Rating: M

A/N: Dear Nel, I kepeesh

Bitter

Chapter 12

--

Roxas had arrived home an hour later, shutting the front door and taking a deep, shaky breath. He hesitated for a long moment then began to search for his brother, wondering how he'd be able to ask Cloud if he could leave since he was all he had left, or if he should. It'd kill him if Axel caught his HIV.

The blond paused, debating. He was so preoccupied that he didn't even see his brother approaching him.

"Hey honey," came Cloud's voice, making Roxas jump. Shades of blue locked.

"Hi Cloud… I uhm, need to talk to you about something…" The elder blond blinked.

"Okay."

--

Cloud patiently listened, allowing Roxas tell him what was going on, letting him tell him about Axel's plans to move since he got into the school he wanted to and how the red-head had asked him to come along.

"Do you want to go honey?" he asked.

"I do! But I'm torn because I don't want to leave you either and I… I'm just unsure." Cloud smiled.

"Well, he must love you a lot," he reasoned, "Since he asked you to go with him even though you have HIV." Roxas bit his lower lip, looking down, and the older blond's face fell. "You didn't tell him, did you?" Roxas closed his eyes.

"I can't… I mean… I know that I should, but… I… I don't know how to." Cloud hugged his brother, sighing softly.

"The opportunity will present itself when the time is right, I'm sure," he said, resting his chin on top of the smaller boy's head. "Now, about going with him," he continued. Roxas tensed. "I want you to know that even though I'll miss you terribly, I'm not against you going."

"Really?"

"Really. Roxas… I only want happiness for you. You deserve it. And if being with Axel makes you happiest, then that's who I want you to be with, so long as you continue to take your medicine and check in with me regularly." Roxas hugged his brother tightly, thanking him.

"You know, I'm going to miss you horribly too, right?" Cloud laughed lightly, nodding.

"You're welcome to call or come by any time. The key you have to this house will always be yours." Roxas smiled, hugging his brother more tightly.

"I love you, Cloud." The elder blond returned the smile.

"I love you too, Roxas."

"I know," the blond whispered before beginning to slip away.

"Roxas?" Roxas glanced back at his brother.

"…Yes?"

"My offer still stands to castrate him if he hurts you." The blond laughed before grinning at the smirk on his brother's lips.

"Thanks, Cloud."

--

Weeks later, after much continued planning from the red-head, packing, and discussions with Cloud, Roxas was hugging his brother goodbye. Shades of blue locked, each shining.

"Be careful honey." Roxas nodded, sniffling and hugging Cloud tightly one more time.

"Come and visit me soon, okay?" Cloud smiled.

"Of course," he whispered, kissing the top of his brother's head and raising his chin. "Behave yourself, okay? Roxas smiled back.

"I will," he said softly, picking up a bag full of last minute stuff.

"Bye, Roxas," the Cloud whispered as his brother began to walk away. Roxas put the bag in the trunk of Axel's mother's car then waved one last time before getting in. She was going to help the two move since Cloud and Marluxia had to work and couldn't get out of it.

"Hey, Rox," Axel whispered, taking the blond's hand in his own. Their fingers entwined.

"Hey," the blond whispered back as their eyes locked.

"You okay?" Roxas nodded, smiling sadly.

"I'm just going to miss Cloud a lot."

--

They drove for two hours, ending up at a place called Atlantica. It was well-known for its emphasis on music, art and the ocean surrounding it and was sometimes referred to as Ocean City. Roxas smiled when they arrived and could see why the red-head wanted to live here someday. It was stunning.

"What do you think?" Axel whispered.

"It's beautiful." The red-head smiled in response just before Aerith stopped the car.

"We're here guys." Roxas glanced out the window and saw the building that they were to live in. It was a large apartment building, having four floors, and looked like it was built at least fifty years prior.

"Which floor are we going to be on?" he asked the red-head in a hushed tone.

"The first since there are patio doors and we can fit a piano in that way—hope that's okay." Roxas smiled, nodding. He hadn't even realized that Axel had been planning on bringing one.

"Hey mom, do you mind if I show Roxas around first?" he asked.

"Not at all honey," she replied.

The red-head smiled at his blond, grasping Roxas' hand and taking him inside the building. Roxas was happy to see that the landlord seemed to be keen on cleanliness and that the interior wasn't filthy. He let Axel lead him to their new residence; apartment eight.

The red-head stuck the key into the lock, unlocking the door with ease before taking his keys out of the door and putting them into his pocket. Axel opened the door, letting Roxas go inside first.

The blond stepped into the living quarters. There was a small entryway that opened up to the living area. The kitchen was fair in size and partially closed off from the living room. Axel locked the door then led the blond further into the apartment.

There was a small closet at the beginning of the hallway that led to the two bedrooms. Across from the first bedroom, there was a full bathroom and at the end of the hallway, a larger bedroom. It was double the size of the first.

"Do you want the bigger room, the smaller room, or do you want to share?" the red-head asked. Roxas glanced back at him. He wanted to share a room, but at the same time he was afraid to because of his disease.

"I'll take the smaller room," he replied. Axel nodded slowly and the blond smiled softly. "For now…"

"Alright," the red-head replied, squeezing Roxas' hand gently.

"Which piano did you bring?" Roxas asked.

"It's new so you haven't seen it yet—a gift from my parents. It's a digital Yamaha piano so it won't take up as much space."

"I can't wait to see it," the blond replied, smiling.

"I suppose we'd better start then. If you want to wait here, mom and I can bring in the piano first." Roxas nodded.

"Alright." He watched as Axel slipped away, going through the patio door.

In the red-head's absence, the blond glanced around once more. He liked this place. It was nice and spacious and looked like it'd been remodeled recently. The walls were white and there was a neutral colored carpet on the floor. Roxas briefly wondered if they'd be allowed to paint as he glanced outside through the patio door. It even looked like he and Axel had a little bit of grassy area that would be theirs, since they were in the back of the building. He smiled when he saw the red-head and Aerith approaching and opened the door for them.

The two set the piano down while Roxas locked the patio door. It had barely fit. "Ready to unload the rest?" Aerith asked. Roxas and Axel nodded, heading for the door.

--

They finished unpacking and arranging furniture almost two hours later.

Roxas sat on the red couch that Axel's parents had given them to use, utterly exhausted. He hadn't realized they'd had so much stuff until then. He looked out into the room. Across from the sofa, and off to the side, were the piano, and in the corner, a TV and game consoles as well as lots of boxes mostly with food in them from Axel's mother and Cloud, who had been more of a mother hen than Aerith had.

"Thank you so much for the help, mom," Axel said, hugging her and pulling Roxas out of his thoughts.

"It was nothing, baby, thank you for letting me help." Axel nodded as she handed him a list. "These are the numbers of all of the fast food places here in town, for when you and Roxas get hungry later. I'm sure you're not going to unpack everything tonight." The red-head nodded again.

"Thanks mom." Aerith beamed then hugged Axel one more time.

"I'm going to get going then. Call me if you need anything," she said, pulling back then going to Roxas and hugging him as well. "You too, honey," she whispered. Roxas nodded.

"Thank you, Aerith." The brunette smiled.

"Bye, you two, have fun settling in," she replied, pulling away and then exiting the apartment as Roxas waved. Axel closed and locked the door behind her then walked up to the blond.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, reviewing the list. Roxas nodded.

"Yeah."

"How about ordering a pizza then?" He asked, sitting beside the smaller boy. The blond smiled.

"I'd like that," he replied. Axel smiled.

"What kind do you want?"

"Whatever—I'm not picky."

"Okay, great."

Roxas smiled softly as the red-head began to order their pizza then got up and went into the kitchen, a large box full of food in hand, to take a closer look and start to unpack. It looked like they had a lot of cupboard space under the counters and in hanging cabinets as well. He smiled up at the red-head when he joined him.

"What're you doing?"

"Just going to unpack a little."

"You don't have to."

"But I want to start. The sooner, the better and the more room we'll have." Axel smiled slightly.

"Care for some help then?" he asked, walking further into the room.

"If you want to," Roxas replied, glancing over his shoulder.

"Of course," he whispered. "Where do you want everything?" Roxas peered into the box.

"Uhm well… let's put the things that need refrigeration into the fridge first."

"Alright. They should all be in this box- mom put them all together."

"Okay. Don't worry about where you put stuff- we can just rearrange it later if it's a mess." The red-head nodded, opening the door and putting the items inside as Roxas handed them to him one by one.

"There all done. I vote for taking a break."

"But we just started," Roxas said amusedly. "You're giving up on helping me already?"

"Nope."

"Nope?"

"That's right—you're taking a break with me," he said, scooping up the blond and holding him bridal style. Roxas gasped.

"Axel, put me down!" The red-head smirked.

"Why?"

"Because I want to unpack more!" Roxas whined. Axel's smirk widened.

"Nope, sorry babe," he said, walking down the hall as Roxas writhed and into his bedroom, turning on the light with his elbow. "Now if I set you down, no running away." Roxas bit his lower lip.

"Fine," he replied. Axel set him down and he began to walk out of the room. He was unsurprised but still displeased when the red-head grasped his waist. Roxas looked up. "I didn't run, I was walking." The older boy seemed amused.

"Unpacking can wait. Or don't you want to spend time with me?"

"Of course I do… I just…" the blond replied, turning around to face the red-head. He was halfway pouting. "Okay… fine." Axel brightened before sitting then patted the floor, having Roxas join him. The red-head looked at the blond studiously.

"Do you still miss Cloud?" Roxas nodded.

"Yeah... It's gonna be different... not living with him."

"Not regretting coming with me, are you?" The blond shook his head.

"Never." Axel smiled.

"Good," he whispered. "Now… since that's not it, what's on your mind? You've seemed… distracted." Roxas' eyes widened slightly, his heart pounding.

"I… uhm..."

"Are you still upset with me for not spending time with you lately?" Roxas nodded.

"Y-yeah," he whispered, halfway lying and glancing away. Axel raised his chin, making him look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Roxas whispered back.

"Why not, if I'm at fault?" The blond looked away.

"Just don't." Axel nodded.

"Alright, sure," he whispered, eyes lingering on the blond's face.

"Axel?"

"Yes?"

"What're you thinking about?" The red-head let Roxas go, scratching the back of his head instead.

"Just worrying about you."

"Can I change that?" Roxas whispered, leaning closer.

"Afraid not, since I'm the cause," Axel whispered back, smirking and closing the space between them, kissing the blond briefly before pulling back. He was surprised, yet pleased when Roxas leant back in and returned the kiss and the smaller boy closed his eyes as the red-head cupped his cheek. The older male began to nibble on the blond's lower lip before licking it and Roxas tremored, letting him continue, kissing back until the red-head pulled back. They stared at one another longingly for a long moment then the red-head pushed the blond down. Roxas found himself gasping as his lover prowled on top of him.

Axel bent down until they were barely an inch apart, placing a hand on either side of the blond to support himself. "Not afraid to have me on top of you, are you?" he whispered. Roxas nodded, hating Luxord for more reasons than one.

"A little bit."

"Want me to get off?" Roxas hesitated.

"I'll give it a try," he whispered, just before the red-head's lips engulfed his own once more and Axel ravished his mouth. The blond reached up weaving his hands into that fiery hair, pulling Axel closer as he deepened the kiss. Roxas relaxed his jaw and the older male's tongue slipped into his mouth. They brushed, just before the blond began to participate for a second time. Axel held Roxas in place as he pulled back, biting the blond's lower lip then worked his way down the smaller boy's chin.

Roxas gasped as the red-head trailed open-mouthed kisses down his neck and then proceeded to bite and suckle at the skin harshly. The blond moaned, pulling the red-head closer and Axel ran his tongue along the sensitive skin before claiming a new area. Roxas moaned again, more loudly this time, but tensed when a hand slid up his shirt. Axel continued to kiss him all the while, not seeming to notice. The blond moaned into his mouth once more, shaking as his lover began to play with him. The red-head was making his body temperature shoot up at an alarming rate and he was quite relieved when a knock came from their door.

Axel hesitated then pulled back, glancing toward the door. He frowned before looking down at the blond once again. "Guess that's the pizza," he whispered. Roxas nodded. "Be right back," he said, kissing the blond's cheek before getting off. Roxas closed his eyes for a long moment then got up, going into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

He stared at his reflection. His hair was more disheveled than usual and there were two angry red marks on his neck. Roxas was certain they'd be bruises. He frowned, touching them and wincing. He sighed softly. Yep; they would, the found himself thinking. Roxas leaned against the wall, sliding down to the floor, closing his eyes again and letting out a shaky breath.

He couldn't believe how much he'd liked that and was scared shitless because of how quickly his body had reacted to the red-head. He still felt like he was burning up and banged his head against the wall, biting his lower lip to keep from muttering about how much his life sucked, deciding to stay where he was for a while.

--

-TBC-

A/N: Sorry for taking such a very long time to update.
Currently I'm emoing off and on. If you talk to me outside of FFN, you know why. I hope anyway.

If you liked it, or if you didn't, please do tell me? Thanks.