Road Trip
It was raining heavily as Roxas ambled up the dark highway; arm outstretched, thumb heavenward as every blinding pair of lights approached, only to pass him by. If he was lucky, he could avoid getting a drenching from the car as it hit a puddle. It was coming up to two thirty in the morning and Roxas was beginning to lose hope of ever escaping. He should just go home, he'd almost forgotten why he'd run away.
With a sigh, Roxas turned on his heel to trek back the way he'd came, thinking this whole running-away-from-home stunt was just stupid to begin with. Suddenly, there was a sharp series of three beeps. Roxas considered giving the driver the finger as he moved off of the road and into the rain washed gutter. His shoes were already saturated, what did he care?
The car seemed to take its time passing him, until Roxas realised that the car was rolling along beside him, going at a snail's pace. There was the buzzing sound of the window being lowered and Roxas glanced sideways out of the corner of his eye. All he could see was the alien lights of the dashboard and the red end of a cigarette. The car slowed to a stop and Roxas stopped with it. The driver took a drag of the cigarette before placing it in a tray in his car.
"You going somewhere?"
"...No."
"Looks to me like you were. Running away from home?" The stranger said with a smirk.
"That's none of your business," Roxas snapped.
"I think you're running away from home," the stranger laughed, "I'm running away from my ex."
"Really?" Roxas said apathetically.
"Yep. Why don't you hop in? We can go somewhere together."
Roxas considered this for a second. Should he really get into the car with a total stranger with a sleazy sounding voice? He'd had so many visits from policemen to his school about 'Stranger Danger' and all that, but this man was promising him to take him somewhere. And anywhere was better than home. Roxas shrugged. Fuck it, he thought, what have I got to lose?
With no further thought, he wandered around the front of the car, shielding his eyes from the headlights, and got into the front passenger seat. The stranger laughed,
"Jeez, you're soaking!" Roxas could hear the smile in his voice. "So, where to, little man?" the stranger smirked as he pulled away from the curb.
"I don't care," Roxas grumbled, "Just take me away from here."
"I get the feeling," the stranger nodded solemnly. Roxas couldn't see the stranger's face, but from what he could tell from the silhouette, the stranger was a rather big fan of hair gel.
"... It's like, you just get sick of one place, for whatever reason, and so you just have to get outta there. It's like with my job, I was sick of working in the same place all day, every day. So I quit. Hell, I didn't care that I was living off of instant noodles for a month; my girlfriend helped me out a lot. But then I guess I became a burden and she dumped my ass, but whatever, I'm not going to mope or cry, there's plenty of fish in the sea – I didn't even like her, she was dropping way too many hints about getting married. I'm too young to settle down; I still wanna go out and party until crazy hours of the morning. I told my parents that same thing, they frowned upon it. People always frowned upon what I did, but I didn't care, just as long as I was enjoying myself, that's all that mattered – am I right?"
"... Sure," Roxas mumbled. He did get where he was coming from, however.
"How old are you anyway, kid?"
"Seventeen..."
"Really? I'm twenty one," the stranger chuckled, "What's your name?"
"What's yours?"
"I asked first, little dude."
"Roxas."
"I'm Axel, nice to meet you Roxas."
"... Sure, right back at you."
"So why are you running away from home, Roxas?"
"... Like you said, just got sick of it, I guess—
"Oh come on, there's gotta be more than that. I'm not buying that bullshit."
"Fine. My parents hate each other but they're staying together 'for the kids'. Of course, they're only doing it for Sora, the prodigy child. They don't care about me; I'm too much of a fuck-up. I'm pretty sure I broke my mother's heart a few times and disappointed my father even more. I don't know, they just constantly tell me I'm a disappointment and 'Why can't you be like your brother?' and I hate it, you know? I'm doing all I can to fix things, but it just ends in more disappointment..."
"Ah, yeah, I get that. My father never liked me much either, too much of a ruffian, as he'd put it," Axel smirked before putting on a gruffer, deeper voice to imitate his father, "... Young man, you're a disgrace. I didn't bring you up to be that type. You will set yourself straight and go to law school like I did and my father and his father before me. I will not have the police bring you home each night with another tale of your little misadventures. What was it last time? Shoplifting, underage drinking and disorderly conduct? I will have no more of this!"
"Huh..." Roxas mumbled, unsure of what to say.
"So yeah, maybe you and I aren't so different, hey kid?"
"Guess not."
"Don't worry, you can trust me, I'm a good guy. I won't do any of that creepy, paedophilic shit."
"Good."
Neither of the two said anything for a while and the car hummed quietly as they travelled to nowhere-in-particular. Axel at one point reached forward to turn on the radio, making a brief comment about how much he liked classic Rock 'N' Roll, none of that modern day Pop/Rock shit. Roxas managed to doze off at one point, during one of Axel's long-winded anecdotes, which he realised were quite frequent.
At some point, before fading into unconsciousness again, he felt the car pulling into a gravelled driveway and coming to a stop. He couldn't remember much after the engine dying and the driver's door opening.
Axel opened up the passenger's door carefully and slid his hands in underneath Roxas' sleeping body and lifted him effortlessly. He carried Roxas closely to his body as he made his way up to the front door of the twenty-four hour motel. He nudged the door open with his hip and shuffled towards the front desk.
There was a bored, young looking man at the desk, stirring a cup of coffee tiredly. He glanced up with stunning blue eyes as Axel approached with the sleeping Roxas in his arms. He didn't think much of the sight as he reached for the sign-in book.
"Welcome, sir," he sighed.
"Hi, there... er, Demyx," Axel said, taking a look at the name badge on the young man's chest. "Do you have a reservation?"
"Yeah, just one... is that okay?"
"Of course."
"It's a double room, sorry."
"That's fine, we can share a bed."
"... Okay... um, sign here and I'll take you to your room. Do you have any bags?"
"I'll get them, thanks," Axel grinned as he scribbled his signature into the book, "How much?"
"Don't worry, we'll sort it out in the morning," Demyx yawned.
"Okay, thanks," Axel kept the catlike grin as he accepted the keys to their room. He carried Roxas upstairs and set him into the big, double bed before disappearing to retrieve the minimal baggage. When he returned, Roxas was still fast asleep, curled up in a little ball, in the centre of the bed. Axel dumped his and Roxas' respective backpacks before removing his shirt and jeans and sliding in behind the sleeping teen.
...
Roxas woke with a large yawn, the golden sunlight filtering in through the thin curtains. He blinked a few times as he took in his surroundings. He had a sheer moment of panic when he realised he wasn't in his small, uncomfortable bed, but rather in a large, comfortable bed with soft sheets and fluffy pillows. The room itself was bright and white with the door closed over. It took him all the strength he could muster at eight in the morning to think back to the previous events some hours earlier. He remembered the highway, the rambling stranger, the long drive and then nothing. He must have fallen asleep at that point.
Suddenly there was a click and the door opened up slowly to reveal a shock of red hair in a grey t-shirt and nice-fitting jeans. Roxas figured this must be Axel as he vaguely recognised the spiked up mess of hair.
"Ah! You're awake, how'd you sleep?"
"Where am I?"
"Uh... I'm not entirely sure of that myself, except for the fact that we're in a motel."
"What happened?"
"Nothing," Axel shrugged, "why?"
"Oh just..." Roxas shifted, "... What happened to my pants?"
"... Uh," Axel paused to think how best to explain the removal of Roxas' pants.
"What the hell? Why the fuck did you take off my pants? What did you do to me last night?"
"Holy shit, it's not like that! I swear!" Axel exclaimed, "I just figured you'd get a more comfy sleep without your skinny jeans..."
"Oh is that all?"
"Yes, I promise. Although, those jeans do hug your butt nicely," Axel said with a smirk.
"Wait... I thought you had a girlfriend...?"
"Ex-Girlfriend... who was sort of mannish to begin with – but I promise you, I'm not... into that sort of thing," Axel frowned.
"... Uh huh," Roxas was incredulous, "I find that hard to believe."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"How so?"
"Well... to begin with, you took off my pants—
"It was merely for comfort reasons."
"You still took my pants off! And also you said that my jeans hugged my butt nicely... meaning you checked my butt out..."
"... Fair point,"
"Also, you're staring at me right now—
"You're talking to me; it is common courtesy to look at whoever's talking to you."
"No. You're staring at me... like, I don't know... like I'm eye candy or something."
"Well, you're attractive, but—
"Ah-ha! You said I was attractive."
"I say that a lot of men are attractive, doesn't mean I like them or anything..."
"So why do look so shifty all of a sudden? Hm?" Roxas smirked as he climbed out of bed. Axel watched passively as Roxas crossed the room to look for his pants. He pulled them on slowly, making sure to be watching Axel as he did up his fly and button.
"... You're staring at my crotch," Roxas said finally as he did up his belt.
"... No I'm—
"Don't deny it."
"Okay. I am... I'm staring at your crotch... I'm just a little curious, is all..."
"Curious?"
"You know... curious."
"No, I think you'll have to explain it to me."
Axel paused for a moment, taking in what Roxas just said. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the little blonde perfection.
"... Are you gay?" he pressed.
"What?" Roxas was suddenly defensive, "No way!"
"I think you are. I think you want me to kiss you."
"No!"
"I think you do..." Axel purred, walking towards Roxas. He backed Roxas into the corner of the room and placed his hands either side of his head. Axel leant forward until he couldn't get any closer to Roxas. He gave him the smallest little kiss to the lips just as a teaser. Roxas went tomato red and tried his hardest to keep a straight face. Maybe he got a little buzz, but he didn't enjoy it, or more he was going to lead Axel under the impression that he didn't.
Axel smirked at Roxas' expression, which was a mixture of confusion and embarrassment. He brushed his fingers along Roxas' cheek, which only made him go redder. Axel was just teasing the boy now as he dragged his fingers lightly down his body. Axel's light touch sent shivers through Roxas' body, who tried his best not to show that he was more than enjoying this attention. Axel glanced briefly down at Roxas' belt buckle, where his fingers now rested, at looked back up at Roxas with a sly grin. Roxas swallowed hard as the redhead leant in again. He felt Axel's lips against his, this time rougher and definitely hotter. Roxas couldn't hide it anymore, he'd never been kissed like that before, and there was no denying that he was completely turned on. He threw his arms around Axel's neck and kissed him back at best as he could with the limited experience he had in making out. He knew that he was meant to poke his tongue in and explore the mouth of person he was kissing, but ensuring not to go into washing machine mode and make circles with the tip of his tongue. He knew he had to breathe through his nose so he wouldn't suffocate as he kissed Axel. But where to put his hands? Axel's hands were still hooked into his belt, pulling him in close from the hips. He decided to keep his hands wrapped around Axel's neck, it was a safe place to keep them and also it prevented him from falling over in case he melted just that little bit more.
He could feel Axel pulling him towards the bed, leading him by the belt buckle. Axel soon fell backwards onto the bed, taking Roxas with him. That's when Roxas paused, leaving Axel's lips puckered.
"I don't know about this..." he mumbled, shifting so he was sitting beside Axel, who'd flopped back into the bed, evidently disappointed.
"What do you mean?" Axel sighed in reply, staring at the cracked paint work on the ceiling.
"You know..." Roxas was uncomfortable, sitting cross-legged on the bed with Axel lying beside him.
"No, I think you'll have to explain it to me," Axel said with a smirk as he looked over at Roxas.
"Oh come on, you know what I'm talking about!" Roxas snapped.
"I don't think I do..."
"You do."
"No?"
"... Sex."
"Sex?"
"Sex."
"What about sex?"
"... We were going to... you know... have it... weren't we?"
"No... I don't think we were, you're a kid after all..."
"Really?" Roxas sighed with relief.
"You sound disappointed," Axel smiled deviously, sitting up to stare at Roxas front-on.
"I'm not."
"I think you are."
"I'm not!"
"... You're not a virgin are you?"
"... No..."
"I'll take that as a yes."
"Okay fine, but I was—
"Saving it for The One?"
"Yes. Exactly that,"
"That's a waste of time, what if The One never comes your way until you're, like, forty or something? Then you'll be a forty year old virgin, like in that movie."
"... Ugh."
"Exactly. So, why save it? Have fun while you can, so then you're... experienced for The One," Axel's smile was growing steadily more devious. Roxas didn't like the look of it.
"So... what are you getting at, Mr. Axel?"
"I'm thinking... that we fuck."
"I'm thinking not."
"You don't have a choice," Axel laughed.
"I do and I'm saying no."
"What'd I just say? You don't have a choice."
"I could get you arrested for rape."
"... Oh shit, yeah..."
"Exactly," Roxas smiled triumphantly and slid off of the bed. He left the room to go look for some form of edible substance, leaving Axel to sit on the bed, frowning at the speck of dirt in the carpet.
Axel sighed heavily. He was still curious and he had a feeling this kid was going to be easy, but not too easy. He'd have to work for it. Which was okay, Axel liked a challenge. He did feel a little guilty, however, that he was using this poor kid as a way of satisfying his curiosity. He liked the kissing part, he wasn't going to deny that, but would he enjoy going further? He was dying to know, and as sick and as twisted as it may seem, he wanted Roxas to help him get his answer.
"Why isn't there any food?" Roxas demanded as he burst into the room.
"I don't know, do you have to eat?" Axel smiled.
"Yes."
"Well I don't have any money."
"Neither do I."
"Then we starve."
"... Take me home," Roxas said with a pout.
"You really want to go back there? From the little that you described, it sounds like a shithole."
"Well, it is, but at least there's food."
"I can get money out of an ATM or something..."
"Sure, okay."
"Do I have to bribe you now to get you to come with me on a road trip?"
"... What road trip?"
"Oh, I was thinking about it last night. You and I both have a reason to escape this town, why not go on a road trip? It'll be fun, I reckon."
"... I can't believe I let you convince me to drag me this far..." Roxas groaned.
"Oh come on... do you really want to go back home?"
"Not really... But I have school and friends!"
"You don't have friends..."
"... Okay, maybe I don't have friends, but I have school to think about!"
"You're blonde, how could you possibly be good at school?"
"There are heaps of smart blondes!"
"Well, you're not one of them—
"I am so—
"You let me convince you to come this far. What if I were a murderer who raped their victims as they slowly strangled to death? You could be a corpse in the woods for all anyone knew. Trusting a stranger like myself isn't a very smart thing to do, and yet you did it..."
"Okay... I'm not a total genius... But you said I could trust you!"
"So what've you got to lose?"
"My virginity..."
"Oh please, virginity doesn't mean anything anymore!"
"It does to me..."
"... Pussy..."
"Fine! I'll come with you on your stupid road trip! But I'll warn you, I do know karate!"
"No you don't—
Roxas didn't think twice about it, he kicked Axel in the face. The redhead was pissing him off, he felt he had the right to kick him.
"OW! What the fuck? Dude! Shit, I'm bleeding! You stupid motherfucker!"
"I told you I knew karate..."
"Okay! Jeez, what the hell? You didn't need to demonstrate!"
"You didn't believe me—
"I do now!"
"Good. Now stop whinging at let me take a look..."
"Oh, I suppose you know first aid too?" Axel snorted as he removed his hands from his nose.
"I took a course..." Roxas mumbled as he gently tilted Axel's head into the right position so he could get a proper look at the damage. His nose was bleeding, but it wasn't broken. Roxas went to his backpack and pulled out a packet of tissues, thrusting a few into Axel's hand. He then disappeared into the bathroom next door, returning with dampened tissues to clean the blood off of Axel's face. He gently wiped away the blood, a look of pure gentleness on his face.
"... Wow..." Axel murmured.
"Shh," Roxas snapped as he wiped up the last of the blood. He gave Axel a quick peck on the cheek before disappearing to dispose of the bloody tissues.
"... At least we're covered for any injuries on the way," Axel smiled, "You looked like a professional. My ex would've puked at the sight of blood."
"I'm used to blood," Roxas shrugged indifferently, "I mean, what insecure teenaged kid hasn't cut themselves at least once?"
"True that," Axel nodded, removing the tissues from his face and snorting a few times to clear the airway.
"It's not broken," Roxas shrugged, "although I could've broken it if I wanted to..."
"Please don't."
"Take it as a warning."
"Okay, okay."
...
Axel and Roxas gathered their bags a few hours later and silently made their way down to the front desk where Axel payed for their stay and grabbed a few bars of chocolate and packets of chips from the vending machines. They were soon in Axel's car and heading along the road again. Again, Axel turned on the radio to fill the awkward silence and the two sat in the car in continued silence. They were heading further and further out of town, the houses, gas stations and shops becoming less and less in numbers. Axel pulled into one of the last stores on the road at one point where he withdrew most of his money and spent it on supplies like first aid, food, drink and extra clothing. Condoms also managed to find their way into his shopping trolley as did plenty of alcohol. Axel returned to where Roxas was snoozing in the car and dumped the supplies in the boot of his car. Roxas woke with a start as Axel got back into the front seat, turning the engine on again.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you, kiddo," Axel smiled warmly.
"Oh, I wasn't sleeping, just dozing off..."
"Oh, I see. Well, um we have plenty of food and stuff, but not much money left... I think we'll be sleeping in some farmer's field tonight."
"Oh, great."
"Oh come on, where's your sense of adventure, kid?"
"Gone with my common sense..."
"Oh shut up."
"No."
Axel pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the road, and kept driving until it was getting dark. Eventually he pulled over and turned off the engine. He got out of the car and grabbed both bags before opening up Roxas' door and pulled him out. Axel led him in as far as they could go to the most secluded spot in the entire place. They were in a small field surrounded by trees and a little creek on one side.
"Excellent, we can bathe too."
"Aren't we a little deep in? Like, there's no one else for ages."
"That's the point; we don't want Mr. Farmer Man to get suspicious..."
"Suspicious how?"
"Well, we hardly look like we're related. He might think I've kidnapped you. And we're trespassing."
"Technically, you did—
"No I didn't, you made your own decision to come with me."
"I guess... but you emotionally blackmailed me. It was either go with you or go home, when you and I both know that I couldn't possibly go home, I'd most likely kill myself..."
"Then aren't you glad you came with me?"
"To be honest, yes... except you're a sleazy bastard. You said I could trust you!"
"I may have lied... I can't help it; I like to enjoy myself while I can."
Roxas sighed with a roll of his eyes. He got out of the car and had a wander around the campsite. He could get used to the secluded spot; maybe camping with Axel would be fun? He certainly was the fun-loving type; Roxas would just have to keep his guard up and his pants on.
Later that night, once Axel had got the fire going, he stood up announcing he had to bathe. Roxas didn't think much of it until Axel removed his shirt and pants, disappearing into the forest stark naked. He could hear the splash of water as Axel slid into the creek, the full moon creating a beautiful glow on his bare back. Roxas could just see him through the trees. He stood up and crept closer, watching the beautiful man wash himself. Roxas couldn't help but think Axel was possibly the most amazing creature he'd ever seen. He felt rather pathetic compared to Axel. He shifted slightly and accidentally snapped a twig. Axel looked up and smiled.
"Like what you see?" he smirked. Roxas sighed,
"Please, I was just thinking of washing myself, but I'll wait until you're done."
"Oh, you can join me if you like," Axel winked, "The water's nice."
"... Fuck it. Okay," Roxas sighed as he removed his own clothes before slipping into the water.
"Nice..." Axel said with that devious smile as he gave Roxas the once-over.
"What?"
"Oh, you're hot, that's all."
"... No way."
"Yes way..." Axel swum up to Roxas, "I think you're incredibly hot."
"... Axel..."
"What?"
"You're a little close..."
"I could get closer—
"Please don't."
"You don't have a choice..." Axel murmured into his ear as he ran his hands down his front.
"... Um... Axel... What is that?" Roxas' voice wavered as he felt something against the back of his thigh.
"Water snake..." Axel shrugged casually.
"... I don't think... Holy shit!" Roxas leapt away from Axel with a disgusted look on his face. Axel chuckled,
"I don't know what your problem is..."
"I'm really not comfortable with... Ugh, I really shouldn't have come with you... You just want to get in my pants!"
"You're not wearing any pants..."
"Oh you know what I mean!"
"Yeah, yeah. But is it such a crime for me to want to experiment?"
"Yes!"
"How?"
"I'm just a kid! You're an adult! You're sick!"
"That hurts, Roxas..." Axel pouted as he swum up to Roxas again, "But you don't seem to mind too much, you're just pretending to be disgusted..."
"I—
"Shut up..." Axel whispered, kissing Roxas. Roxas tried to fight it off, but he couldn't. Maybe he didn't mind that much, if not at all. He was just desperate for some attention, even if it was coming from a sleazy adult he only met yesterday. He was insecure and never really had felt loved until now, even if it was lust more than love. It was good enough.
He let out a sigh and let Axel kiss him and touch him. He couldn't care less; he knew he wasn't going to win anyway. Axel was going to get his way in the end. However he wasn't going to let Axel away with too much. He was going to sit there silently and not let Axel have that satisfaction of hearing him giving into pleasure. That is, if he was able to keep silent.
"Aren't you enjoying yourself?" Axel murmured into Roxas' shoulder.
"... No..." Roxas lied.
"I think you are..."
"I'm not."
"Downstairs says you are... Relax, Roxas, just give into it," Axel smirked, "I know you want to..."
"Okay fine..."
"Good boy."
...
The following morning, Roxas awoke stiff and sore and in the backseat of Axel's car. How the hell did I get here? He thought as he sat up. Axel was sitting in the passenger seat, but he wasn't driving, just sitting there looking at Roxas.
Roxas grumbled to himself as he searched for his pants, which were somewhere by his feet. This time he was aware of the removal of his pants. He didn't think it'd hurt that much, but it did. It was a good pain, however, nice pain. Pain he could live with.
"Last night was fun," Axel smirked, "You're pretty good..."
"... Thanks," Roxas mumbled, too tired to fully process what Axel had said. "Isn't it a little early for marshmallows?" He noticed that Axel was sitting eating from a packet of marshmallows.
"They were the first things I could find," Axel shrugged.
"Oh... Uh, how did I end up in the backseat of your car?" Roxas mumbled, crawling forward to sit in the front seat.
"I got cold, I figured it'd be warmer and more comfy finishing it off in the car..."
"Finishing what – oh yeah... shit."
"Don't worry, I'm clean."
"Oh, I wasn't worried about that, but cool..."
"What are you worried about?"
"... That you probably think I'm easy now and that you can get away with it again."
"Well, yeah," Axel laughed, "But come on, you wanted it."
"... Okay, so I did."
"Good, we're finally telling the truth."
"Fuck you," Roxas snapped. Axel pulled out a marshmallow from the bag and shoved it into Roxas' mouth.
"I'm not a kid, I can feed myself..." Roxas grumbled.
"Oh I know, I just enjoy babying you, you get this adorable little pout and—
"Shut the fuck up," Roxas growled.
"Okay, okay," Axel laughed and patted Roxas on the cheek before turning the ignition. Roxas stared at the man incredulously. Could it be possible he was beginning to feel something for the sleazebag? He confirmed that yes, he was when Axel glanced back up at him and smiled the most heart-stopping smile in existence. Fuck, Roxas thought.
They were a few hours down the road when Axel suddenly pulled over. Roxas paused mid-sentence and glanced over at him.
"... Is there something wrong?"
"... I just got a text..."
"From?"
"... My ex... She says she's pregnant."
"Oh?"
"... It's mine."
"... Oh..." Roxas turned away to stare out the front windscreen. "How can you be sure?"
"... She hasn't slept with anyone else since me..." Axel grumbled.
"What are you going to do?"
"Turn around and go home. Even I couldn't leave a girl to raise a kid on her own."
"Oh..." Roxas was disappointed. It meant that he had to go home and he knew for a fact that he was going to get a beating for having disappeared. His dad had a very bad temper. He tried not to cry at that thought, but he must've looked it because Axel leant over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"You okay, babe?"
"Don't call me babe..."
"Why not?"
"You're going to be a father! You should get back together with your girlfriend and forget about me."
"I couldn't do that—
"I'm sure you could."
"No way... Roxas, she kicked me out, she didn't want me—
"She'll want you now—
"But I don't want her. I want you."
"You've only known me for three days now!"
"So? I got to know you a lot in these three days and I can safely say I think I love you."
"You think?"
"... I know."
"I don't believe you."
"I do though, I do love you. I don't care if you're still just a kid, I love you. I mean, of course I'll have to help my ex out with the kid and stuff, but we can still be together!"
"We were never together..."
"Oh? We weren't?"
"What makes you think we were..."
"... Well, I've kissed you numerous times and we fucked once and those bruises are evidence of it."
"None of it meant anything, you said you just wanted to experiment."
"Maybe at first... but it means something to me now..."
"... Just take me home, Axel, and go back to your girlfriend..."
"Fine," Axel muttered.
...
Almost a day of awkward, angry silence later, Axel pulled up to the spot he first picked Roxas up. Roxas grabbed his bag and silently, he got out of the car, and began to head down the road without a second glance. Axel pulled away and went his own separate way to meet up with his ex-girlfriend for coffee and discuss the pregnancy issue.
Roxas ambled down the road, fuming at his own stupidity for ever going with Axel, for falling for him. He was being stupid and childish, something he was good at. He knew he really shouldn't have ever left the home he was now approaching. It looked like the same quaint little house it always had. It was comfortable enough, just Roxas made it uncomfortable. He approached the living room window where he could catch a glimpse of his brother, Sora, gesticulating excitedly with a trophy in hand. Their mother and father were applauding with smiles on their faces, hugging and kissing their son, proud of him in every way. Roxas couldn't remember the last time he was ever hugged or kissed like that. That was true love, and what went on with Axel wasn't love, it was just pitiful need for some kind of attention.
Roxas tried to tell himself that over and over again as he left the window and headed into town. He was wandering through the main square, mindlessly window shopping, when he saw a shock of spiky red hair. Quickly he ducked in behind a bush and went to observe who Axel was talking with. She was pretty, Roxas couldn't deny that, and not at all mannish like Axel said. Roxas couldn't help but think that Axel lied about a few other things as well. She was blonde, which was a bit eccentrically styled – another fan of hair gel – and had a serious look as she talked to Axel about the child they were expecting together. Roxas sighed heavily; of course she would be the kind of girl to keep Axel's attention. His face was on her the entire time and Roxas couldn't help but note the small look of adoration in his turquoise eyes.
Roxas tried not to cry. He stood up and left the square to find the nearest park where he could just sit on the swings and gather thoughts.
Axel glanced up at the bolting figure and saw the tousled blonde hair and immediately wished he hadn't. Maybe he missed Roxas just a little. Or a lot. He did love Roxas; it was a weird thing Axel wasn't used to. It took him forever to fall in love with Larxene, but with Roxas, it was love in an instant. He couldn't exactly explain why, but he just felt right with him. He knew it wasn't a creepy, paedophilic thing; he wasn't that much of a sleaze. Axel couldn't quite explain what it was so he just called this weird little feeling 'love' because it was rather similar to what he felt in the early years of his relationship with Larxene.
"... Axel are you listening to me?" she snapped.
"Wh-what?"
"What are you looking at? Pay attention to me! This is important!"
"Yes, it is... What's important?"
"Ugh, you're useless... I'm saying that it turns out that the kid isn't yours; I had a one night stand with some guy a few months back—
"A few months back? We were still dating then!"
"Yes, I know, you were visiting your family down south so I was alone and bored..."
"... You bitch," Axel sneered.
"Well, it doesn't matter, we're finished now anyway. So I just wanted to tell you that it's not yours so you can get back to your life and I can get back to mine with my new boyfriend..."
"Your new boyfriend...?"
"Yes... are you... jealous?"
"Ha! God no!" Axel laughed, "It means I can – never mind, I'm just glad that, uh, this is all sorted out and you're happy with your new man..."
"... Yes..." Larxene said before getting up, "Anyway, I'm off to get an ultrasound, see you."
"See you, and good luck with everything," Axel muttered politely, watching her leave. As soon as she was out of view, he stood up and left the small restaurant, leaving a fifty dollar note on the table with the receipt. He wandered toward the general direction where he was sure Roxas had run off to. He tried to think where he could possibly be hiding. Shoe store? Uh... nope, Axel thought, porn shop? I hope not... what about the chemist? What would he want there? ... I don't want to know...
Eventually Axel came to the park and spotted the blonde moping by the swing set. As subtle as he could possibly manage, Axel went over and sat on the swing next to him. He rocked back and forth, the rusted chains screeching with each movement.
"I like to come here sometimes for some time alone... Granted it's a crazy hour in the morning and I had too much to drink," Axel sighed wistfully.
"... What do you want?" Roxas grumbled, staring at the ground.
"I want you," Axel began, "to forgive me."
"For what?"
"For being a douche."
"You weren't being a douche..."
"I was. I used you, Roxas."
"I know."
"And that's not okay."
"It's fine. How's Whatserface?"
"Larxene."
"I didn't know that."
"She's fine. Apparently it's not mine, but some random dude's she had a one-night-stand with or something and now she's going to raise it with her new boyfriend, or fiancé or something, I wasn't really paying attention, I was thinking about other things..."
"Such as?"
"You."
"Me?"
"Yes you."
"Why?"
"You remind me of the babe," Axel smirked.
"What babe?" Roxas was genuinely confused.
"The babe with the power."
"What... power?" Roxas stared at Axel incredulously.
"The power of voodoo!"
"Who do?"
"You do!"
"... What?"
"Remind me of the babe!" Axel grinned broadly.
"... You're a strange man, Axel..." Roxas frowned.
"... No? Okay, well never mind," Axel frowned just as deeply. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but thought better of it and stared at the ground again. Roxas stared ahead, watching a dog tearing into the squishy toy.
Axel suddenly stood up and stood in front of Roxas. Roxas frowned harder.
"You're crotch in my face..."
"I know," Axel smirked and crouched to be eye-level with him. He stared long and hard at Roxas for so long, Roxas was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"... How about we get out of here?" Axel smiled deviously, "go for a road trip."
"... I don't..."
"You're still wearing the same clothes I first found you in and you stink, meaning you haven't gone home yet, so it wouldn't hurt for you to escape with me again."
"... I guess..."
"And I promise, no shenanigans unless you want it," Axel's eyes were sparkling.
"... But I thought we established that I did want it," Roxas smiled coyly.
"You did, didn't you? So then, I guess it wouldn't matter if I did whatever I wanted to you..."
"It depends on what it was you were doing to me—
Roxas was interrupted by Axel's mouth pressing into his. Slowly, Axel stood up, taking Roxas with him, and they stood in a long embrace, kissing sweetly in the middle of the park. A few shocked and disturbed families muttered to each other about the couple, but neither Axel nor Roxas cared. The age gap didn't bother them anymore.
"Okay, you're coming with me," Axel murmured into Roxas' ear, taking him by the hand and dragging him away from the park to go on another road trip. The best road trip ever.
I hope you enjoy this, it's been a while since I've written something. This would be story #2 published on FF! Woot! Uh, comments and reviews are muchly appreciated.