It was stupid, but it was the first thing that came out of my mouth. "How did you know?"
But she didn't care she just smiled. "She's the only one I feel comfortable with her hands around my waist." It was simple… but it meant a lot.
Both of us got uncomfortable when most girls we dated had their hands around our waist. Well, it was also guys for her, being bisexual and all.
My eyebrows shot up. "Really? Are you sure you're 'meant to be' just because of that?"
"Tidus…" She rolled her eyes, "You'll know what I mean when you experience it."
She left me to ponder her words.
oOoOo
It was a week since Kairi and Naminé had gotten together. Kai's words were still ringing in my head. She said she had found the Riku to her Sora, a little pun we had. Riku and Sora are two of our friends who had been in love since god-knows-when, but didn't get together until we, that is me, Wakka, Kairi, Selphie, Roxas, and Hayner, finally pushed them into it.
Speaking of the above, Roxas was Sora's twin and it was through him Kai met Nami. Also through them we met Nami's sister, an upperclassmen named Cloud. We were presently being sucked in by Selphie and Yuffie, her partner-in-crime who was a year above us, into matchmaking again. Cloud, our unfortunate victim was being put with Leon… my step-brother.
Yes, that is the only reason I'm doing this. Revenge is sweet.
…back to Sora and Riku. They had become the 'perfect couple' of our school, complete with fan-club. That was how I found out that Sora and Riku both said, in separate interviews, that the thing that truly spelled it out for them was that when they kissed it felt different from kissing anyone else. Sora said it was like coming home. Riku said it was like fireworks. I envy both of them… and now I envy Kai.
Truly, I was kinda discouraged. What if I never found 'them'? Roxas felt the same but I was pretty sure I knew where his was.
Axel and Seifer are both 'the enemy' in Roxas and Hayner's minds. Thus Roxas and Axel and Hayner and Seifer were often seen trading insults. Now Roxas was usually fairly quiet, like Leon or Cloud, and yet Axel could always get a rise out of him… and Hayner was never quick to anger and friendly almost always so… I guess I had more reason to be afraid.
The last two couples I should mention are also working with us… Tifa and Aerith, and Pence and Olette. Tifa was Cloud's friend while Aerith was Leon's… and the other two are both part of Hayner and Roxas' gang.
Of course, I already knew that both Leon and Cloud not only liked each other but had been seeing each other for about half a month.
I wanted to see if they got publicly embarrassed.
I guess that was why I was spying on them during lunch. More like I was spying on the ways Yuffie had thought up to get them together being put into action. Most of it was conversation by Aerith and Tifa with funny expressions from Cloud and Leon. I could only guess what they were hearing.
oOoOo
Yuffie's plan: phase 2, had gone wrong. Wakka and I had gone to steal the janitor's keys to lock Leon and Cloud in the storehouse in the back of the school.
We had lock picked the closet, but got stuck inside. The plan had required us to act fast, so we had to slip the keys under the door to Yuffie in order to make it work, leaving us stuck in the closet.
And no, I'm not in a metaphorical closet. I don't like any boys, to my knowledge. That doesn't mean I won't end up with one, I have too many gay friends for that not to be a possibility.
"I'm going to kill Yuffie." And I really hope this wasn't planned by her. I don't want to ruin my relationship with Wakka, who is the straightest male I know. …That isn't saying much, is it? Still I was kind of uncomfortable with the though of being with another guy and if Yuffie had gotten it into her head…
"Only if you leave a piece for me." I grinned up at him, even if he couldn't see it. Despite the fact it stunk in here, was cramped, and I was missing Leon's embarrassment at least I was stuck in here with my friend and co-captain of the basketball team.
Our chests brushed, blood rushed to my face. I immediately tried to shift away.
Of course I tripped on something I couldn't identify and fell, letting out an 'Ack!' of surprise. My body turned and my hands shot up to abdomen level to brace me for the blow to the wall, which never came.
Instead I felt strong hands pull me back by my waist until I rested against a broad chest. I sighed with relief until I rested my hands against his wrists…
Everything slowed down. The searing heated across my face increased, and not due to the stuffiness of our small prison. My breath caught in my throat. His breath blazed a trail over the base of my neck and back of my shoulder. I swallowed and shut my eyes tightly. I had to tense myself in order to stop… to stop… myself.
I had to force myself from leaning back. From just relaxing. From just letting my head roll back onto his shoulder until his breath caressed where my neck and shoulder met. From letting my hands slide along his and keep them in place. From closing my eyes and letting a pleased noise resonate from my throat.
Then the instant was gone, his hands dropping away and his voice, deeper than I ever recall hearing it, calling my name.
"Tidus? You okay, man?" I calmed myself with a deep breath, subconsciously noting how his accent had changed in the years since he moved here.
My cheeks still burned. "Yeah, thanks."
The door clicked, we tensed.
"Guys?" it was Kai. The door swung open. "I managed to get the key back, even though I think Selphie wanted to keep you to in here."
Wakka grinned. "Thanks, yah."
"Yeah… thanks." I managed.
Kairi blinked as she took in my expression. I was shook up and still blushing and as our gazes locked I knew. I knew, and she knew.
I knew she knew I knew she knew that I knew, and I doubt I would get out of this.
I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to.
oOoOo
The door to her bedroom closed and she whirled around to me. "Wakka."
My mind had been blank after it; I even had to check if my hands were shaking. I felt like my entire world had been flipped upside down and cut in half before being put back together again…
… and I think I liked it.
And slowly I let go. I let my fears go, my insecurities. I opened the lid of my heat slowly… and was amazed at what I found there.
I felt my self truly smiling, even as tears started to streak down my face. Kairi's mouth was slightly open, here eyes were wide and I think they were tearing up.
"Oh, Ti…" She reached up to cover her mouth in a half-sob, half-smile.
I let my smile spread, I let it grow, as the warmth inside my chest expanded.
I barely had time to pull up my arms as she flung herself towards me.
oOoOo
"Tidus?" I blinked. Shit that was the fifth time today I had been caught spacing out. My mind was still back in that closet.
"Hmm?" I realized it was Wakka. Pink spread across my face. Blinking I realized that all the other members of the blitz ball team was gone. "Where?"
"Yah, practice is over. You okay? You've been spacing out with this weird expression on your face." My face turned red. "You sick or something?"
His hand was suddenly on my forehead, forcing my eyes to look up from the ground. He was staring at me, so close I was surprised our noses weren't brushing.
"I'm fine!" I blurted, suddenly having to fight the urge to lean forward and kiss him.
He frowned, but his hand left my forehead, brushing the top of my ear before falling back to his side.
I covered my face and focused on his shoes. "I'm fine, really…"
"You've been acting weird all day. Sora said you were spacing out in English and you looked dazed at lunch and just now…"
I ran my hand through my hair and looked back up, warring with my insides.
"If any thing's wrong you know you can tell me, yah?"
Oh no, nothings wrong, nothing at all… "Except for that fact I think I like you."
Wakka looked like a ton of bricks just hit him in the head.
My hand instantly came down from my hair to cover my mouth as the blood came back to my cheeks with a vengeance.
I wasn't supposed to say that!
I knew my eyes were wide as well, but all Wakka did was stand there staring at me.
The silence had never been so loud in the locker room.
My hands went up to grab my hair as I dropped my head.
"Oh, shit! Wakka I'm sorry I-" The words caught in my throat as I felt hands prying my hands away from my head. I looked up to see a blank expression on his face. "Wakka?"
Suddenly I was pulled forward to collide with Wakka's chest, and undignified sound torn from my mouth.
I slowly looked up, the butterflies in my stomach working overtime. There was still a blank look in his eyes, his mouth now far too close to my own. I licked my lips subconsciously. His hands were suddenly on either side of my face, holding it there. His lips quirked up on one side.
But his eyes were what caught me. They were half lidded as he stared into mine and I realized that I never really knew how brown they were.
Our noses brushed, my breath stopped.
His arms fell down to around my waist.
My heart was going 50 mph.
And then we kissed.
He tasted like the beach and the smell of Paopo fruit. He smelled like vanilla when I took a breath through my nose. My hands absently reached up to slide beneath his bandana, slightly pulling it down and him with it. We slowed down gradually until we were panting, our foreheads pressed together.
"How… long…" I managed.
"About… a month… maybe longer…" Then he smiled a smile so bright that his eyes shone and that my heart burst to know I had caused. I buried my embarrassed blush in the crook between his neck and shoulder, but I knew he knew that my smile might have been just as bright.
oOoOo
The next morning, when I got to school and went to our usual meeting spot there was more people than usual.
Axel was holding Roxas around the waist, grinning as he blushed, a mirror of Riku holding Sora on the other side of the hallway. Naminé was sitting with Kai's head on her shoulder, drawing. Cloud and Leon were holding hands and scowling at Yuffie and Selphie. Tifa and Aerith were cuddling next to Kai and Nami. And Seifer was sitting, looking slightly ticked, crossed arms and legs, as Hayner had stolen his hat…
Which I found suddenly placed over my head by a grinning Hayner. I chucked before it was pulled down to cover my eyes.
"Wha?" I felt myself being turned at about a right angle.
"Guess who." His lips brushed against mine, tongue slipping out asking for entrance. I smiled into the kiss even as my face heated up. My hands reached up to pull his bandanna over his eyes as I chuckled.
I heard a click and something else before I pulled back, uncovering my eyes and turning to look.
Kairi had a camera. I felt a nose brush my ear and a deep voice saying; "Sorry, you just looked to cute in that hat." My glare turned into a blush as Kairi smirked.
Sighing I hid in Wakka's shoulder, a smile tugging at my lips as I watched Hayner being tugged into Seifer's lap out of the corner of my eye.
As Seifer kissed the protesting Hayner, dare I say, sweetly the flash went off again.
That became a picture in my scrapbook.
Beside it is one of Kairi, her head on top of Nami's notebook in her lap, smiling as she pulled the blonde down into a kiss.
Below that is one of Sora and Riku, their noses brushing against each other as they ginned.
And next to that was one of Roxas hugging Axel before class started, Axel smiling, surprised, down at him.
The next page had one of Selphie, after Leon tripped her, mouth connected with Yuffie's, both surprised.
Next to it is my brother, his head on clouds shoulder as he holds him from behind, taken at an angle with then just staring contentedly at nothing.
Above that is one of Tifa and Aerith, leaning their heads against each other, Tifa's arms surrounding Aerith to hold hands with her.
But the last one is my favorite. It's of me and Tidus. My hands are holing his bandanna around his eyes while his hands are holding Seifer's hat down over mine. Our mouths seen to fit perfectly together, our bodies molded against one another.
On the bottom is scrolled on sentence.
Never let go.