All Outta Luck
Chapter 14
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any other related Square Enix material.
No point talking about what you don't know
So Keep it up
And on with the show!
Long time no word, hey unc?
The modeling life ain't half bad. I'm liking it here and all, but getting a job isn't exactly what I'd hoped it would be. Did I mention that an idiot friend of mine threw all my boxers out my window, and I had to go retrieve them all? I don't think I did… And while I was trying to take my most embarrassing pair off a tree branch (you know those ones your sister gave me for my birthday last year with the smiling chili peppers on them… Yeah, those ones), a fanatic sees me, calls my name and I fell from the ledge of the building. Don't worry, nothing's broken, but now I look like something that was mistaken for a scratching post. I fell into a thorn bush… You can put the rest together from there. Thanks to this little event I missed out on my opportunity to get a job. Ironic, no? I had more than one offer too.
But all is not lost. Guess who shows up not even a week later? I must have a fairy godmother out there, because it was a sponsor looking to help out struggling models. He seems to like me… A lot. Something tells me he's not the straightest arrow in the quiver. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to let a perfectly good chance get away. If I can get this guy to stick with me, then I might be getting a job after all. And if I'm really good, then everyone around here who deserves the money will get it. This guy can't work alone, he's gotta have other higher ups working for the business.
Remember how I told you that I had a girlfriend? Yeah, well… I don't anymore. She dumped me the same day I fell into a thorn bush. That was one shitty day. I'll call you sometime to tell you all about it. I wasn't too hard-done by though. Charlie and I hardly had any time to become a real couple, and now that I think about it I can't imagine it would have ever worked out.
So I hope all is well with you. Get back to me when you have the time.
Talk to you soon
Axel
P.S. I'm gay
P.S.S. Gay for Roxas, not the sponsor guy.
Axel leaned back in his chair and felt the weight of a chin on his shoulder.
"Whatcha writing?" Roxas asked with his arms folded over the back of the chair.
"An e-mail to my uncle is all."
Roxas read the last two lines and arched a brow. "You sure you wanna come out of the closet like that?"
"It's the only way I know how. I'm not gonna be apologetic about it. Besides, the old man's used to it this way. If I was ever wishy washy about it he'd probably threaten to come here to make sure I was alright."
"As long as you're sure I guess." Roxas said running a gentle hand through Axel's fiery hair earning an agreeable groan.
"You should do that more often."
"Sure thing."
Axel hit the send button and closed the internet window leaning back into Roxas' touch. He sighed and closed his eyes. Sean had left early for a date with Karla, so the boys had the room to themselves.
"You know something Axel…" Roxas mused, "Once I think about it, I realize that I don't know much about you."
"Mmhm?"
The boy continued stroking the wild locks with both hands standing straight to look down at his love's face.
"Yeah, I mean, I don't know where you're from, what your favorite food is, and heck, I don't think I even know what day your birthday is."
Axel cracked open an eye and smiled. "Arizona, I'm a stickler for Italian, French and Indian food, my birthday is July fifteenth. What about you?"
Roxas thought about it for a moment looking up at the ceiling and then down at Axel's now open emerald eyes, "So your birth stone is the ruby, huh? It works. And I'm Japanese, but I grew up in the States and my father was Canadian. That's why I have blue eyes and blonde hair. I'm a vegetarian, so I do like Indian food too. My birthday is December the ninth. My birthstone is the blue zircon."
"You have some kind of background. No wonder you're so gorgeous. I guess the Japanese in your blood is what made you so slight."
Roxas nodded with a blush creeping over his cheeks and quickly changed the direction of the conversation with a question of his own. "What about your family background?"
"Well, my folks passed away when I was just a kid. My uncle's my godfather, so he raised me. My mother was Irish and my dad was some kind of European."
Roxas stopped playing with Axel's hair and met his eyes. "Sorry… I didn't think…"
"Don't worry about it. I've come to terms with it already. Besides, my uncle was a great dad to me. I had a good childhood. Its fine, keep asking me questions if you like."
Roxas nodded and resumed running his hands through his love's hair. "Did your mom have red hair too?"
"She was as Irish as they come. Yeah, red hair and green eyes, that's where I get it from."
"Were your parents tall?"
"My mum was average, but dad was a giant. You know, I have a picture with me," Axel stood from the chair taking Roxas' hand and dragging him over to the bed. He opened the bed side drawer taking out a notebook and opened the cover to find a photograph. He took it out and handed it to Roxas. The boy took it gently, careful not to smudge it with his fingers, and smiled.
"You guys make a nice family. You're all way too good looking. How old are you there?"
"I was eight at the time," Axel said wrapping his arms around Roxas' waist and resting his chin on the blonde's shoulder. He looked down at his eight-year-old self hanging supported between his parents mid-swing. He had a huge smile on his face only rivaled by those of his parents.
"Ah, those were good times," He paused and nuzzled Roxas, "You'll have to show me a picture of your family one of these days."
The blonde replaced the photo in the notebook and closed the cover setting it aside.
"I will. But today we have the day off… Let's do something."
"You asking me on a date?"
"Sure am."
Axel grinned sitting up and turning Roxas to face him. "Where shall we go?"
"How about we go to the beach for the afternoon, get lunch at a café and then catch a movie?" Roxas suggested with a smile.
"Sure, but first…" Axel leaned in slowly cupping one side of Roxas' face and met his lips with a ghost of a kiss. Roxas' eyes fluttered closed and he sighed at the warm breath over his face. The blonde slowly lay back on the bed and Axel followed him down pressing their lips together gently once finishing their decent. Roxas ran his fingers over the sensitive skin of Axel's neck occasionally massaging as the kiss deepened ever slightly. Axel moved his long hands over the smaller boy's toned arms and up through his messy blonde hair. Slowly they pulled apart and met gazes smiling together.
"Can we go now?" Roxas asked smirking.
"Roxy, I'm hurt. You can't tell me you didn't enjoy that."
Roxas rolled his eyes and pushed Axel off himself playfully. "I loved every moment, but I'll love it more when we're at the beach and I have an excuse to see you half naked."
Axel flashed his trademark smirk. "So there is a bit of a devil side to you after all."
"You'd be surprised."
"I suggest we leave before I change my mind and decide that the bed is a perfectly good place to be naked with you."
Roxas smacked Axle upside the head and half-glared.
"Okay, okay, the beach it is."
Cold, too cold, WAY TOO COLD! There was no way Axel was diving into icy cold water this early in the day.
Roxas waved at him from the water. "Come on you wuss! The water's fine."
Axel still looked like he'd been attacked by a gang of angry cats, but at least the cuts were healing nicely. And it was just on his forearms where the real damage could be seen. He had managed to block his face for the most part, and the cuts left there looked a lot better now. Plus, Roxas had to admit that the guy had one helluva a body to show off: lean, muscular, amazing pectorals and arms. He had to force his eyes to look up at Axel's face before he started to drool.
"Forget it. It's too damn cold." The red head complained from the beach.
"Once you get in its fine!" Roxas called back splashing around like a happy fish.
"You have fun. I'm staying where it's hot and dry." With that Axel sat his butt down in the sand with no intention of going anywhere near the water. He watched as Roxas waded out of the water until he was towering over him in all his shirtless glory.
"You're hot when you're wet and shirtless." Axel said with a smirk.
"And you could be too if you'd just suck it up and come in."
"What are you talking about? I am hot, and I am shirtless. Don't act like you haven't been staring from the second I took my shirt off."
Roxas sputtered a little and then did a 180 on his heel and ran back into the water purposely splashing as he went. The plan succeeded as the water hit Axel point blank.
"Arg! Fucking cold water!" He swore and watched as Roxas turned around making faces at him. "That's it! You asked for it!" And Axel steeled himself and charged in after the blonde. Roxas squeaked and swam as fast as he could in the opposite direction occasionally stopping to splash Axel in the face to blind him and swim away again. Eventually Axel caught up and the two had a wicked water war using all splashing methods they could come up with and managing to half drown each other in the most creative of ways. They ended up rough housing in the water: catching each other in playful head locks with the objective of dunking the other under water. Eventually the game wound down to hiding behind a buoy and having a passionate make-out session until a seagull arrived and started screeching at them for being too close to her nest. The boys broke apart unwillingly and returned to the sandy beach to dry off and relax a while before changing into their dry clothes and heading for a little café by the docks.
"It's such a beautiful day, isn't it?" Axel mused and Roxas couldn't help but feel himself fall just a little further for the red head. Something about his appreciating something as simple as the good weather was somehow special. Roxas felt that it revealed a part of Axel's good-nature.
"Yeah, it really is," Roxas replied taking Axel's hand in his and swinging it between them. "And since you're here it's just that much better."
Axel didn't turn to face Roxas as he chuckled a little out of embarrassment and a little out of flattery. He felt his face flush and tried desperately to fight it down. Roxas laughed then noticed a crêpe café just across the road and led Axel excitedly.
"I forgot to mention that I love chocolate crêpes this morning." The blonde said happily.
"This one's on me."
Once inside and sat down, Axel ordered a strawberry milkshake and Roxas ordered chocolate of course. They each ordered a chocolate crêpe and nearly died and went to heaven.
One thing Axel loved about cafés was how easy it was to talk when inside. Something about the casual atmosphere was liberating and fun. He remembered the times when he and his uncle would go to a café in Arizona every so often and they'd talk about everything and nothing. Axel used to babble on about his favorite comic characters and his uncle would sit and listen with genuine interest. Though with Roxas it was a bit different; Roxas just made him want to smile like an idiot without pause. His face even hurt from smiling so much. The boys were ceaselessly laughing as they joked together. Axel couldn't have hoped for a better date.
There was a little something Roxas liked to call "the click", and he'd never found it as readily as he had now with Axel. "The click" was a term he used for feeling a connection with someone; a connection that indicated an easy friendship or compatibility of personalities. It used to be a lot easier when he was younger, but as he grew up he found that he "clicked" less and less with the people around him. Now that he was with Axel he felt "the click" come naturally. Axel could make him laugh until he couldn't breathe, and in turn Axel got Roxas' sense of humor and apparently was just as amused.
Once Axel caught his breath he reached over the table and laid it over Roxas' own. They didn't say anything because they really didn't need to. Somehow just sitting there with the warmth of each other's presence was worth everything they could have said about it. Axel's eyes were soft, and Roxas felt himself turning crimson with the smoldering stare. However, he was happy.
"Do you mind?" An older lady's voice came from a table across from them. "That's just too much public display."
Axel forced a small smile keeping his hand on Roxas' and turned towards the voice. "Sorry ma'am, but I don't imagine this has anything to do with you. We're not being offensive in any way, so I'd appreciate it if you just turned around and focused on your food."
"Well I never!" The woman huffed slamming a few dollar bills on the table and left the café in a fit. Roxas met Axel's eyes with a tortured look.
"Don't let her get under your skin. What do you say we catch that movie?"
Roxas nodded and the two paid the bill and hailed a cab to take them to the nearest movie theater.
"Axel, I love you, but I don't love you THAT much…"
"C'mon! It's TMNT in CG! You can't say no to that!"
"They are turtles that fight crime that were raised by a ninja rat. Do you really expect me to take them seriously?"
"Yes."
Roxas heaved and sigh and slouched in defeat. "Fine… But you're paying."
"Wouldn't have it any other way," And with that Axel snatched up Roxas hand and dragged him to buy the tickets, then t get pop-corn and soda, and then off to the movie theater. Much to Roxas' shock he actually liked the movie.
When the boys came out they were comparing which characters they liked and who they related to.
"I liked Donatello," Roxas said, "I mean, aside from Mikey being hilarious, I just liked how Donatello was the nerd."
"Yeah, Donnie's pretty cool. I personally like Rafael and Leonardo."
"What about Michael?"
"He's an automatic thumbs-up that goes without saying. And Casey is pretty awesome too."
Roxas laughed. "'You look like a metal turtle', I loved that line."
"Ah Rafael, why do your disguises always blow?" Axel asked rhetorically.
The boys left the theater in high-spirits and arrived at the mansion satisfied from their day.
"You gonna spend the night again?" Axel asked hopefully.
"How about we hang out in your room for the first part of the night to play Super Smash Bros with Sean and DJ," Roxas suggested.
"And the second part of the night…?"
Roxas paused with his face turning bright red. "Um… Spend it in my room? Where we have some privacy?"
Axel grinned and pecked his love on the lips holding him close. "As long as that's the way you want it, I'm good."
"But Axel, I'm not ready for anything serious yet, you know?" Roxas said with his eyes trained on Axel's pleadingly.
"Roxas, let me get one thing straight with you: I would never do anything to hurt you or betray you. I promise that you're the one who calls all the shots."
"Thanks," the blonde said relaxing and standing on his toes to reach his love's lips in another lingering kiss.
"Shall we?" Axel asked after what seemed like an eternity of lip-locking.
"Yeah."
And that night the boys slept cuddling each other.
:D