A Midsummer's Sabotage

Disclaimer: All characters in this fanfiction are 18 years of age or older.
I don't condone underage drinking or smoking. Thank you.

For readers who are 18+ ONLY:
To read the uncensored, explicit, extra-sexy version of this chapter, please visit my author profile for links.

I hadn't talked to Xion since the start of middle school. We spent our childhood with one another, but quickly grew apart once Xion's interest shifted from friendship to romance… and not romance with me either. What's worse is that I wasn't even friendzoned, I was existancezoned.

Aside from seeing her in class or in the halls, she was a complete enigma to me. It drove me crazy because, as you can probably tell, I've been completely infatuated with her since I've known her. Infatuated, despite the fact that she was supposedly completely insane. Ever since middle school, she'd had this list of exes so long it left most people's heads dizzy… mine included.

Still, I found myself wanting her despite not having the courage to go after her, completely convinced I could be the one to change her. You know how it goes.
Our school population was nearly convinced that she had run out of men to harass, so you can imagine our shock when she started dating Sora. He's one of the most popular kids in the school, has been class president for two years straight, and now he's possibly in the running for Valedictorian. On top of all that, he's notorious for throwing these kickass, massive, all-inclusive, sometimes record-breaking, parties. Since his parents are almost always out of town on business, their massive house was frequently vacant, and Sora is beloved enough by his classmates that they are often willing to stay and help him clean the resulting messes from said parties.

Meanwhile, I'm one of those uninteresting wayside kids. I've got my small group of friends, and that's all I really need. Sora has been in a few classes with me, but I didn't really get to know him personally. How could I? He's surrounded by miles of friends, anyway; he doesn't need a buddy of my ilk hanging around. I can't even blame Xion for ghosting me all these years for that same reason. I'm just a nobody, and I honestly don't mind it.

Still, it was disturbing on many levels to find that the coolest guy ever was dating the woman my heart was after. And yet, the two of them seemed like the perfect match. It was completely baffling for all of us to see that someone had finally cancelled out Xion's crazy… and it wasn't me, like I'd hoped.
That's why it was so incredibly frightening when I found Xion banging on my door one morning.

It was in the middle of the summer before our Senior year of highschool, and I'd already made my peace with having a boring day that day. When I opened the door, I felt myself getting irrationally excited at the sight of her… though I couldn't pin down if it was from fear or allure.

She didn't even greet me when I said hi, just murmured, "I need to talk to you."

The fear and excitement became like a pit in my stomach, but I simply couldn't refuse. I invited her in and she beelined for the living room couch, which has gone unmoved since the time we were children. I attempted to offer her a drink, but she politely refused… not knowing what else to do, I parked it on the couch next to her. We stared ahead in silence, the tension in the air leaving my mouth feeling chalky, until out of nowhere Xion broke down into hysterical sobs.

"He cheated on me, Roxas." She managed to choke out, "And when I told him I found out, he broke up with me."

Needless to say, I was absolutely stunned. Sora is the nicest guy in school, and I'm pretty sure the worst thing he does is smokes. He would never cheat on anyone, let alone Xion who, according to rumor, could very well find a way to dispose of your murdered body if she wanted to.

"I... I'm so sorry, Xion—"

But before I could say anything else, she grabbed my hand and turned to face me. My heart started beating so fast that I was almost certain she could feel my pulse through my skin.

"You have to help me, Roxas." She was looking at me with this determined, yet also partly terrifying, stare. "You have to help me get revenge."
Revenge?

She continued, "I need you to get proof that he cheated on me."

Appalled, I responded, "You don't already have proof?"

Xion snapped back, "This is a complicated situation, okay? Don't worry though, I have a plan." She pulled my hand to her chest, suddenly looking at me with hopeful eyes. "Are you with me or not?"

Swallowing hard, I tried to weight this bizarre situation in my mind. It's been years since we've even spared a passing glance in the hallways, and out of the blue she wants me to help get revenge on her ex, who I know is a great guy?

The look of skepticism must have been apparent on my face, because all of a sudden Xion leaned forward and gave me the quickest peck on the lips—these years-long dreams all coming true in an instant. All the logic in my brain melted away with the heat of my blush.

I was sold.

She had me drive her to a mall in a different town to avoid potential run-ins with our classmates. It seemed at the time that Xion had the plan charted out perfectly in her head, because she led me straight to one store in the mall: a boho-style clothing retailer. The entire time, she refused to give me any further details, and for some odd reason I couldn't bring himself to question her schemes. Maybe part of me just didn't want to know, either because I didn't want to try making sense of it or because I was afraid of what she was planning. Although, I was almost certain Xion could read my mind, since every time I started to doubt her mystery plan, she would turn around and give me another thoughtless peck, or hold my hand… and that was enough for me to will myself into blindness. She was in the middle of picking out an outfit for herself—a plaid skirt with a cropped black long sleeve top—when she suddenly reached out to yank up my shirt, exposing my midriff.

"H-hey!" In a panic, I snatched the fabric from her grasp to cover my skin, "What is wrong with you?"

"When'd you get your belly button pierced?"

That's actually a silly story. Axel and I wanted to get matching piercings to up our sex appeal, so we scrounged up some munny working a couple odd jobs together. We were planning on going to get our eyebrows pierced, but then Hayner said that those just aren't sexy enough, claiming "The sexiest piercings a guy can have are the belly, the nipples… or the dick!" Since we agreed that nipple and dick piercings were completely out of the question, we both went with our navels instead. Although I've always stuck with plain barbells, Axel likes to buy all the ones with dangling charms or glittering stones, mostly to get a rise out of people.

Before I could even tell her any of this, she cuts me off. "Actually, never mind. It's perfect, except for maybe the happy trail. Got hair anywhere else?"

Though I didn't understand the implication of her words, I answered anyway, "Just my… armpits, really. Why are you asking?"

Then, she started holding the top and skirt up to me, like I was going to wear it… "Sora loves the whole naughty schoolgirl thing… we just need to get you some stockings. Sora loves stockings."

The color completely drained from my face. Before Xion could react, I quickly took several steps back, as if she were a rabid raccoon ready to sink her teeth into my face. Although my intention was to not cause a scene, I still somehow managed to whisper-shout my objections. "Are you shitting me? I am not going to crossdress to help you get back at your ex!"

She whisper-shouts back, "Please, Roxas! It's a foolproof plan! You just have to trust me." I wasn't sure if I trusted her as far as I could throw her, as the saying goes—but before I knew it, her arms were around my neck and she was whispering in my ear in this sultry tone I've only ever dreamt of. "If you do this for me, I'll go out with you."
In that moment, it was like my consciousness was divided in twain. One side, called "Logic", was screaming She's crazy! Don't do it! The other side, called "My Dick", was screaming back, This is your chance! Don't waste this opportunity!

Of course, the years and years of waiting must have corroded the Logic side, because like any other teenage boy, My Dick was screaming so loud that it drowned out everything else in my brain.

"...okay. Whatever it is, I'll do it."

It made me happy to see the look of joy on Xion's face, despite the bizarro circumstances, and she gave me a few quick pecks on the lips to thank me. It was heaven… sort of. We continued to tool around the store, Xion plucking hangers off the racks anytime something caught her eyes.

Once there was a nice little pile in my arms, she must have deemed me worthy of her plan because it was all tumbling out her mouth at once. "Sora is having a Summer Solstice party in a couple days. You're going to come in as a girl from another state visiting family for the summer, and seduce him just enough to get into his room."

Seduce?

I didn't have enough time to ruminate on this as Xion continued to speak: "Once he's comfortable enough with you to leave you in there alone, you're going to get on his phone and laptop and we're going to get the proof that he cheated on me. Then, we'll blackmail him!"

"Wait… blackmail? Why?"

"You'll see, Roxas. Just trust me and trust the plan."

Again, I still wasn't sure I should trust Xion, let alone her ludicrous plan. But I pushed away the gut feeling and allowed Xion to drag me through the store. She bought a variety of outfits, should the plan take longer than expected, and happily used her parent's credit card to make the purchase.

Carrying the bag out of the store for her, I was relieved it was over... until I noticed she was making her way, not to the mall exit, but to a nearby lingerie shop.
"No." I objected, "No, no, no, Xion... I am not—"

"Roxas, we have to be prepared no matter what happens, okay? Besides, how is anyone going to believe you're a girl if you're completely flat chested and braless? Trust me!"
How irreverent is a statement like that? And there was that word again: "trust". How far am I willing to go to let her humiliate me? The answer was probably pretty far, because looking at the lingerie made me remember another rumor I'd heard about Xion: that her craziness also counted for her sex drive. With getting laid in mind, I allowed myself to once again quell my doubt; knowing I was better off burying it a thousand miles deep into my conscious.

In the store, Xion somehow managed to stealthily measure me with some tape she snagged from an employee counter, before returning it without anyone missing it. She picked out a black, racer-back bra that was completely covered in soft lace. It helped that the padding inside would certainly add the necessary femininity to my figure.
After examining it, I found myself wondering aloud, "Where are the hooks?"

"Sora loves front-latching bras," Xion responded, clipping apart the center to demonstrate her point. I tried to keep from imaging Sora ever getting close to doing that. As I attempted to push the embarrassing thoughts away, I didn't even notice Xion had also brought a couple different pairs of matching panties to the checkout counter.

The next day, I was completely exhausted. While the shopping itself wasn't very tiring, I spent most of the night wide-awake, deeply brooding over this conundrum I'd walked myself into. What kind of psycho sets something like this up? What did Sora do to incur this wrath? Did Sora even do anything at all? Could the result Xion was hoping for have been achieved without crossdressing or seduction? Is Xion suggesting this route to save both our skins some way? And above all else… did she really care about me or is she just using me?

It hurt me so deeply to consider this possibility, and I truly couldn't bring myself to acknowledge it. So, I just kept repeating Xion's words: "Trust me, trust the plan. Trust me, trust the plan…"

While it helped partially soothe the constant noise crackling in my skull, it didn't help me get to sleep any faster. I was wandering around the house, dazedly sipping some coffee when the doorbell rang, causing me to practically jump fifty feet from my skin.

"Coming!" I shouted, leaving my coffee in a safe place before crossing the house to answer the door. There, I found a very nonplussed Xion standing before me once more.

"Took you long enough," She huffed, letting herself in. It only took me a few seconds to get the door, but I ignored the comment anyway. Xion was carrying what looked to be another shopping bag, and she doesn't waste any time revealing it's contents: a silky blonde wig that's perfectly identical to my natural hair color. "Let's get your wig fitted."

At this point, I was so lost in the madness that I didn't even object; leading Xion up to my room without a word… wishing I was doing so under different circumstances.

Both my parents were at work and wouldn't be home for many hours, but I still found myself locking the door with trembling fingers, before going to close the blinds just to be sure. Afterwards, we sat on the bed, facing each other; I was averting my gaze awkwardly as Xion went to work. With expert ease, she fit the bald cap and wig cap to my hair, leaving my bangs exposed. As she was styling it, she began to grin widely.

"Isn't this fun, Roxas? It's like you're a whole different person! Look how pretty you are!"

Sheepishly, I turned to look at the mirror in my room and found my embarrassment being washed away by my awe. The hair actually looked really, really pretty. The lightweight locks had a beachy wave to them, and they dropped down a couple inches past my collarbone. Xion managed to blend my bangs perfectly into the hairline of the wig, especially with how she chose to part it.

I honestly couldn't help but smile. "Wow. You're right." I did, indeed, look like a completely different person.

"I'm always right!" Xion chirped, "Where'd you put the clothes?"

I removed myself from the bed, kneeling down to remove the shopping bags from beneath it. Standing up, I dumped the main shopping bag onto my bed and started separating the outfits in the order Xion suggested from yesterday. Staring at the arraignment of fashionable clothes splayed before me, I couldn't help but find the garments actually pretty cute. They were super nice clothes, to be sure… but how would I look in them? Xion fished in the lingerie store bag for a moment while handing me the first outfit she picked out, before including the bra and panty duo.

"Try this on and let's see how you look!"

I grimaced, "Really? The underwear too?"

Her voice came out warningly, "Roxas—"

"Right," I sighed, "Trust you. I get it."

Feeling the heat slowly returning to my face, I skittered off to get changed in the bathroom. Once my outfit was on, I inspected myself the bathroom mirror. I actually looked downright good… and I felt incredibly confident… and above all else, attractive. The bra and the way the skirt fell made it look like I had gentle curves, and my exposed navel piercing really tied the outfit together. I was actually excited to shave so I could see how I looked with smooth skin. The only part I wasn't quite sure of was the underwear, hoping the matte black material was enough to obscure my bits should someone catch a glimpse…

I was still admiring myself when there's a gentle knock on the door, "Are you finished?" Xion's voice was muffled but I could sense the exasperation laced through it, and it quite honestly ticked me off.

"Yeah, I guess." I opened the door to show her the outfit, and I watched her attitude shift instantly when she let out a pleased whistle.

"Oooh look at you, you pretty little thing! You're gonna be the belle of the ball!" She handed me another outfit, "Try this one next!"

I spent the rest of the morning modeling different combinations of the outfits for Xion's entertainment. I wasn't sure how she did it, but the way each article fit me somehow managed to accentuate my nonexistent figure. What I lacked in curves, the clothes managed to make up for in kind. As each outfit went on and off, I felt more and more confident with himself. By the end of it all, I was actually pretty stoked to go Sora's party—I got this amazing thrill from the thought of blending in as a beautiful stranger amongst my peers.

On the day of the party, I made sure to shave every centimeter of body hair exceptionally carefully. In fact, I spent so long in the shower that the water started to run cold, and I had to rinse myself off in a hurry. It was weird being so smooth all over, yet it was also a little exhilarating. I spent a lot of the day touching my newly-bare skin, marveling at the softness.

It felt like ages went by before Xion finally showed up; this time, she was carrying a fabric bag that I found out was full of makeup. After I changed into the underwear, cropped long sleeve, and plaid skirt, we sat down to get the wig on. This time, Xion secured it tightly; running her fingers through it a bunch and tugging it in different places to test the strength. It stayed put surprisingly well, as if it were my natural hair.

Xion smiled at me, holding up her beauty bag, "Ready for your makeup?"

Although I very well could have objected, I had already come to conclusion that it would probably reach this stage at some point. Plus, I didn't want there to be a chance that someone I know could recognize me, and I'd already made it that far. Accepting my fate, I nodded, and Xion set to work on painting my face. When the deed was done, she let out a squeal of delight.

"Finished! This is so awesome, Roxas, it's like having a boyfriend and a girlfriend! Take a look!"

When I went to look, I barely recognized myself in the mirror. The makeup is very lightweight: the boldest part being the winged eyeliner over shimmering brown eyeshadow, and mascara on my lashes, which I discovered are surprisingly long. Xion managed to bring out the most feminine aspects of my face—it was as if she was born to do this.

"Oh my god, Xion… thank you. I look… really beautiful." And I felt like it, too.

She did a little more primping after that: fluffing my hair, filling i my lips with a little peach lipstick, adjusting my skirt, and she even spritzed me with some lemony-scented perfume (muttering "Sora loves citrus" in the process).

"And now, for the finishing touch!" She handed me a pair of black, opaque, over-the-knee stockings; as I was putting them on, I realized something.

"Xion, I don't have any shoes for this outfit…"

But she was unperturbed, "You've got those black hi-tops right?"

Though I prefer my Vans, I somehow know she's talking about Chuck Taylors instead. "My Converse? Yeah."

"Then you've got your shoes… and your opening line. Sora loves his Chucks. At the party you just gotta walk up to him, break the ice with 'Oh look! We match!', and the rest should be smooth sailing."

Nodding thoughtfully, I once more allow myself to be immersed by the insanity as I finish pulling my stockings ups. Xion fixes them to be more even, and I finish the outfit with my Converse. Fortunately, my mom and dad were out to dinner, so I'm able to sneak out the back of my house without issue. Before Xion and I part ways, she plants her signature peck on my cheek; leaving me feeling floaty and free.

"Don't wanna ruin your makeup." She winks at me, and it plucks my heartstrings, "Call me when you're done."

Even though my friends and I were the unpopular kids, we wound up at Sora's parties several times before, so I fortunately already knew how to get there. On the walk to Sora's house, I utilized my time by practicing giving my voice a more feminine intonation. Having been in choir and theater for many years, I found it rather easy to maintain my tone as I spoke. The further I tread, the more I felt the anticipation swarming my insides with butterflies. Despite the walk feeling lengthy, it also felt like I'd arrived at Sora's house all too soon. It was apparent that there was a party raging inside, as dozens of voices and the sounds of music were buzzing through the door like a maelstrom of merriment. Knowing no one would answer the if I knocked, I simply let himself in; forcing myself to act natural as I did so.

At first nobody, paid me any mind… but as I began to creep through the crowd, feigning elegance as best as I could, the familiar faces of my classmates began to turn toward me. Fear clutched my chest—up until I realized the stares were not because of recognition… it was allure. Other guys were looking at me thirstily, while girls' eyes glinted at me callously. To them, I was fresh meat in a close-knit, small island town.

I couldn't help but beam, thinking I might really be the belle of the ball, after all.

My first goal was getting beer, so I made my way to the kitchen where I knew Sora kept all the kegs and other booze his guests generously provided. I picked up a red cup, but when I went to fill it from the keg, I found someone else was doing it for me.

"Allow me," I didn't need to see the person's face to recognize their voice.

Somehow maintaining my pitch under the pressure, I quietly responded, "Thank you."

"You look like you're new around here. The name's Axel." He wiggled his index finger to the tune of his words, "That's A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"

Right about here is where I had to do my damndest to stifle a laugh. There I was, being hit on by one of my best friends in the whole world—and he was completely none the wiser. Xion did some really good work! Though, it probably helps that the redhead was very clearly intoxicated at the moment…

"Nice to meet you, Axel." I muttered into my drink, trying to hide the stupid grin splitting my face.

"What's your name, cutie?"

…shit.

Xion and I never came up with a name! I barely even had a backstory! In a panic, my brain searched for something, anything that doesn't contain a semblance of the name "Roxas".

"I'm… Apate. Weird name, huh?"

"I think it's very nice," Axel slurs.

"Hey, Axel… you were right, I'm actually not from around here." I sipped my beer, finding myself being mindful of my lipstick, "Um… whose house is this?"

"My main man Sora's… got it memorized?"

Oh my god, I was not drunk enough to hear Axel's catchphrase so damn frequently…

"He's probably out smoking… shit, I need a cigarette myself." He bowed, extending his arm to the side, "Care to join me on the patio, m'lady?"

Since I was now drinking to tolerate Axel's drunken obnoxiousness, I'd been mid-sip of my beer when he said this. As you can imagine, I nearly died gagging on the liquid from trying no to let myself roar with laughter. Thankfully, Axel was aimlessly searching his person for something at the time, which gave me a few seconds to smother my choking. When he turned back to me, I nodded happily in response and followed him out. On the short walk, I tried to chug as much of the savory beer as as I could manage without ruining my makeup or puking—just in case Axel tried to involuntarily kill me again with his absurdity. In addition to that, I was hoping the liquid courage would kick in before I had to face Sora like this. We step onto the patio, and I take a moment to admire the view from Sora's back yard. The house sits on a woody hill that overlooks the beach, so there's a clear view of the sky, which is still on fire with the slow-setting sun of the Solstice as it descends into the ocean.

"Heeeey guys!" Axel called to a group standing to one side of the patio, "Can I bum a smoke?"

They collectively groaned, and a voice from among them playfully shouted back, "How about you buy your own, you ass!"

"Soooorr-y! My drunk ass lost my only pack!"

"Your drunk ass never has a pack!"

They continued to bicker as I followed Axel toward the group, seeing it's made up of many upperclassmen. Once each of them notice I'm there, all eyes are suddenly glued to me. At the very back of the pack is Sora, clad in jeans and a casual blue button-up. His eyes are cast downward as he fumbles with tapping and opening a fresh pack.

Once it's open, he goes to hand Axel a cigarette, "Here you go, Ax—" but he stops when we make eye contact. For some odd reason, my heart started to beat wildly, and a thrilling sensation began to creep all over me. I watched as Sora's eyes widened and a light blush spread across his tan cheeks. "Uh… hello." He said, still holding his pose despite Axel having taken the cigarette from him seconds ago.

Sora never even talked to me, let alone look at me in school. Now there I was, the Cinderella at the party… and the Prince's eyes were enchanted by me. The thought was positively elating, and a wave of determination began to swell inside me. Flashing him my best, cutest, coy smile, I respond; holding my hand out to shake. "Hi there. I'm Apate."

Sora transitioned from his frozen state into shaking my hand. "I'm Sora."

Just then, I remembered the ice breaker, and I decided to add it in just for the hell of it. "Hey look!" I said, pointing back and forth between our coordinating Chucks. "We match!"

The rest of the guys must have realized they were outmatched by Sora, because each of them had expressions of defeat and began snubbing their cigarettes in a hurry. They started to leave, each muttering something about topping off their beer, and I didn't have to turn my head very far to see them checking out my ass on their way out. After thanking Sora, Axel began staggering over to go bother the people inside the nearby hot tub, leaving us somewhat alone in the lightly bustling yard. Normally I would have just stared awkwardly at my shuffling feet at this juncture, but something about his new persona and a light buzz from the beer was giving me a nerve I didn't recognize.

"This is your parent's place right? It's a really beautiful home."

For the first time I'd ever seen, Sora… the two-time class-prez, social butterfly, Valedictorian, Sora… was being awkward. To me.

"Yeah… oh, uh. Thank you! I really like, you know. Living here." He glanced away, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, "Sooo… I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?"

"I'm visiting family for the summer. Heard you throw some wicked parties, so I decided to drop by." I copied this thing I've seen cute girls do in anime: bending a knee inwards and tapping a cheek with a finger. "I really hope you don't mind the intrusion… since I'm a stranger after all."

Sora just stared at me, and the dumbfounded look on his face made me question if I maybe overdid it. I wondered if Sora was thinking about how he can't believe his luck right now, or if he was desperately crafting a way to make his next move. Without breaking eye contact, Sora groped around at the table behind him, snagging his beer cup, then taking a mighty swig from it. Then, he retrieved the only burning cigarette on the same table's ashtray, flicking the ashes from it before bringing it to his lips. It seems within a second, his cool guy persona was revived.

"No, no, it's not an intrusion at all. You'll have to forgive me, Apate… it's so rare that I see any new faces around here," He took a smooth drag, letting the smoke drift from his lips as he finished his sentence, "Not to mention yours is quite gorgeous."

Now it's my turn to be stunned, as I felt that same creeping sensation from before crawl through my chest and down into my gut. I knew my face was red, and I couldn't help but genuinely giggle at the compliment; thanking Sora for it sheepishly.

We continued to talk outside for what seemed like forever: Sora chain smoking and both of us drinking the whole time. Since I didn't really have much more to this persona than a name and a smidge of background information, I decided to just be myself. I expressed my love of skateboarding, video games, and strange pop culture facts. We went back and forth for a long time on games we like to play, and the most superior consoles—which we both agree is Playstation, by far. We ventured back inside to occasionally get more beer, but still ended up spending a majority of the night on the porch. Our hands brushed often, I found myself touching Sora's shoulders frequently, and we even laughed so hard at some point that we had to lean on one-another for support. The crow waned as the sun set, and even the people in the hot tub eventually wandered back inside—leaving us sitting atop the patio table, completely alone. Sora had just put out another cigarette, and I'd been babbling on in a drunken state about something nonsensical, until Sora moved a hand to brush my cheek.

Sounding completely sober despite however many liters of booze we'd drank, he said, "Hey I know this is kind of out of nowhere but… can I kiss you?"

On any other day, the normal Roxas might have been confused, and maybe even apprehensive… but tonight, I could only excitedly think: Sora wants to kiss me?

Although I was sure I was smiling at him, Sora began to falter from the extended silence. "Sorry if it's a little sudden… I'm so sorry. Normally I'm not this forward, but I just…"

Feeling like I was in a dream or some cheesy movie, I found myself pressing a finger to Sora's lips to hush him. "It's okay, Sora," I whispered, "Just kiss me."

At this, Sora smiled, then moved in to press his lips against mine softly. The smell of cigarettes was still prevalent on Sora's breath, but I didn't mind at all. I let myself melt into the kiss, feeling like the moment was perfect. We kissed and kissed, and before I realized it, I was using the crook of Sora's neck to pull him closer. Our lips melded slowly, our tongues circling gently together. Sora's hand gripped the sweet space of skin between my skirt and stocking, and I wanted Sora's hand to keep sliding up, up, up… but I had to grip my thighs together in a vice to keep things tucked where they were supposed to be. Even though I thought ahead to prevent such a thing from happening, I knew that could only last for so long. We kissed harder and faster, then suddenly Sora broke away to trail his lips over my cheek, toward my ear, then down my neck; moving my hair before latching onto the skin and sucking, made easy by my shirt's scoop neck. Sora's hand moved up under the hem of my skirt, toward my ass, and I clenched my legs together even tighter—

Just then, the patio door slid open and we both instinctively pulled apart to see people hastily spilling into the backyard. Axel leaned out of the frame, bracing against the flood of bodies making a panicked exit, "H-hey Sora! Sorry to interrupt but someone called the cops."

If I'm Cinderella, that must've been my stroke of midnight. While I'd been holding Sora's attention, the party must have grown rowdy enough for a neighbor to become agitated from the noise and call the cops.

"Shit," Sora said, "Axel, Firebird protocol. Stat!"

"You got it!" Axel ducked back in, and even above the commotion we could hear him shouting, "FIREBIRD!" Just like that, several voices begin to call "Firebird!" from inside the house.

Hopping off the table, Sora turned to me and lifted me down by my hips onto the ground. He grabbed my hand and showed me to a clearing in the tall shrubs were many of the other guests were already funneling into. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the smoker group from before lugging the kegs and other booze into the throng of partygoers. "If you follow the crowd, you'll make it to a jogging path that'll take you onto the street. I gotta go handle this mess but…" He squeezed my hand, "Can I see you again?"

I didn't hesitate to answer, "Yes, absolutely."

"Come back here tomorrow night. My parents won't be home." I nodded, and Sora pulled me into another tender kiss. "See you then, beautiful." After Sora winked at me, he dashed back through the yard. I stood in awe for a few more seconds, feeling my chest fluttering as I watched Prince Charming disappear back into the house.

Reluctantly, I followed the crowd into the shrubs, and after a few moments of walking we were spit onto a nice running trail just as Sora said. When we eventually made it to the street, I found the trail opened up surprisingly close to my house, so I made a mental note of the path for tomorrow. Careful not to let the crowd see where I was going, I did his best to try slip behind my neighbors houses in an attempt to fake out my trail.

I came in through the backdoor, relieved to find it was open. The party must have been cut pretty short, as there was no evidence of my parents being home from dinner yet. Although, I couldn't help but creep up the stairs anyway—feeling like a stranger in my own home. Still pretty drunk, I flopped down onto my bed and sighed happily, the events of the party causing me to get goosebumps. It was a pretty perfect night… becoming Apate made being Roxas seem almost like a joke. I played with my fake hair a little bit, wondering how much of my lipstick remained after drinking—imagining if I left any on Sora's face. Before I knew it, I was grinning like an idiot, completely pleased with myself. I rolled over to grab my phone, which I left at home because I didn't want someone to somehow identify me that way… not that I had a way to carry it in the first place. How do girls survive without pockets, anyway? Hm… oh, right! Purses… which I'm pretty sure are hella expensive on their own. The fashion industry is messed up, man. I was about to Moogle how to take a wig off when I realized there were 14 missed calls from Xion.

Shit. I'd completely forgotten! I was so caught up in the moment, I forgot I was doing this all for Xion's sake. Hurriedly, I called her back; my former elation turning sour in my throat as I nervously bit my lip.

The line only rang one-and-a-half times. Instead of answering like a normal person, she screamed, "ROXAS!" Which made me flinch away from my phone, "I've been trying to call you all night! What the shit is wrong with you?!"

"What's wrong with me? Xion, you called me 14 times! I left my phone at home because I couldn't carry it—"

She cut me off, "You did it right? You got into his room?"

I sighed, "No, somebody called the cops."

"Are you kid—" I heard her scream suddenly into the room (and away from the phone fortunately), "Son of a bitch!"

"Jesus, Xion, calm down. I'm going back over there tomorrow night."

In a venomous voice, she asked, "You didn't kiss him right? You seduced him but you didn't kiss him… right?"

My throat knotted, and for some reason I felt obligated to lie. "No, god no… Why are you freaking out so much?"

There's a long moment of Xion clearly practicing breathing exercises on the other line, and I wondered how much shit I'd be in if I just hung up on her and went to sleep.

Finally, she spoke, "Sorry, Roxas. It won't happen again. I'm just a little stressed out. I'll come over and help you take off your wig and makeup—"

It's my turn to cut her off, "It's okay, Xion. I can do it myself, don't worry about me. Get some rest, okay?"

She let out a sigh. "Yeah, okay. I'll come over tomorrow to do your makeup. 4 pm sound good?"

"Yep."

"Okay. Goodnight."

I hung up, relieved and grateful for the quiet. What a great way to end a night… Spitefully, I couldn't help but think about not blaming Sora one bit for breaking up with her.

Taking up a good portion of the next day, I managed to sleep off my hangover. When I finally awoke in the late afternoon, I took another long shower; triple-checking my body hair to make sure none of it had grown back, and touched up anything I might have missed the day before. When Xion arrived later that day, she acted like the conversation we had last night went on without a hitch, which somewhat unsettled me. I decided to pick my outfit this time: black high-waisted shorts and a burgundy chiffon crop top. I figured the shorts, if I tucked myself just the right way, would be less likely to expose methan a skirt. Xion suggested I wear the black stockings again, and I found they did really tie the outfit together. She seemed happy to do my makeup and fix my wig again, whistling while she worked. When she was done, my face looked about the same as last night, minus the extra eyeshadow on my eyes, and with brick-colored lips instead of peach.

Xion gives me another spritz of the perfume, saying, "A simple look for a simple girl!" before moving in to peck me on the lips.

However, I just couldn't bring myself to do it… so at the last second, I turned my head so her lips met my cheek.

"My lipstick…" I muttered.

"Oh! You're right. Good call."

We parted ways in my backyard around 5 pm, and I made sure to let Xion know I'm still leaving my phone at home just in case. I texted my parents earlier to tell them I'd be at a friend's house, and to not expect me back until later. My hope was that this whole ordeal would go on long enough that they'd be asleep when I returned.

I took the jogging trail to get to Sora's house, retracing my steps until I was in Sora's backyard. It was completely spotless; all signs of the night's chaos were completely gone. Coming up to the glass patio door, I peered in to see if there was any sign of Sora. I knocked as loudly as I could, and within a few seconds Prince Charming was zipping over to slide the door open.

"Hey, Apate," Sora greeted me, and it sounded pretty odd to hear the name aloud again, "Come on in." I entered, once more awed by the fact the house is completely clean. "So I wasn't sure when you were coming over, but I thought I might make you some food when you got here… if you're interested."

Just then, I realized how hungry I was. Since I was so nervous about today, I just kept drinking coffee to stave my appetite instead of eating real food.

"That would be amazing."

Sora put on a patterned red apron and directed me to the kitchen breakfast nook; setting to work making lomi-lomi salmon, one of our island's classic meals. Though I really wanted to assist—after all, mom didn't raise a bad houseguest—Sora refused no matter how desperately I offered. As Sora prepared the meal, we continuously talked. I found out about Sora's acceptance into University of Destiny Islands, which I was happy to reveal I'd also been accepted to. Eventually, Sora started to talk about his school life, which outside my daily observations was a complete mystery to me. I was in the edge of my seat, listening intently.

"It's weird, it feels like one day I woke up and everyone started to like me all of a sudden. I used to be this lazy asshole, but then I decided I wanted to run for class president. People I didn't even know were recognizing me in the halls after that. I was getting invited to the upperclassmen parties… then I was throwing the parties."

"That reminds me… How'd it go last night after I left?"

He shrugged, chopping the salmon into uniform cubes, "Surprisingly, just fine. I answered the door, and the cops apologized for wasting my time because they know my family and know I'm a good kid. Damn shame, too, it was a really great party." He gave me a knowing look, and I returned it with a smile.

"On that note, I gotta ask: what's the 'Firebird protocol'?"

Sora cracked a massive grin, "Cool name, huh? I very fortunately live in an area where most of my neighbors are out of town as often as my parents are, so there's never been a noise complaint until yesterday. Still, every now and again a party has to get broken up at some point, right? So my friends and I have the Firebird protocol: all the cups are thrown away, all the booze is carried out of the house, the people are kicked out, and anything incriminating that may be visible from the front door is removed."

I chuckled, "You friends can do all of that drunk?"

Sora chuckled back, "Oh, you'd be surprised."

Once the food was ready to be eaten, we moved to the dining table and continue to talk; I mostly asked Sora more questions about his life, since I'm genuinely curious. After dinner, we shared a bowl of homemade, double-churned sea-salt ice cream that was so delicious I thought I died from happiness for a minute… because it was absolute heaven.

We stepped outside so Sora could have a post-dessert smoke, and on one of the last few drags he ventured, "So uh… do you wanna come upstairs? To my room? I've got this great co-op game called 'Love in Dangerous Spacetime'..."

"Say no more!" I said, interrupting him, "I love that game!"

Sora's room is surprisingly simple for how grandiose his parent's house is: there's a desk in the corner beneath several bookshelves stuffed with textbooks, his bed is covered by a silky black duvet cover atop red sheets, and the floor in front of his bed has a couple of bean-bag chairs sitting where his Playstation 4 and TV are. The room is lit by a single, warm lamp; causing the area to have a peacefully dim glow. We plopped down into the chairs, and played the game for what felt like ages. Giving each other directions, having frequent close-calls, honing our cooperative abilities… we make it pretty far until a particularly devastating barrage of enemies cracks apart our momentum. We groan in unison, total defeat staring us in the face… before breaking into a fit of laughter.

"Holy shit!" I sighed, "I think I need a break! That was brutal."

"You said it," Sora stood before offering a hand to lift me up off the bean-bag. I didn't realize how stiff my lower body had gotten until I was using my legs, so I took the opportunity to stretch a little bit. In my peripherals, I noticed that Sora wasn't doing a good job of hiding the fact his eyes were flicking around to take me in, since different little tidbits of myself became exposed with each new pose. Despite this, he maintained his cool. "Anything you want to do in the meantime?"

I finished stretching and turned to face him completely. We stared at each other for a long moment, and I was sure the look on my face said Do you really need to ask?

It wasn't more than a few seconds later that our mouths were coming together, and I was falling back onto the bed with Sora on top of me. We kissed harder and sloppier than before, despite being sober that time around. We licked and nipped each other, Sora's hand finding that space above my stockings again, before moving in a quick ascent to squeeze my ass. Moaning against his lips, I found myself wrapping my legs around Sora's waist to give him better access. Sora grinded right into me then, and I gasped; the tightness of my shorts made the movement a little uncomfortable. However, being uncomfortable was the least of my concerns as I was mostly just hoping Sora wouldn't notice my hardness through the combined thickness of our pants. The hand that was on my ass began to slide up my side, slipping over my stomach and underneath the loose chiffon of my top with complete ease. I could feel Sora gingerly gripping the bra, and I was grateful it fits flush enough against me that the limited padding might make it seem like I actually have breasts. Sora kept grinding me, and kissing me, and I was almost dizzy from it all. All of a sudden I wanted Sora to call my name, not "Apate". I wanted Sora to see Roxas, to see me… not Apate.

After asking me for permission, Sora began to lift my crop top; I watched as an excited look flashed across his face when he noticed the front-latch in the dimly-lit room. He went to unclip it and I started to panic, grabbing his hands to stop him.

"W-wait!" But when I saw Sora's genuine expression of concern, I stared second-guessing myself, "I uh… I hope you don't mind. I have… really, really… small breasts."

Blinking down at me, Sora responded, "I can swear to you right now that I don't mind at all. Not one bit."

Nervously, I removed my hands and allowed Sora to continue. He popped my bra apart, and I desperately hoped that my chest somehow looked more feminine in the limited lighting. Without a moment's pause, Sora leaned down and swirled his tongue around one of my nipples.

Admittedly, I always had fantasies of being with another guy. Though, in retrospect, I never really came out as bi to anyone—it's really nobody's business except for mine… but I know that's what I am, and I'm open to that part of myself. At this point, I was completely ready to go all the way with Sora. He moved his mouth down my ribs, over to my bellybutton, and flicked his tongue over my piercing as his hands reached for the buttons on my high-waisted shorts.

Don't stop… don't stop…

But I had to stop him, because if Sora continued, he'd find out Apate is really just me, Roxas… and this will all be over.

Initially I meant to say Sora's name in a cautioning manner, but instead I moaned it—

There's an obnoxious buzzing from the bedside table, and Sora paused for just a second to glance up.

"If it's important, they'll leave a voicemail."

But the phone just kept buzzing, as if locked in a perpetual state of grievance.

Sora groaned, muttering something about turning it off as he reached for the device. However, when he saw the screen, his face went pale. He mouthed, "Are you shitting me?" as the device furiously vibrated in his hand.

I took this as my chance to postpone my inevitable doom, removing my legs from Sora's waist while saying, "You should probably get that."

Looking down at me, Sora had the expression of a dead man walking. He looked grimly at his phone before getting off of me. "I'll only be a minute, okay?" he left the room, leaving me alone and feeling somewhat exposed. As I was clipping my bra back together, I heard Sora's voice from the hall, "Please stop—oh my god. Xion, please… please stop calling me."

Everything clicked in my head at that moment, and I remembered my original purpose. I hustled over to the corner, where a laptop was sitting closed on Sora's desk. I opened it, and felt relieved to find it doesn't require a password after being in rest mode. I paused, my hands hovering over the keyboard.

Xion never even gave me a clue as to where I should start looking.

The panic rose in my chest, my ears became suddenly exponentially more aware of the conversation Sora was having.

"Xion, I'm not going to do that. It's over, and I mean for good. You need to get a grip, I keep telling you this… seriously? I broke up with you because you were freaking me out. ...no! Why can't you just accept that you drive me crazy and that's why I don't want to be with you?"

No… what if there's no place to find any proof because there is no proof? What if the blackmail Xion is trying to get... is Apate? No... it's me...

Gently, I closed Sora's laptop, and adjusted my clothes. I used Sora's attached bathroom to fix my hair and makeup, which I had surprisingly come to adore. When Sora returned, he smiled sadly at me, knowing the mood has long since been killed.

"Sorry about that… it's, uh…"

But I really didn't give a shit at this point, so I wrapped my arms around Sora's neck and kissed him deeply. "Don't apologize," I whispered between kisses, eventually moving up to nip Sora's earlobe. "I have to go for now… but can I come back tomorrow?"

"Yes, please, please, do."

Before I even registered the words coming out of my mouth, my lips were right against Sora's ear and I was saying, "I want to finish where we left off."

Sora pulled back suddenly, looking taken aback; though I was surprised at myself too, I tried to hold my expression steady. His brows furrowed in concern, "Are you… are you sure?" Nodding, I bit my lip, and watched as Sora's tan face got noticeably red. I still couldn't believe I was making the most popular guy at the school this nervous. "Y-yeah… okay. Yeah, let's uh… same time tomorrow?"

"That sounds perfect."

Back at home, it was late enough at night that I managed to sneak into the house without disturbing my sleeping parents. In my room, I set to work stripping myself of Apate as I called Xion to give her an update.

She answered on the first ring, wryly asking "So? How'd it go?"

I shrugged to no one in particular, "We played video games and hung out."

Clearly agitated, Xion responded, "That's all?"

"Yep."

"Did you—"

"Kiss him? Nope."

There's a long silence on her end, and I almost found it entertaining at this point to try and piss Xion off as much as I can.

Finally, she continued speaking in a tone reminiscent of a spoiled child, "Well, I don't know if you realized it yet but I blew up Sora's phone tonight to get you some time alone time in his room. Did you find the stuff?"

"Oh! Well… you see… it was a valiant effort on your part, to be sure… but there just wasn't enough time for me to dig through his computer. And since you were on the phone with him, that wasn't an option either. Sorry."

"Are you shitting me, Roxas?! Are you just dicking around while I've been waiting here in devastation, hoping you'll come through for me?! You're sick! Is toying with my emotions some kind of game to you?!"

I felt this conversation was incredibly hypocritical, but I maintained my calm and somehow flushed the sarcasm from my voice. "Please calm down, Xion. I'm really sorry. You can't honestly expect him to leave a person he's only just met alone in his room for an extended period of time, can you? I'm going back over there tomorrow night, and I promise it will be taken care of." For good measure, I added a little cherry of top, "Trust me and trust the plan, right?"

She let out the most obnoxious, melodramatic sigh at this. "Fine… fine! I'll see you tomorrow." and much to my relief, she hung up without another word.

On the morning of the third day, I made sure to get up early and have breakfast with my parents so they wouldn't think I was dead after not seeing me for two days. I quadruple checked myself for body hair in the shower, spending the afternoon munching chips, drinking more coffee, and fretting about what I'd wear… moreover, what I'd say to Sora.

"Hey Sora. I'm a dude. Sorry."

"Hey Sora. Xion is trying to blackmail you through me. Sorry."

"Hey Sora. I don't know why I told you I wanted to finish were we left off 'cause you're not gonna like what I'm about to say…"

Should I even show up as Apate? Should I show up at all? Maybe it's better leaving Sora lost in a mystery than revealing the truth to him… and I still didn't even know what to say to Xion, either!

I worried for so long that I didn't even realize how quickly time had passed, and before I knew it I was being startled out of my ponderings by the doorbell. When I opened the door, Xion entered silently and went straight up to my room. Up there, I already had the final outfit laid on my bed. Yet another crop-top, this time a white halter style with a plunging back that would show off the intricate lacing of my bra. With it, I'll be wearing a cherry-colored skater skirt and the usual black stockings. Since this particular skirt has pockets, I decided to take my phone with me this time, just in case. Wordlessly, Xion did my makeup using a combination of the looks from the last two nights: shimmering eyeshadow below winged eyeliner, brick-hued lipstick. She fixed my wig on, making sure it fit tight, and left without saying goodbye or even attempting to peck my cheek… which was honestly just fine with me. It's obvious she could tell something was up, and I really didn't look forward to speaking with her anyway.

So here I am, nearly at Sora's house from the hidden path; ruminating about how I got to this point and were I'll go from here. Before I know it, I'm walking up through the backyard, and this time Sora is waiting for me at the patio, smoking a cigarette. As I approach, I spot Sora's eyes darting wildly up and down my figure once again; I somehow feel both incredibly confident and horrendously terrified at the same time. Once I'm closer, he exhales one last puff of smoke and snubs the cancer-stick in the ashtray.

"Sora…" I start, but lips are on mine an instant, and I can feel myself being lifted up and onto the patio table. The warm glass, heated by the summer air, feels odd against my mostly-bare backside as Sora's hands slide along my outer thighs.

"Sorry," Sora mutters against my mouth, "You're just so irresistible."

The words bang around in my body, sending chills everywhere they land. I'm not sure if it's right to ask Sora to take me upstairs, but I do it anyway. We can barely manage the climb up to Sora's room amid making out. When we do finally make it into the bedroom, Sora is pressing me flush against the door, our teeth clicking together from the harshness of our kiss.

I have to stop this. I have to tell him.

But my head is dizzy with passion, and I can't find the words I know are hiding in my consciousness. Sora is biting into my neck and sucking on the fresh marks when I finally find the breath to say something.

"Sora, wait…" I gasp out, "Wait, there's… there's something I need to tell you."

He comes to a complete halt, the the air fills with the eerie sound of silence…

Then, Sora sighs, "Actually, there's something I need to tell you too." He completely pulls away from me to look me dead in the eyes. "I know it's you, Roxas."

My heart drops into my stomach, and I feel all the color completely wash from my face. I'm certain my soul has left my body at this moment, because I feel like I'm viewing this scene from a third perspective; like I'm standing off to the side in the spirit world. "Ah…" I completely choke on my words.

"Roxas, I know it's you… but I don't care. I don't care at all."

Swallowing hard, and feeling my perspective shifting back to normalcy, I respond, "When did you find out?"

Sora motions me toward the bed, and we sit next to one another.

"Well… I had my first suspicions at the party."

How is that possible? Not even Axel could tell who I was.

He continues, "You looked—still look, actually—so goddamned gorgeous, and I'm not sure how I recognized you… but it was obvious that you were flirting with me on purpose… and I guess I really wanted you to." He scratches his cheek, "And the name... 'Apate'? The Greek Goddess of Deceit? Come on, dude. You and I were the best students in Mr. Phil's World Mythology class."

I can't help but grimace at this. I was hoping my luck would have been a little more favorable than that. "Yeah, but it was kinda clever though, right?"

He chuckles, "It was amazingly clever, actually. I thought I was in a movie. It all really came together, though, when we were drinking and I heard your voice drop to normal a couple times."

Damn alcohol helping ruin my persona!

"And quite honestly, it was…" He lowers his volume, "...also pretty easy to tell when you had a boner—"

In response, I shamefully duck my face into my hands. "Oh my god…!"

"Not that I mind at all! If I'm being honest…" He gently pulls my hands away and looks into my eyes, "I've seen you in the hallways, I've seen you in classes, I've even seen you at my parties… but I've always had girlfriends, or friends blocking you off like a wall. I've always wanted to get to know you and I was afraid it was too late. Then suddenly, you were right there in front of me, looking so incredibly gorgeous—and at first I thought I was in a dream. But then, I just went with it." He was holding both of my hands in his now, "Before I knew it things were escalating, and I didn't know how to tell you… and I'm so sorry it took so long for me to… and I'm sorry you kept going through so much effort to pretend for me…"

And suddenly, I find myself laughing in relief, "I spent all this time time wondering how I was going to tell you the truth and how you might feel about me afterwards… you cannot believe how happy it makes me to hear you say all of that. But…" Here comes the hard part, "I also have to tell you something else. The reason I did this isn't quite what you think…" I force myself to say it before I can wuss out, "Xion asked me to. I think she wanted to blackmail you using me but… but once I showed up to the party, all I could think of was how good it made me feel to see you look at me like that. I ended up sabotaging a lot of her plans so I could see you more, and kiss you more. And admittedly… it was really fun taking on this persona I created. It's fun to become a different person, other than plain-old Roxas."

"Roxas, there's nothing plain about you. I know all the stuff you told me about Apate's personality is actually about you, a quite frankly, I think you're incredible."

I completely beam at this, thanking him. The more we talk, the more I feel weight dropping off my shoulders. There's just one last thing I need to know: "Sora… if you don't mind me asking, what happened with Xion?"

He shrugs, "Well, I'm afraid it's not as dramatic as it seems. Things were going pretty smoothly for a long time, but all of a sudden she was getting really verbally abusive… even physically violent. She was always finding new ways to crush my confidence, and I felt like her servant more than her she found out I got accepted to a different college than her, she totally freaked out convinced herself I'd cheated on her and was running away to be with a side piece… it was insanity. So I ended it. I guess she was so wrapped up in her own crazy that she tried to rope you into it too. She even called last night, begging me to take her back."

I grit my teeth. Goddamned cunt. Then, I just feel guilty. I can't believe I trusted her insanity… of course, my Logic side was right all along. "Sora, I'm really, really, really, sorry about the trouble…"

Sora balks at me, "What are you apologizing to me for?! Xion is terrifying and surprisingly manipulative. Plus, I could have said anything at some point and I didn't!"

I chuckle, "I guess we're both in a odd situation. Let's just call it even." I glance down at my legs, reaching down to lift the hem of my skirt a little, "Anyway, I better take Apate's outfit off, huh?" I look back at Sora, and I'm pretty sure we're having the same idea… but I want to hear him say it.

"Actually, uh…" He starts, "You should… leave it on for now."

I respond by planting my lips on his.

After I peel what's left of Apate off my body, we go shower together; using some makeup remover Sora snagged from his parent's bathroom to wash the last remnants of this persona from my face.

We dry off and I use the bathroom mirror to swoop my hair back into it's normal shape. Sora comes up behind me and kisses my shoulder. "Much better," He says, admiring my clean visage in the mirror. "Promise you'll keep the stockings around, though?"

I figured that went without saying.

I borrow some PJs from Sora, and we begin the next hardest part of this whole ordeal: confronting Xion. He and I bounce ideas around for what to say, and the ways we can create a logic trap that'll make her incriminate herself. We sit next to the open window as Sora puffs on another cigarette, waiting for her to pick up her phone as the line rings.

"Roxas!" Her voice sounds even more shrill when it's on speaker, "Quit leaving your phone off!"

Before she can descend into another hissy fit, I interject. "Hey Xion, it's okay! We were watching a movie and Sora fell asleep on the living room couch. I'm in this room right now, on his computer. I even have his phone with me, unlocked!"

"Oh… oh! Well… good! What have you found so far?"

"That's actually why I'm calling. Where do I need to start looking?"

"That seems obvious. His texts? His social media?"

"Yeah about that, Xion… I checked all of those… there's literally nothing here that says he cheated."

"Well he could have deleted all of it! Look harder!"

"I need you to start being more helpful if I'm going to pull this off, Xion."

"... Helpful?" The sudden calm in her voice is frightening, but the feeling doesn't last as her voice comes crackling back so loudly that the two of us jump in our seats. "HELPFUL?! Roxas, you piece of shit, I have been nothing but helpful to your stupid ass! Yeah maybe calling the cops on Sora's party wasn't the best idea I've ever had, but what was I supposed to do? You wouldn't pick up your phone, and I knew your cheating skank as had your hands all over my boyfriend!"

No need for logic traps here, folks.

Sora chimes in just then, "Wow! I told you, I am not your boyfriend anymore. You can't handle rejection and you're a party pooper? That cuts deep, Xion."

There's a mess of confused sputtering noises coming from Xion, so I add, "Yeah, Xion… you didn't mention that you were still trying to get back together with Sora when you offered to be my girlfriend. Super commendable."

The sputtering continues, and Sora asks, "Mind telling us what your original plan was, anyway?"

Then… silence. In a completely blunt voice, Xion responds, "I wanted to tell you the truth about Roxas and blackmail you to get back together with me."

We share a bemused look, and Sora asks, "How could you have blackmailed me?"

"I was gonna tell the school that Roxas successfully crossdressed to get in your pants, and that you cheated on me with him. I was gonna use both of your reputations as a bargaining chip."

That was the plan I was supposed to trust?!

"In what universe would have have worked?!"

"It was a foolproof plan until Roxas screwed it up!"

"Hold on a sec, Xion," Sora mutters through the cigarette in his lips, tapping around on his phone for a moment. "Roxas, I sent you something on Mooglebook."

I open the notification as it appears on my phone screen.

[Relationship Request: Accept? Deny?]

Now I'm laughing hysterically, tapping accept without a second thought.

Xion's voice creeps from the phone, "What? What is it?"

Sora responds, "Now… 'tis I who has officially screwed up your plan, Xion! Have a good summer."

Before she can say anything else, I hang up the phone and toss it to the side. Then I lean in and give Sora a massive kiss.

Xion texted me later: [Congratu-fucking-lations. You can keep all the girl stuff, by the way. Sora LOVES sluts!]

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,

And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

William Shakespeare, A Midsummer's Night Dream

Exeunt.

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day!

This fanfiction was actually based on a really, really weird dream I had, and as I was writing it in my dream journal I realized that it might actually make a fun story. I've been trying different styles out lately to see if it helps me become more efficient with writing. The initial full draft of this one took about a day and a half to write, start to finish, without going back to make any revisions.

Normally, I can't stand highschool AUs because there are a billion of them and they're all roughly the same. (And yes, I am a hypocrite since I've written a few myself… but it seems almost like a rite of passage for FF writers at this point.) I hope this one breaks the mold a little bit, and that maybe even one person finds it a breath of fresh air in this otherwise stagnant genre. I might even rewrite this story from Sora's perspective at one point, who knows?

References and Inspirations

- William Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream, just it case it wasn't made exceptionally clear.

- Fun fact: this story has a shit ton of my personal kinks in it! Unnnf. I guess it makes sense why I'd dream about it. *shrug*

- Pinterest! When I was trying to get a clear image of "Apate", I was using it to look up all kinds of cute shit.

- John Green. God I hope he never reads this, but I've been reading a lot of his novels lately and I think they're super cute. Maybe it's his fault that I had that dream in the first place!

- "Get a Grip (ft. Gibbs)" by Gramatik. It's a hilarious song.

- Wine. Looooots of wine. SO MUCH WINE.

Please please PLEASE favorite, follow, review, send kudos, add bookmarks… anything! Im still happily taking positive constructive criticism, too! I am always looking to improve my writing.

Thank you!