499Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story. At all.
Warning: Shounen-ai, homosexual relationships, etc, etc.
Author's Note: Well… This story has gained some interest, so I've decided to continue it.
Thanks for all the reviews. I sincerely appreciate all of them. The support means a lot to me and I really, really appreciate you guys. Check the end of the chapter for responses to your reviews.
Um... This story will contain Axel x Demyx, possible Roxas x Riku, maybe some Cloud x Leon, definitely Axel x Roxas (duh), and maybe Sora x Riku. I'll list off more couplings as they come to mind. Feel free to suggest any couplings you, the fabulous reader, would like to see.
Summary: Axel thinks Aesop taught decent lessons in his fables, but the redhead is willing to bet he could do better. What good are fables that teach things like "attempt not impossibilities" or "little friends may prove great friends" anyway? Times are different from when Aesop lived and Axel thinks it's time for a new set of fables. All of which will be authored by himself, of course, because he's an expert on love, life, and what truly matters.
That, and Roxas Badcock promised to marry him if he gets his book published.
Axel's Fables
•••
•••
By: Freekiwi
II – Enter Demyx: His Music Speaks
July melted quickly into mid-August without many problems. Sora and Riku still hadn't spoken to each other, Roxas had signed a legally binding contract to marry Axel provided he gets his book published, and Axel and Riku had finished setting up the upper part of the duplex and were thoroughly pleased with the end result. They had moved their pool table toward the back of the living room and pushed their couch against the wall near the doorway to the balcony. They had mounted their television onto the opposite wall and placed a stereo near the door that lead to the stairs.
"It gives us a dance floor!" Axel had argued when Riku complained about the set-up, "don't you just wanna dance sometimes?"
"I don't dance," he had replied grumpily, "and the only time I ever have the urge to dance is when I think about the dancing I'll be doing on your grave."
Their bedrooms couldn't have been more different. Riku was quite organized and he liked his space tidy. He made his bed in the mornings and his posters were hung in symmetrical ways and he put away all of his clothing in his closet. Axel, on the other hand, had opted to live in a room that closely resembled a dumpster. Clothes were strewn about on the floor, things had been thrown haphazardly onto the walls, and all of his school things were in complete disarray.
"Not dirty," he had argued with his roommate, "just messy."
Riku hadn't known there was a difference.
There was one corner in Axel's room where nothing was strewn about. It was a special space because it was where his easel was set up and behind his easel sat his pieces of canvas and his different paints and brushes. His desk drawers were also very organized because they contained his pens and pencils and sketchbooks and charcoals. The redhead had already lost two sketchbooks filled with drawings due to his messiness and he was fearful of losing more.
"You should've bet Roxas you couldn't paint a masterpiece," Riku was lying on the couch in the living room with his legs bent at the knees. It was a sinfully warm summer day and both boys were exceptionally hot. They had stripped down to their boxers and turned on the ceiling fan and proceeded to lounge on the couch. "That would've been the smart thing to do."
"Yea, I know," the redhead replied irritably, "but he said he wanted someone that has a way with words. Ugh… I can't write worth shit. What the fuck is an adjective?" he had a notebook flipped open and was writing down possible ideas with a red pen.
"A descriptive word," Riku picked up the remote from the floor and began channel surfing, "like hot day or cold ice or –"
"Big cock?" Axel mumbled.
"Yea," Riku smirked, "or rough sex."
"What about butt sex?"
"Butt sex is when one dude – or a chick with a strap-on – takes another dude's –"
"No," Axel gave Riku a look, "I know what butt sex is, but -"
His roommate smiled cheekily, "but do you know what docking is?"
"Riku, focus! I need help with English grammar!" Axel's shoulders sagged and he sighed as he wrote something down in his notebook and then crossed it out. Thinking of an idea was harder than it seemed and writing out a plotline for an idea was even worse. Axel had successfully gone through two notebooks in a little less than a month and they had all been filled with little scratch marks across every word. God – painting was so much easier than this.
"Okay," Riku sat up on the couch, "but do you know what docking is?"
"Fine, what's docking?" Axel threw his notebook and pen to the floor. He looked quite irritable and he was feeling a little murderous.
"It's when one dude places the head of his penis inside the foreskin of another dude's penis."
Axel opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. He thought about this for a moment and then he gave Riku a rather disgusted, but delighted, look. "You know this by experience?"
"Circumcised," Riku lied back down on the couch and placed his legs across Axel's lap, "and I've only ever had sex with two people," he thought for a moment and then corrected himself, "three people. All were circumcised."
"I don't count," he shoved Riku's legs off his lap, "it was an accident."
"Yea," he rolled his eyes, "I just slipped and fell on your dick. I remember."
"So," Axel ignored him, "two people, huh? Anyone I know?"
"Well…" Riku frowned, "its two people you haven't slept with..."
"Wow, really?" the redhead looked genuinely shocked. "Oh, were they girls? Did you sleep with two girls?" he pressed. His roommate merely shrugged, but Axel continued to prod him. "No, seriously! Tell me. I want to know. You can't tell me you've conquered two people that I haven't even conquered and then not tell me who they are."
Riku smirked and slipped off the couch. He stretched his arms above his head and eyed the redhead. He couldn't tell him. He had kept it from his best friend for such a long time. It was purely out of shame and guilt that he didn't parade it around, but now it seemed cruel to tell Axel he had slept with Roxas multiple times. Not just slept with him but took his virginity when they were in high school. The redhead was clearly taken with the sassy blond and Riku knew his roommate would be mad. He knew he would be jealous.
Axel got jealous over the silliest things and he was a lot more vulnerable and emotional than he really let on. His flirtatious exterior was just a cover for his sensitive, artsy interior and his sensitive, artsy interior was a light covering for his carnal interior (or the 'slut' interior as it had been rightfully defined).
"Do you think Roxas is a virgin?" Riku tentatively asked.
"Oh, definitely," Axel ran a hand through his red locks of hair, "he's never even been on a date before. I bet that boy is harder to get into than a Panic at the Disco concert."
"Hm…" he shrugged his shoulders, "I'm gonna grab a shower."
It would definitely be cruel to tell Axel now.
••••••••••••••
There was a sharp increase in the amount of kids around campus as August wore on. School started in mid-September and students were beginning to move back into their apartments and houses. Axel was pleased with the sudden increase in people. He was very social and while he enjoyed his alone time he also enjoyed being with friends and having parties and meeting new people. Axel was the guy on campus who introduced himself to random people. He was the guy who threw the awesome parties. He was the guy everyone knew and talked about.
Everybody loved Axel. Some just didn't know it yet.
"Can't wait for everyone to be back," Axel was sketching something in his sketchbook. He thought maybe drawing would help him think of ideas for a story, "then we can have a killer party. And people will come because we have a dance floor."
"Yea," Riku laughed, "that's why they'll come," he pulled a light blue v-neck over his head and took a seat on the couch. "They'll come to dance. Not drink or get high, but to dance."
Axel smirked at Riku from his position on the floor, "it's all right, Riku. I'd be pissy too if I looked like I was seizing when I danced."
He flung a pillow at the back of Axel's head, causing the redhead's pencil to make a deep, dark line across his drawing.
"You ass!" he stood up with his sketchbook in hand, "you just made me fuck up my drawing!" he was more annoyed than mad. It was just a sketch of some flowers that he had seen in the neighbor's yard, but still. He had been steadily working on it for the last two hours or so.
"Sorry," Riku glared, "I was seizing. Couldn't control my movements."
Axel opened his mouth to respond, but the argument was quickly forgotten when a voice neither of them recognized could be heard from the lower floor. Since they had started living in the duplex Sora and Roxas never had guests unless it was Kairi and Naminé and that was rare because both girls were currently accompanying their father on business trips around the world for the summer. They were seldom even in the country.
"Come on, Roxy! It'll make you feel better!"
Axel and Riku exchanged looks. Their door was closed so whoever was talking was certainly a loud mouth.
"Everyone wants to dance!" the loud mouth stated. Axel smirked and Riku merely rolled his eyes.
"I told you," Axel walked over to the front door of their floor and cracked it just the slightest bit. "Everyone wants to dance."
"No," Riku stood up, "people want to dry hump and get their crotches rubbed on by some prepubescent-looking boy or girl."
"Yea," Axel teased, "dancing. That's what I said."
Both of them stood at the doorway and peaked out. Was it worth making the walk down all those stairs to see who had come over to visit Roxas? Axel didn't think so, but then he was completely swayed when he heard trumpets followed by a heavy bass line coming from the stereo on the lower level.
"Is that "My Humps"?" Riku scrunched his face, but there was a smile evident. "Are they really listening to "My Humps"?"
Axel was grinning, "I have to see Roxas dancing to this." He opened the door and quickly walked down the stairs with Riku at his heels. Roxas was rather grumpy and he didn't seem like the type to dance or laugh or have any kind of fun. As far as Axel knew he spent most of his days sitting in his room or lounging around the house looking bored. Sometimes he'd be reading an encyclopedia but the redhead knew better than to ask why.
Both boys went through the foyer and into the living room. Riku looked slightly amused at the scene before him, but Axel looked completely delighted in every sense of the word.
Roxas most certainly wasn't dancing, but a very attractive blond boy had jumped up onto the coffee table and was dancing like a complete tool. It was cute. It was funny. And that boy had one hell of an ass and one hell of a body to go with it.
"Spendin' all your money on me and spendin' time on me," the blond sang along. He was clearly trying to amuse his moody friend, but it wasn't working. Roxas had his arms crossed over his chest and he was looking everywhere except at the table-dancer. "Get you love drunk off my hump…" he shook his bottom at Roxas who was now retreating from his position on the couch.
The blond jumped off the coffee table and grabbed Roxas's waist. He yanked him close and ignored his attempts to get away and his idle threats. It wasn't until Roxas had flailed about enough that Axel just absolutely lost it and began to laugh. Riku had lost it a few seconds beforehand.
Color burned in both the blond and Roxas's cheeks once they noticed Axel and Riku. The nineteen year-old paused the stereo and then crossed his arms defensively over his chest. His blue eyes narrowed and he glared coldly at his upstairs tenants.
"Don't I look like a tool…" Roxas's friend mumbled. He gave Roxas a look, "thanks for telling me you had gorgeous men living above you. I'm so glad everyone just got a free show."
"People pay you to dance like a dumbshit?" Axel teased, "I wouldn't pay you to dance, but I might be willing to pay for that ass."
"Axel…" Roxas sighed irritably, "Can you just… God, can you censure yourself just a little bit?"
He ignored Roxas, "What's your name?"
"Demyx…" the blond nervously ran his fingers through his hair, "and you two are…?"
"Axel," he looked over at Riku, "and that's Riku. We live upstairs."
"So… why were you dancing to "My Humps" on the coffee table?" Riku raised a brow.
"I was making the mistake of trying to cheer Roxas up, but now I just look like a dillhole."
Axel laughed. Demyx was very cute. "If you shake your ass just to cheer someone up, what can I get for a dollar?"
"He'll spit on you…" Roxas mumbled grumpily and Demyx nodded eagerly in agreement.
Axel laughed again. Demyx was very, very cute. Not exactly someone he'd expect Roxas to be friends with, but he hadn't really expected Roxas to have any friends. Especially not friends that had nice bodies and nice butts and cute personalities. Maybe friends who were more… dressed in black and brooding about life. Maybe overweight with severe acne scarring. People Roxas could feel superior to in some way.
"You're cute," Axel walked passed Demyx and took a seat on the couch.
"Keep it in your pants," Roxas glared hatefully at the redhead.
"Sorry – do you own Demy, zombie?" his brow furrowed, "are you two dating? Anything more than friends?"
Roxas shook his head, "No, but –"
"So there's no reason to keep it in my pants, then," Axel put his feet on the coffee table and smirked at Roxas, "besides, keeping something this large in my pants all the time is difficult. And painful."
Demyx laughed lightly.
"Stop encouraging him!" Roxas pouted. Arms crossed over his chest and he looked at his friend with a bit of disgust, "he's annoying enough as it is… Don't give him the impression that he's funny."
"Roxas is just jealous," Riku had swaggered his way over toward the back of the couch where Axel sat. "He doesn't like competition when it comes to Axel…" he placed his hands on the redhead's shoulders, a small smirk evident on his handsome features.
"Excuse me?" the blond glared coldly, "I what?"
"It's okay to be jealous," Riku stated brightly, "he's technically your fiancé, after all."
Demyx looked from Roxas to Axel to Riku and then back again. Brow furrowed and then his eyes narrowed. He couldn't tell if they were joking or not. It seemed very unlike Roxas to be engaged especially to someone as obnoxious as Axel and it seemed even less likely that Axel would find Roxas likeable. Attractive, sure, but Demyx knew how off-putting his friend could be at times. He got the impression Axel liked to have fun and Roxas… Well, he didn't.
"True," Axel stood and he and Riku exchanged a look of delight, "but zombie should know that he's my only true love," he walked behind Roxas and yanked him into a hug that looked more like a hold, "and that I would never go stepping out on him. Not even for someone as…" his eyes danced up and down Demyx's body, "attractive as you…"
Demyx looked away in an attempt to hide his blush. Roxas struggled in Axel's grasp until the redhead let him go.
"He's not my fiancé!" the blond glared daggers at his duplex-mates, "you can have him, Dem! He's obnoxious and weird and…and…"
"Gorgeous?" Axel offered helpfully.
"Gross!" Roxas pouted.
Axel smirked and tossed a look to Riku. They were both thoroughly delighted with the slight mayhem they were causing.
"Oh, Roxy… you're so high-strung…" the redhead teased.
Roxas rounded on him, "I'm high-strung because you're around!" he looked very upset about all the teasing that was taking place. Much more upset than what should be normal. "And I'm not jealous!" he added, "go out with whoever you want! I don't care!"
Axel's eyes narrowed, "you sure about that?"
Truthfully no, Roxas wasn't sure. He didn't exactly like Axel, but the interest the redhead had in him had made him feel… good and secure. He couldn't explain it without having to, in some way, admit he liked Axel which wasn't the case. He just liked the attention and he was a little offended that some of Axel's attention was now on his friend. It hadn't been that long ago since he signed that contract and… Well… Maybe part of him had hoped Axel was going to take the bet seriously. But only a small, insignificant part of him had hoped. Just the smallest bit.
"Roxy?"
"I don't care," Roxas's brow furrowed and he grabbed Demyx's wrist, "come on… We have stuff to do…"
Demyx shrugged his shoulders and as Roxas pulled him toward his bedroom, he called over his shoulder "nice meeting you, Axel and Riku!"
••••••••••••••
Axel had Demyx's number before the day was over. The redhead had hinted heavily that he and the blond should do something together sometime. In their brief meeting Axel had learned Demyx had just moved back to campus from his house a few states away. He was a junior and majoring in music and he played bass and guitar and was classically trained (which meant absolutely nothing to Axel because he hadn't the slightest clue the difference between regular training and classical training).
"He's cute…" Riku repeated, "I'd go out with him if he wasn't so… not my type."
"Or, you know, if he was actually in to you," Axel teased, "we have such different tastes in men…"
Riku smirked to himself, "Mm… we're more alike than you think."
"Hey," Axel sat up slightly in the hammock he and Riku were lying on, "what the hell happened between you and Sora? I'm the only one that doesn't know…"
"Nothing," Riku had his arms behind his head and he was looking up toward the sky. They were lying horizontally on the hammock with their feet touching the floor of the balcony. They weren't much into cuddling with each other and lying horizontally was the only way they both would fit.
"I see the way you guys avoid each other… I see the way Sora stares at you too," Axel gave his best friend a look, "I tell you everything. Why can't you tell me what happened?"
"There's nothing to tell," Riku frowned.
The redhead sighed in frustration, "Yes, there is. If there wasn't anything to tell you guys wouldn't try so hard to avoid each other."
"Do you think Roxas was overly upset about the teasing today?" Riku mumbled. He was desperate for a subject change. If Axel kept pressing he knew he'd eventually cave and tell the redhead everything.
"Nice subject change." Axel sighed, "But I'll take it since we're talking about Roxas… Yea, I do. He seemed really upset. I've been teasing him since we moved in and he never gets that upset."
"I bet it was Demyx," Riku looked over at Axel, "you know? I bet it was bugging him that you were making eyes with Dem."
The redhead shrugged, "So? He doesn't own me. He's not my boyfriend…"
"Well, I know…" Riku stood up from the hammock and stretched his long body, "I'm just saying I think Roxas was jealous… Are you going to actually call Demyx?"
"Yea," Axel looked at Riku skeptically, "why?"
"Mm…" he shrugged, "don't you think it's kind of shitty to be practically engaged to Roxas but then scam on him with his friends? Don't you think Demyx would be pretty hurt if he knew the score between you guys?"
The redhead looked away, "We're not practically anything… We're barely friends. I like Roxas and… and I think maybe I would like to marry him, but… But I can't wrap an abstinence belt around my waist. I'm not going to suddenly become an introvert because Roxas signed a contract with me."
"So… you're going to work on your book so you can eventually marry Roxas, but date Roxas's friend in the meantime?" Riku raised a brow.
"Yea," Axel stood up from the hammock, "thanks, voice of reason…" he teased lightly.
He heard his roommate sigh behind him as he walked inside the duplex. Riku did have a point. It did seem like a mean thing to do, but he barely knew Demyx. Maybe Dem just wanted sex and maybe they could get together and do it sometime. Maybe they would just become good friends and even if they did actually date, would it matter? Everything Axel wanted with Roxas all depended on the stupid book he was supposed to be writing.
The redhead walked down the stairs of the duplex and crossed the living room. Sora had left for work an hour ago and Roxas had been holed up in his room since after the teasing session in the living room. Axel gently knocked on the door and when he didn't get an answer, he poked his head in.
"Roxas?"
The blond was sitting on the edge of the bed with his guitar in his hands. He was playing something pretty, something Axel didn't know, and he didn't even look up when the redhead entered the room. A mumbled "what?" came from Roxas's lips, but he was looking downward as his slender fingers worked to find the right notes on his instrument.
"Sounds nice…" Axel sat next to Roxas and watched him. "How long have you been playing?"
"I don't know…" he made brief eye contact with Axel, "eight? Nine years?"
"Jesus. Talk about commitment…" the redhead laid back on Roxas's bed and stared toward the ceiling, "can I ask you something?"
"Mm… Okay…" he stopped playing and he turned his body slightly so he could look at his duplex-mate. "I'll bite. What is it now? Another favor?"
"Sort of…" he propped himself on his elbows, "does it… would it bother you if I went out with Demyx?"
Roxas looked at Axel for a long time. Their eyes met several times, but the blond broke contact to look elsewhere. Tongue darted out to moisten his lips and then he mumbled "do what you want. I don't care…" before turning back around and fiddling with his guitar.
"Roxas," Axel sat up, "hey, Roxy…" he put his hand on the other's shoulder and he felt him tense up. "Why are you like that?"
"I'm not like anything," he sighed and leaned his guitar against the side of the bed, "look, what do you want? You have my permission to go bang Demyx. Now go away…"
"I never said I wanted to conquer him," there was a slight tone to Axel's voice, "if it bothers you, I won't go out with him…"
"It doesn't bother me," Roxas looked toward the other side of the room.
"Roxy," he frowned, "Roxy, come on… Look at me."
"Why?" he glanced at Axel before looking away again, "It doesn't bother me. Do whatever you want."
"If it doesn't bother you, why won't you look at me?"
Roxas growled and looked at the redhead. Their eyes locked and Axel searched those pretty blue orbs just like he had the day in the car when they made the deal. He was looking for something but he didn't know what. All he saw was anger. All he saw was complete and total jealousy. He wouldn't go out with Demyx if Roxas said so. He really, really wouldn't, but… He wanted Roxas to say it. If the blond couldn't even tell Axel that he liked him, just a little bit, then who was to say he'd even keep his end of the deal when Axel finished his book?
"Does it bother you?" Axel reached up and cupped his cheek, "I won't call him or go out with him or anything if it bothers you… I just want to know."
Roxas stared into his green eyes. His lips were parted but he didn't say anything. He looked less angry and… soft. He looked vulnerable, as if he was afraid this was some kind of joke. His tongue darted out to lick at his dry lips again. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. He was completely mesmerized by those green, green eyes and that warm, gentle hand on his cheek.
"Tell me, Roxy…" Axel mumbled.
"I…" the blond stared with wide-eyes, "it doesn't…"
Axel caressed Roxas's cheek gently with his thumb. He felt just as vulnerable as Roxas looked. He wouldn't say he loved his duplex-mate, but… But he certainly did like him. Enough so that even though he told Riku he would continue to tap random ass while he wrote his book, he hadn't actually meant it. Not if it bothered Roxas.
"I want to kiss you," Roxas breathed softly, "I really don't like you… But I want to kiss you."
"Roxy…" Axel leaned in slowly and then very gently captured his lips. They were soft. They were warm and they were wet and the kiss felt completely right in every way. It was the kind of kiss that made his hair stand on end. It was the kind of kiss that made him feel like fireworks were going off in the background. It was the kind of kiss one reads about in trashy romance novels and it was the kind of kiss that made Axel feel as if he'd just been set alight.
And then Roxas pulled just the slightest bit away and it was over. Just as quickly as it had started, it was over.
"Roxy…" he leaned in to close the gap between them, but Roxas placed a hand against Axel's shoulder.
"Wait," his blue eyes met green ones. "I don't…"
A soft sigh passed Axel's lips and he opted to press a soft kiss to Roxas's forehead.
"You can go out with Dem. I don't care…" he pulled away from the redhead, "you're not my boyfriend…"
Axel looked away. Well… yea, that was true. Roxas most certainly wasn't his boyfriend and he could do whatever he wanted. But maybe part of him was hoping that the blond was jealous and maybe part of him was hoping that Roxas did like him enough to boss him around. After all, Axel liked his boys a little bossy.
"Hey," Axel stood and walked over to the bookshelves that had been built into the wall, "these were all your mom's books?"
"Yea…" Roxas had picked up his guitar again and was strumming a song that sounded familiar to Axel. "Why?"
The redhead scanned the titles of the books with his green eyes. Maybe he should've never made the deal with Roxas. Maybe he should rip up their contract and call it quits. He couldn't write anyway and it was clear that the blond didn't much like him. They had just kissed and Axel couldn't even be excited about it because it seemed like Roxas could care less.
"Hey, Aesop's fables…" he grabbed the large book from the shelf, "is this the anthology?" he opened up the cover of the old book and ran his finger down the list of fables.
"Yea," Roxas glanced up momentarily, "I've read nearly all of them…"
He stopped on a fable called "The Bee and Jupiter" and a smile tugged the corners of his lips upward as he read the short fable. He had never read many of Aesop's fables. He remembered being forced to read a few during his grade school days but he had considered the life lessons pretty stupid even then.
"What kind of moral is 'evil wishes, like chickens, come home to roost' anyway?" brow furrowed and Axel flipped to another fable and scanned the moral for it, "and 'necessity knows no law' is pretty dumb…"
Roxas sighed, "Yea… Aesop was kind of a dope… He should've written about shit pertaining to his time…" he stopped strumming and looked over at Axel, "he was supposedly a slave in Greece and he wrote the fables to keep himself positive, but he should've written like… I don't know. Fables with morals that taught kids how to escape slavery."
"Or fables that taught revenge," Axel teased. "Stuff people can use."
"Right," Roxas laughed lightly. "Those fables could use an upgrade," he mused, "maybe the fables could teach morals that actually pertain to our time."
The redhead laughed gently for a brief moment, but then he stopped.
"Roxas," he turned to face the blond, "can I borrow this?"
"Huh?" his brow furrowed, "yea, but –"
"You're a genius," a wide smile had spanned across Axel's features. "You're a fucking genius!"
"I… what?" Roxas frowned, "what did I –"
Axel walked over to the blond, pressed a warm kiss to his cheek, and then bounded from the room excitedly with the anthology of fables clutched under his arm. Tentatively Roxas reached up and touched his cheek and tried hard to ignore the burning sensation Axel had left not only on his face but in the pit of his stomach as well.
••••••••••••••
Whatever Axel was doing Riku couldn't say. The redhead had rushed upstairs last night with a large, old-looking book in his hands and then proceeded to shut himself in his room without so much as an explanation. The duplex was oddly quiet without Axel running around causing his general mayhem.
Riku was sitting in the kitchen downstairs and sipping a mug of coffee while flipping through the Sunday newspaper. It was early, around eight in the morning, and he had made the mistake of going into work. Apparently, no one had told him they had swapped the schedule around and he wasn't working on Sundays anymore. No one bothered to tell him until about seven AM after he had already clocked in for three hours worth of work.
"Morning…" Sora walked, bleary-eyed, into the kitchen and grabbed a mug from the cabinet. "You're up early…" he mumbled as he poured coffee into his cup from the pot.
"So are you," Riku flipped through the newspaper and pulled out the Sunday comics, "how come?"
"I don't know," the brunet took a seat at the table across from Riku, "it seems the duplex is only quiet early in the mornings…"
He laughed gently and slid the comics toward Sora, "There's a Garfield comic you might find funny…"
"Ooh, thanks…" he smiled and both boys flipped through their portions of the paper in silence. Occasionally Sora would give a small laugh and Riku would smile to himself. It had been a long time since they were able to be together without things being awkward and their conversations becoming very tense or strained. This was the first time they had actually talked since Riku moved in a few months ago.
"You're right," Sora flipped the paper over, "that was a pretty funny Garfield."
"Well, no one knows you better than I do."
He regretted it as soon as he said it. It probably wasn't true anymore. How could it be? He had barely talked to Sora in the last four years and people changed a lot. It had been a stretch to even offer the newspaper comics because who knew? Maybe Sora had dropped his Garfield obsession a long time ago.
"I'm not mad," the brunet mumbled shyly.
"Then why are you avoiding me?" Riku set the newspaper on the table top and sipped his coffee. His aqua eyes met Sora's blue ones.
"Because it's weird," he shrugged and looked away. "It's weird…"
"Sora," Riku frowned, "that's not logical."
He was looking everywhere but at Riku. He and Roxas were a lot alike in more than just their looks. They had the same demeanors, the same accusing stares, and the same inability to even look at someone when they were lying. Riku wondered if Naminé and Kairi were just as bad at lying or if dealing with their brothers had made them better at it.
"Yea," Sora frowned, "I don't have to be mad to think something is awkward…"
"But if you're over it –"
"I never said I was over it," he studied the coffee in his cup. He hated himself for sounding so cold.
"So you're mad?" Riku pressed.
"No," Sora sipped the warm liquid from his mug. His blue eyes were cast downward and he didn't say anything for a long time. He could feel Riku's eyes burning a hole in his scalp and this was exactly why he had spent so much time making sure they didn't end up alone together. Of course Riku wanted to talk about it. He wouldn't just let it go.
"I don't understand," Riku sighed and leaned back in his chair, "if you're not over it and you're not mad then what are you?"
"Why can't you just let it go?" Sora gripped his cup tightly, "why do you have to wallow in the past, Riku? Why can't you just realize that being together was a mistake and move on?"
"Oh, what, like you've moved on?" he looked quite indignant, "and being with you was never a mistake, Sora. I loved you. I really, really did."
"Great," he rolled his blue eyes, "I thought love triumphed over everything before I met you…" he wished he hadn't said it. It wasn't even true. He just wanted Riku to hurt.
Riku looked away and ignored the guilt building up in his chest. Now it was his turn to look everywhere but at Sora and now it was Sora's turn to burn holes in his scalp.
"Look, I can't explain why I did it…" he fiddled with the handle of his mug, "I guess I was just being stupid."
"Oh, well, as long as you can take a stab in the dark!" Sora stood up from the table, "Hell, I guess I'll stop waiting around for an explanation because not even you can figure out why you slept with Roxas!"
"God," Riku stood up too and glared daggers at Sora, "is there REALLY that much of a difference between you two?"
Sora looked extremely offended, "Yes!" he yelled, "I actually loved you! God, you deserve to be alone and feel bad! You traded my love for a good time!"
Heat rose in Riku's cheeks and he looked away from the brunet. Hands gripped the backside of his chair and he didn't stop Sora when he huffed and stormed out of the kitchen with his coffee cup in hand. It could've gone better. It certainly could've gone much better for the both of them.
And now Sora was left feeling like he had done something wrong.
••••••••••••••
Axel stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen around noon. He hadn't gotten to bed until around four in the morning and then he had trouble falling asleep because he kept thinking about him and Roxas and their kiss. He kept thinking about the idea for his book. He kept thinking about what kind of cake he'd want at his wedding. He had decided chocolate, probably, or maybe red velvet. But nothing with fruit because putting fruit on cake was just plain silly. Like putting sugar on a cracker and calling it a cookie.
Fridge was opened and Axel rubbed sleepily at one of his green eyes. He was wearing a pair of fire red boxers around his waist and nothing else. Milk was grabbed – the milk with 'Cheseborough' written on it – and he pinched the cardboard out and took a swig from the carton.
He immediately regretted it. Axel gagged and rushed to the sink, leaning over and spitting the fishy-tasting milk from his mouth. Water was turned on and he began to rinse his mouth over and over again.
"Enjoying the tuna milk, firecrotch?"
Axel glanced over at Roxas who was sitting at the kitchen table. The smallest hint of a smile made itself evident on his features and Axel's brows furrowed.
"What?" the redhead rinsed his mouth one more again before shutting the water off and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Sora put tuna in Riku's milk," Roxas laughed, "serves you right for being a mooch…"
"You're an asshole," but there was the smallest smile tugging his lips upward.
Roxas shrugged and sipped his coffee. He watched as the redhead opted for a swig of orange juice instead – juice that had 'Badcock' written across the front.
"What are you doing?" the blond asked, "That's mine and Sora's orange juice."
"Your brother ruined the milk," Axel screwed the cap off the juice, "so I think I can have a little juice…" he took a swig and then immediately spit it into the sink.
"What?" Roxas looked the slightest bit curious, "did he do something to the juice too?"
"No," Axel spit into the sink, "There's a shitton of pulp in it."
Roxas laughed delightedly.
The redhead sighed and placed both the carton of juice and the milk back in the fridge. He decided nothing was safe to drink and opted for a glass of water instead. Not something he particularly enjoyed, but Sora was busy trying to poison Riku and Axel was getting caught in the cross fire.
"You put the milk back?" Roxas was suppressing a grin, "You're a shitty friend."
"Yea, well…" he filled a glass with tap water, "how would you know? We're not even friends…" he teased.
Roxas didn't say a word.
Axel took a seat at the table next to Roxas. He stretched his body and then very casually put an arm around his duplex-mate's shoulders. He didn't protest, but he didn't respond in a positive way either. It was platonic – like an older brother and his younger one.
"So… What's your last name?" the blond sipped coffee from his mug.
"Why? Curious as to what name you'll be taking when we get hitched?"
"Yea," Roxas snorted, "ever think you'd be taking my last name?"
"Badcock?" Axel laughed, "Please… there's nothing bad about my cock."
"You and your hand would know…" Roxas mumbled. "Tell me your last name."
"Axel."
Roxas gave him a look, "Your name is Axel Axel?"
"Yep."
Roxas rolled his eyes, "You're retarded."
"But so damn sexy…" Axel smirked the slightest bit, "so irresistible."
"And annoying," Roxas looked up at the redhead, "don't forget annoying. Oh, and self-centered. And pompous."
"Roxy, it's okay. You can just admit to liking me. I get your insults are really just manifestations of how badly you want me…" Axel leaned in close enough so their foreheads touched, "it's okay to want," he breathed.
"I…" his blue eyes were wide. They were undeniably close, "I don't want anything… Not from you, firecrotch…"
Axel raised a brow, "Maybe you're confused. Didn't you want to kiss me yesterday?"
Roxas placed a hand against Axel's chest, "Maybe," he breathed, "but you're the one who did the actual kissing."
"Mhm," Axel smirked, "so even though you pretty much told me to kiss you, it's my fault for actually doing it?"
"Yea," he was unaware that he was leaning back to compensate for Axel leaning forward, "like right now… even if I wanted to kiss, which I don't, and you did the actual kissing, which you shouldn't, then it'd be your fault…"
"Well, I think you should kiss me…" Axel felt his heartbeat quicken, "just to even up the score."
Roxas hesitated. Tongue darted out to moisten his dry lips and he was close – so close – to leaning in and kissing Axel, but the sound of the doorbell ringing cut them short. And Roxas really couldn't be any more relieved.
"I should get the door," he pushed Axel away and stood up from his chair. His cheeks were a slight pink color and he was clearly embarrassed by the position they had just been in. He avoided Axel's gaze because he was afraid those pretty green eyes would reflect some sort of hurt or disappointment. Something that would just make him feel guilty.
It wasn't that he didn't want to kiss Axel, it was just… He was prideful. He didn't want to like Axel. He didn't want to end up just like everyone else that liked him. Besides, Roxas knew better. He and Axel would never, ever function as a couple because they were two very, very different people. He envisioned them as a couple that had a really, really, really spectacular sex life but only because they had nothing to say to each other. Sex was good at filling in the empty spaces. He had learned that much from being with Riku.
"Oh… Hey, Dem…" Roxas frowned as he opened up the door, "what are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you too," he pushed his way passed the blond and let himself inside, "is Axel around?"
Roxas had to stop himself from muttering under his breath, "Yea, he's –"
"Heard my name," Axel walked into the foyer, "hope you're saying good things."
"Always," Roxas mumbled sarcastically.
"Hey…" Demyx's eyes fluttered up and down Axel's half-naked form, "we've never going to make the movie."
"Movie?" Roxas looked from Demyx to Axel and then crossed his arms over his chest. "That's cute. You guys are going to a movie…" he grumbled in mock amusement.
"Oh shit…" he ran a hand through his red hair. "Yea. I forgot. Just give me like ten minutes to rub some paste on my teeth and throw some clothes on."
Demyx smiled and watched as Axel bounded up the stairs and out of sight.
"So…" Roxas looked up at his friend, "I guess you're going on a date?"
"I guess…" Demyx shrugged, "why? Does it bother you?"
"The only thing that bothers me is having to watch you guys eye-rape each other," Roxas glared, "and pick your jaw up off the floor. He isn't even that good looking…" he stomped passed his friend and retreated into his bedroom. He was very annoyed and he was very upset and he didn't know why. Axel could do what he wanted.
Hadn't Roxas made it clear he didn't give a shit?
••••••••••••••
Things hadn't gotten much better between Sora and Riku by the evening. In fact, Riku had made it his mission to make sure he and Sora never ended up alone again after their little argument in the kitchen. It was clear the brunet wasn't over what had happened between them and it was clear he wasn't exactly in any place to forgive Riku. Was it stupid to say that Riku had been hoping Sora would forgive him? Was it stupid to say he was hoping that maybe – just maybe – they could get back together? Maybe pick up where they left off?
Probably.
Roxas wasn't feeling much better about Axel either and he found himself woefully bothered by the whole situation. Demyx wasn't even really his friend and he knew he was being cold, but he couldn't help himself. Axel, on some level, was his and not that Roxas would ever admit it, but he didn't want the redhead scamming on him with other guys. But he was prideful and he was moody and he wasn't ready to state how he maybe felt.
He found himself slowly becoming more and more agitated as the evening wore on and Axel hadn't arrived home yet. He was finding himself more and more uncomfortable with the whole situation. He tried to distract himself with his guitar or with the television or by reading, but his mind continued to wander back to his stupid upstairs tenant.
"Have you heard from Axel?" Roxas had actually made the effort to go up the stairs and ask Riku.
"No," he shrugged, "why?"
"Oh… no reason…" and then the blond walked woefully down the stairs and repeated to himself that he didn't care about Axel and he shouldn't care about when he came home.
But that certainly didn't stop him from abandoning his position on the couch when he heard a pair of keys in the lock. It certainly didn't stop him from standing in the foyer with his arms crossed and looking bad-tempered. Just because he didn't care about the redhead didn't mean he wasn't going to yell at him for being such a conceited jerk.
"Where have you been?" Roxas cried before Axel even had a foot in the door.
"Oh," he had jumped slightly, "hey, Roxy… Jesus, you scared me…" the redhead closed the door behind himself and swung his keys around his finger. "What's up?" he smiled at the blond and he looked quite pleased which only added to Roxas's agitation.
"Where have you been?" Roxas repeated.
"It's only…" Axel reached into his pocket and checked his phone, "seven o'clock…"
"You left at one! It's been six hours!" he glared hatefully at Axel, "you went to see a movie! What? Was the movie six hours?"
"No," Axel's eyes narrowed in confusion, "it wasn't… We got ice cream and walked around the – I don't have to explain myself to you," he shook his head and walked passed Roxas and into the kitchen, "you said it wouldn't bother you if I want out with Demyx, so I –"
"Is that a HICKEY?"! Roxas pointed accusingly at Axel's neck, "you have a hickey?" he looked disgusted and annoyed and hurt all at once.
"What?" Axel touched his neck, "I… why do you care?" his cheeks burned a shade of pink. He was embarrassed. He felt like he had been caught cheating and he had to remind himself that he didn't have to apologize. Roxas was not, in any sense of the word, his boyfriend and his jealousy (while endearing) was just a byproduct of his inability to be honest with himself.
"I don't!" he yelled, "I just…"
Axel laughed, "Okay, Roxy…" he rolled his eyes and opened the fridge door. "God, you need a boyfriend… It's just a hickey…" he reached for the milk – the milk that had 'Cheseborough' written across the front – and he pinched the little cardboard tabs forward to open them. "Maybe I'll give you one later so we can match…"
Roxas opened his mouth to warn Axel, but decided against it.
He took a swig and gagged, the incident from this morning all coming back to him. He spit the tuna milk out into the sink and a chill shot down his spin. It had only become worse since it had been sitting in the fridge.
"Goddamnit!" he spat into the sink and then proceeded to rinse his mouth out.
"Still enjoying the tuna milk?" Roxas asked coldly.
Axel spat into the sink again and then shot the blond a dirty look, "You're a dick. I can't believe you let me do that twice."
"I can't believe you have a hickey!"
"Oh my God," Axel wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "stop dicking around and just admit that the only reason you care is because you like me."
"I don't like you!" Roxas's hands balled into fists, "right now I'm teetering on the edge of hating you, Axel!"
"Why?" the redhead walked out of the kitchen and into the foyer, "why is that? What did I do to make you mad?" he started to walk up the stairs, but waited for a response from the blond.
"I…" Roxas gripped the railing on the stairway, "you're… You're obnoxious!"
"No," Axel leaned over the railing, "it's because I went out with Demy and you're a jealous tool."
Roxas blushed a deep shade of pink. He opened his mouth to defend himself but no words came out. He pouted at the redhead and when Axel rolled his pretty green eyes and proceeded up the stairs, Roxas did nothing and just watched his retreating form.
"So," the redhead stopped at the top of the stairs and looked down at Roxas, "tell me, zombie, were you waiting for me all day?" he raised his brows and then only smirked when Roxas's face burned a deep red color and he withdrew from the foyer without a response.
Axel walked into his room and offered a nod to Riku.
"How'd it go?" he was sitting on the couch reading a book, "Roxas came up here asking about you."
"Isn't he sweet?" Axel mumbled sarcastically, "it went well. Demyx is a good kisser."
"Yea?" Riku didn't bat an eye, "is he good at giving blow jobs too?"
"Shut up," Axel smirked, "he's not that fast. He's… a kid," the redhead shrugged and took a seat on the couch, "like he'll kiss and he'll tease, but he won't do anything else… You know Roxas tried to give me the third degree as soon as I walked in?"
"That's good, right?" Riku mumbled, "that means he cares, right?"
Axel didn't respond. He supposed it could be construed as "care" but he wasn't buying it. Roxas was jealous, but whether it was because he cared or just wanted Axel to be hung up on him he couldn't be sure. He was leaning toward the latter considering Roxas had yet to really even speak to him until Demyx came around. Axel figured as soon as he lost interest in Demyx, Roxas would go right back to pretending the upstairs floor of the duplex was its own separate entity that he wanted nothing to do with.
"Axel?"
"Hm…?" the redhead glanced over at Riku.
"Are you okay?"
"Yea," he stood up and headed for his room, "I think I'll be okay."
The night was strangely quiet in the duplex. Usually Axel was causing some sort of mayhem or he and Riku were blaring music or Roxas was playing his guitar or someone was fighting with someone. But everyone had gone off to their own space and it had made the duplex seem rather lonely.
Riku had headed to bed early because he had to work in the morning and Sora had disappeared for the night. Roxas didn't make much of it. Sora occasionally slept over at friends' houses or came home late at night, sometimes drunk but usually sober and just exhausted. He had a lot more friends than Roxas did. Axel and Riku moving in had seemed to strain their relationship the slightest bit. Sora was busy avoiding Riku and therefore wasn't all over Roxas and Roxas was so busy brooding over Axel that Sora found it difficult to be around him.
Axel had retreated to his room earlier in the evening. He wanted to work on his fables. He wanted to show Roxas he was serious about his deal. He wanted Roxas to stop being so prideful and just admit that he felt something other than dislike.
But the redhead had fallen asleep early, sometime around eleven, and was curled up in his bed with just his boxers on. It had started storming badly shortly after midnight, but it would take an act of God to wake Axel.
Roxas absolutely loathed thunderstorms, though. It wasn't until they moved into the duplex that storms began bothering him. He figured it had something to do with the window over his bed and the way lightning lit up the whole room. He figured maybe it had something to do with the way the thunder rumbled and seemed thirty times louder because of the tall ceilings. Usually Sora was next to him and he felt comforted by the sleeping form of his brother, but tonight there was just an empty space.
But Axel was upstairs. He could go to Axel.
"But I'll hate myself tomorrow if I do it…" he had gripped the blanket and pulled it over his head, "I'll have to kill myself tomorrow if I do it…"
Thunder boomed and Roxas reasoned that suicide was better than living in perpetual fear all night long. He gathered his blanket and wrapped it around himself as he crept out of his room and across the living room. Lightning struck and lit the duplex up and unfriendly shadows greeted him on the walls. He was much too old to be afraid of shadows and much too old to be afraid of storms, but he couldn't help it. Fear was just the natural response.
He clutched his blanket tightly and headed up the stairs trying hard to be quiet. Maybe Axel was awake still. Maybe he should just man up and go back downstairs. Maybe he should just man up and go crawl into bed with Axel.
Roxas grabbed the doorknob and opened the door slowly to the upper portion of the duplex. Their living room was dark, but he could hear the wind howling. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed and he quietly shut the door behind him and tried to ignore the unfriendly shadows that greeted him up here as well.
He approached Axel's room and he didn't bother knocking. He figured Axel wouldn't mind him barging in, if he was even awake.
"Axel?" he looked around the dark room and saw the redhead's sleeping form on the bed, "Axel…" Roxas swallowed hard and walked over to the bed. He gave the redhead's shoulders a little shake and figured it was fate that didn't want him waking Axel when the redhead didn't even stir.
A sigh passed his lips and he flopped down onto the redhead's bed. He curled up in the heat of his own blanket and deeply breathed the scent of Axel's room. It was something like fire, but not as strong. It smelled like a burned match or a candle that had just been blown out. It comforted him and he wasn't sure why. Being in Axel's room gave him that familiar burning feeling in the pit of his stomach and he wasn't sure why.
At least now he wasn't fearful. He was curled in Axel's bed with the scent of fire in his nostrils and he felt safe. It helped that Axel didn't know he was there.
Author's Note: Chapter two is up. I usually don't update this quickly. The longest I'll go with no update is probably a month. If it's any longer than a month, even by a day, check my profile because there will probably be some sort of explanation for the hold up. I don't like leaving people hanging. Readers shouldn't have to put up with that.
Anyway – I rewrote the last scene. It was originally filled with fluff, but then I realized it wasn't fitting with Roxas's bad attitude and moodiness. I'm trying so hard not to rush things between Axel and Roxas, but I hate waiting for them to jump each other's bones. It drives me mad.
Also, I still need a beta, so… ignore any errors. I reread it like four times, so hopefully there aren't any glaring, suicide-inducing mistakes.
As always, please review and tell your friends. Thank you for reading and I hope the chapter was enjoyable.
Next Chapter: He Takes One Step Forward and Eight Steps Back
Thank you for reviewing:
: I laughed when I first saw your review because most of my stories are about being down for the sake of being down. I'm leaning more towards humor now, though, because people seem to thoroughly enjoy this particular genre.
Namichan11: I'm certainly glad you enjoyed the first chapter. I do find I like to write Roxas as being an emotional rock until something, or someone, chips away his rough exterior.
ImSmilee4You: Thanks! You're very kind. I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter.
TopHatGlow: Another review that made me chuckle. Humor that's actually humorous? You make it sound so unheard of.
MadeofInk: Even I lost interest in the beginning. I reread it three or four times for editing purposes and my mind kept wandering during the beginning. That's probably not good… I should really find a beta reader.
NarutoAddicted95: Thank you. This was originally intended to be a one-shot, but half-way through I realized it was either going to be a 30,000 word one-shot (and that wasn't long enough) or a chapter story.
Egglorru: A third review that made me laugh. Firecrotch v. Zombie has such a lovely ring to it. Well said, my good reader.
MrMissMrs Random: I don't see Axel giving up. Even in Kingdom Hearts II he kind of resisted death there. I think that's why I like him so much. He's so resilient and it allows him to get taken advantage of sometimes.
Muffin: I really didn't think much about the names, but I'm really pleased you like them. Badcock is actually the name of a fabric store (not to be confused with Hancock. I don't understand the connection between cocks and fabric stores) and Cheseborough was the last name of a girl I was on swim team with (I thought her last name was Cheeseburger for months). I think Roxas might ditch the wedding if he's forced into a dress, but who knows? Axel can be quite the smooth talker.
Miss-Dreev: Aww, you liked the names too! I would feel really brilliant, but I don't because I didn't put much thought into them. I do like the last name Badcock, though, because it's a rather uncomfortable name for boys. There's no escaping the negative idea that your cock is bad.
Aindel S. Druida: I hate self-editing for that reason. I reread the chapter three or four times, but it's impossible to get all the typos without having another pair of eyes. I really need a beta reader. I do an okay job at editing, but my English can be pretty bad sometimes. It was really hard to write this because I kept changing tense throughout the damn story. I'm glad the mistakes don't take away from the story though. That's most excellent.
Sana-chan9: It's quite fun rooting for Axel. I think everyone hopes to see him shine.
Aurora Leaf: Yaaay! A review and an alert! I'm absolutely delighted. I'm glad you like the story so far. I hope I don't disappoint on the upcoming chapters.
Keuraki-SoraXRiku: Yea, the story starts off a bit slow but I'm glad I could grab your attention. I hear you about the chapter length. I posted I Guess That's Love and I had a few reviews that commented on the length (it was long. Around 16,000 words). I think I'll try and keep chapter length around 9,000-10,000 words not including Author's Notes and all that stuff. 9,000-10,000 is about 22-25 pages which seems like normal chapter length to me. I appreciate your input on the subject as I'm always unsure as to what readers like or don't like.
Sarahteehee3: I guess I don't read enough fanfiction because I thought everyone portrayed Roxas as a jerk. The more I write AxelxRoxas the more I'm finding that it's usually Roxas chasing Axel and Axel being the jerk. I guess I just like Axel taking abuse though. It leaves me feeling warm on the inside.
Daydreamishly: Yea, I agree… Usually I don't have trouble writing Sora, but when I pair him with Roxas, I do. My mind says "it's Sora! He's happy-go-lucky" but what actually comes out is "Roxas broods, so Sora must have some kind of deep emotional pain too" and I have no idea why. I really prefer Sora happy and optimistic. I think I just get into writing a pessimistic Roxas and an anxiety-ridden Sora comes along for the ride. I guess misery really does love company.
Thank you for reviewing. I hope everyone enjoyed Chapter 2 and I hope all of you stick around for Chapter 3. Thank you for the support. I really appreciate you guys.