Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts

Chapter Fourteen: Summertime

For orgymoogle

Axel shivered. He never felt the cold. He was never easily scared but for every moment that he stared into Theo's eyes he was becoming increasingly scared. He wasn't scared for himself, but he was scared for Theo. He was scared because he was afraid that this might be the last time he might see her alive. The corridor was cold, Axel could feel it but Theo couldn't. She had gotten used to the cold, it helped numb the pain. She had been cold for so long she couldn't seem to tell. She couldn't even remember what if felt like to have the sun on her skin. She could remember what it was like when she would lie on the lawn of her cousin's summer house. Her eyes looked so dead, Axel couldn't help but stare at her. Even if it scared the shit out of him. Once when he was dating an older man he had been sent to a mental institute in the times when people were sent there for being gay and said that being there almost completely sucked out his soul. Thank goodness that when he was submitted that they soon stopped accepting it as a mental disease. Although it was a little difficult to compare it to this situation since Theo and his ex had been sent to an institute for completely different reasons. Still the effect of being there was the same, regardless of your reason for being there. Both of them stood there silently staring at each other. Axel knew how much Xion meant to Theo, even if she hadn't known her for nearly as long as he knew her.

Sometimes love made you do stupid things. Sometimes you could love someone more than you realised. It only took her death for Theo to realise that. He felt like he should resent her for that but that was stopped by him pitying her for it even more. However he understood that they both desperately needed one another. After all the turmoil they had both been through the both needed each other to get through the world again. Axel wasn't the one trying to kill himself but he had lost himself a best friend. He needed to talk to someone about it and no one was going to understand more than Theo. She just wasn't ready to listen yet. Both of them were about to give up on trying until they met. Just as long as they were hand in hand and facing the world they were capable of doing anything. They were invincible. He remembered what that felt like. It was the first time he slept with a man when he felt like that. That was their gift and their tragedy, because the young think they are invincible they aren't mindful of what is ahead. He was sad for Xion after what had happened to her. But he was sadder for Theo, knowing that Xion came across as her little miracle. The one that she had always been waiting for in her relatively short life. Still, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He had lost the same way she had.

"I know who you feel, sweetie. You don't have to suffer alone like this. There are people here who are still willing to help you get through this." He reached out to touch her arm but she stepped back.

"Then why did my parents lock me up here?" She demanded.

"Honey, you tried to kill yourself twice. You need to..."

"I need to what?" Her eyes were widened. They were threatening.

"You need to...you need to heal."

She smirked grimly and walked up to him so that they were almost nose to nose if they were the same height and said through gritted teeth.

"You mean cured."

~ (***) ~

"Oh man look at the weather." Marluxia moaned, staring out the window forlornly, where is was pouring down and thundering frighteningly.

A tropical rainstorm. Reno wrapped an arm around his waist in an attempt to comfort his boyfriend.

"Darling, its fine. The rain will pass." He cooed in his ear, nibbling it slightly causing Marluxia to giggle. Axel rolled his eyes at his brother and his boyfriend.

"Can you two honestly give it a rest?" He moaned throwing his head back as inhaled some smoke. Marluxia coughed and waved his hand across his face.

"Could you please take that outside?" He retorted in a frustrated tone.

He put it out in an ash trap and sighed, wagging his head from side to side. "Alrighty then. I'll put it out if you two stop being so lovely-dovey."

"Someone's jealous." Reno sang with a smirk on his face. "Since someone hasn't got a boyfriend."

"Oh shove off." He almost roared.

Axel was happy for his brother in finding someone who loved him as much as he loved them. Honestly he was. People thought he was a man-whore but they should have seen what Reno was like before he met Marlie. He was practically hooking up with multiple guys each night we went out. Being every single night and it wasn't even one man a night, at the very least it was three. He remembered the first time he took him out when Axel came out to their parents. After that one night with his brother he was almost scared back into the closet. When he got to his senses he was resolved to not be as promiscuous as his brother. In the end it actually almost got him into trouble. When he hooked up with a guy who just happened to be taken his boyfriend caught them making out and chased him out of the club. Just when he was about to pick up another guy he caught him with a bunch of other people and beat him up pretty badly. When he almost about to rape him that was when Marlie came on the scene. He-She was just walking by in the sparkliest outfit known to man and started hitting them, pretty hard he might add, with her-his (no one was really sure what gender they should prescribe to Marlie anymore) handbag and even started kicking him with his high heels. Marlie took Reno back to his place and cleaned him up. Reno begged to repay him and offered to take him out for a meal. After a few more occasions they became an item.

A spikey haired girl came jumping down the stairs and skipping into the room. "Hey. Me and Theo are thinking of going to the cute café in the town. Who's in?"

Axel threw his hand in the air. "I am!"

"Alright." Marluxia sighed. "There seems to be nothing better to do anyway."

Xion put a hand on her waist and raised her eyebrow. "Marlie stop being such a drama queen you don't have to come if you don't want to."

"No. I do, it's just this weather is dampening my spirits. You know me. I'll come to support you. Won't we, Reno?" Reno nodded giving her a knowing look. Xion turned to Axel, glaring at him who gave her an innocent look.

"It's wasn't just me. You're mooning has caught everyone's attention. People asked questions, they knew I had the answers."

Xion threw her head back and screamed at the ceiling, making the other three throw back their heads and laugh.

A few days after the outbreak of emotion, Xion and Theo they had become increasingly closer by each second that they spent with one another. They seemed closer than sisters, best friends, husband and wife. Maybe not husband and wife. That was taking a bit far actually. They hadn't even got in the serious stage. Axel could see from observing them for afar that something greater than that was at work. He smirked wondering about whether they realised that they were being intently watched by the rest of the houses inhabitants. Namine was particularly interested in the progress of their relationship. Both Namine and Axel knew that it would only take a few more days for the deal to be finalised. All the lesbian couples in the house agreed that it would be only be a matter of time and could tell that they liked each other the the moment they first saw them together. Axel didn't know whether it was right to rule of the assumptions of those who weren't lesbians but he had to just take their word for it considering that they had personal experience on the matter. Still he felt that there was something morally wrong with this form of generalisation. Even he could tell that they liked each other even if they hadn't told him. They spent almost all their time together, they always went off together on walks. The question was whether they had admitted it to each other.

"Sweetheart, you know she likes you, but since you don't want to come on too strongly we're going to be your babysitters on your first date with your future misses."

"Shut up. Shut. Up." This reaction made them laugh even more. "Oh God, I'm going to go check on Theo."

"Knock before you go in. She could be getting changed." Marluxia called over her shoulder as Xion stomped up the stairs.

However didn't have to as when she walked down the corridor Theo came out in the cutest preppy outfit. She put on a crisp, light blue striped shirt under a navy blue and brown blazer and velvet brown knee length shorts with a pair of black converse.

"Look at you. That's cute, really suits you."

Theo giggled meekly. "Thanks. Namine can't come but Yuffie and Kairi are coming."

"Cool. Marluxia and Reno are coming. So are Axel. So I guess..." Xion hesitated for a moment till they were interrupted by Yuffie and Kairi bounded by the corridor.

"Hey guys! Are we going?" She cried. Xion turned back to Theo gazing at her intensely and then gave a quick nod to the other two.

"Yeah. Marluxia, Reno and Axel are probably waiting downstairs so..."

"Okies!" Yuffie cried grabbing Kairi by the hand and dragged her downstairs.

Xion turned back to Theo and laughed. "Those two are crazy."

Theo nodded. "Yeah. A bit to obvious though. They could at least pretend to be normal, then again, what's the point in doing that?"