Author's Note:

Sora and Riku? Why yes, yes it is! Yet another attempt of mine to find the magic in this pairing. Like I've said elsewhere, I like them OK, but as a side dish mostly. So I'm still trying to get in touch with them as a main pair, if I can. Trying a new angle this time – we shall see how it works.

Yes, this one is way too long to be a drabble. I have no excuse. I should have split it halfway too, but I just didn't. I completely fail at drabbles. I am going to punish myself after this, maybe by forcing myself to write 10 more stories, and not go over a page on any of them. :shudder: Oh, that sounds like hell.

LOL, anyway, enjoy the Non-Drabble! XD (I love role-reversal.)


Friend or Foe by Tatu

Riku was lying awake, frustrated. He couldn't stop thinking about the things Sora had said that day…and wondering what it had meant.

He had never been so confused by his friend. They had been together since elementary school. They had played together, gone to middle school and hit puberty together (some awkward memories there), and spent nearly every day in each other's company – his best friend, whose secrets and habits and likes and dislikes he knew as well as his own.

Yet lately…

Since entering high school, things had slowly begun to change. They had been busier and seen less of each other. They still hung out, and they were still comfortable around each other – an effect of long familiarity – but at some point, Riku now realized, they had stopped telling each other secrets. He tried to remember the last time Sora had looked at him hesitantly and said, "Don't tell anyone, OK?" in that endearing way of his.

He couldn't remember.

And lately – now that he thought hard about it – Sora had been acting a little strange. Not so that anyone else could see it, but to Riku…it felt different. Like the time he had lost his hoodie. He thought he had left it at Sora's house – he was almost sure – but then Sora denied it, and then seemed to want to talk about something else right away. And…he hadn't quite looked directly at Riku.

But why would he lie about Riku forgetting his hoodie there? It was an ordinary 10 hoodie, nothing to be coveted, and it was too big for Sora anyway.

And then there was the way Sora had…stopped touching him. He hadn't noticed the lack of pokes, back-slaps, arm-punches, and other forms of guyish contact…until he had reached out to pull Sora by the arm one day (trying to get his attention for something, he forgot what) and the shorter brunet had jumped and pulled away, eyes slightly widened. Riku had never seen Sora react to him that way.

They had both been a little unsettled in 9th grade…Riku was sure that things would go back to normal after that.

Indeed, the uncertainty had faded away in 10th grade, but only as the distance between them increased. Riku saw little of Sora now…and what he did see was rapidly changing from the friend he had always known. Sora was dressing differently – more adult, a little edgy, and he seemed to be developing a fondness for slightly tighter clothes that showed just a little more skin. (What the hell? He's not a girl, for Christssake.) He was talking louder, walking taller, and attracting girls like some kind of teen idol. He was…confident. Very confident.

Riku was surprised, remembering the past few years, by how much his friend had changed without him noticing. He had been too busy to focus on Sora much in high school, and when they were together…perhaps he was still seeing his familiar old friend. The changes had been too gradual for him to pick up on, until now. Until this week had happened…until today.

~o~

Monday. Sora had his usual entourage of female admirers, but when Riku glanced his way as he entered class, he noticed that one of the girls was no longer grouped with the regular followers.

Sora had his arm circled around the thin waist of a redhead – Kairi, was it? – and her hand on his hip showed that she was returning the gesture.

That doesn't make sense…he would tell me if he got a girlfriend.

Tuesday. Riku had been startled to see Sora and Kairi at Sora's locker…lips locked and bodies crushed together, making out. The sight had been…well, nauseating to say the least. But also…painful, somehow. Still, he didn't say anything to Sora.

Wednesday. Sora and Kairi had been all over each other all day, and had gotten reprimanded in every class they shared with Riku. Riku wondered if he should talk to Sora…but then didn't seem to have the time that day.

Thursday. Sora grabbed Kairi's ass in the morning, both were missing from lunch, and Riku saw them making out again at the end of the day. He also overheard, in their last afternoon class together, Sora making suggestive comments to Kairi about their plans for the weekend.

Riku skipped his after-school activities and went home, feeling sick.

Friday he decided he had to talk to Sora. He wasn't even sure what he was going to ask. He just…needed to know.

"Uhm, Sora?" Riku had been looking for an opportunity all day, but didn't find one until school let out. "Can…I talk to you for a second?"

Disinterested blue eyes turned to him. Sora paused, then shrugged. "OK. Kairi, I'll catch up in a second." The redhead grudgingly detached from his arm and walked off in the direction she and Sora would be heading.

"What is it?" His former-best-friend turned to him, asking impatiently.

"Well…you and Kairi huh? Are you two, you know, going out?"

Sora smirked. "Does it look that way? Damn, and I thought no one would guess." Riku was surprised to hear his old playmate using such sarcasm.

"Oh."

"Why?" The brunet suddenly leaned in, for no apparent reason. "Does it bother you?" He was getting closer, his voice getting quieter. "Are you jealous, Riku?"

"What are you talking about?" Riku tried to back away, but Sora followed him.

"Are you not jealous then? What if I told you that I'm gonna be seeing Kairi this weekend…at her house?"

"So?"

"Alone."

"Uh…"

"Overnight."

"What?"

"And I'm gonna bang her."

"What??" Riku voice suddenly rose in shock.

Sora's blue eyes narrowed as he smirked again. "Yeah, you heard me." Then, to Riku's surprise, he reached up and brushed his fingers lightly through a few of Riku's silver strands of hair, pushing them out of his eyes. "Jealous yet?"

Riku's skin was crawling, and he felt sick again. He was startled by the way Sora was acting, and slightly horrified at what he had just heard. And – somewhere deep down – he was hurt, lonely, and…jealous?

Really?

Before he could reply, Sora backed away. "Well, I'll give you some time to think about it. If you decide that you are jealous and want to do something about it, call my cell before 10 tonight. But, think fast – if you call after 10, my phone will be off." With that, Sora winked and grinned wickedly, then turned and vanished after Kairi.

~o~

In his dark room, Riku turned his head to look at the clock. 9:40 pm. He flipped his phone open and stared at Sora's number. Countless disorganized thoughts filled his mind.

What did he mean by all that? What jealous? Why that redhead? He used to think red hair looked silly… Why before 10? What does he want me to do? He must be over there now… Are they…doing it? How long has it been since we were friends? I…miss him. Why is he acting this way? What does he want me to say? Jealous…

What was jealous? If it meant something like feeling sick when that girl touched his friend, if it meant a throb of pain in his chest when he realized how much he missed Sora…

Riku suddenly hit the button to call Sora. As he moved the phone to his ear, he glanced at the time again. 9:55.

Please…

One ring.

"Riku. Go to the park, right now. Go the old hideout. Be there in 10 minutes."

The line went dead before Riku could respond. But he had heard the beginnings of a female voice, raised in protest.

What is he doing? I wish I knew what he was thinking…

Riku pulled on jeans and a hoodie and swiftly snuck out of his house. His parents were in the den in the basement, and he had no trouble getting out. He began to jog toward the park to make it in time.

When he got there, it was quiet. The half moon gave a little light, but not much. Still, Riku could always find the little hideout in the bushes that he and Sora had played in so often as kids.

No one was here yet. He leaned against a tree trunk beside the bushes, waiting for Sora.

He heard Sora's footsteps before he saw the boy, silhouetted in the darkness. His friend approached him, moving close…making Riku nervous. Finally, he stopped within a foot of his friend, close enough for them to see each other's expressions. He spoke quietly.

"So? Did you figure it out?"

"I don't know."

A sigh. "Is there something you want to ask me, then?"

"Yeah. Why are you doing this?" Riku didn't want to play games anymore. He wanted to know if Sora was still his friend.

Sora shook his head. "You really are dense, Riku."

Riku was about to reply, when suddenly, he was thrown back against the tree. As he was in the process of realizing that Sora had pinned him, pressing against his shoulders, one of the brunet's hands slid up, quickly grabbing a handful of silver hair, and pulled his head down.

And then…he felt Sora's soft lips pressed hard onto his.

Eyes wide, he stared at Sora. Defiant blue eyes met his. He watched in shock as Sora kissed him, his lips beginning to move slowly, his hands moving to drift over Riku's neck…and finally, his blue eyes sliding shut.

Without thinking, Riku found his eyes closing too. The touch and the scent of the boy, the closeness…and Sora was a surprisingly good kisser.

It felt good…

And then Sora's lips parted, and a wet tongue caressed the seam of Riku's lips. The taller boy's eyes snapped open and he pulled back.

"What…what are you doing? What was that?"

Sora wasn't backing down. There was a look of – was that wanting? – on his face…and since Riku had pulled his head out of reach, Sora moved to place soft kisses at the base of his throat.

"I was kissing you. Now…I'm kissing you…some more." The familiar voice sounded strange…breathy and low between applying tantalizing kisses along Riku's neck.

It was so strange. Riku had no idea why, but his head tipped back on its own, shivers ran through his body, and his heart began to pound faster and heavier as Sora's touch grew more intense, more forceful, and more passionate.

"Wh-why?" Riku nearly moaned.

"I'll explain…in a minute." The hands clasped behind his neck and brought his head down again. This time, Riku's mouth was already slightly open, and Sora quickly thrust his tongue in, caressing Riku's yielding mouth quickly before slowly withdrawing.

Riku was more confused than ever as he gazed at his childhood friend, now withdrawing and moving to sit on the grass, tugging Riku down with him. Sora just kissed me…Why did he kiss me? And why did it feel so good?

Before he could ask again, Sora spoke. "I hoped you would call. And…I knew when you didn't act disgusted…that maybe I could tell you now, maybe I could drop this act finally, and it would be OK."

The brunet leaned against Riku's shoulder. "I like you, Riku. Since…always, I guess. But I didn't realize it till last year. And then you didn't seem to notice." He sighed. "I liked you so much, but I didn't know what to do, how to act toward you anymore. And then, I thought I could get your attention if I made you jealous. And, if it didn't work, I would know you'd never see me that way."

Riku was stunned, but he felt Sora move against him, cuddling closer. "I might really have gone that far…if you hadn't called. I'm so glad you called. You don't want me to touch her, right?"

"I…"

"Say it. Say you want to keep me to yourself instead."

"Keep?"

"Yes, keep. You called me, and you didn't stop me from kissing you just now. You may not have noticed it before, but I know you. I know what you do when you hate something. And you don't hate me kissing you." Riku felt a hand sliding up his stomach and moving over his chest in a slow caress. "You like it. Because you like me too."

"Sora…"

"Listen. I know you need to figure it out. It took me all last year, after all. But this time, I'm here to help you understand. So hurry up and say you like me, or I'll go back to that girl and make you jealous again." With that, Sora quickly moved, sitting on Riku's lap, facing him.

This time, height wasn't a problem, and Sora quickly took advantage of his position to close his mouth over Riku's again, kissing him heatedly, hungrily…making the other boy's mind go blank, overwhelmed by the sensations and the taste of his best friend. Overwhelmed by surprise at this new experience…and by his own feelings.

Even through his confusion, Riku had no problem understanding that this felt good, so good…and it kept feeling better and better. Well, he had never kissed anyone before…

No, that's not it.

I was more than just the good feeling of a skilled kiss. It was…Sora. Because it was Sora, it felt right somehow. It felt like the right answer to all his sadness and confusion and loneliness.

Riku finally understood what his friend had been saying. He likes me…like this. And I…oh God, I like him too.

He shivered at the realization, and, as Sora continued kissing him, he felt the brunet press his thin chest against him.

"Nnnn…" The quiet sound slipped from Riku without him realizing it. And Sora apparently liked it, because the next thing Riku knew, his back hit the grass and Sora was on top of him.

"Riku…Riku…Riku." He heard his name being called between deep, open-mouthed kisses. He felt hands running through his hair, stroking his neck and chest, gripping his arms. He felt heat, so much heat from Sora, and he felt himself growing hot in response. His hands went around his friend's thin frame, pulling him down and pressing their bodies close together. He was kissing back…everything was moving so quickly all of a sudden, and yet he didn't miss a single detail. His whole body was yearning for more…more of Sora…

Then, the brunet paused, pulling back slightly, his hot breath coming in pants close to Riku's lips. Half-lidded eyes gazed at him, as Riku stared back in awe.

"Say it."

"I like you."

"And?"

"I want to keep you. Don't touch anyone else, ever again."

Sora finally smiled. Oh God, I missed that smile… "Of course not. I'll be too busy with my boyfriend from now on."

"Boyfriend…"

"Mmm, yes." Sora cuddled in Riku's arms. "My new, wonderful boyfriend – Riku." He chuckled. "He's kinda dense, but still soooo sexy…I really want to just take him right now. But he needs some time, and we shouldn't go that fast, so I'll try to resist. For tonight."

Sora met Riku's eyes and winked adorably. Riku couldn't help beaming at him. He was a little overwhelmed still, but he was happy too. He was holding Sora.

They remained cuddled in each other's arms for a while longer, before Sora finally moved to get off Riku, pecking his lips sweetly before helping him up off the ground.

"We should get home. We'll talk more tomorrow. You're spending the day with me, by the way."

Riku was more than content. "OK."

"Oh, and I'll give you back your hoodie now, if you give me another one. The one I have doesn't smell like you anymore."

Riku's eyes widened as he realized what Sora was talking about. "My hoodie? You did have it!"

His boyfriend just laughed at him as they left the park.

~o~