gin and sin
chapter two

i felt your skin i've tried to melt into your skin
and i did, you let me sin
i failed, i fell down, i fell on my face
one more pill - stabilo boss


It wasn't usually this quiet in the morning.

When you lived in a house full of foster kids, you didn't get to sleep in. Sleep was a rarity in itself, because the more rambunctious kids tended to stay up later than they were supposed to, either throwing rocks at the windows or having the television on until four in the morning.

As a sleep-induced Roxas opened his eyes and got his first glance at the clock, he realized just how well he had slept. It was already 7:45. He was actually quite surprised that Tia hadn't wandered in to wake him up. Sighing, he pulled himself up and rested his back against the headboard of his bed, reaching over to click on the lamp.

That was when he really noticed that Axel, of all people, was lying beside him.

The blonde gave a squeak, looking at the other boy who was as straight as a goddamn statue beside him. The red head's eyes were open, but he didn't look quite… there. Roxas carefully leaned over the other boy's body, observing his face.

Axel's lips were bleeding and cracked, but Roxas wasn't sure it was actually from his lips or from the small trail of blood that was leading from his nose. The taller boy's eyes were bloodshot, and he wasn't blinking at all. Axel's breathing was ragged and uneven, and despite all of the quiet, Roxas could barely hear him. Pressing his first two fingers to the other boy's pulse, the blonde determined that he wasn't in any type of critical situation, but it was a little bit rapid.

Axel was wearing the same clothes that he had left in, though they were considerably more dirty looking than before. His hair was more of a spiked wreck than usual, and his hands were twitching against the bedspread. Roxas debated getting Tia, but decided not to, as Axel slowly started to come to his senses.

With Roxas lightly prodding and pulling at his face, it forced Axel into some state of consciousness. The boy slowly opened his eyes, which were merely a Christmas-coloured slit of emerald green and bloodshot white. Roxas moved backwards on his haunches as Axel pulled himself up to his elbows, staring blearily at the walls ahead of him, waiting his vision to adjust to the light.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" hissed Roxas, glaring for all he was worth at the kid who had decided that it'd be all right to crash in his bed. Axel tossed him a weary look, pulling himself up into a seated position. His hand immediately flew upward to clench his forehead. For a moment, Roxas was almost worried that the red head might pass out.

"Mn, shut up," muttered Axel, through gritted teeth. "…F-fuck." Again, Roxas wondered if Axel was going to pass out again. The older boy merely sat there, for a few moments, clenching his jaw and eyes and apparently, trying to wait something out.

Roxas was a statue beside him, with his breath held in slight apprehension. He really had no idea what was wrong with Axel, or how to help him otherwise. He extended an arm, letting his fingers briefly hang over Axel's shoulder. Pressing himself forward onto his knees, Roxas raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You dying?"

"Not yet," mumbled the older, pulling his knees to his chest. He rested his chin on his knees, hands still massaging his temples in pain. At the look of pure torture on Axel's scrunched features, Roxas took the time to just stare at the red head.

"So, why you in my bed?" Roxas asked, simply, after a few moments of silence. Axel didn't speak for a few seconds, and just proceeded to rock back and forth, evidently attempting to scare away an on-coming headache. "Or in my room at all, really. Don't you have any fucking common courtesy? It's called 'knock first', moron."

The blonde's mouth was fixed into a straight line of defiance, and he idly wondered if Axel was ever going to answer him. Finally, after a deep breath, Axel began to speak. "Climbed through the window," he said, slowly. He seemed to be trying to keep up with his heart, which was beating a rapid tattoo against his ribcage. Roxas could practically hear it. "I guess I just… passed out. I don't really remember."

Roxas sighed, pulling the covers off of his body. The cool air of the room sent shivers up his legs as his feet hit the carpet, and the blonde soon realized that Axel probably hadn't bothered to close the window. He stood, leaving Axel on his bed to clench at his scalp, trying to quell his pounding brain. "…You climbed through my window?" mumbled Roxas, finally realizing the magnitude of Axel's adventure back into the house.

He paced over to his dresser, feeling utterly freaked out by the situation. A guy that he barely knew anymore had shown up, in his bed, after stealing about a hundred dollars to go run off and do God knows what. "Ah, never mind," muttered Roxas, tempted to ignore the condition completely. "So what are you going to do today, anyway?"

Axel slowly lifted his head from his knees, giving the other boy a tired look, before quickly wiping the blood off from under his nose. Roxas didn't even return a glance, instead shifting through the drawers of his dresser, searching for something to wear for the day. Towels in the hall closet. Ugh, this is so weird having him here.

"I have no idea…" mumbled Axel, invading Roxas's thoughts. The red head shifted uncomfortably on the bed, wrapping his arms around his shins, staring at the blonde's back. "Maybe… go see someone. I don't have a fuckin' clue."

"My mom's probably going to interrogate you, again," said Roxas, digging himself out a wrinkled, navy blue shirt. He tossed it over his shoulder, closing the drawer with a slam before kneeling slightly to access one of the lower drawers. Axel had to close his eyes, before wincing again.

"Don't be so loud with that fuckin' cupboard… thing. It hurts," the red head spat, raising a hand to his head once again. Roxas scoffed, slamming the next drawer for good measure, and maybe, just to piss Axel off. The red head visibly winced once more, giving a dry, humorless laugh. "I hate you."

"Then get out of my room," stated Roxas, standing to his full height once again. He turned back towards the red head, who didn't move from his position on the bed. "No, really. Get the fuck out." The older boy frowned, but stumbled to his feet, nevertheless.

Axel stayed stationary, not knowing if he should really leave, or stay. His mind was still a little bit hazy, and he wasn't exactly sure what the hell he was doing. "Do you just want me to go downstairs?" he asked, padding his way to the door.

Roxas gave the red head a bit of a sarcastic look. "No, I want you to follow me into the bathroom and watch me shower, fag," stated the blonde. The older boy just returned the comment with something that looked like genuine hurt before he left the room. Roxas merely stared at the empty space that Axel once occupied, wondering if the look meant anything. Probably, not.

Roxas shook his head, before heading out of his room, himself. He had enough to think about without Axel even being in the picture. Ducking into the bathroom, before anybody else could see him, Roxas really debated just making Axel leave. He didn't need to worry about somebody else when he could barely take care of himself.


Awkward as it was, Axel had to do something. He couldn't just sit around and freeload while Tia did all of the work, even if his head felt like it might implode. He watched, disjointedly, from the kitchen table as she attempted to get socks onto Selphie and make sure that the little girl's pot of oatmeal didn't over-boil. "Uh, do you want some help?" mumbled Axel. As soon as the words fell out of his mouth, Tia glanced upwards, from where she was bent over, struggling to cover the little girls' feet.

Axel damn near flinched under the scrutiny, but Tia gave him a little smile. "Well, maybe you could get Selphie's socks on. She always takes them off. I've tried duct-taping them on, before, but it never seems to work," mused the woman, straightening her back. Axel pulled himself off of his chair, and plodded his way over to the opposite stool, where Selphie was peeling her socks off, once more.

Axel kneeled, his head level with Selphie's. She really was a short little girl, Axel quickly realized. Probably wouldn't be very much bigger than 5'0, even. "Hey, you wanna put your socks on?" asked Axel, feeling very lost as to what to do. Tia just gave him a fleeting smile, before setting back to work on stirring the oatmeal. No lumps for Selphie, of course. Axel couldn't cook to save his life.

"I don't like sockies," stated Selphie, her cat-mouth quickly turning into a pout. "They're un… un-comfertble, and I can't wiggle my toes!" Axel couldn't resist a slight laugh, despite himself. He shut himself up, quickly, for he could feel Tia's eyes leering into the back of his neck.

"Maybe you just need bigger socks?" said Axel, trying to sound mature. Selphie stuck out her tongue, throwing both of her socks onto the floor. She hopped to her feet, soon after, taking Axel by the hand. He avoided the contact for a moment, but quickly re-adjusted himself, letting her drag him back to the stairs. He had to bend over to reach her properly, but she didn't seem to mind.

She pulled him up each step, and he cringed a little when the last one creaked. He could hear the shower running, so he didn't have to worry about running into Roxas, again. That was one thing he wouldn't like to do, at this point. Nevertheless, Selphie made her way into Roxas's room, with a quick push of the door.

Releasing Axel's hand, she bolted over to one of Roxas's drawers, immediately sorting through it, throwing various items of clothing onto the floor. Axel shook his head, leaning against the doorway, trying to hide something of a smile. Finally, pulling herself away from the dresser, Selphie came back with a pair of slightly mud-stained white socks.

Sitting herself down, right on the floor, she pulled them onto her previously bare feet. They hung off of her toes like Dumbo's ears, but she didn't seem to mind. "Sockies amn't so bad no more," decided Selphie, bobbing her head happily. Axel couldn't shake off the feeling that he was looking at a walking, talking bobble-head doll.

"Amn't?" repeated Axel, carefully walking over to where she was seated. She patted the ground beside her, like some sort of sage educating her cricket, and he vigilantly sat down cross-legged beside her. "That's not a word."

"Yes, it is!" shouted Selphie, punching Axel's thigh. The red head's back went rigid, but Selphie didn't notice. "It's like 'am' and 'not'. Amn't." Axel just laughed. Really, the mechanics of the word did make sense, but for some reason, wasn't a real word. Funny how things worked out like that.

Axel opened his mouth, attempting to say something, but he simply exhaled and a ghost of a smile quested onto his lips. "You're such a little weirdo," he mumbled, shaking his head. Selphie just gave her dainty cat-smile, her hands playing with the too-large socks. Her head abruptly snapped towards the door, when a very soggy-haired Roxas walked into the room.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" he hissed, directing it at Axel, obviously. The red head opened his mouth to explain, but Selphie beat him to it. She jumped up, clapping both hands onto Axel's shoulders. Even at her full height, she was just a little bit bigger than him, even as he was slouching.

"No saying that word! And we stole sockies!" announced Selphie, pointing amiably to her feet. Roxas raised an eyebrow at her quirky display of affection, but didn't say much more to Axel. He ambled over to where she was standing and knelt down in front of her, picking up the tips of his socks with nimble fingers.

"Who said you could take my socks?" said Roxas, faking sternness. Selphie just scowled, crossing her arms. Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout and she threw her nose into the air, before pointing an accusatory finger at Axel.

"He did!" she piped, and Axel's face immediately went to a look of surprise. He gibbered incoherently for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. Roxas just smirked at Axel's expense, picking Selphie up into a sort of piggy-back. She kicked her feet at his thighs, almost unable to hold on.

"I didn't do it!" protested Axel, pulling himself to his feet. His eye twitched a little bit, and Roxas wondered if the kid was just paranoid. Rolling his eyes, Roxas turned on his heel and stumbled out the door. It was a little hard with a giggling six-year-old clinging to your back, but Roxas managed to do it.

Axel sighed, digging his nails into his forearms. He followed after Roxas, flicking the light off as he went. Roxas had managed to blunder his way down most of the stairs, with careful deliberation. He was about a quarter the way down, with Axel carefully treading behind. "You're getting too big, Selphie," pouted Roxas, as the girl squirmed in his arms.

"Maybe you just stopped growin'!" stated the little girl. The blonde scowled, tromping down the rest of the stairs. He could hear Axel emitting slight, airy laughter behind him, but when Roxas turned his neck back to see, Axel had his mouth closed and a slightly guilty expression on his face.

The three of them maneuvered their way into the kitchen, where Roxas finally put the younger girl down onto the floor. Little Selphie barreled her way over to where Naminé stood. The blonde girl looked paler than usual, with droopy eyes and a withering stance. She had a blanket clutched around her shoulders, and by quick analysis, Axel determined that she probably wasn't going to go to school today.

"Aw, sick again, Naminé?" piped Selphie, latching herself onto the blonde girl's leg. She gave a little, congested laugh but her face remained uncomfortable. Axel could tell that she didn't like being around him or just unfamiliar people in general. "Feel better soon, sissy!"

Roxas arched an eyebrow, turning his gaze to the blonde girl. "Somebody must've left a window open," said Naminé, shivering slightly. Her tone was so quiet and scratchy, the blonde boy could scarcely hear her. "It was really cold last night."

"You get sick so easily," said Tia, her voice laced with motherly concern. She pressed a palm to the frail girl's forehead, and quickly determined that she was running a slight fever. "You're definitely staying home today."

At this, Axel felt a little out of place. The concern and affection the family members were blatantly passing around was a little too much for him. He really wanted to just leave the room, but was quickly blocked by Tia. "So, Axel, dear, what do you have planned for today?" she asked, her voice a little bit over-perky. Naminé decided it was prime time to evade the vicinity, and thus dragged Selphie into the living room. Roxas sat himself down on a chair, waiting for the figurative bomb to drop. Tia still didn't know that Axel had dropped out of high-school, though Roxas had already summarized that she probably knew.

"Um, nothing," the red head said, quietly. The little female clapped her hands together in delight, a smile adorning her face. Both Roxas and Axel gave her slightly weary faces, wondering what was going on in her head. "I… I'm not going to school right now."

"Good! Well, not about the school thing, you know. But, you can stay home and help Naminé take care of Selphie," stated the woman, heading back over to the counter where some lonely, dirty pots lay. "She doesn't have kindergarten until the afternoon. I know, I know, she's too old for kindergarten, but she had pneumonia and… well, you get the picture. Entered school a year late, the silly girl."

Tia smiled to herself, but Roxas was all but alert. He carefully took his mother by the arm, pulling her to the side. Axel summarized that he should probably not listen, and quickly turned his head away. With his face close to his mother's, Roxas hissed, "What are you doing? Do you really trust him to stay here, alone?" Now, Roxas wasn't cruel enough to unveil that Axel had snuck out last night with quite a bit of his cash, but he really wasn't about to leave a frightening teenager home with a defenseless 14 year old and her younger sister. Tia frowned a little, her eyes switching over to look at Axel.

"Oh, shush, Roxas. He's just fine," she said. Roxas abated his alert, because he knew his mother had quite good judgment. After all, being a foster mother for many different kids, she had to know something about personality. Roxas gave a groan of discontent, but quickly erased it at Tia's disapproving look. She flicked her bright eyes back over to where Axel stood awkwardly, waiting for an entrance back into the conversation. "So, Axel, dear. How do you feel about that? I'm sure Naminé could use some help. After all, Selphie is quite a handful."

She searched Axel's eyes for a response, but he seemed to stutter on words. Finally, he swallowed the lump in his throat and responded. "She doesn't seem too… comfortable with me," he said, his voice a little shaky. Tia clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

"Don't worry. It's not you. She's just nervous around new people," commented Tia, leaning herself back against the counter. Really, she was like a teenager stuck in a woman's body. "But don't worry about it! I've got to work, but on my lunch break, I'll swing by and pick Selphie up. And then you and Naminé can have the rest of the day to be lazy, and Naminé can recover a bit."

"Uh, it sounds okay to me," said Axel, giving a self-conscious half smile. Roxas continued to scowl, and Tia casually ruffled his still damp hair. The blonde ducked out from under her hold, giving an exasperated grunt.

"Oh, shush, grumpy," laughed the woman, and Axel shook his head and smiled at Roxas's expense. The blonde glared at Axel, and the older boy's expression faded quickly. He scoffed, heading into the next room where Naminé and Selphie were watching television. Tia turned to Roxas, crossing her arms. "And now you have to get to school, bonehead. The bell goes in twenty minutes, in case you've forgotten."

Roxas scowled. He would humor his mother a little bit. "And if I say no…?"

"You'll be saying hello to 'Mister Room Confinement' for the next week, buddy," Tia said, rather curtly. There was a prominent hint of amusement in her voice, and Roxas couldn't resist flipping her a little smile in return. He sighed, turning and heading back towards the door, where his distended backpack from the previous night lay.

Tia chuckled. What a grumpy little boy.


"Roxas! Over here!"

Averting his attention to the calls of a familiar voice, he quickly caught sight of a frantically waving Pence. Roxas laughed, giving a half-wave back. The side of the school, just across from the main entrance was where his friends always waited. He quickly caught sight of Olette, who just smiled, waiting for him to come and see her.

Of course, he did, trying to seem casual as he paced over. He quickly received a punch on the shoulder, courtesy of Hayner, and a quick kiss on the lips, courtesy of Olette. "Hi," she said, grinning. "Missed you yesterday. How was the math session thingy?"

Roxas shrugged, and Hayner quickly stuck out his tongue. "It was probably lovely. I bet Roxas got raped by the teacher, Luxord," teased the boy, his dark brown eyes flashing with amusement. Roxas sputtered, and Olette gave a giggle, smacking the taller boy across the back of his head.

"That's not funny!" protested Pence, who waddled his way over to Roxas. "Pedophilia is a serious issue!" Hayner just laughed at the boy's expense. That was all right, though, as Pence managed to do everything else right besides receive a good joke. He was smart, but some of Hayner's humor just went right over his head.

They dropped the subject after that, and Hayner started gibbering about the latest fight that was going to happen because of he-said, she-said bullshit. Roxas tuned most of it out, and was rather content to just make out with Olette against the wall. Upon doing so, Hayner scowled. "Aw, man. Can't you two get a room?" he grumbled, crossing his arms and giving what he could see of Olette and Roxas's back a pointed look.

Roxas pulled his lips off of Olette's neck, not releasing her from his hold, and simply inclined his head towards the taller blonde. He was about to come back with a retort, when Olette beat him to it. "You're just angry because you'd rather be the one against the wall!" she jabbed, and Hayner grinningly flipped her the finger.

Pence laughed at Hayner's expense, and Olette's cheery giggle chorused along. Hayner continued to scowl, feeling utterly left out. A hint of a blush passed his cheeks, that Roxas happened to notice, but didn't acknowledge it. Abruptly, the deafening sound of the school bell rang and Pence gave a loud squeak before waddling off towards the main doors. He was quite concerned with school, probably the only one of their group of four who was.

Roxas backed away from the wall, letting Olette out of his arms. She smiled up at him, green eyes twinkling mischievously. She slid her hand into his palm and he couldn't resist giving her a tiny smile in return. "…You have, er, chemistry first? Right?" questioned Roxas. She scowled.

"You have such a bad memory! But yeah. I hate the teacher, really miss the old one," Olette laughed, running one hand through her coffee coloured hair. She tossed a gaze back to Hayner. "Now, come on, we all have to get to class. We're gonna be late if we don't hurry!"

"Ah, fuck class!" snorted Hayner, shoving his hands into the pockets of his cargos. Olette shook her head, dragging Roxas along, who was attempting to hang back with his best friend. Hayner was more likely to skip class, anyway, and Roxas would prefer to do that. Olette would skip, occasionally, but for the most part she just went to class so that she could sleep.

And so, Roxas's relatively boring day began, with three friends traipsing off to a classroom, following a boy who looked relatively like a penguin into the wide doors of a school.


"Hey, uh, you okay?"

Naminé slowly opened her eyes, quickly coming face to face with the red headed boy. She had completely forgotten he was even there. Pulling herself into a seating position, Naminé yawned, her throat burning in protest, and the girl was thrown into a coughing fit. After catching her breath, she realized that Axel wasn't alone, as Selphie was balanced carefully on his back, arms around his neck and legs around his waist. This was a position she usually maintained with Roxas, a piggy back.

The little brunette grinned down at her bigger sister. "Me and Axel found you some cough medicine!" she shouted, kicking her feet against Axel's thighs. He visibly winced, but managed a small smile at Naminé. His hands were twitching a little where they held onto Selphie's legs, and he looked really tired.

"How long have I been sleeping for?" mumbled Naminé, rubbing at her eyes. Selphie kicked her feet once more, scrambling off of Axel's back to land on the couch. She crawled forward, curling herself into Naminé's lap.

"About forty-five minutes," Axel told her, giving her a somewhat sympathetic smile. The poor girl looked exhausted, and far too pale for her own good. He felt awful for leaving the window open, but then again, he had much more things to worry about. "Don't worry, we've been okay."

Naminé gave a shaky sigh. She'd really been wary about sleeping around Axel, but her nausea made her quite fatigued. Nevertheless, she wrapped her arms around Selphie, ignoring the television as it talked noisily in the background. She wondered how in the world she had slept through that, really.

"Uh, do you want that cough syrup?" said Axel, even though he was clearly uncomfortable. Naminé blinked at him for a moment, before scooping Selphie off of her. Naminé's feet hit the floor, and she stood up to her full height, Selphie plopping off the couch after her. The blonde girl picked up her blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders like some great cocoon, once again.

Axel offered an uneasy smile, turning on his heel. "It's… er, just in the kitchen," said the red head, leading the two younger girls into said room. He felt nervous, mostly because he felt like he had to prove himself to Naminé. She seemed unsure around him, almost like she was purposely avoiding him, while Axel really didn't feel like he was in anyway threatening to her. Roxas, maybe, but not Naminé.

Selphie pulled a chair up to the counter, the screech of wood against linoleum nearly deafening to Axel's pounding ears. She pulled herself onto the furniture, her waist barely reaching the top of the counter. Pulling open the cupboards, she fished inside for a moment before coming back with a bottle of Buckley's. Both Naminé and Axel grimaced, with none too fond memories of the awful stuff.

"Don't you have anything cherry flavored?" Naminé whimpered, hugging herself tighter in the blanket. Selphie blinked, turning her head back into the cupboard, before quickly coming back.

"Nope! You're stuck with ucky Buckley's," piped the little girl, jumping back off of the chair. She pressed the bottle of cough syrup into Naminé's hands, grinning. "Don't worry, sissy! If you drink some, I'll make Axel drink some, too, so you're not alone with yucky." Axel blinked, for he truly didn't want to consume any of that grotesque medicine.

Naminé let a little smile cross her features at the thought of Axel drinking disgusting cough medicine. Well… "I'll do it if you do it, Axel," decided the girl, still feeling a little bit shy. She paced over to a drawer, her hand disappearing for a second but quickly coming back with two teaspoons.

Axel grimaced, accepting one of the spoons that she quickly passed him. Her hand didn't linger, as she was still a little wary of being in any close physical contact with the boy. She uncapped the syrup, pouring it carefully into Axel's spoon first. He held his hand under the utensil, watching as a few murky purple droplets fell into his palm. With equal diligence, Naminé poured herself a spoonful as well. "Okay, you first," she told Axel, with a nod of her head. "You take one spoon, I'll take two, since I'm the sick one."

"Sounds fine with me," said Axel, letting a slightly arrogant grin pass his face. He was always one for competition, be it small and insignificant like this one, or the battle of wills that happened between him and Roxas. He tipped his head back, letting the spoon disappear between his teeth for a moment. Abruptly, a look of utter disgust passed his face, and his eyes were wide with shock. He really had forgotten—

I warn you, this… medicine is rather grotesque. You might want to hold your nose.

—how badly this stuff tasted. He managed to choke it down, quickly licking the droplets off of the palm of his hand, receiving an amused giggle from Selphie and a ghost of a smile from the blonde girl. With a final grimace, Axel tossed his spoon into the sink and stated, "Ugh, there. Now your turn."

Naminé screwed her face into a scowl, holding her breath as she shoved the spoon between her lips. She immediately sputtered at the awful taste, and ripped the spoon out of her lips. She quickly handed it to Axel, motioning quickly for him to refill it as she frantically waved her hands and attempted to swallow it down. All the while laughing, Axel's hands shook as he managed to pour an unsteady second spoonful. With equal vigor, Naminé downed the second dose of medicine and immediately dove for the faucet, taking a large gulp of water.

"All better?" said Axel, his voice holding a hint of sarcasm. Naminé frowned, turning her face back up to him. She wiped the moisture off of his lips, and opened her mouth to retort, before breaking into a fit of sneezing. She embarrassedly covered her mouth with the corner of her blanket, and Axel just waved it off. "Don't worry. I'm not afraid of girl germs."

"Girl germs? You're mean," said Naminé, her voice nasally and weak. Selphie stuck out her tongue, waddling over to Axel and tugging at what she could reach of his pants. He looked down at her, and she raised her arms with a slight pout on her face. Sighing, Axel bent down and picked her up, coming back to his full height and resting her on the sharp edge of his hip. All the while, Naminé watched with slight amusement, wondering where in the hell Axel got to be so… maternal. "Say, Axel. How did you find the medicine? I don't even remember where mom keeps it, with all these cupboards."

"Uh, I just looked around. I was looking for Tylenol, earlier. Massive headach—"

"Let's go play Barbies!" shouted Selphie, utterly bored with the conversation. Axel arched an eyebrow at her, to which she giggled in return and kissed his cheek. Naminé blinked at the sudden display of affection. Even the vivacious Selphie wasn't generally this affectionate to newcomers.

Naminé smiled, nevertheless. "Okay, Selphie. Axel, you can watch TV if you want to," she told the older boy, and he opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly interrupted by a frowning little girl.

"No!" pouted Selphie, kicking her feet at Axel's thighs. Naminé scowled, knowing that it wasn't right for a six-year-old to boss around Roxas's guest. "I want him to play!"

"He doesn't have to, Selphie. It's his choice. Besides, he probably doesn't like Barbies," said the blonde, tickling Selphie's feet. She smiled, despite the fact that the little brunette was being a bit of a brat.

"No, it's okay," assured Axel, raising his freehand to gesture his approval, before he had to quickly tuck it back under Selphie's legs when she started slipping downward. "Hey, I have a little sister too. I know what it's like to play 'Skipper and Barbie Go Shopping'."

"You have a sister?" inquired Naminé, a little stunned upon the revelation. Axel grinned, for once appearing actually excited about something.

"Yep. She's about twelve or thirteen, now. I don't see a lot of her, but she's damn smart," he said, talking quickly with enthusiasm. His head bobbed slightly as he spoke, and his mannerisms seemed to change with a simple mention of a sister.

Selphie kicked at Axel's thighs, once again, not particularly interested in hearing about his sister. She wasn't young enough to play with Selphie, anymore, so Axel's little sister was of no concern to her. "Barbies!" whined the little girl, feeling left out.

Naminé laughed a little bit, her throat still feeling scratchy as she walked to the stairway. They went up the stairs, Axel wobbling slightly with Selphie's weight and Naminé sluggish because of her nausea. When they finally made their way into Selphie's room, Axel couldn't believe the mess. Barbies were littered everywhere, but the thing that really threw him off were all the trains. Posters of trains, toy trains, train models, a train track circling her room, a train-shaped bed, train blankets, and even a train light switch plate—this girl obviously liked her trains.

"I wanna be Ken!" was the first thing that Selphie shouted, as she squirmed in Axel's arms. He immediately put her down, where she scrambled into the din, pulling a man-doll in a conductor hat out of a pile of laundry. "He's a train-worker guy!"

"I think Axel would want to be Ken. He's the boy, after all," giggled Naminé, kicking aside a toy unicorn as she made her way into the center of the room. Axel stuck close to her, afraid he might get lost amid the fray.

"No! I'm Ken!"

"But Axel's the boy," commented Naminé, once again. Axel, himself, really didn't mind being Kelly or Teresa, just to get them to stop arguing. Suddenly, Selphie flexed her scrawny arms.

"I am all that is man!" bellowed Selphie, before breaking into a fit of giggles. Naminé couldn't resist a laugh herself, and Axel stifled his. He scoured across the piles of doll-clothes, finally coming across the foot of a lone Barbie doll. He pulled it out, coming upon Skipper.

"I'll be her," he said, quickly. Naminé shook her head, thoroughly sure that Axel didn't know what he was getting into. Naminé found her own doll, a Barbie, and Selphie quickly proclaimed Barbie and Ken were married, and Skipper was Ken's mistress.

"His what?" squawked Naminé, utterly mortified that Selphie even knew what a mistress was. Axel was just laughing behind his knees, his thighs pressed up to his chest as he attempted to silence himself.

Selphie nodded. "Yep. Ken an' Skipper… uh, fa-uh-ck like Roxas says he does to Olette. You know. They kiss lots and hold hands! You know, fa-uh-ck!" Axel broke out into unabashed laughter, falling onto the floor. Naminé's face was glowing red with embarrassment.

"…Selphie, don't say that word."

"What? Fa-uh-ck?"

Axel just laughed harder.

"…And Roxas really said that?" inquired Naminé. She'd just assumed that Roxas was still a virgin. After all, whenever he brought Olette home with him, he barely touched her in front of Tia. Still, Selphie nodded.

"He was talkin' ta Hayner on the phone. Telling him how he licked her pussy. I don't know what that means to a girlfriend, but who would wanna lick a cat?" said Selphie, her face contorting into a grimace. Naminé, herself, couldn't resist a muffled giggle, even as Axel hyperventilated on the floor. "Your tongue'd get all furry."

Naminé's giggles only increased, while Axel continued to hug himself on the floor, his stomach hurting as he was laughing so hard. Selphie was confused and a little embarrassed at their reaction. "Whassofunny? Tell me!" she whined, pounding her fists against the floor.

"N-nevermind," wheezed Axel, finally calming himself down and sitting back upright. He pulled Skipper off of where she rested on the floor, wrapping his long fingers around her waist and clearing his voice and speaking in character; "What a lovely sunny day."

Naminé blinked. She had no idea a man could get his voice that high. Nevertheless, she took Barbie by the shoulders and walked her by Skipper. "Oh, hello, Skipper! What a lovely day, indeed!" Naminé said, as Barbie. Selphie took the opportunity to inject an overly-hyper Ken into the game, and the man-doll seemed to bounce with joy in her hold.

A lovely day? It's raining! What kind of drugs are you on? Where can I get some? Maybe then, my day will finally lighten up if the world is a bloody acid-induced rainbow.


"Hey, Roxas, wait up."

The blonde boy turned around, waiting for the heavier boy to catch up. Pence did, quickly, his breathing a little heavier than Roxas's as the two fell into step. Pence was smiling enthusiastically as he did so. Roxas blinked down at the boy, wondering what in hell he was doing. "Pence, er… you don't usually take my bus. What the hell are you doing?"

Pence just smiled, his eyes holding a trace of weakness. "Goin' to go see my grandpa," he said simply. Roxas snorted, his thoughts about Pence not having a life quickly confirmed.

"That's pretty cool," said Roxas, his voice holding not-so-subtle sarcasm. It took Pence a moment to catch it, but when he did, he quickly corrected himself.

"Grandma's in the hospital again," he told the blonde, chubby hands clamped onto the straps of his backpack. His knuckles were almost white, really. "Grandpa's going kind of crazy. He's forgetting stuff, and he flooded the basement by accidentally leaving a tap on. He misses grandma… but, we don't think she's going to make it out of the hospital this time."

Despite Pence basically just spilling his soul, Roxas didn't really care. He wasn't heartless, it was true, but he had never met the woman, and had simply heard Pence's stories about her. All in all, that was his only knowledge of Pence's grandmother, save for a few stolen pastries from Pence's lunchbox. She was a good baker, that was for sure, while Olette couldn't even make a simple cookie. Finally, summarizing his thoughts, Roxas came up with a response; "Oh."

"Yeah," said Pence, with a sigh. He sniffled a little bit, bringing a large hand to wipe his eyes. Roxas blushed, finding it oddly strange to be around another guy who happened to be crying. Pence managed to hold it in, though, and Roxas was glad that he didn't break down right there in the street.

The walk was quiet, other than their slight conversation. Eventually, Pence came by his grandfather's house and bade a quiet goodbye, pacing up the paved walkway with lethargic footsteps. Roxas increased his pace, as the wind picked up, blowing unforgiving chills through his hair. He merely pulled the collar of his coat against his neck, hiding his mouth inside of the folds, attempting to ignore the fact that his nose felt like it might fall off.

He made it home reasonably fast. As soon as he opened the door, warm air blasted onto his face and he nearly grimaced. With both variables so painfully different, his face felt like it had melted off. Shrugging off his backpack, and soon after his coat, he stepped into the entryway, and quickly realized that the television was on. "Oh, that's right, Naminé stayed home today," he reminded himself, toeing off his shoes.

Making his way into the living room, he managed to significantly warm up his fingers. Eyes on his soaked socks, it took him a few minutes to realize what exactly was lying on the couch. Axel was all but sprawled out, head tucked against a pillow, chin nearly to his shoulder. One hand was hanging off the couch, knuckles nearly brushing the floor, and leg in matching suit. His entire frame seemed to span the couch, but the most unexpected thing was that Naminé had decided to curl up on top of him, covering herself and most of Axel with her blanket.

Well, the first thing that Roxas did was pull Naminé off. In waking-up disorientation, Naminé was lank against his frame, arms at awkward angles with his strong hands wrapped around her midsection. He dropped her to the floor without so much as a second thought, and had brought his foot down into Axel's stomach in an instant. "What the hell did you do to her?" he yelled over Axel's confused sputtering. The red head's eyes were barely opened, but he managed to quickly pull himself into an upright position. "Did you touch her? Fucking tell me you jackass, so I can kick your ass!"

Naminé protested, shaking her head frantically from where she sat on the floor. "He didn't do anything to me! Roxas, stop it!" The blonde boy was still furious, snagging Axel by the hair and pulling him to his level.

"I swear to god if you touched her, I'm going to fucking cut off your cock and shove it down your throat," he spat into Axel's face, and the red head visibly winced. He didn't say anything in objection, though, merely hanging there by Roxas's hand. "You disgusting piece of shit. I can't believe I let you into my hou—"

"Roxas!" shrieked Naminé, interrupting his entire train of thought. He snapped his face down to her, not releasing Axel and merely fixing her with a glare. She whimpered at the intensity, horrible memories revived all too quickly. "…H-he didn't do anything, really. We just fell asleep… he's really a nice guy. Don't hurt him."

"You heard her," Axel stated, his voice grim. He sounded weak, more so, than firm like he had tried to be. Roxas slowly turned his eyes back to the red head, violent blue burning holes into Axel's forehead. "Put me down."

Roxas released Axel, letting the red head flop back onto the couch. He stormed back into the entrance way, slipping on his shoes and ignoring the exasperated calls of Naminé, and quickly leaving through the doorway. Axel and the blonde girl both exchanged quick looks, and Axel quickly stood up, following Roxas outside. He had barely gotten his shoes on and flung open the door, as he quickly discovered Roxas was half-way down the street.

Even with smoker's lungs and a battered body, a few years of track had prepared Axel with quick movements. He managed to catch up to Roxas, his fist smashing into the blonde boy's shoulder. "What the hell was that?" snarled Axel, all too ready for a fight. "You bastard. Why the hell would I sleep with your fourteen-year-old sister when I'm frantically trying to gain your trust?"

Roxas hissed, spinning on his heel and catching Axel's wrist with his left hand, and delivering a punch to the red head's midsection with the other. Axel doubled over, but before Roxas could issue another attack, Axel had swung a long leg against Roxas's heels, causing the boy to fall with his back flat against the ice. "I don't know, you tell me?" retorted Roxas, "You were probably just waiting until we were all gone so you could feel Naminé up! You sick shit, that's why you left the window open! So she would get sick and stay home!"

"You idiot…" muttered Axel. He crossed his arms, inclining his chin a little. "I wouldn't sleep with Naminé. I don't even like girls."

Roxas's face was possibly more contorted than before. He made a noise of disgust, pushing himself away further from the red head. "So now you're telling me you're a faggot? Oh, shit, you woke up in my bed," realized Roxas, putting two and two together. "You felt me up while I slept, didn't you?"

Axel back-stepped, visibly shaken a little. While Roxas was slowly bringing himself to his feet, Axel stumbled over sentences, trying to prove his innocence. "I-I didn't do anything! Really, I just came through the window and fell asleep, I was so goddamn tired, please, Roxas, you have to believe me," he pleaded, even as Roxas advanced on him.

"Bullshit," sneered Roxas, pulling his fist back and effectively landing a blow against Axel's nose. The red head stumbled backward, wiping the new trail of blood under his nose, with the back of his hand. "You fairies always want to cop a feel. You're fucking sick."

"Roxas, please, just-just stop it…"

The blonde was pretty much ready to kill. Expression locked in a look of pure murder and fists at the ready, he could easily take out Axel, and both of them knew it. The red head was still quivering, as he had been in the morning, and his posture was slouched and utterly weak-looking. There was absolutely no way this kid could hold up in a fight.

I'm not always going to be hanging around to save you, love. Everybody needs to grow up sometime.

Axel caught the first fist with his own long fingers, but Roxas effectively kneed him in the thigh. He stumbled, and was quickly pushed into the ice-slicked pavement by the blonde, and Axel found himself staring up at blue eyes that held nothing but hell. Roxas pressed a soaked shoe to Axel's neck, applying a slight amount of pressure, delighting in the way that Axel's hands scrabbled at his ankle, begging him to let go. "You idiot. I'm not going to kill you," he muttered under his breath, but not taking his foot, despite his words. "But I want you to leave my house. Leave my family alone, leave Naminé alone and never come the fuck near me, ever again."

"Get off of him!" Roxas froze as he felt sharp, little fingers grasp his shoulders. He flipped his head around, coming face-to-face with Naminé, who was gasping and coat-less, despite her illness. Tear tracks lined her face, and her expression was one of utter determination. "Roxas, get off of him."

"No," retorted the blonde boy, only increasing the pressure. Axel was barely wheezing for breath, now, his hands falling limply against the snow. "He's a fucking gay wreck. People like him don't deserve to live."

Naminé gasped at his words, pulling both of her hands away as if she were afraid to touch him. She had never heard Roxas speak such words, and had no idea of his homophobia. "…You had better take that back."

"I won't, Naminé, because I don't take back shit when I mean it."

"Take it back or I'll never forgive you."

"Whatever. Of course you will, Naminé. You always say that," Roxas snorted, pulling his foot back ever-so-slightly when he realized that Axel was losing consciousness. He didn't want Axel to die, really. He didn't want him to be seriously harmed, either. But Roxas had a thing about gay people, and they seriously creeped him out. He just wanted Axel to stay away. "Besides, he doesn't belong here. He belongs in some gay drag show, or something."

"But we didn't belong here, either, did we? You're such a hypocritical asshole."

With that, Naminé slapped him straight across the face, and in Roxas's stunned stupor she reached down and pulled Axel up by the collar. He managed to stumble to his feet, eyes glassy with lack of oxygen as he leaned heavily on her shoulder for support. Roxas, still utterly amazed at the fact that the mild Naminé had called him such a name, was bug eyed as she hauled Axel back into Tia's house, slamming the door behind her and most likely locking it as well.

Roxas's chilled fingers twitched as he held them against his thighs. Looking at the situation now, and the blood that stained the snow, he realized that he had gone a little overboard. I thought I'd gotten over that. He sat down in the snow bank, not caring as the moisture soaked into the material of his pants. He thought his rage issues were behind him, but apparently, he was wrong.

"I haven't been that angry in a long time."

Family will do that to you, love. Just call her, one more time.


disclaimer: i don't own anything.