It was a lazy afternoon on Destiny Islands. Summer had started, parents were at work, children were at play, and the teens of the island had already run out of interesting things to do. Sora was currently lying upside-down on his couch; his head barely touching the seat cushions. Sitting beside him was Riku, his best friend and rival, who was currently dating their best female friend: Kairi. Sora had made a bit of a fuss about that when it was made "official", but he eventually let it go, quietly accepting the fact. Riku leaned back and heaved a deep sigh at the completely lack-luster day. Sora closed his eyes, barely noticing nor caring about the fact that his red tee-shirt was sliding down to reveal his toned stomach and chest.

"Y'know…" Riku drawled, focusing his gaze on the ceiling of bare rafters, "I came here because I was bored at my house..." He trailed off, scratching his head idly.

"Well, what d'you wanna do?" Sora retorted, "Stupid island… there's nothing interesting around here. And since that big storm last night knocked the power out-"

"God, why does it take people an eternity to do anything in this place? It's like they think they have all the time in the world! Other people would like to do stuff too, y'know-"

"Well, they kinda do have all the time in the world. It's not like anything important ever happens around here." Sora sighed, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"That's the truth." Riku replied, turning to face his friend for an instant, then turned abruptly away, staring at his hands. Another long silence set in between them, and they tried unsuccessfully to adjust to it. Eventually, Sora sighed and asked the question that had been picking at him for the past two hours.

"Riku, if you were so bored, why did you come here instead of going to Kairi's?" He inquired politely; approaching the subject carefully yet bluntly.

"Well…" he started, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought of a reply, "I dunno, really. I just… I'd rather be with a friend right now. To tell the truth, I'm kind of… feeling suffocated. She's always hanging on me, and… Oh, you wouldn't understand." Riku said quickly but instantly regretted it. He didn't want to rub the fact that Sora'd never had a girlfriend in his face. He reddened slightly, but relaxed when Sora made no retort.

After a few more moments of silence, Sora spoke again. "Riku?" he asked quietly. The older boy turned toward him as he continued his inquiry. "What it like?"

Riku regarded him curiously, his silver hair falling into his eyes as he tilted his head. "What's what like?"

"You know…" Sora continued shyly, "having… having a girlfriend. Hugging, kissing, all that couple stuff. What's it like? How does it feel?"

Riku smiled slightly at Sora's obvious naivete. "Well…" he smiled, crossing his arms and leaning back, looking rather full of himself. "It's nice. It's like a warm feeling whenever you touch them. Just being near the person makes you happy…"

"Yeah… but I feel that way around a lot of people; like you, for instance. But we're not a couple." Sora smirked, calling Riku on his overly general description. He wouldn't let Riku hold onto a false shield of manliness. He'd make the boy be honest.

"You like everything in full detail, don't you?" Riku shook his head as Sora nodded. "Ok, but just to let you know, I'm not in love with Kairi. I just like her a lot, so I can't give you a detailed description of all that stuff."

"Wait - You're not in love with her?" Sora uncrossed his arms, looking slightly confused.

"No! Of course not! I'm only 16. I have plenty of time to find someone I really love. You don't have to love someone to date them, Sora." Riku chuckled, ruffling the brunette's hair.

"Oh." Sora replied. "I knew that." Riku gave him a haughty look. "I did! Leave me alone!"

"Ok." Riku smiled and stood up, starting to walk away.

"No, no! I didn't mean literally! Sit your ass back down!" Sora cried, grabbing onto the older boy's arm. Riku complied and sat beside his young friend again, looking at him with mock annoyance. "You still have to tell me what it feels like to… to be in 'like', I think."

"'In like'?" Riku laughed. "You're like a middle-schooler, I swear." He continued to laugh as Sora shot him an angry glare. Riku eventually stopped laughing and composed himself enough to begin speaking again. "Okay, okay. Being 'in like'…" He grinned again but quickly stopped himself. "Like I said before, you just feel good in their presence. But, unlike with friends, you can take things to the next level."

"How?" Sora asked, genuinely interested.

"Well, instead of just patting them on the back or touching their arm or something, you can hold their hand, hug them, kiss them. Kairi likes to put her arm around my waist, but sometimes I'd rather just hold her hand. It's a little less intimate, but we're still together and I have more space. It's also less embarrassing than having a girl wrapped around you while you're walking." He grinned. He almost started laughing again as he looked at Sora, whom had a look of pure enlightenment on his face. "You're awfully cute when you make that face." He let out the smallest giggle.

"Huh?" Sora was pulled out of his trance. "I am not! I was not making any face! Shut up." He pouted at the silver-haired boy whom was trying his best not to laugh like a crazy person. Sora rolled his eyes and continued his inquiry. "So, Mr. Giggles, what's the farthest you've ever gone?" He accentuated his sentence by poking Riku in the ribs.

"Hey! That was rude." He pouted, but relented to Sora's scowling. "Oh, not very far. All over-the-clothes stuff. I don't really think she'd let me go any farther, and I'm not about to try." He smiled gently, finally calming down.

"Hm." Sora mumbled thoughtfully, staring at the wall ahead of him. Another silence set in. Sora gripped the top of the couch with his hands, only slightly bothered by the blood rushing to his head. Riku still lie back, his arms resting idly on his dark jeans. The older boy sighed again, glad to have shared this information with his friend. He knew Sora wouldn't make fun of him for not going very far, because, frankly, he couldn't make fun of him, because he hadn't gotten anywhere himself. He was just about to doze off when Sora asked his final question.

"Riku? What's it like to… to kiss someone?" He looked at his friend with large, innocent eyes. Riku blushed slightly, out of what Sora assumed was embarrassment, and looked away at the beaten orange rug that was lying on the hardwood floor.

"Kissing?" Riku asked. "It's like… Hm, well, it's really hard to describe. It's… Ah… I dunno. I'd have to show you…" He trailed off, his cheeks becoming darker.

"Then show me." Sora replied casually, almost seductive in his indifference.

"Huh?" Riku turned to face his friend. "But… wouldn't it be your first kiss?" He asked, not masking his shock and confusion.

"So? I'm not a girl. It doesn't matter to me. Besides, I've kissed before."

"Yeah, you've kissed your mom." Riku grinned, relaxing a bit.

"Well, it'll be like that, won't it? Because we're just friends?"

"Yeah, I guess so…"

"And I can't go very far with my mom…" Sora smirked, a hit of mischief gleaming in his eyes. "And it's not like you'd be cheating on Kairi, either, because it's just me. So, just show me. No big deal."

"Yeah, no big deal." Riku replied a bit hesitantly as he looked at Sora, getting lost in the younger boy's deep blue eyes. He swallowed nervously and licked his lips as Sora's eyes closed and leaned down to catch his friend's lips with his own. They both tensed slightly at that first contact, but Sora relaxed first, and soon Riku did as well. The kiss started out light and airy, but soon became deeper and more heated. After a few seconds, Sora pulled away.

"Hang on, this is uncomfortable." Sora stated, pulling himself up. Riku nodded slightly and was about to get up when Sora sat down beside him. "There. That's better." He smiled, his eyes half-lidded. "Now, let's try that again." He leaned toward Riku again, this time resting a hand on his friend's knee. Riku tensed again, but gave up when Sora's lips claimed his.

The gentle contact became harder as Sora crushed his lips to the older boy's, yearning for a feeling he had never known. Riku responded eagerly once his defenses had broken down, and it was he who first parted his lips, letting his tongue snake out to caress Sora's mouth. The brunette did not know how to react at first, but quickly caught on, opening his lips and letting his own tongue meet with his friend's. They stayed like that for a few moments; their tongues dancing wildly between them, as Riku let his hand slide around Sora's waist, eventually letting his fingertips graze under the hem of his shirt. Sora's hand had trailed up Riku's back and into his soft silver hair, running his fingers through it and tugging on it every so often. After what seemed like forever yet not long enough, the duo pulled apart, gasping for breath as their pleasure-slack eyes met one another's gaze.

Just as Riku caught his breath and was about to lean in for more, the fan above their heads turned on as the lamp flickered back to life. "Hey! The power's back on!" Sora cried cheerfully, looking up at the rotating blades. "C'mon! Let's go play Tekken!" He crowed, jumping up from the couch and heading toward the stairs to his bedroom. When he reached the third stair, he realized Riku wasn't following him. "Hey, aren't you coming?" He turned, his hand on the railing.

"Yeah, just… Gimme a minute." Riku responded, still sitting on the couch.

"…Okay…" Sora replied warily, giving his friend's back one last glance before heading upstairs.

Riku sat looking at the floor, running both hands through his hair. "Shit." He muttered quietly. "Just… Shit."


Sorry, um, I know I should be writing other stuff, but it's taking so long, and, I just wanted to get something out. It's a one-shot, no updates, no sequels. Just there. I'm working on Release! I'm up to chapter 8! I'm working on everything else, too! I'll update, I swear! +cowers+