Chapter 9 – He Doesn't Look a Thing Like Jesus
Sora and Riku settled in quite easily over the next week. They all helped me move my belongings into Axel's room and Sora and Riku went to mom's house, while she was at work, to get most of Sora's things. Sora had insisted that what was his was also Riku's, since they had decided to share the room. Also because Riku wasn't allowed at his own home to get his stuff. Overall the couple seemed happy.
Axel and I were also doing well in our new situation. I was really astonished on our first night when Axel came to bed with sweatpants on. When I asked about it he had told me that he bought them earlier when he ran out to get the ice we didn't need. He wanted me to feel comfortable so he was no longer sleeping in the nude. Which sometimes was disappointing but at least he still didn't wear shirts.
It was an amazing feeling to wake up every day, warmly wrapped in his long arms. I also loved to wake up with Sora around, he is my family. Added to that both Riku and Sora loved cooking so the three of us switched between cooking breakfast and dinner. Even the bathroom situation was working out, mostly because there are three bathrooms, but also because Sora and Riku get up later than me and Axel because they don't have work.
However at breakfast this morning Riku said he was going to get a job so he could pay rent. Axel told him he didn't have to but Riku insisted. Then Sora decided he wanted a job too, and Axel gave up on his attempt to make them not pay him. While they went job hunting Axel and I stayed home, on one of our rare days off. We were watching Saturday morning cartoons. Axel was laying on his back and I was cuddled on top of him. "Axel, I'm gonna go make a phone call."
"Mmm…okay, Roxy." Axel murmured. Okay, apparently I was watching cartoons and Axel was sleeping. It had been bothering me all week that mom had hurt Sora so bad that he was afraid of talking to Dad. Sora was the type of kid who lived to please his parents. Though he was noticeably happy with Riku, I could tell he was hurting from not talking to our parents. I felt I had to at least try to fix this. He's my little brother and it's my job to keep him happy.
Plus, if I remembered Mom and Dad's fights correctly, Dad won't mind that Sora is gay. So I picked up my cell phone and dialed a number I thought I would never call again. The machine picked up and I waited for the beep before leaving a message, "Hi Dad, this is Roxas. I know you hate me, I hate me too. But I'm not calling about me, it's about Sora. So call me when he doesn't show up at your house and you get worried."
After hanging up I went back to my position on top of Axel and fell asleep. About twenty minutes later I was woken by my phone ringing, and Axel shifting under me. "Hello?" I answered sleepily.
"Is he okay? Where is he? Is your mother fucking insane?" My father's concerned voice came through the phone.
"Hello Dad, nice to talk again. Sora's fine, he's living with me and my boyfriend. And Mom kicked me out months ago so I couldn't tell you if she's gone completely insane." I said.
"Boyfriend?"
"Mmhm…that's why you and Mom didn't work out right? You prefer dicks to tits."
"How did you know that?" Dad asked quietly.
"I heard all your fights. Why do you think I started doing drugs? I had to take care of Sora and keep him from hearing you two! I needed a release." I said a little too loudly, and now Axel was awake with a concerned look on his face. I shook my head to keep him from speaking."
"Roxas." Dad sighed, "Roxas, I don't hate you."
"Wow, you actually got something other than 'Sora' out of my message."
"Rox, I'm going to tell you something only your mom and my boyfriend know. I used to be a drug addict before I met your mom. When we started fighting I went back to doing drugs and it resulted in me hitting her and shoving you to the floor. The look in your face that night, before you ran away, is what got me to quit. Your mom called me saying you were doing drugs again the night she kicked you out. Now I think she may have been overreacting. But I didn't want you in my house because I believed her and thought you had drugs. It was very hard to get myself off of them; I didn't want them near me."
This was a lot of information and again it showed me that both of my parents didn't believe in me. "I'm no doing drugs. I told her that and she threw me out. Literally, there was blood. You didn't think once that you could've helped me, seeing as you've been through the same things as me?"
"Roxas, I couldn't face you after I shoved you."
"Well, I forgive you dad." Axel smiled at me upon finding out who I was speaking with and about what.
"I don't deserve it, but thank you Roxas."
"So do you want to hear about Sora?" I asked. Glad to finally know why my father treated me the way he did.
"Yeah, did your mom kick him out for breaking a dish or something?"
"No, she kicked him out because he's gay and that's ungodly. Though I suspect it's less to do with God and more to do with the fact that she lost you to a man."
"That's awful, why didn't he come to me?"
"Mom hurt him. He was afraid of what you would say. To be rejected by two parents in the same day is one of the worst feelings imaginable, trust me I know." Roxas said remembering the day he was kicked out. "He has a boyfriend who also lives with us."
"Really, where do the four of you live?" He asked and I rattled off the adress, "Do you think I can visit."
"Yep. That's why I called. I want you to let him know that you're okay with him being gay."
"Can I come over tonight, maybe bring my boyfriend?"
I moved the phone away from my face to ask Axel, "Is it okay if my dad brings his boyfriend over for dinner tonight?"
"Your dad's gay?" Axel asked too loudly. I heard my dad chuckling on the other end.
"Axel!" I warned.
"Oh, yeah, of course. I told you this is your home too, love." He was still speaking loudly and I was sure my dad heard. But I spoke anyway, "Yeah we're cool with that."
"Oooohhh. Oh, oh! Since Sora and Riku are gone you and I can tackle that bastard kitchen again!" Axel said excitedly, succeeding in making my dad laugh more.
"Dear God Axel! The last time I tried cooking with you, you set the sink on fire. The sink Axel, their made with metal and have water in them and you set it on fire!"
"So, accidents happen. And at least it was easy to put out."
"Uh, thank God you're a neat freak." I sighed. Truly, if Axel wasn't obsessed with cleanliness this apartment would be a disaster. "I'll see you tonight Dad." He was still laughing, "Hopefully with minimum damage."
"Is that your boyfriend?" He asked.
"Yeah, he is absolutely certain the kitchen has a vendetta against him."
"Okay well, try not to burn the apartment down before I get there. Bye." We hung up and Axel was grinning widely at me.
"So can I help?" He asked.
"No." Axel pouted at this. He really did like cooking but damn there was always at least one fire and several injuries. But how could I resist that face. "Fine, you can help. Get your fire extinguisher and apron. We have work to do." Axel's face brightened visibly. It made the potential danger I was putting myself and him in, worth it.
oOo
Four fires, six sliced fingers, two burns, one blender tragedy, seven useless pieces of chicken, two broken glasses, three broken plates, and an hour and a half of cleaning later we had a master piece set out on the table for dinner. Overall it was a pretty good day of cooking. The kitchen was much less of a bastard with Roxas around.
Roxas and I had just finished setting the table around our masterpiece when Sora and Riku walked through the door. "Did you find a job?" I asked them. Roxas looked up at my outburst. He had looked so excited to be talking to his father again. I love seeing him happy.
"No," Sora bounced over to us with Riku following him, "Wow, what's the occasion?" Sora asked.
"Your dad's coming over," I said without thinking. Sora's face dropped and he pulled Riku close to him, oops.
"With his boyfriend." Roxas quickly added.
"B-boyfriend?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, I remembered that's why he and mom broke up, so I called him. I know you miss them Sora." Roxas explained.
"I do." Sora said quietly and held himself even closer to Riku. Then the doorbell rang, and he jumped about three feet in the air and let go of Riku.
"I'll get it." I said walking towards the door. I opened it to reveal two men, I had thought would have looked much older. One had Sora and Roxas' blue eyes, and golden gravity defying hair. The other had brown shoulder length hair and both were shorter than me, not that it was difficult to be shorter than me. Roxas had told me everything his dad said over the phone. I was glad he wasn't quite as bad as I thought; otherwise I may have introduced him to my demon kitchen. "I'm Cloud Strife, Roxas and Sora's dad." The blond held his hand out to me and I shook it. "This is my boyfriend Leon, he doesn't talk much." Cloud finished and I shook the brunette's hand.
"I'm Axel, Roxas' incredibly sexy boyfriend. Got it memorized?" Cloud nodded, "Come in." They walked through the doorway and Cloud was immediately glomped to the floor by Sora; Demyx would be proud. Riku was there right away to pull Sora off and help Cloud up. "Nice to see you again Mr. Strife." Riku greeted, and Sora was still clinging to Cloud.
"Riku, what happened to your face?" Cloud said using the hand he didn't have wrapped around Sora to touch Riku's fading bruise.
"My dad wasn't exactly accepting of my lifestyle choice."
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I wish you guys would've come to me." Cloud said concerned.
"I didn't know how you'd react. You said Leon was your best friend not your boyfriend. Hi Leon." Sora added and Leon waved to him.
"Well, he's both. Kind of like Riku is for you." Cloud explained.
"Hey! We didn't set the kitchen on fire four times to not eat." I said cheerfully and heard Roxas mutter, 'We?'.
"Four times?" Leon asked concerned.
"Well I only consider it three times because technically the fourth fire was on my apron, but try telling Roxas that." I clarified.
"And you let him cook!?" Cloud asked astonished.
"I try not to." Roxas responded.
"Okay haters, let's eat." I led everyone to the dining room and we all sat down. After the first bites were taken and the compliments were dished out, Cloud spoke up, "So Roxas, I know how Riku and Sora met, but how did you and Axel meet?"
"Uh…let me finish before you start yelling." Roxas said. Gods I swear if Cloud fucks up here I'll feed him to the kitchen.
"Okay, I'll listen, promise."
"Well the night mom kicked me out I did have drugs, but I didn't do them. Axel showed up out of nowhere and convinced me not to. I let him get rid of them for me. The first thing he ever said to me was 'Are you sure you want to do that?' and the first thing I said to him was 'What do you care?'" Roxas said. I looked up and saw that we had matching smiles at the memory. "After he convinced me that my wants matter, I went home and mom kicked me out. No one would let me stay with them so I slept on a park bench, where Axel found me, near hypothermia, in the morning. He gave me his coat, I still have it, he fed me, and he gave me a room. We've been together ever since."
"I'm glad you could help him when I was too weak to do so, Axel, thank you." Cloud said.
"No problem." I responded. It really wasn't a problem. This had been some of the best moments of my life. As dinner went on Roxas became more comfortable with his dad. The table was filled with light conversations and laughter. I was drowning in Roxas' happiness. I would do anything to keep him this happy. I would make it my life's goal to keep my Roxy happy.
AN: I know, Cloud and Leon are probably a bit OOC. I was being lazy picking Roxas and Sora's father. And BTW Cloud is around 38 and their mom is 46, which means Cloud was 20 when Roxas was born and their mom was 28, I think.
Also, I am going to be disappearing for a little bit. I like to be writing about four chapters ahead of where I'm typing and updating. Right now I'm typing chapter 10 and writing chapter 12. So it will probably be a week before I update again. Sorry. I'll try to be quick.
*For those of you who also read "The Other Side isn't so Green" I am still updating that one and I have started writing the sequel.
Thanks for all reviews, alerts, and favs.
