Hi all! Me again, with another roleplay. Through Discord I found another RP partner, so this is strictly 1x1. It is a College AU, though it has some canon tidbits included.

 

Please refrain from posting in this topic, but feel free to read along and join us for this journey!

 

Thanks!

 

Hoshi, take it away!

Edited July 24, 20187 yr by Forever Love

Kairi set the paper down, tucking her red hair behind her ear. "I got highest marks on a pretty big assignment a week or so ago," she declared. She had been so proud of that too... "I saw how upset she was, but...I didn't think it would come to this." Public humiliation? That was low.

 

Roxas watched as a few students played hacky-sack across the lawn. "I don't know. She's so nice..." She went out of her way to help others. She always did the right thing. "Maybe someone's jealous of her for some reason." That was all he could think of. "Has she ever mentioned anything?"

Edited October 5, 20187 yr by Forever Love

"You did?" Sora blinked in surprise before grinning happily, "Congrats! You deserve it. Though..." Sora trailed off and a frown returned to his lips. "I bet that is what set her off. She doesn't look like a freshman either, so you doing better must have really bothered her."

 

Naminé considered the question thoughtfully. "She's mentioned one girl not being too happy after her presentation, but I don't know if she was there in the cafeteria." Maybe jealousy was part of the problem after all?

"That has to be it," Kairi replied softly, looking to the boy beside her. "And considering the photographer who published these pictures is the same one who came into my class that day--and who we just saw sitting with her at lunch--it makes sense that she got him to do the job for her. He must have experience with photo editing." She put her hands on her hips. "Guess now we can either confront them about this or go to the dean ourselves." Either way, this ended today.

 

Roxas lifted an eyebrow. "Hmm..." he hummed thoughtfully. That would make sense. Envy could turn even the friendliest people into monsters. "Think maybe she and Sora connected the dots?" It would explain why they took off in such a hurry.

Sora placed a hand on her shoulder gently. "Whatever you want to do, I'll support you." He just wanted this nightmare to end for Kairi's sake. He hurt him to see her treated this way.

 

"I think so," Naminé answered. She handed Roxas half of her sandwich. "I can't eat it all, so you should take half." She hoped things would be resolved quickly. If they weren't Naminé could only foresee the situation escalating. 

Kairi smiled weakly at her best friend. She placed her hand on top of his on her shoulder. "Thank you," she told him softly. She appreciated his support; it meant the world to her. "...Let's talk to them first. If they don't turn themselves in, we'll go to the dean." They couldn't rat them out without getting an explanation from the culprits themselves. They needed to give them the chance to at least apologize. If not, the dean was next on their list.

 

"You know," Roxas said, glancing from the sandwich to Namine, "if you keep feeding me like this, I'm not always going to look this good." He then bit into the sandwich, the flavor exploding on his tongue. Delicious. Between Namine making him lunches or getting him snacks for his rehearsals in the past, and now this? He was bound to put on the freshman fifteen.

"I think that's a good plan," Sora replied with a gentle smile. His hand slid to her waist then, bringing her into a hug. "It'll be okay, Kai. This will get handled. One way or another." He had doubts about the culprits coming clean, but he at least trusted the dean to do something about it.

 

"Maybe you and I can hit the gym after dinner today then?" Naminé suggested with a mirthful smile, "I could use a partner at the gym myself." Especially with the weights and gawking her presence seemed to elicit in that setting. She had a feeling it was due to her work out clothes though. She had seen quite a few lingering gazes on Kairi as well. 

Kairi wound her arms around Sora's neck, one of her hands resting against the back of his head, her fingers in his spikes. The way his hand had slid along her waist just then sent chills up her spine, but it felt so good at the same time. "Sora," she whispered, closing her eyes. He was the best.

 

"Absolutely," Roxas agreed. He didn't train as much with the keyblade anymore, and he had been so busy with his music that he didn't get to the gym often. Going with Namine would definitely motivate him. More time with her and the added benefit of getting stronger? Not to mention that he could show his strength to her... He was definitely interested.

"We got this," Sora assured again, taking his other hand to weave through her hair. The strands fell through his fingers like red silk. "They can't compete with the heartless we've fought. Not even with a shadow."

 

"I definitely need to build my stamina up," Naminé added light heartedly. She'd like to be able to run for more than a few minutes at a time, and she wouldn't deny that part of her motivation involved seeing her companion's athletic build up close. 

"Nuh-uh," Kairi said with a faint shake of her head, squeezing Sora gently. He was right. Heartless were ten times worse than bullies. They could do this. And if things didn't go their way, they would adjust. "Together, we can do anything."

 

"I can help with that," Roxas said with a confident smirk. The keyblade required lots of stamina, that was for sure. He could give her tips. Besides, seeing Namine in the gym wouldn't be so bad either. In fact, he doubted his imagination could do her justice.

"That is true," Sora murmured, his grin returning, "You and me. The dream team, huh?" He rested his chin on the top of her head before putting his forehead against hers, drinking her in slowly.

 

"You'll have to be patient with me though," she warned, poking his cheek lightly, "I'm not strong like you, and no starting fights." She added the last statement after a minute, thinking of how protective and impulsive he could be. She didn't want him getting expelled because of some other guy. 

Kairi took in a steadying breath when Sora adjusted their position. Her forehead against his like this...she could feel his spikes against her skin. "Mm," she hummed in agreement to his statement. They were the dream team. Little did he know that it was her dream to be with him, but...more intimately. Of course he wouldn't find out about that. She couldn't ruin their friendship. Kairi moved her hands to rest along the side of Sora's face and jawline, her fingers in his hair again. Did he realize how he made her feel? Like she was weightless, floating, in bliss... Home.

 

Roxas grabbed Namine's smaller hand before she could get it too far from his face. "Don't worry, I won't," he promised. "As long as nobody looks at you the wrong way, we won't have any problems." He wouldn't tolerate that kind of behavior toward Namine. The only person that he thought was allowed to look at her was him. Then again, he didn't know how she would react to that...

Edited October 5, 20187 yr by Forever Love

Sora melted at her touch. Her fingers, which were slender and soft, felt like a balm against his scalp. He wondered again briefly if she felt anything like he did. Like he was her remedy the same way she was his. That the idea of being away from her, of watching her with someone else again nearly killed him. Would saying something ruin that? Would she hate him? "We should probably get back to Roxas and Naminé..."

 

"I suppose that's fair," Naminé replied, "Though I think having you there will help deter any...um wrong looks." She wasn't quite sure what the best way to describe the looks would be. Just that they made her uncomfortable being at the gym by herself. I remember last time how many boys kept wanting to show me how to lift...Luckily, Lightning was there. They seem to be a little less aggressive when she's around.

Kairi felt her heart drop. Right...they had to get back. "Mm," she hummed, biting her lip. But...she wanted nothing more than to stay right here, in his arms, face-to-face, his breath brushing her cheeks whenever he spoke to her in that low, velvety voice of his... Why can't it just be like this all the time? Why can't I tell him how I feel? In truth, she was scared of ruining things between them. If they tried and it didn't work, what then? Kairi removed her forehead from Sora's silently, her fingertips trailing over his smooth skin as she took her hands back. Time to get back to their friends.

 

Roxas smirked. "Good," he said, squeezing her hand gently before he released it. They would go tonight then, after dinner, like she suggested. He doubted too many people would be there that late, which was best. He didn't like the idea of anyone checking Namine out. Roxas had to admit that jealousy flared within him when he thought about it.

As she withdrew from him, Sora sighed a little, unable to hide his disappointment. Why couldn't they be together? Why couldn't he suck it up and just tell her the truth? Because losing Kairi scares me the most. If she didn't feel the same way...nothing would ever be the same between them...I wonder what Riku would say? What was he even doing right now? Sora hadn't seen his best friend much the past few days. 

 

Naminé smiled and bit into her own half of the sandwich. Tonight would be interesting. That was for sure. 

Kairi took in that sigh and smiled weakly. Was that disappointment she sensed? She grabbed the paper and the poster before nudging Sora gently with her shoulder as she passed. Time to go.

The gym was less crowded after dinner, but the usual groups of jocks was still present. Naminé looked around, holding one arm behind her back as she tried to find an open machine. She was dressed in white but had traded her usual dress for a pair of leggings and sports bra. Wandering eyes flickered across her body as she walked, but the gazes weren't as piercing. Or at least they didn't feel that way with Roxas beside her. "Where do we start?"

Don't stare, don't stare, don't stare, Roxas repeated in his head, focusing forward. The second Namine took off her light jacket to reveal her outfit, his stomach flipped. He would have to concentrate really hard on exercising and not her figure--which was great. Why did she want to go to the gym again? "Stretching," he stated with a small smile. "Then we'll warm up with some cardio." They would focus on arms later, though. 

Naminé nodded and pressed her fingers together with a cheerful smile. "Okay, I'll follow your lead then!" She tried to keep her eyes off his athletic form as much as she could. The sinews of well-defined muscle visible were distracting, however... 

Roxas smiled faintly and touched her back, motioning with his head toward the more spacious side of the room. "This way," he told her, starting in that direction. He glanced to the wall of mirrors that were often present in gyms, catching Namine's figure again. Focus, Roxas, he told himself. She looked great, but...he took his own appearance into account too; he wore a grey shirt with cut-off sleeves and basketball shorts. Since wielding the keyblade, he'd been in good shape. He hadn't been to the gym in a while, but he was pretty confident in his ability to lift the same amount of weight.

A series of blue mats decorated the other side of the room. A few were occupied but most were free to use, so Naminé walked over to one towards the back. "Now what?" she asked. Her hands were on her hips as she appraised their surroundings. She wasn't too accustomed to doing stretches. Kairi had showed her a few last time she was there, but they hadn't visited the gym in a while. 

Roxas stood next to Namine and smiled weakly in encouragement. "Just basics. Leg stretches. Arms too," he said, then demonstrating. He stretched one arm behind his head, holding it and pressing on his elbow. "Stretching's important. Keeps your muscles from getting too sore when we're done." Of course, he wouldn't push it too much this time, since both he and Namine were starting out again.

Naminé watched the blond a moment, slightly mesmerized by how his muscles flexed during the stretch before mimicking his movements. "That makes sense," Naminé replied, "Kairi would have us stretch when we came here too." Though, admittedly, the blonde hadn't participated in all those exercises either. Kairi had much better flexibility than Naminé did from her keyblade training. Naminé had hoped that maybe some of that strength would have transferred to her as well but living inside Kairi's heart didn't seem to offer those kinds of benefits.

"She probably learned that from training with Axel--er, Lea," Roxas said, remembering that the guy he'd known in the Organization wasn't Axel but Lea, a whole person instead of a Nobody. Like Roxas now. The blond continued his stretches, holding his leg behind him one more time before he sat down to stretch too. Still, he had to avoid looking over at Namine. What would she think if she caught him staring?

Naminé copied his movements again, holding her leg behind her. She touched her toes after, doing her best to ignore the slight burn that rushed through her thighs. Behind her, a few of the jocks present stared; one whistled slowly while his friends snickered. Her brows furrowed. Were they looking at her? "Ah, right. I remember that," she murmured distractedly and moved to occupy the space beside him on the mat.

Roxas looked over his shoulder to glare pointedly at the jocks. Idiots, he thought with disgust. So he wasn't the only one who found Namine attractive. At least he didn't come off douchey about it. He touched his toes from this position, leaning forward a little. "If you feel uncomfortable, let me know," he said to her, glancing in her direction. "I'll tell those tools to buzz off."