It had turned out I had a small case bacterial pneumonia. I was prescribed some antibiotics from the doctor, and I was to feel better in about a week. No big deal, right? For Roxas, I found it was a very big deal.

"You, you've got to be kidding me! Pneumonia!" Roxas sputtered, pacing around the living room. "Of all the diseases you get pneumonia…"

"Sorry that I don't get to pick which illness I get," I replied in a sarcastic tone. "Relax, Roxas, I'll be fine a few days anyway, and it's just a small case anyway."

Roxas shook his head, sitting on the couch. "No, I refuse to 'relax' when you're sick, for crying out loud. You do realize how hot your forehead is right now, right? And the coughing and headaches…you're spiraling down the drain."

"The doctor says I'm fine, Roxas, and I prefer to take advice from someone who went to medical school and all," I said sitting down on the couch, next to Roxas. "There's no need to get so worked up."

"Yes, there's a need to get worked up! Doctors are wrong too…" Roxas's voice became softer, surprising me a bit, and he leaned in closer to me. "Promise me that you'll get a good rest, alright Naminé?"

I could feel my cheeks burning up as I nodded. Roxas frowned and came even closer to me, putting his hand on my forehead. Good lord, his face is so close…

"See? Your fever is getting even worse, and your face is all red! Geez…" he mumbled.

Roxas began to stand up, prompting me to ask, "Where are you going?"

"To wash my hands," Roxas said as if it was obvious. Really, it should have been by now.

I decided it to time to leave at that point, and I went to grab my car keys. Surprisingly, Roxas, whose hands were still covered in soap, dashed out of the kitchen and intercepted me. He frowned, an expression on his face showing little tolerance.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Work," I replied, cracking a smile. "I have a job now, and I'd like to go there and make some money – or even a new friend now that Larxene's out of the way. Shouldn't you be washing your hands? It looks like you're still on your second wash."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not letting you go to work today or tomorrow or the day after that or the…"

"Got it," I said, interrupting him. "I got the idea, Roxas…Why won't you let me go to work? It's a small case of pneumonia and I should be fine in a few days."

"Doctors can be wrong! That's why you're under house-arrest until you are completely cured," Roxas told me.

I rolled my eyes. "Roxas, you can't lock me up in my own house like this."

Roxas looked at me and then around the house, letting out a sigh. He shrugged as he said, "You're right."

"Exactly."

"You can't stay in this house when it's in this condition! Look at how filthy this house is, and think of your bacterial pneumonia and how your environment can affect your health right now. I know, as a friend, I shouldn't be saying how bad your house is, but friends need to be honest in times like this."

Oh, dear…

"Holy crap, this place is clean," Kairi exclaimed, entering the house after finishing her shift.

The house was indeed clean, not a single spec of dust left on the counters or floor and all the furniture being wrapped in plastic. The cluttered mess of DVDs by the television set was organized by the year it was released and alphabetically by title. The jackets that used to cover chairs or lay on the floor had been put on the coat rack or closet. Kairi could hear the washing machine running as well.

"Naminé," she called from downstairs, in shock. "Who did such a beautiful thing?"

Coughing, I exited my room and walked downstairs to the awestruck Kairi. She was looking through the cabinets in the kitchen, probably realizing our bowls, plates, and cups were also organized.

"Guess you like Roxas's work…" I said quietly.

Her head whipped towards me. "Roxas did this? I knew that guy was a bit into cleaning but this…this is a dream come true. Where is now? I want to ask him to marry me."

"Back off! You have Sora!" was my immediate response. My cheeks turned red instantly after speaking, me trying to ignore Kairi's all-knowing smile. "I mean…hat off, you little 'dora…ble thing, you…"

"I'm not wearing a hat," Kairi responded in a singsong voice.

Just as my cheeks were about as red as a tomato, Roxas walked in, holding a basket of wet laundry, and sighed. "First off, your dryer isn't working, and secondly, you're looking feverish again…your face keeps getting red."

"Oh, really?" Kairi smirked as she said this. To me, she whispered, "Can we hire Roxas as a maid?"

"No!" I hissed.

"What, do you think he prefers the term housekeeper or butler?"

"NO."

Roxas, oblivious to our conversation, was jotting down ideas onto his notepad. "Need to organize upstairs bathroom…"

"He's a natural and works as a mailman, so he could use the extra money."

"No is no!"

"By the way," Roxas said, interrupting our hushed argument, "I'm going to be staying over for a few nights to take care of Naminé."

"What?" Kairi and I exclaimed in unison, Kairi's voice being filled with joy and mine mainly filled with shock.

Oh my.

How am I able to sleep when Roxas is in the room next to me sleeping? Shouldn't men and women not live under the same roof unless they are family or they're married or in a sexual relationship? Friends shouldn't do this. What if the walls are thin enough that he could hear every world I'm saying? Well, I'm thinking all this…what if he can read minds?

I sat up from my bed abruptly, shaking my head to get rid of my insane thoughts. It's two in the morning, Naminé, and he's probably asleep right now! Still having trouble going to sleep, I stood up and walked downstairs and into the kitchen to get something to drink, milk perhaps.

As I poured the milk into the glass cup, I heard footsteps drawing nearer. Looking up, I saw Roxas standing at the door to the kitchen, sighing with what appeared to be relief.

"Good, you're still here. You…you had me a bit worried," Roxas mumbled, taking the milk carton out of my hand and placing it in the fridge. "I heard you getting up, saw the time, and all."

"You're still up?" I asked.

"I've had a bit of insomnia ever since I was young, and when I do sleep, it's usually a nightmare of being trapped in this box," Roxas shrugged. "I should be asking you that since you're the one who is sick here, yet here you are roaming around the house. Sick people need rest."

I sighed, tired of Roxas acting like this was anything serious. "Relax, I'm just getting some milk to drink so I can sleep, alright? No need to worry and doing more than you really need to. If I just take my antibiotics, I'll be fine."

"Sometimes the body just doesn't respond to them though…" he muttered, bitterly. "Leaving me with her all alone…disgusting…"

Was I hearing him correctly? "What?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, averting his eyes. "It's just…I've seen pneumonia get worse before, and it can lead to serious stuff like…death. My dad – my biological father died from it, and my life became a living hell soon after. My point is, I don't…I don't want you, of all people, to be gone from my life. So, I'm going to stay here and make sure you make a complete recovery."

I smiled, a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart. "Thank you," was what I said before I began coughing once more.

"Come on, let go to your room," Roxas said, gesturing towards the stairs. "It'll be a bit warmer and all…and you need your rest."

I nodded, following the blond upstairs. Going to my room at night with Roxas scared me a bit, causing some hesitation before opening the door. We both sat on the bed, silence hanging the air for a while.

"I'm still not sleepy," I told him quietly.

He chuckled and offered to play a word game for bit. After a few rounds, I did start to feel a bit tried, causing Roxas to leave the room. Right before he made his exit, he checked my temperature and looked relieved. I covered myself in my blankets, thoughts of Roxas stuck in my head.

The next day, Roxas and Kairi went to the supermarket to buy some groceries, Roxas noticing a shortage of vegetables in the fridge. As Kairi handed Roxas the bag of carrots, she felt compelled to ask a question that had been on her mind for ages.

"You like Naminé, don't you?"

Roxas blinked once at Kairi's statement, shrugging after. "I guess."

"No, like as in you want to throw her on a table and do her right there, not caring even if it was at a church. Ah, our seventh week anniversary…"

"Love how you can say that so casually," Roxas replied, cringing. "If you put it that way, I guess I'll admit I am attracted to her and I enjoy spending time with her."

Kairi's jaw dropped. "Wow, you're not denying it like Naminé! I like that." She smiled, looking around for the leeks. "Why don't you two go out already then? The feelings between you two seem to be mutual."

"Nah, I don't think she would feel the same way. In fact, I probably think she'll be disgusted with me. After all, I'm just a repulsive, worthless guy," he shrugged. "I'm happy with our current relationship, so why would I go ruin things?"

"Naminé disgusted by you? Do you even know her or own a mirror? She's probably at home thinking about how she wants to be with you right now. And you're trying to say that you're happy with what you have right now? That's a load of bull, and you know it."

"I'm happy," Roxas repeated, putting on a huge smile. "So get off my back."

Kairi folded her arms. "Geez, you'd think your mother would have taught you to be honest with your feelings and all…"

There was a unusual silence from Roxas before he finally muttered, "No, I guess she didn't because if she did, I must have been doing it wrong every time I told her 'no, I don't want this.' She just put her messed feelings first and pretty much ruined me for life."

"What are you talking about?"

"…It's nothing."

Kairi watched Roxas go into deep thought, quietly realizing what Roxas was saying.

Roxas scolded me for going to work while he was gone, and I spent the rest of the evening trying to explain to him that I was going to die from leaving the house. He sighed and took out the antibiotic I was supposed to take for the day, urging me to take my medication.

"Fine, fine," I said, giving up. As I went to pour myself a glass of water, I asked, "Hey, do you know what's wrong with Kairi? She's been on the computer all day looking up something about recognizing the signs of…I forgot what it was."

"Mm," Roxas thought to himself a bit, "I honestly don't know what's going on in her head at all, so I'm not the one you should be asking. You're her bestest friend forever-est and all."

I rolled my eyes, swallowing the pill. "You know, ever since Kairi started dating Sora, we haven't been as close as we used to be. In fact, I think it's safe to say you're my best friend now."

"…Everybody seems to think they're best friends with me."

"This is the part where you say 'you're my best friend too,' you know?" I said, crossing my arms.

Roxas shrugged. "I'd be lying if I said I completely saw you as a friend."

My cheeks turned red, me mentally cursing at myself for possibly giving Roxas another reason to think I'm feeling feverish. I couldn't have him worrying more than he already was. "Then, what do you see me as…?"

"…I," Roxas seemed to hesitate a bit before completing his sentence. He shook his head, looking away. "Maybe part pigeon."

Pigeon? Roxas, you…I should be saying this out loud. "Pigeon? Roxas, you…mean…blah! No, stop laughing at me! Ugh…"

I momentarily left a laughing Roxas to go look for the hat I bought at the convention to creep him out. It's been so long since I've seen it, and it was sure to give Roxas a scare. Once I located it in my closet, I went back downstairs to show Roxas. Before I headed back to the kitchen, Kairi stopped me.

"Hey, Naminé, I looked up a lot interesting facts today. A jellyfish is actually ninety-five percent water, and on average, twelve newborns will be given to the wrong patients daily. Seventy-eight percent of us would rather die quickly than live in a retirement home."

And why is she telling me this? "Uh, cool to know? I need to go see Roxas right now, Kairi."

"Only four percent of men ask the parents approval before proposing. Two-thirds of us speed up at a yellow light," Kairi continued on, ignoring my comment. "Most people commit suicide on a Monday, and Saturday is the day with the least number of suicides. One in six boys are sexually abused before the age of eighteen. A family member abuses thirty to forty percent of victims. Over thirty percent of victims never disclose the experience to anyone."

I pressed two fingers against Kairi's lips, trying to silence her. "Great to know, but I'm not really interested in hearing this stuff."

"Just…keep that in mind," she said slowly, walking upstairs.

What was Kairi even looking up on the computer? Before heading the kitchen, I quietly walked toward the computer in the living room, trying to see the site that was open. Kairi had been looking up…signs of sexual abuse? Why would she even be interested in that? Looking at the list, I learned the signs of childhood sexual abuse in adults are insomnia, angry outbursts, trust issues, nightmares of being chased/trapped, low self-esteem, being afraid of sex, post-traumatic stress disorder, and such. Apparently, many boys that had been sexually abused have a fear of being touched, often freezing up or lashing out.

Wait, why was I even looking at this? I shook my head and headed to the kitchen, putting on the hat. Roxas stared at me as I entered the room, his eyes bulging out.

"Ha! I win because this creeps you out, right?" I said, finally feeling victorious.

"Actually, I lied that day."

"Come again?"

"I actually thought you look very cute in it," Roxas smiled, scratching the back of his head as his face became a shade of light pink.

I didn't know whether to feel happy that he thought I was cute or mad that I lost what I thought was an advantage. I quietly fumed, Roxas laughing at me. He stretched him arm out, his hand patting me on the head.

You know how when something hovers over you and you can feel it? I could feel Roxas's hand hesitate as it hovered over my head, him probably still finding some difficulty to touch me.

"Sorry, but I win again," Roxas said with a smile.

My mind suddenly went back to Kairi's random facts about…being abused as a child and how sometimes a family member does it.

"Hey, you're kind of quiet. Are you okay?"

Roxas…he doesn't really like him family too much. That's pretty common in adults, but…doesn't he have insomnia? Doesn't he have nightmares where he feels trapped? Roxas used to see a counselor in high school to help him bring closure on something.

"Earth to Naminé, this is Roxas speaking, and he'd like a reply."

I'm over thinking, aren't I? I tend to over think a lot, and this is just one of those times. I shouldn't make assumptions about Roxas like that, and all these signs could just be a coincidence.

"Ka-boom! The Earth blew up, and the lone survivor, Naminé, still aimlessly floats in space, meeting an alternate alien version of Roxas on Mars, becoming friends with this strange life form. He'd like her to respond to her though."

"…What?" I finally said, pulled out of my thoughts. "You became an alien?"

Roxas nodded, having a look on his face that made it seem like it was obvious. "Astronaut Naminé wouldn't talk to normal Roxas, so Alien Roxas decided to take a shot at it and it worked."

"It did…" I forced a smile, thoughts of what I saw on the Internet still on my mind.

"You okay? You're kind of spacey right now," he frowned as he said this.

Would it be okay to ask him if my theory is correct? I mean, if it's not, no big deal, but if it is…it's still okay, right? It's a part of the past then, and it shouldn't affect our future at all. Wouldn't I make him feel uncomfortable though? Ah…

"Roxas…can I ask you something?"

He shrugged. "Ask away."

"Did…something traumatizing happen to you when you were a child?"

His eyes stayed on me for a while before looking away. "…gee, what was your first clue?"

"I'm just wondering if it's what I think it is, that you were…taken advantage of or something along those lines," I said, running my fingers through my hair. "Maybe someone close to you hurt you or did something without your consent?"

"You're saying I was sexually abused as a child, aren't you?"

"…yeah."

"Well, you're right."

A/N: The only way I could think of to bring it up without making it totally disgusting. In the first draft, there was a lot more cursing and description of it. It also seemed more melodramatic with rain and yelling and such. Eh, this is not my favorite chapter. First time writing on Word in a while (usually uses OpenOffice but I didn't want to go in my room because it was super hot o_o) so you might notice the ellipses is cooler. Um, return of the hat? 8D If you forgot about the hat, it was bought in "A Day At A Convention." Blargh. School's starting in tomorrow for me, so next update may be a bit slower?