=\ I'm not fond of this chapter but I swear it'll get better. I promise. It's just weird working out all the details right now. Please try ot enjoy anyways! Reviews always appreciated!
"Um...Axel?" Sora called hopelessly into the forever dark abyss that was the redhead's apartment. The only illuminant was sunlight streaming through the blinds, there were semi empty chinese containers littering the living room, he heard what could possibly have been a dying animal. "Ax?" He tried again and finally came to the bedroom door. It was slightly ajar, but Sora wasn't quite sure if he was brave enough to venture in. No one had heard from Axel in a week since the funeral. Their friends were worried. His parents were worried. Sora was worried too so he mustered up his courage and pushed the door open. "Axel?" He called out timidly and saw a puffy eyed redhead sit up slowly in the bed and rub his tired eyes.
"Roxas?" He asked with exhaustion, seemingly on the brink or the end tail of a hallucination. Sora bit his lip and shook his head.
"No Axel, it's me Sora. I came to...check on you I guess...are you ok?" Axel just nodded and laid back down in his bed, pulling the blanket back over him. "Ax, you gotta get out of bed man. You have to go back to work and school and back to your life." Red hair shook from side to side, burying his face deeper into his pillow.
"No more life..." He mumbled as Sora made his way slowly to the bed and sat down cautiously. He remembered what Axel was like before, angry all the time. Just full of rage. He didn't want to refuel him.
"I know it's hard..." He choked on his words and had to hold back his tears. "B-but you have to get up. People are worried about you."
"Don't care. There's no one left to worry about me. He was..." Now Axel had to stop himself. He was so sick of crying. He felt like the biggest pussy in the world but he just couldn't seem to make himself stop.
"That's not true..." The brunette boy mumbled and looked down at the carpet, rubbing his thumb in his palm. Axel took his face out of his pillow.
"What?"
"That's not true." He said more firmly now and dared to look into those emerald green eyes that seemed to shine even in the darkness of the room.
"Yes it is. I had no one but him and--"
"It's not true dammit! Axel I care about you ok?! You're...important to me and you need to get up and just move on!" He jumped up, clenching his fists and glaring down at the boy in bed. He wasn't a boy though. He was a man and Sora knew it. He should be able to take care of himself, but suddenly Sora felt like he needed to protect him or help him or something. He sat back down and laid his hand on Axel's back and it stung. Axel nearly screamed out in pain when flesh touched flesh. He squeezed his eyes shut. His touch was the same as mine, his brother. When he closed his green eyes, it was like I was right there with him, I was touching him. "Get up...please get up. Come on...I'll buy you coffee. Want some coffee?" Sora asked in a childish voice and Axel could feel his lips turning up slightly though his eyes were still sealed shut with pain, holding back tears.
"Yea...yea, alright. Let's go get coffee."
~0~
Axel walked out of his bedroom, having reluctantly and slowly pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to let his eyes adjust to the sunlight that had been brought in by Sora.
"Hey! Look who's dressed!"
"I'm not five Sora."
"I know but I thought maybe encouragement would help." Sora shrugged, his hands meeting behind his head as he grinned, covering up his own sadness, still feeling the need to be strong for Axel.
"Do we really need--"
"Yes, yes you really need to leave this apartment." Sora walked closer and quickly overcame his fear and grabbed Axel's hand, turning even quicker towards the door and started to drag him out. The redhead smirked lightly.
"I don't have my car keys." Axel grumbled after they were out the door and Sora waved his hand around in the air in dismissal.
"I'll drive."
"I don't like being passenger..."
"Can't be in control all the time buddy."
"Obviously." Axel said bitterly and Sora immediately felt like an ass. The redhead was well aware that he couldn't be in control all the time, otherwise I'd still be around.
"Axel..." Sora started but decided against it, shaking his head lightly as he opened the car door for the other guy. Axel looked down at the significantly shorter boy and smirked openly for the first time in weeks.
"Well well, I feel like such a lady."
"As damn well you should." Sora grinned as the redhead sat down and he closed the door behind him patiently.
~0~
The awkward silence enveloped them, air-tight sealing them from the rest of the restaurant. Axel stared into his black cup and wondered silently if he could somehow overdose on cups of coffee. Sora watched Axel with sad eyes, not knowing what to say, what else to do.
"You know...someday...you're going to have to leave him in the past."
"I don't want to Sora...he was the only person who's ever really mattered to me. I lost everything, everyone who mattered when I was so young that I just didn't care anymore. It made me hard but then I met him and...I dunno. He fixed it."
"I know it's hard. I know you miss him. But someday...someday you'll be ready. I know you will."
"How. how could you possibly know that."
"Because...you're the strongest person I know. You always have been. But you're also the kindest and most generous. No one expects you to be kind and generous and everything else you are but you are. Besides being strong and rebellious and whatever, you're just a good person."
"Good people don't deserve this. This is punishment for everything I've done."
"No it's not Axel. It was just an accident. No one saw it coming! No one could!"
"I should've. I was there. I could've stopped it."
"No. Axel no. This isn't your fault. It's not anyones fault really...it was just the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Well then I shouldn't have taken him over there. He didn't even want to go to the fucking party. But I insisted like an asshole because that's what I am."
"Axel shut the fuck up." Sora glared at the now shocked redhead. "Just shut up! This. Was. Not. Your. Fault. It was a fucking car accident. It was some idiot running a red light because he didn't see anyone coming and Roxas crossing the street a second too soon."
"But that's it Sora! It was literally a second! Because of me! If I had been paying attention, it wouldn't have happened. I was lighting a fucking cigarette and if I hadn't been, I could've pulled him back and--" He stopped once he felt flesh on flesh again. He looked at Sora's hand laid on top of his and then into the saddening blue eyes before him. He just nodded and shut up for now. The touch didn't hurt as bad this time.
Again. Bad. I know. =\ But alas, it is 4:30 in the morning and I just had to finish it. I wanted to crank out some details on what happened to Roxas finally.