I Don't Wanna Leave You.
Roxas had been going out of his mind for a solid five hours. Axel didn't call, his mobile wasn't being picked up, and he didn't say where he was going. He just left Roxas sleeping. Roxas called everyone he knew; Zexion, Demyx, Saix, Namine, Kairi…even Sora and Riku. No one had seen the redhead at all. Roxas was about to go out and actuallylook for Axel when the door burst open. Roxas looked up expectantly.
"Axel…"
Roxas didn't get Axel, but a tall brown haired stranger hauling his boyfriend into the apartment.
"Who are you…oh my god, Axel!"
Roxas rushed at the stranger, grabbing his boyfriend and shaking him.
"Axel? Axel!" Roxas shouted, shaking Axels limp form.
"Leave him be kid, he's only unconscious." The stranger said, placing Axel on the sofa.
"Who the hell are you?" Roxas demanded, looking well and truly pissed.
The stranger stood back and regarded Roxas with some amusement. Maybe it was the blonds scowl, or his defiant glare. Maybe it was his defensive posture. This could only be Axel's boyfriend; Leon knew Axel would never let anyone less live with him.
"My name is unimportant. What is important is Axel's condition and his situation. He'll be fine in a few hours…I give it about five."
Roxas didn't look satisfied. He opened his mouth to yell some more but Leons gaze silenced him.
"Did Axel ever tell you about Xemnas?" Leon asked, leaning against the wall.
"Yeah…he mentioned him once or twice…didn't they date for a while?"
Leon laughed a hollow, almost scornful laugh.
"'Dating'isn't the right word for what happened…but it's not my story to tell. I'll be back in five hours…then I'll help Axel explain." Leon said, turning to leave.
"Why is he unconscious though?" Roxas asked, desperate for answers.
Leon looked over his shoulder sadly.
"It was the only way to save his sanity…"
Leon left.
Hours past, just as the tall stoic named Leon said they would. Axel tossed and turned in his alcohol induced state, muttering incoherently from time to time. Roxas made himself busy about the apartment; cleaning, tidying and such like. Eventually, Axel, with a moan, opened his eyes to the world. At that time, the tall stranger walked through the door.
"Ohshit…my head…" Axel muttered, holding his head. The tall stranger smiled to himself. "How'd I get home?"
"I carried you. You don't eat enough Axel."
"I've been telling him that for ages…you've got some explaining to do Axel." Roxas said, sitting in the armchair and fixing his stony gaze on the redhead.
"Oh…yeah…okay. Rox, this is Squall."
The stranger coughed.
"Sorry, sorry…Rox, this is Leon. Leon's a friend from way back…haven't seen him in years though."
"Nice to meet you Roxas" Leon said, extending his hand to the small blonde. Roxas shook it.
"I guess…I'm like this because of something that happened a long time ago. My last boyfriend…It's a long story though." Axel said, suddenly looking uncomfortable.
"We have time Axel." Leon said with an air of commanding authority. Roxas guessed he was from military stock. Or at least something close.
Axel sighed, taking his head in his hands.
"I know you hate it Rox but…I'm gonna need a smoke after this. Okay…I guess everything kicked off…"
------
January 31st, 6:50am. Axel so badly wanted to hit the alarm clock. Early mornings did not suit the redhead one bit. He grunted, rolled over and fell out of the bed…again. Fith time that week.
Only difference about today was that today new transfers where coming into the University. Today, new and interesting people where coming and Axel was just dying to meet some of them. The redhead loved nothing more than meeting new people and making new friends, and what better day to do it than the day the fresh meat arrived.
So Axel showered, brushed up, ate something blue out of the fridge, shouted goodbye to his flatmates (still in bed…all of them…with each other.) and headed out the door. Fresh air, fresh day, good outlook and a kick ass ride to Uni. Axel was beaming the whole ride there.
Okay, so he had a lecture first thing about music theory, but it was only for an hour. The transfers wouldn't be arriving till noon anyway. So he went to the lecture. Came out with his head buzzing around with ideas. Music could do that to a man. Axel was no different; he wanted music to be his life, and that's what he was doing.
Axel sat in the refectory, munching on a sandwich and jotting down noted from a textbook when he heard them coming. A small group, maybe nine or ten, being given the grand tour. It would be fair to say Axel dropped his sandwich at the sight of one of them. Love at first site being the bitch that it is struck Axel hard when he saw the long, silver hair flowing and swaying like it did. The thin, stylish sunglasses hid the eyes that Axel sought, but behind them, they eyes where on the dazed redhead. Thin lips pulled into a slight smirk and, amidst a clutter of passing students, were lost to Axel.
It was a matter of time before Axel thought to breathe again, let alone anything else. How could one person be so perfect? All questions of sexuality took a backseat in Axel's mind as every other neuron became infatuated with the mysterious man.
The infatuation spread as Axel saw more and more of the silver haired man around campus. He was always heading to opposite way to Axel, but on most occasions, the silver haired man would catch Axels eye, and it sent Axel's world reeling when he smiled as he passed. It was a maddening allure…that smile. It was confident, self assured, but seemingly genuine. Every time Axel saw it he almost buckled at the knees, so imaging his reaction when the silver haired man opened and said one word to the redhead.
"Hi…"
------
"It was just the one word, so simple, but it was enough." Axel said, scratching his head. Leon had sat himself on a stool and Roxas was listening most intently.
"I found out his name from a friend and, by chance, I met him at a bar the next week. We got to talking, a bit of drinking, danced a little…went to his, had sex and fell asleep. Roughest damn sex I ever had, but he was so damn good…and the way he talked, every glace, every word…he made me feel so alive. When he asked me to meet up with him again, I could hardly utter an agreement. It fell into that; we dated for a while. We always ended up at his, in bed. It was still on campus, and he asked me to move in. By this time…I was totally hooked on the guy. I thought I'd…y'know, found the one. So I moved on in and it was party central for the longest time. Name a surface in any room, we'd done something against it."
Leon grimiced.
"It didn't help that I was Xemnas' flatmate at the time…we were both on the same course. God knows the amount of times I caught them."
Axel coughed, evidently embarrassed.
"Anyway, yeah, so things were looking up. That is, until the traitorous ass-hat goes and screws me over. Went and got shagged up with some freak called Saix, didn't he? Like I wasn't enough for him."
"As far as Xemnas was concerned, you weren't appeasing his needs. They never actually went all the way." Leon added to a confused Roxas. Axel looked slightly defeated.
"I wanted my…y'know, first time to be special, not some random fuck against the wall. And Xemnas was all random wall-fucking."
"When I found out that…Xemnas was fucking Saix, I just lost it. I was devastated, I loved him. Sure, I didn't give myself to him on a platter like he wanted, but I loved him, and he lied and said he loved me. I left, obviously, and went back to my old place. Leon helped me move back. I was just getting back there when Xemnas showed up. The asshole just showed up at my door, looking as depressed as I've ever seen him. He said he'd made a mistake, that Saix was a mistake, that he wanted me back…he said he'd do anything to have me back. At the time…that was exactly what I wanted to hear. I guess he knew that, so like the jerk I was, I went back with him. Then, a few weeks later, maybe a month or so…things kicked off."
Axel fell silent, so Leon took over. Axels face hardened more and more with every word.
"I was glad to have Axel around again, but when he was away, I'd seen Xemnas' mood change. He obsessed over Axel, he muttered, he drank, he stared for hours at the only picture of him he had. When he got back, I decided to keep my eye on things. Saix was gone, so Xemnas seemed happy to have things back to normal. Well, at least I thought so. He'd stopped talking to me on a confiding level months prior, so what was in his hea I never knew. I heard them fight, argue, and to my frequent annoyance, indulge in making up. Until one time, when the fight got bad, and Xemnas hit Axel."
Roxas saw Axel tense up at the memory; he wanted so bad to comfort his boyfriend, but he knew the facts had to be heard first.
"Obviously, Xemnas was full of apologies and Axel accepted them. Unfortunately, that signalled the start of the decline."
"Basically, I was still holding out on Xemnas so he beat me up and left me. End of story." Axel said, throwing his hands up. Leon shook his head.
"I came home one night to find Xemnas not at home. I knew Axel was in because of his shoes; they were by the door. I found Axel in the bedroom, naked on the bed, face down. At first, I'm ashamed to say I thought they'd finally gotten round to it and…well, it was still light, and I could see Axel clearly. So I could see the gash marks, the blood on the bed, the strewn sheets…and the fact that Axel wasn't breathing. I called an ambulance, and gave Axel CPR. Axel spent two months in and out of conciousnes, and five days in complete coma. The trauma to his head was more than enough o kill him, so how he survived, no one knows. Both of his shoulders were dislocated, his left wrist was broken, as was his right leg. All of his ribs were either fractured or broken, one almost punctured a lung. Fractured jaw and nose, internal bleeding from extreme blunt trauma, oh, and a large dose of blood-loss. He was in traction most of the time, just about a full body cast. The superficial cuts healed, and the deeper ones were stitched up fine. I still wonder how you never got any scars though." Leon said, frowning slightly. Axel chuckled.
"I couldn't get one as bad-ass as yours so I did without."
"Anyway, the police were called and really there was only one person it could have been. Xemnas was arrested, right out of bed with Saix, mid-screw. He wasn't too happy about that apparently. Axel was still under when the court case came around, so I represented him. I knew everything that went on in that flat, so my evidence put Xemnas away. Or it would have. They found Xemnas unfit to stand trial on accounts of insanity. Psychopathic Obsession and Compulsions. They put him in a jacket and closed the door on him."
"Okay…" Roxas said, the first thing he'd said in the past hour. "…but how does that explain Axel winding up unconscious on the sofa?"
"When Axel came out of hospital, able to walk, he had to undergo intense therapy. Not your usual stuff either…I wasn't there when Xemnas attacked, and Axel's mind has blocked out the memory, but it left his mind in a state of chaos. It took five weeks for him to speak again, not to mention sleep alone, without drugs. The Axel you know and love was rescued by many, many months of repairing the mental damage. I was there; I figured I owed him for not being there when it counted. The doctors told me that he may relapse and effectively loose his mind if Xemnas was to ever come into his life again. The only way, it seemed, to stop him from loosing his sanity would be to render him unconscious at the first sign of relapse. Axel has a rare condition that makes his body absorb alcohol at an increased rate, especially spirits. That's why when I called Axel and told him the news, I gave him a bottle of vodka to drink. The rapid consumption of alcohol made him loose consciousness before he could relapse. I carried him back here, and here we all are."
Roxas let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. The whole story seemed to fantastical to believe, but he didn't doubt a word of it. It was like waiting for someone to jump out of the closet and shout "SURPRISE!!" but it never came. Roxas could just let out an exasperated sigh.
"How come you ever told me any of this?" Roxas asked, staring at his boyfriend.
"You never asked…and I'm glad you didn't. I'm still not happy that you had to find out." Axel said, folding his arms.
"Not find out? Don't I have a right to know things like this?"
"It's my story Rox' and its not one I'm proud of."
"You could have died!"
"But here I am so no worries."
"No worries?! You where carted in, unconscious, by someone I've never met before! How the flying fuck am I not supposed to worry Axel?"
Throughout the argument, Leon kept quiet. There was little time, but Axel would need all the help he could get. Better to let them slug it out now, rather than at a time that could cost them both.
"…I amnot fucking happy with you, Axel Lea. You should have told me."
"Oh yeah, what a great conversation that would be! Yeah, by the way Rox' my last boyfriend nearly killed me, how cool is that! C'mon, we'd both be happier never knowing about it. It just sucks the bastards out…"
"What?!"
Leon looked up; Roxas was staring wide eyed at Axel, who had clamped his hands over his mouth. Leon shook his head in slight amusement.
"Its true, Xemnas has left North Wall, where he was incarcerated. He now lives in an apartment across town…Xemnas always had money and his family are well connected. If I know Xemnas, which I do, he at least has the thought of tracking Axel down on his mind. A friend of mine, a contact you might say, said Xemnas had been looking for information on Axel. I've kept an ear out ever since I learned Xemnas had left North Wall. This is the first time I've contacted Axel since he moved out here."
If anything, Roxas got even more pissed. He stood up and started pacing the room.
"So, let me get this right…Axle has some obsessive psychopath after him, with intentions of God-knows-what, and we're just sat here?"
Leon nodded.
"There's not much we can do for the time being. I don't know exactly what he's up to, just that he's gathering information. As far as the law is concerned, he's a safe, productive member of society. We just have to wait…and keep Axel sane."
"Still in the room here." Axel mumbled.
Leon left them, saying he had to 'look into things'. Roxas, although angry at Axel, kept his silence. He didn't want an apology; Axel had good reasons to keep it from him. He was just pissed that he did. So, rather than glare and huff, he slid behind the lanky redhead on the couch and wrapped his arms around the thin frame, nestling his head on Axel's shoulder.
"I know…I should have told you." Axel said, leaning into the embrace. Roxas shook his head softly.
"Shush you. You had reasons; you thought you were doing right. I'm not mad at you Axel."
"If Xemnas is…is out there…if he's doing what Leon says…things might get a bit dangerous Rox'. Leon exaggerated a little…sure, It was bad being told Xemnas was back but I don't think I'll crack if I see him...I'm talking about him fine, right? I just…I don't remember what he did so…if something happens…"
"Then I'll stay…" Roxas cut him off, "…and fight it right beside you."
Axel could only take the blond by the back of the neck and kiss him senseless. They wound up in the bedroom, ripping each others clothes off, practically bouncing off the walls before collapsing on the sheets. Afterward, once Axel had drifted to sleep with a happy smile, Roxas had time to think, to admire his boyfriends features, to think on how much he loved the silly redhead.
"God, Axel…" he whispered, stroking the fiery hair. "…I don't want to loose you."
A/N: OMG, how long did that take??? Anyway, here it is, the continuation. Yes, Axel got heavily messed up, and yes, he IS off his rocker slightly, and YESSS, I'm carrying on.
Quick Question to the readers (reply via review :P): how do people want this story to end? Good ending? Bad ending? tragic or dramatic ending? I have ALOT of chapters to fill. Any ideas people want to see, either with RoxAx or DemZex, let me know. Another couple coming up soon, watch this space.
love yall, click the button and let me know!!!