The Kiss

Noel hated the fact that Caius was the most popular boy in the Academy. He was two years older than him and a pretty boy at that. But they were childhood friends; he, Caius and Yeul were always together.

He watched as his female classmates crowded round him trying to get his number. It was sickening. He turned and faced the front of the class waiting for Professor Estheim to arrive. Noticing the sour look on his face, Yeul stopped by his desk.

"You shouldn't be so sour," she said giggling. She could tell how Caius' popularity irritated him. Caius was the cool kind, but he had a devilish side that only the three of them knew. In front of others, Caius was tolerable to his fans, being polite and smiling them fake happiness. But to Yeul and Noel, he was cunning and always cracking jokes. He was also very protective over his childhood friends and had the tendency of getting obsessional over things he was passionate about.

"I'm not sour," Noel replied defiantly. The girl smiled at him before taking her seat a couple of rows down. Professor Hope Estheim arrived at that time, making Caius' fan girls disperse allowing him to reach his seat behind Noel.

"Jealous, Noel?" Caius chimed behind him. The brown haired youth sent his senior a dirty look before turning his attention to the front. They were learning about the history of the fal'cie and l'cie that Noel could feel his brain switching off and his eyelids begin to close. A sharp tap on the head jolts him awake.

He turns around and glares evilly at the purple-haired boy, who smirks smugly in response. He's holding some rolled up paper and playfully bounces it on his shoulder. Un-impressed Noel goes back to his work.

Time seemed to have stopped as the class dragged on for what seemed like a lifetime. Noel had given up on staying awake; his head resting in his hand as he closed his eyes and dreamed of his fighting sessions. Professor Estheim walked quietly to the unsuspecting student and slapped the wooden ruler he was holding onto the desk causing the boy to jerk up. His classmates laughed as Noel turned beetroot.

"As you enjoy sleeping through my lessons, you will remain behind after school to learn from textbook," the white haired young man told the youth. It pissed Noel off but he had no choice. The shuffling of chairs filled the room as his fellow classmates left. Sulking at his desk, he got the book he was to read and began from the very beginning. Again. Caius remained in his seat and watched his friend.

"Caius, you do not need to remain." Hearing this Noel turned round to find his friend grinning.

"I'm going back to Noel's today as my parents are out of town," he replied coolly. This was the first Noel had heard of it, but he was used to Caius inviting himself over. Caius continued to grin at Noel but smiled sweetly to his teacher. Noel grinned back. He wasn't going to be alone.

An hour passed as the two read from their respective books. Noel kept fidgeting, scratching his head as he came across something he didn't understand. Caius was used to the tell tales of his friend's struggles. Placing his book down he went and sat at the desk in front of Noel and turned the chair so it faced Noel rather than away from him.

"What are you stuck on?" Caius asked calmly.

"Nothing," Noel replied stubbornly. Caius raised an eyebrow to make it known to the young blockhead that he didn't believe him. Noel ignored him. Peering at the book he was reading, Caius could make out the drawings of the cie'th that attacked Bodum several hundred years ago.

"You know you could ask for help now and then instead of being stubborn."

"I'm not stuck!"

Caius looked at Noel. His brown hair covered his eyes as he bent over the book trying to study, his blue eyes statically looking over the pages. Noel was getting annoyed by his friend's interference. He didn't need to be there, and he knew that he could've walked to his house and went in without Noel being there. He practically lived there.

It was no use. None of the words on the page were sinking in and they had been there for two hours already. Noel sighed.

"C'mon," he said shutting the book and placing it in his bag. Within a few minutes they were leaving the school and making their way back to Noel's house at the edge of the town.

They walked in silence. It was a long walk and they rarely had anything to talk about any more. It was awkward. Noel had been feeling that the distance between the two friends was growing for a long time whilst Caius was being hounded by girls. He sighed.

"You sigh a lot," Caius said.

"I do not."

"And you deny things a lot too."

"I do not!" Noel was getting irritated. He didn't need his friend to point out the obvious. Caius looked at him, his face void of emotion. Noel ignored him. But when the silence grew too great for him to handle, Noel finally snapped. "What?"

"You don't talk to me any more," Caius answered. Noel stopped in his tracks and looked at Caius. It was true. They didn't talk as much but they were living in two different worlds. It didn't stop Noel from feeling guilty though. Afterall, it was he who made the gap between them in the first place, all because he hated the girls fawning over his best friend. He sighed as he continued walking.

"You don't have time for me any more. Now that you have your fan girls following you everywhere," Noel stated. He dared not look at the tall boy. He wanted it always to be him, Caius and Yeul.

"You know I don't have any control over those girls," Caius responded, a little irritation entered his tone. Noel knew this but he still couldn't help it. Caius glanced at him from the side. "Are you jealous of those girls?"

"No," Noel denied immediately. It was Caius' turn to sigh.

"Then why do you make such a fuss about those girls? You know they don't mean anything to me."

They were getting closer to Noel's house and he picked up the pace to get away from the question and from Caius. He didn't want his friend baring his soul too soon. He wasn't ready to tell him.

Of course it was no use. Noel didn't have any parents and Caius would just let himself in and bug him until he spilled. Caius kept pace with Noel. It only took one step for Caius to match Noel's two. They reached the door and Noel sighed once again.

Turning to his best friend, he wore a face filled with guilt and sadness. "I don't think we're in the same world any more."

"What do you mean?" Caius' face was calm. He was close to Noel and he could see that something else was bugging him. Noel looked away.

"We're in two different worlds. You're the popular kid who everyone adores and I'm just me." Noel looked away, which made Caius draw closer to him. When he felt his friend's presence he turned back to him. "I just wanted it to be me, you and Yeul always."

They stared at each other for a few minutes. Noel could tell that Caius was pondering on his words, as if trying to find the right words to ease his friend's insecurity. When Caius finally decided, he took Noel's face in both his hands and clashed his lips onto the younger boy's.

Shock was one of the emotions Noel was feeling. Confusion was another. Caius' purple hair fell over their faces hiding them from onlookers. His lips were warm and moist and his eyes were closed. Noel was stunned. He stopped breathing all the while they were in contact. When Caius finally released him, only then could he breathe. His eyes were wide as he looked at his friend who was completely calm and composed.

What the hell just happened? Why did Caius just bend down and kiss him? He didn't know what was going on. His heart was racing.

"Go home," Noel whispered. His face finally flushed red from embarrassment. Caius looked at Noel with no emotions giving him away before he turned and walked away.

Noel remained still at his doorstep. The clouds above roared and the heavens opened. Noel watched as the rain pelted the ground ferociously, his heart racing. He was unsure of what to do next. He didn't understand what had occurred. But one thing he did know.

He was not going to school tomorrow.