Chapter Fourteen: Axel's Oh-So-Glorious Life

Roxas was making a sandwich when Sora stumbled downstairs. The brunette yawned and scratched his head. "Good morning."

"You're boyfriend is on the couch," Roxas stated. Sora froze mid-scratch.

"At least we didn't sleep in the same bed," he offered nervously.

"Why is he here?"

Sora sighed. "We left the party early and drove around for a little while." At Roxas' look Sora added hurriedly, "We didn't do anything, just talked. I guess things didn't go too well with his brother and by the time he dropped me off, it was really late."

"Two and half hours past curfew," Roxas supplied helpfully. Sora winced.

"Yeah, so I offered to let him stay here, so long as it was on the couch," Sora finished lamely.

"You're lucky mom spent the night at her boyfriend's house. She would flip if she knew about this."

"Yeah I know…wait, 'if'?" Sora looked at him hopefully.

"You're grounded for the next two weeks and so long as you do everything I tell you without question or complaint then I won't tell mom," Roxas sighed. Sora's face lit up and he jumped on his brother.

"Yay! Oh thanks Roxas! You're the best!"

"Whatever," Roxas grumbled. "Go wake him up and send him home. Mom will be back soon."

"Wow, you live," Roxas joked as Axel sauntered up to him Monday in school. "I thought you'd disappeared on me. I've been trying to get a hold of you all weekend."

"You missed me," Axel smiled. "I feel loved."

"Where were you this weekend?"

"Doing stuff," Axel shrugged. He offered Roxas a hand and pulled the blonde to his feet. "Nothing you'd approve of, I'm sure."

"Has to do with your gang?"

"Yup," Axel agreed. "So we might as well not talk about it."

"You want to know what my brother did this weekend?"

"I don't know. Do I?"

"He met some people named the Neutrals. A guy named Vincent in particular," Roxas told him.

Axel nodded his head in understanding. "Ah, the Recruiter. He steals members from all the gangs to his own. He's lucky he knows how to fight or he would have been kil–beaten up a long time ago."

Roxas ignored the slip. "He was excited about it. Sora seems to think that if we join them, he can still date Riku and I can still date you and we won't have to choose between our boyfriends and each other."

"Well, that's the entire point of those pacifist idiots," Axel admitted. "But when I told him to talk to them, I meant for himself. You're a Nobody."

"No Axel," Roxas stopped walking, placing a hand on Axel's arm so he stopped as well. "I don't know what to say to get this through your head. I'm not a Nobody."

"Not yet–"

"NOT EVER!" Roxas yelled. A few people stopped and stared in surprise. Axel glared at them and dragged Roxas into an empty classroom. "Look Axel, I like you, a lot. But these gangs, they're wrong. There is no reason for them. And you sure as hell haven't told me your reason for being in it. They're dangerous, pointless, and totally beneath me."

"So you're saying I'm beneath you too then?" Axel asked quietly, anger seeping out of his voice.

Roxas didn't back down and glared right back. "I'm saying you sure are acting like it. I can't imagine…I can't imagine why you're wasting your life like this. You're an awesome guy Axel, but you're wasting away in that worthless gang of yours."

Roxas was shocked when Axel hit. He stumbled back into a desk and raised a hand to his cheek.

"You know shit about me or my life," Axel hissed.

"You're right," Roxas bit out. "I don't know. You won't tell me."

"And I never will," Axel smiled bitterly and swept from the classroom without another word. Roxas sighed and leaned back on the desk. He hadn't meant for that to happen. He just didn't…understand.

"Hey Demyx," Roxas called, catching up to the rocker after school. "You seen Axel around?"

"Nah, he took off after you had that fight," Demyx shrugged. "What did you say man? He was pissed."

"I went a little overboard," Roxas admitted. "Do you know where he lives?"

Demyx stopped and stared at the blonde for a moment. "Axel's my best friend. He's a total ass, but he's a dependable ass. I've known him my entire life."

"I know he's a great person Dem," Roxas frowned. "That's what's confusing me! For that matter, you too."

Demyx raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Why are you guys wasting your lives doing nothing but fighting?" Roxas hissed. "Why are you guys selling yourselves short?"

Demyx snorted and shook his head. "Selling ourselves short? Fine Roxas, you really want to know, come on." Demyx gestured for the blonde to follow him and Roxas complied.

A twenty minute bus ride later and the two were in a decent looking neighborhood. The houses were slightly run down, but the streets were clean and well kept. Demyx began walking down the street, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Roxas was still following. They stopped in front of a two story building with a fenced in yard and toys everywhere. The shutters were in desperate need of new paint and Roxas could see a few holes patched up in the roof.

Demyx pointed to one hole in particular. "Axel and I made that hole when we were nine. We stole a toy rocket from some kid and set it off in the house. At the time we thought we wouldn't get caught if we let it fly around inside. Never thought it would make such a big hole." He smiled at the memory.

"So is this Axel or yours home?" Roxas asked.

"It used to be both of ours," Demyx explained. "We lived here together until I was sent to a foster family when I was eleven. I live with them now."

"A foster family?" Roxas repeated quietly.

"My parents were killed in a car accident when I was three. Axel's parents got sick of him when he was two." He pointed at the house. "It's called a group home. An orphanage, in laymen terms."

"You guys are orphans?" Roxas said. "I had no idea."

"We don't go around announcing it to the world," Demyx shrugged. "Anyways, Axel's probably holed up in his room. Third door on the left, second floor. I have to get home, my foster parents are sticklers for me being home on time. See ya."

"Dem!" Roxas called. The rocker stopped and turned to him. "I don't think any less of you. I couldn't."

Demyx smiled. "You'd better not." He waved goodbye.

Roxas turned to look at the house. He put on a determined face and opened the gate, heading up the walkway. There was a doorbell but when he pushed it, nothing happened. Shrugging, Roxas knocked instead. There was bustling from inside before a woman opened the door, whipping her hands on an apron around her waist. She was a little on the chubby side, but Roxas thought that just gave her a maternal feeling.

"What can I do for you?" She asked briskly.

"Hello," Roxas bowed slightly to her. "My name's Roxas. Is Axel here? I'm a friend from school."

"Hmm…" She looked him up and down before stepping aside. "He's upstairs. Third door on the left."

"Thank you ma'am," Roxas smiled. She merely frowned and hurried back to the kitchen, where Roxas could smell food cooking.

Roxas stepped through the living room to the stairs. The house was a mess with toys, clothes, and dirty plates scattered everywhere. Roxas didn't mind it though; it sorta reminded him of their place back in Twilight Town. Their living room back then had always been messy.

Following directions, Roxas easily found Axel's room. The door had the Nobody gang symbol colored on it and Axel's name carved in large gothic letters into the wood. Roxas touched the beautiful art and smiled before knocking on the door.

"Yeah!" Axel's grumpy voice floated to him and Roxas took that as a sign to enter.

He slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Axel was lying with his eyes closed on a messy bed. The room itself was covered in papers and clothes. The walls were decorated with numerous drawings and sketches everywhere. Roxas also noticed that all the papers on the ground had some sort of drawing on them as well. He stepped inside and shut the door, smiling when he saw the door had something on it as well. It was an incomplete picture of a man. Everything was drawn but the head.

"Roxas?" Axel's surprised voice snapped the blonde out of his staring. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize," Roxas explained. "Did you draw all these?"

"Yeah, what about it?" The redhead sat up on his bed.

"They're amazing," Roxas couldn't keep the awe from his voice as he slowly made his way around the room, staring at the brilliant artworks displayed.

"It's just something I do to relieve stress," Axel shrugged.

Roxas had to tear his eyes away from the walls but turned to face Axel. "I'm sorry about today. I shouldn't have pushed you like that. It's your life; I've got no right to tell you how to live it." Without really thinking, Roxas bowed at the waist.

Axel gave him a funny look. "What's with the bowing?"

"Habit," Roxas grumbled, cursing his grandfather and Sora in his head. He hated that bowing thing.

"How'd you get here anyways?" Axel asked, deciding to ignore the apology for the moment.

"Demyx brought me," Roxas informed him. "He told me the story." He pointed to the patched up hole in the roof.

Axel smiled. "That was fun."

Roxas snorted. "Pyromaniac."

Axel grinned even wider. "Fire's fun." He turned somber again. "So what do you think?"

"About what?"

"My oh-so-glorious life," Axel waved a hand around. "Growing up in foster homes and group homes. Being bounced around everywhere and yet always staying in this one god-damned city."

"I don't think any less of you, if that's what you're worried about," Roxas frowned. "Axel, I don't care where you come from or how you were raised. All I care about is who you are now."

"Hn," Axel grunted and leaned casually against the wall his bed was pressed against. "Whatever."

"I mean it," Roxas stepped forward. "I'm sorry I implied that you were beneath me, I didn't intend to. I just think you could do so much better if you didn't have the Nobodies dragging you down."

Axel met Roxas' earnest blue eyes. "My parents didn't want me. As soon as I stopped being a "cute little baby" they got sick of me and dumped me off with social services. My own mother didn't even pause long enough to say goodbye."

"Axel…"

"The Nobodies," Axel overrode him. "Are the closet thing to a family I've ever experienced. I choose them and I chose to stay with them."

"But they're not your family!" Roxas insisted, kneeling on the bed. "Families love each other, they just use you."

"Yeah? Name one person in this world who loves me," Axel challenged, meeting his gaze head on. Roxas knew what Axel wanted him to say, but he couldn't get the words out. He cared deeply about Axel, but could he truly say he loved him?

Roxas had never been in love, not even with Hayner back home. Hayner had been his best friend and the one who was with him when he was going through a hard time in his life. Despite everything they had gone through together though, they had never truly fallen in love.

But things were different with Axel. He was constantly on Roxas' mind since he had first seen the redhead in gym class his first day of school. Axel had attached himself to Roxas and became such a common figure that Roxas couldn't remember life without the energetic boy. He wore his emotions on his sleeve and was wild and unpredictable. To quote Demyx, Axel really could be an ass, but he was a dependable one. So far he had never let Roxas down.

This weekend when Roxas couldn't get a hold of him, the blonde had been worried. He thought at first maybe Axel was out with someone else, and that thought pissed him off greatly. Then Roxas realized that it was more likely he had gotten into a fight and gotten hurt. When that thought had crossed his mind, Roxas hated the gangs with even more passion then ever. They could take Axel away from him forever and there wasn't a think Roxas could do about it. That idea had scared him so badly Roxas had very nearly broken down and started crying. He couldn't grasp the idea that Axel wouldn't be there anymore.

But did all this really mean he loved him?

"Roxas?" Axel's softly spoken voice and hand on his cheek brought him back to reality.

To avoid the answer Axel wanted to hear, Roxas blurted out, "Demyx. Demyx loves you."

"He's got a good life with his foster parents," Axel answered. "He doesn't need me anymore."

"That's not true!" Roxas exclaimed. "Axel…" He paused, fighting to get his emotions under control. "Axel please."

"Please what?"

"Please stop selling yourself short," Roxas whispered. He curled up in his (hopefully still) boyfriend's arms, not caring when Axel didn't return the hug. "You're worth way more then you think."

Roxas buried his face into the older boy's shoulder and lost the battle with his tears. He was sure not to make a sound though. With a sigh, Axel placed a hand on Roxas' head and wrapped the other around his waist. He bit his lip and tugged Roxas closer, wrapping his body around the smaller one.

I really hope so, Axel whispered in his mind, not able to bring himself to say the words out loud.

Roxas and Axel ended up falling asleep cuddling together. They were woken by Axel's foster mother knocking on the door and calling that dinner was ready and asking if Roxas was going to stay. Axel yelled they'd be down in a minute and she left. Roxas sat up and scrubbed at his eyes, cursing when he saw the time. He crawled for his abandoned book bag and grabbed his phone.

"Damn," Roxas cursed. Sora had called four times and his mom twice. Roxas listened to his brother's messages with a wince and felt guilty for not telling him that he wasn't coming home right away.

"Are you going home?" Axel asked. "You can stay for dinner if you want. There's seven other kids though, so it's pretty crazy."

Roxas smiled at Axel's slightly embarrassed face. "Might as well. Just let me call Sora and my mom."

After getting an earful about not calling them, Roxas was finally able to hang up and head downstairs. Axel was already in the kitchen, sneaking bites from the pot on the stove when no one was looking. Little kids were running around screaming before a tall man (Roxas assumed he was the foster father) yelled at everyone to sit.

"And stop eating out of the pot Axel!" The man yelled. Axel snatched his fingers back and smiled innocently. Roxas covered a smile with his hand. As they were all sitting, the man noticed Roxas for the first time.

"And who are you?" He demanded. "Don't tell me we got another without us knowing!"

"No dear," his wife corrected. "This is Roxas, a friend of Axel's from school."

"Hn," the man scrutinized him and Roxas offered a smile nervously. "Fine then, take a seat." He said finally. "It's first come, first serve in this house. Watch your fingers, if you loose any at the dinner table it's your own damn fault."

Roxas nodded and sat next to Axel who rolled his eyes. The dinner was definitely a new experience for Roxas. He was used to asking politely for something to be passed and quiet dinner conversation with his family. Here was the exact opposite. Roxas soon learned that if you asked for something you didn't get it and everyone yelled. It truly was every man for himself and twice Roxas got his fingers stabbed as he went to grab something at the same time as someone else.

After dinner, Roxas volunteered himself and Axel to do the dishes. Axel whined but Roxas shut him up with a quick stomp on the foot. The two cleaned up the table while everyone else headed into the living for TV time. Axel explained that so long as homework was done, the many kids were allowed to watch TV until bedtime.

Everything was going fine until Axel got bored scrubbing plates and started a water fight. He kept throwing bubbles at Roxas, who kept spaying him with the water. They ended up splashing each other and getting the floor wet. Roxas slipped and fell, taking Axel down with him. They landed in a compromising position that started a very hot make-out session. It probably would have lasted longer except one kid came into the kitchen then ran out screaming, "Mom! Axel's biting the new kid!" Roxas was mortified and kept apologizing to the foster parents who tried to remain stern but were laughing on the inside.

Finally at eight o'clock, Axel took Roxas home. Axel's foster dad allowed him to take the car. He put it into park and shifted towards Roxas.

"I had a lot fun tonight," Roxas said sincerely.

"It wasn't a date," Axel pointed out.

Roxas just shook his head. "It didn't need be."

Axel rolled his eyes and Roxas took the opportunity to surprise him with a kiss. They stayed locked together for what felt like a blissful eternity to Roxas. He felt as though he never wanted the kiss to end. However Axel's cell phone going off interrupted them and redhead reluctantly pulled away to check the message.

"What is it?" Roxas asked as Axel frowned.

"Another Heartless is in the hospital," he muttered. "Looks like everything is going as planned."

"Planned?" Roxas repeated.

Axel smiled at him and kissed him. "Don't worry about it; it has nothing to do with never-going-to-be-members like you."

Roxas bit his lip and felt he might start crying again. "So then you don't care? You don't care that I won't join?"

Axel just shrugged and smirked. "I ain't gonna force ya. You're too stubborn to fight against." They kissed once more, leaving Roxas breathless. "You should go. I have to get home too."

"I'll see you tomorrow at school?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, hot-stuff."

A/N: Yay! Axel! This chapter was all him and Roxas. Because last chapter the two barely got any screen time. I honestly never planned on making this Axel and Demyx's past. It just kinda…happened. And it fit so perfectly so I decided to keep it.

The next three chapters are a set. I don't know if I'm going to post them all together as one giant chapter or three smaller, but still decent sized chapters. I do know however that until I finish writing all three of them I'm not updating. One part is already done and the second part is halfway, but everything is written out in my mind. Keep an eye on the profile for updates. And if for whatever reason you want to contact, please follow the rules posted. (smile)

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