A note from Kai: Hey again! I hope everyone is enjoying this story so far; I'm working very hard on it! There is a time skip included in here because I just didn't feel like writing out three months worth of school days. Chapter Three is finished and I'll upload it after I get some sleep. It was really hard to write this chapter and take it seriously while I was listening to 'Take Me On The Floor' by The Veronicas.
Pairings mentioned in some way in this chapter – Axel and Demyx; Demyx and Zexion; Roxas and Namine; Axel and Roxas
Disclaimer – I do not own anything other than the idea, plot, and storyline for this fanfiction.
I hesitantly push myself from the cold stairs and turn to face the redhead with a sheepish expression marring my features. "Ah… Axel…" I begin, stopping the words in their tracks as I watch the male pluck his cigarette from his lips and toss the abused item to the ground. A smirk rises to his lips and he roughly presses the toe of his converse covered foot to the burning bud. "Look, kid, I don't know what makes you think you have the right to try and break my boyfriend and I up but," Emerald eyes lock onto my own blue orbs while he pauses and I instantly notice the annoyance and anger fuming behind his carefully monitored expression. I shift nervously, my mind telling me I screwed up big time as he continues, "But you don't have that right. You need to back off, got it? Zexion is a big boy; he can learn to deal with the fact that I was chosen over him." Without another word the redhead turns and walks back into the house, leaving me shivering in the dark. Whether the shiver was from the cool breeze or the anger from the redhead I wasn't sure but I knew I needed to leave before I made the male even more upset.
With a heavy sigh I turn and saunter down the stairs, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my jeans as I moved. Not only had I made a possible enemy tonight but I was going to have to deal with my father when I got home; tonight couldn't get any worse, right? As soon as my left foot connects with the concrete I hear a soft voice call out my name. I stop walking, turning to see Zexion rushing to my side. "H-Hey, Roxas, I was wondering if I could crash with you tonight? My dad will kill me if I come home like this…" He mumbles with a soft, friendly smile. I laugh and nod my head, forcing my feet to move again. Of course I had agreed to let him… I understood how parents could be especially if their underage child was drinking and partying. Risking making this walk uncomfortable I speak up, "So, did you get to talk to Demyx?" My voice is low and cautious; my eyes are darting to the other male's face to judge his reaction; my pace slows slightly. When Zexion's expression turns to one of someone in complete awe I allow myself to relax and wait for his response. "Yes, I managed to get to him just before Axel walked in. He accepted my feelings but told me he couldn't just break up with Axel… but I suppose accepting is a good start." Zexion lifts his head and gazes up at the night sky with a slight twinkle in his visible eye.
A sad smile spreads across my quickly chapping lips and I take in a slow, deep breath. 'I'm happy for him… Now if only I could be happy with something as simple as that myself.' After several minutes of walking in silence the two of us step through the threshold of the unlocked front door to my house. It wasn't nearly as late as I had thought so my dad was still awake and wondering through the house cleaning like he's done so many nights since my mother had died. It was his way of keeping her alive I guess… "Hey, dad, I have a friend staying the night. That's okay, right?" I call through the quiet house, closing the door and sliding the locks in place. As my dad calls out a reply of a simple 'yes' I throw Zexion a smirk and lead the way to my bedroom. So far it seems my luck was starting to look up seeing as I wouldn't have to face my dad until the sun rose.
Once safely in the confines of my simple room Zexion collapses on my bed, staring up at my ceiling with a blank expression. I move my weight to rest on my left leg, biting my bottom lip awkwardly like I've done every time I've been nervous over something. Deciding it best to give his new friend some clothes to sleep in, I get to work, rummaging through my dresser and pulling out two pairs of sleep pants and two shirts. "Here, Zexion, these should fit you since we look to be the same size." I say with a smirk, throwing the clothes at the slate haired teenager's face, effectively knocking him from whatever trance he had been in. "Oh! I'm sorry, Roxas. I was completely out of it, wasn't I?" He laughs and after a breath I join him. Minutes later the only sounds in the air were of the two of us panting to catch our breath after our little laughing fit. Soon, Zexion wanders out of my room to change and the rest of the night was filled with smooth laughter and bright smiles.
Three months later and I've managed to snag myself a girlfriend. I know, I know. I'm gay, right? Her name is Namine, and yes, she was the one at the party. At first I had thought she and that pink haired male, who I later learned was named Marluxia, were dating but I guess I was wrong there since she had approached me and shyly asked me to date her to make Marluxia jealous and want to date her. It turns out that Axel and Demyx are both seniors at our high school and although I know Axel was still pissed at me he didn't seem to mind when Demyx wanted to hang out with me. Demyx and I turned out to be very close friends and we were meeting every Friday at the local café to talk about whatever we want. Today happens to be Friday so after dropping Namine off at her house in the new car my dad had bought me I was on my way to the café. Halfway there my phone buzzes, tickling my thigh and causing me to chuckle lightly.
As I pull into the parking lot I slip my phone out of my pocket and glance at the message from Demyx, frowning slightly at the words.
"Rox! Runnin' late. Ax held me up. See u soon." – Demyx; received at 5:03pm
I shake my head lightly and step out of my sleek, black BMW, stuffing my keys into my pocket as I walk into the café and approach the counter. 'Axel never holds Dem up on Fridays… I wonder what's up?' I frown, order mine and Demyx's coffees, pay, and find a table for the two of us to sit at. At some point during the past two weeks I began wondering if Axel was ever going to forgive me for what I did… He seems like a very nice guy and I really wanted to get to know him better but with him shooting me glares every time we see each other I was too frightened to approach him again.
I sigh, my thoughts swarming with possible ways to apologize to the redhead. I'm so wrapped up in my head that I don't notice when Demyx sits down in front of me or how he snaps his fingers in front of my face to try and get my attention. "…xas? Roxas!" The voice startles me but manages to break me from my thoughts and make my eyes focus on the blonde in front of me. My face flushes from the embarrassment I feel and I wrap my hands around my coffee cup, refusing to look up at the smirking face across the table. "Sorry Dem." I say with a bored tone, not really meaning the words. I glance at the clock on the nearby wall, noticing how it reads '5:37'. Have I really been sitting here for thirty minutes? I bite my lip and turn my gaze to my friend who simply shrugs at me and takes a sip of his drink. "Axel and I broke up." He says bluntly, nearly making me choke on my coffee.
I raise my eyebrows and stare at my best friend with disbelief. "No way. You two were so close though…" My words fade and I frown, staring down at the table. 'Why do I feel so relieved from this news?' I shift in my seat and hesitantly let my eyes lift to lock with Demyx's sparkling ones. "Ax and I decided we're better off as friends. Both of us are completely head over heels in love with someone else. I just hope Ax will let go of his pride so he can tell the guy…" Demyx chuckles at his words, sparking my interest and making me lean forward slightly and lower my voice as I reply, "Oh? And who is it that he likes? What about you? Who do you like? I need details, Dem!" We sit there in silence, grinning at each other before we both burst into laughter, earning several strange looks from the café customers.
If we were in any other setting I probably would have acted differently to the news but since we are in a public setting I'm trying desperately to hide my excitement over the break up to avoid causing a scene. Finally Demyx finds it in himself to reply, "I think I'm going to ask Zexion out." He pauses, his mind clearly wandering away from the conversation. 'I knew they'd end up together.' I smile and playfully punch Demyx's arm to bring him back to reality. "And Axel says not to tell anyone about who he likes. But… he did say something about wanting to apologize to you…" Demyx rambles on, his words morphing into something along the lines of a subject of how to tell Zexion the news, but I've stopped listening. 'He wants to apologize to me? But I was the one that… I need to talk to him. Now.' I frown and stand up abruptly. I assume that I startled Demyx because his eyes snap up to take in my expression with worry but I throw up a small smile. "Hey, Dem, I really need to talk to Axel so do you know where I can find him right now?" I ask, my nervousness making my voice quiver and shake lightly. Demyx grins devilishly at me and tells me what I need to know.
So, here I am, sitting in my car at Axel's house in his driveway. Part of me wants to put my car in reverse and speed away while the other part wants to confidently express myself – something I've had a difficult time doing since I was released from the hospital after the wreck. Biting my lip, I pull my keys from the ignition and slowly rise out of my car. Demyx had told me Axel would be alone but that still wasn't settling my nerves or giving me any sense of closure as I stride up to the front door. "I can't believe I'm about to do this…" I mumble to myself as I quickly wrap my knuckles against the solid rectangle in front of me. 'Maybe I'll get lucky and he won't be here.' I smile at the thought and after several minutes of silence coming from the other side of the door I start to relax. But my heaven shatters as the sound of a lock sliding out of place fills the cool, crisp air and the door is pulled open to reveal a shocked Axel. "Roxas?" He asks, his voice filling my ears and sending a jolt through my veins. 'What was that?' I laugh nervously and half wave at the older male. "H-Hey… I've been meaning to do this for the past three months. Can you believe I've just now gotten the courage to face you?" I inform the redhead who's resorted to smirking at my obvious uneasiness.
Axel leans against the door frame for a moment, waiting for me to continue but when I can't bring myself to speak, he laughs and grabs my arm, pulling me into his warm house. "You looked like you were cold. Come on, I'll get you some hot chocolate. You can finish apologizing to me in the kitchen." And with that the male disappears into another room which I assumed was his kitchen. 'What is wrong with me? Why is Axel's voice making me act this way?' I run my fingers hastily through my blonde spikes before I step into the room the redhead had vanished into. "Ah… right." I mumble, sitting down at the table in the center of the room. I fumble through my thoughts, trying to collect myself as Axel sits down across from me and slide a glass to me. "I feel really bad about that night at the party and I was really out of line." I begin, keeping my eyes locked on the wooden surface of the table. Not looking at the male was making talking slightly easier. "And I feel partly responsible for you and Dem breaking up but I'd really like to try and be friends with you, Axel." I finish, lifting my ocean blue eyes to connect with the smoldering green eyes looking back at me. An awkward silence falls between us and I bite my lip again, looking back down at the drink Axel had made for me.
After what seemed like hours the silence is broken by Axel's sigh and reply, "What if I don't want to be friends with you?" At the words my heart skips a beat and seems to sink to the lowest part of my stomach. 'Did I really upset him that much?' I frown and part my lips to speak but before I can form the words Axel is talking again, "What if I want to be more than friends?" My eyes dart up, locking with the redhead's once more; this time shock filled mine and sincerity filled his. "W-What?" I whisper, unsure as to how to reply to what I was just told. Surely I couldn't like Axel in that way, right? Sure, I'm gay and judging from what I've heard around the school Axel is, too… but still, more? I frown, biting harshly on my lips at this point. 'I'm dating Namine… I can't even consider dating Axel. So, why am I feeling disappointed that Namine isn't Axel? Fuck.' I break the link between us by looking away. "You barely even know me and you want to be more than friends?" I ask, laughing sourly at the words. The redhead had to be crazy to want to date someone he barely knew, right? Axel only nods, smiling softly as if he had been expecting my reaction.
Without moving from his position it still feels like his smothering me. I'm panicking; how do I respond to this when I wasn't expecting it to begin with? My mind races back to the café and I mentally cringe. Did Demyx plan this with Axel? Is this revenge? Payback? I shift in my seat and quickly stand, shaking my head at Axel. "I don't know what game you're playing but I don't want to be a part of it, okay?" My voice is clear and it cuts through the kitchen like a knife but my words serve their purpose. Before I can register the movement, Axel is standing next to me, blocking my escape route. "Come on, Roxas. I know you're dating Namine but you told Demyx you were gay at the party so you can't really love her. It's just a show. Even right now you're feeling strangely about me and you know it." I take a step back, putting some distance between the offending male and myself. I knew he was right – I am gay so I don't really love Nami – but I just couldn't wrap my fingers around what he was trying to get at. I shake my head, completely in denial as I try to make sense of the situation. 'Do I want to be more than friends with Axel…?' I sigh in defeat and confidently raise my eyes to the redhead's once more and part my lips to answer the silent question of 'what now?'.