DEATH and all His Friends
CHAPTER ONE
Dying isn't as easy as it sounds. Trust me, I would know. I've somehow managed to escape Hallow Bastion, where a gang used to beat me until senseless, only to find myself facing more beatings in Twilight Town. I'm now living with my mother, who has fallen into debt, and had no choice but to marry a man with money. Seifer controls most of the town with his gang, and he's had a thing for my mother ever since she moved here, after breaking things with my dad. So mom finally gave in and married Seifer, so she could support my brother, Ventus, and me. And Seifer is just like the guys back in Hollow Bastion, mean and enjoys beating people. My mother has already been hit three times in the two months I've been here, but she puts up with it so she can feed us. My mom has finally found a job at the Twilight Cafe as a waiter, nothing huge, but at least she is making money.
"Mom says she's going to save money for you and I to go to college," says Ven, who has lived with mom longer than I have. We were in Ven's bedroom, which was being rearranged to fit my bed. Ventus' room was a pale blue, with a huge window that had a beautiful view of Twilight Town. He had clothes and knick-knacks cluttered everywhere, something that annoyed me. "I told her she should save money for another divorce, but she wouldn't listen."
"Ven? Has Seifer hurt you at all?" I asked, staring at my identical twin, at his sea-blue eyes that seemed to dim with talk of our new dad.
Ven shrugged. "I'm okay," Ven said, flashing me his brilliant smile. I always wondered how Ven could always smile, despite everything.
"How about you, Roxas?" My twin asked, running a hand through his blonde, spiked hair. "How was dad? And why'd you decide to move here?"
"Some people in Hallow Bastion were really mean, they beat me up." I replied.
"Well, you came to the same thing," Ven smiled.
I shrugged. "Dad's struggling as well. He went to jail last month for stealing two hundred dollars from his co-worker. He was only there for a month, he got out on good behavior. But he was getting really depressed, he felt bad about messing things up with mom. He was drinking a lot. So I decided to come here, and see my twin! Good thing I did, maybe now I can protect you."
Ven smiled. "Hey! I can take care of myself!" I raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, I can!"
"Okay, Ven," I said. "So, can you show me around the town?"
Ven nodded, opened his pale blue closet next to his bed, and put on sneakers. He gave me a black coat, telling me Twilight Town gets cold at night. He put a navy blue coat on himself and walked out of his room. I followed. We walked down the stairs to the bright yellow kitchen which gave me a headache just looking at it for too long. We tip-toed past the brown living room where Seifer was sleeping with a beer bottle next to him. Then we were free. As we walked down the pathway to the street, I looked back at our house. It was two stories, and the siding was falling off. I saw the white paint was rusting and there was a lot of dust. I sighed, hoping Seifer would actually help my mom with bills and remodeling, instead of sitting on the coach getting drunk. Ven called me to hurry up, and I followed him.
Our first stop was the Twilight Town High School, where I had to apply for classes tomorrow. Then we went for a burger at the Twilight Cafe, where we said hi to mom. The Cafe was small, but busy. It had white walls and red seats, and black tables were scattered everywhere. After that, Ven and I walked around the streets, while Ven told me about the town.
"That's where Larxene lives. She's part of the popular group called the Organization. But nobody likes her. I don't know how she got in to the group!" Ven shrugged. But I wasn't listening. I was staring at a red headed boy, who was currently taking out the trash. He was wearing a tank top, so I saw his rippling biceps. He looked over at me for a quick second, and I saw that he had glistening emerald eyes. He smiled at me, then returned to his chore.
"Roxas? Hey, earth to Roxas!" Ven said, waving his hand in front of my face.
"What? Oh, I'm sorry, Ven, I didn't hear you." I smiled at him, then looked up towards the red-head again. He was going inside. No, don't leave, I wanted to say.
"What has gotten in to you, Roxas?" Ven asked.
"Who lives in that house at the end of this street?" I pointed to the brown brick house.
"Oh, you mean Axel. Yeah, he's with the Organization, but he doesn't seem as mean as the rest of them. He really only hangs out with them because his boyfriend, Demyx, is in the Organization."
"He has a boyfriend?" I asked sadly. Snap out of it, Roxas! I thought to myself.
"Yeah, Demyx. He's blonde, and has green eyes. He's quite handsome. All of the girls were upset when he started dating Axel."
"Wait, Ven," I said, finally realizing something, "How do you know so much about the Organization?"
"Oh, right! Well my friend Xion used to be with them, but they were too mean for her taste. Oh, you have to meet her!" Ven smiled.
I smiled at my younger (by a minute) brother. I just couldn't help it, whenever Ven smiles, it's contagious! "Alright, bud," I said. "Let's go home."
(line)
The next day, I woke up in my new home, and found Ven smiling over me. "Geez, Ven!" I laughed, quickly sitting up. "What was that for?"
"C'mon, Roxas, get up! It's your first day at Twilight Town High!" Ven picked up a pillow from his bed and hit me with it.
"Okay, okay, I'm getting up!" I laughed. "Besides, school isn't very exciting."
"But you'll meet Xion! C'mon!"
"Alright, Ven," I sighed. I rummaged through the boxes on the floor, which were my make-shift closet for the moment. I found a white tee to wear, and I put on my favorite grey pants. I slipped on some sneakers and went downstairs where Ven was already eating breakfast.
"Hello, dear," my mom smiled, pouring milk into my cereal. "Are you ready for school?"
"Yep," I said.
"I hope you get a class with me!" My brother smiled.
"I'm sure you will, it's not that big of a school," my mother pointed out.
"Will you shut up?" Seifer boomed. "I've got a splitting headache." He was probably hung over. We ate the rest of breakfast in silence. Mom handed me a brown bag with lunch, and she gave one to Ven as well. I got up from the table and grabbed my backpack, and waited for Ven to get ready.
"Alright, bye, mom," I said, waving.
"Have a good day, boys!" Mom smiled.
"SHUT UP!" Seifer screamed. He got up from the couch and glared at me. His blue eyes burned into mine, and I froze with fear. After a few seconds, I realized that I wasn't moving. I took Ven's hand and opened the door to our house, and I ran out.
(line)
After I got my class schedule, Ven walked me to my class. "Here it is," he smiled, "Math. Have..uh, fun?"
I glared at him. "Okay, Ven," I patted his head. He waved at me, then walked off.
"Hello," the teacher said. "You're new here, right?"
"Yeah," I replied, "I'm Roxas."
"Please, Roxas, sit in that desk, next to Axel." He pointed towards an empty desk at the back of the class. I nodded and headed over there. As I sat next to the boy, he looked over at me and smiled. It gave me a warmth in my heart. Wait, what?
"Hi," Axel said. "My name is Axel. I saw you yesterday, didn't I?"
I nodded. "Yeah, my name is Roxas."
"Say, you look a lot like this guy Ventus. He's in my science class." Axel said.
"He's my twin brother," I told him.
"Ah, that's cool. You guys got that twin telepathy thing?"
I shrugged. "Maybe?" Axel laughed quietly.
"What's so funny?" I asked him nervously.
"Oh, just you. You're kinda cute." He smiled. My heart flew at that statement.
"Th-Thanks," I smiled. The teacher started the class, and Axel pulled out his phone. He seemed to be texting somebody. His boyfriend, perhaps? I looked down at my desk and sighed. I took out a pencil and doodled on my desk. It already had some doodles on it, some person named Marluxia had written their name in permanent ink.
Suddenly, a piece of paper landed on my desk. It had writing on it. I glanced at Axel, who nodded at the paper. I guess it was a note from him.
"So you're new here? PS- This teacher is boring, I figured you might need something entertaining!" The note read.
"Yeah, I just moved here from a town called Hollow Bastion." I passed Axel the note as the teacher's back was turned.
"Why'd you move, if you mind me asking?" he wrote back.
"Some people in Hollow Bastion were really mean to me, and my dad couldn't support me anymore," I wrote. Then I shook my head and erased that. "Oh, just because my brother's here, and I wanted to help my mom out. My dad agreed I should come, also."
"Ah, my parents are divorced too. I live with my pops. Hey, we should hang sometime, I can show you to some cool places in Twilight Town!" My heart raced at this message. Did I really want to hang out with Axel? Well, yes, I did, but...what about Demyx? I really didn't want to get in between them. And besides, what if Axel was just like the rest of his Organization buddies?
"Um, I don't know. Ventus already showed me around." I wrote back.
"Oh, well, that's okay, we should still hang. I bet Ven hasn't shown you some of the places I know!" he wrote back to me. Did he really want to hang out with me that badly?
"Okay, I'll hang with you sometime." I found myself writing. Damn it, Roxas.
"Great! Meet me in the Twilight Cafe after school."
"I'll see you then." Just then, the bell rang. Axel smiled at me and walked out of the class.
CHAPTER TWO
At lunch, Ven showed me to the table where he usually sits. A girl with black hair was there. She looked up at me with her blue eyes glistening in the pale lunchroom light. She smiled at me widely.
"Oh!" she said. "You must be Roxas! I'm Xion! Ven's told me so much about you!"
I glanced at my brother. "...He has?" I asked.
"Only the good things," Ven shrugged.
"It's nice to meet you, Xion," I told her.
"Wow, you two really are twins, aren't you?" Xion laughed. She looked back and forth between Ven and I. She shook her head. "I can see it already-I'm going to get you guys confused." Ven laughed at her, and they continued to talk.
Across the lunchroom, I saw two tables of thirteen very attractive people, and Axel was sitting with them. He had his arm around a blonde boy, who I assumed was Demyx. They were all laughing at something. I saw Demyx look up at Axel and kiss his lips. My heart broke seeing that. Snap out of it, Roxas! Axel is taken. Besides, I barely even knew him.
"Roxas?" Xion was saying.
"Hm? What? Oh, sorry, what was that?" I said, turning my attention back to Xion and Ven.
"What are you staring at?" Ven asked, stretching his neck to try to see. I looked back towards Axel and Demyx, who were talking with each other and laughing. I felt a wave of jealousy crash over me.
"It's not a what," Xion smiled, "It's a who! Roxas likes one of the Organization people!"
"I do not," I said, turning towards Xion.
"Liar!" she giggled. "Which one, Roxas? You know that most of them are real jerks, right?"
"Not Axel," I sighed to myself.
"Axel? Isn't he the guy you asked about yesterday?" Ven asked. I nodded.
Xion let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, jeez, you're gay. Good, because Larxene is the only girl over there and trust me, you do not want to date her!"
I smiled at Xion. "I'm glad you accept me."
"Of course!" she smiled. "You're twin is gay too, you know. That's mainly why I left the Organization. They were really mean to Ven and a lot of other gays. When Demyx came out and started dating Axel, it got better. But I don't think they like Demyx and Axel dating."
"Would they do anything to hurt Axel?" I asked, a worried expression on my face.
She shrugged. "I don't think so, Demyx is best friends with the leader, Xemnas. So, Xemnas wouldn't do anything to hurt Axel or Demyx. Only concerned about Axel, eh, Roxas?"
"I-well-I-" I stammered.
"It's okay to like someone, Roxas," Xion grinned. "It's too bad that he's dating, though."
"Maybe they'll break up!" Ven said, grinning hugely. I smiled at my twin and looked back towards Axel, who was now sitting on Demyx's lap. Demyx kissed Axel's forehead.
I sighed. "They seem happy together. I just want him to be happy."
(line)
After school, I walked Ven home and then walked to the Twilight Cafe. Why was I doing this again? And what if Axel talks about Demyx, and I get jealous? I sighed and entered the cafe. I scanned the area and saw the red head at a corner table, talking to my mom. I walked over to him.
"Hey, Roxas," my mother smiled. I smiled back, and sat down across from Axel. "Oh! Are you two on a date?"
"Mom," I said, glaring at her.
"Just friends? Alright, see you later, hun." As she walked away, she mouthed "He's cute!" and winked at me. I shook my head at her.
"That's your mom?" he asked.
"Yeah, sorry about that." I smiled.
"It's fine, I know how mothers can be," he shrugged.
"Axel," I said. He looked up at me with those emerald eyes. "Why are you staying with your dad, rather than your mom? If you, uh, mind me asking." Idiot, I thought to myself, why'd you ask that?
"Mom passed away a year ago," Axel sighed.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, looking down at the table. Idiot.
"It's fine," Axel laughed. He brought his hand under my chin and forced me to look at him. "Don't worry about it, alright? Besides, it brought me to Twilight Town. I met my boyfriend, and I met you, Roxas." I smiled at him, my heart warming up.
"Alright," Axel said, "Let's get going." He got up from the table, and I followed him out. We talked the whole night long, and he took me to this secret dance club in an alleyway. Axel made me dance with him, and I swear I was flying that night. It felt so nice to be near him, to feel his hands on me. ROXAS! What are you saying?
Axel walked me home, telling me he'd see me tomorrow at school.
It had to be the best night of my life. That night, I dreamt of kissing Axel before he walked home, and him saying he'd been waiting for me to do that all day.
(line)
The next few weeks, Axel and I became great friends. I finally told him of my experiences in Hollow Bastion, and I told him about my new dad, Seifer. Ven and I have been recently started using makeup to cover bruises on our faces. Every night, mom tells us that she's so close to getting enough money for college, we just have to put up with Seifer, and he'll give us money. I worry about my mom. I worry more about Ven. After school, I usually hang out with Axel, and Ven is left home alone with Seifer. I feel really guilty about this, but he always tells me he's fine. I've been trying to distance myself from Axel because I need to spend more time with my twin. Also, my crush on him has worsened. One night, I fell at the secret dance club, and Axel got down to see if I was okay.
"Roxas," he had said. "You alright?" His face was so close to mine, and his hands were on my chest. I brought my face an inch closer to his, then I remembered. I was just a friend to Axel. At lunch, Axel sometimes sits with us, but most days, he's across the lunchroom, sitting on Demyx's lap. It really hurts me.
Today after school, I am home for once. I lay on my bed, doing math homework. Ven is laying on his bed, reading an English book. Suddenly, we hear my mom yelling.
"Seifer! Please!" she says. "Don't hurt them!" We hear thundering footsteps climbing the stairs, and then our bedroom door slams open. Seifer stands there, beer bottle in hand.
"VENTUS!" He screams, grabbing my twin by his shirt collar.
"Stop!" I scream. "Put him down!"
"I pay the bills in this house," Seifer glares at me, "It's my house! You can't tell me what to do!" He throws my twin down on the hard wood floor. I scream as I hear a crack.
"I'm paying for your college, Ventus! And how do you repay me? I go in the living room and see a stain on the couch! I know it was you!" Seifer hits my brother on the back of the head.
"And Roxas," he says walking towards me. I quickly back up to the wall and look out of our open bedroom window. It seems to be a six foot drop. I jump up on my bed and climb out the window.
"ROXAS!" I hear Seifer call after me. I fall on the ground, and instantly my ankle hurts. I try to get up, but it hurts. I need to get up. I need to get help! Out of the corner of my eye, I see Seifer walking towards me.
"Roxas!" he screams. "Come here!" I bite down on my lip and force myself to get off of the ground. I start running away, wincing with every step. I run as fast as I can, not really knowing where I'm going. I wonder why our neighbors haven't heard our screams at night. I wonder if Ven is dead by now, and it would be all my fault for leaving him. Before I know it, I'm at Axel's door, and I knock.
Why am I here? Go see the police, you idiot! But still, I prayed that Axel would be home, that he'd comfort me. The door opened, and Axel appeared. He smiled at me, but once he saw my condition, the smile faded in to a worried look.
"Roxas? What's wrong?" he asked.
"I-I just didn't know who to come to," I stammered. "It's my dad! He hurt Ven-badly. I-I didn't know what else to do...I-I'm sorry.."
"Shh," he calmed me, coming outside. "Come on, Roxas, let's go to the police."
(line)
I lay beside Ven in the hospital now. The police are asking my mother questions. They have already arrested Seifer and he will go to jail for child abuse. Ven has a broken arm, and a broken leg. After I left, Seifer pushed Ven down a flight of stairs. Thankfully, the police got to my house before Seifer killed him. I looked across at my sleeping brother now, his peaceful eyes closed.
I then looked across the other way, where Axel was talking with Demyx. They seemed to be arguing. Axel had stayed with me for a whole hour, watching over me, when Demyx came, per Axel's request. When Demyx first arrived, he seemed jealous that Axel was watching over me, and Demyx asked Axel if he had any feelings for me. Axel looked at me, and I pretended to be asleep. Axel never said yes. But he never said no.
CHAPTER THREE
With Seifer in jail, my mother began struggling with money again. Seifer had given her a few thousand, but she had put it towards Ven and I's college education. It was hard for her to pay the bills with just her. Ven got a job at a supermarket once his arm healed, and I was looking for a job for myself.
These days at school, Axel sits with me more often. We have become really close since Ven got hurt. One day, he even defended me against his Organization buddies. I accidentally ran into Xemnas at lunch.
"Watch it, you homo!" Xemnas yelled. "Don't touch me!" This statement made me wonder if Xemnas was really okay with Demyx and Axel.
"Sorry," I mumbled at him. I tried to go past him, but he stopped me.
"Where are you going? Perhaps you should stay a while." Xemnas smiled at me evilly. I tried to walk past him again.
"Oh, no, you don't," He said. Demyx came up behind Xemnas.
"Having trouble here, Xemnas?" Demyx asked, raising an eyebrow.
"This klutz ran in to me. I think he spilled something on me!" Xemnas complained. I raised an eyebrow and looked down at my empty hands.
"I spilled what?" I snapped.
"Don't give him attitude, idiot." Demyx said. He pushed me, and I stumbled backwards. Someone's hands wrapped around my waist, keeping me from falling. I turned my head to look into Axel's eyes. He smiled down at me, then stood me straight up.
"Oh, good Axel, you hold 'em and we'll hit 'em," Demyx hissed at me, coming closer, his hand in a fist. Axel stepped in front of me, and put an arm out.
"Don't touch him," Axel growled. Demyx glared at me with the same look that Seifer used to give me. I grabbed on to Axel's arm, feeling scared.
"What's up with you, Axel?" Xemnas asked.
"He's my friend, okay?" Axel replied.
"This worthless homo is your friend?" asked Demyx, laughing. I was surprised that thoes words came out of his mouth. Look whose talking, I wanted to say.
"Shut up, Demyx," Axel said sharply. He then entwined his fingers with mine, which sent sparks flying through my body. He then walked me out of the lunchroom, the sound of a yelling Demyx behind us.
"Why did you do that? Isn't Demyx your boyfriend?" As I said this, I glanced at how tightly Axel was gripping my hand.
Axel looked down at me and smiled. "Any guy who talks to you that way is not my boyfriend." He shrugged, and kept walking with me, not letting go of my hand.
It's been two days since Axel defended me, and apparently broke up with Demyx. Axel has been getting closer to me, and he holds my hand a lot. It's pretty confusing for me, I don't know if he likes me, or he's holding my hand because he needs support right now. Whatever the reason, I like it. And I might confront him about weather he actually wanted another relationship, but then I wasn't sure if I wanted one.
Four days after Axel defended me from Demyx, Axel was walking me home. We were laughing about something Ven had told me the day before. As I laughed, Axel put his arm around my shoulders. Axel stopped at the walkway to my house. He smiled at me.
"You're amazing, you know that, right, Roxas?" He said to me, and he stroked my cheek. "I'm so glad you were in my math class. You've really just helped me...you helped me see what a jerk Demyx is, and what friendship really means."
I blushed a bright red, and I stared down at the ground. "You helped me, too, Axel," I lifted up my head to look him in the eyes.
He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Roxas, I have to tell you-" Before Axel could finish, I grabbed his face and brought his face to mine. I kissed him passionately, and I could feel sparks of fire shooting through me. So this is love. And then I realized...I was kissing Axel! I pulled away quickly. Axel was staring at me, wide-eyed.
"I...Axel, I'm so sorry-I just-um-I'm sorry." I looked down the ground and started to walk in to my house. Axel's hand grabbed my arm.
"I've been waiting for you to do that since the moment we met," Axel said, his eyes glowing like fire. He yanked my arm, and pulled me close. He cupped my cheek and put an arm around my waist. "Roxas, I love you." Axel laughed nervously.
I giggled, feeling embarrassed. "I love you, too, Axel," I smiled. Axel kissed me then, and sparks flew again. I had a sudden flashback of Hallow Bastion, of the pain. I remembered Seifer and his abuse. And for the first time, I forgot all of it, and I was completely, amazingly, happy.
CHAPTER FOUR
It's been a week since that day when I first kissed Axel, a week since the best day of my life. And it's only gotten better. Axel and I spend all the time we can together. Sometimes, though, during lunch, when Axel gets up to get us sea salt ice cream, I see Demyx staring at me with laser eyes. He glares at me until I feel a fire inside my stomach, until I have to look away and stare at the table. When Axel comes back, I'll glance towards Demyx's direction and he'll still be glaring at me, his fist clenched around a knife. He scares me. After school, I make sure to stay by Axel's side, because I'm worried Demyx might hurt me. I'm also afraid that doing this makes me come off as clingy, but that's not my main priority.
I haven't told Axel about it, because he would freak out and try to threaten Demyx, or hurt him. I don't want to see Axel like that. Besides, I'm probably just imagining the whole thing. But then I started to wonder: Does Demyx still have feelings for Axel?
(line)
The last bell for school rang, signaling we could all leave. I walked out of my science class and waited for Axel.
"Hey, lovely," He smiled. He kissed me and ruffled my hair. I smiled at him. "Look, Roxas, I'm sorry, but I can't-" You can't do this anymore, you hate me, you want to leave..."-walk you home. I have a test to make up." He shrugged at me.
"Oh, that's okay." I smiled, worried. Demyx...
"Are-are you okay, Roxas?" Axel asked me. "I've noticed that you hold on to my arm really tight when I walk you home from school. Is something going on? You know you can trust me."
I stared in to his green eyes and pictured him giving Demyx, his ex-boyfriend, a black eye just because I have a weird feeling. I shook my head. "I'm fine." I gave him a fake smile. I hope he didn't notice.
He nodded at me, seemingly unconvinced. "I'll call you later, okay?" I nodded at him. He kissed me again, and then walked off. I started down the hallway, my heart already racing. You'll be okay, I told myself. Just...walk fast. I exited the school and made the trek to my house. I was always looking around me and behind me, making sure. I kept clenching and un-clenching my fists. My whole body felt cold, and my mind was fuzzy. Suddenly, big hands grabbed my waist and my mouth, and dragged me in to an alley. Shit! I tried to break away and scream, but the street I was on looked empty. Great.
A husky voice greeted me. "Hello, boyfriend stealer." It was Demyx. I struggled against his grasp, but he held me close. "Shhh, Roxas, it's okay." Demyx stroked my hair.
I bit his hand that covered my moth. He pulled it away, cursing at me. "Don't touch me," I snarled.
"You let Axel do it," Demyx hissed. "You know, Axel and I were so happy together. I loved him, okay? And yes, I know I can be a bit mean, but Axel accepted that! And then you came along."
"Axel didn't deserve you!" I kicked his leg. He let me go. I tried to run, but Demyx grabbed me again before I could escape. "Let me go!"
"Let Axel go!" Demyx yelled. He threw me against the wall, and I banged my head. My back hurt, my head was throbbing, and I felt pain all over my body. Demyx kicked me in the stomach. I felt my lunch coming up. "He loved me! I was going to try to change for him, be a better person! But no, you had to show up and steal him away!" Demyx kicked me again. I threw my arms around my stomach, feeling sick.
"You will never be a better person," I said. Demyx picked me up and threw me down, and everything hurt again.
"Fuck you," Demyx cried. "Fuck you and your idiot new boyfriend!" Demyx kicked me, and then again. My head was spinning, and I was seeing stars. I looked up at Demyx through the blood that was apparently dripping with blood. When did that happen? Denyx raised his leg, poised to kick me again, when someone knocked him over.
"You leave Roxas alone," Axel snarled, on top of Demyx. For a split second, I was jealous, and then I realized what was going on.
"Axel," I cried. "Don't...don't sink yourself to his level..."
Axel looked at me, shocked at my injuries and my statement. "You're right. He's not worth the time." Axel spat at Demyx and then came over to me.
"Are you okay?" Axel asked, a tear threatening to fall. I smiled at him, and slowly started to move my arms. But the movement hurt, and I clenched my side. I winced. Axel stroked my arm, telling me not to move. My vision started getting hazy, and suddenly, the world went black.
The last words I heard were, "Stay with me, Roxas, please. I need you."
(line)
I slowly opened my eyes, and a redhead with the most gorgeous green eyes was staring at me, worried. Was I in heaven?
"Roxas!" Axel smiled, his eyes lighting up like a flame. "Oh, Roxas, you're awake. I'd thought I might loose you, that I'd never see you again, that you'd-"
I brought my finger to his lips. "Shh," I said. "I'm okay. Thanks to you."
Axel blushed, his cheeks matching his hair. "What else was I supposed to do? I can't-I couldn't imagine my life without you in it, Roxas."
Now I was the one blushing. "I love you, so much." I told him, and I tried to sit up to kiss him, and ended up wincing.
"Stay put for now, Rox," Axel smiled. "You have some broken ribs, and a gash on your head." I touched the bandages on my head, wincing at the touch. Axel took my hand in his, trying to get me to stop hurting. It was affecting him, too, and his eyes were downcast.
Ven entered the room. His eyes lit up, and he smiled at me. "Hey, twin," Ven smiled. He went to Axel's side and looked me over. "How are you?"
"I'm alive," I said. "And you should thank Axel for that."
Ven turned to Axel. "I can't tell you how much this means to me. He's my best friend...my everything. He keeps me sane." I smiled at my twin.
"Really, it's no problem," Axel shrugged. "I can't live without him, either." Axel bent down and kissed my forehead.
"You guys," I said, embarrassed. "Oh...what happened to Demyx?"
Axel's eyes grew dark at the mention of the boy who caused me so much pain. "He got arrested. He won't bother you anymore."
I nodded at him. "Good, and-are you okay?"
Axel laughed, making my head feel better. "You're asking me if I'm okay?"
I laughed with him, my ribs hurting, but not caring.
That's just what happens when you're in love.