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

"More arm stuff," Roxas said with a faint shrug. They had to stick to a schedule, especially since they were just getting into this. Doing full-body all at once would be overkill. "I'll show you a few more exercises and then I'll join you." For now, he would observe to make sure she was doing everything correctly. With Namine, he was never selfish.

 

Lightning walked into the gym beside Riku, smirking up at him due to his witty comeback just now. The conversation, however, was over; she'd let him have this one. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, eyes darting over the gym to see just how occupied it was. She nudged Riku gently. "Roxas and Namine?" she checked softly. She hadn't seen them in here for a while. And by the looks of things, Roxas enjoyed his view.

"Alright! Let's keep going then!" Naminé cheered eagerly. She was excited to be able to build a routine together. It was something they could do everyday too (or at least often). 

 

Riku followed Lightning's gaze and snickered. Roxas was definitely enjoying himself. He was also most definitely the envy of many of the gym's attendees. "How long do you think it'll be before they get together?"

As Roxas went on to show Namine another exercise, Lightning tilted her head. "Hm. I give them a month. Maybe two," she replied. It was obvious to everyone how much they were into each other, except for the two themselves of course. "But they better get a move on. They have admirers." Guys ogled Namine, while multiple females in the room did the same to Roxas. The blondes, however, only had eyes for each other.

"Definitely before the semester ends," Riku agreed. It was funny to see how much the two cared for one another. Or maybe ironic was the right word? They were Sora and Kairi's Nobodies, but even after becoming their own persons, they were still drawn to one another. Like magnets. Like him and Lightning. They had gone on a few dates now, but they weren't 'together' yet. And I want to be... The silver haired boy had wracked his brain for possible ways to broach the subject, but each one only embarrassed him more. 

Lightning looked up at her companion. "Should we make another bet?" she asked, lifting a brow. They did that often, but it was all in good fun. And that was the thing--ever since meeting Riku, Lightning actually had fun. He brought out that side of her, a side she never knew existed until he found her. He was a blessing to her if there ever was one.

"And what would be the prize this time?" Riku asked with an eyebrow raised. He really did enjoy their bets. It seemed to let Light relax and have fun with him; two things Riku cherished dearly when it came to the pink haired girl. 

Lightning's crooked smile returned. "Depends," she told him, hands going to her jacket as she unzipped it and started to take it off for her workout. "What do you want?" They could do more small secrets between them, like they had done previously--his being a swordsman and her admitting to using an alias. But that was up to Riku.

 

Roxas stood in front of Namine and watched her form again, lifting his hands to keep her arms where they were meant to be. His skin just barely skimmed hers as he watched the weight go above her head and then behind it, the two of them working on triceps now. "Good," he praised lowly. She was doing great.

"Hmm," Riku pretended to think about it for a minute before giving her a mischievous smile, "I think I'd like gun lessons this time, and the chance to teach you a few things about swords." Lightning was extremely talented with a gun, so the chance to learn from a pro would be a great boon to the boy. Plus, any time spent with Lightning made him happy. 

 

"This is a lot of work," Naminé said between breaths, "I don't know how you can do so many reps." She tried not to focus too hard on how his skin brushed against hers. 

Lightning found that smile exceptionally attractive. It made hers widen. "Deal," she said, holding out her hand for him to shake. That was fine with her. Besides, it meant more time with Riku. As if she would say no. She was awfully curious as to how good he was with a sword. Since she wielded a gunblade herself, she could definitely use the help.

 

Roxas smiled a little. "You just have to get used to it," he explained. "It gets easier, I promise." Not that Namine had anything to worry about; they weren't on a time crunch. True, she didn't wield any weapon, but she didn't need to. Xehanort was gone, as were the threats to the worlds. Roxas would keep her safe even if there was danger. He wouldn't leave her unprotected. 

"And if you win, what's your prize?" Riku asked. Light always seemed to come up with fun prizes for their little bets, but he secretly hoped she'd want the same thing. Or at least something that involved spending time together. 

 

"I suppose," she mused, completing one more rep before letting the weights settle again. The blonde stretched her arms and rolled her neck a little. "I'm just impressed you're able to do so much. The only muscle I have is in my hands I think." Or at least that's what made sense to her with the amount of drawing she did. 

Lightning gazed at Riku for a moment as she thought about it. Truthfully, she didn't really care as long as she got to see him. He made her soft, which was slightly unnerving, but it excited her at the same time; she'd never felt this way with someone before. "Same thing," she told him, still holding her hand out for him to shake. "Either way, we get what we want. Agreed?"

 

Roxas kept his place in front of Namine, still standing relatively close. "Speaking of," he said of her art, "I haven't watched you draw for a while. We should do that soon." It was something so simple, but...it made him happy. Watching Namine work always inspired him in a way too. There was always the added plus of spending time with her, too.

He took her hand and shook it tightly. "Agreed. It's a date then." He added the last part with a small smirk playing at his lips. It really was a win-win situation for him. Spend time with Light or spend time with Light. It was strange how one girl could make him feel this way. His crush on Kairi seemed so distant now. As if it hadn't happened at all with how intense his feelings towards Lightning were. Was this what love was supposed to be?

 

Her eyes brightened at the suggestion. "Sure!" she chirped, "You can help me work on a new project for class. I'm trying to create a portfolio of pieces for the art exhibition in spring semester too." The latter was a daunting task especially. Naminé loved to draw, but the volume her professor expected was intimidating to the girl who had only just begun to understand her style and enjoyment of the past time. 

Lightning kept her hand in Riku's for a moment as she looked up at his handsome face. There was a gleam in his eyes. Was that because of her? "It's a date," she agreed softly. She remembered that even the idea of a date startled her, but now she loved it. Riku made dates worthwhile. Giving his hand a small squeeze, she released him. "Now, are you going to give Roxas a hard time for gawking at Namine? He's less discreet than he used to be." 

 

Roxas nodded. "Whatever you need," he swore. He wasn't sure exactly how he could help, but he would do his best. Namine, without knowing it, helped him with his own projects; she was his inspiration. He wouldn't admit that, though. Not yet anyway.

Riku squeezed her hand back. "I think I owe it to him," Riku snorted, shaking his head at the boy's antics. He really needed to confess soon. Riku wasn't sure how much more even he could take with how obvious the two were being. Almost as bad as Sora and Kairi.

 

"I appreciate your willingness to volunteer," Naminé replied with a giggle. He would definitely be part of her portfolio project. The artist needed at least a few portraits of another person, so Roxas would be perfect for that. He was already her muse in many ways, even if he didn't know it. 

Lightning jerked her head toward him. "Go on. I'm gonna go warm up," she told him. She stepped past Riku, patting him on the chest as she did. She felt his pecs through even that small touch. She was never going to complain about his physique, that was for sure. Lightning made her way across the floor, glancing at the blondes out of the corner of her eye. Good luck, you two.

 

That giggle made Roxas grin. "'Course. I owe you for all you did for me before my show at the festival," he said, taking a step closer to her. Did personal space even exist with them? Not really. Not anymore, at least. Roxas didn't mind though, not at all.

"Alright, see you in a few then," Riku called back over his shoulder. Her touch was brief but left a warm buzz across his skin (like it always seemed to). From where he was standing, he could see the two blondes gravitating closer and closer to one another. Were they aware of the tension they were creating in the room? How people watched them with prying eyes?

 

"You don't owe me," Naminé said, taking a step towards him. She was sure they looked strange like this. So close as if they were about to embrace or even kiss. The latter thought created a fluttering sensation in her chest. "I wanted to help you."

Roxas smirked. He lifted his hand and lightly touched the underside of her chin. “You did. You saved my life,” he reminded her. She guided him to his proper place. Well, proper place at the time. He definitely owed her for that. He took in the lack of space. Coupled with how amazing she looked right now, Roxas wanted to kiss her. And the thought made his heart swell.

Edited October 9, 20187 yr by Forever Love

Naminé closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of his touch. She wanted to confess. She wanted to kiss him, but--

 

"Whew, is it getting hot in here or is it just me?" Riku interrupted with a dramatic whistle. He clapped Roxas on the shoulder, his voice little more than a whisper. "You need to confess soon, dude. Checking her out all day won't get you far." Riku then pulled back to offer Naminé a kind smile. "Work out time?"

 

Naminé, her face crimson, nodded hastily. "Um, y-yes! We were just about to...I mean um..." She wasn't sure what to say. They were about to kiss, right? Or was that simply her imagination?

Roxas jumped slightly when Riku showed up, his hand coming back from Naminé’s chin and instead to rub the back of his neck. His friend’s whisper had his face burning. Was he that obvious? And he knew he wouldn’t get anywhere just looking at her, but she was just so pretty... “Uh...” Roxas tried. “We were just...doing triceps.” But then they got distracted.

Edited October 9, 20187 yr by Forever Love

"I didn't know that's how you did triceps," Riku teased, "seems awful close to me." Inwardly, he snickered at Roxas's crimson cheeks. He wondered how much more of a push the blond would really need at this point? Naminé was obvious about her own affections as well.

 

Naminé coughed and looked away from the two boys. Had it been that obvious? Had she, as the saying went, worn her heart on her sleeve? "I'm going to go get a drink of water real quick." The water fountain was on the other side the gym. 

Roxas fought the urge to slap his forehead at Riku’s words. Once Naminé started away, he punched his friend in the arm. “Dude!” he whined. What was he doing?! He was embarrassing Roxas!

Edited October 9, 20187 yr by Forever Love

Riku tried to hold in his laughter but failed miserably; he rubbed his arm instinctively despite the blow being relatively light. "What? Did I interrupt your 'work out' session?"

Roxas rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Way to ruin it,” he grumbled. He and Naminé had been having a moment. Granted, the gym wasn’t entirely romantic. But...

Lightning caught Naminé at the water fountain. The girl looked a bit flustered. She smiled slightly. “Hey, how’s the workout going?”

Edited October 9, 20187 yr by Forever Love

Riku poked Roxas in the chest. "You need to just tell her how you feel. If you don't soon, she'll start to think that she's the only one who has any feelings and well..." Riku shrugged. "move on." Riku knew the blonde's heart would belong with Roxas, but it didn't mean that she would or could wait forever either.

 

"Huh? Oh, workout?" Naminé giggled nervously. She bent down to sip at the water fountain again, keeping her expression as invisible as possible from the older girl. "It's fine. It's going really well. Perfect. I feel stronger already."

Roxas blinked. “The only one who has feelings?” he asked, surprised. So he wasn’t seeing things! Naminé liked him like that? Romantically? “You serious?” He wasn’t sure if he had just been hopeful and so that affected how he interpreted things, but...

“Uh huh,” Lightning agreed, a hand on her hip. “Feel stronger. Like...in your feelings for Roxas.” Lightning could spot that from a mile away.

Edited October 9, 20187 yr by Forever Love