Chapter Twelve
Words of Wisdom
They all awoke extra early Sunday morning, each with their mind set on visiting a probably much calmer Axel in the hospital. He was placed in a rehab center just 20 minutes out of the city and Marluxia had offered to drive them all, they just had to take Naminé's family van.
They all sat in their seats and began the drive as soon as Axel's mother called from the new hospital with the directions. According to his mother, the boy was in a foul mood but none of the friends minded. They had dealt with the hothead half of their lives and Roxas (who was new to Axel's temper) knew he would not be too angered if the redhead was cold towards him. He knew the punk was suffering a great deal and Roxas could be very forgiving, especially since he wanted the punk to get better.
"So, Roxas what's the deal with you and Axel?" Larxene asked, to Roxas' dismay they had been seated together in the back of the van. The boy felt his throat constrict but with a quick swallow, he answered.
"I-I-I'm not sure, we both have f-feeling for each other," Roxas said and Larxene raised a thin, angry eyebrow at the boy. He was not sure if it was an angry facial expression, with Larxene, you could never tell or at least he could not.
"I see," she replied and looked straight, her jaw set tight and Roxas watched the girl for a few minutes until she let out a long breath through her nose and turned back to Roxas.
"Kid, Ax means a lot to me and he's obviously messed up, are you sure you can deal with it? Don't go fucking around with him and giving him some false hope because I'll fucking kill you," She hissed, and her eyes held all the honesty in the world. Roxas swallowed around the lump in his throat terrified but felt like he had to defend his feelings for the redhead, despite his fear of the girl.
"My intentions with Axel a-are pure and I…I don't care if he has his problems, we all do. He's still the same underneath," Roxas spoke and it was all him, his own thoughts and feelings. It felt so good to tell someone what was going through his mind. He felt a smile tugging at his lips, Axel would be proud.
"That better be your answer, I was going to smash your little Blondie head into the window," Larxene said with a malicious smile on her face, Demyx caught on to their conversation and decided to interject.
"How could you even accuse Roxy of having bad intentions towards Ax? Look at the kid; he's got a chastity belt on his chastity belt!" The dirty blonde, Marluxia and Larxene howled with laughter and Roxas felt a fiery blush burn his cheeks. Naminé turned from her front seat and shot them all deadly glares.
"Why don't you all leave Roxas alone? Just because he's saving himself isn't a reason to make fun of him!" Naminé scowled at them and they all tried to suppress the remaining giggles still bubbling in their throats.
"Good thing Axel is talented at lock picking, huh?" Marluxia said, staring into the rearview mirror straight at Roxas and receiving a jab in the ribs from Naminé. Roxas thought he was going to pass out; all his body's blood was rushing into his face to fuel the tremendous blush there.
"Oh Marly, that was fucking great!" Demyx said, hiding his laughing face in Zexion's shoulder. Roxas looked towards his fellow catholic for some help but judging by the blush on the blue haired boy's face, he was not going to receive any in this argument. Larxene caught Roxas looking at Zexion and burst out laughing again.
"Oh, oh Roxas, you don't think Sexy Zexy is a virgin do you?" she asked and Roxas' eyes widened to the size of expensive china.
The three started laughing again, even Naminé adding a few giggles and Roxas looked towards Zexion who was hiding his face behind his scarf and had a glare set straight to the back of Naminé's car seat.
"Z-Zexion…you've already…?" the blonde trailed off and Demyx shot him a smug look, a curvy little grin on his pink lips.
"Oh, he has, he has," he said and nuzzled his nose into the quickly disappearing face of Zexion. Roxas looked mortified and the blush on his face increased if that was even possible.
"Is anyone here…a virgin?" he squeaked, Larxene, Demyx and Marluxia laughing loudly but Naminé and Zexion kept quiet with light blushes on their cheeks. Roxas looked around the car and his eyes felt like they were slipping out of their sockets.
"Oh…well then," he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat trying to get comfortable in the suddenly uncomfortable car seat. It was probably embarrassment.
"Don't worry! As soon as we get some meat on Axel's bones, he'll jump yours!" Demyx said with a bright smile and Roxas choked on his spit, Larxene taking the opportunity to smack the boy on the back.
"You guys! Can we just concentrate on Axel's problem instead of Roxas' virginity? We're almost at the hospital so we need to decide the game plan," Naminé said worriedly, and twisted her white scarf between her thin fingers. Everyone settled quickly and then began to think of ways to approach the delicate situation. Demyx Aha'd and everyone turned to look at him.
"We should get him like, a pound of weed and then he'll get killer munchies and then wha-la, he'll be eating like no tomorrow!" The boy said as if it was genius, Naminé stretched back and smacked him in the back of his head. He pouted and rubbed the sore spot.
"I thought it was a good idea, I mean, I clean out my fridge every time!" He said with the same pout and Zexion disguised his laugh behind a cough. Roxas shook his head, and Marluxia seemed to consider it.
"You guys, we need a serious plan. Like, he's going to be really upset that we found out…we have to do something to get him out of thinking he's fat …this all started because of elementary!" Naminé said, and her shoulders sagged as she looked at Roxas.
"We have to tell him the story," she said and looked around the car, Larxene volunteered to tell it.
"Axel was a really fat little kid, and I mean he was massive!"
"Larxene!" the others hissed and she raised her hands defensively before continuing, "Okay, okay! This older kid in our school pointed it out one day, and after that, everyone saw it. All through out elementary people would call him really mean names and made him cry a lot. He started to loose a lot of the weight in middle school and eventually his mom caught wind of strange eating habits, took him to the hospital when he passed out from starvation and he was placed in a special treatment for a week with a psychiatrist and everything. He still wasn't getting better, obviously even if he said otherwise," Larxene heaved a breath and Roxas frowned.
"We have to convince him…he isn't that heavy little boy anymore," Roxas said quietly and everyone nodded.
"We do, but how?" Naminé asked and Roxas bit his bottom lip.
"We should all just get him to see that we care…Can I talk to him first?" he asked as they neared the hospital and no one objected, agreeing that he would be the first to speak with the redhead as they walked out of the car and towards the hospital.
Naminé did most of the talking, asking nurses and receptionists which way it was to get to Axel's room. It was like a regular hospital, though it had a much homier feel to it. They found Axel's mother sitting in a living room like area with a jittery knee and a cup of coffee. She stood to greet them when the group neared her; her smile was thin and tired, along with the rest of her.
"Axel's just in his room, I went to get something to drink," the woman explained, holding up her half empty cup. Roxas realized Axel looked a lot like her; they had the same sharp features and lean frame. Her eyes were the same blazing emerald colour and her hair was just as straight as the redhead's was, only his was always styled crazily, unlike her plain, brown, ponytail.
"Rob just left for work," she continued leading the group to the punk's room and stopping in front of the door.
"Who's gonna be the first brave soul to step in? He's been horribly bitchy," she sighed tiredly and Naminé smiled, nudging Roxas softly.
"Oh, uhm…May I?" he asked approaching the door and the woman smiled, side stepping him and letting him in.
"Go ahead honey, just be careful. He's a little twig filled with teen angst," Roxas heard all their laughter as he closed the door softly behind him. He walked into the room, which was fairly large and had a set of couches in the corner by a television and a bathroom. There was also a lump on the bed, which moved slightly at the sound of his footsteps.
"Axel?" the boy called softly as he approached the blanket covered mass, only receiving a hiss in response.
"Axel, it's me…Roxas," the boy tried, and stood near the bed. He saw strands of crimson hair spilled on the white pillow sheet, indicating that the redhead was indeed under the covers. He got a muffled reply.
"I know that, I have an eating disorder not amnesia," the punk hissed crossly and Roxas frowned. Suddenly, bravery welled in his chest and he went to the foot of the bed, gripped the sheets and tugged them clean off the body. Axel shot up; his hair puffy with static and underneath his eyes sat heavy purple rings. Roxas winced at the angry scowl on the boy's face.
"Give me my fucking blankets, Roxas," the punk said, and Roxas just balled them up against his chest staring at the redhead the entire time.
"No, Axel," he said and smiled when the boy glared at him. The sight of long, pale legs caught the blonde's attention and he found himself staring intently at the smooth skin that covered the redhead's lean legs. His mouth felt dry all of a sudden, a strange warmth building in the pit of his stomach…the boy had nice legs. He had to tear his eyes away at the sound of the older boy speaking.
"Why are you here?" Axel asked and Roxas walked around to stand beside the redhead, sheets still bunched up in his arms, pushing the odd feelings into the back of his mind.
"I came to visit you, to see if you were alright," Roxas said softly and stared down at the sheets he was holding.
"It's Sunday; don't you have better things to do, like…pray?" Axel questioned but Roxas could hear the cruel intent behind his words. He ignored them and looked up, meeting Axel's questioning gaze.
"It is Sunday, and I have prayed. I think God could forgive me for missing mass this once. I have a friend I need to knock some sense into," Roxas said, a soft smile on his face when Axel pouted cutely.
"God wouldn't forgive you for coming to see me, I'm-" Roxas cut him off, raising his hand to the other male's face and shaking his head.
"Don't say that Axel, I'm sure God loves you very much though I wouldn't say he's too pleased with you right now," The blonde said, picking lint off the sheets and Axel curled his top lip.
"What do you mean?" he asked, and Roxas sighed, looking up at the boy again.
"With that you're doing to yourself Axel," Roxas whispered and Axel stiffened, he could hear the bed creak as the boy moved.
"I'm not doing anything…" Axel mumbled and Roxas tossed the sheets onto the floor angrily.
"What do you mean Axel; you're killing yourself, is that not something?" Roxas said, trying to keep his anger in check.
"So what? No one would miss me…I'm just this…disgusting blob," Axel whispered staring down at the bed as he curled his legs up to his stomach and wrapped his arms around them. Roxas recognized the closed off position and outstretched his hand, placing it gently on the punk's knee.
"That's not true Axel. You have all these wonderful friends sitting right outside of that door, worried sick, along with a great mother and father who would miss you horribly," Roxas said softly and the boy looked at him with sad, teary eyes. The expression didn't suite the redhead at all.
"How can they love me, when I'm disgusting?" Axel asked frowning and Roxas shook his head moving his hand from the boy's knee to his cheek, making sure the boy kept looking at him. He was going to tell the redhead how wrong he was, he was going to confess to him how he had caught his eye from the moment he saw him in late November.
"Axel, I'm going to help you. I'm going to try and get you out of this…horrible mind frame you've put yourself in but first…you need to be willing to accept it and admit that it's wrong," Roxas said, a smile tugging at his lips when Axel's eyes widened in realization. It was what he had said to him in the bathroom all those weeks ago, strange how they felt so distant now.
"But Roxas…it's not wrong, look at me…" Axel whimpered, eyes watering even more and Roxas wiped a few stray tears away with his thumb shaking his head.
"I am Axel, and do you know what I see?" Roxas asked softly and the boy shook his head against his palm. His heart started to pound in his chest, this was where he would tell Axel…the butterflies returned when he felt those green eyes set on him.
"Y-y-you're…you're handsome Axel…really. From the moment I saw you, I thought so. You aren't too heavy, or anything…you need to see that, you need to see how wonderful you are…how much people would miss you if you'd disappear" Roxas said quietly
"No one would miss me…" Axel said just as quietly and Roxas shook his head, tilting the punk's face just the slightest bit, their eyes locking.
"That's not true Axel…I would" and Roxas watched Axel's face for a few minutes before leaning in and pressing his lips shyly against the other boy's. He pulled away, feeling his bright blush spreading like wildfire of his face and smiled at the shock on the punk's face. He prayed to God that he did it right.
"You…Roxas…I….well," Axel stammered, eyes wide and he blinked a few times.
"Please Axel, just accept the help everyone is offering, we'll all be by your side every step of the way…you need to get better," Roxas pleaded, and the red head simply stared.
"I don't know…I'm…well, I'm scared," Axel said and Roxas wrapped his arms around the boy quickly, the action surprising them both.
"Don't be…you have to trust people Axel, we only want…to help," Roxas mumbled against the punk's soft hair, Axel shifted and then wrapped his arms around Roxas' waist. He hid his face in the crook of the blonde's neck and inhaled deeply.
"I'll think about it…," he said softly and Roxas smiled, pecking Axel on the forehead like Roxas' mother used to when she was pleased with something the blonde did.
"Thank you so much, but the other's want to talk to you before we leave…I should go," Roxas said pulling away but Axel held him a little tighter.
"Come visit me, please…I…well, I like having you around, you're a lot better at talking to people then I would have thought," Axel said a hint of his old teasing laying underneath and Roxas nodded.
"I'll come as often as Naminé does, if you promise to get better," Roxas said and Axel bit his bottom lip, chewing on the plump flesh for a few seconds.
"I'll think about it…" Roxas sighed but accepted the answer as Axel finally let him go.
"The other's wanted to say hi," Roxas added quickly, shifting his weight on each foot and Axel nodded his head, telling him to let them in. Roxas smiled and hurried to the door, letting in Naminé, or better said, getting pushed out of the way by Naminé.
He took a seat beside Zexion as the boy read a magazine, frowning at whatever was written on the glossy pages.
"These things are mindless," the teen sighed, tossing it aside and stretching. Roxas smiled as a million questions swam in his mind.
"Zexion…about what was said in the car…" Roxas asked shyly, the blue haired boy turned to face him, visible eye wide, and his lips were pressed firmly together.
"I'm not going to yell at you…don't worry," Roxas said quickly, and the boy visibly relaxed, somewhat, until Roxas opened his mouth again.
"What was it like? Was it with Demyx…Do you love him? How…?" all the questions poured out of the boy's mouth before he could stop himself and Zexion chuckled softly, shaking his head at the seventeen-year-old's innocence.
"I think we've created a free-thinking monster," he teased and Roxas blushed, before clearing his throat.
"Y-you don't have to tell me, I'm just curious," Roxas mumbled and Zexion shifted a bit, tucking his right foot under his left leg.
"To answer your questions, it was with Demyx and yes I love him very much. As to what it was like and how…I think it's best to leave those unanswered," The boy said with a blush bright enough to rival Roxas'.
"W-well, you don't have to answer," he said and looked at his shoes, and watched the way the light made different patterns on the shined leather. Larxene who had been listening intently the entire time leaned in and smirked, Zexion going pale at the sight of her and Roxas jumping a few inches off his chair in fright.
"I think I could answer those," she said and Zexion began shaking his head furiously, but Roxas looked at her curiously.
"Would you really?" he asked and she nodded her head enthusiastically, cutting off Zexion's protest.
"I think you should go into sex prepared, don't you Zexy?" she asked though she did not wait for an answer and continued, "What it's like…Hm, that's a tricky question. Well Roxas, there's this little thing inside of you called a prostate and when that's touched it creates these wonderful sensations" she explained, making a walnut sized hole to demonstrate the size with her pointer finger and thumb as she told Roxas about his newly discovered prostate. The boy stared in awe as she explained this and Zexion buried his face into his scarf again, watching as Naminé stepped out of the room, a soft smile on her face and as Marluxia walked in.
"Wait, they do what?" Roxas shouted and Zexion spun around to see the blonde's eyes wide and shocked. He looked towards Larxene and the girl smirked, he caught the action she was doing with her hands and it was not at all pleasant. He had just turned for a few seconds and already she had scarred the other teen.
"B-but why?" Roxas stammered and before Larxene had time to answer, Zexion did.
"Roxas that is simply the way…uhm…males have intercourse other males. Male and female intercourse is completely different. As to why, it's to show the love two people have for each other…it's giving that person everything you have to offer," Zexion said, regretting having let Larxene explain the brunt of it to the seemingly traumatized blonde.
"I was gonna say that," Larxene replied with a wave of her hand and a twisted smirk on her elfin features. Both boys looked at her, one with understanding and the other with a look that told her he knew she was a filthy liar.
"So, Roxas, think you're ready to give up your ass virginity?" Larxene asked and the boy paled, swallowing becoming a much harder task and she laughed, clutching her stomach as she doubled over.
"P-p-priceless…" she gasped and Roxas blushed, hiding his face in his cold hands.
The two boys chose to ignore her for the remainder of their visit; she was still lightly chuckling as she walked in to speak with Axel.
Demyx was the last to go in, and when he came out he was almost crying, a thousand watt smile on his face as he burst out of the room.
"He's going to take the help this time! He promised!" Demyx said happily, sounding like he was about to choke on tears. Everyone let out their own shouts or sounds of approval and they all left the hospital with promises of visits and bright smiles.
Roxas was still slightly traumatized, but over all the news that Axel was going to accept the help elated the boy and made the drive home that much shorter.
Now the only things plaguing his mind were going home, and the fact that his mother and brother were supposedly coming to the city.
A/N: Ugh, these are coming a little later each time huh? But I think I'm spoiling you guys xD
ANYWAYS, I hope you all enjoyed this and if there is any typos, I'm sorry );
Review if you'd like, and thank you for all the support and for reading this mind gunk xD
