If it Never Happened
Author's Note: I want to take the time to give another shout out to NateWantsToBattle and their wonderful song "Hold Onto You" every time I hear it my AkuRoku heart beats so hard! LOVE IT!
ENJOY THE FIC!
Chapter 12: Rivalry in Love
Axel walked to the gate of Roxas' home. Nerves and doubts plagued his mind as he recalled what happened with Vanita. He wasn't sure what possessed him to agree… okay so maybe he did. She was an attractive willing female offering up comfort and company with essentially no strings attached. He loved Roxas, he made that clear to Vanita, but she didn't seem to mind.
"I'm well aware I'm not your first choice. So if we're doing this you're going to want to tell Roxas. She'll get pissed finding out from anyone else, especially me. Besides if you play your cards right this could be the ultimatum you're looking for."
What the heck did she mean by ultimatum? Axel scrubbed hands through his hair before ringing that doorbell. He didn't have time to prepare his heart before Roxas opened the door. He felt the first twinges of guilt and longing.
"Axel?"
"Yo, Roxas."
"What are you doing here after dark? Is something wrong?" She showed concern which warmed his heart.
"No… not exactly… you got a few minutes? I'd like to talk with you." He pointed behind him indicating he wanted to walk and talk. "Privately."
The tone of his voice and the look in his eyes had her nodding in agreement. She called out to her mom letting her know she was stepping out then walked beside Axel in the fading light. After a few minutes of walking she broke the silence with a deep sigh.
"So...wanna tell me what's going on."
"Vanita came by to see me." He confessed bluntly and caught her off guard to the point she nearly tripped.
"What? Why?" Shock registered first then anger. "What did she say to you? She better not have done anything or I'll…"
"She kissed me."
This time she did trip, and Axel snagged her by the waist to keep her from smacking face first into the concrete.
"Careful… mind where you're walking Roxie or you're gonna wind up with a concussion."
"Its Vanita who's gonna wind up with a concussion!" She sneered and gripped her fingers into his shirt. "She likes doing stupid stuff just to piss me off! Next time I see her I'm gonna-"
"You really think she did it to make you angry?" He stroked her hair comfortingly. "Could be she just likes me.".
"Oh give me a break Axel she barely knows you. The only information she had on you is that you're attractive and we used to date." She pouted up at him, eyes lit with anger that made his heart just sing.
"You think I'm attractive?" He smirked and had Roxas blushing and shoving him away from her.
"Idiot, that's not the point."
"No?" He let go and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "What would be the point?"
"She didn't kiss you because she wanted you, she kissed you because… because…" she hesitated and fidgeted. "She thinks I still have feelings for you."
"Is she wrong then?" Axel lowered his head, shadows hiding his eyes so she couldn't see the dangerous glint in them.
"I...she… mnnng I'm going home!" She brushed by him and started walking away. Axel clench his fists and whirled around.
"I'm going to date her."
Roxas froze but didn't turn towards him.
"It could be you're right, it could be she wants nothing more than to toy with me… but I don't care. I'm taking a chance that she actually wants a relationship with me… because if I don't do something to get rid of these feelings I still have for you… you and I won't be able to be friends...and that's what you want right?"
She started to say yes, started to turn to look him in the eye...but found she couldn't.
"I… I don't know anymore Axel. To be honest I don't know if it's possible without dragging up old feelings that have no right to be there."
"No right?" He grit his teeth. "No right? What is so wrong with me? Am I really so immature that you can't stand to be in love with me? What was so wrong with the way things were? What was so wrong about dreaming of a life together, of fantasizing where we might end up one day? Have you become so cynical that you won't even dream anymore?"
Roxas froze and clenched her heart as she felt it ache. She couldn't answer him, couldn't face him. The fear and the pain were still too fresh, and that day still too clear.
"Axel…"
"I'm in love with you, Roxas. Ever since we met that day all I've ever wanted was to be with you… but you've all but forgotten that. You've moved on so now I need to move on. I tried asking Sora because I like her and she's not afraid of dreaming... but she's for Riku. Now Vanita is the one offering a solution. Three months...in that time I have to decide if I want to be in a serious relationship with her. So if you really don't want me to be in this relationship… then that's how long you have to change my mind."
He walked away from her leaving Roxas frozen on the path...silently crying.
~Next day~
Sora spit her juice out coughing and gasping for air after Roxas told her everything.
"Say what?! Vanita? Is he serious?".
"Dead serious… you should have heard him. I've never heard Axel speak like that." Roxas chewed on her straw cursing. "Why does he have to be like this? Why does he have to make things so complicated... Why did it have to be Vanita?"
"Better question is why Vanita asked him in the first place." Sora pointed out lifting a finger in the air to make a point. "If she wanted to annoy you a guy like Axel shouldn't be on her radar. She should be going afte Terra."
"God don't joke about that!" Roxas ruffled her hair groaning. "It's bad enough they're in the same house."
"I'm serious. Terra is the one you're actually in a relationship with. He is athletic, well built, serious and a bit dangerous looking. I can see the two of them together a little too well."
The sad fact was, Roxas admitted to herself a groan, so could she.
"Her and Axel… I have a hard time picturing together. They have no history, no connections, have different styles and hobbies... I mean how much fun could they possibly have with each other?"
"Wooooo!" Axel shouted at the top of his lungs as he and Vanita zipped by on her motorcycle. Sora and Roxas looked after then both with sweat drops on their temples.
"Apparently a lot." Roxas groaned and lay her head back down on the table banging her forehead over and over.
~Meanwhile~
The bike came to a halt on the beach. Axel tossed his hair as he tugged off the helmet and let out a satisfied sigh.
"That was a blast!"
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Vanita pulled off her own helmet and tossed her curls back. "I can't go my top speed here… one of these days you and I should take a trip to the mainland and I'll show you some real speed."
"Count me in…" Axel tapped her chin up with a knuckle. "You know… I wasn't sure I would at first, but I actually really enjoy being with you."
Her brow rose and she smirked at him.
"Should I be flattered?"
"No… but maybe this will help." He set the helmet down and grabbed her face kissing her softly. "Better?" He asked after pulling back.
"Some… but I think you can do even better than that." She set down her helmet and grabbed him by the shirt yanking him to her for a deeper more satisfying kiss. It rocked him onto his toes and he had to grip her shoulders to keep himself from tipping forward. He wasn't used to these heated and powerful embraces. He was used to gentle, sometimes mischievous kisses that lingered a little too long. This though… this was like being punched in the face… but instead of pain, all you felt was raw aching heat that punched straight to the anatomy.
"Geez you're a little too good at that."
"If you like doing something, you might as well be good at it, right?" She teased and grabbed his hand. "Didn't you and Roxas ever-"
"I don't want to talk about Roxas." The mood suddenly snapped shut and the grip on her hand tightened. Her gold eyes narrowed suspiciously and she slowly let go to step in front of him.
"I take it she didn't take the news very well."
"She took it about as well as I expected. What I didn't expect is how little I mean to her anymore." He slumped on a bench staring out at the ocean. "Like I said… I don't want to talk about it."
"Hmmm…" Vanita tapped her fingers on the back of the bench. Roxas was such a fool. Terra would never be able to give her the kind of devotion and love Axel clearly had for her. If she knew the truth about Terra's affections, she had no doubt Roxas would run back to Axel with words of apology and beg for forgiveness.
Too bad he's mine now… Vanita thought with a smirk her eyes taking on a glint. I'm not your substitute… I'll make Axel fall in love with me… and you can quietly suffer through your own bad choices.
"Let's not talk then. Let's do something fun." Vanita hugged Axel from behind nuzzling in.
"Like what?" He looked at her arms that wrapped around him. Clingy girls weren't exactly his type… but Vanita had a way of touching him intimately without making it seem confining.
"Have you ever surfed before?" She purred into his ear.
"Surf?" He blinked and turned his head. "Yeah I have… but the only beach with good surfing waves is on the far side of the island. It takes a whole day just to get there."
"Not if we go by car." She let go and walked around. "Xehanort has a whole garage of different cars… since I have a license I'm sure he wouldn't mind lending me one. We could take a big one and invite some friends. How about it?"
Axel gave it some thought. A day at the beach, surfing… friends. He liked the sound of it and smiled big.
"Sounds great. You think you can swing the car?"
"Leave it to me…" She lifted her pinky and spun it in the air indicating she had him wrapped. "I know how to sweet talk the old man."
~Later~
"I don't need a chaperone, I'm a licensed driver and the bulk of us that are going are more than old enough to-" Vanita complained but Xehanort just grunted as he read a book from his study.
"You want the car, you follow my rules, child. You're in my custody for a reason, and that reason is you have a habit of getting into trouble and others along with you." He closed the book and scowled up at her. "Besides, you mentioned both of your cousins would be going. Sora is still recovering from the trauma of her accident. So either accept my terms, or you can forget going."
Vanita grit her teeth and she squirmed.
"...but does it have to be Xigbar? The guy is creepy and he won't shut up." Her temple throbbed as speak of the devil came waltzing through the door.
"Hey old man, you're out of beer… well hey there trouble maker, why the long face? Daddy here not giving you enough attention?" Xigbar sneered. Vanita's eyebrow twitched irritably.
"He's not my father, and can you ever come to this house sober? I've been here three days and every time I see your ugly mug you've a beer in hand."
"I'm always sober, a beer now and then isn't gonna affect this brain." He tapped his temple.
"Got that right, you've enough damage as it is." She sniffed.
"Ha!" Xigbar slapped a hand on her back making her grunt. "I really like this kid. She's got plenty of spark… unlike that other one of yours who's a wet blanket." He told Xehanort who just gave a quiet chuckle.
"You're just sore because Terra punched you and knocked you flat." Vanita snickered and sauntered out of the room.
"Who the hell told her about that?" Xigbar asked with the first sign of annoyance.
"I did. She's much easier to handle when you keep her entertained. That's my advice to you when you accompany her and her friends down to the beach tomorrow." Xehanort finally stood and watched after Vanita. "That girl's got something going on in that crafty mind of hers. Find out what it is and report back to me. Depending on the situation I'll need to find a suitable punishment for her misbehavior."
"Please, she's a teenager… what kind of trouble could she possibly get into?"
"Teenage girls, and teenage boys all congregating together on the beach, wearing only swimsuits and bare skin… there's plenty of trouble that could happen." Xehanort pointed out.
"Huh… kinda makes me want to start a little trouble of my own." He chuckled and pulled the beer he'd hidden in his back pocket and took a swig.
~Meanwhile~
"You sure you want to go?" Riku sat on the floor of Sora's room as she pondered what to pack for the trip tomorrow.
"Axel was kind enough to invite me… and I have to get over my fear of the water sometime. I miss it… just being able to stand in the water and relax." She glanced over her shoulder at him. "You're coming too aren't you?"
"Well yeah, no way I'm letting you near Axel alone." Riku waved off the notion.
"We wouldn't be alone… and you need to stop acting jealous around him. He's dating Vanita now, and you're the one I chose, remember?" She sat next to him on the floor smiling. "No one can take your place in my heart. I told you so before didn't I?"
"You did…" he took both cheeks in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers. "Though at the time you only saw me as a friend."
"That's because I didn't know just how huge of a space you took in my heart." She closed her eyes and held his hands on her cheeks. "I was blind to it… and the hugeness of these feelings nearly overwhelmed me. Now that I've accepted them, and am with you… it's as easy as breathing now."
"Sora…" Riku let go of her face just to pull her onto his lap and hold her to him. "I can't quite wrap my head around the fact this is real. We're together… we're finally together. My heart's never been so full."
"Mine neither…" She pulled back just a little so she could stroke a hand down his chest and over the star shaped medallion she'd made him. "I love you, Riku."
RIku took that hand, sealed the medallion between their palms and kissed her once hard and heated. Sora kissed him back accepting all of his wild and unpredictable emotions and matching them with her own. She felt herself falling back onto the floor with Riku on top of her. His body pressed intimately in places she'd never felt and the sensation made her shake.
"Riku…"
"Sora…"
"SORA! ROXAS! DINNER'S READY!" Sora's mom called from downstairs and both Riku and Sora went blue in the face at having the moment interrupted.
"I should go before your mom finds out I'm up here after dark." Riku sighed and slowly sat up but Sora stayed on the floor staring up at him.
"You could hide out… I'll bring you up some food." She offered with an innocent smile. Riku rubbed the heel of his hand against his heart.
"Not a good idea… if things go any farther than I can't keep this relationship PG."
Sora blinked a bit in confusion and sat up on her elbows.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Never mind…" Riku laughed and bent down to kiss her brow… cheek… and once softly on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah…" She murmured softly and stayed where she was watching him crawl back out her window. She then managed to stumble up and go to the window and watch him walk down the dimly lit streets with his hands in his pockets. "PG huh…" She touched her heart feeling it tremble still. "Maybe… I don't want to keep it PG."
~Ask Briry~
Briry: Sorry about the long delay. I've recently added onto my workload by rescuing a couple of newborn kittens that need constant attention. Poor things were just laying out in the heat :(
Anyway in regards to the fic, those last few sentences weren't just for story. I'm actually considering changing the rating of this fic to include some more… graphic content, but I'm leaving it up to the viewers. Please vote whether you want to keep things fluffy and fun… or twist it to more adult and graphic content.
Next Chapter: Surf's Up!