Off The Script

A/N: Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Cards Against Humanity. Also, this is rated T because nothing explicit happens, but there are references to mature things due to the notorious card game. So. There's that warning.

When Namine and Kairi jumped into the pool topless I should have felt something, right?

The pool water splashed from their cannonball of giggles, blond and red hair streaming behind them. The waves overflowed the sides of the pool, and Tidus scrambled to pick up his beer so it wouldn't drop in to the pool.

The girls emerged from their jump with simultaneous gasps and giggles. I felt relief that they came up for air, eyes not tempted to drift toward exposed shoulders and blurred busts. But why not? Wasn't that my job, as hero of the worlds, to chase after my princess of heart?

"You gonna swim?" Riku asked, leaning against the poolside table I also leaned against. I masked my confusion and over-thinking; the last thing I wanted was Riku worried about me.

Shrugging, I replied, "I don't know, looks cold."

Riku laughed, his voice carrying across the summer night wind in an easy song. "Sora, you doofus. It's like, 90 degrees out here."

I laughed along easily, because he was right. But he elbowed me, and handed me a coke. I supplied another excuse, taking the drink. "I didn't bring swim trunks."

"I think you're missing the point."

I sipped the coke, the fizz popping and buzzing on my tongue like the thoughts ricocheting around my brain – an effect of Riku's presence I hadn't figured out yet. When I didn't respond, Riku continued, "If you wanted a romantic moment, now's your chance. Didn't you meet a million couples in the other –" he hesitated, because of our vow of secrecy, "places?"

He sipped his coke, too, and I relished the 'normal' togetherness that we hadn't had in years. I couldn't explain why, but even though Riku was right, I didn't want to move from this spot; not even an inch. Riku's arm brushed against mine when he put the drink down. I never failed to notice.

"I met plenty," I defended myself, unsure of what my point was. "But isn't it more respectful this way?"

The silveret shrugged. "I don't know. I think you're supposed to dive in and shield her from others looking. Chivalry, and whatever."

Shit. "Huh," I replied, "Didn't think of that." I forced an easy smile, rubbing the back of my head. "Whoops!"

"Ri~ku," Kairi called, "Toss me the top?"

I looked over to Riku, and noticed on his opposite shoulder was her bikini top. With shock I thought – oh right we both like her so he will dive in now, right? Inexplicably, I panicked; there was something so wrong about Riku liking Kairi. I didn't want him to give all his attention to her, not when we were just reunited. I was horrified with myself for these selfish thoughts; I just wanted Riku to be happy. What was wrong with me?

But I worried for nothing. He used the bathing suit top as a rubber-band sling shot and perfectly aimed it to our princess. It even landed in the water directly in front of her with little splash, earning a snicker from Namine. "Traitor," she giggled to the redhead.

Kairi and Riku shared a look I didn't understand, and she winked. I don't think they realized I would notice. But the redhead giggled happily. "Thanks, Ri."

"Anytime," he said. She put the top back on. It made no difference to me. Why did it make no difference?

"That was your chance," I said, the words falling from my mouth before I registered I should stop them.

I thought he'd be mad for calling him out, and I inwardly panicked again. But instead he chuckled. "I'm right where I want to be." His aqua eyes were warmer than usual.

My heart wouldn't stop pounding, to the point where I couldn't talk. Riku didn't seem to notice at first, considering he's usually quiet and somewhere mentally far away. Normally I was the one to drag him back to the present, but I was too confused at my own nervousness.

It's just Riku, so why was I so skittish? I saved the world from Heartless and Nobodies and yet standing there I felt like I had just finished a hard-fought battle.

Lea walked over to us, and I almost jumped out of my skin when he spoke. "Hey, you guys do know this is a party, right? You're supposed to talk to people, drink, act like teenagers?"

Riku chuckled. "Is it? I thought it's only a party if Sora is wearing a party hat and glasses."

The redhead rolls his eyes. "That was a keep-Sora-busy-while-Riku-sleeps event, definitely not a party."

"Hey!" I protested, "I'm right here."

"Oh, so you are awake?" Lea teased, "I was about to have the resident keyblade master dive in to the doom and gloom here."

"Shhh!" I exclaimed, "Axe–Lea, we can't talk about that!"

He groaned, "Who here doesn't know?"

Riku defended me, listing, "Tidus, Wakka, Selphie–"

"Ahh, okay I get it, I get it. Point is, lighten up you two! The night isn't getting any younger, got it memorized?"

He had a point. I doubted there would be another chance to be with everyone like this. The King implied as much. I slapped my cheeks. My best friend looked at me in surprise.

"What was that for?"

I smiled, more genuine this time. "Lea's right. We're being lame standing over here."

Riku cocked his head to the side. "I'm much better at observing than participating."

"Well, tough," I critiqued him, "No telling when we will see everyone again."

"Still doom and gloom," Lea reminded me. I crossed my arms.

Kairi swam over to the edge of the pool, eyes bright as she listened to us talk. The moonlight looked beautiful on her. "Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie said they have to go. Why don't we go inside, play games?"

Lea gestured dramatically to the fellow redhead. "See? She gets it."

I watched Riku carefully, wondering what he thought of the idea. The moonlight looked good on him too; it suited him more, and made his hair shine. He laughed at their suggestion. "What? Like go fish?"

Even Kairi rolled her eyes. "No, silly, like, strip 'Uno' and 'Cards Against Humanity' and 'Truth or Dare'."

"Cards against what?"

Lea added a comment, "I don't think Sora could handle – wait, Kairi, have you played?"

Kairi blushed, and Namine snickered as she appeared on her side. Lea heartily laughed. "Well, okay then."

"This month's Lady Island: 'Spice up your sex life by bringing blank into the bedroom.'" Lea read, and I wondered if my face would ever return to a normal shade.

Automatically, Kairi and Namine blatantly cheated, showing each other their cards and giggling at the options they could use. Roxas instantly handed Lea a card, completely nonchalant. Lea's smile was sly. I looked at my hand in horror. I didn't understand half of them, and yet the ones I did made me feel like Darkness may take my heart after all.

I looked to my best friend, hoping I wasn't the only one lost. But, I watched as Riku looked at his hand, and turned his head to the side. "Oh, looks like Riku's got a good one," Kairi gleefully announced. And that's when I noticed his shoulders shaking from the laughter he was trying to contain. He handed a card to Lea aggressively, clearly wanting the laminated paper gone from his hands.

I watched in fascination; he hardly ever laughs hard, and I found myself dying to know what was so funny. I look to my hand again, grimacing when I picked a random one to hand to Lea.

"Alright ladies," Lea started, "'Spice up your sex life with …" he snorted, "A piñata full of Heartless." He glanced at Namine and she instantly burst into laughter, Kairi following right after. Riku snorted and Roxas rolled his eyes. I failed to see what would be funny about that.

"'Spice up your sex life with…" Lea actually chuckled for this one, "Some really fucked up shit." My ex-Nobody smirked.

"Oh, someone's kinky," Riku supplied, and I could hardly believe my ears heard it. But my lips upturned on their own, my imagination probably going too far. Lea winked, and Roxas blushed. "What! It's funny." Riku held up his hands in surrender, grinning sheepishly – when it came to Roxas, out of guilt Riku always backed down.

"I like that one," Namine said, her laughter light like a bird's chirping.

"Patience, patience," the redhead reader chastised her.

"Okay, next one… 'Spice up the bedroom with… double penetration," he choked out. He laid down the cards on the floor, erupting in laughter. Roxas completely fell over onto Lea, snickering even as his face turned red. "Hoooooly shit, who put that?!" he cried out.

Kairi lost it; her cards fell to her lap as she curled over on the floor, convulsing in fits of glee so violent she started crying. Lea, as shocked as I felt, said, "YOU? Princess of Heart!?"

She nodded weakly, a hand over her mouth to stifle her full-bodied giggles. Riku and I glanced at each other, jaws dropped. Riku's cheeks were pink, from holding back laughter or blushing, I couldn't tell. I kind of wanted to die, but I laughed even as I cringed in disbelief, desperately trying to prevent my mind from imagining it. Then Riku scoffed, putting a hand over his face as he laughed.

Lea sat back up. "Wow, apparently, pure of heart has nothing to do with sex," he commented, and that earned a giggle from me. She wiped her eyes, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I thought it was funny."

Riku shook his head at her. "I'll never see you the same again." He laughed when she pushed his shoulder. I felt a little jealous. Am I the only one here without a dirty mind?

Roxas, who recovered, scowled, commanding Lea, "Get to the next card already, we know who won."

"You don't know that, Roxy! But, fine, fine. Okay. 'Spice up the bedroom with… wearing an octopus for a hat', really, Sora?"

"How did you tell!?" I exclaimed, and the circle chuckled knowingly at me. I crossed my arms. "It would totally spice things up," I said.

"You just picked a random card, didn't you?" Riku caught me, a half-smile quirked on his face.

"Did not!"

Kairi pushed me like she did Riku, too. "C'mon, Sora, it's just us, you don't have to be so embarrassed."

Most of the group nodded, and I sighed. "Right, right, I'll do better next time," I promised.

"Ah, whatever, neeeext," Lea said. The group turned to listen to the next card, and I felt relieved. "So, last one, 'spice up the bedroom with… Jafar'?"

Last man standing, Riku started cracking up, the sound coming like a cough from the back of his throat as he tried to hold it back. But finally, I understood why: his card was actually funny to me. My eyes narrowed at Riku as I began laughing. "Oh my god, Riku, with Iago and his staff," I choked out before I could stop myself.

That did it, and Riku dissolved into laughter. "Exactly," Riku coughed through his uncontrollable chortling, laying back and putting a hand on his face again. His shirt lifted slightly, shifting from the air rapidly entering and leaving his lungs, and I found myself staring even as I laughed. I felt a blush returning. What was this?

Kairi looked at us, confused. "Jafar?" Lea sighed at us. "She isn't gonna get those references guys, she's never been to Agrabah."

Through his laughter, Riku conceded, "Sorry, sorry but…" He snickered some more, shaking his head as if to will himself to stop.

Roxas chided us, "God, you two are more innocent than your Princess of Heart. What's the point of even playing this game with you?"

I defended Riku, "Hey, saving the universe isn't exactly sex-ed."

Kairi giggled, "Aww, wanna have 'The Talk'?"

"Ew, god, no," I said, looking at her like she was crazy.

Roxas joined in, "You slept for a year and you're telling me you didn't have even one wet dream?"

I blushed at my heart-given Nobody. "I-I didn't say that, I'm just saying it's not like I had wifi in Christmas Town to check the PornHub categories, gees."

Lea snickered, "But he knows they exist."

"Ah, I give up," I threw my hands up, "You guys win." Sitting up, Riku looked at me strangely. I blushed harder, my heart beating the same.

"What did we win?" asked Namine.

"I dunno, we can dare them to do something," Kairi suggested.

"Hey!" Riku protested, "Why me?"

"Because it was your card," Namine supplied, twinning Kairi's mischievous, dangerous grin.

Roxas looked deadpanned, "We literally only got through one round of Cards."

Lea laughed, "I don't know what else you expected."

"Truth or dare then?" Kairi practically begged, eyes sparkling.

"Tidus is going to be pissed if he finds out we played after they left," Riku sighed.

Roxas shrugged, "That's what they get for leaving early."

"I am not doing that," Riku refused, arms crossed and clearly annoyed. His eyebrows knit together and lips pursed like a displeased parent. It brought a smile to my face, because it reminded me of lazy days in summer when Destiny Islands didn't have a mainland and when stars were just stars.

"Truth, then?" Kairi taunted, an evil grin growing on her face.

They shared another look and Riku clearly didn't want to do "truth". Opting to save him, I supplied, "I'll do it first, if that makes you feel better."

The redhead protested, "Hey, that's cheating!" Then she reconsidered, "But… I will allow it." She crossed her arms, her stare haughty as if it were her idea all along.

I rolled my eyes, "You were cheating at the perverted card game, Kai." She stuck her tongue out at me, and then handed me her beer.

Riku looked at me in concern. "Don't give in to peer pressure for my sake." I shook my head. "It's really not a big deal." I even giggled. "To being teenagers!" Before the bottle reached my lips, Riku had reached over and snatched it from me.

"Oi!"

He promptly drank a sip. Kairi laughed as his face twisted in disgust, and he sputtered after the swallow. "It's like… liquid bread. And not good bread."

Kairi and I both giggled. "Let me try," I asked, but didn't let him respond as revenge for his thievery. I took a sip before he protested, and found that I agreed with Riku's assessment.

"Eugh, Kai, how can you drink this?" I asked in incredulity. Keeping in mind the slumbering ex-Nobodies on the couch mere meters away from us who crashed not long ago, she stifled her sniggering in her hand.

"You don't drink it because you like it," she argued, grabbing the brown bottle from me, "You drink it to get buzzed!"

"Maybe it's okay I skipped out on this teenager thing," Riku commented, shaking his head, "Because that sounds incredibly stupid to me." I nodded. She waved our critique away.

"It's your turn, Ri. Ask someone."

"Hmm." Riku's crystalline eyes fell on me, alight in a nostalgic mischievous expression. "Sora, truth or dare."

I never backed down from a challenge from Riku. "Dare." He almost looked disappointed.

"Shit, didn't think you'd pick that."

I scoffed, "What, think I'm too chicken?"

The silveret chuckled, "Obviously not."

Riku looked stumped on what to dare me to do, so Kairi leaned over to him, whispering in his ear. Riku smiled, and I felt jealous again.

"I dare you to wear your Halloween Town costume for the next two rounds." Kairi squealed with excitement.

I groaned. "I'm not supposed to here," I complained weakly, but the glint in his eye told me he wouldn't budge. I briefly considered switching to "truth", but quickly rejected the idea. I suddenly understood Riku's fear of "truth" – I did not want to answer whatever question he may have had. Sighing, I gave in, casting the spell half-heartedly. Even without the keyblade currently summoned, my outfit transformed.

The princess scooted up to me, gleefully looking me up and down. That should have been a dream come true, right? She peeked under my mask, pulled down my lip to look at my fangs, and even rustled my jacket to look beneath – I didn't even blush. Instead, I automatically teased her, "Gees, Kai, handsy!" One "accidental" lean-in and we would have kissed, but the thought didn't cross my mind.

"Do you think I'll get a costume, too?" she asked, eyes sparkling in anticipation. I rubbed the back of my head, grimacing. "P-probably?"

"Oh, my god, I can't wait!"

"You're welcome," Riku told her. She scoffed, "Oh, whatever, you wanted to see, too."

My eyes widened when he didn't argue, but instead looked to the side, his cheeks pink. What?

"It's your turn, Sora!"

"God, I'm glad that's over," Riku sighed, staring up at the ceiling next to me in the bed. I tried very hard to not feel nervous, but I wasn't sure if I could sleep like that. Kairi insisted we share this room, but was it really necessary? It was clearly not good for my health.

I nod rigidly. "Y-yeah, seems like we missed a lot of stuff."

"You'll catch up, don't worry about it." Despite myself, I smiled at his comforting words. He always saw through me.

"If you say so. Hey – what did you think about Roxas and Axe- Lea. Ugh, I still can't get his name right."

Riku chuckled, tilting his head in consideration. "What, you mean the kissing dare?"

"Yeah," I affirmed, trying to swallow the rising tension in my throat.

"I don't think it's a big deal. I mean, they're close, I guess." He didn't sound particularly sure. Though his eyes remained level in his stare at the ceiling, he seemed to tense slightly at the mention of it. For some reason, I found it comforting, that maybe I wasn't the only one anxious.

But that imagined kinship with him made me bold. "Well, then, why did you reject the dare to kiss me?"

He stiffened, and turned to look at me, leaning on an arm for support. It made us very close. "What do you mean?" The room seemed to raise ten degrees instantly.

"W-well, if it's not a big deal then why–"

"It's different. Kairi was just teasing me."

He said it with such finality I wasn't sure what to say. His jaw clenched. I felt disappointed, and didn't understand. It was like dealing with Organization 13 all over again; everyone except me knew what was going on, but wouldn't fill me in. Riku stared at me, and I avoided the eye contact.

"Why do you ask?" he said, and for a brief moment I wish I had stayed a Heartless. Or asleep in the stupid white flower pod.

"J-just curious," I lied, then erred closer to the truth, "I guess – it just seemed like everyone already had their first kiss. So, I wondered if you had."

He stared blankly at for me a solid moment, and I almost rescinded my whole inquiry. But he responded, "…As you so eloquently stated earlier, saving the world doesn't leave much time for that."

"N-not even Kairi?"

His eyebrows scrunched together, peering at me as if I sprouted a second head. "What? No. Dude, I really don't like her that way. That's your thing."

It was my turn to look uncomfortably at the ceiling. When I didn't respond, Riku hesitantly asked, "It is your thing… right?"

I sighed. "I don't know anymore. I mean, she told me not to change, and I didn't. But she's changed."

"Hmm."

I backtracked, feeling guilty, "Don't get me wrong, I still love her, she's my best friend just like you but–" And then I stopped, not sure what I wanted to say after 'but'. Our eyes met again, and I wanted to melt into the sheets and never materialize again. My heart pounded like crazy, and all my world travel experience indicated that that meant only one thing.

Riku smiled; it was a knowing smile, but sweet. "I think you changed, too, Sora."

I couldn't argue. I was too distracted by the moonlight glinting off his hair again pouring through the window. His aqua eyes drifted to the side. "So, did you want to do it?"

"Do what?"

He looked agonized that he had to say it, but he did. "Kiss."

I couldn't help my face from turning tomato red, but what disturbed me more is how tempting the offer was. Wasn't this completely off the script? But then again, I just told him I didn't like Kairi anymore. As if justifying his request, I added, "We wouldn't be the only ones who haven't anymore."

He nodded. I started getting nervous, but for all the wrong reasons. "I-I don't really know how to, though."

Riku shook his head, laughing. "And you think I do? You're the one who got couples together across the worlds."

"That doesn't mean I know how to kiss!"

"C'mon, it can't be that hard," his voice was teasing, his smile stirring butterflies in my tummy.

"Y-you start, then," I challenged him stubbornly.

His expression turned slightly solemn, serious. I thought that surely, he could hear my pounding heart by now. I even thought he would push me and say he was kidding, calling me a doofus.

But I was wrong. "Fine," he said, and leaned in.

It happened fast, and yet I felt like it lasted an eternity. I felt his recently cut hair brush against my cheek before our lips actually met. Neither of us closed our eyes, and I felt like I'd drown in his aquamarine gaze. He hesitated for the slightest moment, and I closed the distance. It was only fair, since I made him start. And I didn't want to seem like a wimp.

All I could think about was how soft his lips were. His expression was strange, and I didn't understand. But I was happy. I was so, so happy that my first kiss was with Riku. I suddenly didn't care about who I should like, and what was expected of me as savior of worlds. What mattered is that I had my best friend back, and that after everything, I could be close to him.

He pulled away with pink cheeks. For some reason, my cheeks didn't feel hot anymore. I felt calm, like my heart had finally gotten something important.

I think I was smiling. I whispered, "That was… cool."

Riku relaxed, chuckling. "Yeah. That was cool." He looked happy, too, and the moonlight looked a little brighter on him.

I think… I like Riku.

A/N: Happy NaNoWriMo! Because I got stuck in My Little Demon, I produced this. If you are doing wrimo too, please, add me on ! Username: KaiserinAstraia