[ Two reasons, Quentin: the magician is wrecked by injury and fatigue, and Riku is that strong, he's tried to gain the strength to protect what and who is important to him since he was five, maybe almost as long as Quentin has yearned for a world of magic, for something greater.
Quentin arches like the nearly drowned drawing their first sweet breath of anything that isn't water bruising the insides of their lungs. He gasps again and it's not perfect, but it's better.
Riku looks down at him like he can't believe he's hearing his gratitude. Like Quentin is the one who threw him a life preserver while the waves grew high enough to slap him back down into their depths. ]
It worked.
[ It's different and that's what makes it stand out, the smile that suddenly breaks out across Riku's face, that makes his sea-colored eyes light up in the lantern-light.
Because he's never actually been happy before, not in Quentin's presence. Not since Kairi went missing and washed up on the shore of the lake for someone else to find. Not since Sora left and not since he felt Dawn's existence torn straight out of his heart and burned up like a bit of flash-paper.
His head sags from his shoulders in relief, and then, he pushes one arm beneath Quentin's shoulders, seeking to pull him into sitting up. Carefully. ]
Call us even. You helped a lot of us today.
[ Riku lowers his other arm and with it, the Keyblade grasped in his fist. As he does, the emblem that dangles from the butt of the weapon stands out, stark and dark against his pale fingers. ]
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Quentin arches like the nearly drowned drawing their first sweet breath of anything that isn't water bruising the insides of their lungs. He gasps again and it's not perfect, but it's better.
Riku looks down at him like he can't believe he's hearing his gratitude. Like Quentin is the one who threw him a life preserver while the waves grew high enough to slap him back down into their depths. ]
It worked.
[ It's different and that's what makes it stand out, the smile that suddenly breaks out across Riku's face, that makes his sea-colored eyes light up in the lantern-light.
Because he's never actually been happy before, not in Quentin's presence. Not since Kairi went missing and washed up on the shore of the lake for someone else to find. Not since Sora left and not since he felt Dawn's existence torn straight out of his heart and burned up like a bit of flash-paper.
His head sags from his shoulders in relief, and then, he pushes one arm beneath Quentin's shoulders, seeking to pull him into sitting up. Carefully. ]
Call us even. You helped a lot of us today.
[ Riku lowers his other arm and with it, the Keyblade grasped in his fist. As he does, the emblem that dangles from the butt of the weapon stands out, stark and dark against his pale fingers. ]
Good job, hero.