Roxas
"That's the last of it," Demyx said, dusting his hands off. "Should we start unpacking yet?"
"Yeah. It would be better to get it out of the way now. Wow... We got our own house and the school year starts in a few days. I'm glad you took up all the classes I had," I said gratefully. Having a friend at school would be best, because then you'll know somebody there.
"Okay then. I think we should do the living room and kitchen first- place to eat and sleep 'cuz this will take a while. Ready, Roxas?" he asked.
"Yep- let's go. Let's move upstairs stuff over there," I said, pointing to the corner next to the kitchen doorway, "and put the downstairs stuff where it belongs."
"Alright, let's do it!" Demyx said, throwing a fist to the air. "I can't wait for school! This is the best school- College High. It's high school with the college experience. We also share a piece of the building with one of the College College's dorm."
"Oh, right. I'm excited, too. Hey, get that end," I instructed, pointing to the other end of the couch.
"Alright. Lift on three- one, two... Three!" he said, both of us heaving simultaneously. We moved the couch diagonally across the center of the room, facing the corner near the front window. Then we moved the TV into the corner facing the couch. We put the coffee table between the couch and the television, put side tables on each side of the couch. I put a floor lamp at the back corner on one side of the couch. Now, our living room was well set, with a rug that was already in place when we bought it. Demyx and I didn't really care, because feet touch floors all the time, and it's not like we will eat off of it. It was really clean, too. Next, we moved the table and chairs into the kitchen. I hung a clock in the living room. I checked my phone, then changed the clock hands to match.
"Nice," Demyx said, appraising where I hung the clock. I smiled at him and crossed the room.
"So, wanna check out upstairs?" I asked.
"Sure. I'll race you!" he said, running upstairs. I ran after him and overtook him on the way to the second door on the left.
"Dang it! I wanted that one!" he complained.
"You should've ran track instead of band class," I retorted. He just turned and walked to the room across the hall. The first door on the left was another room, and the first door on the right was a bathroom. We started moving furniture to my room until eleven at night. By then, we were exhausted and hauling the final piece of my bed- the mattress. We had the frame and that box thing that goes under the mattress. We had gotten to the house at five, finished the living room (once we had all the stereo system, video games, and DVD player hooked up) by six fifteen, took a break and drank some water (or in Demyx's case, drank a whole bottle and then pissed it all out) by six thirty, did the kitchen by seven, found the toolbox by seven thirty, cleaned up by seven forty five, ordered and received pizza by eight ten, finished eating by eight forty, gathered the pieces to my bed in one place by eight fifty, got the headboard upstairs by nine, got the footboard upstairs by nine ten, got the rest of the bed frame up by nine fifteen, found the instructions by nine forty five, managed to decipher them by ten, put it together by ten thirty, got the box part of the bed upstairs by ten fifty five, and got it on the bed frame by ten fifty seven. Now, it was eleven and we have the mattress halfway through the door because it was already on the porch.
"I'm sooo tired," Demyx complained.
"Come on, Dem- if we get this on my bed I can get our blankets from the car, take mine and sleep on the bed instead of me sleeping awkwardly on the couch with you. We still haven't gotten our armchair in place because we still need to buy a new one, so can we just finish this? This mattress is the only thing left outside because we had the guys stack the rest in the dining room. You up for this last thing?" I asked.
"Yeah... But it's not the dining room- it's the party room! I'm setting up a stereo system and a mini bar for when we are old enough to drink!" Demyx reminded me. I started shoving the mattress.
"Of course," I said. Demyx squeezed through the gap between doorway and mattress, then started tugging. By eleven thirty, we had my mattress on my bed. I went to the car, grabbed our travel bags, pillows, and blankets, then brought them inside. I handed Demyx his things and took mine upstairs.
"Thanks, Roxas," Demyx said.
"Don't mention it," I said, waving my hand. I threw my stuff on the huge matress and put my pillow at the head. Then someone knocked at the door. I went downstairs, Demyx exiting the restroom next to me. I opened the door.
"Hello?" I asked. I looked over the person on my doorstep. He was tall, had spiky, red hair, green eyes, short eyebrows, and a purple mark in the shape of an upside down teardrop under each eye. He had a white long sleeved shirt under a black t-shirt that said 'PWND' in white letters across his chest. He had black pants, and black converse sneakers that looked a little old and worn.
"Hi- my name's Axel- I live across the street? Yeah, I just came by to welcome you to the neighborhood. Here, I brought a few groceries for you. Like, some cereal, bread, coffee... Just some things to munch on in the morning so you don't have to order out or anything," he said, handing me a brown paper bag.
"Gee, thanks," I said. "I'll go put this in the kitchen." I walked away, listening to Demyx awkwardly start conversation with our new neighbor.
"So... Yeah... Thanks again, er... What was it? Axel? Cool name," Demyx said. I returned.
"We really appreciate it, man," I said, holding out my hand. He took it and we shook.
"I, uh, see you've been cleaning up," Axel said, looking behind me. I looked back.
"Oh, crap!" I muttered, seeing what he was looking at. It was my pair of blue boxers with rockets on them. "I'll be right back- sorry!" I said, scuttling back and bending to grab them.
Demyx
I noticed when Roxas had gone to put away the groceries, Axel just sort of watched him. I also noticed he just kept looking to Roxas when he talked. Then, what really set me off was when he had noticed a stray pair of boxers (belonging to Roxas) and just watched Roxas walked to get them. It was SUPER creepy when Roxas bent over and Axel sort of looked around me. I followed his eyes, and he was staring at Roxas's ASS! Roxas dashed upstairs with the boxers and came back seconds later.
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Roxas said, embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it," Axel said, waving it off. "If you need anything like help, someone to hang with or anything, I'm just across the street," he said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.
"Alright, then... See ya around," Axel said. He held out his hand. I took it nervously. He put his hand over mine and shook it. Then he held out his hand to Roxas, who, not knowing about the creepy stares, took it. Axel pulled him into a one armed hug and patted Roxas's back once, then let go and turned away. I couldn't help but wonder if Axel had sniffed Roxas. Axel then retreated to his home across the street. I closed the door once he was out of sight.
"Uhh... Hey, Roxas? Did he strike you as... Weird, in any way?" I asked.
"No, why?" Roxas asked.
"Oh... No reason," I said, not sure wether to tell him the neighbor was checking him out or not. I decided against it. He was pretty harmless-looking, after all. I shook it off and went to bed... Or couch. Whatever. I fell asleep slowly, factors like new home and creepy neighbors distracting me for hours before I finally slept. I woke up at almost noon to the sound of talking and moving furniture... And there was a radio on.
"What the..." I said groggily.
"Oh, hey Demyx- Roxas asked me to help him set up your room and the rest of the furniture in his own room because he didn't want to wake you," Axel said, carrying some boards that would go to a shelf. I got up, followed Axel upstairs, and found Roxas trying to decipher instructions to a shelf. Axel put the boards down.
"I think we work well together Roxas- you look like you're confused. Need help?" Axel asked.
"Nah, I'm okay. Axel, do you think you could go get some lunch? I'll pay you back when I get the money, I promise... If it's not too much trouble, of course," Roxas said.
"Sure, I'll get us some burgers or something. And don't worry about the money- lunch is on me," he said, smiling and leaving.
"Are you one hundred percent sure you want him in our house?" I asked.
"Demyx, chill- it's not like he'll molest me or anything. Wouldn't it be nice to have at least one friend here besides each other?"
"I guess," I said, stalking back downstairs. I grabbed my laptop- I was going to run a background check just in case. The way he looked at Roxas was wigging me out- like Roxas was the hottest girl he had ever seen, even though Roxas was actually a guy.
Axel came back with the lunch later.
"And here is one burger for you, one for me, aaaannnd- one for Roxas," he said, handing out hamburgers from Burger King. I groaned- I had worked there all last year to save up for an apartment, met Roxas, we became best buds, and then we agreed to live together because Roxas's uncle was loaded when he died. In his will, he left Roxas a fourth of the cash, so we bought a house for the extra space, and so far, it was totally rad except for the weirdo neighbor. I was going to make sure Axel wasn't gonna hurt my best friend. He was the only one I had.
Roxas
I ate my burger and looked to Axel, who had been sort of staring at me. I was actually watching him, too because honestly, Demyx was acting really boring just clicking away on his laptop.
"There's more if you're still hungry," Axel said once I had finished eating. I obliged after he reached in, pulled out two, then handed one to me.
"Thanks," I said, unwrapping it from the paper. I took off a whole quarter of the burger in one bite when I realized I was still starving. Axel's mouth fell open a little in awe, then snapped shut.
"Big bite, there, Roxas," he commented. Then he cleared his throat. Was it me, or did he have a higher pitch when he spoke? Maybe it was because his throat was bugging him. Demyx had hardly touched his food.
"Come on, Demyx- goof on your computer later. You must be starving and there's work to do," Axel said playfully.
"Yeah, come on- we need to know how you want your room laid out!" I insisted.
"Fine," Demyx said, closing his laptop cover. He ate his burger, and Axel ate one more before we continued work. We had my room's furniture all built, and some of Demyx's. Axel and I had agreed to build it, then adjust it later. Right now, we were putting a shelf for some of Demyx's stuff together. Demyx went downstairs to change. I decided I would just keep what I wore yesterday- no use ruining another set of clothes when you couldn't wash them. The washing machine didn't work, so we were going to get a new one.
"Hey, this says to put a screw here," I said, pointing to one corner of the shelf, "but I don't know where my screwdriver is."
"Here," Axel said, pulling a screwdriver from his tool belt. "This is the one with a plus sign on the end- I'm using the flathead, but if that's the one you need just say so." I checked the screw. It turns out the one he handed me was perfect.
"Thanks," I said, putting the screw in place and driving it into the boards.
"Hey, my garage is getting sort of cramped with tools I never use so I was going to build a shed to store them- when we're all done with this do you want to help me out with that? You're really good with your hands, I happened to notice," he said, screwing in the last screw for Demyx's Sitar holder. "Your... Friend... Does he play?"
"Uhh, yeah. Why?" I asked.
"Just wondering. He must be pretty good if he has a holder for it," he said.
"Yeah, Demyx is great with that thing," I said.
"So... Are you guys... A set?" he asked.
"What? No, no, nononononononono! You thought...? Ah, ha ha ha ha hahaha! No- we're just friends. We go to high school together," I said, surprised at his question.
"Oh, okay... High school?" he asked.
"Yeah- I'm fifteen, where else would I be? My father signed the papers, so I owe him some money every month. I have to work after school, pull a little money from my college fund, if I have to, and work on setting furniture around the house. Sounds like fun, right? So what do you do?" I asked. He got a little quiet for a second.
"Well, I live with my older brother and his friend- they call the house 'The Bachelor Pad'. I have been living with them since I was your age. About four years ago, I've been more welcome in the place because I could let them party without risking them getting in trouble. I'm working on my last year in college," he finally said.
"Oh... Why would they have gotten in trouble?"
"Because they would have had alcohol and a few illegal substances around a person who by law couldn't utilize it. I am now allowed to drink, but I choose not to. I'm twenty-five," he said.
"...Really?" I asked. He was ten years older than me, easy. Why would he want to spend time with me if I was still a kid compared to him?
"Really. Why does that shock you?" he asked, putting his screwdriver back into his tool belt.
"I don't know... I guess it's because you're so much older than me. Why would you want to hang out with someone so much younger than you?" I asked as he crossed his legs and sat in front of me. He took the shelf from me and started to put it together.
"Hmm... Maybe it's because I want to actually have the friends and fun that I should've had when I had to move in with my brother's friend. My brother didn't come to live with me until he lost my dead parent's house in a cardgame. I hated him for that, and for leaving me alone with his friend," he said darkly. He had an undertone of pain.
"Did... Did his friend... Hurt... You?" I asked. He was quiet for a long time. He finished making the outside of the shelf, then slid the first shelf board in place.
"Yeah," he finally said.
"Do you know why he did it?" I asked.
"Yeah, but... I don't wanna talk about it. I was only fifteen, and..." he said. Then he sighed. "I can't change the past, but if I could I'd have made my parents stay home that night. They went for a drive and died in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. I heard the driver died, as well... Anyway, Dad left the house to my brother, who was about twenty-two. Long story short, I put locks on my bedroom door and the windows in my room. Then I went through high school suddenly unpopular and alone. I graduated, and I've been in college the past five years. This year is my last year at college. I'm trying to find a place to stay for once I graduate. Now you know why I am where I am. You?"
"My mom died in a car accident... She had been drinking... And crashed into a... Couple who were said to be... Coming back from dinner... And... Orphaned two boys. Oh my god... My mom killed your parents. And it was my fault!" I said, recalling how she looked in her casket. I started to tear up. It took me a while to say it because I realized slowly that Axel's personal tragedies were my fault.
"No, no it wasn't. You didn't do anything wrong," he said, putting his hands on my shoulders.
"Yes it was! I was upset that she had slapped me. I had been mouthing off because they took my phone away for failing my classes! Dad was at work when I asked my mom about it. She said that she thought it was a little much, but that I shouldn't have been such an ass. Then I accused her of not caring about anything but the little bottles in her cabinet. She was an alcoholic, so that set her off. She grabbed her liquor and yelled at me a while. Then she said 'if you don't like my parenting, I'll go parent the liquor store. I'll be back and you'll be speaking to your father about this,' and she left. The last thing I had said to her was that she was a terrible mother. My dad hated me so he helped me get this house because he doesn't want to look at me! I'm awful! I'm sorry, Axel... I didn't know!" I said, crying. "It's my fault your parents are dead!"
"Shh- it's okay, Roxas. I forgive you. Don't cry," he said, putting the shelf aside and pulling me into a hug. I clutched at the back of his shirt. "It's alright, I promise. You just have to know that I forgive you, and it will be water under the bridge if you can just drop it. Okay?"
"So you don't hate me?" I asked pulling away. He put his arm around my neck, pulled me to his chest and rubbed his fist in my hair.
"Of course not," he said. "The past is the past, we can regret things, but in the end what happens now is important. Got it memorized?"
"Yeah, I guess so... Sorry I went all waterworks on you," I said apologetically.
"It's all good- let's finish these shelves for Demyx. Speaking of which, where is he? It doesn't take anyone I know twenty minutes to get dressed," he said.
"You don't know Demyx. He is taking his time, though. I'd better check on him. I'll be right back," I said, getting up and going to the bathroom door. I knocked.
"Demyx?" I called.
"I'm downstairs," Demyx said. I went downstairs and found him closing his laptop.
"Demyx, what are you doing? We need your help up here!" I said.
"Alright, alright, calm yourself. I'm coming," he said getting up and following me. We had all the bedroom's furniture built by eight.
"Okay, who's hungry?" Axel said, standing up and dusting his hands. My stomach growled as if in response.
"I think you know the answer," I joked. We laughed and Demyx sort of gave a halfhearted smile.
"Alright- what'll it be? Pizza? Take out? Burgers?" Axel asked.
"Umm... We had burgers for lunch and pizza yesterday... How about take out- Demyx, what do you want?" I asked. Demyx looked back and forth from me to Axel.
"I guess take out," Demyx said quietly.
"I'll be back in a bit," Axel said and left.
"He's pretty cool- except for his brother's friend, but still- nice guy," I said.
"There's something about him that makes me uncomfortable," Demyx said.
"You say that like he's gonna break in and steal something," I accused. "I owe him big, Dem- my mom killed his parents in that crash."
"What?!"
"Yeah- that crash my mom died in with two other people? His mom and dad were those people. I feel awful Demyx. It was my fault, too."
"Oh, dang. That might be why he's so interested in you- he might have that sense for weird stuff like that. I guess I jumped to soon. I was loading a background check site when you caught me this last time. If I open my laptop, I'll be able to see what sort of people live in his house. I'll open it and close the window later. I'm sorry for acting all paranoid, Roxas- he was just... Staring at you real weird."
"What do you mean? Like a look in his eye?"
"Well, there's that and this one is what gets me- I think he was checking you out."
"What?! What makes you think that?"
"He was looking at your butt and also how of all things to notice in the house, the first thing he happened to see was your underwear. Then how he just shook my hand but bro-hugged you. I think it's weird."
"That is weird... I don't know- sometimes you just sort of look to check, you know? It's not bad to look and compare, right? It is a little odd but everyone does it."
"You're right. He is pretty nice, I guess- where does he go to school? He is really tall for someone in high school," Demyx said, changing the subject.
"He's in college," I replied. Demyx looked at me in shock.
"What? He's in his last year- you should've guessed better due to his height."
"How old is he?" Demyx asked suspiciously.
"Twenty-five."
"Dude, that's old enough to be your dad!"
"If he had kids when he was, like, ten, then yeah- I guess he is."
"Okay, maybe that was exaggerating a little," Demyx admitted.
"A little? More like a LOT!" I said, elbowing him. We laughed a minute.
"Yeah. I'm starting to get all paranoid! What was I thinking? Axel is the friendly dude from across the street."
"He is really friendly- he has paid for every meal he's been around for and doesn't ask for a penny."
"I know... We'll have to do something for him, then."
"I know!" I said when the door opened.
"Hey guys, what's up? I brought the take out- fried rice and tangerine chicken sounded good so I got that. Is it alright with you?" Axel asked.
"Yeah, that's great," Demyx said. Axel started handing out the food.
"Thanks, man- are you sure you don't want us to pay you back? I feel like I owe you," I said.
"No, it's cool. I like buying stuff for you guys- you sort of need it right now, anyway," Axel said.
"You're awful generous. There has to be something we can do to feel a little less indebted," I said.
"Okay then- all you have to do for me is tolerate me enough to let me be your friend no matter what- like, best friends forever, if it's alright with you. What do you say?" Axel said, holding his hand out to me. I took it.
"It's a deal!" I said shaking. Then Demyx shook his hand, too.
"When do we get to see what your place is like? You've seen ours, so-" Demyx said before Axel cut him off.
"Never," Axel said. "I'd prefer it if you didn't meet my brother, his friend, or anyone who hangs around them all the time. Got it memorized?"
"Yeah, but... Wouldn't that mean you'd prefer it if we didn't meet you, either?" Demyx asked.
"No- I don't hang around my brother willingly. That makes it different," Axel said matter-of-factly.
"Alright. I don't see it, but it's okay. Why not, anyway? I mean, other than you not preferring it," Demyx said.
"My brother is a jerk, my brother's friend is a worse jerk than him, and my brother's friend's girlfriend- stay away when they're apart, and especially if they're together. Promise?" Axel said.
"Sure, Axel- whatever you say. They sound like bad people," I commented.
"They are... Awful, AWFUL people. I might tell you the story sometime," Axel told me. "Okay- enough of this negative chat- let's eat before it gets cold. Cheers!" Axel said, holding up the large cup of soda he got at the restaurant.
"Cheers!" Demyx and I said, holding up ours. We ate the food and continued working- we only had tomorrow left to work- school started on Monday, and tomorrow was Sunday.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Axel said, clapping his hands together. "We just have to move Roxas's furniture, now. I could also help you guys unpack, if you want."
"That's cool... Hey, we need to go and shop for a recliner so like, if you ever want to come over and play some video games with us you'll have a place to sit. We wanted to do that before we had to go back to school the day after tomorrow," I explained.
"Oh, crap! I forgot it was so close to the school year! And hey- about that chair- you need any money?" Axel asked.
"No, I can just pull some from my college fund," I said.
"No, you shouldn't do that- I'll buy you any recliner, chair or whatever you want- you just gotta ask. You shouldn't cut out funds like that, because what if you or Demyx here got hurt? You'd need that money. I'll buy you the chair, okay?" Axel said, insistent on us not spending a lot of our money.
"Okay, you can buy the chair for us, Axel- but only because you insist on blowing your money on us," I said.
"I don't consider it 'blowing'... I think it is worth every penny," Axel said sincerely.
"Well, bye then- see you in the morning," I said. Axel walked out the door.
"Bye, Roxy, bye Demyx!" Axel said, waving. I closed the door behind him.
"Goodnight, Demyx," I said, going upstairs.
"'Night," Demyx said. I went to bed, which was still just a bed with no sheets or anything but a blanket and a pillow. The next day, Axel came over, we had breakfast, then went out to shop for a recliner. We found one that mismatched all the other pieces of furniture in a way that was cool. I remembered the washing machine and dryer. Axel insisted on buying that, too. I wondered how and where he got all this money. We got it all hauled home after a while, and a few more hours after that we had it hooked up and the chair next to the couch. Axel bought lunch (as usual), and we ate, joking and laughing. When we finished lunch, we set up the furniture in my room, then we started to unpack. By sunset, we had everything in place and time enough for a grocery run. We got back from the store by eight with loads of groceries. I grabbed three sodas and threw one to Demyx and one to Axel.
"Today was a good day," Demyx commented, cracking open his soda can then taking a huge gulp.
"Yeah... But what now? You guys don't really need my help anymore and I'm in college, you're in high school- how are we ever gonna find time to hang out?" Axel asked, then took a sip of his soda.
"How about on the weekends?" I asked.
"That would be cool with me, but I think we all know that we will have homework," Axel said regretfully.
"Well... How about we do our weekend homework together?" I suggested.
"Sure, that's great! Why didn't I think of that?" Demyx joked. When we finished our sodas, Axel left early because it was a school night.
Demyx
We went to school the next day, and we met a lot of people. Roxas's sisters were there- Roxas was the only boy out of triplets. Xion and Namine met up with us and we all ate lunch together, since they were the only other people we knew well. Every day was pretty much the same but by Friday, we had found out that the college students and the high school students have the same lunch time in the same cafeteria, so Axel sat with us that day. Namine acted all weird when Axel was around, and whenever he wasn't looking, she'd stare at him. It sort of bugged me because she used to look at me like that- I knew because I caught her once and Roxas told me that wasn't the only time.
"So, Xion- how have things been back home?" Roxas asked.
"Oh... Dad's getting remarried," she said quietly.
"Mr. S is getting remarried? Well, that was fast!" I commented, a little spitefully.
"Who is it?" Roxas asked, sounding a little irritated.
"Well, you remember that really close family friend who we weren't related to but we called her Aunt Kairi? Yeah, it turns out dad has been having an affair with her for years so he popped the question now that mom's gone," Namine said, miserably.
"That's low," I said.
"Ouch," Axel said. Roxas just looked at his lunch angrily.
"I gotta go to... The bathroom," Roxas said, getting up quickly and leaving.
"I... Need to get to a class soon," Axel said, getting up. Xion just left wordlessly and gestured for Namine to follow.
"How old is he?" Namine asked, pointing to Axel.
"Too old for you- he's twenty-five," I said.
"Oh... Oh, well- I still know a cute guy closer to my age," she said, tapping my nose. I could feel my face turn red and Namine stood.
"Namine, did that...?" I asked nervously.
"Listen- do me a favor and ask one question: ask me for a date, okay?" she suggested.
"Umm... Would you go out with me, then?" I asked.
"Sure- just don't tell Roxas. I'll do that," she said.
"Why not?" I asked.
"He is protective of his sisters, and if he found out his best friend started dating his sister, he might get upset. I know how to break it to him, so let me worry about it. See you Saturday," she said. She started to walk away.
"Where and when?" I asked.
"At the Wonderland Funhouse- it starts this weekend until just before Thanksgiving. And... Make it three o'clock. See you then," she said, waving and walking away. I got up and realized what just happened. Why did I even ask her out? I decided I didn't care- she was cute, anyway, and really nice. I walked into the bathroom to check on Roxas. He was quietly weeping and Axel was there trying to calm him down.
"It's okay, Roxas- this just shows you how much more of a jerk your dad is," Axel said.
"That bastard was cheating on mom with his oldest friend! And his friend has a boyfriend, I think! How is that okay?" Roxas asked. I could tell he was freaking out.
"Listen- Kairi and Riku aren't together- they just live together. I think Riku is dating Kairi's younger sister," I said. "So at least Kairi is okay- I think."
"Kairi knew he was married," Roxas said. "She is just as bad as he is."
"No, but your mom was abusive- she would be mean your dad, so she was just driving him away. That doesn't justify what he did, but... They both did something bad. Roxas, calm down, okay? It was in the past and if you want you can skip the wedding and hurt their feelings. I... I gotta be honest with you about something else, but not now. Calm down, Roxas- please?" I begged.
"Yeah, come on! I can stay the night at your house, if you want," Axel said, patting his shoulder.
"Axel, some stuff is going to go down... Maybe it's not the best idea to stay this weekend, but you and Roxas are still on for homework," I said.
"Alright, that's fine," Axel said. "Hey, you know what? I'll get my geek to help us this weekend- he LOVES all that homework- I'll bet he's already finished his by now!"
"Alright, that's fine with me," Roxas said.
"Great! I'll go tell him. See you later!" Axel said. "Oh, and don't freak out- I need you happy to make me smile, Roxas!" Then he left. Eventually, the final bell rang and we walked home, Axel nowhere to be seen. We got home and threw our stuff down.
"So, Demyx- what's going down? You said you had to come clean about something," Roxas asked.
"Yeah... I can't make it to the homework group, tomorrow- I... Have a date with your sister," I confessed.
"Which one?" he asked suspiciously.
"Namine," I said.
"What!?" he squealed.
"Hey, you would have reacted way better if it was Xion!"
"That's because I have always worried Xion is really unhappy!"
"Why is it different for Namine?"
"Because she is already social enough! Xion needs a boyfriend to draw her out of her shell!"
"Why don't you hook her up with someone?"
"Like who?"
"I don't know, Axel!"
"He's too old for her!"
"Then find someone else!"
"Why can't you just date someone who isn't my sister!"
"Why can't you understand your sister likes me?"
"Why do you think that?"
"Because she kind of told me to ask her out!"
"Why did you do that?!"
"Because I think she is kind of cute!"
"Why would you tell me that? She is my sister!"
"You asked!"
"But that's not exactly something you tell a caring brother!"
"I'm sorry! Wait- why are we yelling?" I shouted, since we have been yelling since after I said 'Namine'.
"I can't remember!" Roxas shouted.
"Then stop yelling!" I yelled beck.
"Okay, fine- just be nice to my sister. If you lay a hand on her, I will find out, and then I will kill you," he warned. I knew he wasn't serious about the 'I'll kill you,' part, but he will wail on me in place of murder.
"Listen, man- I'm sorry. I just sort of got caught up with her flirting with me a little bit and... What can I say? She HAS liked me for a while, and she was asking me about AXEL before I asked her out, so if Axel is too old for Xion, he is definitely too old for Namine. Also, we were surrounded by girls of all sorts and Axel paid no mind to ANY of them- I think he has a girlfriend already, and he is really committed. Or he has no interest in dating. Either way, I sort of did you a favor," I said.
"Let's just not talk about it anymore- this is my sister, okay?" Roxas said.
"Yeah, okay," I agreed. We started getting ready for bed when there was a knock on the door. I walked to the door and opened it.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Hello. I'm your next door neighbor, Xaldin. WOULD YOU STOP THAT INFERNAL SQUABBLING?!" he shouted. I instantly disliked him.
"Fine- but stop screaming. You'll disturb the neighbors," I said, then closed the door in his face. The knocking started again. "Goodnight," I said loud enough for Xaldin to hear. Then I turned out the lights downstairs and went to my room. The knocking stopped and I heard the stomping of someone angry leaving my porch. I lay down and smiled. Xaldin wasn't my favorite neighbor- far from it. I would have much more fun if I annoyed him, but I probably would've been better off not knowing him. I'll leave him be, as long as he leaves me alone. I fell asleep after a while. I woke up the next morning, ate breakfast, got dressed in something cool and casual, then started my homework. Roxas came downstairs with his homework and put it on the coffee table.
"Hey," he said casually.
"Morning," I responded.
"Homework?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'm going to get as much of this out of the way by about 2:45, if I can," I said.
"Okay... Hey, Axel and his friend will be here at about three, just so you know... So... What are you planning to do with Namine?" Roxas asked.
"Umm... We are going to go to Wonderland Funhouse," I said.
"Oh... Remember when we went there one year and we ate all that food, then we went on the roller coaster and as soon as we stumbled off we rushed to the trash can and threw up?" Roxas asked nostalgically.
"Yeah, and then we had to buy a soda to get the taste out and then we ate some more?" I remembered. "Yeah... Wonderland Funhouse had a lot of really good memories for us."
"Yeah... You know, despite my objection to your dating my sister, I hope you have fun. Keep in mind that you gotta be nice, though."
"I will. I promise," For the next few hours, I worked on my homework and since it was a light load, I finished it just before I had to leave.
"Later, Demyx."
"Later, Roxas," I said, grabbing the keys to the car and waving. I drove to Namine's house to pick her up, seeing how I wasn't sure wether to meet her there, or stop at her house. I waited a second, debating wether I should honk or go to the door. I wanted to honk because I would do that back when Roxas still lived here (I have had a liscence since I was fourteen- my mom pulled some strings). I decided I would go to the door because I was here for an entirely different reason than in the past. I turned the key and got out of the car. I looked at the house- it was a bit more intimidating now that Roxas no longer lived here. The curtain moved and the door opened. It was Sora, Roxas's dad.
"Demyx? What are you doing here- Roxas doesn't live here anymore. You know that," Sora called. I closed the car door and started across the lawn.
"I'm not here for Roxas, Mr. S- I'm here for Namine, this time," I replied.
"Oh... So you're the one she's been getting ready all day for," Sora said, disapprovingly. He never really liked me that much- he was irritated with me when I was here for Roxas, too.
"Daaaaad!" Namine whined. "Why did you say that? I haven't been ALL day! And you were supposed to tell me when he showed up." Namine walked into view. She was wearing a little white dress and shoes, as usual, her hair was over her shoulder like always, but now it had a yellow star-shaped clip on the side with the bare shoulder. She must have put a little makeup on, because her lips were a very tender, glossy pink. She smiled a small, shy smile at me- for some reason, this time it made my heart do little flips. She skipped down the stairs and practically danced to me. I honestly have never really noticed her this prominently until today- she was beautiful. When she reached me, she grabbed my shirt sleeve. I felt my face get a little warm. I was wearing a dark blue long sleeved shirt, dark brown jeans, and my white tennis shoes. I had my hair styled in the typical mullet-like style I always had and my phone was in my pocket.
"Ready to go?" she asked. She looked up at me- she was to my shoulder- and smiled when she saw my face.
"Yeah... Let's go," I said, putting my hand behind the center of her back, not touching her, but to guide her.
"Demyx," Sora called. I turned to look at him. "Don't keep her too long, and don't try anything!" he warned. He stood in the open doorway as I nodded once, said 'yes, sir,' and turned back to my car. I opened the door for Namine on the passenger side and she got in. I walked around to the driver's side and looked back to the doorway, Sora watching like a hawk. I got in the car, closed the door, and turned the key. It started right up, the music I had playing starting up again. It was a CD I had recorded from home, full of songs I had sang and written myself. I shifted the gear into drive and carefully pulled away from the curb so Sora would take it easier on me for being careful.
"Oh! I love this- who is it?" she asked.
"Umm... Actually, it's me..." I admitted shyly.
"Really? You're good," she said in awe.
"Oh... Thanks," I said.
"Did you write these?"
"I wrote them, and I'm playing the instrument- it's my Sitar," I explained.
"Wow... Would you... write one about me?" she asked, looking at me half-expectantly and blushing a little.
"Sure, if I can find enough time to finish it- I'm trying to finish two or three at once right now, but... I'll put them aside special so I can start one just for you, Namine," I promised politely. She blushed even more.
"Thank you, Demyx," she said quietly. "That's really nice of you."
"Soo... What should we do at Wonderland Funhouse?" I asked.
"Umm... I don't know..." she said, thinking. The sky was cloudy and grey. 'Maybe not a good day to be outside, Dem- better play this smart,' I thought. I saw the sign for a roller skating rink. I pulled into the parking lot.
"What are we doing here, Demyx?" she asked.
"The weather doesn't look too good- the park is probably closed because of the threat of the rain. How about Wonderland Funhouse next weekend?" I asked.
"N-next weekend? You want to take me out again?" she asked in shy surprise.
"Why not? Sure. Same time, I'll pick you up, but we will worried about that later. We'll skate today," I said. I got out and opened her car door. She got out and looked at me, her cheeks a pale pink. We walked across the parking lot, side by side. I thought about it briefly, then decided to take her hand. I slid my hand along hers and laced my fingers between each of hers. I felt her pulse start racing against her wrist and in her palm. I smiled. She was shyer than I would've thought- it was kind of cute. For some reason, it just felt right. We got inside and paid for some borrowed skates. We put our skates on and I stood in front of Namine.
"Uh... D-Demyx? I... Don't really know how to skate..." she admitted quietly.
"Well, I am really good at skating. I've been skating since I was really little. I won't let you fall," I promised, holding my hands out. She took them and used me to stand. Then her legs sort of shot in two different ways and she almost hit the floor in full-on splits. I stopped her decent, and she looked up at me gratefully.
"Are you okay?" I asked. I wasn't sure if she was one of those people who could do the splits or not.
"I'm fine," she said. I pulled her up.
"I guess you shouldn't skate on your own just yet," I said.
"Yeah... I wasn't even trying to move, yet," she said, smiling a little.
"I'll be your brace, then," I said. "Hold onto my arms, and I'll just skate backwards."
"Can you do that?"
"Trust me, Namine. Musicians have to have skills, balance, and moves. Backwards skating takes skill, moves, and balance. I can do it," I said assuringly.
"Okay," Namine said after a second. She gripped my biceps, which weren't big, but they were fair enough for someone like me. Despite the averageness of them, they were enough to make Namine's eyes widen a little. She looked up at me, her cheeks turning rose petal pink. I smiled at her encouragingly. I held her elbows firmly so she wouldnt fall, but i was careful not to hurt her. Then I put one of my feet farther back and used the knob at the toe of the skate to pull myself backwards. I made slow progress. I pulled Namine closer, and pulled backwards until we reached the slope at the end of the footlocker room. It helped me gain momentum and we went faster, I shifted us around things like tables and chairs, Namine looking in shock, surprise, and horror. We finally got to the rink- a huge square of flat, paneled wood in a stone half wall.
It was easy to gain momentum on the smooth surface, especially when going in circles. We went around the rink a few times, Namine smiling and giggling a little. After a while, she got enough courage to shift her footing.
"Check this out, Namine- split your feet like this," I said, holding my feet horizontally. She did the same, and I used the momentum from skating in circles to whirl in one smaller circle, like dancers on the dance floor. We skated for a few hours until about seven, then we had to get going. It was getting close to dinnertime, anyway, so I decided I would treat Namine to some food, because it was raining- pouring, really.
"Wait here," I told her, leaving her on the porch and running to the car. I got my umbrella and opened it, but I was already soaking wet. I got back to the porch, smiling and watching Namine cover her face in surprise.
"Demyx- you're SOAKED!" she said.
"But you'll stay dry," I said.
"Aww, Demyx..."
"Just come on," I said, holding the umbrella over her head. I put my hand on the center of her back, this time making contact. I led her to the car and made sure the umbrella stayed over her head until she was in the car and out of reach from the rain. I got in, closing the umbrella and putting it in the back seat. I started the car. My songs came back on, and I turned them down a little. I pulled out and drove to a Chinese place. I stopped in the drive through and ordered some egg drop soup, some lo mein, and teriyaki chicken. Namine said she would just split what I had ordered. When we got it, we parked in the parking lot, then we reclined the seats and set the extra food on the dash. I had a large coke, but Namine didn't want anything to drink, she just was hungry. We ate the soup, the noodles, and the chicken. Splitting the order was a good idea, and Namine enjoyed herself. By the time she was finished, she actually was thirsty. I offered her a drink of my soda, seeing how I was getting full and probably couldn't drink a lot. She hesitated a second, but took it and took a drink anyway. I reached into the bag and handed her one of the fortune cookies. She took it and broke it open pulling out the paper inside. I had already done that, so I commenced to reading mine.
"'Keep suspicious people under suspicious eyes,'" I read aloud.
"Hmm... Mine says: 'Your efforts will ultimately be rewarded,'" Namine said, reading hers out loud. "I don't get it," she said to me after a second.
"They're just cookies," I said. "They are mass-produced in a factory somewhere. You shouldn't pay too much attention to these things. It's superstition."
"You're right," she said, eating the cookie. I ate mine. When we finished, I drove up to the trashcan on the curb of the parking lot. I threw away the trash. I drove back to Namine's house. She was about to open the door to get out and run inside, but it was still raining. I grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Stay here, just a second," I said, reaching to the backseat. I held up the umbrella and put it in her lap.
"Demyx... How are you going to not get wet when you get home?" she asked.
"I have a garage- I'll be fine," I said.
"Well... Thanks. I had fun," she said. She turned that soft shade of pink again. She looked up at me. I could feel my face get a little warm. I leaned in slowly and kissed her. We just sat there for a second her eyes wide, mine mostly closed. Her eyes slid shut after she realized exactly what was happening. For a second, I felt like we were in our own little world... until the porch light came on. I sighed as I pulled back. She put the umbrella in my lap again, but I put it in her hand.
"Use it- I'll get it back next weekend, okay?" I said. "I think I'll come get you at ten thirty in the morning, okay?"
"Okay," she said. She handed the umbrella back. "I can manage," she insisted.
"Wait here," I said. I got out of the car. I opened the umbrella and ran around to her side and opened the door before she could. I held the umbrella over her as she stepped out, and I was still a little wet from the car run I made at the skating rink. She stayed relatively dry the whole time- I couldn't control exactly how wet her feet got.
"Demyx, why are you trying so hard? I already like you," she said.
"To be honest, Namine- I'm not exactly concerned about that. I mean, I am, but right now I'm a little more worried about your dad's opinion. Yours matters, but I already know you like me. Now I just need your dad on my side and we'll be good to go," I said, my hand in the center of her back to guide her.
"And my brother," she added.
"I already told him. We fought for a minute, but we got it worked out okay. He's fine with it as long as I keep my hands to myself," I said in a goofy tone, waggling my fingers in front of her with the hand that was previously on her back.
"So technically you shouldn't be touching my back, then, either," she pointed out.
"Meh- I'm testing my boundaries- just don't tell Roxas or Sora and we'll be fine," I said, putting my hand to her back again. We got up on the porch and I put my hand to my side. The door opened and Sora was standing there, a sort of angry kind of suspicious look on his face.
"I trust you didn't pull anything, right, Demyx?" he asked.
"No sir," I said politely.
"Isn't the weather a bit stormy for Wonderland Funhouse? Where were you?" he interrogated.
"We were at the skating rink because the park was closed," Namine said. "Then Demyx took me to eat. I had fun, and we are going to go out again next weekend," she said enthusiastically.
"Alright, Namine- that's enough. Go get ready for bed," he said, waving Namine inside.
"Okay. Goodnight, Demy- I'll see you Monday, I guess," she said, waving and going inside. Sora closed the door behind him so Namine wouldn't overhear if she was listening.
"Took you a while to leave the car. What was going on there?" Sora asked.
"I was trying to get her to take the umbrella so she wouldn't get wet- it's pouring out here and I wouldn't want her to get sick or anything," I said as honestly as possible- it was true, I just left out the kissing. He nodded suspiciously and opened the door to go inside. I walked to my car and got in. I saw someone running to my car and then a tap on the passenger window. I rolled the window down and it was Namine, her hair wet and she was soaked. Do you know why they use white shirts for wet t-shirt contests? Because when wet, white shirts reveal more. Namine's white dress was soaked, making it somewhat transparent, and not that I was looking, but I just noticed her... white... bra...
"W-what are you d-doing here, Namine?" I asked, wondering why she would run through the rain.
"I told my dad I had something of yours so I could see you. I actually do have something for you... Come here," she said, motioning for me to come forward. I leaned forward. She grabbed my shirt and kissed me, and I reached my hand up to the back of her head. She pulled away.
"That was it," she said. "Goodnight, Demyx." Then, she ran back inside. I rolled up the window, the image of the result from her running through the pouring rain behind my eyelids. I tried to think about something else, but it was too late- seeing it the first time got me a little... stiff. I turned up my music to force the image away- I didn't want to think about it. She was my best friend's sister, and I really shouldn't think of her like that. I drove home, halfway hoping Axel and his friend was still there- I needed to check my homework because I rushed through it.
Roxas
About fifteen minutes after Demyx left for his date with my sister, I got out three cokes- one for me, one for Axel, and one for his friend. There was a knock on the door, so I went to open it. I was surprised to see another guy along with them. Axel, his spiky red hair spiked up all over, his green eyes, and those upside down purple teardrops under each eye spoke up first.
"Hey, Roxas- I brought my other friend Siax along. That's him," Axel said, pointing to the blue-haired guy with the longer hair, golden eyes, and pointed ears. He had two scars in the shape of an 'X' in the center or his face.
"And this is Zexion- he is our personal geek, but we're willing to share," Axel said, pointing to the blue haired guy with shorter hair all around except for his bangs, which covered half his face. He had blue eyes, and was wearing a white, long sleeved shirt under a blue t-shirt, the white sleves rolled up to his elbows, hands in the pockets of his dark blue jeans. Siax was wearing a red t-shirt, faded jeans with slashes in the knees, and white tennis shoes that were old and a little stained. Zexion's shoes were brown loafer-like tennis shoes, and Axel was wearing cameo pants tucked into black combat boots, and a black t-shirt under a grey-green vest. The shirt said 'Screaming Eagles' with a flaming skull all in white- even the fire- which I guess was Axel's favorite rock band. He had dark, sleek sunglasses hooked to the front of his shirt. He looked like some badass zombie hunter from a video game.
"Well, Roxas- we gonna get started or what?" Axel asked. I was so awed with his badassness I was staring at him. He actually seemed amused and pleased by it.
"Take a picture- it'll last longer," Saix teased.
"Siax, don't pick on him," Axel said. "What's up?" he asked me. I stepped aside.
"I'm sorry- you just look so... Badass. Like a zombie hunter from a movie or a video game or something," I said.
"Oh... Cool!" Axel said cheerfully.
"I got you guys some cokes," I said, gesturing to the table.
"Sweet! Thanks," Siax said, grabbing up one, cracking it open and taking a huge drink.
"Thanks, Roxas," Axel said, cracking his open and taking a sip.
"Umm... Roxas? I don't mean to be a bother, but do you have water? I'm not one for soda," Zexion said.
"Oh, it doesn't bother me, Zexion- I'll get you a water, no problem," I said, going into the kitchen and grabbing a water bottle. I handed it to him and took the other soda for myself.
"So Roxas, where's Demyx?" Axel asked.
"Demyx is out on a date with my sister," I said, a little angry.
"Ha! Demyx," Axel said, shaking his head. "Such a rebel kid. I guess you weren't happy about it?"
"No," I admitted.
"Don't worry about it. He's your best friend and if he values that he won't betray you," Axel assured me. "Okay, we got work to do- let's get busy!"
We worked on our work, chatting about some random things like there were some stories from Zexion about some of the stupid things that Axel and Siax had done, a story shared by Axel and Siax about how a couple of years ago Zexion had asked out Marissa Stevens (apparently a cute girl in their class) and got a drink splashed in his face because she was one of those, in Axel's words, 'bitchy girls'. We finished it after a few hours, then we hung out in a little 'nacho, pizza, coke and video game' party. We were playing teams- Axel and I on one team and Siax and Zexion on another. When we won the fifth round in a row, Axel stood up and pointed at Siax.
"We kicked your a-ass, we kicked your a-ass!" he sang, hopping from one foot to the other festively. It was hilarious.
"Yeah, well you had Roxas on your team- he's better than Zexion at this!" Siax griped playfully.
"Hey! I died way more than you or Zexion. Axel just didn't die at all, that's how we got the life bonus on our score- you're just making up excuses," I said.
"Siax, don't bash your own team, man. We're just better than you at playing," Axel said. I smiled. He was really cool. He was somebody I could look up to, like a big brother. I knew he could stand up for me, and would. He looked a little bit like he would've taken off Siax's arm if he had kept picking on me earlier. I realized now it was raining. I shrugged and grabbed another slice of pizza- I'm glad we had ordered four before it started raining. I had made nachos to hold us over until the pizza had come. I reached forward to the unopened coke I had on the table. I had grabbed it before the last round we had played but got too caught up in the game to open it. I cracked it open as I heard the garage door open.
"Ah, Demyx must be back from his little date," Axel said.
"Yep- that's definitely him," I said, standing up and going into the kitchen. I opened the garage door and Demyx was getting out of the car.
"Had fun?" Axel asked, startling me. I hadn't heard him following me.
"Yeah," Demyx said. We started back to the living room, Demyx with us when we heard Siax being obnoxious.
"I'll bet he copped a feel," he was saying, and when I rounded the corner, Zexion looked like he couldn't stand the subject. Axel passed me and sat back down on the couch next to Zexion. Demyx came around and Siax looked at him, eyes going wide. He immediately stopped being obnoxious.
"Hey... Who are they," Demyx asked.
"That is Siax," I said, pointing to Siax, "and that's Zexion." I pointed to Zexion. "Zexion, Siax- this is Demyx," I said, pointing to Demyx.
"Hey," Zexion said.
"Hi," Siax said.
"Hey," Demyx said.
"So how was it?" Axel asked.
"It was fun. We went rollerskating, then we ate Chinese food from that place up the street from the roller rink, then I took her home. I had an umbrella over her head the whole time, except when she ran across the yard to say goodnight again before I left," Demyx summed up.
"What was she wearing?" Zexion asked. "Clothing is a good indication on how special the date is. When it gets more official she will either wear nicer clothes to celebrate or casual clothes because she knows you'll stay. Either way, she's gonna be happy- unless she wears terrible clothes. Then she might break it off."
"She was wearing a short white dress, as usual. But she had some lipgloss on- unusual, and she had a star clip in her hair- also unusual for Namine," Demyx listed.
"And she was wearing that when she ran through pouring rain? You sly dog- you slipped a peek through that wet dress, didn't you?" Siax asked, amused.
"N-no... I mean, the... I mean, it was prominent... I-I swear I didn't look on purpose! I mean, I... I..." Demyx stuttered and stumbled over his words, but it was a clear confession- he was checking out my sister's underthings in the rain. I stood up and went upstairs. I was pissed off, and I didn't want to hear anymore about Demyx and my sister at the moment. I went to my room and pushed the door shut, passed my bed, which was next to the door, then sat at my desk and started to mess with a piece of paper, trying to make an airplane to keep my mind busy. I had always had trouble making one that could fly, so I was determined to make it work. Maybe I could make it fly into Demyx's eye.
"Hey," I heard from the doorway. I turned around.
"Oh... Hi," I said.
"Can I come in?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said quietly. Axel closed the door behind him.
"I'm sorry, Roxas," he said, sitting in the beanbag chair in the corner where I kept my shelf, stereo, and CDs. He moved the chair closer and sat in it backwards, and somehow still looked awesome.
"It's not you I want to hear that from. You aren't the one going behind my back and lip-locking my sister," I said, getting frustrated and crumpling the paper. It was exactly like the others I had made- I had folded it wrong again. I tossed it to the corner of my desk.
"Demyx is a guy, Namine, your sister, is a girl. You should at least be glad she's with someone you can trust to keep her safe. I just wish my brother was as careful as you," Axel said, a tone of sadness in his voice.
"Why is that?" I asked. He was quiet for a while, like he was debating something.
"My brother, Marluaxia- you know how he dumped me on his friend?"
"Yeah."
"Well, my brother's friend wasn't all that nice, and my brother knew it. Xemnas- his friend- his girlfriend was over one day, and they were... Together... In the other room. Then, they got quiet...er. Xemnas came into my room with a video camera, and his girlfriend- Larexene... She started to just touch me, like she rubbed my neck, touched my chest under my shirt, and she reached down... They had weird fantasies, and they decided I was perfect for one of them. Xemnas recorded her... Raping me. I don't know where he has the tape, though because he said if I told someone they wouldn't beleive me if they couldn't find the tape. That's why I never said anything until now. And it because of Larexene allowing it, that's why... I'll tell you that, later. Not now," he said, probably not wanting to reveal any more about himself. I learned that talking to Axel takes some time for him to reveal a little bit about himself.
"Wow... That's awful..." I said.
"So you don't need evidence?" he asked quietly.
"No... I could hear the pain and truth in your voice... I'm so sorry Axel," I said sadly. "You know, from the way you act I would never have guessed that had happened to you."
"Roxas, I thought if I had opened that up to anybody they'd laugh in my face, call me a liar and shove me away. But you proved me wrong. Thank you," Axel said. There were tears forming in his eyes. He turned his head away from me.
"That's why you don't want me to go over to your house, isn't it?"
"Yes," he said, tears starting to spill over.
"Is that the meaning of your tattoos?"
"Yes..." He tried to wipe them away discreetly but I could still see them. I reached out and hugged him.
"It's okay Axel... I don't judge you," I said. "Don't cry."
"Thank you, Roxas. You proved to be an even better friend to me in a week and a half than Siax and Zexion over four years." I pulled away.
"Are you okay, now?" I asked, concerned.
"Yeah," he said. "How about we go downstairs? Siax and Zex are supposed to be home soon- they have tests on Monday and need to cram. I'm still good till Wednesday."
"Sure. Wanna go kick Demyx's ass at video games? He'll have the option to put the computer guy on expert but I think we can get him anyway," I said.
"Let's go," he said, standing up. We went downstairs and sure enough, Zexion and Siax were saying goodbye. We said ours and they left, leaving us with Demyx. We played him a while at video games and we beat him real bad because instead of expert, he just had it on hard.
"Well, guys. I gotta go. See you tomorrow," Axel said, waving as he walked out the door. Honestly, I wasn't all that mad at Demyx anymore since Axel had told me that story. It was WAY better than a guy who I didn't know. He just better not do anything like... Sexual... With her. Then I will get mad, because I'm trusting him to keep his hands away from unexposed skin... At least until after they graduate. After Namine is old enough to take care of herself she can do what she wants, but until then, I'm her brother and my responsibility is to keep dudes like Xemnas or even Demyx out of her underwear.
"Roxas, I'm sorry- I didn't mean to see it, but-"
"Demyx, it's okay- I'm not that upset with you anymore. I mean, I would have preferred it if you had kept that information to yourself, but it's okay now. Just don't mention it around me again," I said calmly. After that, things were okay. For the next two or three months we went through a routine like that. On Halloween, Axel brought over five bags of chocolate bars for the three of us, on Thanksgiving, I invited Demyx and Axel to come to my dad's house, and on Christmas, Axel went off and got presents for Demyx, myself, Namine and Xion, since I had invited my sisters over for the afternoon. Demyx and I got something for Axel, and we all had a pretty good time. I got Axel an extra gift- a key to the house, so he could come here whenever he wanted. We spent the new year together, Demyx, Axel, Namine and Xion. We went through January so fast I hardly remember half of it. Then February came and before I knew it, it was the 13th. Demyx had a date with Namine, seeing how this was their first Valentine's Day together out of almost seven months of dating. This year, the school had a problem (the toilets all blew up at once, don't ask me how) so we were out until they fixed it. Even the college's bathrooms blew and we all still have no idea how. I spent the whole day before Valentine's day cleaning up around the house a little- I had to do some laundry, anyway. Axel didn't come over that day, so I was guessing he went off to find a girl to spend Valentine's Day with. I really needed to get a date, but I didn't know any girls well enough to ask. Demyx spent almost an hour on the phone with Namine, making date plans for the Day of Love. He still hasn't told my sister he loves her, so I'm not worried about them playing around like that just yet.
"Demyx, unless you want to pay the phone bill I suggest you get off soon," I said, carrying a basket full of clothes.
"Okay, sure," he told me, covering the mouthpiece. "Hey, Namine, I gotta go... Yeah okay. See you tomorrow. Bye!" He hung up. "She's so nice," he said.
"I know. I used to live with her," I reminded him.
"Oh, right." When the day was over, I went to bed and dreamt Xemnas tried to hurt me, and Axel fought him and died trying to save me. I woke up at noon the next day. I went downstairs, literally alone on Valentine's Day. Demyx was already gone. I decided to go shopping later. I played games a few hours then went out to get some groceries. Demyx had the car- it was his, anyway, but I had a scooter that was twice as awesome and took up a third of the space. I got back at dark, because I had left at sunset, stopped to eat, took a while getting stuff from the store, and the drive home was a while because traffic was tight. I had told Demyx the night before that I would probably go hang out with Xion because I thought she would be alone and I didn't want my sister to be sad. I called before I left and it turns out even SHE had a date. I got home and Demyx was already there. I came inside and put stuff away. Demyx had some music on upstairs like he does all the time. I shook my head, smiling. Typical Demyx. I put everything away and grabbed two of the tv dinners I had bought. One was mini pizza and the other was fried chicken. I walked upstairs to Demyx's room.
"Hey, Demyx- do you want the chicken or..." I said, trailing off as I opened the door and saw something I really could've done without seeing. Demyx's head whirled around quickly, his face turning red.
"Roxas!" he squeaked, Namine sitting up in her bra then covering herself with the sheets. I dropped the boxes and ran downstairs. I grabbed my keys, started my scooter, and pulled out of the garage. I just drove. I was pissed. I was thankful that the only thing I saw was Demyx without a shirt and his lower half still covered, and I hadn't seen any more of Namine that I have already. When you have a sister, in early years there was no such thing as modesty, but I still could have done without seeing her like that. I drove faster than ever, going nowhere, probably ending up where I started but I needed to think. Demyx was my best friend. He has been since we were in kindergarten. And now, after all those promises and pacts he broke every one of them since he started dating Namine. I remembered all those pacts- he made every one of them.
"Roxas, aren't girls gross? Hey! Whenever we grow up let's not date until the other dates first! I'll wait for you," he had said. "I promise," he said. Just like the others.
"Roxas, aren't girls cute? Hey! Whenever we meet a pair of girls we don't know let's date them, but I promised in first grade I wouldn't date until you did, so you get first choice," he said. "I promise," he said.
"Roxas, Namine has a crush on me, but I won't date her because we still need to meet that new pair of girls and you go first, remember? From the pact in sixth grade? So if you can keep her from flirting with me and stuff, that would be great because I never want to date her," he said. "I promise," he said.
"...Keep in mind that you gotta be nice, though," I had said.
"I will. I promise," he said. And he broke that one, too. Demyx had betrayed every last bit of trust I had left. Those pacts and our secrets held us together, and we didn't have that many secrets, so the pacts where what we had left. And he just threw them away. I sped down the street, wondering wether or not to go home or drive until I needed gas.