Author's Comments: Happy summer! Thank you for your patience and apologies in advance for the shortness of this chapter. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts; Toy Story; the songs Anaconda by Nicki Minaj, Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran, or When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge; or the italicized lyrics from Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus and Let It Go from Frozen. I own Imani/Maxiin.

Despite how much Roxas enjoyed watching Toy Story, he couldn't help frowning at the fact that he was lounging in Riku and Sora's dorm on a weekday night while slurping takeout ramen. "I thought it was called 'Disney Movie Marathon Day.'"

Sora, whose face was nearly bulging with noodles, simply shrugged. "The day part is a very loose detail," he explained after swallowing.

"Don't you two have class tomorrow morning?"

"Not anymore," Riku deadpanned.

Roxas fought the urge to roll his eyes. He sincerely liked Sora and Riku, but sometimes they made absolutely no sense to him. At least Axel's antics had a certain sense of logic behind them. These two, on the other hand, were just plain random.

But maybe it was better to be random and mild than to be logical and outrageous…

He sighed and popped a piece of fishcake into his mouth. Whatever. He was just a magnet for madness in various forms.

"Stop frowning." Riku nudged his side. "You know you're having fun."

"I never said I wasn't."

Because honestly, he was having fun. He kinda missed the thrill of doing something that was drenched in "I'll probably regret this later, but whatever, screw the consequences."

The conversation lapsed into comfortable silence as Woody watched Buzz soar around Andy's room with disbelieving eyes. "Y'know," Sora eventually spoke up, "we haven't really hung out with Axel yet, have we?"

Roxas hummed. There was that randomness again…but Sora had a point. If Axel hadn't been ridiculously busy all the time, Roxas knew he'd be down to hang out with their new friends more often.

"He doesn't have time to hang out with anyone. He's busy being the school mascot."

His ears twitched at the sharp edge in Riku's words. Huh. Did Riku have something against Axel? Like maybe…that super short one-sided love triangle thing not too long ago that Axel mentioned?

He glanced at Sora, who met his look with a twinkle in his eye. The brunet leaned over across Riku and stage-whispered, "Riku's got insecurity issues because Xion used to like Axel."

Roxas' eyebrows shot up. Whaddya know? Ax totally called that.

"That's not true," Riku growled, shoving Sora's head roughly to the side.

"There's no need to bluff with us, Riku."

"I'm not bluffing. I don't have a problem with Axel."

The way Riku spat the redhead's name like poison told Roxas otherwise.

The blond turned back to the movie. This wasn't an argument he was dying to get involved in.

"Oh yeah? Let's invite him over, then."

"He won't come. He's busy."

"You don't know that. Can you call him, Rox?"

Cringing, Roxas tore his eyes from the laptop screen. Sora was watching him expectantly while slurping his soup noisily.

Great. He was being dragged in, anyway.

"Uh, sure," he mumbled, fishing his phone from his pants pocket and opening his contacts list—

"That's against the rules. You can't use your phone unless it's an emergency."

His finger froze over the dial button. Ah, right. The rules.

"Overruled. Anything goes."

He watched the two of them stare each other down for what felt like minutes. Riku's eyes narrowed into thin slits. Sora arched an eyebrow with a calm smirk.

Roxas' limbs tensed. Was Riku going to scream Anaconda again? He hoped not, even though that was pretty hilarious.

"Fine." Riku broke off the stare with a casual sniff. "Call him, then. I bet he'll be too busy."

After a moment's hesitation, Roxas carefully dialed the number and brought the phone to his ear. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding during the pair's stare-down. How the hell did he always end up pitted between Sora and Riku? Maybe Ax could rescue him from this tug-of-war.

The ringing in his ear ceased. "Yeah?" Ax's voice drawled.

Roxas blinked in surprise. He actually picked up. "Uh, you busy?"

"Meh." He heard Axel shrug noncommittally. "Why?"

He glanced at Sora's eager stare and Riku's sidelong look before clearing his throat. "So here's the thing…"

"And that was Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran. Such a great song, huh, Arista?"

"Absolutely. It's one of my favorites right now."

Demyx smiled at Arista. The nerves in his gut had finally settled enough for him to handle sitting a foot away from her. Things were going smoothly so far. They only had a few more hours to go. He could do this. He could pull through without totally embarrassing himself.

"Let's take another caller." He pressed a lit switch. "Hi, who's this?"

"Ienzo."

…NO.

He nearly toppled his chair over. W-What the hell? Zexion? Why was he calling? And why was he using a fake name?

"Hi Ienzo," Arista answered for them. "How can we help you?"

Demyx cursed mentally. He had recognized Zexion, but Arista hadn't…and Zexion knew that would happen. Zexion planned for that. Oh God, he was going to humiliate Demyx on-air.

"I wanted to ask about romance between coworkers."

Oh God. Demyx wanted to sink into an abyss through the floor and disappear. This could not be happening!

"Sure. That is pretty common," Arista tilted her head to smile at him, "isn't it, Myde?"

She had no idea.

"Pretty common indeed." Demyx felt his throat tighten. "People call in about it all the time."

"Right," Zexion almost purred over the phone. "I've heard your thoughts on the subject, Myde, but Arista, what's your general opinion on it? Do you think it's a good idea?"

Damn you, Zexion.

Arista hummed thoughtfully, her lips twisting into an uncertain frown. "Um, I don't have any personal experience with romantic relationships with coworkers, but I think if it happens, it's important to keep work and dating separate. I mean, coworkers can date, but they need to be able to be professional when working. To me, that shows respect for each other and for their other coworkers, too."

Demyx nodded as calmly as possible. That went well. He completely agreed with her and now the question was answered. Now they could move on—

"Would you ever consider dating a coworker? Like, say, Myde?"

A frustrated panicked scream pushed dangerously against the back of his throat. Damn you, Zexion!

She hesitated. "Uh…"

Why would he put her on the spot like this? Why would he make Demyx sit through this sheer torture? Why?

"I'm sorry, I can't answer that question."

Demyx's heart froze for a split-second.

"I'm afraid that would be crossing a line between professional and personal matters," Arista said, her bangs hiding half of her flushed face and her voice slightly laced with remorse.

"I appreciate your honesty," Zexion conceded.

Demyx slowly exhaled and the tension in his chest was quickly replaced with soothing relief…and the empty twinge of disappointment. He got that she said that to avoid airing gossip points, but…he really wanted to know if she had ever thought of him that way…

"What about you, Myde?" Zexion asked. "Would you date a coworker?"

Ohhhhh no. There was no way he would answer that—not on the air and especially not in front of Arista.

"Sorry, I'm gonna have to copy Arista's answer," he replied smoothly and unapologetically. "I will say that deciding whether to date coworkers should depend on the relationship established before dating. If there's a positive work relationship, then that will help create the foundation for a healthy romantic relationship as well. What do you think, Arista?"

"I agree. That and maintaining healthy communication throughout both relationships is important."

"Absolutely. Well thank you for calling, Ienzo. Those were very solid questions."

He cut the phone line before Zexion could respond and sighed. That was easily the worst five minutes of his life. Thank God it was over.

"Let's take one more caller before letting the music roll." He flipped another switch, silently praying it for a month-anniversary dedication or a middle-schooler pining for the young history teacher…something easy and not stressful at all. "Hi, who's this?"

"Hello, my name's Maxiin."

…NO.

Demyx balked. What the—Imani? Using a fake name? What was she calling for? She…she couldn't have called to humiliate him, too…could she?

"Hi Maxiin," Arista replied. "What's weighing on your heart tonight?"

"Well, my best friend is really clueless when it comes to asking out the girl he's in love with—"

He scowled. Damn you, Imani. Damn you and Zexion both to hell and back.

"—and I wanted to ask Arista for advice for him. I mean, I'm not doubting Myde's knowledge, but…well, my best friend is really, really clueless. He needs all the help he can get."

What traitors his best friends were, teaming up on him and backing him into a corner in front of the girl who had his heart!

"So basically, Arista, what's your ideal experience of being asked out? And also, what would be the perfect date to you?"

Wait. Actually…it would be helpful to know these things about her…but he definitely didn't have the guts to ask her outright. Not when he was painfully aware of how much he liked her.

His scowl faded. Huh. Maybe Imani wasn't a complete traitor…but he still wouldn't forgive her. Or Zexion. He definitely wasn't going to forgive Zexion.

"Thanks for asking. Let's see…" Arista tilted her head in thought. "Well…as far as being asked out goes, I wouldn't want him to make a production out of it. No roses, no fancy words. I would want him to just ask me."

Demyx held his breath and clung to every word she said. Just…ask? Really? Was it that simple?

"As for a perfect date…this is pretty embarrassing, but…" She giggled under her breath (and he nearly lost it). "I come from a family of musicians, so I always appreciate when someone plays music or sings for me. It would be really sweet of him to play a song for me."

Well, he knew he could definitely pull that off. He was the fearless leader of Melodious Nocturne, after all.

"That does sound nice," Imani commented. "Where would you want him to take you? And what about the first kiss? Would you let him kiss you on the first date?"

His face burst into flame at the last question. K-Kiss?

Arista stammered next to him, her own face turning red. "W-Well, I think for a first date, I would want to do something fun and not completely focused on us…like a movie or a theme park…"

Movie or theme park…okay…

"Having dinner and coffee somewhere afterwards would be nice, too."

Dinner, coffee…

"A-As for a first kiss on the first date…" She cleared her throat with embarrassment. "That would depend on who it is I'm on the date with, I suppose."

He stared at her in barely-concealed shock. Really? She would kiss a guy on the first date? So…he could possibly get away with kissing her on the first date?

Wait, no! Gah! How could he think about something like that? His burning face and pounding heart could barely handle the thought of being on a date with her! It was a miracle that he was sitting in the same room with her without completely falling apart!

"Thanks, Arista. I'll be sure to pass this along to my friend…although, I'm pretty sure he's listening, too."

He had to end this. He seriously couldn't take much more. He was so close to exposing how much of a total wreck he was.

Demyx forced a grin onto his face as he spoke. "Thanks for calling, Maxiin—"

NOT.

"—and thank you for tuning in to the Captive Heart Show on Arpeggio 101.3. Here's a classic to sway along to: When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge."

As he cut off the phone lines and microphones to bring Mr. Sledge front and center, he swore he could hear Zexion and Imani snicker in his head. Damn them both.

Kairi's smile widened as the song kicked off. "I like this Arista girl," she said, carefully painting a shade of turquoise onto Namine's fingernail.

"Me too," her cousin agreed. "She seems really sweet."

"Wouldn't it be funny if she and Myde were actually a couple?"

"They have good chemistry on-air."

"They'd be fun to hang out with in person…" Kairi trailed off when her phone started rumbling. She blinked in surprise at the caller ID. "Oh, Xion's calling me."

"Xion?"

"Yeah." She quickly capped the nail polish and brought her phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Kairi?" the girl answered timidly.

"Hi, Xion. What's up?"

"Um…are you busy?"

"No, I'm just hanging out with Nam." She exchanged a worried glance with Namine. "Is everything okay?"

"W-Well…I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

"Sure, of course. What do you want to talk about?"

Xion paused for a few moments before mumbling something. "…ku…"

Kairi frowned. "What was that?"

"R-Ri…" The girl exhaled nervously. "Riku."

Hearing her friend's name set off an explosion in Kairi's brain. Her jaw dropped. No way. She didn't just imagine Xion asking her to talk about Riku, did she? Was this what she thought this was about? Could Xion have possibly wanted to discuss her feelings toward Riku with Kairi?

This…was a state of emergency.

"H-Hello?"

There was no time to waste. She had to take advantage of this opportunity to position herself to facilitate the unification of Riku and Xion! She would just have to report back to the Prince of Awesome and her colleagues later. "Where are you?"

"I-I'm at home."

"Are your parents okay with sleepovers?"

"I think so."

"Pack a bag. We'll be there in ten minutes."

"Wait, wha—"

Kairi hung up and scrambled to her feet. "Meet me in the lobby. I'm gonna go grab my car keys really quick," she told Namine.

"H-Huh? What's going on? Is Xion okay?"

"We're picking her up and bringing her here."

"Why?"

She threw an excited grin over her shoulder before dashing down the hall. "We're having a girls night!"

Half an hour after Roxas made the call, Riku found himself trudging across campus and riding an elevator up to the eighth floor of an apartment building. He lingered behind the two spiky-haired boys with a deep frown on his face as Roxas knocked on the door.

"Stop frowning," Sora chided easily. "This'll be fun."

His frown sank deeper. This would not be fun.

The door opened and a bespectacled Axel greeted them. "Yo."

"Hey Axel!" Sora replied as Axel stepped to the side to let them in. "Whoa! Nice place."

"Thanks. Make yourselves at home."

Sora dashed around the apartment to explore while Roxas strolled into the kitchen. Riku 's eyes roamed the irritatingly modern and chic apartment. Flat screen TV, dark lacquered tables, fully fluffed cushions on a large comfy-looking sofa…The redhead just had it made, didn't he?

"Let's pop in another movie!"

"But we didn't finish Toy Story yet."

Ugh. Riku should've just stayed home. Why the hell did he tag along? Why did he even urge Roxas into calling up Axel, anyway?

The redhead leaned into his line of sight. "So," Axel started with a lopsided grin, "you still got beef with me?"

If he was talking about being an arrogant ass who had hurt Xion, then hell effin' yes. Riku wasn't going to forgive him as quickly as Xion had. Breaking a girl's heart, especially Xion's and regardless if it was accidental, was never going to be okay.

But there was no way Riku was going to divulge that to him.

He crossed his arms, shooting a cool glare his way. "I don't. I never did."

"Come on." Axel shifted his weight to one leg and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "No need to be passive-aggressive with me. Let's talk this out like men."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"I've got beer."

Riku's glare slipped. What the…

Axel arched an eyebrow. "You drink?"

After a moment of stunned silence, he recovered and narrowed his eyes. "You shouldn't be giving alcohol to minors."

"I shouldn't," he shrugged, "but alcohol does wonders for bonding and I trust that you won't wreck my house. Besides, nothing leaves the room. That's one of the rules of Disney Movie Marathon Day, right?"

His jaw dropped. Who told him about Disney Movie Marathon Day?

"You're staying over, anyway, so you don't have to worry about driving or getting up in time to get to class…if you're even going anymore, which I doubt you are."

He was not staying over. He was not going to drink, especially not with Axel.

Axel held his hands out. "Look, I'm not trying to sabotage you. I want to be your friend, Riku. Honestly."

"Cheers to that." Roxas suddenly held out a bottle of beer inches away from Riku's face. "Let's all get along."

Riku studied the bottle, his frown steadily fading. Friends with Axel? He wasn't so sure about that, but…Xion was friends with him. It would pain him to no end, but he supposed he could try to at least tolerate Axel for her sake.

"Cheers!" Sora exclaimed and the four of them clinked bottles.

Riku stifled another sigh as he took a sip. This was for Xion.

Two pairs of blue eyes stared at Xion earnestly as she clumsily confessed her dilemma with Riku. The half-eaten bags of popcorn and cookies sat forgotten on the dorm floor between the three of them. Her face burned hotter with each word that left her mouth.

When she finished, Kairi squealed. Really loud.

"Omigosh omigosh omiGOSH!"

Xion folded into herself, her head sinking with embarrassment. Did she have to react like that?

Namine smiled. "You two are really cute together."

She wanted to curl into a little little ball and disappear into the ground. The humiliation was too much.

"I love the thought of you two being together," Kairi swooned. "We have to do something!"

"Xion has to do something," Namine corrected.

That was exactly what she was afraid they'd say. Xion managed to lift her head an inch or two to ask, "But what can I do? Besides talk to him, I mean."

Kairi and Namine looked at each other before the redhead told her, "You're going to have to talk to him, sweetie. You're the one he needs to hear your feelings from."

Scratch that. That was what she was afraid they'd tell her.

Before Xion could protest, the door creaked open and Imani trudged inside. "Hullo…" the girl mumbled.

"Welcome home, Imani," Namine greeted her.

Discomfort slithered around in Xion's chest. There was still something awkward about being around Imani, even if Xion didn't like Axel anymore.

When Imani's tired eyes landed on Xion, she stopped short. "Oh, hi, Xion. What're you doing here so late?"

"We're having a sleepover!" Kairi declared before Xion could stutter out a weak reply. "You're welcome to join!"

"Not like I have much of a choice…wait, what about class tomorrow?"

"This is more important. Xion needs this."

Imani's brow furrowed. "Is everything okay?" she asked Xion with concern in her eyes.

Xion nodded, ducking her head once more. "Y-Yeah, I just have some things I need to talk through. Sorry for imposing like this…"

"No, no, you're not imposing. You're welcome here anytime."

"Thanks…"

Imani studied her for a moment before humming. "Well, if you ever need to talk to someone who won't spazz out like someone in this room," she reached over and poked Kairi's head to make a point, "I'm here for you."

"I'm not spazzing," Kairi huffed, waving away her hand. "I'm just excited for her."

Xion watched as Imani "mmhmm"-ed skeptically and met her gaze with a look that said, "I mean it. I'm here for you."

She stared at the dark-haired girl with wide eyes. Wow. They hardly knew each other and yet she was willing to help Xion however she could?

A tiny smile crept onto her face and the discomfort faded. Riku chose his friends well. Kairi, Namine, Sora, and now Imani…They've all been so welcoming. It felt nice.

She took a deep breath and murmured, "Actually…if you're not too tired, could you talk, too?"

Imani smiled, banishing the remainder of Xion's hesitation. "Definitely. I just need to change out of these clothes real quick." She pinched her sleeve and wrinkled her nose as she headed for the bathroom. "Some drunk spilled his beer and onion rings on me."

"His beer and onion rings?" Namine repeated with surprise.

"Yup…" She sighed and shut the bathroom door.

Kairi giggled, wrapping an arm around Xion's hunched shoulders. "I love how close we're all getting. We should have sleepovers every day."

Xion's smile grew. She'd forgotten how fun sleepovers could be. She was glad she'd called Kairi.

"But we'd never graduate because we'd always end up skipping morning classes," Namine noted.

"But matters of the heart are way more important. Myde said so."

"I don't remember him saying that…"

Yeah, Xion decided. Tonight was going to be good.

So maybe the beer wasn't a good idea.

"I came in like a wrecking balllllllll—"

"Shaddup, Soraaaaa…"

Axel sighed, running a hand through his red spikes as he watched the three guys succumb to the power of alcohol. He knew Roxas could kind of hold himself together, but Sora was a total lightweight and Riku was slipping in and out of slumber. At least he could keep an eye on them. At least they seemed to be enjoying themselves and letting loose a little.

"Hey Ax."

Speaking of which…

He turned to find Riku practically slumped over on the sofa with a glazed look in his eyes. "Siddown," he told him, patting the spot next to him. "I gotta serious question for you."

Oh, now the guy wanted to talk to him, huh?

Muting the smirk that threatened to surface, Axel sat down and propped his head with his elbow on the back of the sofa. "What's that?" he asked patiently.

After taking another swig of beer (which, Axel decided then, would be his last for the night), Riku muttered, "How do you make a girl realize you're serious about her?"

He took a moment to process the question, eyeing Riku with a quirked brow. "Wait, you have girl issues? And you're asking me about them?"

"C'mon, Ax. I'm bein' serious."

"So am I. Gimme some context. Who's the girl?"

Riku shook his head slowly. "No."

Axel chuckled. Riku was fading. "No?" he repeated.

"Not tellin'."

"Then I can't answer the question."

"Ax…"

"It's XION!" Sora declared at the top of his lungs from across the room.

He jumped in his seat at the sudden outburst. Axel swore under his breath before shushing Sora, "Jesus, keep it down! I've got neighbors!"

Sora giggled between apologies and staggered down the hall. Roxas glanced at Axel ("No worries, I'll keep an eye on him," his look said) before following Sora.

Note to self: never let Sora drink alcohol without a chaperone. But anyway…

His scowl melted into a cheeky grin as he turned back to Riku. "Is it Xion?"

Riku glared at him for a few moments…and then finally sighed, "Yeah."

Axel cackled inwardly. Oh man. He'd totally called this. "So you want Xion to realize you're serious about her," he said.

"Yeah."

"Why wouldn't she think you're serious about her? Did you do something to make her doubt you?"

"Maybe."

His eyebrows rose. "What'd you do?"

"Shit, I don't know." Riku groaned, rubbing his face with his free hand. "I don't remember."

Well that didn't sound good.

Axel hummed thoughtfully. "Well, if she's doubting you, you have to invest in earning her trust."

He peered at him through his fingers. "How?"

"Persistence."

"So…I should just keep telling her I'm serious about her?"

He chuckled again, his mind wandering to a certain girl. If only things were that simple. "Yeah, but not only that. You have to show her, too."

"How?"

"Get creative, I guess. I don't know. You know her better than I do at this point."

Plus, Axel was still trying to figure that out for himself.

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Riku downed the last of his beer and lolled his head in a nod. "Mmkay. Thanks."

"Anytime."

"'M sorry for being an ass."

"Forget about it."

Which he probably would, considering how much beer he'd pounded.

"Let it gooooooo, let it goooooooooo—"

"SHADDUP, Sora!"

Another sigh escaped Axel as he plucked the bottle from Riku's hand. Yeah, he'd have to hide the beer the next time Sora and Riku were over.

"I'm so sorry."

Demyx shot Arista a confused look as he shut off his microphone. "Huh? For what?"

Arista hung her head and frowned. "I hardly said anything really insightful. I feel like I was just sitting here doing nothing." She sighed, rubbing her arm sheepishly. "I'm really clueless when it comes to romance. I don't know why Genie wanted me here."

Demyx's heart warmed and sank at the same time. He should've been the one apologizing for making Arista sit through those awkward questions from Zexion and Imani. "You did great, Arista," he told her with a bright smile. "I know the listeners really liked you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You were having conversations with them! They trusted you with their concerns and feelings! That's huge, especially considering it was your first time on the show."

She considered his words for a moment. Her frown slowly lifted into a smile and she raised her head slightly. "Thanks, Demyx."

He could feel his pulse pick up speed and the warmth in his chest spread through his body. She seriously had no idea how easily she affected him. Everything she did, no matter how subtle, shook him to his core. She had him utterly mesmerized.

He watched her check her phone and gather her things. Axel's diagnosis was right. He…He really had to do something about this. Clearly, he wasn't doing a great job at pretending to be completely normal around her while waiting for his emotions to disappear…if they were ever going to disappear, which he was kind of doubting would happen now.

The thought scared him, but…he wanted to be with her. He loved her. He had to take a risk.

"Well," Arista pocketed her phone, "I better head home. I've got class tomorrow morning."

Demyx took a deep breath. It was time for him to walk his talk. It was time to try again.

"Wait."

She stopped in her tracks to look at him questioningly. His heart pounded in his chest. He knew exactly how to ask her out. She had said it a mere hour or two ago! There was no way he could blow this. He just had to ask her.

"Can I…uh…"

Crap, his tongue was freezing up.

Arista tilted her head and blinked.

He took another deep breath. Come on, Demyx. You could do this. Just ask.

"Can I…walk you home?"

He bit his defiant tongue and groaned mentally. Ugh. That was not what he meant to ask.

She hesitated, shifting from one foot to the other. "Don't you live in the opposite direction?" she asked.

"Yeah," he turned to glance at the clock on the wall (and hide his grimace), "but a pretty girl like you shouldn't be walking around by herself this late at night."

"P…Pretty?"

Panic shot through his body and he flinched. Eep! He called her pretty! And she totally heard it! Crap crap crap! What was he supposed to say? He couldn't be like "Just kidding, you're not pretty" because she really was pretty but now she knew he thought she was pretty and what if she felt super awkward about it why wasn't she saying anything oh God he was afraid to turn back around and find her staring at him in disgust which was probably what she was doing—
"You'll be okay getting home after?"

His runaway train of thought screeched to a halt. She didn't sound disgusted. He only picked up notes of uncertainty in her small voice.

He forced himself to wipe the horror from his face and turn back to give Arista a reassuring smile. "Of course."

Her sheepish smile returned and she ducked her head. "Okay. Thanks."

With a silent sigh of relief, he grabbed his bag and followed her out of the room. Thank God she said yes…but he really needed to work on asking the right question.

Author's Afterthought: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts.