Roxas hurled himself violently towards the car door, away from Xion, who was blushing deeply. "AHH!" he yelled in horror, his face turning pale. "I am really really sorry, I-I uh, um…"
And they both sat in silence again. Xion cocked her head to a side. "Roxas, this may sound strange, but you taste of mangoes."
Roxas laughed nervously. "U-Uh, I ate three mango puddings. It was Kane's treat, after all…"
Xion smirked. "I ate two…but they aren't as great as yours." She looked at her watch; it was still early. "Cook something for me at your place, then!"
The blonde could only nod his head. Inside his mind was in a whirl, like the time Marluxia's grandmother forced him to drink at her wedding to 'loosen up, you stiff poopyhead', but worse. Here was the female who had just stolen his first non-family kiss (Naminé distributed a lot of kisses) and she was telling him how he tasted (like mangoes, which wasn't very bad for his first kiss; Naminé said they tasted like coffee) when she should be freaking out just like him.
He started to drive slowly. Yes, yes, if he was intoxicated, it was wise to drive slow, unlike Axel who would attempt to start a fire with Marluxia's grandmother ("I'd totally name my next lighter after you, granny!") by crashing his car into a building.
"You okay?" Xion asked, and she patted his shoulder worriedly.
"U-Um, yeah, yeah I'm okay, I'm okay…"
Xion rolled her eyes and sighed. "Was that your first kiss?"
Roxas whipped around so hard he felt his neck snap and he braked the car into a halt. "How did you know?"
Xion shrugged. "That was how I acted when I kissed for the first time."
"You mean all stuttering and stuff?"
She nodded. Roxas sighed, and then he smiled. "I'm…sort of glad it was you."
Xion smirked. She knew that sometimes, you could put Roxas in such a tight spot he could squirm and get all so nervous and cute, in some way. "Oh really?" she asked playfully.
Roxas blushed and he gulped. "I mean- uh, because, uh, you know…" He remembered how Axel's equally crazy grandmother used to tell him that "if I were your age, I would've made ten of your babies already!" And obviously, despite Axel's encouragement, he didn't want such a thing to come true.
Besides, what if she burnt the babies or forgot their names? His kids would be motherless and they'd be laughed at!
Roxas shook that strangely fatherly thought away from his mind and focused on his driving, even though Xion decided to pester him more. "Because what?"
He grunted to himself and then he replied, "Because the people who have offered to kiss me aren't…suitable for me." Roxas smoothed the steering wheel. "And besides, I've never been liked by any girl in school…"
When they were teens, Roxas and Axel were still best buddies, and Axel was crazier then. Axel was eccentric, but everyone flocked to him like a magnet, while Roxas was the silent guy who was a good boy and didn't drink, or party. In fact, as usual, Roxas would be the one who helped Axel and in return, Axel gave him friendship and trust. It was a strange relationship that no one understood, not even any of Axel's girlfriends when he was a teen.
"I don't believe it. I bet you looked pretty good back then…" Xion nudged him again, and he laughed.
"Really? I'll show you my high school photo; you wouldn't believe your eyes."
Xion rolled her eyes. "How bad could it be?"
"That is bad. Suspenders were never fashionable to begin with. And…is that a polka dot bow tie?" Xion gaped in horror at Roxas' photo. "And glasses?"
"I just thought it framed my eyes!" the blonde retorted.
"No, it doesn't! It hides them!"
Roxas sighed, as he continued to chop up the parsley on his chopping board. He was in the kitchen, cooking a small side dish for Xion and himself, while Xion was sitting in a beanbag, flipping through his old photos.
"Oh, I see Naminé; she's gorgeous!" Xion cooed, as she looked at Naminé's svelte figure and shy smile, a lock of her blonde hair falling down to block part of her face. She could see how similar the two of them looked; she had already seen their phtographs from cradle to high school. There was one photo of the two of them side by side building a sandcastle. Naminé was constructing it, while Roxas was bare-chested and perspiring, shoveling wet sand into a bucket as construction material.
There were other photos as well, and they all seemed to be taken in a villa, with their grandmother, who looked like the typical sweet old lady – young at heart, a twinkle in her eyes, and wrinkles from smiling too much. She seemed like the type who would hand out cookies to Roxas and Naminé and fuss over them constantly.
"That was my grandmother," Roxas pointed out, and he smiled at the photo. "We used to hang around at her villa all summer. I even invited Axel a few times. We went there every year, for two weeks, until…she died, of course. Believe me, that was the first time I saw Axel cry; the three of us by her side, crying together."
"Oh," Xion mumbled softly, feeling his pain, "I-I'm sorry. So…how's the villa? You still visit there?"
Roxas sighed. "She didn't leave her will, so Dad took over everything. Made us instantly rich." He looked around his apartment and smiled. "He wanted to sell the villa, but since I was 18 then I opposed. Nami supported me, and he kicked us out. He's been giving us a small amount of money every month, and in exchange, he wouldn't sell it…but if he does…he'd demolish it."
The blonde looked around his apartment and sighed again. Xion found herself seething; how could the father be such a heartless man? "Why can't you sue him or something?"
"Because I doubt we can do anything. Even if we do sue, eventually we'll use up all our money, and Cloud has the funds to sue us back. I have been saving up but I don't know how much is enough to save the villa. If Cloud wins, he will choose to demolish the villa and sell the land."
They both stared at the photo quietly. Then Roxas stood up, scratching his head sheepishly. "Well, I'd better prepare your dinner. I don't know about you, but I'm starving. I'm making some fried chicken with my secret sauce."
"Don't you have a lot of secret sauces?"
"No, just a secret number of secret sauces..."
"Coke for the Shio?" Roxas asked sarcastically, but he didn't wait for a reply as he poured some into her cup, squeezed some lemon into it and added apple juice into it. Xion smiled as she gulped it down, sighing in contentment. "Have you found a name for this mixture yet?"
"Shio's Bubbly Apple. I like this one. Better than Purple Mango Bubbles." Xion took another gulp, grinning. Roxas remembered how he made himself a mixture of Sprite and freshly squeezed mango juice, and left it there, vulnerable to Xion's prank of pouring grape juice inside. She named it Purple Mango Bubbles, and from then on Roxas made his own drinks in the kitchen. If Xion find out about how he gets drunk with a drop of beer…
"Purple Mango Bubbles was horrible. You do not mix grape and mangoes. I like to think that-" Before Roxas could finish, Xion's business phone started to ring. He watched a frown emerge from Xion's face as she answered it briskly.
"Hello, Xion Leonhart here…Oh, is that so? I see. Well, thank you very much, Mr…oh, Mr Bloom..." she looked at Roxas, who handed her a piece of paper and a pen. She scribbled down 'Help this dude wants a date and he sounds really gross' as she continued her talk with him.
"Oh, right now? Um…" Xion bit her lip and looked at her cup of Shio's Bubbly Apple, before looking at Roxas again, the blonde contemplating her situation before shrugging nonchalantly and nodding. She glared at him and replied, almost too sweetly, "Sure, we'll be there."
Roxas was in his suit again, and Xion had to make do with the same dress she wore to Mr Kane's date, though she altered it slightly by using one of Naminé's necklaces, which Roxas kept in 'a secret place that Axel can never know because he'd freak if he finds out that I keep her undergarments and stuff in his cupboard…oops'.
"Thanks for making Shio's Bubbly Apple," she said, patting his shoulder as he continued to drive, with a flask filled with said liquid between them.
"Sure thing, anything for Shio herself!" Roxas grinned, and he parked the car by the roadside. He surveyed the area and checked his map before nodding. "This is the place."
The two of them exited the car, and looked up at what seemed to be an abandoned theater. The neon lights that graced its entrance were flickering, and as Roxas retrived Xion's bag from the car one of the light bulbs fell to the ground and shattered, causing Roxas to jump.
Xion raised an eyebrow. "Scared, Roxas?" she asked teasingly.
Roxas had already started to imagine the supernatural forces that were controlling the lights and even the phone call. I shouldn't have put Naminé's stuff in Axel's cupboard…oh, great ghostly ones, please forgive me…he thought to himself frightfully before he took a deep breath, and escorted Xion in, muttering, "I'm not…"
They entered the theater, which was pitch dark. Roxas carefully took out his flashlight from his bag and switched it on, his hands already shaking. Xion watched in amusement as Roxas stepped in front of her and shone his flashlight around. It was obvious that he was shaking; the light from the flashlight was vibrating as well.
"You…sure you're okay, Roxas?" she asked again, and gave his arm a gentle squeeze.
"Y-Yeah, totally, I mean…" he trailed off before he lit up and announced, "but there's no one here, so we should really get going…"
"Ms Leonhart?" a voice spoke, and it was so clear that Roxas yelped and dropped his flashlight, which clattered to the ground. Xion jumped, but she glanced up at the voice and spotted a man around her own age, smiling at her. "Good evening, Ms Leonhart…and…"
They both noticed Roxas, who had quickly scooped up the flashlight and looked up at the man, with an expectant look on his face. Roxas gulped and gained his composure. "Uh…Roxas."
Xion pinched his arm and Roxas cried out in pain. "YEOW! Okay, okay! I'm Mr Strife!"
"And Mr Strife. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Unfortunate for you to be spooked out by the theater…" the man made his descent down the stairs that neither of them had noticed before. Roxas watched his every move. He was elegant, in a manly sense, and he seemed as though he was gliding down…
Roxas bit his lip. He had to stop reading too much into the way he walked.
On closer examination, the man was rather tan, and he had a well-defined face. He had muscles showing out beneath the fabric of his immaculate suit, and he had deep emerald eyes that examined him with curiosity. Xion extended out her hand, and he took it, shaking it firmly. Roxas did the same. "I'm…Ms Leonhart's bodyguard."
"Ms Leonhart's bodyguard…very well." He smiled and adjusted his dirty blonde hair smoothly. "I'm Hayner Bloom. Shall we dine, Ms Leonhart?"
"Please, just call me Xion…and yes, let's dine." Xion replied, and she surveyed her surroundings carefully. "Though I don't see a table or any sort."
Roxas nodded. There were a grand flight of stairs that led upstairs, and the entrance to the theater, but aside from that, there was nothing more.
"Oh, sorry, but this isn't where we eat. It's just the helicopter pad."
Roxas choked on his own saliva (or was it the musty air around here?) and blurted out, "H-Helicopter?"
Hayner didn't bother to confirm that; he simply walked up the stairs, leaving Xion and Roxas at the base of the staircase.
Xion took Roxas' arm and they both slowly ascended the staircase. "Someone tried to fly me to South Africa for dinner with the lions and giraffes once," Xion commented, as Roxas widened his eyes in horror, "and I obviously turned the guy down."
"I don't think the lions would mind; they get good food plus some humans, too!" Roxas chirped sarcastically, in a high-pitched voice. Xion giggled, before she abruptly elbowed his stomach.
"Behave."
They both emerged out, and they both marveled at the skyline from the top of the building. Roxas picked out Xion's new iPhone (the one she got a few weeks back from some dude she dated) and started to take photographs of everything. "This is awesome!" he exclaimed, and then he shoved it back into Xion's handbag again.
"You can have that, you know. I have eight of them; the man was a very superstitious Chinese and in Chinese, eight sounds like prosperity." She took out the iPhone and handed it to him, before taking out another phone. "I have my own one, anyway. See? It has my name and title on it!" she exclaimed proudly, and in the dim light, Roxas could see 'Xion Leonhart – The Love Critic' emblazoned on it.
"Come on, this ain't the best part yet!" Hayner urged excitedly, and he took Xion's hand, leading her up the helicopter. "Strife! Come on!"
"Right!" Roxas clenched his brand new phone tightly and climbed into the helicopter, loaded with champagne and some fancy-looking biscuits.
Hayner poured some champagne into a glass cup and handed it to Xion, before pouring one himself. "To dinner," he cheered, "and the lovely Ms Leonhart."
Xion smiled and nodded. "To dinner and-"
"To Ms Leonhart!" Roxas cheered back, even though he had absolutely no champagne with him. When the two just stared at him, Roxas sheepishly sunk back in his seat, turning away to the scenery outside, as the helicopter began to soar up.
"Where are we going, exactly?" Xion asked curiously, as she took a sip of champagne.
"My mansion. My residential chef will be cooking up a lovely array of international cuisine." Hayner replied, with an almost smug grin on his face. "It'll be so grand, even Strife can eat his fill!"
Roxas blinked and then he nodded. "Right, Bloom."
Xion grinned. "That would be lovely, Mr Bloom."
"Call me Hayner; it's no problem." Hayner smiled warmly at her. He looked at Roxas. "And you too, Rox."
"R-Rox?" Roxas sputtered out, before he laughed. "Sure thing, Hay."
"So, here it is; my mansion." Hayner flung open the doors and soon, an entourage of uniformed women swarmed over the two guests, practically grabbing at their coats.
"You look amazing, just like every date you go to!" Hayner exclaimed excitedly, as Xion took off her wool coat and handed it to the servants. Roxas found himself groped in every unimaginable way, and he soon gave in as well, exhausted. "I particularly liked the one with Mr Rex; it was just lovely, really."
Xion blinked at him, but she soon recovered and smiled. "Thank you very much."
Roxas had his tie ripped off and his jacket peeled off his body, so all he was wearing was a white shirt and his black pants. He watched as Hayner walked in front of them, guiding them to the dining room, and he rushed to Xion's side.
"You…don't post information about your outfits, do you?" Roxas queried, glancing at Hayner.
"I…don't…" Xion murmured, almost shakily, and she took a deep breath. "But we have to go along now, do we? We're virtually stuck here with nothing but a helicopter to escape, correct?"
Roxas was already zoning off, into his paranoid state of mind. What if Hayner had been stalking them all this time? Has he been following her all these times, even with Riku? Does he follow her back to her home? Did he have enough money to plant secret spy cameras everywhere? Or worse.
What if he saw Roxas kiss Xion?
"Roxas, you okay?" Xion nudged him worriedly.
Hayner popped out from the room. "Are you two coming?"
"Y-Yeah…" Roxas replied quietly, before the two slipped into the dining room.
The dinner happened to be the most terrifying meal of Roxas' life.
"So, Roxas, you tried dating Xion before, am I correct?" Hayner asked, almost too forcefully. "I didn't read about it in the newspapers, but…I have my sources…"
Xion simply nodded politely, while Roxas was perpetually frozen. "Yes, but it was rather late, so I made no mention of it."
"Was it good, then?" Hayner shot another question. He wriggled an eyebrow at Roxas. "Better than mine?"
"Uh…" Roxas started to panic. Yes, yes, he was a stalker. Just a while ago, he thought he heard Hayner asked Xion about her bra colour, and whether it matched her underwear…
Oh no. He wasn't just a stalker, he was a perverted stalker!
So much for a bodyguard.
"I can't comment on that, I'm afraid," Xion replied coolly, as she took another sip of her freshly brewed tea. Oddly enough, it was her favourite brew and it tasted exactly like her aunt's secret tea…but she didn't tell Roxas that. He'd freak out, start sweating guns instead of bullets and provoke Hayner.
"Very well. Okay, so how's the food?"
Roxas gulped. Frankly, the food was horrible. Axel could cook much better than that, and that was saying something; Axel always took the liberty of burning everything. Which was why Marluxia put him in charge of cleaning up the café, and helping Roxas.
"It's…unique." Roxas blurted out. He recalled once, when Naminé signed him up for dating lessons, the instructor told the men that no matter how your girlfriend's cooking turned out, say something vague, like 'special' or 'it tastes surprising' so you wouldn't be lying.
NOT that Roxas was gay, or anything. Hayner wasn't even his girlfriend!
"You cook for a living, don't you? Tell me something I don't know."
Roxas furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, the chicken is overcooked…" he commented, and it was true, but when he saw Hayner's eyes beginning to glow (for no reason) he gulped and added on hurriedly, "but the spices balance it out quite surprisingly."
Xion raised an eyebrow at Roxas, and the blonde started to panic again. If only Axel were here; he'd say something like 'the poor chickie's sort of blah. Got chilli? Oh, wait, sorry, I just need Alice to torch the corpse before I eat the chicken…now that's food. Did I mention I'm engaged to my lighter, Alice?' or something ridiculous so he wouldn't be so panicked.
Hayner nodded thoughtfully, as though what Roxas said was truly important. "Perhaps…" he muttered, and he called for his chef. "Chef Milo!"
Instantly, a dwarf-sized chef ran up to Hayner's side. "Yes, dear sir?"
"You overcooked the chicken. You're fired."
Roxas widened his eyes in horror again. All because he said that…
"Wait!" he blurted out. "I-I already said, the chicken's good!" To prove his point, he heaped half of the chicken on his plate and defiantly shoveled the chicken in his mouth, trying not to cry. He felt like the time when Marluxia's grandmother asked him to taste all the different foods, and then asked him to chew it up for 'dear ol' granny because, well, I said so!' It was horrible.
Xion simply stared at him in amazement as he took another mouthful of chicken. Her heart felt squashed watching him suffer. She closed her eyes, switching to her business mode, and banishing all her emotions for a while, before she opened her eyes again, fully composed.
"Chef Milo," Xion called out, and both the chef and Hayner turned to her. She gave him her professional smile. "I must say that your Caesar salad is excellent!" Xion took a lettuce from the bowl, and chewed on it. She was quick enough to pick the one without any of the dressing on it; the dressing was too sour to her taste.
"It's such a pity that you're sacking him, dear Hayner. Don't you agree, Roxas? He is a wonderful chef. I can taste his passion for cooking through his delightful dishes." Xion commented, feigning a thoughtful look. She glanced at Roxas, who managed to swallow most of the chicken in his mouth.
"Y-Yeah, he's good." Roxas replied, and he gave a few vigorous nods.
Xion smiled at Roxas, and turned to Hayner. "Don't you agree, Hayner?"
The man had no choice but to agree. He nodded silently, and sent the chef away. "Very well, then. Where were we?"
"Have you taken down any notes regarding the date, Xion?" Hayner asked politely.
Xion looked up from her dessert, which was red bean sago, a Chinese dessert. The raven-haired woman nodded. "Yes, I certainly have," she replied, and she set down her spoon. Roxas was picking at his food; if Hayner saw that… "I would like to take my leave now. Hayner, it has been a delightful dinner. The article will be out…maybe Saturday?"
Hayner looked on as Xion and Roxas both rose, waiting for Hayner to lead them home. Then, much to Roxas' horror, he started to laugh. "Oh, dear, would you look at the time? Xion, you can stay here for a night; I'd take your bodyguard home?"
"No way!" Roxas snapped, before he could stop himself. Hayner glared at him, waiting for a response. "I'm her bodyguard; I stay with her whenever she goes! I-I'll go over mountains if you kidnap her somewhere!"
And he said that before he could stop himself. Xion blushed furiously, while Hayner simply laughed again.
"Oh, silly, I don't kidnap beautiful and capable women such as the Love Critic herself! Well, I suppose I could give you a r-"
"We're not staying; I'm terribly sorry for that." Xion briskly cut him off. "Please send us back."
Hayner glowered for a moment, and then he recovered almost immediately. "Very well, then, please follow Madame Tootsy there." He gestured to a plump, rosy-cheeked woman, who gave a stiff bow. "Looking forward to the article."
Roxas shuddered at the grave, cold voice that was far from Hayner's initial tone. Hayner was equally matched with Xion's cold reply, "I hope you do."
He let Xion hold his arm as they followed Madame Tootsy closely, leaving Hayner in his large dining room.
"Well, that was scary…" Roxas muttered. "He even asked you if your undergarments match…"
Xion gave him an incredulous look. "No, he didn't. And in case you're curious, they are. Black lace, if you're that curious."
"W-What?"
She laughed. "Just kidding!" Xion teased, squeezing his arm playfully. "But it's true, you know. I am wearing that…"
Roxas blushed madly. "Uh…okay. Should I…keep that in mind?"
"No, you dummy!"
They both started to laugh together, as they followed Madame Tootsy. She opened the grand doors, and the helicopter was there, with the pilot ready to go.
"Excuse me, Ms Leonhart," Madame Tootsy took Xion's hand and patted it sadly, "but I would like to warn you about Mr Bloom. If you write anything bad…" she trailed off and turned away, and it wasn't long before Roxas heard her sob.
Roxas slowly guided Xion into the helicopter, retrieving her coat, his jacket and his tie. He let her go up the helicopter first, before he stepped in as well. He was shaking,.
"I'm not letting that affect my article. He was simply showing off his wealth. Nothing more than that." Xion declared, as she began to scribble a few notes of the date.
"What do you think he'll do?"
"Stalk me somemore?" Xion shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh yes, he already did that."
Roxas felt the helicopter fly up into the skies, pitch-black, studded with countless stars. "You know, I used to tell Naminé that when I get married, I'll be on the biggest star ever, so she couldn't annoy me anymore, but she'll see how fantastic my marriage would be, and I told her I'll live happily ever after."
Xion snorted, something that seemed rather gross, yet endearing in some way. It was getting rather common for Xion to forget her manners and relax when she was around Roxas. "How old were you, five?"
"Actually, ten, so Naminé just laughed at me." Roxas admitted shyly, as he continued to look up at the stars.
"It'd be nice though, to get married way above the earth, in the skies and among the stars. A five-star review to anyone who brings me on a date to a star!" Xion joked, as she took out her Shio's Bubbly Apple and poured some into a glass cup provided in the helicopter.
"Yeah, just two people in love with nothing to fear…paradise, perhaps," Roxas mused, and he took another empty cup to pour some for himself. He picked up two ice cubes from the miniature fridge and plonked one in Xion's cup and one in his.
Xion smiled, taking a sip of her drink. "It'd be nice too, if they just lived there. No one would get jealous, or have an affair…"
"Jealousy is okay, as long as the two of them make up after that…but having an affair is just wrong…" Roxas murmured. "It's the hardships that make relationships stronger. Don't face it alone, face it with your soul mate!"
She nodded her head, downing the last bit of her drink. "If only I knew who my soul mate was…"
Roxas smiled at her. "You'll find the guy soon. He could be anywhere! Like, in South Africa!"
"Roxas, are we talking about the lion date again? It was a traumatizing experience I don't exactly want to relieve…"
The blonde grinned. "Sorry. But it's true! Maybe you already met him, and you just haven't realized it yet!"
Roxas. "Yeah, maybe. But I'll never know, right?"
Roxas shuffled next to her and slung his arm around her shoulder reassuringly. "You'll know. It'll be like a lightning bolt!" He clapped his hands once to add to the effect. "Like, BAM! And you suddenly see your soul mate, just like that! You may not know it yourself, but I promise, your heart will know."
He tapped the place where her heart was a few times. "You'll know it. Trust me!"
Before Xion could say anything, the helicopter grinded to a halt. "We're back! We escaped the evil stalker!" Roxas cheered. He earned a glare from the pilot, and the two exited the helicopter hastily. "Now, let's get you home. You must be tired, huh?"
Xion yawned, her body's answer to his question. He chuckled. "I thought so. I'll drop you off; I'll return the car tomorrow after I visit Axel tomorrow. He says they're gonna let him out, so maybe I'll pick you up and cook you something at the café?"
She yawned again. "Mmh, sure. Do you do piggy backs? I'm tired." She assumed a mock bossy tone. "Strife, carry me to the car!"
Xion stretched out her arms, and Roxas bent down for her to lean on his back. He lifted her up with relative ease, and carried her to the car. "Yes, ma'am!"
"Psst, Xion, wake up. We're here already…" Roxas whispered, nudging her gently.
Xion woke up and blinked repeatedly. She yawned again and stretched. "Oh, okay."
Roxas got out of the car, and helped her with her bag. He rummaged through her bag for the house keys, and opened the door. He left the bag on the sofa as Xion shuffled in.
"Go on and sleep first. I'll be here in the afternoon." Roxas gave Xion a grin. "Goodnight, Xion."
He closed the door behind him, leaving Xion in her large, cold house. She was tired, but…there was something missing. His warmth? His smile? Oh, her head was filled with thoughts of her blonde bodyguard.
She stumbled towards the door, her eyes half-open. Xion flung open the door, where she saw Roxas tying his shoelaces at her doorstep. Upon seeing her, he yelped and fell backwards onto the ground. "Xion! Aren't you going to-"
"Uh, Roxas…" she muttered, and she rubbed her eyes. "Can I sleep at your place?"
Maybe it was his startled look, or maybe it was the cute grin that came afterwards, the warmth coursing through her body, her loneliness fading away. "Okay, come on, Shio…" Roxas replied. She gave him the most sincere and natural grin that she never knew existed as she stretched out her arms to be carried, playfulness scrawled on her face.
The blonde laughed as he lifted her up, bridal-style, and he walked towards the car. Xion found the car keys in his hands and pried his hands open to open the door for him. He slid her into the passenger seat and soon, she was fast asleep again.
Xion stumbled out of the car, and this time she hugged his arm and leaned into his shoulder as Roxas made his way to the apartment. He walked straight into his bedroom and flipped the pillow the other way so Xion wouldn't need to smell his sweat and saliva stained all over. Defiantly, she flipped it back and snuggled straight into it, a smug smile on her lips.
"Okay, Xion, you can let go of me now…" Roxas tried to wriggle his arm out of Xion's grasp but instead, she yanked him down, and he found himself stumbling on top of her, their lips nearly touching again.
"Goodnight, Roxas," she murmured into his face before she fell asleep again. Roxas found himself in a strange position; on top of her and unable to move anywhere except beside her on his bed.
He was about to roll off her when he noticed her flushed cheeks. He patted them gently, smiling to himself, before he did the unthinkable.
He kissed her on the lips. Willingly.
Wait, or was it just an instinct? Before Roxas could pull away, he found Xion kissing him back, her half-open eyes gleaming at him. She let go of his arm, and Roxas found himself unable to move away. She slowly let her hands creep up behind his neck, into his blonde hair, pushing him closer to her, kissing a little more, bit by bit…
Roxas relaxed for some reason; he found himself kissing her back as well, deepening the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up into a sitting position. She crawled into his lap, their lips not breaking contact.
Perhaps they were just tired, or perhaps they really did like each other that way, but they held each other, lips touching as they both fell asleep together, just like that.
Shio's Bubbly Apple does wonders for hearts.
Awesome! I'm done! Well, the kiss scene was awkward. BUUUUT I did it anyway. You can send in my Bad Kiss Award now. Thanks for reading, and Merry Belated Christmas! I dressed up as Santa Claus that night and greeted some people in my suit.
BUT WAIT! THERE'S AN EXTRA SIDE STORY!
"Thank you, o holy ceiling from above..." Axel mumbled, and he grinned. His lighter, Alice, was on the table, sitting in a comfy-looking handphone couch, the handphone nowhere to be seen.
"My handphone's on the floor, grovelling at Alice's bottom."
Sorry. My bad. Continue?
"Right, okay. Anyway, I've been reading reviews that Alice is by far, the most prominent lighter ever, am I correct?" Axel asked, looking at you questioningly. The author would like to advise you to nod. Very vigorously. Because it's just you, him and the lighter; anything can go wrong.
"EXACTLY!" Axel exclaimed. You nodded vigorously, just as the ceiling author has specified. Axel continued, "So, the ceiling is rather keen on making a side story on Alice and I. How we met; all that sappy love and all, but it's different!"
Tell them why, Axel...just like how you rehearsed in my mind over and over again.
Roxas appeared. "It's true, he just kept on saying it until I told him to shut up. Then the ceiling decided to summon clones of herself in ultimate fangirl mode, but the stupid redhead didn't stop-"
"Whose lighter is it, Roxas? Yours or mine?"
"I...I don't have a lighter, Axel."
"Exactly. So shut up." Axel coughed. "Anyway, as I was saying, if you review really nicely, the ceiling may put it in this story once she remembers my history with Alice."
I'm not the ceiling...
"Shut up, ceiling. Anyway, if you want it, the ceiling wouldn't mind putting it as a separate one shot about me and Alice, but in that case, to add more depth, she'll put Roxas in. And if it's really really popular, she'll make it into a multi-chaptered story of all my lighters!"
I NEVER AGREED TO THAT! You have a few lighters; I agree! But...how many lighters do you have?
"Mmmmm, just a few..."
Then, Xion and Naminé popped by, with four boxes altogether. They dumped the contents on the floor and-
"OH! Emma! And dear Lassie! Why, hello ladies!" Axel greeted, then glared at Xion and Naminé. "You disturbed them."
Xion shook her head. "You have got to be kidding me."
Naminé rolled her eyes. Then, she turned to face you. For some reason, you realised that you were strapped to a chair with tons of rope. The ceiling, having no hands, was unable to save you from Axel's clutches, therefore...uh, you were warned.
"Poor thing. Axel, just end their misery already. I bet they won't review after you mentally scarred them..." she scanned you apprehensively, before adding, "unless they're Axel fangirls. In that case, they would still review."
And Roxas fangirls too. GO ROXAS!
"Axel, please end this! The ceiling has just implied that she's a Roxas fangirl; what if she collapses on me in excitement?" Roxas whined.
...That wasn't a bad idea.
"OKAY, OKAY!" Axel yelled in response. He burnt away the rope with Alice's help. "Just review already! And tell the ceiling what you think!"
Good, good, thank goodness. This was getting weird.
SO! You heard Axel. And the ceiling. THINK OF MEEEE!
