What's this? A new Fic by FNCtheThird while TNOYF just sits there, un-updated for over a month now?! I know, and I'm sorry, but it's Christmas, and I just can't write anything un-christmas-y right now. So, instead of updates, I give you a fun little one-shot full of cute Sora x Riku fluff.
BTW: I am not incredibly awesome at coming up with titles, so if you have any brilliant ideas that you think fit better than the one I have at the moment, please feel free to suggest them!
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Sora looked around nervously at all the people milling about in the room. "Have a Merry Little Christmas" could be heard above the low hum of conversations and the smells of pine needles and gingerbread mingled in the air, but Sora did not feel all warm and cozy inside, despite the fact that that was the obvious intent of the atmosphere.
His parents had dragged him to a neighbor's Christmas party, even though he was perfectly capable of staying home alone. They had said that it was Christmas, and that he needed to learn to be more friendly.
Sora was plenty friendly. And he didn't usually have any trouble making new friends, but everyone here was standing together in seemingly impenetrable circles of conversation. Sora would have felt incredibly awkward trying to worm his way into one of those circles, and he got the impression that they wouldn't want him to join their conversations anyways. Sora didn't even have the pathetic option of hanging around with his parents because they were upstairs at the "adult" party while Sora was suck downstairs at the "kids" party.
Sora kept searching the crowd for a familiar face, but this was one of his neighbor's parties, not one of his friend's parties. So he resigned himself to standing alone awkwardly in a doorway between the playing room, which contained a big-screen TV and several expensive game systems, and the sitting room, which contained lots of comfy furniture. And, of course, both rooms were full of smiling, laughing, talking, happy strangers.
Sora was considering the pros and cons of just leaving and spending the rest of the night at home when the sound of his name startled him out of his thoughts.
"Sora! I've been looking all over the place for you!"
Sora spun around excitedly at the sound of the voice. "Riku!"
"Who else would it be you goof ball?" Riku asked playfully. "I ran into your parents on my way in and they told me that you were here. I just spent the last ten minutes looking for you! What are you doing over here all by yourself?"
"Do you know any of the people in there?" Sora asked in explanation, indicating the sitting room.
Riku took a moment to scan the faces in the room and then replied simply, "No."
"Well, neither do I," Sora stated conclusively as if that explained everything.
Riku fixed him with a questioning stare. "Don't tell me that you're shy, Sora."
"I'm not shy," Sora protested. "But they all just look so… unapproachable."
Riku gave an exasperated sigh and began to roll his eyes, but stopped half-way through the motion. "Ut-oh."
"What?" Sora asked, turning his own gaze toward the ceiling.
"Mistletoe," Riku stated simply.
"So?" Soar asked, bringing his gaze back down to rest on his friend's face.
"You know what that means," Riku replied as a wicked grin spread across his face.
"Yeah…" Sora said cautiously, "but no one actually pays any attention to that rule anymore."
"It's not a rule, Sora. It's a tradition," Riku insisted.
"No it's not," Sora contradicted. "It's just an excuse for couples to make out in public."
"No," Riku insisted, "it's a tradition. And you can't just ignore an age-old tradition like that, now can you?"
"Oh yes I can," Sora replied stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just watch me." He could not believe that Riku was actually trying to convince him to kiss under the mistletoe. It was such a cliché, and even if he was going to kiss someone under the mistletoe, it was not going to be his best guy friend.
"Not as long as I'm here," Riku replied, smirking menacingly.
Riku's words took a minute to register with Sora and he didn't have any time to react before his silver-haired friend leaned forward and pressed their lips together softly and quickly before leaning back again and looking at Sora as if what he had just done was nothing out of the ordinary.
Sora stared at Riku, blinked twice, and began to gasp and sputter for air when he realized that he had stopped breathing.
"What the hell was that?" Sora exclaimed after the initial shock had worn off and he was able to control his voice again.
"I told you. It's a tradition," Riku replied as calmly as if he had been talking about turning the lights off when you left a room. He licked his lips and his expression became thoughtful for a moment. "You have cherry chap stick on."
Sora gaped at him like a fish, his mouth opening and closing as if that would somehow help him to understand his friend's strange behavior.
"Oh come on," Riku prodded, "you know you liked it. I have it on very good authority that I am an excellent kisser."
That snapped Sora out of his flabbergasted confusion. He closed his mouth and arched his eyebrow skeptically. "Oh yeah? And who told you that?" he asked scathingly.
"I'm afraid that I cannot share that information with you," Riku replied evasively.
"Well, I hate to tell you this buddy," Sora said with mock sympathy, "but they lied." It was a low blow, and Sora knew it, but Riku had really freaked him out and now it was time to get even.
Riku knew that Sora was just teasing, and Sora knew that Riku knew it, so Sora had expected Riku to pretend to be hurt by his comment and start acting pitiful and depressed, which is why Sora was confused by sly expression that took over his friends face and was shocked by the next four words that came out the latter's mouth.
"Is that a challenge?"
It took every ounce of self-control in Sora's body to prevent him from returning to his fish-like expression of shock.
Sora sputtered in indignation for a moment and then decided that the best thing to do was just to go along with whatever game it was that Riku was playing.
"So what if it is?"
Riku's smirk morphed into a malicious grin and leaned a few inches closer to his young, brunette friend. "Well then I'm just going to have to prove you wrong, aren't I?"
Sora would have crossed his arms defiantly, were it not for the fact that he had not moved them since the last time that he had made that gesture.
Riku slowly moved a few more inches closer.
Sora didn't know whether he was more surprised by the fact that Riku was continuing with this charade, or by the fact that he was playing along.
Riku moved closer still and their lips met once again. This time the contact was not so brief, and was far more intense, although within seconds it had been broken and they were back to their original positions, standing a foot or two apart from each other.
Although Sora's mind was racing with what had just happened, his heart remained surprisingly calm.
Riku looked at the young brunette expectantly, and an earnest smile came across Sora's face.
"I stand corrected."
This time it was Riku's turn to gape and sputter. Despite his apparent cockiness, he had not expected that to be Sora's response.
Sora smiled thoughtfully at his silver-haired friend. Sora had always sort of had a thing for their friend Kairi, and the possibility of being gay had never once crossed his mind, but suddenly Riku was looking incredibly appealing. The only problem was, if Riku had just been joking around this whole time, then Sora was completely screwed.
Riku finally succeeded in regaining control of his mouth and he eyed Sora suspiciously, searching the brunette's contented expression for any hint of sarcasm or deception.
"Yeah, well…" Riku started, completely at a loss for words and having absolutely no idea how to respond to Sora's sudden change of mood.
"Riku?" Sora said, waving his hand in front of his friend's face in an attempt to regain Riku's attention.
"Huh?"
"That was a complement," Sora pointed out. "Generally, when someone gives you a complement you're supposed to say something nice back. Or at least thank them."
"Thank you, Sora," Riku replied, picking up on Sora's playful tone and deciding to continue with his merciless teasing. "Um… I like your shirt."
Sora glared at him. "My shirt? That's it? That's the only nice thing you can think to say to me?"
"Well, I like your shoes too," Riku offered
"Riku!" Sora whined. "I complemented your kissing. Is it too much to ask for a little reciprocation?"
"The thing is," Riku explained slowly, "I have this really strict policy against lying to people."
That earned him a hard punch in the arm from Sora. Sora knew that he was just teasing, but he still deserved to be punched for it.
Riku rubbed the spot where he would soon have a bruise, but he smiled at his friend.
Sora watched him thoughtfully, deciding what to do. Should he go for it? Why not? Riku already kissed him. And if Riku really had just been joking around then Sora could shrug it off as a joke later too.
And just like that, Sora's mind was made up. He took a step closer to his friend, closely watching RIku's expression as it softened.
"Are you going to show me up now?" Riku asked, almost like an invitation.
"Uh-uh," Sora replied quietly, pressing their lips together and wrapping his arms around Riku's neck.
Sora was tentative but assertive, knowing that he could get away with just about anything, even if Riku rejected him, as long as he claimed that it was a joke when Riku asked about it later. Despite this reassuring knowledge, Sora was still uncertain, wanting Riku to like him back, even though he had an escape route in the event that Riku didn't.
Within moments however, Sora realized his fears to be unfounded, as Riku wound his arms around Sora's back and pressed their bodies close together.
When their lips finally parted, Sora nuzzled his face into his friend's shoulder and clutched him tightly, not wanting to ever let go. Riku's silver hair tickled his face, and a soft voice whispered in his ear, "Merry Christmas, Sora."
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I hope you like it (and remember to leave a comment!) And Merry Christmas to you all! - Even if you don't celebrate Christmas. I don't care if you're Jewish, or Muslim, or anything else, I still want you to have a happy December Twenty-Fifth!