Naminé looked up at the large, pastel pink and green words standing out of the top of the small building, right above the door: Pansies, and Not the Sissy Kind, advertised in large, funky print. The colors were muted, but the style itself (along with the large window, decorated with exotic flowers of all varieties) were enough to make the small shop stand out in the crowded street.
She opened the small, glass door, smiling at the gentle, soothing chiming of the bells above her head. Marluxia was certainly a man with good taste in décor.
Marluxia was by the counter, placing a few daisies in the clear, crystalline vase on the counter. He glanced over to the girl and gave her a small nod, but prodded at the flowers until they stood up the way he wanted them to.
"Good morning, Marluxia." The blonde girl greeted, stepping behind the counter and into the back room. She set her bag down on the table – a white purse with a single lily decorating the front. Marluxia had bought it for her when she first started working for him – and started to rummage through it. She pulled out her water bottle and uncapped it, bringing it up to her lips.
The bells chimed again, and she nearly jumped in shock at the sudden sound disrupting the silence. Luckily, none of her water spilled on her white dress, and she capped the bottle before creeping out of the back room to see who had come in.
She peeked around the door frame, concealing herself from the customer's view, though it didn't limit her view of the customer.
A very tall man, taller than even Marluxia himself, sauntered into the shop, smiling at everything with a cocky grin, as if he owned the place. He stopped at the counter and leaned down on the counter, looking up at Marluxia with that same grin plastered on his face.
Naminé narrowed her eyes. She had seen his type before. Shady, suave, young business men, sent out to snatch away stores from dedicated owners. They had seen several lurk around their shop, especially since they were located in the middle of Twilight Town's shopping district, and they got a fair amount of business.
"It's so nice to see you again, Marluxia. I see you finally got that shop you always wanted," he said, flicking a small bit of soil off of the counter and onto the floor. His jade green eyes, softer than she expected, traveled around the shop.
Naminé's glare softened. Once she got a decent look at his eyes, she realized that he wasn't there to buy the shop. That smugness she had saw wasn't that – it wasn't that at all. It was more like...pride.
"I had to do some..." Marluxia paused. "Unpleasant favors, but I did manage to get it. I even have an assistant."
Naminé felt her cheeks heat up at her boss's tone. He spoke of her so highly. Really, she didn't deserve it. Marluxia was the one who had made it so successful; she just helped around the store when he needed her to.
"Naminé!" He called out, looking over his shoulder. Surprise flashed briefly in his eyes, but it disappeared, leaving only a warm glint in his light blue irises. "I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine."
Naminé nodded, and stepped out of her hiding place. She clasped her hands behind her back, feeling a tiny bit shy as the man examined her. "H-hello," she murmured, giving him a tiny smile.
He laughed suddenly, almost uproariously, and Marluxia sent him a glare to try to quiet him. "I should have expected you to get a little girl to work at your shop!" He wiped a few invisible tears from his eyes and gave the pink-haired man a large, goofy grin, as if Naminé working there was the funniest thing in the world.
Naminé looked away, unclasping her hands to grab the hem of her dress. "Um, sir? I'm not a little girl. I'm 19."
"Oh." He grew quiet, the change just as sudden as his laughter had been. His eyes widened, and his hand shot into the bright red spikes jutting out from the back of his head. "Sorry. You just look like you're 14."
Naminé blinked in confusion. Not because of his misconception of her age – no, she got that a lot. What was confusing her was his sudden shift in mood.
Marluxia picked up on her confusion and leaned down, whispering in her ear, "he's only 18 himself. Just graduated high school a few months ago. He has a sore spot about his age."
"I heard that." The man (boy? She wondered what to consider him as, since he was a year younger than her) muttered darkly. "Yeah, I know, I look older than I really am. Hell, I've been able to buy alcohol before."
Marluxia sighed. "You're not buying that alcohol for yourself, are you?" He raised a single pink eyebrow, eyes narrowing dangerously.
The redhead shook his head. "Nah, just for my dumbshit of a brother."
Naminé watched them bicker back and forth. Clearly, they had been friends for a while, and they were still close. She felt a little out of place, since the man was a complete stranger to her. She had known Marluxia for years, and yet she had never once seen this man before.
"Anyways, why are you here, Axel?" Marluxia asked. "You have no reason to come to Twilight Town."
Ah. So that was why Naminé didn't know him – in a town as small as Twilight Town, everyone knew everyone else. It was hard to find a face that wasn't familiar. Marluxia had lived in Twilight Town since she had met him, but he and his family frequently went out on vacations all across the country.
Once...he told her about the time he went to Radiant Garden. He said it was the most beautiful city he had ever been to – sprawling green meadows, and sparkling buildings decorated in art unlike anything he had ever seen it before.
She shook her head, trying to clear away the thoughts crowding in her head, banishing both them and the longing in the pit of her stomach of leave.
It only made sense that Marluxia had met him somewhere else, away from this small town.
He shrugged, turning around to look at the various flowers scattered about the shop. "I'm an adult now – gotta get out of my folk's house, right?"
"How are you going to pay for it?" Naminé asked, secretly wincing at how her voice sounded. It was so scared and small, like she was a lost child, asking some stranger for help. She didn't like it.
"They're loaded," he said, shrugging again. "They don't mind giving me some cash and kicking me out." He laughed. "They already did it to my brother a few years back."
Marluxia hummed in agreement. "But why Twilight Town? Why don't you stay in Hollow Bastion?"
He flicked his head back to gape at Marluxia. "Are you kidding me! I hate that shithole!"
Naminé frowned. He had such a nasty mouth...fitting, for someone who was friends with Marluxia.
"What's so bad about Hollow Bastion?" She asked softly. "I've been there a few times. It's not that bad."
Axel smirked deviously. "It's not that bad if you don't live there. If you do, then you see everything about the place. And trust me," he said, leaning in closer to her, the smirk never leaving his face, "it's not a good place for sweet little girls like you to live in. They'd rip a cute little thing like you to shreds."
The blonde girl backed away, trying to muster up a glare to hide her embarrassment. It fell short, though, when he threw his head back and laughed.
"Oh, she's funny. I like her," he said, giving her a wink.
Marluxia sighed, shaking his head. "Axel, please don't flirt with my employees." He paused, and amended his statement. "Or, better yet, please don't flirt with anyone. Ever."
Axel pouted, green eyes glowing with mock offense. "Oh, Marly. Always so mean to me."
Marluxia simply rolled his eyes in response. "Axel, are you almost done here? I can't waste my day away talking to you."
"Alright, alright. I know when I'm not wanted. One last question, okay?"
Marluxia nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
"What's this town like? I mean, it looks like this place is always asleep." Axel pointed out.
Naminé blinked, slightly confused. Huh. That's the same thing Roxas always said about the town.
Maybe they'd get along together. Kairi was always going on about how Roxas needed to befriend more people – maybe Naminé could help with that.
"Um, well," Naminé began, slightly surprised at the fact that she was talking again. She usually didn't talk to random people unless they directly asked her a question or unless she needed something. For the most part, Axel was talking to Marluxia. "I've lived here all of my life. It's...sleepy, but nice. It's homey, and safe."
That's what Twilight town was to Naminé. Cozy and safe, like being wrapped up in a big, fluffy blanket on a cold winter night while the fire crackled and roared, defying the frozen will of the earth.
Axel nodded thoughtfully, the gears in his mind coming to life, flashing beneath his eyes. "Hm...that's what I thought. Good." He got up from off of the counter, and headed towards the door, throwing it open and making the bells sing his departure. "See you around, Marly." He threw a wave to the pink-haired man, and let his eyes drift down to Naminé. "And you too, blondie."
Somehow, Naminé felt like he was making a promise to come back.
0 X 0 X 0 X
"C'mon, Roxas! Don't be a wimp! Just go!" Hayner shouted, shoving a skateboard into the blond boy's arms.
Kairi watched nearby, sighing. All of that pleading just to get Roxas to come with her and not just sit on the couch and watch old comedies from the 80's all day, only to have Hayner erupt into one of his moods again.
"Hayner," Olette said, gently resting her hand on her boyfriend's shoulder, "don't be so upset. If Roxas doesn't want to, then don't make him."
He batted her hand away, and she retreated back to Kairi's side. Pence stood by her, looking increasingly worried, but making no move to stop Hayner.
"Dude, stop." Roxas said, giving him an icy glare. "I haven't skateboarded since I was a Junior in high school – I'm gonna wipe out if I try any tricks."
Hayner snorted. "Yeah, right! Riding a skateboard is the same as riding a bike. Once you learn, you can't forget. Just go up there and do a few tricks!"
"What part of 'I'm going to wipe out' do you not understand? Besides, I don't want to." Roxas growled back.
Yeah...this was exactly what Kairi was afraid of happening. Hayner wasn't backing down, and Roxas was being a huge jerk about the whole thing.
Hayner groaned, smacking his face with his hand. "You're not going to wipe out! Just do an easier trick or something!"
"Sorry, Kairi." Olette muttered quietly, staring down at the concrete beneath their feet. "I didn't think Hayner would act so...standoffish."
"Oh, it's alright. I just hope Roxas doesn't get too mad," Kairi said, biting her lip. They were the only friends of hers who Roxas (kind of) got along with, and if he got into a massive fight with Hayner, than he wouldn't want anything to do with them after this.
Well...mostly Hayner, but Hayner was the leader of their little trio, and Pence and Olette would go wherever he went. They'd probably still talk, but without Hayner around, it just wasn't as fun.
And Roxas could get over a fight much easier than he could get over a boring day.
"Hayner, drop it." Roxas narrowed his eyes, sending a silent threat. "I'm not going to do it. Period."
Hayner's jaw dropped, but he shook his head and glared at the other blond defiantly. "Roxas, I can't believe you're just gonna wimp out like that."
"You're being stupid. I'll break a leg or something if I try doing the stupid shit you're telling me to!"
"Nah, I think you're just being a..." He paused, an evil grin coming over his lips. "...chicken wuss."
Roxas's face flared scarlet, and Kairi could practically see the steam erupting out of his ears.
The others around her gasped. They all knew where Hayner had gotten the insult from; one of the worst bullies in high school, Seifer Amalsy. He was the biggest jerk Kairi had ever met, and he was damn proud of that fact.
One of his favorite targets was Roxas, and chicken-wuss was his favorite insult for the blond. Thankfully, Seifer disappeared after high school (he was probably sent to jail...or maybe he joined the military like he constantly said he was going to do), but bringing up the insult was still a sore spot for Roxas.
Roxas's fists clenched at his sides, barely containing his rage. "What...did you just call me?"
Hayner sneered. "Chicken wuss."
"Hayner, stop!" Olette commanded, grabbing her boyfriend's arm and dragging him away. "You're being a jerk."
"Yeah man, lighten up." Pence chimed in, sending a sympathetic look over his shoulder to Roxas. "Sorry, Rox. Maybe you should just go."
Kairi nodded numbly, biting her lip. "Y-yeah. We should. Come on, Roxas." She gave Roxas a gentle nudge, but he refused to move, standing his ground and glaring at Hayner with all of his being.
She pushed a little harder, and when he still didn't move, she resorted to grabbing his shoulders and shoving him away from the skate park and back to their car. He shot the other blond one final glare before submitting to Kairi and letting her drag him back.
Once they got in the car, Kairi pulled out her cell phone to check the time. It was only four, which meant that neither Naminé or Xion would be home yet.
Well...the two of them could always hang out. Might as well use the last few hours they had out doing something fun.
She looked over and Roxas, who had folded his arms and stared out the window like a pissy teenager. She stifled a giggle. "Hey, Roxas," she said, tapping his shoulder, "sorry about that. I didn't think Hayner would be such a..."
"Douche?" Roxas offered bitterly. "Dickhead?"
Kairi couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. Those."
"It wasn't your fault, so don't be sorry," he replied, still staring out of the window.
"If you want, I could always make it up to you. We could go see a movie or something. I'll pay for the tickets." She did bring extra money for what was supposed to be all of their food, but it could also function as movie money. She could even buy a few snacks, too.
That got Roxas to turn his attention away from the window and towards the auburn-haired girl. A small smirk came to his lips, lighting up his eyes. "Hm...there are a few movies out that I've been wanting to see..."
"Perfect!" Kairi started up her car, and pulled out of the parking lot. "Let's go!"
It didn't take very long for Roxas's phone to start buzzing. Puzzled, he pulled it out of his pocket, before quietly cursing to himself.
"What's the matter?" Kairi asked, glancing over to him. He was quickly texting in a reply to whatever he had gotten, and only started to speak once he put his phone back to sleep.
"That was my cousin. She's going to be here at seven, and she needed the address."
Kairi smiled. "Seven? Oh great, we'll all be able to meet her! I can't wait!"
Roxas chuckled. "I thought you'd say that, Kai."
0 X 0 X 0 X
Larxene pulled into her cousin's driveway right when the clock hit 7:10. Heh, she was always told that, as an upcoming starlet, she should get used to showing up fashionably late.
But fuck that. She hated being late, and she hated the people who did it just to be 'fashionable.' Unless you had an excuse, you should never be late to anything.
Of course, she did have an excuse. She stayed the night in some dingy Hollow Bastion motel, and the traffic going out of the town was simply horrible.
She slammed her car door shut (some busted up old jeep she'd had since she was 16) and pulled her luggage out of the backseat, carrying it up to the front door.
The house that her cousin lived him fit him; it wasn't all that flashy, just some weird shade of orange with a brown roof. It was a standard two-story house, only slightly different than all of the ones around it. If she hadn't been actively looking for it, she would have simply drove by it without ever giving it a second thought.
Larxene stepped into the doorway, finding herself locked into a sudden problem. Her hands were full, and she was unable to ring the doorbell...what to do?
Why, kick the door until someone answers, of course! With a feral grin, she sent her foot flying against the door, resulting in a loud thump. She did it a few more times for good measure, and only stopped when she heard footsteps and confused shouting.
Roxas opened the door a few minutes later, wariness and mild confusion turning into surprise. "Oh!" The emotion drained from his face. "Took you long enough, Larx," he deadpanned, taking a few pieces of luggage from her. She didn't mind much – the annoying bastard was doing it only to mess with her.
She followed him inside, and dumped her stuff on the couch, flopping down next to the pile of crap. Two girls – his housemates, she suspected – crowded around her, regarding her curiously. The redhead stepped closer, beaming, while the black-haired one stayed where she was on the chair.
"It's so nice to meet you!" The redhead said, extending her hand out. Larxene took it and shook it roughly. "I'm -ow- Kairi, one of Roxas's housemates."
The blonde grinned. "I'm sure you've heard all about me. I am his favorite cousin, after all."
"You're my only cousin," Roxas pointed out.
"Uh, actually," the black-haired girl piped up, still not moving, "we haven't heard anything about you. I'm Xion, by the way. What's your name?"
Larxene looked over at her cousin in mock hurt. "Aww, you didn't even tell them my name? No wonder you have you no friends." Roxas looked away, slightly embarrassed. With the damage done, Larxene looked back to the two girls. "I'm Larxene, by the way."
They all froze at the sound of a door being flung open. Rapid footsteps filled the silence, and a girl ran down the stairs, panting. "I'm sorry," she breathed, face flushed, "but I had to do something."
Larxene's eyes widened, and she tried not to gape.
Why the fuck did Roxas, of all people, get to live with an angel and not her?
Seriously. Goddamn, if that wasn't Larxene's type, then nothing was. Short, skinny, with light blonde hair? Yes please.
And those eyes. Dear god, those eyes. They were a light blue, watery and slightly cloudy – like the sky right before it rained.
The girl froze as well, once she met Larxene's gaze.
0 X 0 X 0 X
Naminé froze in place, unable to look away from the woman's eyes. They were the brightest green she had ever seen, and they were so big and so expressive. She looked at Naminé with surprise, and it was like she was shooting lightning at the smaller girl. She could feel it, racing up and down her spine, making every single nerve in her body tingle.
Her legs turned to jelly, and she shakily got off the stairs, unable to tear her gaze away. Her heart thumped in her chest, racing so fast and so hard she felt it's steady beat in her ears.
She recognized this feeling. The sudden nervousness, the sparks racing through her body, how her stomach did back flips as it filled up with butterflies. The urge, the small voice screaming in the back of her head to fling herself at this woman.
She had felt it before, except this was one hundred times more intense than last time.
This wasn't good. At all.
0 X 0 X 0 X
Roxas looked in-between Larxene and Naminé, slightly confused. Both Kairi and Xion were just as confused as he was, and the three of them watched as Naminé made her way over to Roxas, getting paler after each and every second, her eyes never leaving his cousin's.
Naminé managed to get to his side, and rested her arms on him, using him as a pillar of support. She managed to tear her gaze away, and looked up at him, eyes full of fear and apprehension. She looked so small at that moment – so fragile, like a paper doll being buffeted by the wind. Her lip trembled, and she looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment.
Roxas's eyes widened in response. "Oh god..." he murmured, staring down at the floor.
Her breathing was unsteady, and she took one final, ragged step forward, throwing her arms around his neck and crashing their lips together. She leaned into him, and if she weighed just a little more, she would have sent him to the floor.
Roxas was -sort of- used to it. He automatically wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her back.
He could tell how scared she was – the way she desperately kissed him, pressing into him with all of her being, and how she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to block the rest of the world out.
She finally pulled away, but stood close enough to him so their bodies still touched. She wasn't fully leaning into him, and she was stiff as a board, but he could feel it – her need for support. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, trying to put on his best fake smile.
Roxas swallowed. "And this," he gestured to Naminé, who was trying her best not to tremble, "is my girlfriend Naminé."
Larxene nodded curtly. "Nice to meet you." She said, forcing the words out and clipping her voice until it was completely emotionless.
Kairi clapped her hands loudly, drawing the attention to herself. Both Roxas and Naminé slumped down in relief. "Larxene, come with me. You're going to be staying in my room for now, so let me show you where it is."
She grabbed a few pieces of luggage. "Xion, help me with a bit of this?" She sent a pleading glance over to the black-haired girl, who silently agreed, taking the last of the luggage and leading Larxene up the stairs.
As they left, Roxas made a mental note to thank them. They must have caught on, too, and distracted Larxene so they could be alone. He hoped that Larxene didn't suspect anything – if she did, that would spell disaster.
Once they were out of sight, Naminé let go of his hand, stumbling over to the couch. She sat down, taking deep, ragged breaths as she buried her face in her hands.
"That...that was nothing." She murmured. "Yes, nothing." She repeated, trying to convince herself.
Roxas sat down next to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. He wanted to protest so badly, and tell her that it was okay, but he knew better. He had tried before...and if it didn't work then, it still wouldn't work now. She hadn't changed much in those years since everything first happened.
So he sat there with her, utterly unable to do anything. Maybe this was just an accident – maybe Naminé was just surprised. Nothing would happen, and even if something did, Larxene would be gone before long.
They could get through this. He would support Naminé every step of the way, no matter what she decided to do.
/
I would've updated this fic later, but c'mon. AkuRoku day? How can I pass that opportunity up? Shutup I don't care if it's not 8/13 yet in the West Coast this is me not caring. Forget California and stupid Pacific time zones. (and convienently forget that fact that I live in Cali...)
Hell, Axel even gets an (originally unplanned) cameo here! Happy Akuroku day, btw. :D I have a whole bunch of one-shots based on AkuRoku lying around, but most of them are based on Ke$ha songs and apparently unlike me not everyone thinks Ke$ha is the goddess of Jack Daniels and glitter. Speaking of unplanned, gues what still isn't finished? CHAPTER 3 OHMYGOSH NOT YAY. On the better news, chapter four is already 1500 words long...which is longer than chapter 3. Hahaha fail.
Seriously, the first time I tried to write it, it was a scene with Kairi waiting for everyone to wake up. She was being boring, so I scrapped it for a different beginning with her waiting for ROXAS to get up. That was even worse, so I gave up and was all "C'MERE NAMI YOU NEED LOVE" so I wrote a scene with Marluxia. Pansies, and Not the Sissy Kind is the best name for a flower shop ever. Admit it. You know it's true.
I love playing with the point of view. I really do. Roxas is all "oh god this town is asleep" and Nam's all "it's like a cozy blanket ^-^" and it's just great. They all bring something different to the table. and yes, I write my Larxene much nicer than your Larxene. She's still kinda bitchy, but she's not that bad.
The last part of the chapter practically wrote itself. Personally, I don't believe in love at first sight, but y'know, it works for this. I do like how it turned out, and I don't think I could change it even if I wanted to. I hope you like it too, and I need to shut up already so feedback is always appreciated.
(P.S. I'm in school again, and FUCKING BITCHES NEED TO KEEP THEIR WHORE MOUTHS SHUT-I mean I don't have as much time to write anymore. AP classes. Homework. Lots of it.)
