Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts I and II are property of Square Enix, not myself. So are their characters. Either way, I don't want to be sued so... Please don't.

Warnings: Eventual boy-on-boy shmexing, language, adult themes in general, and possible OOC moments whenever I get the urge (though hopefully not too many).

Summary: Roxas is sent to his aunt's house to spend the summer there, while his drunk of a dad goes off for a job opportunity. There he meets Axel, the son of his aunt's next door neighbors, Sora, a weird hyper boy that he can't really understand but looks a lot alike, and many other people that he could see himself with on a regular basis. He doesn't want to get too close, knowing he'll only be around for the summer, but can he follow his own rules? Read and find out!

A/N: Okay, so you're all probably going, "WHAT?! Another fic, but no third chapter to the other one?! STUPID HEAD! D: " Of course, that's if you've come across "Come Closer, Stay Away" or whatever. But yes, I'm writing something new and no I don't have a third chapter done yet. I'm... almost ashamed to say that the other story is mine, because the writing seems so poorly done. But either way, this is something that's been nagging at me for a while. By no means is it some fancy-shmancy original idea (well, not yet anyway), but I hope it turns out alright. Better than the last, anyway. Have fun reading the first chapter! Also, the title of the chapter comes from the MxPx song "I'm OK, You're OK".

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - People Ain't No Good

- - - - - - - Chapter 1: I'm OK, You're OK

Rain poured down on any unsuspecting victims that happened to be walking through the streets. The downpour had started suddenly and seemed to come out of nowhere, as the skies had been a clear blue just moments before. Everyone rushed to get under the eaves of surrounding buildings that were built especially for moments like these. After all, when you reside in the most depressing part of the city, rain tends to come more often than not. The district had been nicknamed "The world that never was" because of how they were viewed by the rest of the city. The other inhabitants of Twilight Town avoided that district, pretending that it didn't exist. The people that lived there might as well have been born as cockroaches.

It was rare that anyone left, unless they left the city entirely or were just visiting relatives (though that was even more rare than people leaving). The rest of Twilight Town seemed to be able to tell if someone had lived there for an extended period of time, as though there was a certain odor pouring off of them. If asked, residents of the upper class districts (such as Destiny Islands Estates) would simply say that they all smelled damp and a bit moldy, probably because of how much rain they received each year. They also speculated that it had something to do with the lack of funds for cleaning their houses, but that opinion was less voiced than the first.

Between the many stores lay the doors to small two-floor houses. None of them could comfortably fit more than two people, but they were cheap and were often crammed with four or five individuals. Outside of one door a boy sat on the front steps, just far enough out so that the rain could hit him on the head. He seemed to be around four or five years old, with spiky blonde hair. His face was buried in his hands, keeping his bright blue eyes shielded from the rest of the world. The few people that were still walking by barely noticed him through the rain and the haze of their own problems.

A woman stepped out of the house from behind him, carrying another boy in her arms. The blonde boy turned around, panic showing on every inch of his face. The woman kept her face forward and paid no attention to him, clutching at the other boy with all of her strength. There seemed to be a cut somewhere on his head, somewhere around his eye, but the blonde couldn't catch it quick enough as the woman ran down the steps. On the side walk a cab waited for her. She carried no bags and only had a coat for the injured boy in her arms. Though the blonde boy called out to her, she seemed not to hear him as she quickly ducked into the car. She would never return to that house between the shops

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"Roxas! Pack your bags quickly, boy, you're going to miss the cab!"

Roxas stood up from packing his duffle bag. He still had the same, spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes, but he'd grown. Now sixteen years old, there was next to nothing that could make him cry. He'd given up on the notion that his mother would come back, bringing his twin brother with her. She never wrote, never called, never even bothered to give him any sort of clue that she'd made it somewhere else alive. He tried not to think about her too much, because doing that made his chest constrict and his eyes burn. Often times, if his father was drunk enough to care that he was around, he would mention his mother and how she hadn't wanted him. Roxas tried not to listen, walking away before his father could say anything too permanent. He wasn't even sure his old man knew what he was babbling about any more. Lately he'd given up caring, only thinking about the approaching summer vacation and all the wonderful opportunities it was bringing for both of them.

His father worked for a small toy industry. Lately the company had been on the rise and his father had, somehow, managed to be at the center of it all. Roxas wouldn't have been surprised if he was taking the credit for someone else's achievements in order to better himself. Now the company was expanding and they needed a new head for the Hollow Bastion division. His father was going away to Hollow Bastion for the next month to test the waters, see if he could handle all the responsibility. Roxas didn't doubt that he could do it, he just doubted whether he could follow one of the strict rules that came with being a corporate head: no excessive drinking. At the moment his father was one of the heads of sales for Twilight Town. The job didn't pay as much as it would have normally, since it was split between three people and he was in charge of lesser districts, which brought in less money. What little money he did bring in went to booze, and sometimes an electric bill. Heating bills were never paid, because his father didn't see the point. But being the head of an entire city's department would eliminate the need to pay for heating, electric, and even an apartment. All perks that came with the job.

Roxas just hoped that his father didn't screw it up.

Albert Prynne didn't care about anyone but himself. He selfishly blew money on alcohol and, occasionally, drugs. Roxas's mother had voiced this many times before, and he would just laugh at her and go about his normal business. Roxas and his twin brother Sora heard the arguments, listened to the crashing objects, and even watched his father hit his mother once. He'd also been unfortunate enough to feel the weight of his father's fist, but so long as Sora was untouched everything was okay. Roxas never let a single punch or slap get past him. Now his father had gotten over the beating stage and just verbally abused him. However, once in a while he would grip Roxas's shoulder just the right way to make him listen. He never actually tried to do anything; it was more of a scare tactic and it generally worked. He would have to give all of these things up, though, as he tried to move on to a better life. Sure, he could sneak some things past his bosses, but his more elaborate habits would have to be cut down.

Roxas finished packing, zippered the duffel bag, threw it over his shoulder and grabbed his jacket. He'd throw it on as soon as he was ready to leave. He quickly moved from his bedroom, down the stairs, and into the kitchen, hoping that the taxi cab would already be situated outside. He frowned when he couldn't see it through the haze of the rain. Its yellow color would stick out cheerily from the damp darkness of the water droplets. There was supposed to be a thunderstorm today, and not just over The World That Never Was. The rest of Twilight Town was supposed to get it, too. It wasn't often that all districts got a rainstorm at the same time. The town was so big that the clouds couldn't seem to stretch that far. He threw on his coat and headed for the door anyway, wanting to get out of the house as soon as possible.

"Where do you think you're going, boy? The cab isn't here yet."

Roxas rolled his eyes. The typical 'boy' thing wasn't cutting it today. It seemed every dad that was displeased with their son called them 'boy'. It was like a blast back fifty years.

"I'm just gonna go wait outside, dad. And I have a name, you know, you gave it to me." He shifted uncomfortably in the kitchen doorway, waiting for that hand on his shoulder to make him stay, but it never came.

"Just don't catch a cold. I don't need your aunt calling me while I'm with the boss and saying I let you get sick." He heard the footsteps fade away behind him and then he heard the cab beeping its horn for him. Today was his day to be free. He heard his dad yell "have a good time" from the living room before he walked out the door. It didn't make sense to him, as affection wasn't something he was used to from his father. He accepted it nonetheless, responding with a quick "you too" before running out to meet the cab.

He put his hand in his pocket, feeling around for the mp3 player that he knew was hiding in there. Once his hand closed around it he sighed in relief. It was the one thing his father had ever bought for him for Christmas and he cherished it in a nostalgic sort of way. Like if he loved the mp3 player, then his father's love would come back or his mother would. Of course, he knew that loving a gift wasn't going to convince his mother to come back home, but a boy could dream, couldn't he? He slid into the back of the cab and sighed at the difference in smell. He had to admit that everything did smell damp and moldy in his district, just like his father's boss had said the last time he was in the neighborhood. Roxas breathed in the scent of McDonald's and a strange sort of mint. The mix wasn't all that enticing, but the new experience was. He saw the cab driver's nose scrunch up a little bit, probably from the smell of alcohol that lingered all over his clothes. It seemed to be stuck in his house.

"Where to?" the driver asked in a clipped and practiced voice. There was no accent like Roxas had expected from all of the movies that he watched when his dad actually paid the cable bill. It was the type of voice he'd expect a secretary to have, or someone with an education like that. Wait, just because this guy was a cabbie didn't mean he couldn't have an education! Roxas shook his head, feeling bad for even thinking it.

"Um, 312 Terrace Drive, Destiny Island Estates," he said, noting the look of disbelief on the cab driver's face.

"What are you doing all the way up there?"

"Visiting my aunt for the summer, sir."

"Ha, well, have fun while it lasts, kid."

Roxas just nodded in thanks and looked out the window as the familiar sights flew by. Within minutes, he wasn't sure where they were anymore. This was much farther than he'd been able to go in a long time. His dad had once described to him a trip to an amusement park, telling him about all the great rides there were. Of course, at the same time he was ripping up a yellow permission slip that needed to be signed in order to go. He didn't have to pay for anything; he just didn't want Roxas wanting to leave like his mother had. No need to want to leave if you didn't know what was out there that was better, right? The only reason he was okay with the trip to his aunt's for the summer was because they'd be moving somewhere even bigger and better than Twilight Town (though that was hard for Roxas to believe). It was fifteen minutes before they even entered Destiny Island Estates, and all that was left was to get to Terrace Drive. It was one of the richest neighborhoods and, looking at all of the houses around him, he was afraid to see what that road looked like. All the houses he saw currently could have fit ten to twenty of his own shabby living quarters inside of them. They were all prim and proper, with perfectly cut hedges in front of them. He was a little intimidated.

He clutched his duffel bag in one hand and his mp3 player in the other. His aunt had told him to only pack one bag, because they would buy other things when he got there. He had protested, but she had insisted. Roxas was the only nephew she was allowed to splurge on, so she was going to spend lots and lots of money on him. He had a theory that she had actually been the one to pay for his mp3 player (it was one of the more expensive ones, a 30GB Zune) just like she had bought him his computer. She paid for their internet so he wouldn't have to walk to the library everyday to do homework. He felt bad, but she didn't mind, claiming that she really enjoyed it. Soon enough, she wouldn't have to pay for all that anymore. Instead, she'd be worrying about herself and what she could possibly buy Roxas that his father couldn't (assuming he stuck to the rules or that he would spend money on his son).

The cab came to a stop and Roxas paid him with the money that his father had forked over for the ride. It wasn't much and he would have had change if he hadn't wanted to tip him. What did he need with that money, anyway? It wasn't like his dad would find out he gave it all to the guy. Being a cab driver couldn't give him enough money to live off of. The guy tried to give him his change, but he just shook his head and stepped out, nearly choking as he looked at the house in front of him. It was three floors high, and he didn't even want to know how many rooms wide. He leaned to the side a little to check how far back it went, but couldn't get a good estimate. He walked forward, cautious and unsure if this was the right place. The front lawn had no bushes or trees for decorations. Instead it had lawn ornaments that fit the season, including a few gnomes and some wind chimes hanging from the porch roof. The siding was a soft blue color that reminded himself of his own eyes. He would ask his aunt later if that was where her inspiration came from. A lot of the things she did seemed to, so he wouldn't be surprised. She couldn't have kids of her own, so she spent all her energy on him.

He walked onto the porch and looked below the number at the small tag that said 'Prynne'. He sighed with relief and rang the doorbell, more confident than ever that this was definitely his aunt's house.

Meredith Prynne was the complete opposite of her brother, except for in looks. She adored Roxas while his father despised him. She cared only about other people while Albert couldn't give a damn about anyone but himself. She had it all, he had nothing, though that one would soon change. They were two completely different people, and Roxas could hardly believe they were actually related. He was happy to be here, away from everything that he'd had to endure for the last sixteen years. It was a break, like a breath of fresh air amongst all the pollution.

He rang the door bell and waited, expecting her to be gone and have to sit outside for hours. He looked at the sky and noticed it darkening. I'm probably bringing it with me, he mused, and then jumped as he heard the door creak open. Turning around, he smiled at the woman standing before him. It was hard not to smile around his aunt (who he dutifully nicknamed Merry).

"That stupid door, I've been meaning to oil it. I think the dry air has been making it creak like that." She wrapped her arms around him and he melted in her warm embrace. He couldn't believe it was actually going to be a whole two and a half months of this. "Come on in. Tell me all about the ride here."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

An hour later, the thunder was booming loudly outside. His aunt moaned and groaned the whole while, bustling around the kitchen trying to prepare lunch while worrying about the power going out. Roxas could hardly believe that one person could have so much energy. She seemed to move nonstop and he wanted to move right around with her. After a while he couldn't help but doing just that, asking her what was where and what he could do to help. Of course, he knew a thing or two about cooking as he did most of it in the house. It was never anything fancy, just basic things like mac 'n cheese, hot dogs, or soup. Most of the time they had TV dinners and ate them at opposite ends of the house. His dad would be in the living room either watching TV or some of the movies that they had left over from years ago. Roxas would be in his room, listening to music and typing away on the computer. He was never talking to anyone in particular, just random people here and there. He probably could've gone to meet some stranger and his dad wouldn't have cared.

His aunt hurried with the cooking, putting everything on a higher temperature than it should have been and almost burning the hamburgers while doing so. She'd wanted to have a barbeque, but the rain had ruined that. She teased Roxas that it was haunting him and didn't want to accept that he was leaving the dreariest place in the world. He nodded in full agreement, but unlike her, he was being absolutely serious.

"Well, after we eat lunch you can take a shower and change into some new clothes. I have a set on the bed in your room. No offense, hun, but you and your father do have that certain smell. I've got your favorite shampoo all ready to go." She winked at him and pushed him towards the upstairs. "It's the first door on your right, okay? And your room is the last one down the hall."

"Okay. Um, how do you work the shower?" His shower was simple, but he knew that every shower was different. The school showers were really complicated for some reason, and he hated them. He hated showering around other boys because they laughed at him. One boy laughed at him and Roxas had to point out that he was even smaller.

"Just turn the knob. It's not hard to figure out, trust me. If you have any trouble, though, come down and get me."

"But I thought we were going to eat first..."

"Oh, right, well... I can be a little air-headed at times. You go set the table then. You should know where the plates are by now, right?"

He nodded and ran for the cabinets. He had nothing against taking showers, but he didn't want to leave his aunt's presence just yet. She was so happy and all of that was rolling off of her and hitting him. He was afraid that if he left her for just a few minutes that he'd lose all of that feeling and he'd be miserable all over again. He was also afraid that he'd wake up from some dream and find himself back at home, the last day of school repeating over and over again for the rest of his life. He pulled the plates out and put them on the table before moving to the silverware drawer. He looked at the stove to see what they needed and realized that they didn't need any at all. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and chips hardly qualified as a fork and knife occasion. He quickly put the plates on the table before going to help his aunt get the food. Once everything was set and on the table they began to eat. It was the first meal Roxas had outside of his house, the first of many.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After cleaning up the table, Roxas was once again shooed upstairs to go take a shower. As he was walking up, he made it a point to sniff himself and see how bad he smelled. He shrugged as he came to the conclusion that he really didn't smell all that bad (though that could have been because he was used to it) and continued to his room at the end of the hall. When he opened the door he gasped, staring at the room in front of him. The first thing that caught his attention was the size. It was at least three times the size of his room back home, if not four or five, and the windows... God, he loved windows. He'd have to remember to invest in a lot of them whenever he decided to get his own house. The side of his room that faced the backside of the house was one large window bordered by a deep blue, heavy curtain. He pulled the curtains closed and smiled as the room went almost completely dark. The only other light came in through the other two windows. One was positioned behind the queen-sized bed. He crawled on top of it in order to pull that curtain closed as well, making sure to avoid messing up the clothes laid carefully on the bed. The last window in his room was on the side facing the street. It was equipped with the same blue curtain as the other two, and as soon as he covered the window with it, the room went pitch black.

He smiled and groped his way through room until he found the wall with the door to get out. He ran his hand along the wall until he felt the light switch and he flicked it on. Looking around at his surroundings in a new light, he noted the bookshelves that lined the walls to the left and right of his bed. The only problem was... they were empty. Not a single book stood on the mahogany shelves, and that made Roxas a little upset. What was the point of having a bookshelf if there wasn't anything on it? He'd ask his aunt about that later.

The bed was covered with a sky blue comforter and multiple matching throw pillows. Apparently she was all about matching his decor with his eye color. That wasn't a problem for him, since he happened to like the color just fine. When he took a closer look at a couple of the pillows he noted that his name was sewn into them. God, she didn't make these herself, did she? Does she have all the time in the world or something?

The walls were the same light blue and contrasted nicely with darkness of the curtains. When he pulled back the blanket on the bed, the sheets were also a dark blue. He turned and noticed the closet on the other side of the door, opposite from his bookshelves. He realized he hadn't even thought of why one side of the room looked shorter than the other. He walked over and opened it up, not really sure what he was supposed to expect. Just like he thought, it was devoid of any clothing and only held hangers. He supposed he'd be able to fill it up soon enough, with clothes that he actually wanted to wear, rather than clothes that his cousins from other, more distant aunts and uncles decided they didn't want anymore.

He decided that he'd done enough looking around and proceeded to open all of the curtains again. He snatched the clothes that his aunt had laid out for him on the bed and left the room after shutting the light off. He looked down at the clothes, wondering why she'd only grabbed one set at a store if she had bothered to grab any at all. Then he realized that they were a pair of women's pajamas and he had to stop in the middle of the hall to fully grasp what was going on. She wanted him to wear these? Seriously? For the rest of the night and when he went to bed? He walked back down stairs quickly and into the kitchen and frowned when he discovered his aunt wasn't in there. It was just his luck that she'd be somewhere else. He wandered around the ground floor looking and, upon not being able to find her, ventured into the basement. The light was on, which was a good sign to him, and he heard a washer machine going in the distance. It wasn't a luxury they had at his own house, but he knew the sound from the laundromat just down the street.

"Um, Aunt Merry, you down here?" he asked, a little nervous. The stairs were small and steep. He hated heights more than anything, and on these stairs he was afraid he was going to fall.

"Yeah, Roxas, just come down the stairs," came her quick reply and he heard himself groan.

"Do I have to...?" he mumbled softly to himself as he descended the rest of the way down.

"What seems to be the problem?" She noticed the bundle of clothes in his hands and her mouth molded into the shape of an O. "Well, they're just temporary. I've just thrown your other clothes into the wash... You smell like you've been drinking since last Tuesday, though I'm sure that's your father I'm smelling... He didn't go to the conference like that, did he?"

Her nose scrunched up into a look that Roxas recognized as mixture of worry and a sort of scolding. When he thought about it, he realized that his dad had thoroughly washed all of his belongings before packing them, including the bag that he put them into. Someone from work must have tipped him off, because he most certainly wouldn't have thought of that on his own.

"No, he washed everything before he left. I guess he assumed you'd wash them anyway and didn't want to waste the quarters. I don't blame him. But, um, how long will I have to wear these?"

"Well, if you take your time walking up those stairs and taking a shower - which I suggest you do, honey, to get rid of that stench from your hair - then it should be just an hour or so. I'm not trying to sound rude or say that it's your fault, it's just... I'd rather save you grief from the neighbors when they get a whiff of you."

"Why would they even get that close?" It was Roxas' turn to scrunch up his nose, but he did it in disgust. He wasn't good with other people and the thought of neighbors approaching him was, well, not a happy one.

His aunt laughed, a clear, melodic sound and he stared in confusion. "I'm sorry, Rox, it's just that look on your face. Ahah, you look just like your father sometimes."

Roxas rolled his eyes, but smiled despite himself. He even chuckled a little bit and made the face again, this time with more enthusiasm. "How's this?"

"Good, good. Now, about those neighbors... We were invited over for dinner tonight. Normally the adults aren't very... neighborly so I accepted. Their son is just a couple years older than you, probably going to be a senior this year. I'm not sure how well you'll get along, but he'll be polite enough, I'm sure. He does a lot of work around my yard when I don't have the time."

"Oh, like strategically placing those garden gnomes?" He smiled again, but was inwardly dreading the thought of dinner with strangers. They would show off all their stuff and he hated it when people did that. He didn't have video game systems, or fancy stereo systems, or even a great TV. Yeah, he was jealous, and he wasn't afraid to admit it to his family. "But, um, couldn't we do this dinner thing another time, Aunt Merry? I'm just getting adjusted and —"

"Nonsense! This is the perfect time. Besides, what else are you going to do when I have to go to work? I took today and tomorrow off, but come Friday I'm gonna have to actually work, you know." She ruffled his hair as she walked by. "Don't worry, Roxas, they're decent people."

He nodded and followed her back upstairs, passing her as they went their separate ways: he to the second floor bathroom and she to the living room to read while she waited on the laundry. He swore softly under his breath as he remembered the other questions that he'd also wanted to ask her, but decided that those could wait until later. For now he was going take a shower and scrub away any smell that might key in anyone on the fact that he had just come from some low-to-no income district. He wasn't sure if Aunt Meredith had told anyone where he was from and he didn't want to embarrass her if she hadn't.

His shower took longer than he could have ever expected. He looked at the foggy clock when he came out and noticed that forty-five minutes had gone by from the time he went in to the time he came out again. Those forty-five minutes were worth it, though, even he had to admit it. His hair smelled cleaner than it had in years, and a comforting vanilla fragrance lingered there as well as the rest of his body. Apparently his aunt was all for stocking up on vanilla-scented toiletries on a regular basis. Then again, she had said she'd gotten his favorite shampoo all ready. She'd bought it for him once before and his father had let him empty the bottle, but never again was his son going to walk around smelling like some prissy fag (his father's term, not his). Aunt Merry hadn't been allowed to buy him bathroom products since and Roxas was forever doomed to smell like... Well, whatever non-scented shampoo smelled like.

He dried off quickly and pulled the pajama outfit on over his still-damp skin. It stuck to him uncomfortably, but he knew it would pass soon enough. His body would dry and the attraction of damp skin to cloth would cease to exist all together. Now he would just have to wait another hour before his clothes came out of the dryer, smelling nice and fresh, in order to change out of the girlish thing his aunt called clothes. He couldn't believe she couldn't find something more, well, manly. Sure, they were blue— better than pink— but couldn't she have just given him a pair of shorts? Wasn't she a tomboy once? All girls were tomboys at some point in time, so she had to have a pair of guy shorts. He walked down the stairs, dirty clothes in hand, and looked around to see if she was anywhere within range. When he realized that she wasn't he walked back up the stairs and began heading for his room.

Of course, there his aunt stood, right at the top of the staircase. She looked almost nothing like him, with dark brown hair and dark green eyes. She was a skinny, middle-aged woman who couldn't have kids of her own. Why she didn't bother to have a boyfriend was beyond him. She lived in a huge house with no one to fill it but herself. The more Roxas thought about it, the more he realized that he probably would have killed himself after just a few months with no one. He wasn't much of a people person, but he needed some sort of companionship. Being alone wasn't something he enjoyed and he realized that he would probably appreciate company the days his aunt had to work. Of course, it wasn't definite that he'd become friends with the next door neighbor, but he knew for a fact there were other kids in the neighborhood. Just down the street lived a boy named Hayner whom Roxas had met at a barbeque back when his mom was still around. It was funny how he could remember trivial things like that, but not how things had happened or even what his mother looked like.

"Um, what do you want me to do with these clothes?" He looked up awkwardly. He was going to be the best company he could be while he was around. Maybe he could petition to stay here with her or something.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Rox, just toss them down into the basement when you get the chance. I'm sure laundry for two can't be too much worse than laundry for one." She smiled and hugged him as she walked by. "Oh! You smell so much better. Vanilla definitely suits you more than alcohol, no matter what your father seems to think."

"Heh, yeah, I guess so. Oh! About the bookshelves in my room... Should we move them out or something, because there aren't any books—"

"I thought we'd go buy some! We could do it as part of our shopping trip tomorrow, okay?" Once he nodded she continued. "Now, let's go wait downstairs for the neighbors to call and for your clothes to dry. We can get rid of those dirty clothes while we're down there."

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Just next door from the happy reunion, the neighbors were busying themselves getting ready for their guests. Well, at least half of them were. The two boys belonging to said family wanted nothing to do with this dinner 'get together'. They would have much rather been out with friends at some party, or at least over at their houses doing something much more amusing than what they were currently doing. Because, as everyone knows, playing double solitaire is not the fun thing to do. But when you're banned from everything else because you refuse to help with dinner preparations, it's that or masturbation, and frankly, the latter was not a two person job.

The two mirrored each other almost perfectly in looks. Their hair was a fiery red color and eyes a bright green. The only difference between them was the way they styled their hair. The older of the two kept his in a shorter fashion, with the longer strands of his hair pulled back into a short ponytail. The younger of two kept his down, and much longer than his sibling's. It seemed almost inhuman the way it spiked in the back. Of course, it wasn't a big deal to them anymore, or their parents. The two well-to-do parents had long since given up on controlling their children's fashion sense. The two stayed out of the public eye, hanging out with other kids with their weird quirks and interests. So long as they didn't make a fool out of the family, then they were allowed to do as they pleased.

"Ugh, Axel, you can't do that! You already put the card down. Stop cheating." The redhead in question simply frowned and continued with the game as he had been going.

"Oh, shove it, Reno. It's not like you actually care anymore. We've been playing this for hours now. Dinner's almost ready and once it's all done and over with we can go back to doing whatever we want." Of course, this was highly unlikely. Their parents would probably ban them from any activities for the rest of the night.

"Yeah, well, after this I'm never gonna play solitaire ever again. I swear."

"Whatever. God knows we'll have to do it again some day. And besides, it's not like you have to visit every time you have a vacation."

As if to release them from their misery, the doorbell rang. Both of them jumped out of their seats and eagerly ran for the door. Just get these stupid people in, feed them food, and then shove them back out. All they wanted to do was play some video games, have fun, go out with all of Axel's friends (Reno's were all with their families for the holidays, as he was visiting from college), anything but sit in the hell hole that was their home.

"I got it!" Axel was there first, with Reno pushing right behind him. "No, seriously, I got it. Get offa me."

"What an impression you're making, and they aren't even through the door yet!" Reno laughed and pushed his brother roughly, making him collide with the door.

"Hey, Merry already knows me, you dimwit."

"Would one of you just open the door!" Their mother shouted from the kitchen and the both of them smiled at each other. It was like a daily job, trying to drive their parents up the wall, and damn... They were good at it. Axel grasped the door knob in his hand and sighed. Finally, they'd get to eat and then they'd be free. He turned it and pulled the door open, keeping his best smile on his face. Once it was fully opened he saw something he didn't expect.

Woah... Can people really have eyes that blue?