Oh shit. Oh shit.

What were you thinking? Idiot!

This was bad. Bad, bad, bad.

"Sora," Roxas watched his brother worriedly and ignored the rather uncomfortable presence in the corner, "will you please tell me what's wrong?"

"I screwed up. Really bad." He was pacing, shoulders hunched up to his ears, hands busy rubbing his face then running through and tugging at his hair, delving deep into his pockets only to yank free and start the process over again. "What was I thinking? I'm such a jerk. He's gonna hate me."

"Who?"

Sora paused, staring at his blond twin until understanding came into Roxas' eyes.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

And the pacing resumed.

"Things didn't go according to plan, then," Roxas ventured to guess.

Oh, but that was the worst part. As upset as Sora was, it wasn't at Riku. He was upset with himself because he hadn't he been asking for it? Telling Riku with everything but words that he wanted something to happen? Yeah, he had, and then he'd panicked and ran for it when the older boy finally made a move. Riku had even apologized, as if he'd done something wrong and Sora hadn't said anything…he was the worst piece of filth on the earth.

Tease. You did it on purpose and he thinks he messed up but it was you and now things are going to be so awkward. How are you going to handle being around him now? What are you gonna do next time you're in the locker room with him, huh? Nothing, you coward.

"The plan worked fine," he muttered, scuffing his foot against the floor. "I just screwed it up." A frustrated sigh escaped him and the brunet threw himself onto his bed. "I spent all day trying to provoke him and it worked perfectly. I knew it would get to him and then when he finally did something I lost my nerve and I ran. I'm pathetic."

"No," Roxas sat by the other boy and smiled when Sora buried his face in his hip, "you're not pathetic. It was brave of you to try. I never would have." With gentle fingers, he stroked through his brother's hair, trying to soothe him.

"He's gonna hate me." The words were muffled. "I led him on and now he's going to think I was making fun of him or something and he'll hate me."

"Of course he won't hate you. You're best friends."

"Yeah, well, what I did wasn't exactly friendly."

Roxas cast another glance towards the corner and smiled weakly to see Axel staring out the window. The redhead had spent most of the day with him and Sora didn't seem to realize he was there, so Roxas didn't point him out and Axel didn't call attention to himself.

"So apologize and explain."

"Explain what? That I want him to shove me against the wall and kiss me 'til my knees give out?" His description put uncomfortable expression on the other two male's faces. "No way. He'd laugh at me."

"He would not. Obviously, he wants the same thing."

Not sure if he could believe that, Sora kept his face pressed into Roxas' hip and wrapped his arms around the blond's waist. It was comforting to be so close to his twin, to hold onto him. Roxas had always been the steady one, quieter and more thoughtful than Sora. He had a temper, sure, but he kept it in check better than Sora ever could have. And he'd always been the one to calm the brunet down, until they relied on each other more than they did their nanny and parents. Growing up hadn't changed a thing.

"He won't hate you," Roxas promised quietly, still petting his brother's hair.

Sora didn't respond, caught between his want to believe the blond and his guilt over what he'd done to his best friend.

X

She shouldn't have been surprised. Really, she'd known it would be like this, hadn't she? Yes, because this was the sort of thing she wanted.

Kairi was right at home in the restaurant Luxord had picked for their date. It was the sort of place her parents ate at, with neatly folded cloth napkins, silver and crystal, white tablecloths and smartly dressed waiting staff. It was fancier by far than the restaurants in Kingdom.

They'd already ordered, were just waiting for their food to arrive. And the silence between them was well on its way to becoming awkward. Which wasn't at all what Kairi wanted. She wanted this date to go well and if that was going to happen then she was probably going to have to be the one to break the ice. Again.

"All right, Luxord," she said the name with particular emphasis, pleased by the way it sounded and the way the blond tilted his head just slightly to acknowledge that she's spoken, "I suppose we'll have to start this off with the boring, generic questions. So," the redhead leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands, fingers laced, "what made you decide to become a teacher?"

The man chuckled, amused by her phrasing. "I enjoy history, and politics. They fascinate me."

"But that's not all."

"I believe that learning about the past is the only way to prepare for the future."

"Such a sentimental mindset," Kairi teased lightly, earning a stern look from the blond across from her.

"A practical one. I've spent too many years working for your generation to grow up to be useless fools."

"You don't seem to think very highly of 'my generation.'" It wasn't an accusation; she wasn't insulted. She knew there were plenty of kids her age that fit the label of "useless fools" so there was little point in trying to argue against that.

Hints of a smile played around Luxord's mouth. "A few of you are tolerable."

"Oh, well, that's a relief." She laughed quietly, looking down at the tabletop as she did so. Flirting. They were flirting for the first time. He was finally responding. Thinking it made her want to give herself a little cheer, would have had her wiggling in her seat out of victory had he not been right there—the celebration would come later, when she got back to her dorm, so long as the rest of the date went smoothly.

For now, she contained her excitement and busied herself by sipping her water, though she did keep an eye on the blond. He sat with perfect posture, spine straight and shoulders back, chin tilted down just slightly and eyebrows raised in an expression of polite curiosity but that could easily morph into a grin or smirk. His hands rested on the table, loosely folded; one thumb rubbed back and forth across the other, slow and deliberate. Everything about him radiated maturity, confidence if not slight arrogance, intelligence and humor that might be a little dark. To say the least, he was handsome, and definitely intriguing.

And he wonders why I'm attracted to him.

Really, was it that hard for him to figure out? He must have been popular when he was in high school, would probably still have been popular if he worked somewhere that exposed him to more people. It was lucky for Kairi that she didn't seem to have any competition for the icy-eyed professor's attention.

Now that she thought about it, though, maybe a little competition wouldn't be so bad, as long as it was with Luxord rather than for him.

"Your turn to start a conversation," she informed him with a twinkling smile that betrayed nothing of her thoughts.

One blond eyebrow went up. "What do you plan to study after you graduate?"

"Drama."

"Acting?"

"And singing."

"What do your parents think?"

"They're thrilled."

"Really?"

"My mother's a singer."

"And your father?"

"Owns the largest chain of performing theatres in the eastern hemisphere."

"Of course he does."

They stared at each other, Luxord still with one eyebrow lifted higher than the other and Kairi with a charming smile in place. He wasn't at all surprised to hear that her parents were well-off and she wasn't boasting the fact—most students at Kingdom High had wealthy parents and the rest were talented enough to receive scholarships. But he'd done just what she'd wanted. He'd challenged her, had sought reason behind her plans and appeared satisfied with her response.

Now they were getting somewhere.

x

It was snowing again, and for now Riku chose to watch the white flakes fall in order to distract himself. All day the snow had started and stopped, gradually covering the entire campus in a white blanket. By tomorrow it would be perfect for a snowball fight, though he had little hope that it would happen. At this point, he might not have the nerve to leave his dorm for a week.

Don't be a wuss, Riku. You can handle this. It was an accident—you lost control for a second, that's all. That's all you have to say. Apologize and hope he doesn't drop you like a rock.

The fact that Kairi had agreed to help him was a huge relief. Now way would he ever manage to get up the nerve to talk to Sora by himself. His people skills weren't good enough. Hell, he'd ruined his friendship with the younger student with no help from anyone last semester and now he might have done it again.

You'd better get a grip on your hormones or you're in for a heap of trouble.

He'd never had a problem with controlling himself before. No one had ever gotten to him the way the blue-eyed brunet did. Admittedly, he knew now that his hostility towards Sora during the fall was partially based on his reluctance to acknowledge that he was attracted to the younger athlete. But damn, was he attracted. How could he not be? Sora was the first person who had ever taken Riku's cold demeanor as a challenge and then worked tirelessly to overcome it; he was the first best friend Riku had ever had. Working out wasn't the same without the blue-eyed boy and flirting with him was simultaneously the easiest thing in the world and the worst sort of torture. Ignoring his feelings and being extra moody to cover them up had hurt them both and he'd paid for it, and Kairi had known all along. Riku was convinced she would be able to help him fix this.

Maybe he should go try to apologize again. It'd been almost an hour now. Sora would've calmed down, right?

Or he's freaking out and Roxas is about to come break my nose.

Riku was stronger than Roxas, bigger and faster, could easily win in a fight against the younger boy, but he still didn't want to face the blond's anger. The twins were, unsurprisingly, extremely protective of each other. If he was acting out of that protectiveness, Roxas wouldn't be easy to handle.

Besides, he didn't want to fight. He would let Roxas hit him, if the blond wanted to. It was no more than he deserved for biting Sora. Just as long as his nose didn't heal crooked or something.

No longer distracted by the snow, Riku turned from the window and started rifling through his videogames. There had to be something he could do until Kairi got back from whatever she was doing. He wasn't sure what she was busy with but as long as she'd be free tonight or in the morning, he'd wait as patiently as he could.

Even as he started up his console and put the disc in the drive, he was half listening for an angry-sounding knock at his door to signal he was about to get his comeuppance.

x

More than satisfied with her meal of shrimp fettuccini that far outdid the food served at school, Kairi relaxed in her chair and smiled at Luxord. "Delicious."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." He offered a small, crooked, almost confused smile, and Kairi couldn't help but wonder why he looked so unsure all of a sudden. For the entire evening he'd been confident in himself and his opinion of how this date would go. Even while they ate, his comments and responses had bordered on the sarcastic, though they were amused and never bored, to her relief.

What's he thinking? Is he…enjoying this more than he thought he would…?

She barely dared to hope.

"Do you have room for dessert?" Luxord asked, flipping open the small menu that had perched on the table throughout their meal. "There's several that sound good."

Kairi shook her head, smiling slightly. "I couldn't eat another bite."

"Ready to go, then?"

"Sure."

Immediately, Luxord took his napkin off his lap and stood, moving around the table to help Kairi to her feet. It was more chivalrous than she'd been expecting, but she merely smiled and took his arm as they made their way through the restaurant to pay at the counter. He didn't let her see what the bill was as he wrote the check, though she knew it had to be fairly high. Nevertheless, she merely followed him outside onto the sidewalk, where everything was covered in a light layer of snow.

"It's beautiful," Kairi murmured, looking at the way the Christmas light that had been put up on the street lamps and on the buildings turned the snow an array of colors.

"It is."

She could feel eyes on her but didn't look, knew he would turn away the moment she did, so she allowed herself only a small smile. "Where to?"

"This way."

Together, he with long, slow strides and she with shorter, faster strides, they headed off along the sidewalk, away from the parking lot where Luxord's car sat waiting. It was almost completely silent, the snow muffling the sounds of their footsteps, and the lack of traffic leaving even the city quiet on this December evening.

Eventually they left the streets behind and passed through an iron gateway, the posts wrapped with green tinsel and lights. Beyond that was a park, the kind that's criss-crossed with paths, dotted with benches and small gazebos, full of well-tended hedges and trees, all decorated to celebrate the season. It would have been pretty enough during the day, but at night it was a breathtaking sight, and Kairi found herself looking around in wonder as she and Luxord slowly made their way along one of the paths. Their breaths were white puffs on the air, only adding to the effect, and she held a little closer to his arm. She'd never done anything like this before.

"Luxord."

"Hm?" He glanced down at her, smiling just slightly.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"This. I know you think I'm a silly high school girl with a crush, and maybe you're right, but whether this works out or not, thank you for taking me out tonight." She looked up at him, smiling, her eyes unusually vivid as they reflected the lights. "It's been wonderful." Her voice was hushed so as not to disrupt the peacefulness of the park, and she felt her cheeks warm slightly as Luxord looked back at her.

"You're welcome." It was sincere and just as quiet a she had been; he placed one gloved hand over hers and they continued down the path.

Soft music drifted towards them, emitting from a series of speakers hidden in the bushes. The pair was soon surrounded by instrumental Christmas music. To Kairi's surprise, Luxord pulled away when they reached a wider section of the path, a lighted gazebo off to one side. The blond bowed slightly, one hand extended towards her.

"Dance with me?"

Oh my god.

It was so cliché and stupid and sweet that Kairi couldn't help but giggle a little as she accepted the offered hand and curtsied. "Of course."

Hand-in-hand, they walked towards the gazebo and positioned themselves in the center of it, his free hand resting on her lower back and hers on his shoulder. It was a bit of a reach, since he was so much taller than she was, but she managed without having to stretch awkwardly, and smiled up at him as their feet began to move.

He was a flawless dancer, even though it was a simple step that Kairi had learned years ago, and she smiled widely as they spun slow circles around and around and around.

"Very graceful, professor," she teased at one point, when they slowed between a break in the songs. "Your posture is excellent."

Luxord grinned and twirled her, pulled her closer as the dance began again. "Thanks. Not bad yourself."

Time had to be passing but Kairi hardly noticed it. She was too caught up in the dance, the way Luxord smiled down at her and how warm she was now despite the cold. This was perfect, better than she'd imagined when she first read his email about going on a test date.

"You're proving me right, you know," the redhead commented with a playful smile as Luxord twirled her again.

"What do you mean?" Each time they drew apart he pulled her just a little bit closer than before.

"This date is better than I'd imagined. I'll never be able to date someone my age after this."

"You don't have much faith in your peers, do you."

"I've been accused of having too high of standards."

"Nonsense. There's nothing wrong with refusing to settle for less than you want."

Kairi smiled and shrugged as they continued to move. "I guess the problem would be finding someone who meets my standards. Though I'm almost sure I've found him." To her surprise, Luxord blushed a little at that comment and looked down for the next several minutes, only lifting his gaze again when the pink had faded from his cheeks.

"That remains to be seen," he muttered noncommittally, and Kairi wondered if he was reminding himself just as much as he was reminding her that this was nothing more than an experiment. Still, she was confident. Things seemed to be going so well that she was sure she'd passed his test even though he refused to tell her what exactly he was basing his test on.

"Regardless, Luxord, I'm glad you gave me a chance."

The blond nodded and took them in another slow circle around the gazebo.