Ok this one got a wee bit lengthy, so prepare yourself. Many thanks to my now official beta for like everything, the lovely Redfaerie. I feel like I have my own Vanna White now or something.


There was never enough room at the dining room table. The oak table only fit eight people, ten if everyone really squeezed. The table in the kitchen only fit six. And so everyone would gather in the living room, staking out any spot they could, squishing and leaning against one another, knocking elbows as they tried to eat. Nineteen people crowded in, each consumed in a different conversation with different people. Axel couldn't help but feel utterly at home. He had become accustomed to being alone; alone in crappy company provided apartments or hotel rooms, alone as he ate in restaurants or in his kitchen, typically over the sink. And now, he was completely surrounded. Xion reclined against his shoulder as she shoveled pasta into her mouth, Reno in the chair that he was reclining against, Roxas, Namine, Kairi and Sora encircled around him on the floor. Everyone chattering and talking, it was terrifically noisy, leaving Axel's pent up hunger for commotion completely satiated.

"Do you guys wanna go out after dinner?" Reno asked before taking another bite, looking around at anyone who would listen. The official adults ignored the request, continuing whatever conversation they were previously involved in.

"Reno, don't you have work tomorrow?" Cissnei questioned with a tone, that tone that said 'I am older than you and therefore know better', the one that annoyed her siblings to no end. But this time, Reno had the upper hand.

"Ah, now usually I would, but I, being the wonderful brother that I am, took tomorrow off to hang out with Axel. Which of course means that I am free to get totally hammered tonight." Cis rolled her eyes as she readjusted the baby in her arms, leaning over to take a forkful of pasta from her smirking husband. Roxas watched with a smile as he stood, two cleaned plates in his hands, and walked into the kitchen.

"Fine, go get hammered." She said through a mouthful of mostacolli.

"Come on, don't you wanna go?" Reno grinned, already knowing the answer. The eldest sibling only rolled her eyes again.

"No, I'm thirty seven, I'm way too old to go out with you people."

"Hey! I resent that!" Xigbar said with wide eyes, obviously repulsed by the idea of being too old to go out and get drunk. "I am only a year younger than you and I still get trashed."

"Xig, you realize one of your students is in this room, right? Your student and goddaughter?" Xaldin asked with an arched brow.

"My absolute favorite student and goddaughter." Xigbar quipped with a wink in Aqua's direction. The freshman girl only laughed and shook her blue head side to side as she continued eating.

"So does that mean you'll come out with us Xig?"

"No way man, my first class is at eight in the freaking morning."

"Cis, do you want me to take the baby so you can actually eat with your own hands?" Roxas asked as he emerged from the kitchen.

"That's why you're my favorite." She said with a sigh and handed the baby over happily, greedily snatching her plate from her husbands hands. "Xiggy, I really hope you don't talk like that in class." She directed her voice towards her friend, though her eyes met her daughters. Aqua only shook her head again, signifying that no, somehow he managed to have some sort of professionalism in the workplace of a freshman classroom.

"I would like to point out that no one has answered my question," Reno said with an exaggerated pout, his eyes momentarily locked on Namine. The blonde half smiled, turning her attention away from the man watching her. "Namine?" He asked, his smart ass smirk intact.

"Oh gee, I would, but I actually do have work tomorrow."

"Fine, be lame." Reno scoffed as he took his last bite. "Kai? Sora? Come oooon, I know you guys wanna go out!"

"Reno, you sound desperate." Kairi said, sighing as she leaned into Sora's lap.

"Sorry dude, we um have plans tonight."

"Yep, we've got plans." The small girl smiled as she lifted her face, enticing Sora's lips to meet her own. Her brothers only looked at each other with disgust.

"I find this all very disturbing." Axel said with a head shake. "Xi? You wanna come out?"

"Ummm I would, but it's a monday night." She grinned as she snatched his empty plate from him, using his tall shoulder as leverage as she stood. "And ya know, the typical excuse. Work. Not 'til five tomorrow, but still work." She shrugged, mockingly apologetic as she walked into the kitchen.

"This night is turning into a total bust yo." Reno complained as he let his neck slack, his head falling against the cushion of the chair. Xion patted his head gently as she returned from the kitchen, sinking down to the floor. "What about you and Aer?" He asked, his head lolling to the side, lazily staring at his cousin and his fiance.

"You wanna go out?" He asked, a surprisingly soft voice leaving his smiling lips.

"I'm actually really tired since I had the graveyard shift at the hospital last night," Aerith said with a gentle sigh, allowing her head to fall against his shoulder. "But you should go out, I'm probably just gonna pass out in about an hour." She giggled gently as he kissed her cheek. Reno and Axel watched with mild interest, feeling something resembling jealousy in the pits of their stomachs.

"Alright, I'll go out with you guys since you have no friends apparently." Vincent said, his arms wrapped around Aerith's shoulders, pulling her against his chest.

"Har har." Reno mocked.

Axel found his gaze on Roxas, silently bouncing the baby in his arms as he smiled down at it. Roxas was obviously in a world of his own with a baby in his arms. He had always been great with kids. It was charming honestly, Axel had almost forgotten how endearing it actually was. He could remember being seventeen, babysitting little Aqua with his then-boyfriend. Roxas was the one who would play games with her, read with her, clean her up. He was the parental one, Axel seemed to just be there. And though he would have never admitted it, probably still wouldn't admit it, he had always found himself fantasizing about the day he and Roxas would finally have kids of their own. He would let his mind wander to a future with the blond, a smile ever-present on his face, until he forced himself back to reality. The reality of getting the hell out of this town.

"Roxas, what about you?" His smile dreamy and vacant, Roxas was pulled back to the room.

"What about me?"

"Do you wanna go out tonight?" Axel asked, laying his head against his shoulder.

"Um I would...but I have plans." He said quietly, feeling his face start to heat. Axel nodded, biting his tongue, knowing what sort of plans he had. Plans probably similar to the plans his sister had with her boyfriend.

"Oh that reminds me, Rox?" Sora said, gaining the small circles attention. "Riku said to call him when you had free time, he knew you were babysitting so he didn't wanna bug you." Roxas could feel everyones gaze on him, specifically Axel's gaze, boring into the side of his face. He felt his hands grip the child a little tighter.

"O-ok, thanks Sora. Um then I'm gonna go call him now." He said, passing the baby off to the nearest person. Unfortunately for her, that nearest person was Namine. She took the baby in her hands unwillingly, watching Roxas stand and leave with saddened and desperate eyes. Reno could only watch her with a smile. She was cute when she was frustrated.

"My maternal instincts aren't exactly intact." Namine said as she held the baby away from her, letting it dangle in the air, gargling and spitting. Cissnei laughed gently as she stood and walked across the room to take her baby, Namine shrugging apologetically.

"How is it that Roxas would be a better mom than you?" Her secret lover asked, her glare soon meeting his bright eyes. "Anyways, how 'bout Cloud and Tifa?" He asked sadistically, savoring the glares from each of them. He was always looking to cause some sort of trouble, and he did it so well. Axel reached up to discreetly smack his brothers arm, making him scowl down at him.

"No thank you." Tifa hissed, standing, resisting the temptation to smash her plate against Reno's idiotic head as she passed him on her way to the kitchen.

"You're an ass." Kairi said as he escaped Sora's grasp, following her cousin into the kitchen. Cloud shook his head as he looked at his roommate, his best friend since grade school, the dumb ass who knew what buttons to press.

"What'd I do?" Reno shrugged, his smirk still on his face, not even trying to let it fade.

"Are you really that big of a douche?" Cloud asked, kneading the brow of his nose in frustration.

"Hey, she's not my ex. I was just trying to be considerate." The blond man took the liberty of whacking the back of his stupid red head as he passed into the kitchen. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but now the guilt was going to eat him up if he didn't do something.

"Tifa?" He cautiously peered around the corner of the door, seeing the two girls, one obviously comforting the other. Kairi looked over her shoulder, shaking her head as she stroked her cousins back. Cloud backed away from the door, sighing and hitting Reno again on his way back to his seat. "Good job dick." He rested his elbow on the arm of the chair, laying his chin against his fist as he glared at Reno. "Why'd you have to even say anything?"

"I didn't say anything!" Reno tried to defend himself, but it was pointless. And so, he did the next best thing. He deflected the anger. "Hey! Did Axel tell any of you yet that he's staying another week?" The room fell silent as everyone turned their attention to Axel, now wishing he could sink into the carpet. "Nope, I didn't think so." He snickered as he watched his plan succeed.

"I hate you so much sometimes."

~0~

"Holy shit, I haven't been here in forever." Axel said as they walked through the doors of the Cove, the local dive.

"Well, that's just not true. You were here the other night."

"Shut up Reno."

"I've only been in here once, and it looks exactly the same." Vincent said, shaking his head, unable to believe the apparent freeze in time, as they walked towards a table. "That was five years ago." He added, still astonished. "You'd think they'd change something."

"Nah, there's never a reason to change the Cove!" Reno exclaimed giddily as he walked to the bar.

"Well maybe the ID process, considering I was the only one old enough to be in here and they didn't seem to care." Reno scoffed as he returned with three beers, passing them over as he took a seat.

"That's the beauty of the Cove," he said, nodding his head for emphasis. "We've been coming here since we were, what? Seventeen?"

"I'm pretty sure sixteen."

"As a responsible adult, I don't know how I feel about that. But the teenager in me who once paid a homeless man thirty bucks for six pack is severely jealous that you guys lucked out with a place like this." Vince shook his head with a sneer, tipping his drink back.

"We did luck out with this place. Seriously, no one has ever ID-ed me anytime I've been in here." Reno laughed lightly. "It was Axel's leaving party right? Whenever you were here?"

"Yeah, it was a pretty good night. Besides mopey over here."

"I had just gotten dumped, what do ya want from me?"

"Some sort of excitement! I mean yeah, you did get dumped by Roxas, but we were supposed to be enjoying your last night in town."

"Reno, you don't get it. You've never been with someone like that before, all you ever do is sleep around. You've never actually loved anyone." Reno scoffed and let his head hang. If only he knew.

"Hi!" The blonde whispered excitedly as Reno climbed in through her window. He hated climbing in through the window, but he had missed her just enough to do it. Namine wrapped her arms around him as soon as he stood erect, smiling when she felt his arms wrap around her in return. "I missed you," she added.

"I can't even tell you how much I missed you." He said, sliding his fingers beneath her chin, forcing her gaze up, allowing him to kiss her finally after two whole months. "I hate when you leave for so long."

"I know, but it's sorta part of my job."

"Plus you like doing it."

"I love doing it, but I do miss you." She admitted with a grin, trying to stifle her laughter as his lips began to roam over her neck, his hands gently pushing her back to the bed. "So how many girls did you screw while I was gone?" The first question was always the same.

"How many guys did you screw?" He questioned between nips at her collar, his hands pulling her shirt up. His question was always the same as well. Neither really wanted to know the other's answer, neither really cared to be honest. It had become a long-standing joke between them, always repeated on the night of her latest arrival. "Wait, wait." Reno managed to stop himself to the surprise of both of them. He hadn't just come here for this. This was a big part of it, but it wasn't the only reason.

"Wait? Why? Don't you want me?" Namine asked with a giggle and malicious smirk. Of course he wanted her, he always wanted her.

"Of course I want you." He answered, squeezing the bridge of his nose in vexation. "Just...um wait." He took a deep breath. "I know you say you don't, but you love me. I know you do."

"Reno," she sighed in aggravation. She was sick of this conversation, the one they seemed to have all the time lately.

"Just listen, come on. Please?" He asked nicely, gently pressing his lips against her temple. She nodded, biting down her smile. "I know you love me, and even if you don't right now, I think you will eventually. And I love you. More than I can explain. What we have is really weird and crazy , but it's exciting and it's perfect. But not so perfect."

"What's not perfect?"

"I wanna tell people Nam, I want people to know. This secret crap is getting old, don't you think?"

"No, that's what's so exceptionally perfect about this."

"I want you, and I only want you. And I want people to know that I have you. I mean, don't you want me?" He loved being able to turn the tables.

"Of course," she exhaled, obviously frustrated.

"Ok, I'm gonna stop rambling now alright?"

"And we can get to the sex?"

"Namine I want you to marry me." Her heart almost stopped. This was not the same conversation they'd been having for years. This conversation had just taken a very serious turn.

"W-what?"

"I love you, and I just...I want you to marry me."

"Reno, why are you doing this?" The redhead had expected something like this, he hadn't been able to imagine in his wildest dreams that she would actually say yes, but if he didn't ask, he'd hate himself for it. And who knew? Maybe this would prompt a change in heart in her, this anti-traditional super woman. Maybe she would want to marry him.

"Because I love you."

"Love isn't real Reno."

"Yes it is, I know it is. Because it's how I feel about you. So marry me. And if you don't wanna marry me, just be with me."

"Reno, I..." Namine fell silent as she stood up, crossing her arms over her bare chest. "I think you should go. We can talk tomorrow." Reno sighed, dragging his hands over his face, finally nodding as he stood up.

"Fine, we'll talk tomorrow."

"So how'd you ask Aerith to marry you?" Reno asked, forcing himself out of his memories.

"I asked her in our apartment, it wasn't really anything special I don't think. I'm not really good with shit like that."

"No, you're not. Considering you used to be a man whore like this one." Axel said with a nod in his brother's direction, only inciting an eye roll. "So what'd you say?" Vincent shrugged gently, taking another sip of his beer, obviously unwilling to spill.

"How'd you know? I mean, what made you change?" Reno asked, his eyes intensely focused on his cousin. Vincent cocked his brow at the questioner as he set his bottle down on the table.

"Well, the thing about Aerith is, when I'm with her, I always wanna be with her. It was like after the first time we had sex, I knew right after that. With other girls, I always wanted to get out of there. As soon as it was done, I was just aching to pull my pants back on and just leave. But with Aer...she was the only girl I've ever fallen asleep with. Other girls have fallen asleep with me, but I'd just lay there, waiting for the right time to go. But with her, I just fell asleep. And when I woke up in the morning, and she was still there, that was where I wanted to stay." Axel and Reno both felt their stomachs drop. They watched their cousin smirk and drink his beer. He wasn't fucking with them, he wasn't being an ass, he was a different person.

"Well cheers to that." Axel raised his bottle with a grin, graciously clinking it against the other two. "There's just one thing I have to know though, did you ask after our mom?" Vincent nodded solemnly.

"I had already bought the ring, I was just waiting for the right time. And after I found out...it's like the only thing I wanted to do was be with Aerith, and that was the right time."

"I'm really happy for you." Reno said seriously, a genuine smile on his face. There was no trace of sadism, sarcasm or mockery, something that was not typical for the redhead. Vince nodded in thanks, exchanging a slightly confused glance with his other cousin.


D'aww poor Reno. Namine always shuttin him down. And yes, he did in fact propose to her and she did in fact say noooo. So this was the 4th chapter of this day and the next chapter will definitely be the next day, promise. And one more thing, I have a new story! It's another akuroku, so if you're interested check it out! I think it should be pretty good.