Hey y'all ! The first chapter is (self admittedly) the longest and least eventful of this entire fic, but that's the way it's gotta be done. However, when you get to the next chapters you'll see it's way more eventful and short and AWESOME. If you honestly don't feel like finishing the first chapter I won't be sad, I'll put a tldr at the end. Happy reading!
Roxas had never liked saying goodbye, he wasn't good at it. Saying goodbye was usually awkward, you never know when to walk away, if you're supposed to hug or shake hands, and don't even get him started on when you say goodbye then walk the same way. Usually he just avoided it, like at the end of his first playdate in the second grade, Roxas walked out the front door without saying a word, and every family which ends with him slipping out unnoticed. But this was a goodbye he had to say, much to his displeasure.
Roxas' parents looked at him with tear filled eyes, but their warm smiles showed that they were not entirely sad. Roxas smiled awkwardly under their heavy stares, shifting his weight to the other foot, waiting for the silence to be broken. The late August sun beat down on them, and Roxas felt his discomfort growing like a pit in his stomach. Thankfully, his mom spoke first.
"Oh, we're so proud of you, Rox!" she said. She gave his shoulder a loving squeeze. His dad looked at his mom, putting an arm around her, then turning his intense blue gaze back to Roxas. His father's eyes were usually steely and his thoughts were kept under lock and key, but for once Roxas could read the multitude of emotion his father hid so well.
"Your mother is right, Roxas, this is going to be a great new beginning for you," he added. Roxas's smile wavered, he grew tired of "new beginnings" and "fresh starts" months ago.
"Thanks guys. I'm excited," Roxas replied, hoping he was convincing enough. His mother's smile dropped just enough to know that she read him like a book. Roxas's forced smile twitched and he thought, here it comes.
"You know Rox, having a bad attitude won't make you have a good time," she scolded, looking more concerned than annoyed. Roxas rolled his eyes.
"Mom. Please not now," Roxas begged, sounding exasperated already. He didn't know how in the world she never got tired of ragging about "positive attitudes" and "the law of attraction" because he got sick of it after the tenth time.
"Tif, let's not get back into that," his dad insisted, coming to Roxas' rescue. Tifa looked at her husband, brushing her long brown hair behind her ear. She smiled sheepishly at him, then back at Roxas.
"You're right, Cloud," she said while giving the hand resting on her shoulder a soft pat. She then reached and held Roxas's hand in both of her own. "I'm sorry, Rox. I just want the best for you! I'm not the best at goodbyes," she said softly. Her striking violet eyes looked so sad that Roxas couldn't hold a grudge.
Roxas put his free hand on top of his mother's, smiling genuinely at her. He knew that she really did just want him to be happy, even if she could be a bit overbearing about it. "It's okay," he said. Roxas smirked a little and continued on saying "Since I'm so excited for this fresh start, I think I'm going to take my super positive attitude and make some friends now."
Tifa laughed and stuck her tongue out at him, while Cloud shook his head with a soft smile on his lips. "Always the jokester," Cloud said as he ruffled his sons startling blond hair that stood straight off of his head. Normally, that would annoy Roxas to no end, but he let it slide this time knowing he won't see them for the next three months.
"That's me," Roxas replied. With that, Roxas embraced his mother. Tifa had the body of a long-time boxer, lean with defined muscles, but she still felt soft and warm to him. Roxas couldn't help but smell her lightly, some part of him wanting to remember her lavender scent. They let go of each other, and Tifa kissed Roxas tenderly on the cheek clearly holding back tears. Roxas then turned to his father, not sure whether to hug or not. Cloud made the decision and pulled Roxas into a tight squeeze. It wasn't often that Roxas and Cloud hugged or showed much affection for that matter, it wasn't really his father's nature. Roxas treasured this hug most of all, even if Cloud's hard muscled body held Roxas a little too tightly. Roxas disengaged himself from Cloud, smiling despite the mess of knots in his stomach from the idea of being alone for the first time.
"Goodbye Mom, bye Dad. I love you both, thanks for everything," he said. Tifa cried freely now, her goodbye barely audible. Cloud comforted Tifa, and said goodbye to Roxas with a smile on his face. And then they got into Cloud's obnoxiously large Ford truck and drove away. Roxas watched them until they were completely gone from view.
Roxas turned around, facing his dorm buidling alone for the first time. Well, he thought, might as well go back to my room…and Ienzo'z room. Roxas sighed, walking through the front doors of his building. He felt a little bad for already disliking Ienzo, but that kid did not give a good first impression. Roxas had never felt like he was intruding on someone's private space like that before in his life.
His new home was pretty decent, he had to admit. The building, DeFredenburgh Hall, was recently renovated and was super clean. The main lobby was nice, with a help desk where RAs would sit, couches for lounging, and even a TV area with vending machines. Dozens of new students like Roxas milled around the halls. Some had their parents with them still, and others were clinging to the roommates they just met like life preservers. Roxas tried to picture himself and Ienzo in their place, but he just couldn't.
Roxas climbed up the three flights of stairs and hung a right towards his room. The hallway was loud and crowded with not only families, but luggage and boxes. Everyone seemed to be buzzing around and bouncing from room to room, every door was wide open! Roxas couldn't help but peek into rooms as he walked by, trying to get a glimpse at his new neighbors. Everyone seemed pretty ordinary, but one girl in particular stuck out to him. She was hunched over shoving clothes from a suitcase into her set of drawers, but she looked so cute anyway. Her platinum blond hair was pulled into a high ponytail, but her plush bangs still framed her face. At the last moment, her eyes flicked to the door as if on command and Roxas felt his breath catch. Her eyes were gorgeous, a deep blue like he's never seen before. She smiled soflty at him, her baby pink lips looking so innocent and sweet. Roxas smiled shyly in return and approached his own room.
His door was the only one in the entire hallway that was shut, but Roxas knew Ienzo was in there. Roxas got himself ready to socialize with Ienzo and opened the door. The two sides of the room were polar opposites. Roxas is no ball of sunshine, but he sure did seem like one compared to Ienzo. Where Roxas's side was decorated with happy pictures of family and friends, Ienzo's had music posters for some obscure bands Roxas had never even heard of. While music taste really didn't mean much, Ienzo just gave off a solemn vibe. His side was muted colors, stacks of books, with a heavy-duty gaming computer on his desk which stood in stark contrast to Roxas' light color scheme and minimalist appearance.
Ienzo, lounging on his bed, snapped his book shut when Roxas walked in. His face was pretty hard to read, but Roxas didn't get the feeling Ienzo was feeling more social this time around. Roxas moved to his own bed, not really sure how he should pass the time. He looked over his shoulder at Ienzo who was, to Roxas' surprise, still watching him. Roxas smiled quickly at Ienzo.
"So, where are you from?" Roxas asked, desperate to fill the overwhelming silence. Ienzo opened his book again, flipping gingerly through the pages.
"Radiant Gardem, it's a beautiful city with plenty of research opportunities" he said flatly. Alright then, Roxas thought bitterly, thanks for giving me a lot to work with. At least Roxas knew now that Ienzo was more of the scholarly type if he could get so excited about conducting research.
"That's cool, I think I've gone to Radiant Garden once to visit some family. I'm from Twilight Town, it's not too far away," Roxas continued. Ienzo didn't say anything and kept reading even though his lilac hair was fully covering half of his face. Roxas frowned in annoyance, finally deciding that Ienzo was just a major asshole. "What are you majoring in?" Roxas continued, hoping to get just that little bit of information from his new roommate.
Ienzo's light blue eyes snapped to meet Roxas' own. He smirked slightly and said, "Biology. I'm in the middle of a book now though, and it's getting pretty interesting." Conversation over, Roxas thought. Roxas was about to hop on his bed and turn on his PlayStation when there was knock on his door.
In the door stood two people, a boy with caramel brown hair that stood up in every direction, and a taller boy with long silver hair held up in a bun. Roxas smiled at them both, nervous about first impressions but excited to have people other than Ienzo to talk to.
The caramel haired one spoke first, his bright blue eyes exploding with energy. "Hi! Im Sora, and this is Riku," he pointed at the tall silver haired one. "We live right next door and wanted to meet our neighbors and make some friends," Sora finished.
Roxas welcomed them into the room. "I'm Roxas, it's nice to meet you both," he replied.
"I'm Ienzo," the lilac haired boy added with a genuine smile. Roxas tried not to roll his eyes at Ienzo's sudden sociability.
Sora and Riku stepped into Roxas and Ienzo's room, looking around and taking in every inch of it. Roxas almost felt a little uncomfortable when their eyes analyzed each picture and poster hanging in their room. Roxas, feeling suddenly self conscious and desperate to avert the focus from his room, asked "Doesn't it feel weird? To be all moved in?"
Sora agreed, but Riku smirked. "Honestly, no. I have dreamed of going far away for a while now, to see what else is out there," Riku said. His teal eyes met Roxas', and their intensity reminded him of his father. Sora rolled his eyes at Riku, groaning.
"Okay, Riku, we get it, you hated being on those islands, yada yada yada," Sora mocked. Riku chuckled and quipped Sora back. Roxas watched the two interact and noted how close the pair was. They were so comfortable with each other already.
"Did you guys go to high school together?" Roxas asked. Sora laughed much to Roxas' confusion.
"Go to high school togehther? We were practically born together!" Sora said lightheartedly.
"We have been friends since before I can remember," Riku added. "I can't seem to get rid of this twerp, not even in college." Sora feigned insult and playfully punched Riku on the arm. Riku snorted and punched Sora back with more force, which resulted in a small brawl in the middle of Roxas' room. Roxas smiled watching the pair, their bond was obvious even to someone who just met them. Roxas couldn't help feeling a little sad watching the two, even while meeting new friends he felt like a bit of an outcast, almost like he was intruding on their friendship. Roxas told himself to suck it up, and forced himself to smile largely and laugh a little too.
"You guys are lucky, you already have friends! I would kill to have someone from home," Roxas said, thinking of Hayner, Pence, and Olette. He wondered how they were doing, and reminded himself to call all of them later tonight and tomorrow. Sora and Riku laid off of each other and looked at Roxas. Sora was grinning, but Riku wasn't; Roxas could tell though that Riku was bemused by the slight upturn of the corner of his lips.
"Yeah, I guess so. I'm pretty eager to make new friends though," Riku said.
"Well, we're friends now Roxas so you have one less friend to worry about making!" Sora added, sounding entirely genuine. Roxas smiled largely back even if he thought that was a quick progression of things. He could already tell that Sora was the definition of a nice guy. "One of our other best friends from home is here too, just down the hall. You should come meet her, we want to say hi to her and her roommate!" Sora turned to Ienzo. "Want to come?" he asked.
Ienzo smiled but shook his head, holding up his thick book. Roxas finally got a glimpse at its cover which read 'Unraveling the Double Helix.' He really is a biology nerd, Roxas thought. "Thanks, but no thanks. I have quite a bit of reading to do," Ienzo said.
Roxas followed Sora and Riku from his room to another room that was diagonally across the hall from his own. Sora walked in first, followed by Riku, and Roxas went in last. The room was totally a girl's doing. There were string lights around each bed and the window frame, and there were small succulents soaking in the sun on the windowsill. There were plenty of pictures on the wall, and even beautiful drawings and paintings adorning the wall on one side of the room. The girl whose decoration was mainly posters and pictures from home was really cute with auburn hair like he hadn't seen before. She beamed brightly as soon as she saw Sora walk in, and Roxas knew immediately that this girl was Sora's friend from home. Roxas made eye contact with the other girl, he hoped that his cheeks weren't as red as they felt. She was the blond-haired beauty that he saw earlier, and the fact that she was the maker of all the artwork made his stomach flutter.
"Sora, Riku!" the auburn-haired girl shouted, enveloping Riku and Sora in hugs. Her arms lingered around Sora for a moment longer than with Riku, and Roxas wondered if this girl was more than a friend to Sora. She then smiled at Roxas. "Oh! I'm sorry for not introducing myself first, I'm Kairi." The girl, named Kairi, then waved her hand at the blond girl who was leaning on her bed. "And this is my roommate Naminé. Isn't her artwork just so amazing?!" Kairi said. Naminé smiled, her cheeks turning bright red.
"Kairi, you're way too nice," she said. Her voice was just as soft and sweet as her looks, and Roxas couldn't help but grin stupidly. She looked at Roxas and her cheeks burned brighter. "It's really nice to meet you all," she said. Naminé pointed at Sora and Riku and continued saying, "I already know who you all are, but what's your name?" She said, now pointing at Roxas. His stomach only clenched tighter now, but pleasurably.
"I'm Roxas," he said with a smile. After introductions and the obligatory Q&A session for meeting new people in college, they all sat around and talked in the room. Sora, Kairi, and Riku had an obvious bond and they all joked together freely and loudly. Roxas and Naminé were both still getting their bearings around the trio, and clung together quite naturally. During lulls in the group conversation, Naminé showed them her art, but Roxas was definitely more interested than the rest of them. Her subject matter was kind of macabre, everybody looked like they were in pain. The colors of each painting and drawing were dark, fitting their creepy mood. Roxas still really loved looking at each one, and it was clear Naminé enjoyed sharing her work with someone who genuinely cared.
Sora was the first to point out the time. 6:46. Somehow, they managed to spend an hour and a half just chatting, and Roxas didn't even notice how hungry he had become. They decided to go eat together so they could all learn how to use their dining hall cards as a group and continue their conversations. They left DeFredenburgh hall and Sora led the group one way, while Riku tried leading the group in another direction. Soon, they started bickering so badly that Kairi had to step in, leaving Roxas and Naminé to watch in wonder.
"They're just too funny huh?" Naminé asked, with an amused look on her face. Roxas turned and looked at her, marveling at her beauty.
"Yeah, they are. It's almost kind of intimidating trying to be their friend," he admitted, turning his attention back to Sora, Riku, and Kairi making fools of themselves. Naminé didn't answer immediately, and Roxas felt stupid for opening up like that.
"True that," she said finally. Roxas felt even more stupid now, until she continued speaking. "They come off strong because they've known eachother forever, but Kairi is already so nice to me, she treats me like we've been friends forever. I can tell that all of us are going to be great friends." Roxas felt tension in his shoulder dissipate that he didn't even know he had.
"I sure hope so!" he affirmed. Naminé giggled lightly, and caught the attention of the crew to tell them that Riku was the one going in the right direction. Sora huffed and purposely hung around the back of the pack near Roxas. It was pretty obvious to Roxas that being outsmarted by Riku happened to Sora a lot, and that he didn't particularly like it.
Finally, they made it to the closest dining hall on campus. It was a large building with the word "Brubacher Dining Hall" in stately letters above the glass doors. The actual dining area was upstairs, and the downstairs was clearly a place to eat to go food because of the large number of tables around the room. Sora's eyes lit up walking around the dining hall, he was loving every minute of his new college lifestyle.
The real wonder began once they got up the stairs and got to explore their options. The hall was buzzing with students and most tables were full, with only a couple of booths open. Roxas found himself mulling the options with Riku. While the food all smelled decent, most of it looked like cheap frozen food. Roxas eventually decided on a salad, since he was trying to be healthy anyway. Riku stood behind him in line, and they chatted lightheartedly about how hard the rest of the year was going to be if they couldn't bear the idea of eating anything other than salads on the first night.
After getting his food, Roxas, followed by Riku, joined Sora, Kairi, and Naminé in a booth right in the middle of the dining hall. Roxas couldn't believe how small he felt, even though he was with new friends. There were hordes of people swarming in and out of the dining hall and occupying all the tables around him, it seemed like Roxas was swimming in a sea of unfamiliar faces and voices. Despite being with the whole gang, he couldn't help but sense that he was still alone. He tried his best to push his thoughts away and focus on eating and joining the conversation, but that was easier said than done.
Roxas was snapped out of his trance by Kairi. "Roxas?" She called, sounding a mix of playful and concerned. Roxas laughed awkwardly, noticing that all of their eyes were trained intently on him. Kairi probably called his name a few times, and he didn't even notice!
"Sorry," he stammered. "I was just thinking about my parents," he lied. Everyone nodded in agreeance, even Riku, so Roxas was glad they bought that load of bull. "Were you saying something?"
"Yes! Riku was just telling us about this party tonight, and I was asking if you were interested," Kairi replied happily. A party already, Roxas thought. He wasn't super into parties in high school, but everyone told him college is the time to let loose. Besides, it's probably more important to go to parties in college to make friends than in high school, so Roxas tried to get comfortable with the idea.
"The lacrosse house is throwing it with some field hockey girls. One of my friends from home is a sophomore on the team and he said he could get us in. I think it would be a good way to start the year…and get your mind off of your parents," Riku said, getting more teasing towards the end of his sentence.
Roxas laughed sarcastically and said, "Damn, Riku, you're so funny!" Riku rolled his eyes playfully at that. "But that sounds like it would be fun. What time does it start?" Roxas asked. He had no genuine interest in going, but he had to do what he had to do! His mom's voice popped into his head, talking about positive attitudes and being a go getter.
"11, so I think we should pregame around 10, then leave around 10:45. It's not a far walk from campus," Riku answered. Roxas nodded, and said a bunch of crap to make it seem like he was excited.
Sora and Riku were already getting into the logistics of finding alcohol. Apparently, Sora's parents gave him a handle of vodka to start off the year, and Riku had a shitty fake ID that might work in some corner store. Kairi and Naminé were talking excitedly about what they were going to wear later that night. All he got from their conversation as crop tops, bralettes, and skimpy daisy dukes. Roxas had to admit, he was really looking forward to seeing Naminé's outfit for the party. Roxas's thoughts then drifted to what he would wear that night, and what the party would be like. He had some cool clothes he guessed, nothing flashy or cute that would make him stand out. The party would probably be okay, Roxas had never gotten truly wasted before. He drank here and there, but never to excess. Honestly, the idea of getting hammered for the first time at Winter Fern College was more scary than exciting, but it would have to happen eventually. Maybe he would have a lot of fun, maybe he wouldn't drink, maybe he would get so drunk he wouldn't remember anything. Roxas bit his lip, fighting the warring emotions and thoughts ravaging him internally, and tried to focus on forcing sad forkfuls of salad down his throat.
Yay! You finished the first chapter (or skipped ahead). Here's a little
summary for ya if you didn't read it all: Roxas doesn't like his roommate Ienzo, meets Sora and Riku who introduces him to Kairi and Naminé, Roxas highkey has the gods for Nami, they go out to dinner, Riku invites them to a party tonight but Rox doesn't really wanna go and so he wallows in misery while eating a salad. The end.
