The (Other) End of the Road
Chapter Nine
I don't think I'd ever gotten up at five a.m. before. Maybe stayed up until five... but my body was not okay with me trying to get up so early. Every fibre of my being was screaming, "Roxas, what the fuck are you doing? We got a good four hours left at least!"
But I did it. I dragged my ass out of bed at fucking five in the morning to start my day. I felt like a zombie as I trudged into the bathroom to take a shower, and my eyes were dry and glued halfway closed. With all the dirt, dust and bugs I'd have to deal with out here, I doubted that I'd be wearing my contacts very often.
No sign of Charlie this morning at least. I'd used some old plywood I found in the barn to blockade the dog door last night before I crashed and burned. Though I had to admit, I did kind of miss the fluffy behemoth. I'd never had a dog growing up, but I've always had a soft spot for them.
I decided to go with a more practical outfit today and chose a red t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts, paired with red Converse. I pretty much only ever wore Converse or combat boots, but the boots were way too warm for farm work. I definitely looked like I belonged in a Target store with a nametag on, but at least I'd be a little cooler outside.
"Roxas! Good to see you out and about!" Hayner called across the fence, waving at me as I began to make my rounds outside. After I filled up my watering can, I started to walk up and down each row, watering each and every god damned little plant one by one... grateful that I didn't have to till up the ground this time. Of course, this was just the beginning. I had a shit ton of other fields that I'd have to eventually plant in and tend for.
It was all going rather well, actually, until I let my guard down for two seconds to wipe my brow off.
"Charlie, get over here!" was all I heard before I was accosted with ten tons of fluff, his massive body knocking me flat on my ass while he drooled all over my face.
Axel came bounding down the path and hopped my fence with incredible grace, trying to pull Charlie off me while I attempted to keep him from frenching me. "Shit, Roxas, I'm sorry! Charlie must really like you," he laughed, finally yanking him aside.
I couldn't stop laughing as I sat up in the dirt, my glasses covered in dog drool and my hair looking like a hot mess. "It's fine, he just caught me off guard is all!"
He reached down and grabbed my hand to pull me to my feet, and I'm glad that he had a good grip on me because his touch alone made my knees weak. "Finally getting the farm going?"
"Slowly but surely," I nodded, cleaning the lenses of my glasses with my t-shirt and accidentally flashing him my abs. I couldn't notice him staring, what with my being blind and all, but when I put them back on he snapped his head up and gave me a sheepish look. "Anyways..." I continued, lifting a brow curiously at him while I spoke, "I never realized how much work it took to run a farm."
"I suppose if you haven't grown up around it, you might think so. I actually find it really fun," he shrugged. "I've been helping Reno run the farm since we were kids, though."
I remembered what happened to his dad and my heart sank. "Right... I guess you guys were thrown into it kind of young, weren't you?"
"Ah... so they finally told you. Look, I was only seven when it happened and I've never blamed anybody for it but my own father. It's an incredibly selfish thing to do, especially when you have a family that depends on you. If anything, I resent him more than anybody else. I know Reno likes to blame your whole family, and maybe he knows more than I do. But... I guess what I'm saying is that I harbor no anger towards you or your family. And even if I was pissed at them, you were an infant when it happened and I can't in any conscience place any blame on you personally."
I stood there in a shocked silence, listening to him ramble on until he finally stopped. "I... am really glad to hear that, actually. Finally, someone makes sense around here. I mean, when Ventus told me about what happened, it just wasn't clicking into place. It just feels like some pieces of the puzzle are missing, right?"
"I stopped trying to figure it out years ago, Roxas... What our dads did was a stupid, selfish thing to do, and we just have to accept that they're gone and move on."
I felt like I'd just gone through an intensive therapy session with this guy, and we barely knew each other. "All right... well... that was by far the most intense conversation I've had since I got here."
Axel blinked a couple of times before busting out laughing, bending over and holding his sides. "Oh... oh my God, I'm such a fucking weirdo. I'm sorry to dump all that on you like that."
Honestly, I was probably the only person he could ever say any of that to. He could never tell his stubborn brother how he really felt, and everybody else in town hated him. God, that was a depressing thought. He had to have felt so alone his entire life. "Axel... any time you want to hang out or something, just let me know," I offered, feeling a surge of bubbly anxiety rush through me.
"Oh," he straightened up, looking down at me curiously. "I'd really like to, Roxas, but you know how it is with our families. They'd be livid if they saw us together. We're lucky Hayner's in the barn right now mucking out stalls."
My heart sank a little and I sighed. "Right..."
"I should go... I don't want to get either of us in trouble. C'mon, Charlie!" he clapped his hands, strolling away. I watched him leave, heavily resisting the urge to run after him. But he was right... I'd just found my family and I didn't want to lose them. ...Even if none of this made sense to me.
"I saw all that."
I screeched as Hayner's voice suddenly came from right behind me, spinning around and whacking him on the arm. "Fuck, Hayner! What the hell are you doing over here?!"
"While you were staring off in your own little world, I hopped the fence. What were you doing with Axel?"
I just shrugged casually. "His dog mauled me. Why does it matter?"
"You don't need to be hanging around with someone like him, Roxas."
"Why? What has he ever done to anybody?" I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes on him. "What has he personally done to anyone in this town?"
That shut him up for a minute and he just scowled at me. "That whole family is trouble and you know it. Do yourself a favor and stay away from anybody with the Flynn name."
"Or what, you'll all shun me? Murder me and toss me in a ditch to rot?"
"Roxas, you're family. We're going to love you no matter what. I'm more worried about what Axel's family is going to think. Reno is a psychopath, Rox, and he's incredibly overprotective of his brother. Believe me... befriending Axel is a bad decision."
I grumbled, shuffling my feet around as I tried to work up the courage to tell him how attracted I was to Axel... but I couldn't make myself say it. How was I going to come out to my entire family over a guy I could never have?
"Look, I know that you're just trying to be a friendly guy, Roxas, but for your own good? Just stop."
...
A/N: Okay, so in reply to someone's rather heated review, NO. Nobody from the Flynn family is related to ANYbody in the Michaels family. That's definitely not the drama bomb that I'm waiting to drop on you guys. :P But good guess! Haha. (Also, thanks so much for the review!)
I just adore their little moments together... I'm trying so hard to work this in gradually, and it's soooo tough not to just drop it all at once! But I'll resist! To keep you guys on the edge of your seats! :3
Thank you again for reading! I'll see you next time!
Simply Rexene
