it dawns on him what she's about to do. His arms shake.

Still, he's not that nervous when she asks, "You ready?" and he hums his response.

All the butterflies in his stomach freak when hot lips press against him though, wet between his cheeks. It's—he doesn't know how to describe it. Kairi gave him a blowjob once, but it's nothing like that. It's different, almost too different, and yet so sweet and painfully intimate all at once. It has his fingers squeezing the pillow, snarling in the sheets. How do I look with a girl eating my ass and my panties bunched around my thighs?

He chucks that thought aside, lets the storm wash it away. Who cares how he looks when he can feel her tongue inside him, working him open while he squirms. He tilts his hips back, body opening up for her. Easy. It's easy. I'm easy, he realizes. When she pulls back and presses a single, lubed finger inside, he shudders, back curving, and then his head's down and his ass is up, shame abandoned. Whines tumble out of him as he begs, wordlessly. More, more, more!

Her finger in him is so hot—strange, but not too strange. Kairi'd already slipped one inside him when she'd sucked him off that once. He'd come so fast then. He hopes he doesn't give a repeat performance. C'mon Sora, hold on! He takes a deep breath when she pushes another finger inside him, then a third, rubbing against his walls until he's twitching, painfully sensitive and so very full. Don't come, he begs himself.

"Alright," Selphie says, "I think you're ready." A relieved sigh escapes him and she laughs. "Did something for you, huh?"

"Yeah," Sora mutters, burying his head in the pillow.

"Embarrassed?" She asks.

"Nah." He lifts his head and looks back, snorts when she ruffles his hair with her clean hand. "Oi!"

"I reckon you will be, in a bit," she says, grinning.

"Sure," he says, watches as she rises to grab a drink and rinse out her mouth. His eyes flit over to her flowers. "Sure..."

He is, he realizes. But that isn't so bad. I got embarrassed a lot on my journeys through the worlds and still had a good time. I learned so much then. I'm learning plenty now. His lips twitch and he smiles at the flowers, bright blossoms open wide and baring all in the dim lit room. That's me.

His cheeks burn at the thought. Okay, now that's embarrassing. What a thought, Sora.

But it's true, and he feels it deep inside as his eyes dart to where Selphie stands, sliding one end of her glass toy inside herself. The butterflies in his stomach have made a knot, but all the same he's ready. He wiggles his ass when Selphie looks down at him, grins when she laughs.

"Cheeky!" She says, wiggles her eyebrows. Sora groans at the pun, then shivers when she places a hand on his hip. "Just focus on feeling, okay Sora? Think about what feels good for you, but also what might feel good for Riku and Kairi. You never know what will come in handy, especially since you three are all a little different. If you change up how you play regularly then everything could be useful! Plus with all your magic—body changing, elemental spells, who knows what you can do? But it all starts with this—the bodies we've got."

"Thank you for your horny wisdom," Sora says. She cackles behind him and he smiles, but there's more to say. He waits for her to stop then adds, "And what about you?"

"Me?"

Sora peers back over his shoulder and looks at her. "Should I think about what feels good for you?"

Her eyes widen and something in Sora twinges. Almost, he asks if she thought he didn't care, if she thought Riku and Kairi didn't care. She smiles though, warm and sweet, and he doesn't get the chance.

"I'm gonna get what feels good for me so don't you worry, 'kay?" She giggles, gives his ass a squeeze. "But if you wanna think of me, go ahead. You're gonna experience a whole lot, so surely you'll be able to pick out something you think I enjoy. Or maybe that 'surely' should be a 'hopefully', huh?"

"Oi!"

"I'm kidding," she says. Her voice softens as she adds, "Just follow your heart, Sora. You're good at that." 

It could've been said unkindly, even sarcastically, but Selphie makes it sound sweet. A little foolish, yes, and yet so very wonderful. Something in him turns giddy, gooey at the praise, and he melts into the bed. It's good timing, as Selphie's dildo presses against him the moment he relaxes.

It's harder than an actual cock—I'll be feeling that soon though, he thinks and shivers. The solidity of the toy doesn't help his shaking, yet there's something pleasant about its smooth surface. The glass is a little cool, not warm yet despite the heat of the day. The contrast draws him into the moment as the head of the dildo pushes inside and rubs against the place Selphie teased so mercilessly earlier. He moans. Tension's building inside him already; wet, humid pleasure in his stomach.

Riku felt this without magic. Kairi could feel it with magic. And me...I...

It feels so good. Think—remember, Sora, what feels good! But everything save feeling seems secondary, refusing to stick in his mind even as his arms stick to the sheets, his skin slick against Selphie's as she leans forward, pulls back, fucking into him steadily. The slap of skin against skin is loud despite the storm. Fuck, Kairi—Kairi needs one of these, and she could fuck me like this, fuck me when I'm transformed, and fuck Riku—and—and—

A whole world of possibilities appear before him, doors opening like the petals of a flower parting, revealing all.

He squeezes around the toy on Selphie's next thrust, hears a hushed, "Oh, that feels..." He doesn't know how his movements affect the end inside her, just that it must be good. He does it again and again, gets her moaning. Even if he didn't want to he didn't think he could stop, body tensing with every pound of her cock. It all felt so—so—

"Ah!" He pushes back as she fucks into him, panting and whining. Heat pools inside him as she rubs against his walls, his cock bouncing outside the confines of his panties. The straps of his bra slip down his shoulders, and the gloss on his lips is smeared—both from eating her out and burying his face in the pillow, writhing desperately. "Selphie I can't, I can't—"

"It's okay," she murmurs, "just let go."

Sora does, whole body tensing as the head of Selphie's cock presses hard against that spot inside him. His cock throbs, and there's nothing he can do to stop himself as he comes all over her bed, gasping as she fucks him through his orgasm. There's something strange about her thrusts, and his legs nearly give out when he realizes it's because she's clenching around the end of the toy inside her, coming as she gets him off.

Her hand on him is the only thing keeping him upright now. She's whispering something—An incantation? Oh! There's an odd sensation behind him, and when he glances back, bleary-eyed, he can see she's taken the dildo out of her body, although the other half is still deep in his ass. He squeezes around it, whole body tingling and shaking and—

"Woah!"

There it is. A subtle shift in the way his body feels. The place inside him Selphie's toy had pressed against vanishes, although pleasure remains. The fullness is sweet, and squeezing around the glass cock feels good. But the sensation is different. It's...oh.

That's when it really hits him. I have a...oh. He glances down between his legs and blushes. Ah...okay. 

He struggles to wrap his head around it. It's so different, and yet some of the pleasure isn't that unlike what he feels with a cock. That doesn't mean his brain doesn't fry again, catching sight of his new pussy through his transparent panties, soaking wet beneath the fabric. Selphie's going to fuck me like this, just like she fucked Riku.

Shivers run over his skin. Does he want to curl inward and hide or arch his back out, inviting?

Is that even a question?  He wonders. Everything is a lesson here, every experience like water to his roots. Flowers. It's all flowers here, opening up. Selphie and her weird metaphors. They're alright by him though, because they get to the point. Sora feels good, and he wants to make others feel the same. That's what this is. I want to make sure everything that changes between me and Riku changes for the best.

And this is the best.

"You're so cute," Selphie murmurs, out of breath. It's then he sees her—her cock sliding between his thighs, rubbing along his cunt through his panties. She's pretty, and so very hard and hot. The sight of it, combined with her hand toying with the dildo inside him, teasing, sends a surge of shyness and arousal both through Sora. He pushes the former aside though, lets the latter fill him as he grinds his hips back against her. I want it. I want it so much. I want you to fuck me. I want to get fucked!

"Aw, that's sweet!" Selphie says, and Sora chokes. 

"Did I—"

"Say that out loud? Yep," Selphie teases. "I'm flattered though. You're so much better at being honest than Riku. Or maybe you're just better at being open? Riku's so good at muddying the waters." He can hear her roll her eyes, though there's real affection in her voice.

"I'll help him open up. Riku won't need to hide anything again," Sora says. "Not that we could've got that far without you."

Selphie sighs. "If you're as good at opening Riku up as you are at opening up yourself I don't think you'll need me at all. You three are gonna be so good together, I just know it."

Something twinges in Sora again. The storm is loud right now, wind battering and rain pounding, but still he catches the sad edge to her exhale. Something bitter and lonely, despite the warmth in her voice.

Warmth.

Heat.

He opens his mouth to say something but then one of her hands slides down from his hips and between his legs. He gasps, bites his lip as her fingers dip under the waistband of his underwear, wet and gliding over his clit. A moan slips out, sparks bursting like lightning in his stomach at the touch. It's so lovely, so like and yet unlike having a cock. There's a strange urge in him, almost like he wants to pee, but he doesn't.

It builds as she plays with him, toys with his clit while she slides the toy in and out of his ass. He squirms, cries, too much new, too much sensation. It's all so, so good, and even though he's not sure how he'll feel thinking back on this moment and realizing this writhing, whining boy is him, he's sure he won't see it as bad. Because it isn't, it's just—

"Selphie," he gasps. "Please."

"Hmmm, but your panties," she says, toying with the hem. "I don't wanna take them off, but I guess I'll have to." She sighs, long and loud, and then she slips her hand out, grabs the fabric over his cunt and rips. Sora squeaks at the feeling of air directly against his pussy—the waist of the panties still present, but the entire middle section torn. He's completely bare, and his legs shoot closed before he can stop them. The instinctual embarrassment is just that though, instinctual, and when he feels Selphie's thumb brushing against his thigh he relaxes. She nudges the toy still inside him and he squeaks again, shutting his legs. "Sora," she giggles.

"Just give me a second!" He grumbles. "I didn't expect you to take them off like that."

"Alright," she says, still rubbing his thigh, "but did you like it?"

He pauses.

"Yes."

She sounds a little too pleased when he spreads his legs again, cooing as he comes to terms with being taken like this—on his hands and knees.

Except the moment he does come to terms she's turning him over. She guides him gently onto his back, holding his legs wide and keeping the toy inside him. "Hello," she sings when he's finished rolling. Sora covers his face, only removing his hands when she kisses them. "C'mon. Riku likes this, y'know? I guess you might not, but he does. He's got a lot of funny feelings tangled up deep inside him and he's shy about it. As it turns out though, he's the kind of person whose body does sexy things with both funny feelings and shyness. Neat, huh?"

"You ate him alive," Sora says, wrinkles his nose when she kisses it, then kisses hers back just to see her do the same.

"Yeah," she says, "and now I wanna show you how that feels."

Sora breathes in deep, nods. His thighs shake as the head of Selphie's cock settles at his hole, teasing again. His heart pounds, fingers in the sheets. When she doesn't press forward he does, trying to be subtle as he tilts his hips up just enough that the tip of her cock slips inside. Selphie's brows shoot up, and then there's a gleam to her eyes. She licks her lips and he blushes.

"Cute," she says. "I guess you boys are all alike, huh? Just waiting to get eaten up."

"A—ah," is all Sora manages as she presses in slowly, hot and throbbing and alive against the inside of his cunt. She slides deeper until he can feel her crotch come to rest again him, leaving him perfectly full in both holes. He can't resist shifting, feeling two, thick cocks inside him; two different textures, different parts of his body once untouched, now awakening to something new. There's so much pressure inside him he can't help but twitch, gasp when Selphie grinds against him, one of her hands taking hold of the dildo and thrusting once, deep and slow.

She doesn't wait long to get going, that first thrust being joined by more. She fucks into him rhythmically, brushing up against some sweet place inside his cunt. It leaves him squirming, frantic, scrabbling against the bed. His breath escapes him in pants. It's like the place inside his ass when he's a man, and yet not—everything so familiar, yet so strange. Every time he tenses he realizes just how full he is, and he tenses often because Selphie's hand keeps going between the dildo and his clit, toying with both while her other hand presses into the bed. Her chest brushes against his, hot and slick skin against skin.

The sounds are obscene, but all that does is make Sora wetter. He's practically gushing, a fact which makes Selphie squeal in delight. Sora turns away, but he can't escape the kiss she leaves on his cheek. "You keep rolling your hips," she murmurs. "If I put you on top you'd bounce. Not really a pillow princess, are you?"

"N—no, I to—told you so," Sora says, shivering, "although I—I like—"

"Like?"

His brain's gone foggy, the burning, wet air of the storm outside filling his head. "Like being—ah!"

"Like being fucked into the mattress?"

"Ah!"

Selphie makes a happy sound—chirpy and bright, broken by a moan. She likes that. She likes this. So do I. He's so wet. Maybe too wet. He doesn't think Kairi or Selphie were this wet, but maybe that's okay. He's drowning in the feeling, in every thrust and pound of Selphie's cock into his cunt. Even when he feels like he might actually piss himself he doesn't hold back, lets his voice spill out in cries and whines. He moans, begs breathlessly for more, for harder, faster, deeper, and Selphie obliges with enthusiasm. 

She fucks him once more, twice more, his clit between her fingers, and it's too much. Sora is helpless, hips twitching, and his body his hot all over. "Selphie I'm gonna—I'm gonna—"

"Just let go," she whispers. "Blossom."

Sora does. He's burning and wet and so full, and all he can do is let go. He cries out, legs clamping tight around Selphie's hips, and he wets himself. Shame flushes through him but Sora can't stop, won't stop squirting and moaning, body shuddering. His hands go up around Selphie's shoulders, holding onto her as his body's release rolls through him like waves. Inside, he can feel something hot and warm filling him up—Selphie's cum, he realizes.

"I—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" 

"You squirted," Selphie says, breathless herself. "Oh wow, Sora! I can't even do that most of the time and here you are doing it first go!"

"It's not pee?" He stammers.

"No, Sora, you didn't wet yourself. It's fine. You're fine."

"And you're fine?"

She smiles. "I'm fine."

That's all Sora needs to hear. He lets himself go completely, squirting and squeezing Selphie until they're both collapsing on her bed, soaked and empty.

What follows is a little blurry. Sora's fucked out, but he's aware enough to feel Selphie slide the toy out of him and give it a little spritz with a bottle from under her bed. She drops the toy on a towel when she's done, then settles back down next to him. They cuddle, bodies tangling together. She's cooing and he smiles, let's her indulge herself as he draws her in closer for a snuggle.

He'll give her what she's owed when the rain slows down, but for the moment he's content to be mellow.

It's only a short wait before their bodies shift back though, all Selphie's cum squeezed out of his body and onto his thighs. He rolls so he's on top of her, gazes down at her sweaty, tired face. They must both look like they've been drenched in the downpour outside. It's quieter now though, softer. About to end.

But not yet, he thinks, presses a hand to her cheek. She leans into and smiles. "One more?" He asks.

"One more," she says.

It's slow, gentle. Perhaps it's odd for two of Destiny Island's most energetic teens to have sex like this, but it feels right in the moment. Sora's underwear is in tatters and Selphie's are gone, and there's no barrier between them as he slides inside. There's no rush, both of them already spent. Still, he wants her—and Kairi and Riku, and anyone he'll ever care about—to feel loved, even when they're done for the day. 

I want everyone who's a part of me, my heart, my life, to feel connected, to feel...

He doesn't have the words, his brain melted to such a degree he can't put a proper sentence together. Instead, he looks to the blooms—to change and growth, good and strange and scary, connected to sun and water and earth and love—and then to Selphie. I want them to feel like our hearts are open to each other, he manages, and safe. I want them to feel good and safe, no matter where we are or where we're going.

And yeah, that'll do it.

His eyes get a little teary as he holds her. There's so much change, so much to be afraid of fucking up. He hugs her and there's that twinge again— guilt. He thinks of her earlier sadness, her flashes of bitterness and wonders, How much do you love her? How much do you like him? Are we both afraid of this sort of change—things we thought settled now messy and strange again?

Probably, he decides. But we'll figure it out.

He swallows back his tears, draws back so he can see the bright green of her eyes. "Thanks Selphie," he says.

Her smile's true when she says, "Thank yourself, dummy. You've got nothing to worry about, y'know? You're gonna be great."

"Thanks to you."

"Fine, fine," she giggles, "lavish me with thanks and praise!" She hugs him close again, lays his head on her chest. He can feel her heartbeat; steady and true after everything. "You're a big doofus."

"Takes one to know one," he says, and her laughter gets louder and sweeter.

It doesn't take long for them to come. It's neither as big or bombastic as their other orgasms, but that's fine. The storm is over, all that's left the ghosts of heat and wet. An end is just a change. The end of a bud, the beginning of a blossom. A renewal of the self.

Sora smiles, slips out of Selphie, and settles by her side to doze. The weight of the weather returns, but the weight on Sora's back is lighter. As the weight in my pocket will be when this is done.

For now though they rest, entirely at ease.

 

---

 

The sun returns while they're sitting around Selphie's table, wearing light sundresses and nothing else. Sora can't bring himself to be bothered by the feminine clothes. They're comfortable and breezy, sweet against his skin. The print on his dress is of island flowers, Selphie's fruit and leaves. His crown pendant hangs outside the confines of the dress, metal cooling, and the condensation that drips off his glass is refreshing—almost more so than the juice itself.

"You were good," Selphie says. She's sitting opposite him, her face clean of makeup and her hair clipped back.  "Like, really good. The full booyaka."

"The full booyaka?"

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"You still remember what that word means after a whole year away?"

"...Nope."

Selphie cackles. "Sora!"

"I know it's a good thing!" He complains. "Isn't that the important part?"

"I guess," she says, adds, "and I mean it Sora. You were good. Really good. If you take everything you felt today and think about it, you'll have an easier time dealing with the changes happening between you and Riku. It's true you might lose something and be unable to get it back, but after what happened today, well, is that really so bad?"

"Hm," Sora hums. "Well, I think we'll be alright. I don't think I'm gonna be shocked by anything at least. Still, thanks Selphie. I feel like half my 'booyaka' was just me responding to you."

"Well, sex often involves more than one person so responding to them probably means you're doing it right. I guess I was just the lucky spot of sunshine that helped you blossom, huh?"

He laughs. "Yeah, I guess you were."

It's true though, he thinks, that she's been the lucky spot of sunshine for all of us. She was there for Kairi when Riku and I weren't, and she was there for Riku when he was aching and lonely, when we couldn't reach him. And now she's been there for him, provided skills and tools and ideas to help him down this new road he's walking. Teaching him how to be with the people he loves while she's on the outside looking in.

Let's change that. He takes another sip of his drink. The bloom blossoms, open up to its new life. The time to be buds is over.

Selphie's idling, looking out her open window. Everything's soaked, the sun bold in the blue sky. All the colors of the world seem brighter, the gentle breeze off the sea a sweet reprieve from the heat.

He thinks of the weight still waiting in the pocket of his shorts and reaches out, rummages until he finds it.

"Hey Selphie."

"Yeah?"

"I really meant it when I said thank you. You've helped the three of us a lot."

"It's no problem," she sing songs, bring her head to rest in the cup of one hand, elbow on the table. He takes a breath.

"I'm serious, Selphie. Thank you, and..."

"And?"

"I want to ask you something. I want to ask you to do something."

"Something more than what we just did?" She asks, still playful.

"Yeah."

She removes her cocked head from her hand, wraps them both around her drink. He's glad she doesn't take a sip. He doesn't want her to spill it. Another breath.

"Kairi wants to see you."

A pause. She goes still, the flowers swaying in the breeze the only movement in the room. He sees something bright glitter in her green eyes, and then they dull just like that.

"I dunno Sora," she sighs. "I kinda feel like you three are just getting into the groove of things. You've still got a lot to deal with. Kairi, she...she missed you two so much, and you and Riku..." She comes to a stop, stuck. Sora sees her swallow around a lump in her throat.

"Friends, lovers, you miss 'em," he says, "but we're all here now. She really wants to talk to you, Selphie, and Riku and I—well, we'd like you to. We'd like to be there. We'd like to talk to you too."

Another pause. He can see her wavering, sees her jaw wobble for just a moment. She swallows again and it stills. "There's a lot of reasons I don't think I should, Sora."

"Like?"

"You guys have a history, one that...that goes beyond these islands. That might even go beyond this world." She bows her head. "I wouldn't mind being with you three, but I feel like you're gonna go again and I—I don't really want to go. I don't want to leave, but I—" She shakes her head. "I don't expect you to tell me what happened between you or what happened to you. I don't expect a paopu fruit. I don't expect anything, not really. But it'll hurt too much when you go, and without knowing when or if you'll come back I—I've..."

Hurt enough.

Silence. Sora swallows this time. He doesn't know if this is what she needs, but he hopes it is. He hopes it makes up for all her hurt.

He takes the weight in his hand and holds it out to her.

Selphie stills. The wayfinder sits upon his palm, each thalassa shell bound to its fellows by Kairi's stitches. In the center is a little carved likeness of Selphie holding a star. Two small, glass beads hang from it—one red, one blue. Sora, Riku. They're promises of friendship, alongside one of love.

"It's our oath," he says, as she stares, trembling. "It's our oath to you and the Destiny Islands. We'll come back one day, I promise. Sometimes we'll come back apart and other times we'll come back together, but we will come back, all three of us. That's our promise."

He means it, every word. It's honest and true, and Selphie is staring. He holds the charm for her until she reaches out and takes it, looks down at it while caressing each shell. "She finished it," she whispers, alongside other words Sora can't and doesn't need to hear.

Then she's crying, and Sora goes around the table to her side. He holds her as she sobs, clutching the charm close. "Talk to Kairi," he says, "please."

"Okay," she whispers. "Okay.

 

---

 

Selphie takes a breath, a little shaky. She's put on her prettiest sundress, done her hair up all nice. She's got a basket with a thermos in it; homemade fruit juice, just a little gift. Her feet carry her down one of the many roads of Destiny Islands, her steps neither light nor mired.

She'd been to see Wakka and Tidus earlier, needed one last round of encouragement as well as compliments for her hair and outfit. There'd been no way for her to guess they'd get her a good luck gift—a bright orange ribbon, for eternal promises made at sunset. She'd tied it in her hair.

Romantics, all of us, she'd thought, and had to dab her eyes. They'd given her so many hugs and well wishes. Wakka'd even picked her up and spun her around. Tidus had spent half their time together sniffling, needed to wipe his nose on the back of his hand too many times to count.

"It'll be okay, ya?" Wakka said. "It'll be great, Selphie—and don't worry about us! We've got each other, and I've got Lu now. She even says she'll put up with Tidus, hah!"

"Hey!"

The three of them had laughed, then Wakka'd added, more soberly, "She said she'd be fine with you too, but we all kinda get the feeling this is...different. A new arrangement, ya?"

"Just do what you gotta do," Tidus said, "and know you can hang with us whenever you like. The two of us are good for now and Lulu's happy, so go get what's waiting on the horizon for you, Selphie. Maybe I will too, one day."

"It's a pixie girlfriend," Selphie teased, "and Wakka's balls."

"My balls?" Wakka frowned. "And a pixie? Tidus, brudda, you gotta watch out for those. They're cheeky, all of 'em..."

His tone was light though, and they'd laughed. They were happy.

It had been awkward explaining the situation to them the week before, but they'd taken it in stride. Now their words meant the world to her. All six of us have been friends since we were kids. This is our group, always has been, and it's changing...but they're happy for us and I'm happy for them, and that's what matters.

She swallows now, takes the last few steps down the road. The beach is in sight, the day sunny and warm. Not too balmy, not too buzzy. She reaches into her pocket with her free hand and squeezes her charm.

Sora. Riku.

Kairi.

An oath to return, to their home and their friends.

To her.

Selphie comes to a stop on the doorstep of a small, secluded house. It was abandoned up until a few weeks ago, damaged in a storm years back with no one willing to mend it and move in. It's been repaired recently though, built of the same warm wood as most of the houses on this part of the islands. It's a nice contrast, she thinks, to the white and beige brick closer to the center of town. The front garden is overflowing with flowers and chimes hang from the awning. It's pretty, and even if it's no more than a shack in the end, it's theirs—a home away from their families' houses and too many questions they can't answer.

But what about the questions you can answer, Selphie?

She exhales. Her heart thunders in her chest. She lets go of the lucky charm and raises her hand to knock. Hesitates.

Breathe, Selphie.

She does, turns for a moment to look out at the horizon. It's when she turns back her eyes catch it, hanging by the door with its vines and leaves trailing from its pot. It's bright, beautiful, surrounded by blossoms of pink and white, red, and blue. It sits there in all its gold-orange glory; a tender, tropical bloom, newly unfurled and ready to face the world.

She smiles, knocks on the door, and is welcomed inside.