Author's Note: Thanks to all those who reviewed, I love you forever! I went out of town this weekend, thats why this one is a little late. I like this chapter though. Its good. Anyway, something I forgot to put in last chapter: Ze and Hir are the official gender neutral pronouns. Gender non-conforming and genderqueer are the official terms as well. All the things I put in here have a basis in reality. More so in some cases. I finally put Marluxia in because, well, I love him! So heres your next chapter!!
"Roxas! Please stop looking at me like that. It's been three weeks, and I want to go out! Come on, please? I want to go dancing!" Axel said, half pleading, and swaying her hips slightly, feigning dancing as she finished her sentence.
"Fine! God, you sound like I chained you to the bed or something!" Roxas exclaimed. She laughed a little to herself, but then sighed. She had been a little over protective of her roommate in the last weeks. She looked down. Thinking back to the night Axel had come stumbling back from the grocery store, beaten into a bloody pulp.
Axel grinned. "Ok, go change. I'm assuming you want to come, and you totally don't get to go looking like that."
"Oh, gee, thanks." She retorted, walking to her room to change. She grabbed clothes and quickly changed.
Axel turned as she heard the door open from Roxas' room. "Ok, let's get going." The redhead said, trying not to stare at the younger girl. They had been clubbing many times, and yet, every time Roxas threw on a new outfit it took her breath away.
Together, they ran to the car. "So, where are we going to go?" Roxas asked, hopping into the driver's seat.
"Um, how about The Comet?" Axel suggested.
"Ok, sounds good." The Comet was a dance club that they liked, but they hadn't gone there for a while. "It'll be nice to see what's new there." Roxas said with a smile.
Axel rolled her eyes. "You're such a faker. You aren't really interested in going tonight, are you?"
Roxas sighed. "No, I'm not." She bit her lip. "But you said you really wanted to go . . ."
"Turn the car around." She said calmly.
"What? No! You want to go clubbing!"
"Yeah, but Roxas, you don't want to. I don't want to just go, come on, and let's go see a movie." The redhead suggested. "I want to do something you want to do."
Roxas rolled her eyes. "Fine, what do you want to do?"
"Hey! That's not fair. Come on, what do you want to do?" Axel asked, glaring jokingly at the blonde.
Roxas thought for a moment. "Um, how about we just hit the diner?" She suggested.
"Ok." Axel said, swinging the car around and heading to the diner they sometimes went to. "They have really great pie."
"I don't like pie." Roxas said, looking out the window casually.
"What? You . . . don't like . . . pie?!" Axel demanded. "Is that even possible? How can someone not like pie?"
Roxas shrugged. "I don't know, I just don't like it." Axel stared at her like she was crazy, how could someone not like pie? It was essential. Everyone liked pie.
"No, you have to try it at this place, it's the best place in town!"
"Yeah, but I don't like pie." She said, frowning slightly.
Axel was about to retort, but they pulled up to the curb, and as they walked into the diner and were taken in by the smell of fresh food being prepared, and all other thoughts were swept away.
"Hiya hun! Welcome to Sadie's diner! Come this way pleas- Roxas?" The waitress peered at Roxas carefully, studying her face. "God, I haven't seen you in forever!" She hugged her and put the menus down.
"Tessa? God, I haven't seen you in forever. When did you move here?" The blonde asked, returning the hug whole heartedly. Pulling back she looked at Axel, who stood there silently, looking confused and a little hurt.
"Oh, sorry, Tessa, this is Axel, Axel, Tessa." She explained, introducing the two of them.
"Oh, I just moved here two weeks ago. There's a back up with the paper work, so until they fully transfer me to this branch, I'm working here part time." Tessa explained.
"Wow, so are you here permanently? Or is this temporary?" Roxas asked. "Oh, and can you join us for lunch?"
Axel frowned, but said nothing, just followed the other two over to the booth. "Um, yeah, I guess I can." Tessa pitched her voice and called out to one of the other waitresses. "Hey, Veronica, can you cover for me?" The other waitress nodded, and Tessa sat down with them.
"So Tessa, how have you been? I haven't seen you in forever!" Roxas asked, sitting between Axel and Tessa, smiling brilliantly at the girl from her past.
"God, it's so great to see you, sweetie! There is so much I want to tell you! Do you remember Miranda?" Tessa asked, her eyes gleaming.
"That sweet little girl? God, I haven't seen her since she was four! How's she doing?" Roxas asked, smiling as she remembered the sweet little girl she had met a few years ago.
"I adopted her."
"What? Really? Oh my god Tessa! I'm so happy for you. She's so lucky to have you!" Roxas threw her arms around the older woman, embracing her tightly.
"Thanks! It's been really great so far. Miranda is so great. I never thought I'd have a family of my own so soon, but you should have seen her, they were going to switch her again, I couldn't let that happen. She just looked up at me, and I couldn't turn my back on her." Tessa said.
"That's so sweet!" Roxas said, hugging her again.
"So how do you to know each other?" Axel asked, she hadn't meant for it to sound so harsh, but she was a little bit aggravated.
"Oh, well see, I work with the-"
"Um, Tessa used to um, work with me, when I was a kid." Roxas interrupted quickly.
"Oh, I see." Axel said, not at all convinced.
"So how do you know Roxas?" Tessa asked with a warm smile.
"Oh, Axel and I are roommates." Roxas explained, not giving Axel a chance to talk.
"Oh, I would have thought you'd relish the chance to finally live alone." Tessa said with a smile.
"Yeah, well Axel and I make it work. I still can't believe you're here!" She said, the smile just wouldn't come off her face. The two talked for hours until finally Axel reminded Roxas that they should be going.
"Well, it was nice to meet you." Axel said politely, before practically dragging her roommate out of the diner.
"Hey, what's up with you? Are you alright?" Roxas demanded on the ride back to the apartment.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Axel hissed, glowering on the other side of the car. Roxas could practically see the rain cloud hovering above her head.
"No, what's wrong?" Roxas demanded.
"Nothing, maybe I just don't like being side lined by some chick I've never met before and spend a good two hours while you two play 'remember'." Axel snapped, anger finally getting the better of her.
"What? That's so not what happened! And what about all those nights we'd go clubbing and you'd just pick up some chick? How was I supposed to feel then?"
"What? Yeah, you sacrificed so much! You wanted to come with me! And you always had the keys so you could leave if you wanted! This is so not about that! Just drop it." Axel said, fuming. "I just want to know how many more girls from your past are going to drop in unannounced."
"Shut up! God! You know nothing! You've known me for like what? Three minutes, and you already think you know everything! God Axel, I can't believe you!" Roxas pulled up to the curb, unlocking the doors and refusing to look at the redhead. "Get out." She said harshly.
"Roxas?" Axel demanded.
"Get out of the car Axel."
"What? You want me to walk?" She asked.
"It's only two blocks." Roxas said, still not looking at her.
"No."
"Get out of the fucking car!" Roxas finally turned to face her. She sighed, and put her head in her hands. She turned away once more. "Please Axel, just leave."
Axel silently opened the car door and got out, watching as Roxas drove off. "Shit." She whispered, throwing her head back and sighing. How had she screwed everything up so completely?
--
"Dem? I think I really screwed up." Axel had walked back, and immediately called Demyx.
Demyx sighed. "What'd you do now, Axel?" He asked, sighing and sitting down with a cup of tea on the other side of the line.
Axel sighed. "I don't know! I mean, I was sort of a jackass, and I think I hit a nerve, and now she's pissed, and I don't know where she is!" She sighed, exasperated.
"Um, Axel? What did you do?" Demyx ask again.
"Well, we went to the diner, and he met up with someone she knew, back from when she was a kid or something, and they talked for like two hours while I was just sitting there. It was rude! I got mad, and she pushed! I mean, come on, if someone's mad, you don't push them on it!"
"Unless you care about them." Demyx interjected.
"What? God, you're right, damn it!" Axel sighed frustrated.
"Yeah, relax. Besides, you should know better! Did you really go for something with her past? Come on Axel, even you aren't that stupid!" Demyx sighed. There was silence on the other end of the line. "God, I can't believe you!"
"What?" Axel demanded, not understanding at all.
"Ugh! She clearly has issues with her past, abandonment and definitely a high need of family feelings!" Demyx sighed. "Sometimes Axel, I can't believe you!"
"How was I supposed to know that?" Axel demanded.
"Um, you live with her? Come on, I don't see her nearly as much as you do, and yet, somehow I knew that, what does that say about you?" Demyx asked.
"Gar! That I'm an idiot, and a jackass, and that I'm just completely a horrible person." Axel sighed. "How is it that you understand everything, and I'm so completely clueless?"
"Axel, shut up and go get the girl." Demyx said, laughing and hanging up.
Axel sighed. How was it that Demyx always knew when she was procrastinating? She sighed again. There really was no point in prolonging the inevitable.
Axel grabbed her cell phone and dialed Roxas' number. The blonde picked up on the fifth ring. She knew she had picked up, but there was silence on the other end of the line.
"Yes?" Roxas spoke softly, as if every word she spoke she had thought over three times first.
"Roxas? Roxas I'm so sorry! Where are you? I'll come get you." Axel asked, she was already pacing.
"No, I'm okay. I'm coming home, okay?" Roxas asked, she sounded tired, tired and stressed.
"Are you sure? I can come pick you up."
"No, good bye Axel, I'm on my way." Roxas disconnected the phone.
Roxas walked in half an hour later. Axel jumped up, running over to her and throwing her arms around the smaller girl. She held her tightly, running her fingers through the other girl's hair. "I'm so sorry."
"No, it's okay." Roxas said returning the hug. She clung to the redhead's chest, holding onto her for dear life. Axel walked them over to the couch, sitting down without letting go of the younger girl. It was then that she noticed that there were tears on Roxas' face.
"Sh, sh, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay." Axel soothed, pulling Roxas onto her lap, she held her tightly, trying to hold herself together. It hurt her to see the blonde like this, sobbing, hurt.
"What happened? Roxas, are you okay?" She asked, begging the other girl to talk to her, tell her she was okay, tell her she wasn't okay, tell her something, anything.
"I-I'll be okay." Roxas got out before her body was wracked with another round of sobs. She clutched at Axel, holding onto the only thing that felt solid right now.
"Ok. That's all I need to know." She held her closer, whispering soothing words in her ear. She didn't even know half of what she said.
"Can-can I . . ." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I want to talk to you." She said, looking up and meeting the older girl's eyes.
Axel stared deep into those amazingly blue eyes, tears still held within them. Somehow, the tears didn't make her less beautiful. Her nose was red and puffy, and her eyes were red as well, but to Axel, nothing had ever been as beautiful. She nodded.
Roxas gulped, then started talking. "I was four when my mom disappeared. Sora was eight I think." She took a shuddering breath, none of this was easy for her, but as she continued to talk, it seemed to become easier, she stopped less, and her voice didn't crack as much. But the tears continued to roll down her cheeks.
"I don't know what happened, just one day she didn't come home. Sora stayed with me for three weeks. We lived at home, in the apartment. He could make cereal, so that's what we had. Cereal and bread and water. The milk went bad really quickly, and after the first two weeks the electricity shut off. I think the neighbors finally realized we were living there and called the cops. I'm not really sure, but the next thing I know, Sora's running through the house, telling me to grab what I could because people were coming to lock us away." Axel held her tighter, tears now silently running down both their faces.
"I ran, but I was only four, I couldn't get away. There was no way I could keep up." She looked up at Axel, begging for forgiveness, she felt so much guilt. Why hadn't she just been able to keep up? It was her fault all this had happened. "I thought, maybe, if I had been better, if I had been a good girl mom wouldn't have left. Sora used to tell me that's not true, used to say that she loved us and wouldn't have left if she'd had a choice. I cried at night, after she left. He took care of me. Always has." She stopped for a moment, lost in the memories.
"But then they came. I tried to run, I really did." She was talking faster now, trying desperately to make Axel understand, she had run as hard as she could. "But I had such short legs. I couldn't run as fast as Sora. And then I fell. Sora, he stopped, he came back for me, but he knew he wouldn't make it if we stayed together. He told me he'd find me. That he'd get me out, but that I had to be a brave girl, and go with them. He said he had to get away so that he could come rescue me. So he went." Roxas wound her hand through Axel's interlocking their fingers.
"We don't have to talk about this now, if you don't want to." Axel said, pulling the smaller blonde closer. Roxas smiled weakly.
"No, I'm okay, really." She said, turning to look at the redhead. She smiled softly, but it didn't fool Axel.
"No, I think that's good for now. I think it's time for some hot chocolate. How about I run you a bath? We can talk about this later." Axel dragged them both up, pulling the blonde to the kitchen. "Look, just let me take care of you, okay? Do we have a deal?"
Roxas smiled and nodded, allowing Axel to pull her up and gently lift her up onto the counter. She sat on the counter, smiling slightly and watching as Axel went about the kitchen, grabbing a mug and hot chocolate mix. She put some water on to boil, and then went to the bathroom to put the water on for a bath. She dropped some aromatherapy beads into the water and left. She went back to the kitchen, grabbing the pot off the stove and pouring it into the mug she had ready.
"This will be hot, so let it sit for a moment." She grabbed the milk and a spoon, mixing the chocolate into the hot water. She went poured in some milk, then went back to the fridge. She added a little bit of half and half, then some cinnamon and nutmeg. She grabbed the whipped cream and topped the drink with it. She slid it over to her, and smiled as she took a sip.
"Your bath should be ready soon." Axel said, walking to the bathroom and fixing the bath. Roxas followed her quietly, leaning against the sink drinking her hot chocolate while the redhead messed with the bath.
"Hey, thank you." Axel said sitting on the rim of the bathtub.
"For what?"
"Sharing that with me. I know it's not easy." Axel said, dipping her hand into the water behind her. Roxas got up and walked over to join Axel on the rim of the bathtub.
"I know I can trust you." She said, looking straight into those incredibly green eyes.
"I want to know you." This was uncharted territory. Axel wasn't used to sharing things with people. She usually didn't open up to people, she never said exactly what she was thinking to someone, not so out right. She talked to Demyx, but that was the exception, and even then she wasn't this open, but staring into those blue, blue eyes, she felt completely naked. She felt like the other girl could see right through her.
Roxas nodded. "I love you."
Axel looked away. "You-are you ready?" Those words meant so much more than just what they seemed to say. It meant so much more than anything else, if she was ready to face it, if she was ready to deal with it, if she was ready to except what all of it meant.
Roxas took a stuttering breath, and looked at Axel. "Yes."
Axel reached out, touching her cheek. "I love you." She pulled her forward, pressing their lips together gently. Her heart rate went up as their bodies collided. Roxas pulled Axel towards her, crashing their lips together. It was like someone had lit them on fire. Everything was moving, colliding, coming together. They were pulling at each other, desperate for more, more friction, more skin against each other.
And then they slipped. Together they fell back into the tub of water, splashing everything. Axel burst out laughing. Roxas sat stunned for a few seconds, then joined in. "I can't believe we just did that."
"Well, there went your bath." The redhead said, smiling. She reached over and tenderly kissed Roxas on the forehead, pulling her into a hug one more time.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Ending Notes: Ok, so the contest is still going on, and I'm really hoping for some more entries! Also, I'm still looking for a beta reader/editor. So if your interested, let me know. So you got a little hinting of Roxas' past. Yes, its sad, yes, it sucks, but they're also together now! Yay! Oh, and you get some happier times coming soon. I mean, I have to finish telling you what happened to Roxas, and then you get good fluff like chapters. After all this angst, I think perhaps you deserve it. As well as I do. I need some nice fluffy times to write. I mean, if any of you have read my other fic, then you know I also write alot of things that make me sad, so I'm looking forward to writing some happy stuff. Yay!!! I liked the whole 'falling into the tub' thing. It makes me smile. Lolz, so let me know what you think, please. And also enter my contest please! Ok, thanks! Love you all.
Z
