Sounds of Desperation.

I managed to get all of the dye off, thankfully - but that was only because I spent the entire night scrubbing so hard my scalp was itchy and red by the time I was finished.

"Mm," Naminé breathed in deep as she stepped into my car Sunday morning, "Something smells really good."

I raised an eyebrow as I shifted gears. "I dunno what it could be."

"Hm," She turned towards me and leaned in; I could feel her nose against my shoulder and I stiffened, "I'm pretty sure it's coming from you. Did you just take a shower or something?" She raised her head a little. "Are you using a new shampoo? Your hair looks shinier than usual."

"Er," I ruffled the back of my hair, "Y-yeah. I didn't think you'd notice."

She snorted a little before breaking out into a fit of giggles, just like how a child would. "You're weird."

I laughed. "I'm the weird one?"

She smacked my shoulder. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"That you're weirder, obviously."

"I am not weirder than you!"

"I don't worship Nutella."

"I don't worship it - I eat it!"

"Religiously."

She huffed and crossed her arms, and I grinned victoriously before switching lanes. It was like that incident a few days ago never happened.

"So," I drawled on the word a little as I let her into my apartment, "How was your date?"

She beamed up at me before skipping over to the kitchen. "Which one?"

"Um...both?"

"Fantastic," I could hear the smile in her voice as she rummaged through my pantry, "The movies were fun, and the art gallery on Saturday was really interesting!"

I raised an eyebrow, feigning interest. "How so?"

She pulled out the usual jar of Nutella and popped a couple waffles in the toaster. "Riku made some new friends from France - well, except this one guy."

I felt a lump form in my throat as I lowered myself into one of the chairs at the table. "What's wrong with this one guy?"

She moved to sit beside me, folding her hands underneath her chin and glancing up at the ceiling. "He wasn't from France. I think he's from around here." Her eyes flitted over to me and I gulped. "He was a little strange. Distant."

I scratched the back of my head. "Hm, maybe he's one of those lone artists who doesn't like being around people."

My shorter companion stifled a laugh. "Why would someone not like being around people?"

I shrugged as the waffles popped up from the toaster. "I dunno. Some people are better off by themselves. They prefer to live life without distractions."

Her hair bounced a little as she stood up to grab the waffles. "Hm...sounds a lot like you." She said teasingly as she returned to the table with our breakfast.

My neck began to grow really hot, and I rubbed the back of it as she handed me my plate. "I like being around people," I protested as I watched her spread a thick wad of Nutella around her waffle, "I mean...if I didn't like being around people I wouldn't be talking to you right now would I?"

It was her turn to shrug. "I guess." She chewed on her waffle slowly before looking up to glance at me. Her large blue eyes blinked at me curiously, and I suddenly found it impossible to swallow my food. "He was a little awkward, but in an endearing way. I don't think he goes out very often."

I was that nervous? Geez. "Awkward? How?"

A hint of a smile dashed across her pretty face. "He asked me about Riku and I. It was a little weird hearing it from someone I just met so I obviously didn't feel comfortable answering him, but he looked like he didn't even know what was coming out of his mouth. It was kind of cute."

Cute. She called me cute.

Well, she didn't know she was calling me cute but I still counted it.

She was indirectly calling me cute!

I don't know if she was implying anything or not, but I decided to play along. "Poor guy." I gulped down a little more than half of my glass of milk. "Do you have any plans to see him or his friends again?"

She shook her head while sipping her milk. "Not right now, but Riku does. He's planning a guys' night out with him and two others this weekend or something."

I mussed up my hair. "Oh, that sounds fun. I guess Riku's taken a liking to them."

"They're really nice, and funny too. I hope I'll be able to see them again - especially Ventus."

I nearly choked. "V-Ventus?"

"Yeah, that's the awkward guy's name. He seems like he needs a friend."

"I thought you liked Riku."

Naminé rolled her eyes. "Can't a girl and guy befriend each other and not develop romantic feelings for each other?"

No. "Uh…"

"I mean, look at us," She gestured towards me, and I suppressed the urge to stand up and start some sort of pointless argument, "We're friends, aren't we? Best friends?"

I downed the rest of my milk and stood up to wash my dishes. I didn't know why I decided to take my time to answer her question. "Of course we are." My tone was so flat, so meaningless. The faucet was still running even though my dishes were already clean.

I felt a skinny pair of arms wrap themselves around my waist. Naminé pressed her cheek against my back; I could feel her jaw moving as she spoke. "You know what?" Her voice was just above a whisper.

I hope she couldn't hear my hammering pulse. "What?" I murmured back.

She tugged on my arm, and I turned around to face her. She flattened herself against me, fitting her head against my neck and pulling my arms around her waist with her hands before finding rest on my shoulder and the back of my neck. Either she was giving me some sort of a sign or she really liked hugs. "We need to hang out."

I chuckled against her hair. "Isn't that what we're doing right now?"

She pulled away a little to roll her eyes up at me. "I meant just us, Roxas, not babysitting your niece and nephew. We should go out this weekend, or something. Eat dinner, or watch a movie...or go shopping. Anything."

Was she asking me out? Again? "That sounds like a good idea. We haven't done something together in awhile." I tried pushing myself out of Naminé's arms but her grip on me was pretty firm.

She grinned. "'Kay, then it's settled. Friday it is." The doorbell rang, and she finally let go of me. I smiled distantly as Sora handed the twins over to her, but for some reason all I could think about was Friday and how I had the looming feeling that Riku and Axel's boys' night out thing was going to be on the same day.

Knowing my luck it was probably going to happen.

"Hi Koji," Naminé cooed as my nephew reached upwards to pat her on the cheek; I gathered Miyo in my arms and followed my blonde companion to the television room, "How are you? I missed you!"

Koji reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a yellow flower made out of construction paper. "You!" He smiled toothily as he handed it to her. His little crush on her was cute, I had to admit.

Naminé's eyes lit up as she took the flower in one hand. She sat down on the couch and bent over to kiss Koji on the cheek. "Oh, this is lovely! Thank you, Koji! This is very sweet of you."

I wanted to laugh when my nephew's face turned a bright red. I sat beside her and placed Miyo on my lap. "Looks like Riku's got some competition." Not like he already had some to begin with.

My shorter companion giggled and pretended to sniff the flower. Her eyes widened a little. "Hm, I think he sprayed perfume on this." She stretched out so that the flower was under my nose, and I sniffed it. She was right. "This makes it even better!" She cuddled Koji some more, and they laughed together.

I wish I could win over Naminé with a flower made out of construction paper.

The rest of the morning passed easily with the kids; we didn't really do anything out of the ordinary. Before I knew it my brother swung by and Miyo and Koji were gone.

"Well, that went by quicker than I thought." I rumpled the back of my hair as Naminé locked the door.

"Yeah." She mumbled distractedly; her eyes were staring at the floor and she was nervously fiddling with her hands. I raised an eyebrow in confusion, but before I opened my mouth to say something her head jerked upwards and she stared straight at me. "Let's go out now."

My pulse quadrupled in pace. "D-didn't you say you wanted to hang out Friday?"

She nodded and stepped closer towards me. "Yes, but we can hang out today too...can't we? You're...you're not busy are you?"

I shook my head frantically. "No, n-no...it's just that...er," My hand shot up to my hair again, "Well...what do you want to do?"

She tugged on her hair. "I dunno...anything. As long as I'm with you."

Her words made me want to grab her and kiss her until I couldn't breathe. Too bad she liked someone else.

"Oh, alright…" My fingers skimmed faster through my hair. "Hm...it's nice out. Do you wanna go out for a walk? Maybe we'll end up somewhere interesting."

Her face lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. "That sounds like fun. Let's go!" She grabbed my arm and pulled me to the door, and I couldn't help but laugh.

The sun was warm on my face as we stepped out of my apartment building. It flashed silver in Naminé's hair as we casually trotted down the sidewalk, talking about anything that came to mind. I noticed how different she sounded when she was talking to me in comparison to when she was talking with Riku.

I don't know if this sounds biased or anything but she sounded...I dunno...a little more comfortable with me? Maybe this was just a way to convince myself that I still had a chance.

I mean, she was still holding onto my arm.

"C'mon," She giggled, walking ahead of me and tugging eagerly on my wrist, "Let's get some ice cream."

I laughed as she pulled me into the store. "How old are you?"

She glanced over her shoulder to roll her eyes at me. "Don't be such a grown-up, Roxas. Everyone loves ice cream." She bent over to peek at the different flavours. "Hmm...so many to choose from."

I leaned against the counter and smirked. "There isn't any Nutella-flavoured ice cream for you?" When she glared at me I laughed. "Kidding." I pointed at a tub full of bright blue ice cream. "That one. It's my favourite."

My shorter companion squinted at the label. "Sea-salt?" She playfully wrinkled her nose. "Ew."

I chuckled as the guy behind the counter scooped a couple for me. "You haven't even tried it yet."

She peered into my cup and tilted her head to the side. "Well...I like the colour…"

I rolled my eyes before paying for my ice cream. "You're not getting any?"

"I figured I'd just share with you...but seeing as you got a flavour I haven't tried before-"

"Well, this is a perfect opportunity for you to try it!" I gently pushed her out of the little shop and pulled her down the sidewalk. There was a small park just up ahead where we could sit down and enjoy our frozen treat.

"But," She complained childishly, "It sounds gross!"

"Well, it was your idea to get ice cream in the first place so that's what we're doing." I forced her down on a bench that was facing the jungle gym. I scooped a little bit of ice cream into my spoon and slowly inched my hand towards her pink lips. "C'monnn…" I egged her on, grinning deviously as she shook her head and tried to back away.

"No, no, no…" She chanted determinedly, clamping her eyes shut.

"Make way for the airplane, Naminé," I cooed jokingly, waving the spoon a little bit, "C'mon, it needs to land!"

"Then it can land in your mouth."

"Too late; it already set a course for yours." When she began to make those strange whiny noises of hers I rolled my eyes. "You are such a baby."

She opened one eye to glare at me, and then she slowly opened her mouth - just enough for me to ease the spoon in. Her eyes clamped shut again as the cold treat melted in her mouth, and I suppressed a laugh. "Salty…" Seconds later her eyes popped open, surprise clearly written across her face, "But...sweet. Mm." She licked her lips and blinked at me.

"See? That wasn't so bad." I smirked when her pale cheeks flushed a light crimson.

She glared at me once more before grabbing the cup from my hand. She shoved another spoonful into her mouth, eating stubbornly. She was so cute when she was angry.

I raised an eyebrow. "Um, in case you've forgotten I paid for that. I believe I deserve some."

She raised the spoon, but just before I was about to lean in she flicked her wrist. "Hey!" My face stung with cold as globs of sea-salt ice cream splattered across my cheeks. I could hear Naminé's laughter as I frantically searched my pockets for a napkin, or something.

"S-sorry," She was still laughing; she pulled a napkin from her pocket and got rid of the ice cream on my face, "You were asking for it."

I licked my lips; I could still taste ice cream. "How was I asking for it?" When she shrugged her shoulders I groaned. "I don't get you sometimes."

She giggled again and continued to eat my ice cream. She hovered the spoon in front of my mouth. "I won't throw it at you this time, I promise."

I hesitantly opened my mouth and let out an inward sigh of relief when she fed me properly. We must've looked like a couple to the strangers who were passing us by. In a sense I thought that was a good thing; at least to someone who didn't know us we looked like we were in love. We looked like the feeling was mutual.

After we were finished I playfully poked her sides, and I smirked when she squirmed. "Thanks for finishing my ice cream."

"You had some too!"

"Yeah, like three spoonfuls."

Her cornflower blues narrowed. "Are you implying something?"

I poked her again, and she shrieked. "Maybe." I reached for her and tickled her ferociously, and she laughed uncontrollably. She leapt out of the bench and dashed towards the jungle gym, and I scrambled to follow her. We climbed platforms, slid down slides and climbed monkey bars (well, Naminé did; I was too tall). I felt like I was five, playing with my preschool crush around the playground.

I finally caught up to her; I wound my arms from behind her and lifted her off the ground. She squealed with laughter as I spun her around, screaming for me to put her down.

"Mm," She whirled around and twisted her arms around my neck, pulling me closer. Our foreheads bumped, and I sucked in a breath. What was going on? "That was fun." Her eyes were closed. Was she was imagining holding Riku instead of me? Was she was pretending Riku was chasing her around the jungle gym?

I could do so many things right now. I could reach up to brush the hair away from her eyes, or tuck it behind her ear. I could lean in and rest my head on her shoulder. I could crane my neck a little so my lips would be in perfect symmetry with hers. I could show her how much I wanted her, how much I wanted her to want me.

But I couldn't.

I cleared my throat, and she blinked up at me. "C'mon," I smiled for her so she wouldn't be suspicious and enclosed my hand around her tiny wrist, "We haven't finished our walk yet."

She gave me a faint smile in response. "Oh, right. I totally forgot we were doing that." She skipped along my side as we strolled through the park, and everything went back to normal. We resumed our random conversations and our corny jokes. She held onto my arm and I stuck my hands in my pockets.

We spent another hour or so walking around before returning to my place, but by the time we got back it was still early - it wasn't even four yet.

Naminé yawned into my shoulder. "All that walking made me sleepy."

I rubbed her back. "Maybe I should take you home."

She shook her head, much to my surprise. "No, I want to stay here." She muttered stubbornly against my shirt.

I sighed and pulled her into my room, where I let her lie on my bed. "Fine, have it your way."

She snuggled against my pillows and pulled the covers up to her chin. "Goodnight." She rolled over so that she was lying stomach-down, and then she was out cold. I could hear her muffled snoring.

I wish I could sleep that easily; either that or she pretended to fall asleep quickly so I could leave her alone.

I shuffled out and softly closed the door behind me. What was I going to do now?

My phone in my pocket began to vibrate. I glanced at the call display, and I rolled my eyes. Perfect timing. "Yes, Axel?"

"So I was just on the phone with Riku-"

"You have his number?"

"Yes...I am his friend, if you do recall."

"I guess." I absentmindedly wandered into the television room. "So...why did you call?"

"What, can't a friend call his friend just because?"

"You don't usually do that."

I heard my redheaded friend exhale sharply. "Fine. Well, I just wanted to tell you that we're seeing him on Friday."

Yep, I knew it. Just my luck. "Er, that's gonna be a bit of a problem."

Axel's voice lowered dangerously. "And why is that?"

"Naminé wants to hang out on Friday…" I felt my face heat up for some reason, "J-just the two of us."

My male best friend let out a low whistle. "Ooh, a date? Hmm...I can see your dilemma."

I rolled my eyes as I plopped down on the couch. "It's not a date, idiot - she just wants to hang out."

"But we all know you secretly wished you were on a date." When I didn't reply he laughed triumphantly. "Knew it."

"So what are we gonna do?" My hand somehow found its way to my hair.

"Well...hm. We can't skip out on this Riku thing...yet at the same time this date with Naminé is too good of an opportunity to miss." Axel paused for a minute, and for some reason I began to grow nervous. "Hmm...well, what if we asked your brother?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Sora?"

"No! Your other brother! The real Ventus?"

A lump formed in my throat. "Er...are you implying that he should go as...as another...me?"

I could picture Axel nodding. "Yeah! It's foolproof, man - you and Ven look exactly alike-"

"There are some minor differences between us, y'know-"

"Minor differences that can only be seen if someone compares the both of you with a freaking microscope," My redheaded friend laughed, "You're worrying too much, dude. Give your bro a call; I'm pretty sure he'll be more than willing to help you out."

I frowned. "I haven't even told him about my situation…" My oldest brother was busy with his own life; why should I bother him with my problems? I was already bothering my friends and my twin brother.

"Ven's one of the nicest guys on the face of this planet! If you don't call him I will." I knew Axel meant that; he wasn't one to lie about those sorts of things.

I groaned and threw my head back against the couch, closing my eyes and smacking my face with my free hand. "Fine, fine. I'll give him a call tonight after Naminé leaves."

"She's still there?"

I flushed. "Yeah, but she's sleeping. Unless she's eavesdropping on our conversation right now she couldn't have heard a single word."

"Well, alright. After you call Ven call me after."

"Alright. Later." I cancelled the call and brushed my fingers through my hair. A thousand things were running through my head right now and I was too slow to catch them. I couldn't keep track of my own head.

Was it really smart to have my brother stand in for me? If he agreed to this who would he stand in for: me...or Ventus?

Axel was right about my brother: aside from Sora Ven really was the nicest guy on the face of the planet. Both of my brothers were equal when it came to niceness. Ven would agree to help me in a heartbeat.

But would it work? What were the consequences if it didn't work?

Either way my friendship with Naminé was on the line. If something went wrong she'd probably not want to talk to me ever again. She'd think I was some sort of liar, a fake. A desperate idiot deprived of a relationship.

A desperate idiot who thinks he found the girl he's been searching for all his life, though for the first twenty-one years and a few months he wasn't aware that he was even searching in the first place.

Axel said that I can never get what I want if I was too afraid of getting hurt. I had to suck it in and take it before I get where I want to be. I had to take risks. I had to fight for what I wanted.

"Roxas?" A soft, sleepy voice cut my thoughts off and I glanced behind my shoulder to see Naminé rubbing her eyes and leaning against the wall.

I slowly rose from my seat and made my way towards her. She was adorable when she was tired. "Did you have a nice nap?" I chuckled when she nodded and leaned in to press her forehead against my shoulder. "You're still tired; you only slept for, like, not even twenty minutes.. Go back to sleep."

She shook her head. "Hungry."

Of course. "Alright, let's get the Nutella." When I felt her smile against me I came to the realization:

I had to do what I needed to do.

A/N: Chapter Inspiration: The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition.