Roxas relaxes the slightest amount when Riku doesn't argue his case, having half-expected him to do exactly that. He hadn't set it as a test, at least not consciously so, but it's another point in Riku's favor that he can go without justifying himself. Add them all up and it might eventually bring them back to a neutral starting point of zero.
(If he really thinks about it, he has to admit that would be nice. He's not Sora anymore, but theirs is a connection that can't be severed, and he doesn't like the idea of Sora feeling torn between them. And if he really, really thinks about it, he'll have to acknowledge that while Sora could feel what he felt, it also went both ways—he can't pretend he doesn't know exactly how much affection his other half has for Riku.)
"I guess so," he says, and actually laughs. "As much of any of this makes sense. He told me some of what happened during the exam. It sounded pretty crazy."
And he's not at all sure he's got a handle on it yet. He missed some details, for sure, and the ones he did get were more than a little complicated. But it's still only his first day here; they have time.
"I'm glad you could come help him," he adds after a moment. "And not just because if bad things happen to Sora, they happen to me too. I like him."
It feels a little silly that such a short, simple phrase can feel so weighty, but it does. The sheer impact of Sora's existence should make him more than just a boy who Roxas can like or dislike, but he's that, too, and Roxas does.
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(If he really thinks about it, he has to admit that would be nice. He's not Sora anymore, but theirs is a connection that can't be severed, and he doesn't like the idea of Sora feeling torn between them. And if he really, really thinks about it, he'll have to acknowledge that while Sora could feel what he felt, it also went both ways—he can't pretend he doesn't know exactly how much affection his other half has for Riku.)
"I guess so," he says, and actually laughs. "As much of any of this makes sense. He told me some of what happened during the exam. It sounded pretty crazy."
And he's not at all sure he's got a handle on it yet. He missed some details, for sure, and the ones he did get were more than a little complicated. But it's still only his first day here; they have time.
"I'm glad you could come help him," he adds after a moment. "And not just because if bad things happen to Sora, they happen to me too. I like him."
It feels a little silly that such a short, simple phrase can feel so weighty, but it does. The sheer impact of Sora's existence should make him more than just a boy who Roxas can like or dislike, but he's that, too, and Roxas does.