Author's Note: This story was written by me, Peachy. Just a lil' something I wrote this summer and stored away till now. I'm still not crazy about it, but I might be acting overly critical toward it. Or maybe it really does suck. Well, I guess I'll find out by your responses! :P
Kind of OOC, that might be my main issue with this. Besides that the whole thing seems kind of bleh. The only thing I like is the last ten lines or so. But I'm not touching this thing again. It's done. I wash my hands of thee! xP (Whatever, It's AkuRoku fluff, the rabid fangirls won't care.)
Enjoy! Comments are, as always, greatly appreciated! :D
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If You Still Want Me
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The sun was shining brightly over the heads of eight eleventh grade students as they meandered down the sidewalk beside the main road. It was three o'clock in the afternoon, and the teens were all dressed in their school uniforms, backpacks and shoulder bags in tow.
The sky was a periwinkle-blue, a warm day for late February. Despite it being a Wednesday, Main Street was bustling, cars and pedestrians buzzing about and giving the town character and life. There were puddles on the sidewalks and streets from the early afternoon shower, and a small object was gleaming in the sunlight as it sat immersed in a sidewalk puddle.
"Hey Sora, check out what I found!" Axel said to the little brunette next to him as he stood up, successfully bringing the entire group to a halt and holding said object in one hand.
It was a miniature snow globe, small enough to fit into the palm of Axel's hand. Inside the globe were miniscule fir trees and a snowman, obviously a Christmas themed trinket. Axel shook it and made the flecks of white "snow" fall all over the tiny scene inside the glass. Sora's enormous oceanic eyes sparkled as he smiled at the trinket.
Roxas snapped his head around to get a look at what was happening behind him. His cerulean eyes moved from Sora, to the trinket, to Axel's eyes as they met each other's gaze briefly.
Axel turned his attention back to Sora, his catlike eyes narrowing and a small smirk forming on his lips.
"Would you like it, Sora?" Axel asked the boy.
"You're giving it to me?" Sora said, one eyebrow cocked and his eyes wide in surprise.
Axel's eyes just barely flickered over Roxas's before he nodded at the brunette.
"Yeah, if you want it, you can have it, Sora." The redhead replied, his look in his eyes not matching the neutrality of his voice.
Riku made what might've been a sardonic scoff from where he stood on the other side of Sora. He knew that Axel was trying to make Roxas jealous, and Kairi and Naminé knew it, too. Zexion would've noticed as well, but he was too busy explaining to Demyx for the billionth time that day why Cloud had gotten mad at him the night before. Demyx was feebly attempting to defend his decision to decorate Strife's sword with ribbon, glitter, and little cardboard-cutout fishes, but Zexion quelled his protests with indisputable logic. At the very least, Demyx wasn't crying anymore, which came as a great relief to everyone, especially Zexion.
In any case, the pair took no notice to Axel's mean-spirited plan as it unfolded, and unfold it did. Roxas's eyes flashed fire as Axel extended the snow globe out to the brunette.
The blonde took a step forward without realizing it, and Axel's smirk widened to a wicked fullness as Sora looked at his twin brother confusedly.
"Roxas? What's wrong?" the brunette asked.
Roxas stood in front of him and Axel, suddenly embarrassed at his obvious display of emotion.
"Yes Roxas, what's the matter?" the redhead said, grinning deviously.
"Nothing." The blonde said hurriedly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his school pants.
Sora looked at the trinket, which still rested in Axel's outstretched palm. He refocused his gaze on Roxas and pointed to it.
"Do you want the snow globe?" the brunette asked, his naïveté causing him to completely misunderstand the diliberateness of the redhead's actions.
Roxas just stared warily at his unwitting twin brother, unsure of what to say in response.
"Roxas, do you want the snow globe?" Axel said, the feigned innocence in his voice destroyed completely by his devilish grin.
Roxas could feel his face heating up with embarrassment and…anger. He was angry at the redhead for being able to get a reaction out of him, for wanting to get a reaction out of him, and it was all over a stupid trinket found by the side of the road.
If looks could kill, Axel would've been reduced to a pile of bones by the lasers in his blonde beau's eyes.
Roxas had had enough of Axel's stupid games. Over the past few weeks, the redhead had been dilberately pushing his buttons at every chance he got. Roxas didn't understand why Axel insisted on upsetting him all of a sudden, and he was confused and hurt by his love's inconsideration. Roxas also didn't prize himself for possessing the longest of fuses, and at the moment his wick was officially burnt out.
"I'm going home. Bye Riku, Nami, Kairi…Sora." Roxas said, glaring daggers at the redhead as he whirled around and stormed off down the sidewalk.
Axel's smirk immediately vanished as his eyes flashed with concern before he took off after the blonde.
Kairi and Naminé called out a goodbye to Roxas and then to the rest of the gang as they spotted Hayner window shopping with some of their other classmates across the street and trotted over to him, giggling softly to each other as they approached their fair-haired object of affection.
"We're gonna take off too, guys. Demyx is going to apologize to Cloud. Right, Demyx?" Zexion said, looking up at his flaxen-haired friend with the expression of a scolding mother.
Demyx nodded, a pout settled on his boyish face.
"I still think it looks much prettier that way…" Demyx's voice carried over to Sora and Riku as their friends departed, leaving the pair together on the sidewalk.
Sora looked up into his boyfriend's aqua eyes earnestly.
"Riku, why is Roxas mad? Was it something I said?" the brunette asked, worry etched on his face.
Riku shook his head and took the brunette's hand in his own, interlacing their fingers as he leaned down to kiss Sora's forehead. Sora blushed a pleasant shade of pink and shuffled in just a little bit closer to the silver-haired boy.
"No. Axel's just being an idiot. Roxas will get over it by dinnertime. Which reminds me, would you like to grab a cup of hot cocoa before we go home for dinner?" he asked his beau.
Sora squeezed Riku's hand and smiled shyly, their coats brushing as he moved in even closer to the other boy.
"Actually, I was thinking that you could fix us cocoa…at my place." Sora said softly, giving Riku a look full of meaning as his cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. Riku met Sora's gaze and his cheeks soon matched Sora's as the brunette's response sunk in.
Riku gulped and could only nod in reply. Sora wasted no time and led his boyfriend down the sidewalk in the direction of his home.
--
Roxas was walking quickly in the opposite direction of Sora and Riku, his head down and his eyes narrowed in anger and lingering embarrassment.
Suddenly, he made out the sound of approaching footsteps coming from behind him. He knew it was Axel, and he also knew from the sound of his approach that he was running to catch up with him. Roxas made no attempt to slow his pace as he plowed forward, his gaze fixed on the concrete in front of him as if he were wearing blinders.
Axel soon caught up to the blonde, but Roxas continued to walk down the sidewalk, catching a glimpse of the redhead as he looked both ways before crossing the street.
Axel, not yet discouraged, continued to follow the blonde across the street, now walking almost right beside Roxas. Realizing that the blonde would probably walk all the way to wherever it was he planned on going without even acknowledging the redhead, Axel reached out and tugged at Roxas's coat above his shoulder.
"Roxas? Hey, Roxie, don't be like that. Look at me." Axel said, unable to hide the slight pleading in his voice.
To his surprise, Roxas did turn around to face him, but he was met with a pair of angry eyes and a scowl on his boyfriend's face.
Roxas looked down at Axel's other arm, which was cradling the snow globe against his coat.
"You're still carrying that piece of crap?" the blonde said, his voice dripping with cynicism.
Axel looked down at the snow globe and back up at Roxas, his face actually showing embarrassment as he shifted his feet.
"Roxas—"
"You're a jerk," Roxas exclaimed, all the bitterness and cynicism drained out of his voice, replaced by a raw hurt that was much closer to his true emotion at the moment.
"I'm sor—"
"And it's not even about that stupid snow globe and you know it. You deliberately teased me to try and make me jealous. This is like the fifth time you've done something like this in the past two weeks. I don't understand why you feel the need to purposely hurt my feelings." He blonde said, nearly shouting.
Axel's prepared apology died in his throat as he looked at Roxas standing before him, angry and confused and hurt.
Axel felt a hot stab of guilt in his heart and gave Roxas a long, silent look before deciding to tell him the truth.
"You're right. I have been doing it on purpose. I'm really sorry, Roxas. The truth is, lately I've been feeling a little…insecure." The redhead confessed.
Roxas blinked, his anger subsiding for the moment due to surprise at the sudden turn in the argument.
When Roxas didn't respond, Axel took it as a sign to continue, and he stepped in a little closer so that he was a few feet away from the blonde.
"You see, the week before last, I was talking to Wakka, and he asked me why we don't…why we aren't really that affectionate in school. And when I thought about it, I really didn't know the answer. I mean, we're fine outside of school, but for some reason we just aren't really couple-y in school at all. So I guess it was bothering me, and I wanted to get some attention from you during school-time. So I…"
Axel trailed off and looked down in embarrassment. Roxas's eyes were perfectly round as he looked at the redhead in shock.
A long moment passed as the two boys looked at each other in silence.
"Well...fuck Wakka." Roxas said, the anger quickly melting from his voice. Axel immediately caught his gaze, his catlike eyes wide and hopeful.
"Axel, why didn't you tell me what happened? And that it was bothering you?" Roxas asked, his voice coming out quieter than he intended.
"I don't know. I know I should have." Axel said lamely, his emerald eyes shining with guilt.
"Yes, you should have. What you did was stupid and immature and it hurt me." Roxas said.
"I know, I know it was immature. I feel so bad, Roxas, I'm so sorry I hurt you." The redhead said, his eyes full of sorrow.
"But now at least I understand what was going through your crazy head when you were doing this. I just wish you felt like you could've told me." Roxas said, his anger gone and replaced by a touch of sadness.
Axel stepped in just a hair closer to his boyfriend, tentatively.
"It's not like that, Roxas. It's not that I didn't think I could tell you, but…I don't know, for some reason, this was different. I felt like…it was my fault, somehow. Like maybe you didn't want to be close to me during school because you were…I dunno…embarrassed?" he said, all his deepest fears and doubts coming to light in that instant.
A lump rose in Roxas's throat and he fought it back fruitlessly. He closed the distance between them as he moved forward and captured Axel's free hand in his own.
"So one person questions our lack of hallway PDA, and you decide to get me worked up during school hours in order to quell your mounting uncertainty about the strength of my feelings for you?" Roxas said, looking up into Axel's eyes.
Axel actually blushed. "Jeez, when you say it like that, it really does sound stupid." He said, the faintest trace of a smile ghosting across his lips.
Roxas reached out with his other hand and grabbed the snow globe out of Axel's grip. He stepped back from the redhead and hurled the trinket into the road, where it shattered into a million tiny pieces.
Before the redhead could think to react, Roxas gripped Axel by his scarf and pulled him down into a passionate kiss, his other hand still interlaced with the redhead's own.
Axel was so shocked that he was unable to do more than press his lips back against Roxas's own until the blonde broke the kiss, catching and holding his startled gaze as he released his scarf and caressed Axel's cheek.
"You really are as dumb as you look." Roxas said in a voice barely above a whisper.
He stood on tiptoe and kissed the tip of Axel's nose.
"I thought I said it often enough, but apparently not since you're doubting me. Axel, I love you. And that's not gonna change anytime soon. Okay?" Roxas said, his voice low and sincere.
"I know, I know you do. I didn't doubt that. I just thought that you didn't want to be seen kissing another guy in school." Axel said, his voice hoarse and raw with emotion.
Roxas's face lit up as he let out an uncontrollable laugh, his smile immediately lifting the heaviness in the air.
"Oh come on, you think I'm still embarrassed about being with a guy after all this time? Hell, Axel, the whole school knows. And I really could not care less. I guess we're not that physical in school, but that's because I'm kind of focused on what I'm doing, like school-wise. You know, what you should be focusing on?" he said teasingly, but not disparaging the absolute sincerity in his response.
Axel's face lit up in a smile that was as much embarrassment as it was relief.
"Well, you're just so much more interesting than any subject. I mean really Roxas, do you honestly think I can focus on a lecture when the only anatomy I wanna study is sitting right across from me?" he said with a wink and a smirk as Roxas flushed a light pink, and just like that, whatever distance that had been building between them closed in an instant.
Both boys shared a laugh, and Roxas sighed heavily and rested his head on Axel's chest.
"God, I think that was the first time we've had a fight. Well, it's the closest we've come to one anyway. Promise me you'll tell me if things are bothering you in the future?" the blonde said, both his hands resting in each of Axel's own.
"I promise. Let's never fight again." Axel said and buried his face in the blonde's hair, knowing it sounded cliché and stupidly naïve but not really caring.
"Agreed. You coming over for dinner?" Roxas asked, pulling away from the redhead but keeping one hand intertwined with one of Axel's own.
"If you still want me." Axel replied, not realizing the larger implication of his words until after they tumbled out of his mouth.
Roxas leaned in close to Axel and caught him in a heated kiss. He broke the kiss shortly but kept his face inches from Axel's own.
"Baby, I always want you." He whispered, looking into Axel's intriguing catlike eyes with a mixture of love and lust that drove the redhead utterly insane.
Without hesitation, Axel scooped the blonde up in his arms bridal-style and turned around on the sidewalk, carrying a red-faced but laughing Roxas off in the direction of his house. He could only hope that Sora and Riku would be clothed when they entered.
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The End