Kingdom Hearts, It’s a Date…Maybe

Title: It’s a Date…Maybe [Xion/Namine, Axel/Roxas]
Rating/Warnings: G
Summary: Xion is trying to figure out what a date is and whether she’s going on one or not.
AN: Written for Shiritori.

It’s a Date…Maybe
“It’s a date, then.” Namine smiles, the small, sweet smile that makes Xion’s stomach go wavery even through the Gummi Phone’s screen. She gives a little wave before she hangs up. Xion clicks her own phone off and looks up to find Olette grinning at her.

“Iiiiis it?” Olette asks.

“Is it what?” Xion asks, trying not to look flustered as she puts her phone down.

“A date!” Olette shifts closer on the bench of the table they’re studying at, leaning in conspiratorially.

Xion picks up her mechanical pencil just to fidget with it. “I don’t…know? What’s the difference between friend-asking someone to hang out and date-asking?”

“Whether you want it to be date, of course. And maybe whether she does.” Olette laughed at Xion’s scrunched expression. “Oh, you definitely do. Bet I can make you blush just by saying her name.”

“No, stop,” Xion protested.

“Naaaamine,” Olette drawled, and Xion squeaked in embarrassment as she felt her cheeks go up in flames.

“Uuugh,” she muttered, covering her face with her hands, wondering not for the first time why all feelings seemed to do uncontrollable stuff to her face. “Can’t we just do math?” she pled.

“Ok, ok,” Olette answered, usually quicker than the boys to pick up on Xion feeling overwhelmed by casual teasing. “But I want all the details on Monday!”

“All the details about what?” Xion asked in mild horror. Olette only laughed.

After finishing up their math homework and waving goodbye to Olette, Xion walked home still thinking about what the difference was between friend-dates and date-dates. When she got into the apartment, she found Roxas and Lea slumped comfortably on their couch, thumbs clicking away on controllers for the console Pence had leant them. It was a generation back from the one Pence and Hayner had spent all last winter saving up for, but it wasn’t like Roxas, Xion, or Lea had ever played any of the older games, so it was all new to them. Roxas was beating Lea unmercifully at Smash, but there didn’t seem to be much glory in it since Lea was yawning every other breath; after a few days in a row training in the Land of Departure, Lea always came back to them exhausted and covered in strange-shaped bruises.

Xion dropped onto the couch on Roxas’s other side, settling in against his side in the way she naturally did. The curve of their bodies always seemed to match up without effort, as if their replicas had been stacked together before they got them, or something.

Xion watched Roxas uppercut Lea’s pikachu clear off the screen. “Hey, guys?”

“Yeah?” Roxas answered, attention still on his game. Lea grunted.

“Do you two ever go on dates?”

“Course we do!” Lea said, even though Xion felt Roxas shrug against her shoulder. “All the time! We went on one right before I left, to the movies, remember?”

“But I was with you,” Xion reminded, wrinkling her brow. “Isn’t a date when two people who like each other do something together?”

“I mean, sure, but I like Roxas and we did something together, so that’s a date,” Lea said. He cursed under his breath at the game. “So what if you’re there too?”

“You’re always with us,” Roxas pointed out.

“I guess I am…” Xion frowned. “Oh no! I shouldn’t do that, right? Am I your third wheel?”

“Are wheels bad?” Roxas wanted to know, ever one step behind in conversational sayings. “What’s wrong with wheels?”

“I think third wheels are,” Xion insisted, rubbing her palms on her jeans. “Pence always says he doesn’t want to be a third wheel to Hayner and Seifer using Struggle to flirt.”

“Is that what they’re doing?” Roxas clicked his tongue. “They’re not very good at it.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it, a third wheel adds stability,” Lea assured Xion. “We’re a tricycle of friendship!” He lost the round and tossed his controller aside in disgust. “Why do you wanna know about this stuff anyway, Xi?”

“Oh, well…” Xion felt the pink rise back to her face again and seriously, why did it do that? “Namine’s coming to visit tomorrow afternoon, after school. We’re gonna have a sleepover. Is that ok?”

“Yeah, sure,” Roxas agreed. “But what’s that got to do with dates?” Roxas grunted as Lea dug his elbow into Roxas’s side. “Ow! What was that for?”

“You’re like a walking blond joke, you know that? It’s a good thing you’re cute,” Lea said, rolling his eyes. Roxas snapped a Hey! but Lea ignored him. “Only one reason somebody wants to know the difference between friends hanging out and going on a date, hmmm?”

“I still don’t get it!” Xion complained, slumping harder into Roxas. “What’s the difference? Olette said it’s not a date unless I want it to be, you say it’s still a date even if I go with you…and every time I try to talk about it, my face keeps doing this stupid thing!” She pointed angrily at her blush, vibrant pink again by now.

“Yeah, I didn’t miss that one,” Lea commiserated. He eyed Roxas. “It’s cute making you do it, though.” He leaned in to smooch Roxas’s cheek suddenly, making Roxas yelp and shove at him.

“Knock it off!” Roxas told him, reaching up to scrub at the smudge of pink rising over his nose as if he could wipe it away.

“It feels weird and it’s totally embarrassing!” Xion complained. “Whose stupid idea was it to grow hearts?”

Lea and Roxas both pointed to each other; Xion rolled her eyes.

“What if I want it to be a date and Namine doesn’t?” she asked, plaintive.

“Yeah, that’s a tough one, kiddo,” Lea admitted. He reached across the back of the couch to ruffle Xion’s hair. “But me and blondie here will go out and give you guys some alone time to figure it out, ok? No third and fourth wheels, promise.”

“I really don’t understand what’s wrong with wheels,” Roxas said in exasperation. “Lots of great things have four wheels!”