Author's Notes: Mwahahaha! Don't think I didn't read your reviews. Yes, I'm a BITCH! I'm an evil scheming BITCH! And that's why I left it THERE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA - (coughcoughcough) (ahem) Okay, obviously not evil enough to laugh like that. Man, is that hard on the throat.

So we are currently having a little siesta and will soon go swim out by the pool - which is split in several sections and is practically a miniature lake. No joke. Anyhow...

You wanted answers...well, you got answers! Read it and love it, bitches!

Wait, you're not the bitches. That's my job. Sorry. :)

Chapter 36

"First Kiss"

"...If I try this...this...whatever it is..." Sora blinked several times. He felt like his tongue had grown thick. "...It's not, uh..."

Riku had a quiet smile on his face. "Whatever you do after is all up to you."

Sora winced. That wasn't an answer he'd been expecting.

"What, you wanted me to tell you you'd keep your precious girlfriend?"

The brunet sulked. "Yeah...kind of..."

Riku shrugged. "What you do is up to you. It's your choice." He smirked. "I knew you wouldn't be able to last that long, anyway..."

Sora growled. "Shut up, it's not like I wanted this to happen, okay?"

The silvery-haired teen snickered. "I'm just joking." Riku went over and sat down next to Sora—still without a top, still wearing a towel, the one that had scrubbed his hair less wet sitting in his lap.

"So...how do you want to do this?"

The brunet blinked at him. "Do what?"

"Kiss, you goof."

Sora blushed. "N-Now!"

Riku nodded. Sora swallowed hard. "I-I...I...uhh..."

Riku tilted his head. "Sora, are you nervous?"

Sora gulped. "Uh...yeah..."

"Well, don't be. That's your first problem."

His blush still wasn't gone, but he nodded. "O-Okay." But in his head, he still couldn't stop thinking—oh my God, I'm going to kiss Riku. I'm going to kiss a BOY.

"You're still tense."

Sora cringed again and shook his hands as if weighing something in distress. "I'm sorry, it's just that, I...I've never done this before, and—" He looked up, surprised, "—Definitely not with a guy, so I probably...suck...and...stuff...and...why are you staring at me like that?" Sora coiled back. Riku was giving him a deadpan, unblinking stare, and to tell the truth, it was unnerving him. Just a little bit.

"You done?"

Sora fought back the next blush and nodded slightly without a word.

"Good, I don't wanna kiss you while you're yakking."

"S-Sorry, I'm just...nervous...and stuff..." Riku started leaning in towards him, and Sora wasn't sure if he should pull away or move closer. Since both seemed like a bad idea, he just sat still with wide blue eyes staring into Riku's.

Then Riku suddenly paused, inches from Sora's face, leaving the brunet to just stare at him in wonder before he drew back. Sora blinked at him.

"What the hell...? Aren't you going to kiss me?"

"Are you going to stop looking like a deer in the headlights?"

Sora was flustered now. "I don't know—! Why don't you just get it over with, and then we'll see what I feel like—"

Lips quieted his and he made a muffled grunt, frozen as Riku cupped his palms to Sora's cheeks and kissed him firmly. Sora lifted his hands up like he was going to push away, but stopped, and they were suspended suddenly in the space between their bodies.

Sora felt an odd sort of tingling—not just with his lips touching Riku's, but all throughout his body, creeping down his spine. His eyes were still open, but Riku's were closed—he couldn't see the carribbean blue anymore.

Riku's lips peeled slowly away from his, and then kissed him again. Sora felt himself relax. This isn't so bad, he thought. It was his first kiss, but it was—oddly enough—a good kiss. He didn't expect it to feel this normal. He thought it would make his confusion worse, make him feel all mixed up—instead, it was more like a wave of relief. Like he was actually glad to do this. It was funny, but he truly didn't mind it at all. In fact, after the third kiss, he even placed his hands on Riku's chest and let his eyes slide shut, kissing him back.

Riku smirked mentally the instant Sora began to respond, and his hands shifted—one wrapped around to cradle Sora's head, and the other gently stroked his neck. He put a little bit more lean into it, but Sora did the same. The result was a deepening kiss; Riku was so tempted to swipe his tongue through that sweet little mouth, but he resisted. He didn't want to make this go too far over Sora's head, after all. Getting the poor guy scared was the last thing he wanted to do.

Even he felt some satisfaction out of this. Quite a lot, actually.

Riku never told Sora this, but the truth was that he'd never kissed before. (He'd snuck one to Tidus, but for all practical purposes, that never counted.) Never had he done this, or even considered being with someone. Tidus was sweet—and kind—just his type. But the fact was, there was no way in hell he'd get together with Tidus. Sora, on the other hand, he was a possible catch. That is, if he could actually loosen him up about being gay (or bi, however it turned out to be). Riku felt no shame in that. If anything, he hoped Sora would accept him. He'd wanted this so badly—all of his life—to love and be loved in return. Ansem had robbed him of this for years, after his father had scared Tifa out of the house. A mother's love was not the kind of love he was searching for. If it were, he would have spent the last four years hunting down Tifa.

No, Riku wanted a lover. Someone to kiss and hug and hold. Someone he could finally feel at ease with, after all the horrors he'd endured.

He felt Sora stroke his fingers through his long, damp hair. Riku drew in a breath and heard the soft sound of their lips pulling apart, and he suspended them there. Slowly his eyes opened, just as Sora's did. He suddenly grinned at the other.

"Is there a way to turn off your blushing mechanism?"

That just made Sora even redder. Riku chuckled at him.

"Don't worry. It's very cute."

He didn't get a response to that. Just more blushing. He's so fucking adorable. He acts like a guy any other time, but the moment he gets kissed...

Riku sat up straight now. "So? What did you think?"

Sora swallowed hard. "Um..." A long silence followed. Riku smirked.

"I'll make it simple. Did you like it? Yes or no."

Sora didn't hesitate to nod. "Y-Yes."

He smiled then. "That's good. At least I wasn't a horrible first kiss for you."

Sora's eyes widened. "How did you know that was my first kiss?" he blurted.

Riku peered down at him as he stood up. "Was it? I know it was your first with a guy, but..."

Sora said nothing, just staring at him. Riku blinked.

"Hold on. You and your girlfriend...you never kissed?"

The brunet shook his head embarrassingly, eyes turned down. Riku was stunned.

"How long have you two been dating?"

Sora squirmed on the bed nervously. "Three or four months..."

"How many actual dates have you been on?" This got worse and worse the more Riku heard it. Sora fell silent on the dates question. Riku changed into a pair of boxers.

"Sora?"

"...One..."

"Are you serious?" Riku laughed. "Jesus, did you take a virginity pledge or something?"

"It's not like that!" Sora cried, looking up angrily. "She's just a little nervous, and I don't want to push her!"

"Four months, one date, NO kiss? She doesn't even sound the least bit interested in you." Riku cocked his head, giving Sora an odd glance from the corners of his eyes as he changed into some blue jeans. "Are you sure she's your girlfriend?"

Sora was pouting now. "YES," he snapped. "Yes, I'm sure she's my girlfriend!"

Riku shook his head as he picked up a shirt. "Maybe you are gay," he mumbled.

Five seconds later he was smacked in the head with something hard. When it tumbled to the floor, he saw it was the clock. Riku's hands flew up to his skull and held the back of it.

"OW!" He whirled around and glared at Sora, who was glaring at him. "What the fuck was THAT for! That fucking hurt!"

Sora stood up. "You're a jerk!" he snarled. He stormed out the door and shut it forcibly behind him. Riku had to let that sink in for a minute before he caught his own mistake and winced.

"Oh, that was real slick of you, Riku." he grumbled. Now his mood was bad. He pulled his shirt on and sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Ow...Jesus." He picked up the clock and set it on the bedside table again, sitting down. Now he felt bad.

Damn it. Next time you want to say something like that, keep your fucking mouth shut!

Author's Notes: Sorry, Riku, but you'll have to work a little harder than that!

Riku: Aww, fuck. I wanted the easy way out.

Sora: Noooo! Kairiiii! (reaches out for Kairi)

Kairi: Noooo! Soooraaaa! (reaches out for Sora)

Riku: (electro-shocks Kairi and drugs Sora) Oh yeah, I'm an evil bastard. Ha ha ha ha! (makes off with a limp Sora in his arms)

Holy hell, they're back! The voices in my head have returrrrned! Everyone, meet the voices in my head. Voices in my head...um...run rampant and crazy!

Sora and Riku: YESSSSSS!