A/N: yeah, another random one-shot inspired by my best friend Raff, aka Unobtrusive. He asked for an Axel/Cloud, so I delivered. I don't own, sue me and ill counter-sue you right back :)
Warnings: BoyxBoy, swearing, an OOC Cloud, and what appears to be a slightly manipulative Aerith.
"Honestly Aerith, why are you dragging me to this?" I yelled out over the change room door. "It's not as if you don't already have someone to go with!"
Geez, it's a bloody ball to go to in honour of the restoration of Hollow Bastion. I might have helped out, but do they really think I actually give a damn about the ball? I should think not.
"Be that as it may, Leon said he'd drag you by your hair if you didn't turn up tonight." the flower girl replied serenely. "It would be a shame if your lovely hair was ripped out from such a petty argument."
"Yeah! Leon looked as though he'd go all slasher flick on you if you said no once more!" chirped an ever hyper Yuffie.
At this point in time, I felt as if there was no saving me from these two harpies. Sure! They might seem nice, but hey, leave them alone for 10 minutes and they'll have hatched a plan to get you into a clothing store and torment you for the rest of your natural born life!
Well… maybe not for that long. It felt like an eternity though! We've been to 3 shops, I've tried on 8 suits, my head's spinning and my stomach sounds as though it's going to eat itself, IF it hasn't started already. Could this day get any worse!?
"Yeah, it was kinda like the look you'd envision for Jigsaw if he were a little more maniacal… and 30 years younger of course." came another voice.
"ZACK!" I yelled out. "SAVE ME!"
"No such luck friend. You're not leaving until we find you a suit for tonight."
"Did you at least do the manly thing and bring your fallen friend something to eat like he asked?"
"Uh.. No. I forgot." Zack admitted sheepishly.
I groaned. This day just got worse.
So after a mildly (understatement of the century!) horrifying time in which it took four shops and twelve suits, we finally returned home with a blue suit that Yuffie, Aerith and Zack had all deemed perfect. I could have flung myself to the ground and kissed it from sheer happiness over surviving such an ordeal. But that could be taken as slightly melodramatic, so I think I'll pass, thanks.
"Cloud," Aerith whispered in my ear as she walked past, "Don't think this won't be worth it for you."
'What the fuck could she possibly mean by that?' I wondered confusedly. Nonetheless, I waltzed inside. Thank god Aerith didn't expect me to do anything. Zack and I ended up watching a movie of some sort, something about a kid who got kidnapped by rockstars or something, I dunno. I fell asleep half way through from the torture of the days previous events, so who really cares anymore.
"Cloud!" Yuffie had taken it upon herself to wake me, of course in the most humane way possible: being shaken to death.
"Fuck off ninja wannabe, Cloud's sleeping." I muttered.
"Get up you lazy asshalf!" she hollered. "We gotta get you all pretty like!" With that, I was dragged unceremoniously from the couch to Aerith's room.
"Oww! Aerith! Stop tugging at my fucking hair!" I yelped as she attempted to make my spikes look semi presentable. Yet again I don't understand her enthusiasm in it. Nor Zack's for that matter. But then again, Aerith probably bribed him into being enthusiastic. He's whipped, I tell you! Whipped!
"Well sorry for trying to make you look presentable!" she said with a tinge of annoyance in her voice. I shuddered, usually when her voice takes on that tone, it bodes no good for the person it's directed at.
"Look Aer, it looks fine as it is," I said finally. After all, my hair suits me. Sure, it might look like a Chocobo, but really, who's going to take the time and effort to care about my hair tonight? It's not as if I want the girls to fawn over me. I think I'd much rather prefer it to be some hot random. Hoorah for celebrations! Not.
I could hear Yuffie jabbering on about the night before us. God, this is sounding worse and worse by the minute.
Leon just had to pick a night with the biggest match of the year didn't he? Twilight Town vs Agrabah. I HATE YOU LEON! WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?!
"Yeah, Cloud?" I looked up. Leon was standing before me, Yuffie having been temporarily quietened with a lollipop.
"What?" I asked, attempting to keep a note of hysteria out of my voice. This days getting to me, I'm telling you!
"It's supposed to be a formal occasion, Cloud." I heard Leon say in that deadpan voice of his.
"Yeah, don't care. I'm not interested in tonight, so be thankful I'm even going. I'd rather be sitting at home on the couch with a beer in my hand, watching the match of the year thank-you!"
"Cloud, are you done bitching yet? If so, don't think you're the only one who's pissed about this." Leon came closer and dropped his voice to a whisper. "If I had my way, we'd be doing this thing tomorrow night, that way we could sit at home and watch the match. We've only got Yuffie, Aerith and Tifa to blame for organizing this."
He straightened up again, and began to walk towards the door. Just as he was about to step over the threshold of the door, he turned around.
"Don't think this won't be worth it for you."
What is it with that saying?! First Aerith, now Leon? Has the world gone mental? Argh, I give up… The forces of nature are against me in this battle.
"OUCH! Aerith, for the love of it, my hair isn't going to sit down!"
Bleh. I don't want to get into this damned suit. So what if it looks great on me. I just don't want to wear it.
"Cloud?"
"What do you want, Zack?" I asked.
"Listen buddy, I know it may not seem like it now, but tonight's going to be awesome. Just you see, I know it's going to be worth it for you."
Again with that line! I strode out of the bathroom in which I was getting ready, startling Zack. He'd been standing right at the door, so to see my face in his so suddenly must have been a shock.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?!" I screamed, pulling at my hair. Ok, ok, I know its over-dramatic, but I'm fed up with wondering what everyone's in on!
Zack just smirked, looking at my wild expression.
"Just you wait and see, Spike."
When Aerith, Zack, Yuffie, Leon and myself arrived at the hall the celebration was being held in, I gasped. There was people mingling in the balconies that overlooked the city. And as we walked up the stairs, I couldn't help but be amazed at Aerith, Tifa and Yuffie's handiwork. It was a bit of a shame that Tifa had to go out of town tonight, but still, she would be pleased just by looking at photos of the splendour in front of us. There was girls in beautiful frocks, men in suits who looked a little bit uncomfortable, but nonetheless happy to be there with everyone. The chandeliers all had candles in the place of lightbulbs, and the effect was gorgeous. There was just one problem. Leon and I both knew that the other was gay. And we both knew that the women inside would come after us the second we walked in. But still, we took deep breaths and took the plunge.
As expected, when Leon and I walked in, the girls (or as I like to refer to them, the airheads) flocked to us. You honestly can't understand just how annoying it got after the 5th time they did it. Leon gave me a knowing smile, and set about attempting to fight his way through the throng of girls.
"Need a hand?" came an unknown voice. I looked around for the source of it, and spotted it almost immediately. At first, I thought it was Reno. But why would he be here? We haven't spoken since he left me for Rude… But back to this stranger. He had a shock of crimson red hair, set in elaborate spikes around his head. The shade of it looked as though it couldn't be natural, but I dismissed the idea of finding out for myself as quickly as it came. His eyes were the most bewitching emerald, with little bits flickering as though they were actual gems. 2 diamond shaped tattoos, one beneath each of his eyes seemed to make them pop out even more. And his smile! God, I could look at that forever and not get bored.
"Yeah Axel, that'd be great." came Leon's voice.
I could see the redhead take in a breath and call out to the airheads:
"Ok ladies! I think the men might like to go get a drink or something!"
After their attentions turned to him, he flashed them a smile.
"Why don't you guys go talk to Marluxia? I'm sure he'd love to talk to you all about hair, makeup, flowers and such."
Sure enough, at the mention of this Marluxia, the airheads all turned tail and rushed off to a pink haired man who gave them the attention they so desperately desired.
"… name?"
I snapped out of my thoughts, (Honestly, pink hair? That screams 'I'm gay!') and lifted my gaze to the tall man before me.
"So you're not much of a talker then eh? I'm Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" he winked at me.
How dare he wink at me? He doesn't even know me!
"Axel, don't worry about him. Cloud's a man of little to no words if he doesn't know you." came Aerith's sweet voice.
"Still, a little politeness might not be too much to ask for." he retorted.
And with those few words, I totally snapped.
"Don't you dare talk to Aerith like that!" I yelled at him, "Nothing gives you the right to come here with your gaudy red hair, tattoos and hell, the rest of you included, and talk to her in that tone of voice!"
"So blondie does have a voice huh?" he smirked.
I near on exploded from rage.
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"
I stormed off. I could hear Aerith in the distance.
"Axel, I told you not to antagonize him." she reprimanded.
"I know Aer, but I just couldn't resist." he said a little quietly.
I ended up out on one of the balconies upstairs. I needed to be out in the open air. That, and I needed a nicotine hit. I pulled my cigarettes out of my jacket, (Thank fuck for the man who invented Peter Jackson Blues, I'll love him always.) and attempted to find my lighter.
"Aww fuck." My search had turned up fruitless.
"Need a light?"
I dreaded turning around, I knew who it was. But I really needed a lighter, so I gave into my needs.
"Yeah, that'd be nice thanks." I said shortly.
He came closer and held up his lighter (a green one, kind of like his eyes), flicking it. I leaned into it and inhaled as the fire hit the tobacco. Oh that feeling is one that can't be beaten. I blew the smoke out and made a very satisfied noise.
"You looked as though you needed that."
I looked up at him. Up close, he's even more attractive than I first saw. His skin is a pale colour that somehow seems to complement his crazy shade of hair. He also seemed to be extremely thin, almost painfully if you think about it. His black suit did much to cover it up, but in some places, it emphasized how thin he was.
"You have no idea how badly I did man." I said. I figured I had to be nice, seeing as I had caused a fair bit of a scene earlier.
"Hah, well gathering from how tense you were earlier, I have a vague estimate." He flung his arms out as far as he could. "Was it this much?"
I couldn't help but giggle at the childishness of his actions. "Yeah, it was close to that."
He just grinned and motioned to go inside. "I need a whisky chronically. Those bimbos came after me when they realised Marluxia was gayer than Carson from Queer Eye."
I stubbed out my cigarette and followed him. A vodka didn't sound that bad.
Oh my god, this has been one of the best nights ever! Axel is so funny! Hahah oh man, I shouldn't have drunk so much vodka, I'm giggling like a mad man. The words seem to be pouring out of my mouth like word vomit. I need a ciggie.
"Axelllll," I whined. "Do you know what I just noticed? I have a case of severe word vomit. God, Lindsay Lohan is so feral, she used to have the nicest hair, sort of like yours, but then she turned all trashy. How delightful! Aside from that, I need a smoke. Are you coming with me?"
"Nah, I think I'll stay here." I pouted at him, making him giggle more so than my whining/word vomit about Lindsay Lohan did.
"Oh alright, only cause you're Cloud and I don't want you getting raped by mysterious airheads outside."
"OH MYGOD THEY'RE COMING FOR ME?! SAVE ME!" I yelped, running outside with Axel trailing behind. Aerith, Zack, Leon and Yuffie looked on at the spectacle.
"I told him it'd be worth his while, but he just didn't believe me." Aerith sighed.
"Don't worry Aer, it'll all turn out alright." Zack said.
"Yeah Aerith. Maybe he'll actually get some tonight. That'd probably loosen him up." Yuffie contributed.
"Heh, you're right Yuff." the flowergirl giggled.
Zack looked at the duo, shocked.
"Was that your plan for the night? To get him in with that Axel bloke?"
Aerith simply smiled at him.
"Oh you evil, evil women. Cloud won't ever forgive you for this you know, I still think it's too soon after Reno."
Leaning back on the balcony, I giggled again. Axel sure was being silly, I mean, look at his hair! "Is that your natural hair colour?" I asked before I thought. Stupid alcohol!
He leaned a little closer to me, whispering in my ear: "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Well well, what do we have here?"
I looked around and saw to my horror, Reno standing in the doorway.
"See Cloud? This is what I meant when I broke up with you. You're a fucking slut. Honestly, I'm out of the picture, what? 2 months and you're already running around, sleeping with wankers like this one."
"You know, you should really keep your mouth shut." Axel came forward, offering up his opinion.
"And what if I don't want to, Red?" he retorted.
"Well, I might just have to punch you for talking to Cloud like that. won't I?"
I screamed my lungs up, I didn't want to see these two fighting like teenagers. Suddenly, Reno punched Axel, who then ended up on the ground. Reno dropped onto him, there was a crowd of people gathering to see what the commotion was. I could see that Axel was getting hurt, I didn't want to see that.
So I pretty much did what anyone in my position would have done. I couldn't get Reno off him by punching him, I'd only be sinking to his level. He looked feral, he had a mad sort of glint in his eyes. I'd only ever seen that glint in there when he and I fought, and seeing that glint scared me. I lifted up a boot, and kicked him in the crotch. It did the job, Reno howled and rolled off Axel. I quickly grabbed him up, and dragged him off to a corner.
"Why did you start that fight?! Why on Earth would you want to get yourself hurt like that?! Clearly you've had far too much to drink!" I huffed angrily. "You could have been hurt a lot worse than that!"
"It so would have been worth it Cloud. You didn't deserve to be spoken to in that manner." He whispered.
"No one's been that nice to me in a long time." I said. I felt ashamed that I was the reason that such a fight had broken out. Axel lifted my head to look into my eyes.
"I can't imagine why they wouldn't be nice to you. You look as though you deserve nothing but happiness."
I opened my mouth to retaliate to that, but all that came out was a stifled moan, seeing as he'd just placed his lips on mine.
I woke up with my head pounding. I'd had far too much to drink the night before. Hell, I don't even remember getting… Oh God.
I looked at my surroundings, this wasn't my room! The walls were red, the ceiling black, and there was sunlight threatening to spill through the red curtains. I moaned, I had no idea where I was. I sat up and groaned. My head was spinning, I shouldn't have moved so quickly. And since when was I naked?! Oh could this get any more weird?
I looked across, I could feel another person in the bed with me. 'Ok, so I had sex with some random last night, it's not as if that hasn't happened before.' I thought.
The random turned over, his red hair splashed out across his black pillow. I felt bile rising up in my throat. I rushed over to the bathroom. Thank god the door was open, or I'd have never worked out which one it was in time!
Sure enough, when I finished praying to the porcelain god, Axel had woken and was standing at the bathroom door.
"You ok, Cloud?" he asked, concerned.
"Do I look ok?" I shot back. "I've got the hangover of the century, I don't remember ¾ of last night, and fuck me I need a smoke like I need a hangover cure!"
Axel looked at me and smirked. "That's what you get for staging a drinking contest with a seasoned whiskey drinker such as your's truly."
"Oh shut up…" I looked over at him. He had a black eye and his torso was also littered with bruises. And oh my god, I think he has a broken rib or two!
"What happened to you?" I gasped, shocked. "You're a mess! Surely I didn't do that to you!"
Axel grinned. "Nah it wasn't you. Although, I must say, you were a bit wild." He sighed, clearly reminiscing a good time. "Anyway, there was a delightful young man at the celebrations last night. Think his name was Reno. Might or might not be my cousin. Aside from the formalities, I don't think the way he was talking to you was appropriate in any way, shape or form. So I started him. He got a few good punches in, as you can see."
He gestured to his eye. "But, to be honest, I think I'd hate to be him this morning. You got him really well where the sun doesn't shine."
I blushed. "Well, I think it'd probably be a good idea if we took you to the emergency room. I think Aerith is working there today, she'd get you in to see a doctor quickly."
"Axel, it looks as though Cloud was right. You have a broken rib and a few lacerations on your face. But rest assured, these things won't take too long to heal." The doctor smiled at us. "Must have been some fight you got into. Although I am rather impressed that you took on Reno! The amount of times I saw both Cloud and Reno after those two fought, hell, I'd even be afraid to look at the two, lest they take it the wrong way! Looks as though you might have tamed him though. Well done!" he chuckled, leaving us with a prescription for pain medication, as the nurse came in to bandage Axels ribs up.
When she had finished, she looked up at me and smirked.
"Don't even start Aerith."
"I won't Cloud. Although, what am I going to tell everyone about your amazing act of not coming home last night? The last we saw of you, you were running off with Axel here! And all this after he'd started a fight with that idiot Reno."
"Tell them whatever. He's coming home with me." Axel butted in.
I looked at him, I thought he was joking.
"You do realize I wasn't joking Cloud."
Aerith started giggling like the mad woman she was.
"Yuffie and Tifa are going to be so happy our plan worked out! I told you he was perfect for you Axel!"
"Yeah, I should probably listen to you more often Aer. I never know what it'll lead me to." He said while looking affectionately at me.
"Uh, do I have no say in this conversation?" I asked. "I'm not coming home with you, that much is for sure."
Axel and Aerith both pouted at that statement. I sighed.
"I will go out with you sometime though."
I woke up shivering. It was just after 2 in the morning, and of course, my boyfriend's a fucken blanket hog. Bitch that he is. Funny thing is, not 6 months ago did I say to him that I wouldn't be going home with him. Now it's a regular occurrence.
"Oh for gods sakes Axel, must you constantly be a blanket hog?"
The taller man muttered "You know it, Cloudie." before he turned over in his sleep.
I smiled, looking down at the sleeping figure before me and ran my fingers through his hair.
It was so worth it going to the celebration that night, even if we did end up in the emergency room the next morning.
Sure, Axel's a blanket hog, a smartarse, stubborn as all hell, and an idiot to boot, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
I pulled the blanket off him, snuggled into him and fell back asleep. Life couldn't get much better than this, I don't think.
A/N #2: Well, that was rather interesting to write. The characters took on a life of their own.
Anyway, review! I'd love to hear some feedback, be it good or bad. Just one little thing; if your going to flame, do me a favour and make it constructive criticism. I don't want to read reviews saying I must be fucked in the head, or I must have been on crack at the time. I can assure you that when I wrote this, I was completely and utterly sober to the point that Big Brother sucked even more than it naturally does.
/ end rant
:D