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guiltyhearts · 2 years ago

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Zine Fic: Candy Roses

Pairing: Roxas/Namine (RokuNami)

Characters: Roxas, Namine, Original Characters (OCs), other KH characters mentioned

Summary:

Twilight Town is just like any other charmingly small town in that it loves its gossip and it can't know when to quit. Especially when it comes to the love lives of its residents, old and new. They will tell you that they know what's really going down between their resident candyman Roxas and the new florist, Naminé. But there are some details that are not meant for even the sneakiest and hungriest of gossips. The most patient and romanitcally-inclined among the gossips know that they only need to wait for Roxas and Naminé to prove them right.

Or, the story of how two introverted business owners fell in love while living in a quirky town that can't mind its own business.

A/N: This was written for @rokunamizine, a nonprofit zine for RokuNami in predominantly AU settings. That was what partly inspired me to write a story where Twilight Town is just a little bit weirder and quirkier, like the town in ‘Gilmore Girls’, Stars Hollow. But with none of the pop-culture references. I’m so excited to be sharing my story here! I want to thank the moderators of the zine for giving me the opportunity to write for their zine, and to meet other writers and artists who produced just some of the best pieces!

A special thanks to @somniumars for creating this special banner for the fic!

The zine store is currently still open for leftover sales, so if you’re interested do check it out!

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Twilight Town was the sort of town that saw beauty in the absurdly weird and liked to celebrate its history. It was also a town that loved gossip, especially about the love lives of its citizens. The love story of the previous owners of the flower and candy shops was particularly juicy: featuring betrayal, public screaming matches, and failing businesses.

So when news broke that a young woman would be moving into town and opening a flower shop in late March, people were quick to speculate, especially because there was so little information about her. All the townspeople knew definitively was her name: Naminé.

Amongst the speculation was a not-so-innocent observation that she and the owner of the current candy and ice-cream shop, Roxas, would meet and strike up a doomed romance, if history was any indication. Much to his frustration, Roxas was forced to hear people “inconspicuously” discuss it within his vicinity.

(“I am asking you politely to please move aside for customers if you aren’t here to buy anything.” “You told us to buzz off!”)

Naminé’s arrival coincided with the annual Starlight Festival, so no one paid her much attention. Although it was her first day and she was exhausted from moving, the festive air piqued her interest, and she ventured out later that night, following the star patterns on the sidewalk to the town square. At the center, the gazebo adorned with luminous fairy lights beckoned. Meanwhile, Roxas closed shop at 6pm to join his friends. Even if the romantic overtones of the festival couldn’t be ignored, there was always food, and there was no denying how picturesque the town square looked that night.

Halfway through the evening, the town’s mayor stood at the gazebo to address the crowd by retelling the legend of the lovers who found each other in the darkest of nights.

“Under the cover of night, they ran away to find each other. Though hope seemed lost, the stars shone brightly, lighting a path for them to follow until it brought them here.” The mayor pointed to the ground where he stood. “At this spot, the lovers were united at last.”

From across the gazebo, their eyes met. They did not gaze at each other for long, but it was still enough. Even as they spent the rest of the night with other people, they periodically glanced at each other, but did not catch the other person’s eye again.

For two weeks after the festival, the townsfolk could only talk about the new florist and how mysterious she seemed. The most curious and bored of these citizens deliberated over any occasion that Naminé and Roxas could have had contact together. Even when the consensus was that they were certainly in love by now, there was no straight story as to how it started.

The fact is, their first proper meeting was at a party. Having befriended Naminé almost right away, Olette, who worked in the town hall, invited her newest friend to meet her oldest friends. This included Roxas, who could rival Naminé as the quietest person in the room. In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, the two quietest people soon found each other.

After cursory introductions were made, Naminé said, “I wanted to see you.”

“Really?” asked Roxas. He couldn’t help but smile as Naminé’s cheeks blushed a rosy pink.

“What I mean is, I wanted to thank you in person.” At Roxas’s confusion, she elaborated, “For the business owners’ welcome package.”

“Oh. It wasn’t much. I hope you liked the candy.”

“I did. I had to pace myself so I wouldn't eat it all, especially the candied apricots.”

Roxas brightened. “You liked those?”

“I did!” And she meant it.

It was his turn to blush. “Thanks. I’m really glad you do. But if anything, I should be thanking you for your gift. The flower’s really nice, and the thank-you note too.” Your handwriting is as cute as your art, he wanted to add. “I’ve been trying to take good care of it.”

“Pansies just need regular watering, and they do better away from direct sunlight in the afternoon,” Naminé explained. “But if you need any help, you can come to me.” For more than plant care advice, I hope.

And just like that, Roxas and Naminé were on their way to becoming friends.

At that same town square later that spring, the two of them swapped childhood stories. They marveled at the ease with which they could talk about themselves and share so much of their lives.

(“You really wanted to be a bee?!” “I had just learnt about them, I thought that was the only way I could understand—stop laughing!”)

While walking his dog on an August afternoon, Roxas shared his early missteps in running his own business right after college.

(“So what did you do with the extra five pounds of salt you ‘accidentally’ ordered?” “Put those fingers down. What didn’t go into the sea-salt ice cream went into the salt taffy. For two months...”)

Naminé shared her own college stories with gentle encouragement (and a little ice cream bribery) while drying off from the annual Water Gun Fight during the first September weekend.

(“And that’s the one and only time I ever went to a rave.” “You still design tattoos for free though, right?”)

By October, they were good friends, maybe even best friends. But somehow not a couple. Some of the sharpest and most gossipy eyes among the townsfolk were quick to latch onto moments where they were seen in public together as undeniable proof that they were deeply in love and could not be kept apart. he more skeptical folks were just as quick to point out that they could simply be friends who shared a close platonic bond.

But even the most observant of starry-eyed gossips can miss some details. Like how, late one night in early November, Roxas and Naminé drove to a grassy hill that overlooked the town in all its dimly lit glory. The sky was unusually clear and so the stars were especially bright. It was the perfect night to stargaze, to feel immersed in this cosmic wonder with the person next to you. As if moved by the stars themselves, they faced each other at the same time and leaned forward. They could still see stars under their closed eyes as their lips met. Her soft breaths mingled with his and the heat of his cheeks on her cool fingers proved equally enchanting. In the space between their lips they whispered a quiet desire for the night to not end here. They hoped it was only the beginning.

One day in the first week of February, the local diner was abuzz when Roxas and Naminé walked in together wearing matching red scarves! Matching! Red! Scarves!

So what if they were not perfectly identical? Two people of opposite genders were together, wearing matching clothing! They had to be dating! It took considerable patience from Roxas to not snap at the other diners, and even Naminé was visibly bothered but said nothing. Had she known the scarves would be such a big deal to the townsfolk, she might have risked the terrible cold and put hers away beforehand.

(But when she remembered an earlier moment, when she brushed stray snowflakes off Roxas’s thicker scarf first, and how Roxas followed by pulling her closer to his face with her own scarf, she couldn’t really regret it. When she tried the same thing later at his doorstep, his dopey grin told her he had no regrets of his own.)

But that was all the town had—speculation and gossip. There was no undeniable proof after all until early March at the town’s annual Pick-a-Nic Basket Auction.

Always hosted at the town square, participants would put together a picnic basket that would be up for auction. The basket-makers would also be available to spend time with the person who won if they so desired. While this was not mandatory, it had become so commonplace that it was all but accepted as a way for couples, established and prospective, to make public displays. The town’s favorite secret couple provided their own baskets from their businesses, both going for high bids. They would not bid on each other’s baskets, lest they get the rumor mill running. It did not go unnoticed that Naminé arrived with Olette instead of Roxas. Meanwhile, it was suspicious that Roxas neither raised his hand nor his voice over Naminé’s picnic basket, even when the town’s deputy sheriff and local pain in the rear, Seifer, placed a bid.

Then a basket strapped to a red skateboard was on the docket, courtesy of Hayner, the manager of the town’s skateboard shop.

“Also, the winner gets skateboarding lessons from me and Roxas!” he announced.

The bidding started at $10, but it was not long before bids started coming in, mainly from young women seizing on the chance to get Roxas’s company at last. It was down to two women, Selphie and Rikku, who kept upping each other’s bids. When the bid reached $60, that seemed to be it. The auctioneer, Old-Man McCartney, raised his gavel to close the bid…

“$100!” a voice cried out, shaky but loud. Every head turned, agog to see quiet, meek Naminé standing straight and determined. This included Roxas, who stood awestruck on the other side of the gazebo.

“$101!” one of the girls shouted to no avail.

“$150!” Naminé cried immediately, almost frantically.

“150 going once, going twice…” Old-Man McCartney banged his gavel on the podium. “Sold!”

Naminé kept her head down as she collected the basket-skateboard combo and made her way out of the crowd amidst the (gleefully gosippy) whispers.

“Wow, I didn’t know Naminé wanted skateboarding lessons that much,” Hayner said.

Roxas silently followed after her where she stood alone in an alleyway by a café. Even as they stood together, they didn’t exchange a word. Instead, Roxas took the basket-skateboard from Naminé and let her lead them further into the alley.

“I thought we agreed we weren’t going to bid on each other’s baskets,” said Roxas, breaking the silence.

“We did. But I didn’t know about this,” Naminé rebutted.

“It was kind of last minute,” Roxas admitted abashedly. When Naminé turned away, he reached out to gently tilt her face up to look into her eyes, searching for answers.

“I know that it wouldn’t have meant anything to you, but something about seeing someone else think they could be with you when I’m right here.” Naminé muttered. “I don’t want to hide anymore.”

This would have been an opportunity to point out that Naminé was in fact hiding, but Roxas didn’t take it.

“Twilight Town is so weird sometimes, and I love it for that,” Naminé went on. “I love that they don’t hide it. So why should I hide that you’re with me?”

“I love being with you. You know that.” Roxas smiled. “I just don’t like that the town cares about this so much.”

“Do you think we’ve given them something to talk about?” she asked.

“More than enough to last a lifetime,” he grumbled half-heartedly. “Maybe it won’t matter if we go public.”

They weren’t entirely wrong. Tongues wagged when people saw Roxas run after Naminé into an alley (the pearl-clutchers clutched in horror). Naminé’s stunt at the Pick-a-Nic Basket Auction was the talk of the town for days. But just as quickly, people would move on to the Next Big Thing. In time, the couple felt more comfortable with public displays of affection that didn’t have onlookers and gawkers.

(To the town’s credit, they understood that Roxas and Naminé’s relationship was none of their business, and it was easier to ignore the duo's PDA once the gossipers realized they were a boringly happy couple.)

Whether a secret or a public affair, the couple would still share themselves with each other. That never changed. Before they knew it, it was time for the Starlight Festival once more. This also marked one year since Naminé moved into town as the new florist. It would show later that evening, as floral wreaths and garlands hung off the gazebo’s pillars, and flower crowns and laurels were up for sale to mark the occasion.

This was not the first event the florist and her candyman beau attended as a couple, and it would (happily) not be the last. Naminé and Roxas spent half the evening together selling his newest ice cream flavors: lavender rosemary, and rose. When they were completely sold out, the couple joined the celebration together, among friends old and new.

They stood in the center of the festival-goers gathered around the gazebo for the mayor’s annual speech, which once again consisted of a retelling of the legend of the star-crossed lovers that found the town together.

“…The stars showed them the way. They moved the lovers to safety, to sanctuary, to each other!”

Arm in arm, Roxas and Naminé faced each other. There was no need to speak tonight. They’d already found their way.

#Kingdom Hearts #rokunami #Roxas #Namine #rokunami zine #modern day au #My writing #fanfic #kh fanfiction #kh fanzine

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bitternace · 2 years ago

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understand, understand, the concept of love, amiright?

y'all should check out @teenyzines Kingdom Hearts' Uncharted Worlds Zine! It's a hundred pages + four phone backgrounds, and it's completely free!<3

[ID: A digital drawing featuring Beat, Gum, and Pots from Jet Set Radio Future facing Sora, Donald, and Goofy from the Kingdom Hearts Series in a triangular formation. The background is reminiscent of the inside of Jet Set Radio Future's Tokyo Underground Sewage Facility, with bright blue light coming from a hallway on the left.

On the far left, Pots, a grey-green dog with a white muzzle and chest, crosses his arms with a placed expression. He is wearing shorts and a long-sleeve shirt in blue, a black belt with a star buckle, black studded bracelets, an orange bandana, a green vest, green and orange 3D glasses, and grey and blue skates.

To his right is Gum with a slight frown, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at Sora. She wears a blue and yellow helmet, a white bodycon dress with blue and orange detailing on the hem, her v-neckline, and her high collar. She also wears black upper arm bands, blue and orange sweatbands, black knee braces, and blue, black, and white skates with yellow wheels.

Beside her is Beat, looking unamused. He holds a can of spray paint with one hand, and the back of the other is against his hip. He wears grey headphones, blue and white round glasses, a green shirt with black sleeves and red hemlines, black leggings, gloves, and grey and blue skates with orange wheels.

On the left, facing Beat, is Sora, holding a paint-stained white and black curved keyblade over his shoulder and a placid smile. He is wearing his crown necklace, black headphones with purple, green, orange, and red detailing around a decorative keyhole, a red shirt under a half-blue, half-black cropped jacket with a white hood and rolled-up sleeves, a single white elbow brace, white and blue fingerless gloves, black pants tucked into black and gold skates with purple detailing, and silver crown for caps.

To his right is Goofy, holding a stained paint palette with a metal section as a shield. He wears an orange beanie, square goggles, a white bandana, a green vest, and yellow baggy pants with blue arrow decorations on the knee pockets. His skates are brown, with silver caps, blue wheels, and arrows as fastenings.

On the far left is Donald, holding a slightly glowing staff topped with a black and gold spray can. He is frowning. He wears a blue beanie, grey and blue headphones, silver round goggles, a blue plate with a high neck covering his shoulders and part of his chest, with gold, silver, and bright blue decorations, and grey skates with blue and gold detailing and red fireworks attached to the sides. /End ID.]

#kh #zine tag!#fanzine #kingdom hearts #kh fanart #jet set radio future #jsrf #kh sora #kh goofy #kh donald #jsrf beat #jsrf pots #jsrf gum #crossover #my doods #this thing caters SPECIFICALLY to me sorry #and while i HAVE made this joke before #no one explained pots the dog skating and i am not explaining donald duck hope this helps<3 #long post #<-tagging on behalf that the ID got very long but it happens baby!! accesibility!!#also idk how much the quality dipped with reducing the canvas for posting but if anyone wants to see it in full hd just send me a message #which i doubt cause #AGAIN #catered to me specifically #the caption was gonna be a birthday cake reference because it's one of my fave songs on the soundtrack but like #the concept of love........ plot relevant to kh. ALSO #THE MORE I WORKED ON THIS the more i was like......... the themes of jsrf actually fit..... quite nicely with kh..... like......

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