Despite my protests, I found myself, quite against my will, at a late night diner. A middle aged woman with a pound of make up on was serving scorching hot, completely tasteless black coffee from a hot plate. Her pudgy hand on her plump waist, she leaned over and filled my mug. I got a clear look at the wrinkles lining her face; laugh lines, frown lines, crows feet. They would've seemed endearing had it not be for the late hours pressed into every one of those folds. She turned to Axel then, jutting her hip out to anchor her weight. "Anything you want, sweetheart?"
"We're good for now," he smiled at her.
After a moment of looking at the red head with some curiosity, she hauled herself forward in a way only old women know how, letting her fake nails graze along the laminated table top and drop to her side. I watched her large hips sway as she moved to pour another cup of coffee for a strange looking man with a newspaper. What was he doing at a diner at 2 in the morning? Then again, what were we?
"Don't like coffee?" I ripped my gaze away from...whatever it was I had been trying to see. I watched him with mild disgust as he poured spoonful after spoonful of sugar into his creation, adding in a generous amount of cream as well.
"Do you?" I asked, sticking my tongue out as he took a gulp.
He just shook his head, a grin twisting his lips up in an expression of amusement. "should've known you like it bitter."
I made a sneering face at him and tried to ignore the banter by focusing on the dark liquid in my urge to scream at Axel was suddenly very overwhelming. I wanted to scream my questions at him, ask him why he had pulled me from that bridge, why were we here, why did he care, why did we exist, what was the fucking point of it all?! I wanted to disrupt any peace and quiet this little diner had.
My dread and depression reared up, threatening to break out of my lungs in huge sobs. I slumped down into my seat to hide myself from the world I had been trying to escape, suppressing my upcoming emotional outburst...or rather, breakdown. Please, not in this place, in front of Axel, Newspaper Guy, and especially that drying up old lady. She would soak her cracked and chapped soul in my tears. Oh god, here comes the melodrama.
As I tried my hardest not to cry, the crushing weight of...everything pressed in on me, pushing my spirit down into the pit of my stomach, making the awful emotions bubble up in my throat like burning bile.
I could feel those emerald eyes staring me down, boring through my forehead, trying to see inside my skull. Damn that man for being here! I hate it when people see me cry.
I suddenly felt an arm snake behind my back and another around my stomach, wrapping me in a warm circle, pulling me closer. I sat utterly still for a moment until that heat started to sink in and loosen me up. I relaxed against his chest.
It was just so...pleasant...I had never really been held before. Well sure, I've gotten hugs from my friends, but that hardly counts. His hugs felt...like something no human had probably ever felt before. Strange, tingling...
He lowered his cheek until it pressed into the top of my head, his breath saturated my hair. A voice tickled in my ear as he whispered very softly now and then, "Shh...It's alright, I've got you, It's alright."
"Who are you," I breathed.
A quiet chuckle reverberated through through his body. I could feel it as if it were my own. "Silly, I already told you."
"No," I shook my head against him, recalling his assertion that he was some sort of angel, "not what are you, who?"
We were silent for a long time. Exhaustion from the night was taking its toll on my mental and physical stamina. My eyelids started to droop, my head lulled. Sensing this, Axel pushed me up and squared my shoulders with his palms to steady me. The first truly serious expression I had seen on his face that whole night was staring down at me with worry. He finally answered my question, "I'm your friend, Roxas."
It took a lot of effort to finally get me out of the diner, my arm around his neck, Axel had to hunch to help me walk normally. I didn't know what was wrong with me, I felt pathetic for having to depend on him, hang on him like a tacky purse. Axel was right though, near death experiences sure do take a lot out of you.
I made it a block before I passed out.
I couldn't tell you how much time had passed until I heard a door being kicked open. It felt like only a couple of seconds. Had I fallen asleep?
He walked a couple more steps until I was dumped onto something soft. A bed? Something heavy and warm was laid on top of me...A blanket. "Gosh, Roxy, you're a lot heavier than you look."
Oh god, he had carried me here? That's embarrassing.
I wanted to...say something mean...but...where was I?
A weight suddenly flopped down beside me and let out a sigh.
Axel.
"Alright blondie, time to get some shut eye," his voice drifted lazily into my ear. "staying up till all hours of the morning isn't...very..." His voice trailed off as his breathing slowed. Dead asleep in seconds.
Again, that heat source radiated from a distant place. I wanted it. I rolled around a bit until I found the direction it was coming from. This was Axel's? It was amazing and hot. He should've burned a hole through his sheets. I rested my hands on his chest to warm them, moving around, trying to-
"Watchya lookin' for, Rox?"
I drew myself closer to that warmth. This was Axel. I snuggled closer and muttered, "You."
A door slammed open, ripping me cruelly from my pleasant dreams of a happy, care free life surrounded by warmth and love. A pair of arms flew away from my body, making the entire bed shake. My eyes were desperately adjusting to the light of these new surroundings. Blinking away the bleariness, I focused on the first thing I could. Axel.
Wait.
What?
Axel?
I had stayed the night?!
He was running a frantic hand through his untamed mane of fiery red hair, green eyes squinting against the morning light. He looked...like a sun god. The gentle light fell on his face, softening his perfect, harsh features. He was shirtless, the golden sun could not even rival the way Axel seemed to glow. He really did resemble an angel. Maybe he wasn't lying.
Wait, what was I thinking?!
He threw the sheets from his legs, pushed a shirt over his head and stumbled to the door, turning the knob. He threw a glance over his shoulder at me. I lay still, dazed and confused. He smiled sadly and turned to leave.
I sat up slowly, feeling woozy at the blood rush, looking around the room. Black sheets were tangled in my legs and I realized I slept fully clothed. Eugh, how grungy. Running a hand through my spiky bed head also felt a bit disgusting. Heaving a deep sigh, I rubbed my eyes, trying to work out what I would do from here.
Crash!
What the hell was that!? I nearly jumped out of my skin. My heart pounding against my rib cage, I hastily wrenched myself free of the sheets and hurled myself towards the bedroom door.
Someone else was here. I remembered myself just then and cautiously peeked around the corner.
"You always did have shitty aim," Axel was speaking to a guy with pale pink hair that flipped away from his face in way too many layers. He was gayer than Andy Dick in a leather thong, and that was most certainly saying something. He was standing with his hands on his hips, face set in a scowl, staring down Axel who was standing just to the right of a shattered plate. I guessed the pink haired man had thrown it at the wall in a futile attempt to hit Axel in the head.
He swept a hand through his feathery pink hair, brushing it back over his shoulder in a very feminine gesture. "Well, we can't all be Xigbar, now can we?" He threw the man who was rummaging through the fridge a look of utter death.
Axel sighed in frustration, "Get out of my damn fridge, Xigbar."
The man whipped his head around, a strawberry half in his mouth. He rose an eyebrow in amusement at Axel's outburst, sinking his teeth into the red flesh of the fruit, tearing it out of his mouth in a very menacing way. "Such naughty language," He said around the strawberry squishing between his teeth. He finally swallowed and waggled the bitten off end in Axel's direction. "They're hardly going to let you back in on good conduct if you keep acting this way."
Axel scoffed, "I'm hardly looking for a way back in." He cocked a defiant eyebrow at the old man. "I'm just here doing my business and then I'm off."
Xigbar snorted at this, chucking the end of his strawberry into the garbage can near the pink guy, sinking the shot perfectly. So he did have good aim. "And then what? You gunna get your little pigeon feathers back? Everything will be right as rain again? Fine and dandy? Well I got news for ya kid, It doesn't just work like that. He puts you through a bunch of shit just to jerk you around. Bastard couldn't give a rat's ass about your tanned hide. Don't expect to lay down with the dogs in the dirt and bounce right back to your feet again. You're chained up like the rest of us."
"You better shut the hell up," Axel intoned menacingly, "you know as much about him as you do about morality; next to nothing. So I'd advise that you keep your mouth shut and your nose out of other peoples' business, or their fridges, if you know what's good for you."
"Oh Axel," he laughed, biting into another ripe strawberry, "you made yourself our business. At least we can keep promises, stick to a plan, not just a willy-nilly wait-and-see fuck-around. Come on, Ax. You've turned your back on him because he's turned his back on you. Just join us and you'll get what you seek, what we all seek."
"And what would that be?"
"Salvation."
Axel barked a laugh, eyes dancing like wild fire. "You seek salvation so you go to him," He spat, a grin lighting his face, "what a joke! How can you possibly find freedom under his plan?!"
"Better than no plan," The pink haired man growled, hands clenched in fists, "We can live peacefully on earth under his wing. We can redeem ourselves under his rule. We can escape that damned place we've been banished to by that unfair asshole with his plan! Stop living in denial, stop being placated by his complete dismissal of the problems! He acts as if everything is always perfect all the time, but if that's true, why was there a war in the first place?!
"Why are more and more people leaving him? He's living in a fantasy world, you know this better than anyone, Axel. Why are you so persistent in defending him?"
"Because I really hate you guys," he stated, crossing his arms over his chest in a cocky gesture. "I remember the first war, don't you? Read my lips, I want nothing to do with this, got it memorized?"
Mr. Pink threw this Xigbar guy a glare. He nodded. In a flash of movement, too fast to follow through my morning haze, Xigbar was holding Axel's arm pinned behind his back. Axel was pushed to his knees, head forced down to the floor by the nuzzle of a gun. The pink guy was kneeling in front of Axel, who gave him the dirtiest look I'd ever seen.
"You're going to hell one way or another, Axel. We'd much prefer you alive."
"You're delusional."
"Are you're going to come quietly. Or will we have to use Zexion's force?"
Axel flinched, but his eyes remained unwavering, boring into the man in front of him as he enunciated slowly, "Go fuck yourself, Marluxia."
Said man stood up quickly, a wane smile tugged his lips, staring at Xigbar. "Okay! force it is! Xig, you know what to do."
He cocked the gun.
Axel squeezed his eyes shut.
I hurled myself into the room.
Oh fuck.
I managed to catch both men off guard when I flung myself haphazardly at Axel, knocking him to the ground and forcing Xigbar to stumble away. Without any grace, we were piled on top of each other. Axel cocked an eyebrow at me curiously. I managed a sheepish smile.
Suddenly, I was ripped from Axel by a hand fisted in my hair. Yanked to my feet by that pink guy, i struggled against his grip. Twisting only managed to make my scalp hurt worse. A blade softly kissed my neck. I went still.
Axel lunged at this asshole pink man, but Xigbar was too quick. He reeled him back by his shirt collar, kicking him harshly in the shin so he would drop to the ground. He waited for Axel to get to his knees before landing a kick in his gut. Xigbar sat on his back to keep him pinned, pressing the barrel of the gun to the back of his head. He grabbed a handful of Axel's hair to draw his head up. Our eyes met.
Everything was still.
"Looks like we got ourselves a little rat," Marluxia snarled in my ear, his voice felt like slime, "sneaky little pest."
"You know what to do with rodents," Xibgar replied offhandedly.
"No!"
The blade, which increased its pressure, abruptly pulled back. I opened my eyes. Oh man I didn't realize I had closed them. I was probably going to shit myself if this kept up. Axel stared at me desperately. What could i do?! His eyes shimmered.
"Please," he whispered softly, hanging his head, "please, kill me, but...just let him go...please."
"Ahhh," Marluxia's voice vibrated through my body, twisting my stomach sickly, "he's not a rat, he's blackmail. But I am curious Axel, why this boy? Where'd you pick up this little cutie?"
He was silent, only staring at me.
"Not gunna tell us, eh," Marluxia softly pressed his dirty lips to my throat, mumbling words against my skin. "I guess if you can't help us save him, he isn't that important." A hot, wet tongue trailed from my neck to a soft spot behind my ear and back down again, leaving a disgusting path of cold saliva in it's wake. I shuddered. "He would be a nice little addition to our toy collection, now don't you think so?"
Axel tried to wrench himself free of Xigbar's hold, but it was useless.
"Stop touching him," Axel growled, "he's got nothing to do with any of this. I told you, you can kill me, but let the kid go. A life for a life, that's a fair deal."
Marluxia halted his assault on my neck, giving Axel a weird look before he shrugged and pushed me to the floor. "Alright, I am nothing if not fair." Axel scoffed at that. "But I need you alive. If we kill you, we would just have to go around hunting you down all over again, and what would be the use of that?"
"What are you doing, Marluxia?"
I whipped my head up to find a small figure in a black cloak, exactly how the other two men were dressed, standing in the doorway to the apartment. Axel flinched, pinkie shrunk, Xigbar didn't move.
He lifted the hood from his face as he entered the conflict.
A shock of gray hair gleamed in the sunlight, forming a curtain covering his right eye. His other eye was piercing every soul in the room, the iris was a deep, dark blue that made me shiver. His lips were pressed into a thin, annoyed line; perfect eyebrows drawn together in irritation. He was so pale. Had he ever seen the sun? Still he was… beautiful. He held a certain degree of perfection, just like the other men. Just like Axel.
"What are you doing here, Zexion?" Marluxia, I guess his name was, asked the new arrival.
"Checking in on you two," he replied, looking around. "you do realize that he wants nothing to do with Axel unless he comes of his own free will. Your job is not to hold him hostage, but persuade him."
"Tried the persuasion," Xigbar replied, lifting the gun from Axel's head, "didn't really work."
"And if we're not supposed to use force," Marluxia intoned, placing his hands on his hips, "why did he send you?"
"Merely as babysitter," his pan voice seemed to lighten. To Axel he said, "Don't worry, I'm not here to make you do anything you don't want to. Just remember where your loyalties lie. You're on earth for a reason, and it isn't because you're his favorite."
"I know that," he muttered darkly, "how about this. I'll think about your girl scout invitation and you three can hightail your asses out of my apartment. Deal?"
"I think that is a fair negotiation for the moment," he nodded, face expressionless "remember, every action has an equal and opposite reaction."
"Okay Newton, I'll take your advice to heart," he gritted, "now, if you'll be so kind..."
"Of course."
With that, the gray haired man disappeared in what looked like tendrils of black and purple smog. With a sneer from Marluxia and a grunt from Xigbar, they both vanished in the same manner.
I closed my eyes and let out a shaky breath.
Then collapsed on the floor.
Axel hurried over to me, placing a hand on my back and rubbing in soothing circles. "You okay?" he asked.
I nodded. "That was a first. Now I can say I've been threatened at knife point for a reason I completely do not understand."
"Yea it happens."
I sat myself up. Sitting cross legged, Axel stared at the floor, unwilling to meet my eyes. He looked forlorn. "What's wrong?"
Dramatically, he waved his hands around to gesture to the entire apartment, "Everything! This is all my fault and I know it. I'm sorry I dragged you in to this. I should have just dropped you off back at home where you belong and-"
"I don't belong at home," I muttered darkly, cutting him off. "I can understand if you have second thoughts about keeping me around, but...I'm grateful for it. I can never go back to that place. I'm sorry I've been a burden to you, I could go find a friend's house now and sleep over-"
He grabbed my chin, trying to stare me directly in the eyes. But I couldn't look at him.
"Look at me."
I stalled until I couldn't take his penetrating looks anymore. Those emerald green eyes... "You are not a burden on me. I feel guilty for putting your life in danger like that-"
"Because jumping off a bridge isn't putting my life in danger."
He continued as if he hadn't heard me, "-and I never want it to happen again. So accept my damn apology already and stop assuming I don't want you here. Assuming makes an ass out of U and Me."
He let go of my chin, "Fine, I accept your apology, no matter how unnecessary it was."
"Good boy!" He ruffled my blonde hair lightly. "Now, do you wanna tell me why you were jumping off a bridge last night?"
"Not really," i grumbled, pawing at my messy locks.
"Well too bad," He retorted, standing up and grabbing a pair of keys from the kitchen table. "because I saved your sorry ass, you're morally obligated to tell me over breakfast."
"I don't think I can keep it down," I grabbed my stomach as it gargled in disapproval, "I almost just had my head sliced off."
"We'll start with coffee and go from there," he offered his hand to me. Looking up into those green eyes, I was swallowed whole. I placed my hand in his without a second thought.
