A/n Okay, it's been ages since I've written one of these, but I just got so inspired! So here it is: RIKU'S FRIENDSHIP LESSONS!! UPDATED!! I'm so sorry that I have been so inactive for…woo, who knows how long…yeah, college has been a difficulty, so I am very busy, but I am determined to update more!

Note: About this story…I may have never been in an actual relationship before, but I've sometimes wondered what it's like. I've also tried writing a bit differently than what I used to, and instead of this focusing on an actual lesson, I've given into the temptation of writing fluff, since I haven't written in a long time. So…using these two characters that I love so much…I hope you do enjoy.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and Riku belong to Squeenix, Disney, Tetsuya Nomura; Nevaeh belongs to the talented Talitha Koum. 

Riku's Friendship Lessons

Lesson 14: Subtlety Is Key

Riku, despite popular belief, has never been in a serious relationship before. Friendship, yes, he could very well handle casual smiles and conversation; maybe a hug or, involving family and good female friends such as Kairi, a kiss.

And yes, said kisses were always completely innocent, on the cheek and spoke of familial affection. Kairi is, and always will be, his sister figure.

(And if Sora didn't hurry up, he just might have to have one of those pseudo-older-brother-to-the-boyfriend conversations. The idea itself is quite laughable.)

Now. Back to relationships.

Riku is the popular one. The pretty-boy one. The handsome one. He has plenty of admirers; plenty of pretty girls who follow him, complimenting him on his features and maybe handing him a shy flower or two. He would smile, politely decline and be on his way before said pretty girls burst into tears.

Nevaeh however…a complete other story. He was quite surprised (he would say shocked, but our dear Riku has a reputation to uphold) when Nevaeh stalked right up to him during school that day, fisted his shirt up in her pale little hands and kissed him full on the mouth, right in front of the majority of the student body.

(Sora would later find his voice, commenting on the way Riku's face flushed a rather unmanly shade of magenta after Nevaeh released him from her kiss and went on her merry way. Sora later found himself held in a headlock, despite pleas to Kairi to convince Riku to release him.)

In less than three days, they became an official couple once Nevaeh hunted Riku down at the small little play island, toeing the sand.

"I kissed you! Doesn't that mean we're together?" Nevaeh inquired.

Riku face-palmed, groaned, and begrudgingly nodded in agreement. Truth was, he rather liked Nevaeh, and, being the logical young man Riku was, the only rational and logical next step in their (Friendship? Relationship? What exactly was it?) situation would be to…date.

Nevaeh squealed in pure delight before laying another wet one on his lips and dashing away, Riku sputtering, his face red and hot.

Three weeks later and their relationship had…not changed.

Riku and Nevaeh already enjoyed each other's company before "the incident", as Sora and Kairi so innocently referred it as. They chatted at the ivory-haired lass's book shop, strolled along the beach, did homework together, et cetera.

But those things were normal. As far as Riku thought, nothing about them changed. And he wasn't too sure whether he liked that or not. If there was a change, it was too subtle for him to notice.

Riku and Nevaeh were neither touchy-feely types. They both had their boundaries (though Nevaeh sometimes had flagrant disregard for such boundaries), were independent of each other, and tolerated no riff-raff. They did not hold hands, hug, or kiss.

Not that anyone saw.

Sometimes, when they were alone, it was a whole different story. Riku knew that he was not particularly a man of action once it came to romance (fighting, however, was a whole different ball game), but usually one quiet look into Nevaeh's amber irises made him freeze altogether. His breath hitched, and suddenly she looked so much prettier.

He looks at her, so shy and simple, he's afraid that she might think him a pansy…but she has the same look. It's so rare, seeing a young lady of Nevaeh's brash nature, moved to such gentleness. Her face looks suddenly small, because she's smiling with a quirk of mischievousness and with a hint of shyness. It's almost scary to see her so quiet.

Usually these moments happen while they're at the island, all alone, stars blinking overhead; a cornucopia of worlds watching. At first glance, they might just be two children standing dumbly at a shore, but then you look into their eyes and see a light shine with such intensity that you momentarily forget it's rude to stare.

They stare so quietly, almost as if they were speaking with their eyes. Nevaeh smiles, the left side of her mouth moved into a most notable smirk, and Riku, bless his soul, smiles back. The look in their eyes is something else.

A strange mix of gentle love and overpowering affection. Almost as if it were just the two of them on the beach, an old movie cliché found in the real world. They're holding hands too, fingers laced, his thumb rubbing against the back of her hand.

And then, she brings their hands together and she kisses, softly, gently, with a dash of shyness, the back of his hand, a hidden smile lazy in her eyes. He should be embarrassed, but he isn't. He just rests his forehead against hers, and they close their eyes, as though a psychic connection forming between the two.

They aren't kissing.

They don't need to. They already know how they feel.

And maybe, Riku thinks, he doesn't have to worry about being in a serious relationship. If, he thinks, Nevaeh can be subtle like this, he can learn to be subtle too.