Maybe If It Rains
by Light Catastrophe
Rating: T
Warnings: yaoi, kissing, AU
Pairing: AkuRoku (minor: Soku and CloudxRoxas)
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts only belongs to me in my dreams.
Babblings: Yay for another AkuRoku! I think I'm addicted. This story was derived from a similar experience I went through - though it wasn't nearly as fluffy. It just inspired this story.
Also, I wouldn't mind having a beta to fix all my small, stupid mistakes.
Roxas' point of view
ARARARARARARAR
The heat was stifling. It seemed as though I could hardly breathe. You'd think after living here for seventeen years, I would be used to this by now, but my body never could handle heat well, especially this kind – the kind that weighed you down, suffocating.
Finally, cool air surrounded me as I snuck in the large front doors of the high school. My body sagged against the door, relieved. I wouldn't have to confront that heat again until later – when it was much worse.
Suddenly, I felt a shadow come over me and I looked up into a familiar face.
"Go away," I hissed, unwilling to deal with him this early in the morning.
He remained unfazed, standing there, smirking. "Anger doesn't suit such a beautiful face," he said, putting his hand on the wall behind me, his dark red hair falling into his eyes, our lips just centimeters from each other. I could feel his warm, enticing breath on my cheeks, making heat rush to them.
"Can I kiss you?"
I was surprised he asked. A player like him would normally just do it.
"No," I said, remaining nonchalant.
"Please?" he asked, attempting to woo me with his puppy eyes. Well, it wouldn't work on me.
"Maybe if it rains," I scoffed, slipping out from under his arms. He knew just as well as I did that it would most likely never rain in this god-forsaken place. I had been a young child the last time I had seen water fall from the sky here. I never could figure out why my parents had chosen to live here. I couldn't wait to leave.
"Do you promise?" he asked.
"Yeah, yeah," I shrugged him off. "I promise," I said and stormed off to class, silently fuming.
ARARARARARARAR
"I see Axel's been hitting on you again," chirped my twin brother, Sora, as he waltzed into class, holding hands with his long-time boyfriend, Riku. "You two seriously just need to get together."
"No," I said, looking up over the first volume of 1001 Nights. "I do not like Axel. I've known him for years and he still pisses me off. Just because you're in love doesn't mean I have to be."
"Oh!" stated Riku, sliding his arms around Sora's waist. "Someone's touchy."
"Shut up and go molest each other someplace else." With that said, I ignored them and shoved my nose back into my book. Was it national Let's-Piss-Off-Roxas Day? Why wasn't I informed? And why was it everyone seemed to think Axel and I were such a great couple?
My eyes flicked over the pages, but I didn't really take any of it in and I found myself reading the same line over and over again.
The teacher droned in the background, his voice horribly monotonous. It was science class. I think they were discussing the water cycle.
"Roxas," the teacher said, yanking me from my daydreaming, "what is a step of the water cycle?"
"Um… precipitation." Duh.
"Right." I quickly raised my hand. "Yes, Roxas?"
"I was wondering if perhaps the water cycle doesn't exist here," I said, sarcastically.
"No, the water just hardly ever reaches the earth here," he replied. "It just stays way, way up there, bouncing around in the atmosphere."
"Damn right," I mumbled, sinking back into my seat.
ARARARARARARAR
Have you ever had that marvelous, fleeting feeling of freedom only to be shot back down again moments later? Yeah, well, that's how I felt after school. I was finally free of the hell-hole called high school and then Mom recruits me for pulling weeds in the backyard while Sora gets to go have sex in his bedroom. Sometimes, I swear the goddesses of Fate are out for my blood. They just like laughing at me from up there –
– especially now that I'm drenched in water and Axel is smirking at me over the fence, hose in hand, spraying water all over my head.
"Can I kiss you now?" he asks, loudly over the sound of gushing water. Oh, the woes of living right next door to someone whose favorite pastime is bothering you. I had been dealing with it my entire life.
"No!" I yelled.
"Come on!" He spins in a circle and starts singing, "It's raining sunshine!"
"You're gonna get it now!" Picking up a clump of weeds, I threw it and hit him square in the chest. He paused for a moment, dropping the hose, sending it writhing snakelike upon the ground, a shocked looked on his face. Then, before I could blink, he jumped the fence, tackled me to the ground, and shoved dirt down my shirt. I struggled until I realized he was sitting on top of me. A flush rose in my cheeks.
"Aw, Roxas is blushing."
Glaring, I kicked him off of me. "Go bother someone else."
"Why would I do that? I like you the most."
I sighed, throwing my hands into the air in frustration. "Axel, you do not like me any more than any of your fan-girls. I'm just handy for you to annoy." We were both laying on the grass now, my eyes looking up into the cloudless sky, shading my face with my hands. For a while, there was silence other than the sound of water still gushing through the hose on the other side of the fence. Even that felt far away.
Then, quietly, almost out of character, he said, "What do I have to do to prove I feel more for you than any of those irritating fan-girls who follow me around?"
"Well," I said, sarcastically, "you could start by not constantly pissing me off."
"Okay." He quickly jumped to his feet, grasping my small hand in his much larger one, pulling me up. "I'm sorry," he said, before running inside my house and returning a moment later, towel in hand. Gently, he wrapped it around my shoulders and brought me into a close hug. "Geez, you're so tiny."
"Thank for reminding me," I mumbled.
For as long as I could remember, I had been self-conscious about my looks. I'd always had feminine looks and a small body, even smaller than Sora's. Doctors said it was because I was the second one born and Sora had stolen the majority of the nutrients while we were still in my mother's womb.
"I'd better get back to pulling weeds," I said some time later, surprised at how good it felt to be held in his arms.
"Can I help?" he asked. "You can get out of the heat sooner that way. I know how much you hate it."
I shrugged. "If you want to." So we worked. He sat right next to me in the dirt, surprising me again. If there was one thing I knew about him it was that Axel didn't like to get dirty. I said nothing though. Within half an hour we had finished. Sweat glistened on his forehead. "Thank you," I murmured.
He nodded, leaning back on his elbows, a soft grin gracing his face. "Will you come over for dinner?"
"No," I said, without hardly thinking about it. I wasn't ready for that. Sure, I had been over to his house before but never when my innocence was at stake. Plus, I was scared of what was happening to me. And I wasn't willing to let myself be toyed with.
He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. "See you at school tomorrow, Roxas." With those parting words, he hopped back over the fence and back into his own yard. Sighing, I brushed the dust off my clothes and returned to the house.
As soon as I crossed the threshold, Sora came bouncing down the stairs and his loud voice chirped in my ear. "Wow, there was some major U.S.T. going on out there."
"Meaning what?"
"Unresolved sexual tension."
ARARARARARARAR
Somehow, amazingly, I evaded Axel until gym class the next day. I was wondering if he really intended to try and not piss me off. For class that day we were to run through the park and we had to choose a partner. Immediately, a flock of girls surrounded Axel while I just rolled my eyes and looked around for a friendly face. I saw Riku standing not too far off and figured he was better than my other choices. Before I could walk in that direction though, Axel grasped my wrist, his long fingers wrapping all the way around my slender arm. "Run with me?"
I groaned, but nodded. "Fine, but only because you helped me yesterday." He entwined our fingers, dragging me off down the path. Now, I had always prided myself in being able to run fast and for a long ways, but Axel's legs were about twice the length of mine, so I tired rather quickly. Not that he needed to know that.
After some time, Axel started to slow to a walk. We were far ahead of everyone else, stuck in the middle of a rather large park. "You sure have a lot of energy for someone so small," he said, placing his hands on his head to help with breathing.
I laughed. "I've been running for a long time."
Then, out of nowhere, there came a loud, sputtering sound and then a sense of déjà vu rushed over me as my body once again became doused in water.
The park's sprinkler system had just turned on.
"Axel!" I yelled, punching his arm, as we both became soaked. The water was sweet relief to my skin, washing away the sweat and grime of the day. He stepped closer, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
"It's kind of raining," he whispered, his breath making my skin tingle and heightening my senses. The distance between us lessened until –
– someone let out a high-pitched yell. The rest of the class had caught up and discovered the water. We stepped apart, both letting out audible sighs as we began to run again. To my eternal fascination, I found myself deeply disappointed.
I watched as the last of the water droplets rolled off my skin.
ARARARARARARAR
Axel was gone the next day and I found myself lonely without his constant presence at my side. Sora seemed to notice and, for once, he didn't have any snide or biting remarks to make. Instead, when he saw me at lunch, he laughed to himself and gave me a hug.
"Do you want to do something after school?" he asked.
"What? Aren't you going to be with Riku?"
That damn, all-knowing smirk spread across his face. "Occasionally, and only occasionally, my little brother comes before my boyfriend."
The world was ending. The sky was falling. I just knew it.
"Thanks."
ARARARARARARAR
After school, Sora found me by my locker. I'm not quite sure why everyone felt the need to be constantly dragging me around by my arm, but that's precisely what Sora did, taking me out of the school. "Sora," I whined, attempting, in vain, to break free of his hard grip, "where are we going?"
"If I told you, what fun would that be?" I groaned. Sora could be so stubborn sometimes.
Finally, he stopped in front of a pool club known as Breakers (1) that was popular amongst high school students. Personally, I had never been there before. "I don't know how to play pool."
"I know," he said. "That was the point. Trust me; you'll have fun." He pushed the door open and shoved me through. I reeled at the heavy scent of smoke in the hair, so thick you could see it. Gradually, my eyes adjusted to the dim lights and took in my surroundings. Low-hung lights hovered over many green and red pool tables. The crack of balls being hit and sent in different directions resounded in my sensitive ears. Then my attention was averted by Sora turning my head to a tall, young blonde standing behind the counter. He might have been the hottest guy I had ever seen – right next to a certain red-head who I was not thinking about. His hair stuck up at odd angles like mine and he had very pretty blue eyes. "Hey, Cloud," said Sora, casually, leaning his elbows on the counter.
"Hello, Sora," he replied, eyeing me carefully. "Who's this cutie you brought with you?"
I blushed as Sora yanked me forward. "This is my twin brother, Roxas. Roxas, this is Cloud. Riku and I come in here a lot. That's how I know him. Anyway," he said, turning back to the taller blonde, "I was wondering if you would teach Roxas to play. He's never done it before."
A look I'm not sure I quite liked passed over the elder boy's features. "Yeah, I'd be happy to give him some pointers." He yelled to someone in the back that he was helping a customer and then led us to an empty table. I thought it was a bit odd Sora couldn't just teach me, but then I realized what he was trying to do.
Distraction.
And it wasn't as though I had never flirted before.
Awkwardly, I grabbed one of the long cues. Cloud laughed and grabbed one of his own, showing me how to hold it. Experimentally, I tried it his way. He smiled, too-white teeth shining through full lips. "Sora," he said, "your brother and I will be on a team if that's okay."
My twin nodded. "That's fine."
Cloud stood behind me, wrapping his arms around me, pointing out how I should aim. Tingles spread up my spine; butterflies danced in my stomach – though it was nothing compared to how I felt when Axel touched me.
My fingers fumbled with the rod. I felt like a ditzy, dumb blonde. Cloud's steady hands held me a bit more tightly. I hit the white ball, but completely missed every other one. Sora whistled and lined up his shot, sending two balls directly into the pockets. "I'm stripes."
ARARARARARARAR
After about an hour of playing, Cloud's hands continuing to move down to less-public places, Sora announced he had to go to the bathroom, skipping off and leaving the two of us to ourselves. "You know," the tall blonde began, his hands still upon my waist, "I always thought Sora was about as cute as they come, but you are definitely more adorable."
I bit down on my lower lip, attempting to keep a blush at bay. "You're rather blunt, aren't you?"
"And you're rather feisty."
"It comes from constantly having to fend off perverts."
The light reflected in his eyes and I caught a glint of something not-so-friendly. Suddenly, it felt far too warm in here and far too dark. My breathing hitched as his face leaned closer to mine, our lips barely a hair's breadth away. I shivered.
Just then, the door opened, that annoying chirping sound ringing in my ears. Cloud took no notice, but, looking over his shoulder, I saw a familiar head of red hair. I tried to scramble away from Cloud, but it was too late. Axel saw me, his face looking shocked and hurt, though that quickly changed into anger. He then marched over, wrenching me from Cloud's grasp and then getting up in the blonde's face. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He stood in front of me, protectively, as though he was guarding something which was rightfully his.
I touched his shoulder. "It's okay. Just let it go, Axel. He's not worth it."
Cloud grinned, evilly. "So this is your boy toy?"
"He's not," Axel hissed, "but don't you ever touch him again or I swear to God I will rip your balls off." Just then, Sora returned, but Axel grabbed my hand and said, "We're leaving," before I could explain anything to him. As soon as we were out the door, he pushed me roughly against his car. "How long has this been going on?"
"Nothing happened!" I yelled. "I only just met the guy today!"
"Don't get involved with Cloud, Roxas. He's nothing but a player."
"Oh, as opposed to you?" I hissed, eyes flaring with rage.
There was a long, heavy silence, both of us fuming. Then, he started: "I would never do anything to hurt you. Ever. Can you understand that?" His breathing finally slowed, his facial expression softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry. It's just hard, you know?"
I knew, but I just nodded. "Let's go. I don't want to be here anymore."
He opened the passenger's door for me. "Okay, let's go."
Sighing, I got in. Axel had had this car for years, yet I had never been in it before, mostly just because for many, many years Axel had been nothing more than annoying brother-figure to me. But now… now nothing was clear. The future was nothing but a thick fog. It amazed me how fast my feelings changed.
We drove for just a few short blocks when he stopped in front of the park next to the school. "What are we doing here?" I asked.
"Just stopping." Our eyes met. We both smiled. "Rain is in the forecast today."
Laughing, I got out of the car. "Whatever. You're a liar." He shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Where were you today?"
"Oh," he said. "I had to go to a funeral. I had to wear a tux. You should have seen it. It's pretty funny."
I said, rolling my eyes, "I'm sure you looked handsome."
Axel's eyebrows quirked cutely. "You think I'm handsome?'
"Very."
After this, it returned to silence, only the faint sound of dogs barking and our own feet trudging though the grass disturbing us. And this time it wasn't the awkward kind of silence. It seemed as though we were saying so much without saying anything at all. Even more remained unsaid as we both simultaneously reached for the other's hand.
When I looked to the sky I saw something that made my heart skip a beat. Were those… rain clouds? I couldn't remember the last time I had seen some of those.
Axel squeezed my hand a bit tighter. "Let's sit down," he said, leading me to a bench. We sat close – too close to be 'just friends', let alone the fact that we were two boys holding hands. "I come here a lot – just to think."
"What do you think about?" I questioned, laying my head on his shoulder.
"You, mostly," he mumbled.
I laughed. "Why me?'
"Because I love you."
At that moment, two miracles happened. The first was this: a splatter of water hit my nose, many more following in quick succession. The second was that when he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close to his body, his touch felt more caring and tender than any other touch I had ever received. It was in that moment I realized I loved Axel and had loved him all along.
"It's raining," he whispered softly in my ear.
"I know."
"You promised."
"I know."
"But I don't want to kiss you unless you really want it."
"I want it."
His face was right next mine, our noses touching, water dripping off his nose and hair, and clinging to his eyelashes. My heart began racing in my chest. A tiny bit of fear rose up into my throat. He would want more after this. Maybe not at first, but eventually. He wouldn't hurt me; I knew that now, but still… I hadn't ever been with anyone before. In many ways, I was still horribly naïve to the ways of the world.
But I realized now that I wanted Axel to be the one to show me these things. I wanted to be with him always.
Then, all thought disappeared from my head as I found my little slice of heaven, right here as we were drenched in the rain: our lips met for the first time.
All my waiting had been worth it.
ARARARARARARAR
Babblings: What do you guys think about this? Do you want a sequel?
Please review!
