But it wasn't just any kiss. It was the first ever shared by two male characters on a daytime soap. It turned out to be quite a big deal. It got play on "Entertainment Tonight" and it was downloaded more than a million times on YouTube.

That kiss was in August. They kissed again in September.

But while Noah and Luke's romance has heated up since then, there hasn't been a smooch now for nearly six months.

Mind you, the pair has come close, tantalizingly close. At Christmastime, the two were shown leaning toward each other for a kiss, but then camera cut to a sprig of mistletoe before they connected.

On a special Valentine’s Day “World” episode, the pair shared a chaste hug.

Fans are furious. 

They’ve started an online petition urging “World” producers, CBS and the show’s sponsor, Procter & Gamble, to greenlight another liplock. They're sending bags of Hershey’s Kisses to CBS executives, mirroring last year’s successful nuts campaign by “Jericho” fans to revive the canceled show.

“In the past few months, it is most often the days that Luke and Noah appear that have the highest ratings,” writes one fan, in an appeal to CBS. “This should show that we are supporting you. Now we ask that you support us.”

So far, the petition has received more than 2,700 electronic signatures. It’s been promoted on noahandluke.com, a site chronicling the duo’s relationship. The site features a clock counting the days, hours, minutes and seconds since their last kiss. It’s been 162 days and counting.

"Fans found out that a longer version of that [first] kiss had been edited down, so suspicions were raised by then but we remained optimistic," says Richard Hall, webmaster for NoahandLuke.com.

"By the time the December 20th episode happen (also known as "Mistletoegate"), fans could no longer deny that something had changed behind the scenes and P&G had backpedaled on their promise to treat Noah and Luke like every other couple."

Procter & Gamble Productions, which oversees the show, has been mum on when or if another kiss will take place, though the show has always been fairly progressive on gay issues. It had the first gay male soap character 20 years ago.

CBS has been no more revealing. It has released this statement: "CBS supports the producers' vision for the Luke and Noah storyline. We have not censored it or asked them to hold back in any way."

The kiss campaign has been stepped up in recent days, getting media coverage from  National Public Radio, Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press and TMZ, under the headline “Angry Viewers Demand Gay Love.”

The issue may have helped the show's ratings. During fourth quarter, "World" was the only soap to see gains over last year among women 18-49 and 25-54, though it still ranks third- and second-to-last among the eight broadcast soaps.

Meanwhile, in other daypart ratings for the week ended Feb. 24, NBC’s “Meet the Press” was first once again among the Sunday morning shows in total viewers with 4.36 million tuning in and was also first among viewers 25-54 with a 1.2 rating. CBS’s “Face the Nation” was second in viewers with 2.97 million and among 25-54s with a 0.9, with ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” pulling 2.88 million viewers and a 0.7 among 25-54s. “Fox News Sunday” averaged 1.56 million viewers and a 0.6 rating among 25-54s.
 
In late night, NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” finished first for the week, averaging 5.3 million total viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49. CBS’s “The Late Show with David Letterman” had 3.5 million viewers and a 1.0 rating in the demo, with ABC’s “Nightline” bringing in 3.1 million viewers and a 0.9 18-49 rating. In late-late night, NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” had 2.0 million total viewers and a 0.8 in 18-49s, with CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” at 1.7 million viewers and a 0.5, ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” at 1.4 million viewers and a 0.5, and NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly” bringing in 1.1 million viewers and a 0.5 among 18-49s.
 
In morning shows, NBC’s “Today” was first with 6.1 million total viewers and a 4.6 household rating and 15 share, followed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” with 4.6 million viewers and a 3.5/12. CBS’s “Early Show” was third with 3.2 million total viewers and a 2.4/8.
 
CBS again had the largest full daytime audience during the week, averaging 4.3 million viewers, but was tied for second among women 18-49 with a 1.5 rating. NBC had the second-largest audience, averaging 3.22 million viewers, and was first among women 18-49 with a 1.7 rating. ABC had a full daytime audience of 3.14 million and tied for second among women 18-49 with a 1.5 rating.
 
In evening network news for the week ended March 2, NBC’s “Nightly News with Brian Williams” was first among total viewers, averaging 9.17 million, but was second among 25-54s with a 2.2 average rating. ABC’s “World News with Charles Gibson” was second in viewers, averaging 9.01 million, and first among 25-54s with a 2.3, while CBS’s “Evening News with Katie Couric” was third for the week with 6.98 million total viewers and a 1.8 25-54 rating.