Fall Behind.

"Stop scratching." Larxene swatted my hand away.

"I think I put too much dye." I mumbled, reaching underneath my hat again. Larxene pried my hand away from my copper-tinted hair and I glared at her.

"Where are we?" Demyx had his nose pressed against the window, "I've never been to this part of the city before."

"That's because you're not an artsy fartsy artist hipster, idiot," Axel smirked as he turned a corner, "Notice how all of these places are art galleries and coffee shops? Only the coolest of the cool hang around here."

Larxene scoffed as she adjusted her wig one last time. "I bet everyone here lives in a loft."

"I think this is it." Axel pulled into the parking lot of what looked like a dilapidated warehouse: the bricks were worn and some looked like they were about to fall off, and the windows were dusty and mottled with dirt. I noticed a few people standing around it, chatting amongst each other with small cigarettes stuck in between their fingers.

"Okay, you guys know the drill right? Act nothing like yourself, and try your best not to interact with anyone because that'll just blow our cover completely - unless you know anything about modern art." Axel slammed the car door shut and cleared his throat. "Okay," He wheezed in a raspy, terrible French accent, "I believe eet eez time to get our art on."

I rolled my eyes and stuck my hands in my pockets. "Whatever." I dragged my feet as I begrudgingly followed my friends inside the art gallery. The inside was a complete opposite of the outside: everything was completely white. The floors were simple white wood paneling and the bricks on the walls were painted white. Weird avant-garde music was playing softly in the background and there were people scattered in groups of twos and threes all over the place.

"Okay," Axel nudged me forward, "Spread out and pretend you're enjoying this. When you see them give us a text, or something."

"'Kay," I mumbled as I walked off. I just wanted to get away from them for a little bit; they've tormented me enough.

I tried admiring the artwork but it was just too weird for me. Some of the sculptures looked like someone just piled up a bunch of stuff they found at the junk yard and the paintings looked like something I probably did when I was in kindergarten. I heard other people talking about how they could see the 'depth' and 'realism' from these...art projects and I resisted the urge to shake my head at them. How did they get all of that deep stuff from something that looked rushed and incomplete?

My phone began to vibrate, and I struggled for a few seconds trying to pull it out of my tiny pocket; stupid skinny jeans. I eyed the text message Larxene sent me:

They're here. 4 o'clock.

I turned in the direction she told me, and when I spotted Riku and Naminé entering the art gallery arm-in-arm my pulse immediately began to accelerate. Riku wasn't wearing skinny jeans or nerdy glasses or scarves like the other artists: he wore a simple grey dress shirt and black jeans that weren't spandex-tight. Naminé looked as perfect as ever in a pale yellow sundress and brown sandals.

I wanted to tackle Axel for making me wear these stupid jeans.

I realized I was staring at them for too long and I moved around the gallery a little more so I wouldn't look so suspicious. I made sure I was a safe distance away from the couple I was supposed to be spying on; I was close enough to faintly hear them but far enough to not look like I was following them. It wasn't like I had much interest in what they had to say, anyway. They were just like everyone else in the art gallery: they talked about the 'sense of justice and independence' they could see in a painting that looked like it was made by a two-year-old in fingerpainting class.

I followed them around for another forty minutes or two, pretending to admire the painting or sculpture as I eavesdropped on their mind-numbing conversations. When Naminé and I talked we sounded nothing like that…

"What do you think?" A deep voice popped out of nowhere; was it talking to me?

I snapped out of my daze and looked left and right; Riku was standing right next to me, looking at me with curious turquoise eyes. Riku? "Um…" I cleared my throat and tried to change my voice a little, but then I realized last-minute that he had no idea what I sounded like so maybe it wasn't worth it to change my voice…

But wait... Naminé knows how I sound like.

Where's Naminé?

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Riku gestured towards the painting just a few feet in front of us; it looked like a bunch of coloured squares and rectangles overlapping each other, "You can totally feel the sense of confusion and isolation going on in this piece."

I scoffed. "Yeah, totally."

My new companion smirked and crossed his arms. "So are you a fan of Bourgeois?"

I assumed that was the name of the person who made this painting. "Er…y-yes…?" I could feel someone's eyes on me; I hoped to God it wasn't Naminé.

Riku chuckled, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "I figured you were. Only diehard fans can see the true potential of his work." He held out a hand, and I stared at it. "I'm Riku Katutama."

As I hesitantly shook his hand I wracked my brain for a fake name, but the only thing I could think of was my older brother's name and the closest random object. "I'm...Ventus. Ventus…" I swallowed nervously and eyed the silver watch gleaming on Riku's wrist, "Watch...er."

Riku raised an eyebrow, and I gulped again. "Watcher? Do you happen to be related to Miles Watcher?"

I shook my head. "N-no, I'm afraid not."

Naminé suddenly appeared by Riku's side, holding two white paper cups. "Back." She eyed me curiously, and I began to feel uncomfortably warm. "Did you make a new friend?"

"Sure did," Riku smirked again and jerked his head in my direction, "This is Mister Ventus Watcher. He's a Bourgeois fan." He gestured towards the small blonde before taking one of the cups from her hand. "This is Naminé, by the way."

She grinned, and I tried to crack a small smile. "Ooh, I like him already. Are you going to the exhibit next month? I heard Bourgeois himself is making an appearance!"

I could feel sweat trickling down my temples. "O-oh, the Bourgeois exhibit?" I tried to change my voice a little bit; it ended up changing on its own because I was so nervous, "I, uh-"

"'Eyyy!" I felt an arm around my shoulder and I looked up to see Axel grinning down at me, "Zair you are! I was wondereeng where you went!" He glanced at Riku and gasped. "Ah mon dieu, are...are you Riku? Riku Katutama? Le artiste?"

I hoped Riku and Naminé didn't catch onto Axel's horrible rendition of a French accent. The silver-haired man chuckled and nodded, his cheeks slightly flushed in embarrassment. "Why yes, yes I am. I'm surprised you know me."

"Who doesn't know you?" Larxene appeared by my side, speaking in a perfect French accent; why did they insist on speaking with French accents? This was totally unnecessary; I just hoped Demyx wasn't pretending to be French too. "You are the greatest artist in town - no, no...the world!"

Riku laughed sheepishly and placed a hand behind his head. "Aw, no…"

Naminé giggled and hugged his other arm; my insides twitched and I coughed awkwardly into my fist. "They're saying the truth!"

Axel laughed and brushed a few bangs out of his eyes. I was surprised Naminé didn't recognize him. "I am Jacques, and zees-" He gestured towards Larxene, "-ees Amélie. We have anuzzer friend wandering around somewhere; I lost him awhile back."

"I'm assuming you guys aren't from around here?" Riku asked; he reached for Naminé's hand and wound their fingers together, and I clenched my teeth.

"Non. We are only 'ere for ze week," Larxene's accent was spot on, "And we 'erd about zees exhibit so we decided to, ah...give eet a look."

"Well, it's nice to meet all of you." Riku smiled, and Naminé laughed softly. "Are all of you Bourgeois fans as well?"

Larxene and Axel looked at me for a split second before exclaiming, "Oui!" At exactly the same time. "Oui, we are beeg Bourgeois fans." Larxene clapped her hands excitedly, which was totally non-Larxene of her.

"Oh? Then have you heard about the Bourgeois exhibit next month? You guys should come back for that!" Naminé exclaimed excitedly.

"Ah, 'opefully we can come back," Axel scratched the side of his head, "We might be beezy but we'll see."

"Well, judging from your lack of an accent I'm pretty sure you're from around here," Naminé turned towards me, and I gulped for the umpteenth time, "Right? Maybe I'll see you next month!"

I smiled timidly and tipped the brim of my hat. "Er...yeah. Maybe."

"Say," Riku threw up his hands, "Why don't we all go out for dinner? We can all indulge on Bourgeois over some great food just down the street!"

I paled as Axel and Larxene heartily agreed to my rival's invitation. "Oh, yes! That sounds magnifique. I shall go find our friend and tell 'eem." Larxene scurried away to find Demyx.

"Great! I guess we should get moving; this restaurant fills up fast if you don't have a reservation." Riku patted Axel's shoulder and they exchanged conversation as we made our way out of the gallery; I wondered how my redheaded friend managed to keep Riku so interested when he knew nothing about art.

"So how did you end up becoming friends with Frenchies?" Naminé skipped alongside me, chipper and cute. She was so close to me, so reachable.

"I...I went to France for a month on an exchange program in college," I fibbed as best as I could without stuttering so much, "And I had a few classes with them."

She nodded politely. "Oh. It's good that you guys still keep in touch."

"Y-yeah." I decided to make the best of this opportunity. "What about you? How did you meet Riku?"

I wanted to cringe when Naminé's cheeks tinged a faint shade of pink. "Oh, well...it was a chance meeting, really. We sorta just bumped into each other and we hit it off almost immediately."

I forced on a sly grin. "Hit it off? Care to expand on that?"

She raised an eyebrow as Riku and Axel held the doors open for us. "You're very direct, aren't you?"

I flushed and shook my head. "N-no, I...I didn't mean to...uh..." I sighed and shook my head again. "Sorry. That was rude of me." Okay, so maybe that wasn't such a great move after all…

She giggled. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean any harm...right?"

I raised my hands in defense. "O-of course not! I wouldn't...I wouldn't do anything like that…"

"So we'll meet you guys there? It's just down the street." Riku's voice cut into our conversation. He joined hands with Naminé again and she smiled up at him. The adoration in her eyes tore me apart; I suddenly didn't want to eat dinner.

"Yes, yes," Axel nodded as Larxene and Demyx made their way out of the gallery, "We'll see you in a bit." He nudged me, and I forced my legs to work. I mechanically climbed into Axel's car and buckled my seatbelt, and I pretended to listen into my friends' conversations as Axel backed out of his parking space.

"Hey," Demyx poked the back of my shoulder, "We're here."

The outside restaurant looked a lot like the outside of the art gallery with the crumbling bricks and dirty windows. Axel parked two spaces away from Riku; I spotted his silver hair from where I was standing.

The restaurant was small and cozy on the inside. We managed to get a table outside on the back porch; the cool breeze was relaxing, and it helped cool the jealous heat pooling into my cheeks. I picked at my pasta as Larxene, Demyx and Axel managed to carry on a conversation with Riku. Naminé must've noticed my sullenness, because twenty minutes after our food came she childishly poked my arm.

I looked up and met her pale blues. I could count every eyelash. "Hm?" I hummed unenthusiastically; I had my elbow propped up on the table and my cheek leaning into my palm.

"Why the long face?" Her head was tilted to the side, and the wind was rustling her platinum blonde tresses. Her bangs swept into her eyes and my fingers itched, but luckily she reached up to brush them away.

I forced myself into thinking up of a believable excuse. "Er," I remembered to keep my voice high so she wouldn't recognize me, "I...I just had a long day, that's all. Kinda tired."

"Oh?" She bit her lip for a second. "Am...am I bothering you?" Her eyes lowered, and my heart wrung painfully.

"N-no, no," I shook my head quickly, "Nothing like that. If anything I'm the one who's doing any bothering around here." I chuckled anxiously, and I sighed inwardly when she giggled alongside me. "I don't mean to bring you out of their conversation." I jerked my head towards the 'Frenchies' and Riku, who were laughing and clapping each other's backs.

My 'new' friend shrugged her tiny shoulders and reached up to tug on the little strip of hair near the back of her head. "It's okay - they seem like they're having a lot of fun without me, anyway." She smiled, and I felt a smile of my own curving onto my lips. "Plus, I didn't want to make you feel left out or anything. You didn't even look like you wanted to go to dinner."

Oops. "Oh…" Crap, I couldn't think of a good enough excuse.

"Well, that was great." Riku and Axel stood up with their arms around each other's shoulders. The silver-haired one of the duo sighed in content. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

Axel did that stupid French laugh of his. "Oui, mon ami. I'll have to agree with you."

Riku's eyes suddenly turned to me, and I blinked in confusion. "You should come with Jacques and I next week, Ventus. We're gonna go out for a drink."

Demyx nudged my elbow, and I shrugged. "I dunno, I'll have to see-"

"Ah, Ventus," Axel shook his head and I suppressed the urge to glare at him, "Don't be such a party pooper. Come and dreenk with us! It'll be fun."

"You'll need it, Ventus." Larxene muttered so low only I could hear, and I groaned.

"Maybe. I'll…I'll get back to you." I plucked my wallet out and tossed my money onto the table before following the rest of them back to the parking lot. Before I crawled into Axel's car I felt Naminé's fingers against my arm, and I glanced over my shoulder to see her smiling shyly at me.

"It was nice meeting you," She said timidly, "I...I hope we'll see each other again soon."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not going with them next week?"

She gave me one of those looks of hers; the one that made me feel like I was missing something really important. "It's a guys' night out sorta thing. I don't think I'd fit in very well."

"Which is why," Larxene poked my shoulder from the inside of Axel's car, "It would be good of you to go."

I thought of the possibilities. Riku did say they were going out for a drink, which meant Axel was probably going to try to get him drunk...which meant there could be a possibility we could get some useful information out of him - information Naminé wasn't telling me.

There had to be something going on between them - those secret smiles and joined hands and linked arms had a double-meaning, I was sure of it. Either that or my jealousy was driving me over the edge of sanity.

I don't know. Maybe my intuition was really telling me something this time.

It seemed fool proof enough: drunk people are always truthful, and plus - it would give a little boost to my self-esteem if I saw my rival (well, he didn't know of our fierce competition but that wasn't important) in an altered state.

I raised my head. "Well...come to think of it I may be able to go. I'll just have to double-check."

Naminé's smile broadened. "I'm sure Riku will love to hear that. I'll see you around, okay?" She waved and bounded off towards Riku's car. The moment the silver sedan sped away Axel threw his head back and gave out a loud, triumphant laugh.

"This guy, man…" He pulled the hair tie and shook his head, letting his spikes fall free, "He's great and all but he's too easy to dupe."

"I imagined him to be smarter," Larxene shook her head as she pulled off her wig, "I mean, he's into philosophy and stuff...yet he thinks Axel's legitimately French."

"Either that or he's hiding his suspicion really well." Demyx shrugged. "I mean...he has to have some sort of an idea. Axel's accent is the worst thing I've ever heard!"

"Don't make me come back there." My male best friend growled under his breath as he changed lanes.

"So are we really going out with him next week?" I asked as I pulled off my fedora. My spikes sprung up just like I expected them to; hat hair does not exist for me or my brothers, which can be a good and bad thing.

"Well, it doesn't really matter when. It could be whenever, actually - Riku's just really game for hanging out again. I think I charmed him," Axel grinned victoriously, "But in all honesty he's not a bad guy. If it weren't for the fact that he's stealing your girl I think I could be really good friends with him."

"So you're saying we have to put up with this-" I pointed to my skinny jeans, "-for a bit longer?"

My redheaded friend shrugged. "I dunno, but it seems to be working. As long as Naminé isn't suspicious anything's game, right? Plus how else are going to get her to fall hopelessly in love with you when her sights are set on him? We need to figure out how to make you better than Riku - that's our first priority, and we're achieving this by getting to know him better. Makes sense, doesn't it?"

I sighed as he pulled up to my apartment. "I guess." I stepped out and sighed again. "I'm seeing Naminé tomorrow...no doubt she's going to say something about today."

"And it'll tell you whether she's suspicious or not, so it's perfect." Demyx gave me the thumbs-up. "See you Monday, Roxas!"

Larxene rolled down her window and winked. "Don't get too jealous, now." The car sped off, leaving me in the dust. I absently brushed off my skinny jeans before making my way inside.

I hoped the dye would wash off before Naminé comes tomorrow.

A/N: Chapter Inspiration: Quietdrive - Time After Time.