Redeeming Endeavor: Enjoy.

Chapter 29: The Law of Proximal Attraction

When morning rolled around, Naminé decided that she could spend the rest of the day in bed. She had never been so comfortable in her life: her pillows seemed softer than ever, the mattress was perfectly firm under her weight, and Roxas's arm was wrapped around her waist, possessively keeping her back pinned against his chest. She snuggled into him. He pulled her even closer, burying his nose in her hair.

Naminé sighed in delight. It was absolute perfection.

"Roxas, you need to get back to your room. Now."

Well, almost perfection.

The alarm clock that woke her and Roxas up was Kairi. Naminé knew she could have slept for another hour or two, but Kairi returned in the morning like she always had to switch back with Roxas. Only this time, Roxas wasn't switching.

"Go away, Kairi," Roxas mumbled.

Naminé giggled and pretended to sleep. She placed her hand on Roxas's and intertwined their fingers.

"I don't have time for this shit. I'm not doing this for me, you know. I'm doing it for you." Kairi's footsteps traveled around the room and the bedroom door squeaked open. "If Mom finds you guys like that, I'm just going to tell her that you crawled into bed with Nam this morning. I'm not responsible for what happens after that," Kairi said.

"Kay," Roxas replied sleepily.

The room fell quiet again. Naminé cracked her eyes open, finding the room a lot brighter than she had anticipated. She guessed that Kairi left the window open. Content with where she was, Naminé buried her nose in her pillow and lay still.

Behind her, Roxas let out a low hum as he stretched. She was caught up in it, her body pressed against his flexing muscles until he relaxed again. She felt the vibrations as his groan turned into a hum behind her ear and shivered.

This was definitely a morning routine she could get behind.

"You cold?" Roxas asked gruffly. His voice was hoarse and lower than usual, weighed down by sleep and the lack of use.

"Mm-mm." Naminé shook her head as much as she could. Cold was the farthest thing from the truth. If anything, the room was running a bit too hot at the moment.

"You're shivering." He ran his hand down her arm, smoothing out her goose bumps.

Naminé remained silent. What could she say? That he should keep stretching because she liked the way his muscles seemed to wrap around her? She wasn't going to admit that she found such trivial actions arousing. It was too embarrassing and too early to have that conversation.

"We should just stay here the entire day," Roxas said, moving his other arm under her. "It can be one of our dates."

Naminé shifted so that most of her weight fell on his upper arm. "It doesn't count."

"What?"

"It doesn't count," she repeated. Life wasn't fair. Of course Roxas would sound sexy in the morning while her voice mangled her words into a weak impression of a dying horse.

"But this is fun." His breath tickled her ear, sending a tingle down her spine. "Your reactions are priceless."

Naminé furrowed her brow. She didn't want him to notice that. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," Roxas said. He deepened his voice. "How about breakfast in bed?"

Naminé groaned. She hated herself for liking it.

"See? I can say anything right now, can't I?" He didn't want for an answer. "I bet my breath smells terrible," he whispered huskily.

Naminé brought her shoulders up and giggled. He was too close to her ear. "Roxas, stop! It tickles."

"Not dirty enough?" He inched closer so his lips brushed the skin behind her ear. "I'm gonna hold you down and talk about my feelings."

"Roxas!" She squirmed, but couldn't get away.

"I'm gonna date you so hard."

Naminé didn't intend to hurt Roxas, but she had no control over her actions thanks to Roxas's tickling. Her elbow connected with his ribs. He grunted. Naminé sprung free from his hold and crawled out of his reach, pouting. "Why do you have to ruin everything?"

"You're the one who left." Roxas buried his face in a pillow and groaned in pain. "That hurt."

"You shouldn't have tickled me."

"Come back."

Naminé shook her head. She threw the covers off and stretched. "I'm up now. Someone just couldn't let me stay in bed."

Naminé later found out that her mother wasn't even in the lake house, which only made her angrier at Roxas for ruining what could have been a great opportunity to stay in bed and cuddle. Apparently both her mother and Roxas's left earlier to buy some groceries, leaving Roxas's father to supervise. Roxas's father was pretty laid-back. When Naminé had kicked Roxas out of her room, his father saw the entire thing. Rather than reprimanding the two teens, he simply shook his head and continued reading an old home decoration magazine. He probably didn't approve of their shenanigans, but if they had to have an adult in the house, Naminé was glad it was Roxas's father.

Everyone knew that she and Roxas were officially together. Naminé did surprise her mother though; Naminé had failed to mention that she and Roxas had made amends—and then some—over summer break. Roxas's mother was ecstatic, and Naminé's mother approved after telling Naminé that she was being held to the same standard as Kairi, and as such should behave similarly.

So Naminé did just that and made out with her new boyfriend over their first night together. It probably would have happened again if they hadn't been so tired last night.

Since they woke up relatively late, Naminé and Roxas ate breakfast by themselves. And since they finished breakfast so late, Kairi and the boys had already run off to do spring break things. With nothing to do, Naminé turned to Roxas, who asked his father for permission to take one of the rental cars so he could take his girlfriend out on a date.

"Why can't you just play outside with your brother?" his father asked, looking up from his Sudoku puzzle.

"I prefer doing something more age appropriate," Roxas said.

"If this is some veiled way of saying you want to get lucky, then the answer is no."

"No, I mean we actually want to do something normal teenagers do. We'll probably go to the movie theater in town or something."

On the patio, Sora hopped on one leg with one hand held behind his back and a long stick held in the other. Riku chased after him with both arms behind his back and a stick of his own in his mouth. Kairi trailed after them, screaming something about how Sora was hopping on the wrong leg, and that it was in fact his left leg that had been sliced off in the last engagement.

Roxas's father returned to his puzzle. "The keys are hanging by the front door," he said.

Naminé smiled and ran upstairs to change; Roxas did the same. She put on her favorite white sun dress and checked her reflection. The back of her dress left some bikini tan lines exposed, but she was pale enough that it wouldn't be obvious unless someone was close. It was a string bikini tan line anyway. It was pretty much unnoticeable. Except it was. Naminé considered changing until she noticed Roxas standing at the doorway. She quickly noted the salmon-colored shorts he was wearing. He didn't usually wear clothes with a lot of color, much less pastel shades. Color was more of an accessory in his wardrobe.

He wore a white V-neck though, which was a more typical choice of his. He wore a lot of white and black.

"Well you look nice," he said while looking away.

"I was going to change."

Roxas quirked a brow. "I mean, I'm not going to say no—"

"I would've kicked you out, Roxas." Naminé passed him and walked downstairs. She slipped on her sandals. "New shorts?"

"Yup. This is my first time wearing them." He paused before adding, "I have to do all my clothes shopping by myself now. Xion used to pretty much do it for me. She pointed to things and I bought them."

Naminé nodded and followed him to the car. Roxas had always dressed well in the past. Now that she was dating him, it was easier to admit that back when they weren't friends at all, he wore a few outfits that she thought were sexy. The ensemble he wore to Club Spades was a real killer.

She frowned. That wasn't a night she liked to remember.

"You okay, Nami?"

Naminé got into the passenger's seat. "I'm fine," she said.

Roxas closed his door and put the key into the ignition. He didn't start the car. "Hey, can you be honest with me? Would you rather I not mention Xion to you?"

"What? Why would I want that?"

"You went quiet after I mentioned her. I know you two didn't get along towards the end…"

"Roxas, that had nothing to do with her. If anything, I was just thinking how she knew what looked good on you."

"Oh."

"I really don't mind if you talk about her. Really."

Roxas started the car. "Okay."

Naminé guessed he was still worried about the tension between her and his best friend. If she were being honest with herself, Naminé would have preferred that Roxas's best friend wasn't a girl, especially one who was pretty attractive and had feelings for him. Naminé had been relieved to hear that Xion wasn't returning to Destiny Islands and that she never told Roxas where she was living. Perhaps it was a small act of kindness: Xion surely understood the insecurity of seeing another girl who had feelings for the same guy, so it was always possible that withholding her location and limiting contact to text messages and phone calls was a way of waving the white flag.

Naminé smiled to herself. Before she ever developed feelings for Roxas, she would have thought that. The past summer—particularly her experience with Xion's attempts to get Roxas's attention—had made her a cynic.

But as cynical as she was, she trusted Roxas. He hadn't done anything to cast doubt on his feelings. If anything, he was overly cautious. Naminé figured that if she didn't put him at ease, it'd begin to get annoying. Besides, she felt more confident than ever before. It was probably petty of her, but she drew a great deal of pride in the fact that Roxas chose her over Xion.

"Roxas, where are we going?" Naminé asked when they got into town.

"I don't really know," Roxas said, "but I got the feeling that you didn't want to go out on the lake again, so I thought this was a better idea. Don't tell me that you'd rather be chopping each other's limbs off with sticks now."

"I'm fine, actually. I just want to know what the plan is."

"I don't really have a plan. I mean, the movie theater's right there"—Roxas pointed across the street as he pulled into a public parking lot—"so why don't we try that first?"

Naminé nodded. "You're off to a good start with this whole dating thing."

He chuckled. "Spontaneity worked well for me before. The first time I got free ice cream for a week, and the second time I got you to go to Disney with me. I might actually be good at this, so trust me a little, will you?"

The movie theater was closed. The local art museum was also closed. So was the national lamp museum (what the hell was that doing in this small no-name town anyway?), the library, the you-have-to-try-it family-owned restaurant, the apple orchard just outside the other side of town, the karaoke bar, the actual bar, the public pool, and even the park.

"Why is everything closed?" Roxas yelled. He leaned against the car door and hid his face in his arms.

"It's all right. My ideal date is running around town, getting my hopes up, only to find that everything's closed." Naminé ran her hand up and down his back. "You really know how to please a lady."

"Oh, rub it in, why don't you?" Roxas chuckled when Naminé applied more pressure to his back. There was a pause, just a second to think of what just transpired. Then the gravity of her action sank in, and his chuckle bubbled into something bigger until he was laughing so hard that he couldn't stand straight. He brushed her hand away. "That's not even funny."

"You're laughing though!" Naminé knew it was silly. She laughed too, and suddenly they were bent over, struggling to breathe through the pain in their cheeks. They were too tired to care about the hour and a half they spent driving around, going from one location to the next, too defeated to do anything but laugh at their misfortune.

"You know, it's moments like these," Roxas said as he tried to catch his breath, "moments like these where I just know—" He stopped himself.

"Know what?" Naminé stood up straight. She gasped when Roxas leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. She exhaled, her breath following him as he pulled away.

"I'll tell you someday." He looked down where Naminé had grabbed his shirt and took her hand, brushing her palm and fingers with his thumbs. "Come on. We should get home."

On the way back to the lake house, Naminé held one of Roxas's hands as he drove, wondering if she'd ever get used to her newfound intimacy with him. It still surprised her when he touched her: he was careful, almost too gentle, like he was too afraid to act or he was avoiding escalation. And whether he intended it or not, he always left her wanting more. Naminé bit her lip. That wasn't quite it. She was satisfied—in her limited knowledge and experience, she thought Roxas was a great kisser, though her only metric for that was her own enjoyment.

Sometimes his actions were too short. Too fleeting. He approached the edge and turned back every time.

Naminé tapped Roxas's knuckles with her fingers. Maybe she had some power over him. She could probably encourage him to be more daring. Not in public or anything. The way he kissed her before they began their drive back was perfectly appropriate. But when they were alone, maybe he was waiting for a sign or permission. She crossed her legs. Seeing Roxas lose control of himself was both an exciting and intimidating prospect. What did that even entail? Naminé blushed at the thought.

The car that had been out earlier was parked in the driveway, so everyone was home. When Naminé opened the front door, Kairi and the boys yelled at her to remain at the door. All of them were standing on furniture.

"The floor is lava!" Sora explained before Naminé stepped on the tile.

"Are you serious?" Roxas deadpanned. "Of all the things you guys could be doing—"

"Here." Riku hopped over to the couch closest to the door. H gripped the nearby computer chair and gave it a hard push toward the door. They all watched it roll to the doormat. "Use that to get around. Touch the tile and you die."

"Well we don't want that to happen." Naminé shrugged, climbed onto the chair, and turned to Roxas. "How about a push toward the couch over there?"

"You too?"

"Don't be a party pooper," Kairi called from the loveseat.

"I don't wanna die," Naminé said to Roxas. He sighed, placed one hand on the chair and the other on her back, and pushed her toward the couch. She slid over and held on so she wouldn't bounce off. "Thank you."

"I'll be upstairs." Roxas stepped forward. He ignored the vocal protests and walked to the staircase.

"Roxas!" Naminé huffed. "He's mean."

"Why does he hate having fun?" Kairi asked Sora, who shrugged.

"I want someone to explain why the floor is lava." Naminé sat on the sofa properly—or as properly as she could. She bent her legs so her knees reached her chin and her feet remained off the floor.

"Kairi said a volcano erupted and we had three seconds to find higher ground," Riku explained nonchalantly. "And now we're here."

"That doesn't really explain anything."

"I wanted to play Monopoly." Sora pouted and sank into his chair.

"No one's saying we can't play," Kairi said. They started arguing over the logistics of how they could or couldn't play before the lava cooled.

"Where were you two for the past few hours?" Riku asked Naminé, leaving the couple to their bickering.

"We went to the town and tried to have a date. Keyword: tried," Naminé said.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Naminé shook her head. "No! Nothing's wrong. Everything was just closed."

Riku laughed. "The world apparently doesn't want you to go on a date." He looked at Sora and Kairi for a moment before turning back to her. "You and Roxas are welcome to come with us later to a nature walk. The parents are coming too, and we'll probably stick around for the sunset."

"That sounds like a good idea." Naminé tapped her chin. She wouldn't mind if their families were around, so it was to Roxas and how much he wanted privacy. She turned to the staircase. She'd need the rolling chair.

Unfortunately, it was in use. Sora climbed onto it, discussing whether or not the kitchen tile counted as lava with Riku and Kairi.

"Sora, see that where the wood and tile meet?" Riku pointed to the raised partition where the living room turned into the kitchen. "I guarantee the chair won't roll over that."

"What's with this 'can't do' attitude?" Sora scoffed. "I'll just get off before that. The tile isn't lava anyway."

"Don't say he didn't warn you," Kairi said.

Sora rolled his eyes and kicked off the couch, leaning in the direction he traveled. His weight carried him a few feet before he leaned too far. Sora's face met the wood floor with a loud smack. He groaned and sat up slowly. Blood ran out of his nose.

Kairi and Riku roared with laughter.

"Sora!" Naminé jumped from the soda to check on him. She called for her mother and told Sora to plug his nose while she grabbed paper towels. She glared at Kairi. "Will you get over here? Your boyfriend's bleeding!"

"I'm not hopping into the lava just because he's bleeding," Kairi said as if imaginary floor lava was a legitimate reason to remain where she was.

"Naminé, relax. It's just a bloody nose!" Sora grinned as he wiped his face.

"Pinch your nose, Sora." Naminé wiped the few drops on the floor and fought away the nausea that surfaced within her as the paper towel reddened. She shuddered. Yet another reminder why she'd never follow in her parents' footsteps.

The sliding glass door opened and Naminé's mother walked inside. She sighed. "I told all of you to stop jumping around and you didn't listen! It's like talking to a bunch of ten-year-olds." She pointed to a nearby kitchen stool. "Sit here, straight, and don't tilt your head back."

Sora smiled sheepishly and shuffled over for an inspection.

"And then there were two," Kairi muttered.

"Kairi, get over here."

"Yeah, Kairi. Get over there," Riku mocked.

"You too, Riku."

Riku bowed his head. "Damn it."

Naminé watched Riku and her sister drag their feet over to her mother, who lectured them like she did when they were much younger.

"I expect this lava floor stuff from Sora, but you two?"

"Hey, why's it only expected from me? I wanted to play monopoly!"

"I guess I was expecting too much when I thought you'd act like adults," Naminé's mother continued, rolling right over Sora's comments.

Naminé washed her hands and quietly made her way upstairs while the others were told to act their age. She walked past her room after finding it was empty.

"Roxas?" Naminé nudged the door to his room open. She heard the shuffle of bed sheets and spotted Roxas sitting up in his bed, a pillow covering most of his body. His clothes were in a messy pile at the foot of his bed.

Roxas relaxed and sank down, keeping the pillow in place. "You scared me. I thought I locked the door."

"Undie time?" She smirked and walked into the room, closing the door. She sat on the bed on the opposite side. She considered asking why she wasn't invited, but concluded that saying something so bold would lead to death by embarrassment.

"It's hot. Now seemed like as good a time as any." Roxas's eyes flicked toward her, then returned to a spot on the ceiling. "You sure you wanna sit there? That's Sora's bed. Kairi's too, I guess."

Naminé stood up as if the bed had burned her. She glared at him. "Why would you say that?"

"It looks fine, but you know it's covered in sweat and smells like sex."

Naminé scrunched her nose. Sex had a smell? What did it smell like? And why did it seem like Roxas knew the answers to those questions? What sick situation had he been in to be exposed to those experiences? She warily eyed Sora's bed. She didn't pick up any strange scents while she was sitting there—and she wasn't there long—and though she was somewhat curious as to what, if at all, that bed smelled like, she wasn't about to stuff her nose into the sheets and pillows of the bed where Kairi had spent the past three nights getting what was probably a collective six to seven hours of sleep.

Was it even possible to sleep comfortably on a twin bed? Naminé narrowed her eyes. She did think king beds were too big for cuddling, and she did learn that she liked waking up in Roxas's arms. Maybe they'd be able to sleep comfortably with so little space after all.

"You know you're allowed to sit on my bed, right?" Roxas tapped the spot next to him.

Naminé blinked. She didn't realize she had been standing the entire time. She absentmindedly sat on the edge of the bed, her lower back pressing against the pillow. She looked at him.

"What?" He asked. He almost sounded nervous.

Naminé swung her legs on the bed and lay back. Her shoulder lined up with Roxas's. She giggled and turned her head, tucking her hair away. "Hey, she said, "how do two people share a bed like this?"

"They don't," Roxas said with a wry smile. He turned on his side, propping his head up with one arm and draping the other over her waist. "Or, I imagine it's something like this."

She hadn't realized it when she had lain down, but with Roxas's arm around her, Naminé became more aware that she had hopped into bed with him while he was naked. Or almost naked. Her eyes trailed down his face, his neck, and his chest. Her gaze settled on the pillow, the thickest layer keeping them apart. It was obstructing her view, so she moved it out of the way.

"What are you doing?" Roxas asked, his voice sharp with panic.

"Nothing," Naminé said calmly. She mirrored Roxas's position and moved closer, tucking her arm under his and resting her palm against his bare back. Her dress kept her from feeling the rest of his skin, but it wasn't enough to keep the heat from reaching her. "You're actually hot."

"Because it's hot in here." As he spoke, Naminé felt the hand on her back slide lower.

"It's not so bad."

"We should get up." Roxas tried to sit up.

"Wait," Naminé said quickly. "I just want to…"

She pressed her hands to his chest, making him flinch. His muscles tensed under her touch, and his breathing stopped after a sharp inhale. Her hands traveled lower. She turned her wrists, her fingers continuing down along their intended path.

His boxers were pulled low on his hips thanks to all the twisting he had done earlier. She traced his tan line. He had always been fair-skinned, but living on Destiny Islands had darkened him enough to establish a boundary that wasn't often exposed. Naminé's heart raced. She slipped a finger into his waistband.

Then he was on top of her.

"That tickles," Roxas said, burying his face into the pillow she was lying on. He had removed her hands in the process, pinning them aside.

"Sorry," Naminé whispered. A quick heartbeat pulsed between them. She couldn't tell if it belonged to her. When he lifted himself up, placing most of his weight on his forearms, she discovered it was her heart beating rapidly.

She hadn't intended to rile him up. She just wanted to satisfy her curiosity, which might have involved taking Roxas's clothes off. She blushed. Truth be told, she was still curious. It was only one layer, one article of clothing. If she could just remove it, she'd be satisfied.

A silence passed in which neither of them moved. The air between them felt hot. Naminé slowly raised her hands and placed them on Roxas's sides. He inhaled sharply at her touch.

"The door's locked, right?" Roxas mumbled into the pillow.

"Yeah," Naminé said. Her breaths quickened in anticipation.

"And your mom and my parents aren't in the house?" He slid his left arm underneath her and faced her, his eyes full of intent.

A shiver ran down Naminé's spine. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "If they are, they're too busy yelling at your brother."

"You sure?" His breath tickled her lips.

She inched toward the middle of the bed. "No."

"Good enough."

He kissed her, gently, tentatively, then passionately. Naminé responded to him, her lips moving frantically against his. They made up for their lack of technique with enthusiasm, rushed by the knowledge that they could get caught and would have to stop at any moment.

She kissed him hard, energized by the desperation in his breaths and lips. Without parting, he pinned her chest against his and pulled back until they were sitting up. His other hand slowly moved up her thigh, tracing a warm path and dragging her dress up to her waist. Naminé lifted herself off the bed just enough to set the pinned part of her dress free. They fell back down.

Roxas pulled away, giving Naminé time to catch her breath. Her relief was short-lived, and a moan escaped her lips as Roxas kissed his way down her neck. Naminé ran her hands through his hair and arched her back, urging Roxas to continue. She lost herself to his touch, overwhelmed by a flurry of new sensations. Every part of her wanted more.

She raised her hips off the bed and ground against Roxas, earning a low groan that reverberated in his chest. Naminé shuddered as a wave of heat traveled throughout her body. She raised her hips again, hoping to get the same result. She did.

There were two layers in the way: one on her and the other on him. Her thumbs found the inside of his boxers. She gave them a light pull.

A knock at the door sent them flying apart.

"Open the door, Nam," Naminé's mother said from the other side.

Naminé straightened her dress as Roxas scrambled to clothe himself. "Hang on!" she said. She opened the door as soon as Roxas got his head through his shirt.

"What are you doing?" her mother asked, her frown proving that she already knew the answer.

"Nothing," Naminé said.

Her mother switched her attention to the other person in the room. "Roxas?"

"We were just lying down," he said. "Not together or anything. Just trying to catch a nap."

Naminé's mother nodded, clearly unconvinced. "Both of you should eat lunch. Downstairs."

"We'll be right down." Naminé began to close the door without thinking, but her mother held it open. She gave the two teens a stern look and walked away.

Naminé turned to Roxas, fighting back a smile. She looked at him carefully—messy hair, swollen lips, red face, and faster breaths made it extremely obvious that they weren't just "trying to catch a nap." If she looked anything like him, then her mother got even a clearer look.

"Damn." Roxas shook his head, but grinned. "That was the last thing I wanted to happen."

"Think she knew?" Naminé asked, swinging the door back and forth. The air felt nice on her sweaty skin.

"She definitely did." Roxas walked up to her and pinned her against the wall. He tilted her head up and leaned in, but instead kissed her on the cheek. "Maybe we don't need to hide anymore. Just go for it when you feel like it."

"Don't make me come back there!" Naminé's mother yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

Throughout the rest of their day, Naminé and Roxas used every opportunity they had alone to continue where they left off.

Unfortunately, they never found that opportunity. Following lunch, it seemed that they were under the supervision of at least one parent at all times.

"So she told us to act our age, but when we do we get in trouble," Naminé grumbled.

"You sound like your sister," Roxas said. "And I'm pretty sure that your mom didn't mean 'make out with your boyfriends' when she said that."

Naminé pouted. Why did her mother care so much about what she was doing anyway? To Naminé, kissing seemed harmless. They weren't harming anyone—if anything, they were having lots of fun out sight and out of mind in the privacy of their secluded bedroom. By the way all the parents reacted, one would expect the crime to be something bigger. The punishment did not fit the so-called crime in the slightest.

"You would've thought she caught us doing a line of coke up there," Naminé said as she tore up a blade of grass.

Roxas laughed. "Where did that come from?"

"Stress due to the fact that they're practically breathing down our necks." Naminé nodded in the direction of Roxas's mother. She watched Roxas react. He raised a brow and pursed his lips, which she found irritating. "Oh my gosh. You don't think it's that big a deal."

Roxas shook his head. "No, I just don't agree with your assessment that they're breathing down our necks. I mean, she's pretty far. I could touch your butt without her noticing."

"No." Naminé scooted away. "Keep your hands to yourself. You didn't agree with me, so you're not allowed."

Roxas laughed again. "I'm not allowed to have my own opinions?"

"You are, but that doesn't mean you won't face any consequences." Naminé shrieked when Roxas poked her side. "That tickles!"

"It's the consequence for saying something I disagree with."

Naminé eventually had to abandon her shaded spot under the tree. She ran away laughing, tripping over a tree root and her own feet as Roxas chased her. She didn't get very far before his arms wrapped her up from behind. Despite her protests and flailing, Roxas carried her back to the swinging bench where they had been sitting before.

Roxas tucked an arm behind her knees and hoisted her up. "You're so… small. I guess I didn't notice before, but really."

Naminé tried to frown, but the truth was that she actually liked how easily he moved her. "Maybe you're just big."

"That's really nice of you to say."

Naminé blushed. "That's definitely not what I was talking about." Sure, earlier she had felt something when things got heated, but she didn't get a look and relatively speaking, she had nothing to compare against—

"I just said that was a really nice thing to say. I don't know what you're talking about." Roxas set Naminé down on the bench and sat beside her. He threw his arm over his shoulders and leaned back.

Naminé leaned into him. His arm was heavy, but comfortable. She picked up his free hand and lined her fingers with his, comparing the size. She turned their hands. Her fingertips didn't even reach where his fingernails began.

Naminé opened her mouth to say something, but decided to put it off. She wanted to talk to Roxas about what they were doing before they were caught, but thought that having that conversation closer to night time would be better timed. She had a feeling it'd be pretty awkward too since both of them were pushing some boundaries they never discussed. There was no way of telling how far they were heading until they were forced to stop. As embarrassing as it was to admit, she had no intention to stop at the time, and if Roxas felt the same way, then it made that discussion even more important.

Naminé hoped that talking to Roxas later would help them decide what they could and couldn't do yet.

"Something wrong?" Roxas asked.

Naminé didn't expect him to catch on. She cleared her throat. "We have to talk about something before sleeping tonight," she said, hoping that she wasn't being too vague.

Roxas tensed. "If I did anything to pressure you, I am so sor—"

"What? No! I mean, we both got a little out of hand there, I think, but I didn't feel pressured or anything," Naminé said quickly. "We should just… I don't know, discuss what we can and can't do. I'm not saying I'm uncomfortable with anything, but we can't do something stupid." Naminé winced. If she was going to have this discussion properly, she knew she needed to be clear and blunt.

"Right. No sex without protection. Got it," Roxas said with a nod. "Um, just for the record, I'm fine with anything."

"What?"

"You said you weren't uncomfortable with anything today—except maybe the thought of where we were going—and I'm saying that I'm the same way. I'd definitely be okay with anything."

"Well I don't want you to be okay with it. I want you to like it."

"I'm saying I'll like anything."

"That's such a cop out though. You wouldn't like it if all we did was hold hands."

"I would like holding hands with you, actually."

"Not if it meant kissing and hugging and everything else was off the table."

"If that's what you wanted, then I wouldn't complain. All that matters is that anything intimate happens with you."

Naminé sighed. "That doesn't help at all! You're not even answering the question."

"Yes I am! I already told you that I'd be comfortable doing anything you'd be comfortable doing." Roxas rolled his eyes. "What else do you need to know?"

"I want to know what you'd like," Naminé said, trying to level her voice. "To me, it sounds like you're saying what you'd settle with."

"Okay, if you want to call it settling, fine. To me, it's doing what you're comfortable with. I'm already ridiculously happy that I'm even allowed to touch you and that you're willing to get into bed with me when I'm only wearing underwear—"

Roxas stopped talking. Naminé remained completely still, her face warming considerably.

"It's really quiet," Roxas whispered after a few seconds.

"Yup." Naminé sank a little lower. For some reason, the wind had stopped blowing and the chimes stopped ringing and the birds stopped chirping and the bugs stopped doing their droning cacophony just as Roxas started speaking.

"I said that pretty loudly, didn't I?"

"Yup." Naminé turned her head and saw Roxas's father sitting where his mother had been. Sora, Kairi, and Riku were sitting with him, all of them surrounding a Monopoly board. They all started playing again like nothing had happened when Naminé made eye contact with them.

"That… shouldn't have happened." Roxas sat up straight.

"I think we should just pretend that never happened," Naminé said under her breath. She was too embarrassed to look back at everyone. She was going to sit under the tree for the rest of the day if it meant she could avoid her sister's questions and the look of disapproval from Roxas's father.

"We should talk about this later," Roxas said.

"That's a good idea."

When the sun rolled down the sky in the late afternoon, Naminé got in the car with Sora, Riku, and Kairi to head over to the nature center that they had been planning to visit. She was grateful that all of them pretended that they didn't hear anything about what had gotten them in trouble in the first place. Roxas tagged along. When Naminé had asked him if he wanted to go, he had immediately agreed, saying that it'd give them more privacy than the lake house anyway. When she had told him that their parents were going as well, he recommended they simply run off on their own.

With nothing to feel anxious over, Naminé smiled at the thought. She hoped it wouldn't be too hard to separate themselves from the group at the nature center. On the drive there, she lost herself in her daydreams, fantasizing about what it'd be like to drive away from everyone and everything with Roxas, bringing along only what they had packed.

The ride to the nature center lasted around half an hour. Since all the parents rode in one car and the teenagers rode in the other, Riku led everyone to the best start, both to distance themselves from their parents and to get the best vantage point. Naminé lagged behind her sister and friends with Roxas. A few places along the wooden boardwalk groaned under the weight of human footsteps.

Walking through the middle of a densely wooded area, Naminé observed her surroundings. Every now and then the boardwalk would taper off into a dirt path, and a small plaque or sign with pictures of the local flora and fauna detailed basic facts on the history and nature of their respective illustrations.
A few paths led over and under fallen trees. While Naminé and Roxas elected not to take those detours, Kairi and the boys walked through every available diversion before returning to the walkway. And though the sky turned darker and the distractions slowed them down, they all reached their destination in time.

"We're going up this lookout," Riku pointed. He looked like he was about to explain something, but he bolted as soon as he saw Sora making a run for the staircase.

The lookout was an elevated platform more than three flights high. Naminé thought it looked like a glorified gazebo with high railings all around. Entirely constructed of wood, the platform oversaw the entire prairie in front of it. Roxas insisted that she follow her sister, so Naminé walked up the staircase that zigzagged up to the platform. At the top, they found Sora and Riku slightly out of breath and arguing about who arrived first. Naminé followed her sister to the railing and took a deep breath as she took in the sights.

A long, wide stretch of grasslands extended far out, and in the distance the sky fused into a line of trees that marked the boundary of the prairie. The sun hung just above the edge of the world, splashing an orange glow into the sky.

Naminé crossed her arms and leaned her weight on the railing. Her sister nudged her with her shoulder.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Kairi asked. "I mean, it happens every day, but it's nothing like the sunsets at home and the ones over the water. It's more… naturey."

Naminé laughed at her sister's conclusion. "I see what you mean, I think."

"Don't lie. I know that made no sense whatsoever," Kairi said. "Regardless, I'm just happy to finally be away from Mom. Can you believe how neurotic she's been?"

"I think she's just paranoid that we're just as bad as she was when she was our age."

Kairi shook her head. "I bet she was way worse, and now she's thinking that if she was capable of doing such scandalous things in her youth, why wouldn't her daughters be the same?"

Naminé bit her lip. "Well, we do have that whole sleeping situation thing…"

"True, but is that really as scandalous as, say, dating a much older man who used to be your professor?" Kairi asked, hinting at their parents' early relationship.

"She'd kill you I she heard you using it against her," Naminé said. She looked at Kairi. "Seriously though, who does that? Mom and Dad were gross."

They laughed, attracting the attention of the boys with them. Kairi brushed them off, saying that she and Naminé were having a private sisterly chat.

"I think I like these on Destiny Islands a little more than this," Kairi said as she stared at the sunset.

"An Island girl through and through," Naminé said. "Maybe we'll get to see more of them this summer."

"Sora said something so stupid and clichéd when we watched the sunset one time." Kairi smiled fondly at the memory. "What a cheeseball."

"Looks like you liked it. What'd he say?"

"Something about having a buddy to watch the sunsets with," Kairi said slowly. She continued after Naminé gave her an expectant look, "And finding something better to look at."

Naminé laughed. "Oh my gosh! You talked so much shit about me and Roxas, and you went and did something like that."

"I'm pretty sure we went official that day," Kairi said. "Ugh. And now every time I look at you and Roxas, I'm reminded of how stupid and corny and lovey-dovey it all was. Freaking honeymooners, man."

"Don't lie to yourself. You liked it," Naminé said. "And don't go acting like your some old lady who's disgusted with new relationships. You haven't even been officially dating for a year."

"Shut up." Kairi gave her sister a light shove before walking off. "I'm going to relive that moment now. Have fun watching the sunset with your lover."

"Try not to do anything corny this time," Naminé said after her. As soon as Kairi was gone, Roxas was in her place.

"Interesting chat," Roxas said as he stared at the sky.

"Were you eavesdropping, Roxas?"

"No way."

Naminé linked her arm with Roxas's. "You know, Kairi just told me that Sora said she was prettier than the sunset?"

"Will you be quiet? I'm trying to watch this here," Roxas said. He started laughing as Naminé rolled her eyes. After apologizing, he tilted her head up for a kiss, earning some heckles from their friends in the process.

In two short minutes, the sun disappeared behind the trees. As the sky grew darker, Naminé and Roxas followed the group back to the cars, where they all had to act like they had no idea their parents had fallen behind and had to pretend that they had been looking for their parents the whole time.

Naminé and Roxas walked to another section of the nature center that wasn't too far from the parking lot. A long boardwalk extended out to the prairie, far enough to be clear of any trees in all directions. At the end of the boardwalk, Naminé and Roxas went left when their parents went right. They quickly walked as far down as the path would allow and settled on a square platform. They took a seat on the only bench, which was placed in the middle of the platform.

A few clouds blocked the moon from casting too much light. Little by little, the stars began to appear. By the time the sky darkened completely, the sky was peppered with little specks thousands of light-years away. Naminé extended her hand in front of her and barely saw the outline. The sounds of chirping bugs coming from all directions only seemed louder in the cool night air. She moved closer to Roxas, smiling when she found his blue eyes staring back at her.

As they looked at the sky, Roxas pointed out the few constellations he knew. Naminé remembered that Roxas had mentioned stargazing with his best friends in the past, and she was amazed to find that Roxas could easily distinguish whatever he was looking for out of the starry sky. Sometimes she pretended to know which stars Roxas was pointing at: not only was she unable to see where he was pointing at times, but she also had no idea which stars he was pointing at. He could've been making all his constellations up, but she figured he wouldn't have sounded so enthusiastic over each find if it was all a lie.

After a while, Roxas fell silent, his head tilted toward the sky. Naminé was content to sit without speaking for a few minutes, but she needed a distraction from the bug sounds that seemed to be creeping closer and closer the longer they sat.

"What's on your mind?" she asked. She didn't expect him to look at her so calmly. He smiled widely, wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. His white teeth were easy to spot in the dark, and his blue eyes seemed to pierce right through her.

"I was just thinking how… perfect this is. I mean, sure, all these bugs are probably doing all sorts of mating calls, but this is pretty romantic, right?" He turned toward her, pulling his leg up so that one knee was pressed against the backrest of the bench.

"I'd say a night under the star is pretty romantic," she said.

"I don't know how it started really, all this thinking about a future with you included, but that's the way it is and I'm a little crazy about it right now. I just spent the past few minutes fantasizing about what it'd be like to do everything with you. I want to go on super long road trips with you, and even though I know we'll drive each other crazy, I know that a trip with you would be more fun than with anyone else. I want us to go to classes together and hang out at my place after so we can play video games and blow off homework assignments. I don't know. Anytime I think about the future now, you're involved. I think I'm in love with you."

Naminé inhaled, her breath catching in her throat.

"I know that's a little weird, and I probably don't even know if this is really love or not, but I know that I've definitely liked you for a long time and it's never been like this with anyone before. And that was actually a lot easier to say than I thought it would be. I love you." He made sure to look at her. "Sure, we fight a lot, so it probably doesn't seem like it's true, but I mean it. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you, Naminé, and one day I'm going to take you out on a proper and actual date to prove it." He laughed, shrugging like he was all out of ideas.

Naminé had no idea what to say. She felt like she was still trying to catch up with this suddenly hyper Roxas.

"You don't have to say anything," he said.

Naminé tried to gather her thoughts into words. But between the butterflies in her stomach and the sudden loss of her voice, she couldn't say anything.

Roxas visibly deflated. He laughed nervously. "Actually, on second thought, please say something. You don't have to say you love me or anything, but a 'thank you' would suffice."

Even in the dark, Naminé could see how flustered Roxas was getting. She laughed before cupping his cheeks and kissing him softly on the lips. She felt him relax a little. "Better?" she asked.

He sighed, leaning his forehead on hers. "I guess."

Naminé pulled away and mirrored Roxas's position. She pulled her leg up and put her arm on the backrest, propping her head up with her hand. "That was… a lot to process. I think I was just waiting for you to do something mean again."

"What?"

Naminé looked down at her lap. "I mean, one time you disappeared for days after leading me on and not kissing me—"

"Oh… that."

"—and then this other time you ditched me the morning after making out for the first time to meet up and hang out with other people," Naminé finished, clicking her tongue.

Roxas nodded slowly. "Wow. That sounds pretty mean."

"Yeah. So don't get on my case for taking a few seconds to think about what you just said."

"Fair enough." Roxas cleared his throat. "I've been pretty selfish and I'm just now comprehending how forgiving you been."

Naminé smiled wryly. "And now you're gonna try to sweet talk me."

"I'm never going to win with you, am I?"

"Better get used to it!" Naminé quipped. "I already have. I've prepared myself for disappointment and future letdowns."

Roxas chuckled. "Damn. You're merciless."

"Whatever. You like it."

He shrugged. "It seems that anytime you're involved, I get off to a terrible start," he said. "Despite all that—everything, really, even as far back as when we were kids—you're sitting in front of me right now. As my girlfriend, too."

"I'm a sucker for abuse too," she concluded.

"Is that why you think you're here?"

"I'm certainly not here for your looks," she joked.

Naminé leaned forward for a kiss. She fell on top of Roxas as he eagerly obliged. He leaned back, making use of the extra bench space.

The fluttering in her stomach didn't stop. When she felt his shift underneath her, she pulled away. "Sorry, is that uncomfortable?"

"We're making out in public and you're on top of me. You think I'm going to tell you the truth?" Roxas asked with a wide grin.

Naminé sat up, ignoring Roxas's protests. She stared into the dark, hugging her knees to her chest. She took a few quiet breaths before speaking. "I always thought there was a process to this. Well, not a process, but maybe something like a timeline."

Roxas sat up quietly. "You're talking about relationships?" She nodded, so he continued, "Well you're not entirely wrong. We didn't exactly get along at first, and then we sort of did, then we actually did, and then we started dating—er, going out, I guess, since we've never actually gone on a real date as a couple."

Naminé nodded. "I know that there was progress, but I thought it'd be a little more concrete. I had it all worked out in my head: I'd meet someone, then we'd become friends, then best friends, then become a couple if it was the right guy."

"Isn't that what happened?"

"Yeah, but the relationship part is not what I thought it'd be at all. I thought it'd all happen in a neat order—the first kiss, falling in love, the dates, the other kisses, all of that stuff—but so far it's been a pretty wild ride."

"You can blame me for all that."

Naminé laughed. "And ever since last summer, I felt something different. And for every time it's made me feel really shitty when you weren't around or when the only time I could see you was over a video call, it's made me inexplicably happy to be alive."

A smile began to spread across Roxas's face. "That sounds familiar."

Naminé nodded, fighting back laughter so she could speak. "Yeah, it was a lot like what you described. Especially the part about you being around in the future."

"What about the thought of other people kissing me or hugging me the way you do?" Roxas asked.

"That makes me feel jealous. Sick to my stomach, even."

"What about your happiness?" he asked.

"I'm happy if you're happy. I don't know when I learned how to experience happiness vicariously," she said.

"You're stealing my answers. And thinking of me?"

"Nearly constant." Naminé stood up. "Sometimes because you're annoying and sometimes because I can't stop thinking about you."

"And when we're together, everything's great, right?" Roxas said. "Because even when I'm arguing with you, I—I can't even explain it. You always keep me on my toes. I love having you actually here so when I lose, I can just kiss you and pretend I won the argument. And don't even get me started on how witty you are."

"You think I'm witty?" Naminé asked.

"We've already discussed that I'm only attracted to women who are smarter than I am."

"Yes, but we've already discussed why that's hardly a compliment."

"God damn." Roxas stood up and tackled Naminé with a hug. "I feel like I'm going to explode."

"I… can't think of something to say that doesn't involve something sexual." Naminé hugged him tightly and giggled. "Sorry. Guess I don't have that wit you were talking about."

"Whatever. I'm still in love with you."

Naminé turned herself around, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down to her lips. "Say it again."

"I love you."

She pecked him on the lips. "Again."

"I love you."

"Again."

"I love you," he said. He looked at her. "How many times are you going to make me say it?"

"As much as I want." Naminé smiled. She pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes. "I love you too, Roxas."

"Say it again."

"No." Naminé shook her head, her hair brushing across his face. "I just told you a second ago."

"Oh, right. Sorry for asking."

Naminé set her feet flat on the ground and buried her face in his shoulder. "I love you, Roxas. We should go on a date tomorrow."

"That sounds like a good idea. We should go on a lot of dates. I don't know about you, but I'm totally down for dating you forever," Roxas said.

"Careful. That's a very long time." Naminé bounced on her heels.

The clouds gave way to the moon. The white light revealed them standing in each other's arms, their eyes having a silent conversation. Under the starry sky, they began the walk from their private little world to the real one where everyone was surely waiting. Time moved forward again, and the moment they wanted to last forever came to an end.

"You know, it's going to suck when we're separated again. And then even after that, we still have senior year to survive apart," Roxas said, taking Naminé's hand and intertwining their fingers.

They both knew that their separation was inevitable. They had, whether they were aware of it or not, danced around the topic when they were lost in each other. But as they moved ever closer to the days of missing each other and marched toward the end of their spring break, their resolve was as strong as ever.

"Yeah. But I think we'll manage. We'll find ways to meet up," Naminé said. Her steps were slow and deliberate, but they moved her forward at a steady pace. "And I'm going to do everything I can to make it happen. It's going to take more than a little distance to shake me."

"Is that a promise?" Roxas squeezed her hand.

"Yup." Namine nodded with a smile.

"Then I'll get in on it too," he said, linking their pinkies together. "We'll do everything we can and see each other as often as possible until we can be together every day. That's a promise."

Redeeming Endeavor: What a ride this has been.

I initially planned an epilogue, but this is a good place to end. Can't believe this was stretched out over three years. It's been fun though. A huge success, too. It long surpassed M&M. It made the favorites list of more than 500 people. It got some incredible reviews. What else? It was posted on TVTropes, so whoever did that is awesome, and it helped me meet some wonderful readers and writers. It apparently introduced and encouraged some readers to read other fanfictions, and it inspired some crazy amazing artwork too.

Damn, man. You are all my readers, and you are all fantastic people.

Story Word Count: 225,189 words. Editing time: 24440 minutes.

For reviewing on the last go-around, I'd like to thank Burai Stelar, Twenty-Twenty-One, Ventusblade, wolfanime25, Kingofclubs8129,Lilaclia, Crush-Chan17, GengaJupite, NaturistElisaXII, Demigod103, Vitality Astral, OmegaOverlord13, Lupus7, CherryTree, It's My Lucky Charm, Guest, Chrome Scale, Bookworm11114, evilestguyever, Guest, Sookdeo, KurukiXV, Bretardedness101, reganaxel, Polymoly, G THE NEPHILIM, Kigen Dawn, Justice Tokidoki, thelonesomeartist, Xerzo LotCN, FromSoraXWithLove, Eternal Abuss 59, candybear24, and a Guest. It was nice hearing about what you guys thought, as always.

Hell, thanks to anyone who took the time to review this story at any point! There are over 1200 reviews here that you had no obligation to write, but you did anyway. And some of you have been reviewing me since I first started writing here! Trust me, I know who you are. I went back and read your first reviews on M&M and all my other stories and it's incredible to see that you guys have been so supportive through the years. I hope this story lands among one of the favorites you've read on this site. This was written to entertain you guys, so hopefully it's done just that.

Thanks for reading. Take care, and I hope that, in the near future, I'll see you around.