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twelve.

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Status Update

SoraDatKeyMasta: Gonna be a little busy with the bae for a while. Lots of things going on. Sorry, guys! I'll keep you all posted! #iluvyoupleasedontworryimnotabandoningyou

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Roxas' POV.

Whoa. Did I just do that? Hell yeah, I did! Wait, wait, wait, no need to be all cocky…

Never mind. FUCK YEAH!

I practically skip down the hallway. Ven raises his eyebrow at me. As we're heading out the door, he asks, "Do you have everything?"

Patting my pockets, I realize a little jingling sound isn't present. "Uh, hang on." I hurry back into the house. Damn, I never forget my keys! As I pull them off the counter, a text pops up on my screen. Is it her? Did she respond? Is she going to kill me? I honestly don't even care what she thought of it. Well, I do, but… this just feels too awesome!

I haven't felt like this in very long time. Uh. Anyway! Text message! My cheeks heat up when I see her name on the screen. GAH! Pull yourself together, idiot! I stand in the kitchen and read it.

"Hey handsome ;)"

Whoa. Wasn't expecting that. Damn it, why is she so cute? I just wanna freaking hug her or something. Wait, what? Ven waits in his silver Hyundai as I hurry over to my side and jump in. My eyes won't tear away from my phone. I must be smiling all over the place right now. I actually had the balls to get her number! That in itself is an accomplishment!

I'm pretty sure Ven is about to ask. He has that inquisitive, baffled look that he always does, even when I'm attempting to be normal. I think the attempt is what throws him off. Okay, so I need to work on my social skills.

Hmm, nope... don't care.

YES!

Ven pulls out of the driveway without a word. Okay, weird. Usually, he's a fucking chatterbox. Whether it's about school, Aqua, Tae Kwon Do, it doesn't matter. Dude is full of himself. By the way, I need to tell him to stop lusting over a married woman. That's kind of bad. He says he's not really into her, that she's just his best friend and he likes to mess with her, but yet she takes up thirty percent of the conversations.

Yeah, uh huh. Can't fool me, buddy!

Actually, he can talk all he wants. But... why the fuck WON'T he? That's what I don't get. Oh well, it's probably for the better. Going back to my phone, I see yet another reply from Naminé. Thank goodness, she's here. Well, not here here, but yeah.

"I'm riding in the car with my brother. He's not saying anything. It's scaring me."

"Oh, maybe there's something on his mind? You should ask him."

Gah, Naminé! I don't care about his problems! I care about us and our conversation! Damn, that's my fault for bringing him up, though. I guess she's right. I should ask.

"Dude, say something."

Or that.

Ven doesn't take his eyes off the road. "What?"

There, he spoke. Everything is right with the world again. He's okay, everyone!

Gah, the silence is unbearable! "Why are you so quiet?"

"Because there's nothing to say. We're going to eat with Mom and Dad. It's going to turn into a huge drama fest and it's going to suck."

Well, he's right about that. "And they had to pick Olive Garden, the classiest fucking restaurant ever?"

Ven nods as he comes to a stoplight. "Right? I'm more surprised you haven't protested that yet. You hate Olive Garden."

"It's not real Italian food," I reply, and then an image of Namine smiling pops up in my head. Hehe. Italian. Her last name is Italian. She's part Italian. She's cute. Hehe.

Okay, I seriously need to get this brain checked. I'm making connections with things that do not need to be connected!

But yet, they are. Blargh.

"Did you get anything for Mom?" Ven interrupts.

"Huh?"

He gives me an incredulous look. "For… her birthday? It's, uh, today. That's why you were required to come?"

I blink several times. Fuck! Damn it, Facebook, why didn't you notify me?!

"Why didn't you remind me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you that it was your mother's birthday."

Now I feel like crap. "Uh, let's stop at a jewelry store or something."

"They're all closed."

"Walmart?"

"Really?" Ven scoffs.

"Yeah, you're right." Gotta think of something, and fast. I struggle with the same problem every single flippin' year: what the hell do I get my mother for her birthday? It also doesn't help that Christmas is just around the corner, and I have to think of more things to get people. Ugh.

OH! I know!

"Naminé, I'm a total douche," I text, "I forgot that it was my mother's birthday. What the heck can I get her?"

A moment later, she responds. "Hmm, last minute birthday gifts… I would definitely get her a card, oh! And some of her favorite kind of chocolate. Chocolate always works, unless she doesn't like chocolate, then… I don't know what to tell you… lol"

I stare at my phone for a moment. "Hey, Ven?"

"Yeah?"

"What's Mom's favorite kind of chocolate?"

He sighs. "You don't even know that? And the best son of the year award goes to..."

"You don't need to remind me how much of a fuck up I am. Now, just pull into the Kwik Stop so we can get something."

"Kwik Stop? That's worse than Walmart!"

"Whatever. What did you get her, huh?"

"I went to Jared," he says overdramatically. "And got her a card. And filled it with pretty words that will make her cry."

"You dick."

He grins widely in response as he pulls into the parking lot. I rush in and grab the sappiest card I can find. Something about silver doves and rainbows. Wait, this is for a wife. Um, no. Mom. Mom. Dear Mom, you light my life. Okay, good enough. I browse through the candy aisle next. Dove chocolate is acceptable, right? It's like a step above Hershey's, isn't it?

I ask Naminé.

"Dove chocolate is good lol," she responds.

What would I do without her right now? After paying, I hurry back to the car and we're on our way.

o-o-o

Olive Garden sucks. This whole place just smells like death. And garlic.

Ven won't stop rambling about school, as usual. And I'm the douchebag? This is supposed to be Mom's night.

"I don't know, just something about slicing and sculpting human flesh is appealing to me. Those Brazilian butt lifts? Looking forward to those."

"Ven!" Mom snaps, but he merely laughs it off. She shakes her head as she twists her linguini on her fork.

"Roxas," Dad intervenes. Oops, I must have bad table manners. That's the only reason he would say anything to me. I go ahead and fold the red napkin into my lap. I wish I could text her. She would make this a lot better.

"So, my tuition is paid in full until next year," Ven adds.

"That's great, son." Of course Dad would be happy for him, and not his independent, quite successful, twenty-two year old son with his own house and stable job. They act like I strip for a living. I feel their eyes on me, but I just keep my gaze on my food. Can this be anymore awkward?

Alright, just suck it up. Do it for Mom's birthday…

"Roxas, how have you been?" Mom asks. I snap out of my reverie and force a smile.

"Uh, great. You know, just doing what I do."

She gives me a concerned look, but I'm not sure why. I look back to my food, which is probably getting cold by now. It's hard to eat with all this tension. I'm not sure why we have to force family dinners, when clearly, none of us actually enjoy them. Ven is just making conversation, because that's what he's good at doing. Actually, I'm thankful he's here. I don't think I could do this by myself.

"What do you do all day?" she questions.

"Play video games and edit?" If it wasn't obvious enough for you, Mom.

Dad scoffs and continues eating. Mom nudges him. Great. Just what I need. You know what? He's probably just mad that I make more than him.

Okay, I'm getting riled up. I really need to calm down.

"So, anyway…" Ven continues, trying to avert the situation once again, "I just got approved for a house."

"Oh, really? That's good, honey."

As they go on, I mind my own business. My dad watches like a hawk. I know he has a million things to say, but I also know that he won't make a scene. Ven goes on and on. Geeze, how does he talk so much?

Fuck. I need to text her.

"I'm going to the bathroom," I inform them. I'm about to leave the table when Mom speaks up, interrupting Ven in mid-sentence.

"Roxas, sit back down."

All eyes on me, like always!

"But I need-"

"Sit down," she demands. Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I do as I'm told. Ven goes silent and stares at his lap. Thanks for trying, bro, but we both knew this was coming. Mom's birthday or not, she's been wanting to talk to me for months.

"Yes, Mother?" I ask, a hint of sarcasm in my voice. She glares at me.

"Since you've been avoiding my calls, I'm just going to say it here and now." She straightens up. "I'll get to the point. I don't like what you're doing on the internet."

"Okay, what's new?"

"Hey!" Dad slams his hand on the table, causing me to flinch. It's soft enough to not turn too many heads, but hard enough to scare me. "Listen to what your mother has to say."

"Y-Yes Sir." I bet the entire restaurant is listening.

"Son," she says in a more calming voice, "I don't think you're happy."

Perfect. I love it when people tell me how I feel. Instead of getting mad, however, I try to keep my cool. "And why is that?"

"That person you portray on the screen, in those videos, it's not you."

Whoa! What a shocker! Youtube is just another form of acting. Doesn't she realize that by now?

"So? That's kinda the point." I ball my fists in my lap. I think Ven notices.

"I'm just saying, I think you would benefit a lot more if you weren't pretending to be something you're not."

Ouch. Go ahead, keep it coming. Tell me how you know everything about me. The internet has no problem doing it, so why should you? Enlighten me, Mother. You know best, right?

"Please stop getting so angry at games. It's not cute or entertaining, it just makes me think you have a problem."

"I think my subscriber count says otherwise."

"Oh, you mean all of the thirteen-year olds who watch that stuff?"

It takes everything I have to stay level-headed, but she's really not making it any easier. "If you say so…"

Dad seems to be in agreement with this.

"What really brings that kind of anger out of you? I'm curious. Did I really raise you to behave like that?"

"Where is all this coming from? I told you, it's a job. The audience comes first, so I do what I have to do to entertain them. It really is that simple."

"You can still entertain people without cursing and throwing a fit. I just find it to be very immature… and a little stupid. It's not a real job."

Are they serious right now? I can't help but chuckle, though it's humorless. "Maybe to you, but you know what? Times have changed. This is what I do, and no matter what you say, raging over some games every once in awhile makes people laugh. It makes people happy. They enjoy it. That's good enough for me. I could be out there selling drugs or something, but instead, I choose to make an ass of myself on camera. Tell me, is that really so bad? Who exactly am I hurting?"

She seems appalled, but doesn't have a comeback as she takes a sip of her drink.

That's what I thought.

o-o-o

Status Update

NamiNobody: La la la… Feelin' great!

o-o-o

On the way home, Ven and I ride in silence. He pulls into my driveway. If he says one word to me, I swear I'm gonna flip out. I'm seriously not in the mood right now.

I make my way back into the house and listen to his car speed down the street, the roaring engine fading in the distance. Taking out my phone, a message from Naminé pops up. I plop onto my couch and open it.

"How was dinner?"

It was shitty.

"It went alright," I send to her. The moon peers through the window, illuminating the dark living room and creating sharp shadows on the walls. Sometimes, I wonder why I bought this big, empty house, other than the obvious reason that I wanted to get away from my parents. It's been more lonely here than it ever was there. Oh well, at least I can talk to someone now.

"Oh, that's good. Did you eat a lot of nomz? lol"

I smile and write back. "Yeah lol." Kinda wished you were there.

Stretching out on the couch, I really want to hear her voice. I open the browser on my phone and click on her channel. I find her Missing You video and press play.

She just makes all the pain go away.

"What are you up to right now?" she asks.

"Nothing much. Just laying here and thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

You.

"Oh, you know, stuff lol," I say instead.

"Hehee. Wanna talk on the phone? I'm too tired to keep texting."

I sit up and stare at the message for a moment. Naminé has gotten a lot bolder lately. Me likey.

"Uh, yeah, sure, we can do that :)"

After a moment or so, my phone vibrates. Alright, gotta put on my cool voice. "'Sup."

"Heya," she replies. I smirk. "Sorry for just asking out of the blue, but I figured we already video chatted, so this shouldn't be as big of a deal, right?"

"No, it's cool. I respect that. It's good to be spontaneous every once in awhile, if you even wanna call it that."

"Ha ha, I don't think this is very spontaneous since it's just a phone call."

"Yeah, yeah, I guess so. By the way, listening to Missing You right now. Did I mention that you have a really pretty voice?"

She giggles. "Did I mention that you're really forward and flirtatious?"

"Do I come across that way? Damn, I'm sorry." I pause. "Actually, no I'm not."

She laughs again. "No, it's okay. Really."

Just listening to her talk makes me feel a million times better than being stuck in Olive Garden, otherwise known as my personal prison. It's nice to just kick back for once and forget your worries.

"So, what happened at dinner?"

"Ugh, don't even get me started."

"That bad, huh?"

"I just wish my parents would hop off these nuts, that's all."

"Hehe, okay, odd way to word that, but alright. What did they say?"

"It was mostly my mom. She doesn't like my status on YouTube and thinks it's childish."

"Aww, but people love what you do."

"Try telling her that. She also said she didn't like the way I 'portray' myself on camera. Basically, she called me fake."

I imagine her pouting on the other end. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, it's whatever, though. I'm not worried about it too much. They're just mad that I didn't go to college or something. They think I'm just playing around, even though I'm more successful than ninety percent of my age group… not to brag or anything. There are a lot of things I could be doing that would be way worse."

"You're right. Some parents just want to force their dreams and wishes onto their own kids, but they forget to consider what their child actually wants with their own life. It leads to a lot of problems. You might have to just wait for them to get used to it."

"I don't think they ever will, honestly. Oh well."

"You sure? You don't want a family full of resentment, do you?"

"It's not like I'm the one starting shit, right?"

"No, of course not… but with family, you should always learn to accept each other and talk about things rationally."

"I think I was being very rational. I didn't even yell," I sneer.

"Your parents must be stubborn."

"They need to loosen up. My parents are both surgeons in different fields. Naturally, they wanted me to do the same, but it's just not my thing. I would probably barf if I had to cut someone apart. I guess they just figure that I'm not contributing to society or working hard or whatever."

"What? Making videos is hard work!"

"Right?"

"And that's totally up to you. It's good that you didn't let them dictate what your life is gonna be. I'm lucky enough my mother has always supported my dreams. Heck, I probably wouldn't even be doing this without her."

God, she's just so amazing. I can't even imagine what she's like in person. I really wish I could just see her...

"What is your dream, Naminé?"

"To be a playboy bunny."

"Oh shit, don't get me all hot and bothered now," I tease, but it's all in good fun. "Would you be offended if I said you would probably be great at that? I mean, you've got the moves like Jagger and shit."

"Very much so!"

"Ha ha, we probably shouldn't talk about this…" I absentmindedly readjust my position. "T-This is, um, anyway, so back to the original question… ahem…"

"You're such a perv," she jests.

"I'm a man," I add with a laugh.

She lets out a heavy sigh. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Hopefully you'll go and get ice cream with me sometime." Oops.

"After that? I don't know if I'd want to meet a pervert. You'd probably look at me weird when I'm eating ice cream."

"Hey now, don't tempt me even further. I already have this image of a playboy bunny in my head. You started this, Miss Naminé."

"Anyway, what were we talking about again?"

Even I have to think about that one for a second. "Your dream… I wanna know!"

"Oh yes, of course. Well, as you know, I really have a passion for art and singing, with a little dancing on the side, but if I had to choose, I'd definitely be a singer."

"I kinda figured."

"But not one of those big time celebrity singers out in Hollywood; I want to actually make a difference with my music. I was thinking… maybe travel the world and perform for those who may not be able to pay for a super expensive flashy concert. I'd love to just go around to small cities and perform on the street, given I have the proper security anywhere I go. Whether they speak the language or not, I believe that music brings people together. I want to be able to have that effect."

"That's interesting, but traveling is expensive, you know… and dangerous."

"I know, hence why I said I would need security. Maybe my channel can help with the expenses, though. I don't need all the fancy stuff. Just give me a microphone and I'll sing to anyone… at least, in my dream, ha ha. I might need a little help from Xion every once in awhile..."

"Better get over that stage fright, then! Oh yeah, Xion? Just… who is that?"

"Well, she's… me, in a sense. She's an alter ego of mine… I talked about this in a video before, but I created her and I sorta use her whenever I have to go up on stage. I just let her take over, I guess. In the videos, that's me, of course, but If I ever want a good stage presence, it's like I need her."

"So, like, some Hannah Montana shit?"

"Oh, no! Way better than that."

She's hilarious. "I see. Do you perform on stage often?"

"Not recently… the last time I did was for a bunch of kids at this church youth group thing, but it was still just as unnerving. They seemed to enjoy it, though. Xion really helped with that."

"Well, I can't imagine you being anymore awesome than you already are. Part of me doesn't believe you."

"Huh?"

"Ha ha! I may need to have a word or two with this Xion character."

"Um… I don't know if it works like that."

"Come on, if she's so real you can make her come out and talk to me, right?"

"Are you making fun of me?"

I can't help but chuckle. "Maybe a little."

"Fine, if you wanna be like that…maybe one of these days you'll get to see her. You'll be sorry you ever teased me."

"Psh, okay," I tease.

"I'm serious. Anyone can make an alter ego, you really have to learn to just let go of everything. I created Xion when I was fifteen… I wanted her to be everything I'm not, so that it'd be easier to take the stage whenever Mom would force me into gigs."

"I'm surprised you don't use her for your videos."

"Nah, I still want to build my channel up with just me. Plus, whenever Xion comes out, I can't paint or draw anymore, and I don't sing the way I like to. And my dancing is always a bit more provocative. I didn't want to use that style for my videos, that's more of a stage thing."

I don't know if I should be taking her seriously or not right now, but I'll just roll with it. "So like, are you two not the same person?"

"It's complicated…" she says. "It's like, I'm conscious of what's going on, but I can't really control what I say or what I do. That's what I mean by just letting everything go."

"Do you have a personality disorder or something? I mean, I'm not trying to make fun of you or anything, I'm just wondering."

"Ha, no. If I did, I wouldn't be able to control it at all."

"You've gotta be screwing with me right now."

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not!"

I let out a courteous laugh. "You're terrible. Well, to be honest, I like you just the way you are. As Naminé. You're quirky, cute, and have a huge heart."

"Aww, that's sweet of you, but…"

"But?"

"I just don't see myself that way. Thank you, though."

I'm still pretty convinced that this Xion thing is just her way of trying to justify some kind of secret, but I'll let it go for now. As far as I'm concerned, she was just trolling me right there. Ha! I'm onto you, Naminé!

"I don't know, I think you're just trying to freak me out."

"Like I said, maybe, maybe not."

I lift an eyebrow. "You really are a troll, aren't you? How do I know you're not some 40 year old pot belly with a really good woman's accent that likes to creep on younger men?"

"You saw me on video chat, silly."

"Sometimes webcams can be hacked… or maybe you're just a decoy. How do I know? Hmm? Is Chris Hansen with Dateline NBC going to pop out of nowhere?" I tease. She busts out laughing. "Hey, is that a snort I hear?"

"N-No…" she replies, muffling her laughter.

"So, how can I know that you're real? Hmm?"

"Well, we can always…" she trails off.

"Always what?"

She shifts around in the background. Mollie barks, sounding almost impatient. "Well, we can m-meet up in person?"

Whoa.

"I-I guess I trust you enough to say this… um, I actually live here in Twilight Town too."

I recall Axel telling me the same thing, but I keep it to myself. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, I uh, just wasn't sure if I was ready to tell you at the time. But I think you've earned it, hehe."

"Heh, that's fine. I understand." I gulp. Is this for real right now? "Honestly, I'd... love to meet you."

"O-Okay… I'm sorry, I know it's really weird for me to say that. I'm not even sure where it came from. Must be my subconscious speaking!"

"No, it's totally fine. You don't have to be nervous. I was thinking the same thing. I want to get to know you the right way. We've done the texting and video chats, but it's getting old. It's high time we do this the old fashioned way, face-to-face."

"O-Of course!"

Placing the back of my hand against my forehead, I look at it to find it dripping wet with sweat. I never expected to have this conversation like this with her after a week and a half. Regardless, I keep my cool. "How about… this Friday?"

"Part-y-in, part-y-in, yeah!"

"What?"

"I'm sorry, if you can't handle me blurting out song lyrics, then we can't be friends."

"Why can't weee be friends?" I sing, causing her to bust out in laughter.

"Hey, that wasn't too bad!"

"Yeah, I'm gonna try out for The Voice. Blake? He's my dude."

"I'm kidding. That was absolutely horrible."

"Thank you, thank you very much."

"We're a weird bunch, aren't we?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. So, this Friday by the station?"

"Heh, sure."

I smirk to myself. "It's a date, then."

o-o-o

Status Update

RoxasXIII: Bouncing on a fucking nimbus cloud right now. Happy days oh happy days! :D :D :D

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Painted With a Palette: I know there's not much Sora and Kairi at all in this one, but I promise they'll be making a return soon! Sorry for the delay! Please review, it's a nice motivator to keep the updates coming!

Sinful Serenata: So, the holiday season is here, it's time to bring some beer and cheer. Wait, I don't like beer. Eggnog tho… gotta get my pumpkin spice eggnog. I miss my basic bitch sin

Okay so, little update, I got a new kitteh. And he's the most chill kitteh ever. Yes, that makes four kittehz in my life. His name is Frisk. He's adorbs. My co worker was also fired the day after Thanksgiving, so I have a completely new schedule. Yay me! Hopefully, this won't affect updating, but we'll see. That's all!

RoxasXIII: Leave a review, like, subscribe, follow, favorite, whatevz. Just, uh. Do it. k bai. #loveyouguyz