I'm sorry for not updating in such a long while! I have been terribly busy with school as of late. Forgive me?
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.
Axel sat in his first block class with an annoyed look on his face. The seat behind him was left empty, meaning Riku wasn't at school today. Axel was annoyed because this hindered their rehearsal but also because Riku could be hurt. Riku looked heartbroken yesterday when Axel was talking to him and even more so when Cloud had tossed the red head out the door. Axel sighed and laid his head down on his desk; geology wasn't so interesting without Riku there. The bell rang and Axel lazily walked to the drama room; he wasn't expecting to find a silver head of hair lying on the couch behind the teacher's desk. Axel was about to go over to Riku when a hand grabbed his arm; he turned to see Roxas looking up at him.
"What did you do to Riku?" questioned the blonde, who was glaring.
Axel sighed, "I didn't do anything. I walked home with Riku and was going to help him with our math homework when his brother came in. He threw me out last night."
Roxas sighed, letting go of Axel's arm, "So that's why Riku's so upset."
"What do you mean?" Axel looked over at the sleeping Riku.
"He's been here all morning, sleeping almost the entire time. He has bandages on his arms…."
Axel's eyes got wide, "What happened to him?"
Roxas shrugged, "Go ask him. He seems to trust you, Axel, so don't hurt him. I swear I will kill you if you ever make him cry. I know how you do things, so you better be careful."
Axel nodded and walked passed Roxas to sit next to Riku. He touched the silver haired boy's shoulder softly, shaking him slightly. Riku stirred and looked up into intense green eyes with a sleepy yawn. Axel smiled at him, and Riku smiled back.
"Hey," Axel whispered, "are you okay?"
Riku nodded, sitting up, "I'm just tired. I didn't sleep well last night."
"Why not?"
"Nightmares," Riku looked down slightly.
Axel smiled and hugged him, whispering, "Well, I'm here, so you don't have to worry anymore. I'll protect you."
"What?" Riku looked at him blushing.
"I promise, Riku, I won't let anything hurt you," Axel kissed Riku's forehead and stood up as Demyx and Zexion walked over.
Riku sat on the couch in a daze as Axel talked with his friends. They were smiling and laughing; Riku looked up at them and caught Axel's eyes. Axel smiled at him, making Riku melt. He looked away and shook his head; he shouldn't be thinking about Axel like this.
"Oi!," Roxas called, "Let's get rehearsing!"
Riku stood up and followed his friend, everyone else following as well. Riku sat on the edge of the stage, pulling the sleeves of his jacket down more; he was worried that the bandages were showing. He jumped as he felt a hand settle on his shoulder. Riku looked up to see Axel smiling at him and closed his eyes. Axel sat down next to him, sliding his arm around Riku's shoulders, and leaned his head on the silver haired boys shoulder.
"I need to talk to you," whispered the red head.
Riku shivered, biting his lip, "Why?"
Axel stood up, "No questions, just come with me."
Riku didn't say anything as he stood up and followed Axel into the hallway. Axel leaned back against the wall opposite the auditorium doors. Riku stood a few steps away from Axel, tugging on his jacket sleeves once again. Axel grabbed Riku's hand, pulling the shorter teen towards him, and pushed up the silver haired boy's sleeve. Riku flinched, looking away from the red head; Axel ran a finger over the bandages and frowned at Riku.
"What happened?"
Riku pulled his arm away, "Nothing."
"Don't lie to me, Riku."
"I fell and hurt my arm," Riku smiled, "not a big deal."
Axel smiled slightly and hugged the other boy; Riku's eyes went wide, but he relaxed into the embrace and smiled. Demyx suddenly burst through the doors and stopped at what he saw; he made and "eep" sound and ran back through them. Axel looked down at Riku, who was bright red, and grinned.
"We should probably go in and rehearse," Axel said.
Riku nodded slightly, and they both went back into the auditorium. Riku stopped as he walked up the stairs to the stage when he caught sight of sandy brown hair and a silly grin. He bit his lip as he looked at Sora to keep the tears from falling. Axel walked passed him towards Sora. The red head stood with his arms crossed, slightly glaring at the boy.
Roxas stepping in between the two, "Sora's been shoved into our group by Mr. Lao because he wasn't in class yesterday."
Riku stared at the stage with wide eyes; he was completely frozen but didn't understand why. Roxas noticed the look on Riku's face and stepped in front of him. The blonde smiled up at him and took his arm softly, leading him of to Axel.
"Did you add a part for him in our play?" Axel spoke with bitterness.
Roxas nodded as he walked over with Riku, "He's going to be the competition for your character."
Axel grinned slightly, "Are his lines already in the script?"
Roxas nodded again, "Should we rehearse then?"
Axel nodded, taking Riku's hand from Roxas, and whispered, "We'll be acting, not just reading."
Riku nodded as Zexion handed everyone their new scripts. Riku flipped through his and smiled slightly.
Axel stood with his arms loosely around Riku's thin waist; the silver haired teen had his head against Axel's chest. Axel tilted Riku's chin up, leaning in closer to the other boy. They stood only a few centimeters apart, their lips nearly touching.
"You smell like vanilla," Axel whispered, though loudly.
Riku bit his lip, "Do I really? I hope you like vanilla then…."
Axel leaned in towards Riku's ear, "I love vanilla…."
Axel grinned and leaned in to kiss Riku's pale lips when he was suddenly jerked back. Riku stepped back to keep himself from falling and frowned when he saw Sora. Axel ran his hand through fiery locks with an annoyed expression on his face. Sora's face held nothing but anger, and he was clenching his fists tightly.
"What do you want, Sora?" asked Axel, "Can't you see I was in the middle of something, eh?"
Sora rolled his eyes, "I can see just fine, Axel. I just want to know what you're doing with Riku. He shouldn't be around scum like you!"
Axel chuckled, "Scum like me? He obviously likes me a lot more than he likes you."
Sora clenched his hands, taking one step forward, and glared at Axel. Riku stepped in front of Axel, looking at Sora. He stepped back against the red head and laced his fingers with Axel's. Axel grinned at Sora, who merely bit his lip angrily.
"Riku, what are you doing?" the blonde asked.
Riku looked up at him, "I'm protecting Axel from your hatred. I…I love him, Sora…."
"CUT!!!" yelled Roxas from the side of the stage.
Sora looked over at him and rolled his eyes while Axel and Riku didn't even move. Riku slowly moved away from the red head, letting his fingers slip free, and Axel unconsciously shivered at the loss of heat. He followed Riku to stand in front of Roxas, who had a huge grin spread on over his face.
"That was great! I mean, wow, the tension was so real! It's like you two really hate each other. And Riku! It's like you really have those feelings inside of you!" the blonde continued to babble on until Zexion interrupted him.
"Despite his rambling, Roxas is right. Axel and Riku act really well together," he said.
Demyx nodded his agreement with a big grin plastered to his face. Axel frowned at him, and his grin slowly lessened into a smile.
"Well," Axel said, "Mr. Lao has let us skip classes today, and it's getting late. Let's all go home. It was a good rehearsal!"
Everyone said their goodbyes and walked out of the auditorium.
Riku stood at his locker gathering his books before leaving the school. He sighed and slumped against his locker door, closing his eyes.
"Sleepy are we?"
Riku jumped and turned to see Axel. A small smile graced his lips at the sight of the red head. Axel smiled at him, leaning against a nearby locker.
"Can I walk you home?"
Riku's eyes widened slightly as he bit his lip and looked down, "Cloud's probably home…."
"It's almost five, let me take you to get coffee and a bite to eat," Axel took Riku's backpack from him, "Besides, I can always sneak into your room."
Riku stood frozen for a minute before he noticed that Axel had started walking towards the doors. He closed his locker and quickly ran after the red head, who was holding the door for him with a grin on his face. Riku smiled as he walked through the door and reached for his backpack.
Axel pulled it away with a smile, "I'll carry this."
Riku looked at him, "I'm not broken, Axel, I'm sure I can carry my backpack."
Axel grabbed Riku's arm, tugging softly, "This makes me think not, Riku."
Riku looked up at him while biting his lip and whimpered softly. Axel released his hold and kept walking. Riku merely looked down and followed suit. They remained quiet until they went up the stairs and stopped in front of Riku's door. The red head turned and smiled at the silver haired teen. Riku unlocked the door and went in quietly, taking his shoes off before stepping further into the house. Axel followed him into his bedroom quietly; Cloud, luckily, was not home. Riku closed his door behind the red head and sat on the edge of his bed, looking at Axel.
Axel smiled, "Do you need help with your math, or do you want to get coffee with me?"
"I don't like coffee…." Riku whispered.
"Hot chocolate and some pastries then!" Axel lifted the other teen and pulled him out through the house.
"Axel!" Riku yelped as his foot caught on the carpet and he fell forward.
Axel caught him and smiled, "Sorry but we need to hurry before your brother comes home, right?"
Riku nodded as he slipped on his Converse and followed Axel out of the apartment. They walked down the street; Axel had his hands in his pockets, and Riku held his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"When you walk like that," spoke Axel, "it's like you're blocking the world from you."
Riku looked over at him, lowering his arms, and looked down. Axel smiled at him and wrapped his arms around the silver haired boy's shoulders. Riku tensed then slowly relaxed in the hold. They walked into the coffee shop, and Axel ran over to the counter, excited to order. Riku tilted his head as he followed him, standing next to the red head. Axel finished their order and led Riku to a booth by one of the windows.
"Why did you bring me here?" asked Riku.
Axel looked at him and shrugged, "It's the best café in town."
Riku shook his head, "No, why did you bring me here?"
"I like you," the red head smiled and Riku blushed.
Riku looked down, staring at his hands. Axel liked him? The red head had no idea the impact his words had on Riku. The silver haired boy stood up whispering something about going to the bathroom. Axel tilted his head as he watched Riku walk to the restrooms. He sighed and put his head to the table. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Roxas and Demyx looking down at him.
He grinned, "Hey!"
Roxas frowned, crossing his arms, "Are you here with Riku?"
"Of course he is, Roxas!" said Demyx with a huge smile.
"Axel, I need to talk to you," Roxas said as he sat across from the red head.
"Uh, go ahead, Roxas."
"If you hurt him, I will kill you."
Axel tilted his head, "What?"
"I can tell you like Riku, a lot more than you've liked anyone else actually. You've spent more time trying to get him to pay attention to you than you ever have with anyone else before. I know he likes you; he's always watching you and trying to get you to look in his direction. If you don't realize your feelings and his and do something about it, you're going to hurt him. If he gets hurt again, I will kill you, Axel."
Axel looked at Roxas wide eyed, "I don't know what you're talking about, Roxas."
Roxas rolled his eyes, "If you don't realize it soon, you'll lose him."
Demyx frowned as Roxas stood up and walked to the door. Demyx smiled at Axel and followed Roxas outside. Axel sighed, leaning back in the booth. He looked up and smiled when he saw Riku opposite him again.
"Are you okay, Axel?" the silver haired teen asked.
Axel nodded, "Yeah, Roxas just keeps pestering me about something."
"Roxas? Was he here?"
"Yeah, he and Demyx just left. Roxas keeps giving me warnings."
"Warnings against what?" Riku tilted his head.
Axel was about to answer him when their cups were set down. Riku smiled as he smelled the hot chocolate; Axel carefully sipped his chai tea latte while watching Riku. The silver haired boy carefully ate his chocolate filled croissant; he stopped and looked at Axel, who had been staring at him. Axel smiled and reached over to touch Riku's face.
"You have chocolate on your lips…." The red head wiped the chocolate off and licked his finger.
Riku looked at him wide eyed and blushing; Axel grinned. Riku looked down and finished his snack. He and Axel finished their drinks, and Axel paid the cashier, leaving a small tip for their waitress. As they walked down the street, Axel was lost in his thoughts while watching Riku walk. They got back to the apartment, took their shoes off and went to Riku's room. Axel laid back on the queen sized bed with his hands behind his head. Riku smiled slightly and sat on the edge of his bed. He ran a hand through his lightly colored hair and took a deep breath. He didn't understand why Axel made him smile with the smallest movements, nor did he understand why he was so easily embarrassed with the red head. He sighed, not noticing that Axel had sat up and moved closer to him. Axel wrapped his arms around Riku's thin waist and pulled the other teen closer to him. Riku gasped, setting his hands on Axel's.
"Axel?" he asked hesitantly.
Axel held him tighter, whispering, "I think Roxas is right, Riku."
Riku turned slightly so he could see Axel's face, "Right about what?"
"I like you," Axel bit his lip while looking at Riku, "a lot. I like you a lot, Riku."
"You like me? I don't get it," Riku stood up and looked at him confused.
Axel grabbed Riku's arm, sitting on the edge of the bed, and pulled the other teen close to him again. Riku's eyes widened as he looked into Axel's emerald green eyes. Axel smiled, their lips almost touching, and laced his fingers with Riku's. The shorter teen could feels Axel's breath on his lips and closed his eyes as he slowly leaned forward. Axel kissed Riku's lips softly, pulling the other teen into his lap. Riku loosely wrapped his arms around Axel's neck and pulled away from the red head's lips with a blush covering his cheeks. Axel grinned, setting his hands on Riku's hips. Riku looked at Axel and kissed him again, leaning forward onto the red head. Axel licked Riku's bottom lip, parting the other teen's lips. Riku whimpered, threading his hands through fiery red hair as Axel ran his hand under Riku's shirt. The silver haired boy pulled away from Axel's lips, panting slightly. Riku stood again, taking a few steps away from Axel, who also stood.
"Why?" Riku sniffled, looking down.
Axel tilted his head, "Why? Why what, Riku?"
Riku looked up at him with tears in his eyes, "You're just messing with me. You don't like me, there's just no way. You're playing with my feelings!"
"Riku," Axel took the other teen's hand, "I really do like you. I'm not messing with you, I promise."
Riku sniffled again, clinging to Axel's shirt, "Do you mean it?"
Axel smiled, wrapping his arms softly around Riku, "I mean it, Riku. I care about you more than I have for anyone."
"I love you, Axel…." Riku buried his face in Axel's shoulder.
"You see, Cloud? He won't hurt him," said Roxas.
Cloud sighed and stepped away from Riku's bedroom door, "I suppose. If Riku gets hurt again, I'll kill that red headed punk and then you, Roxas."
Roxas smiled at him, "I promise, Cloud, Axel really cares."
"For your sake, Roxas, I hope you're right," Leon said, wrapping an arm around Cloud.
Roxas laughed and smiled again, "I know I'm right, I swear!"
The three of them walked back out to the front door, and Roxas said his goodbyes to the other two. Cloud sighed, leaning back against Leon's chest. The brunette wrapped his arms around the smaller blonde.
"Let's go back to my place. Your brother would freak if he knew you were here, so let's leave him and his friend alone."
Cloud looked up at him with a slight grin and nodded. Leon took the blonde's hand and led him out of the apartment.
Again, I am so very sorry that this took me so long! I hope it was good enough to make up for the wait. I will be updating my other stories shortly now that I have finished with this one. I hope you enjoyed, now please leave me a review!
- GD
