I'm back folks. It only took a week this time, please be proud of me. Also I don't know why I keep warning you, you're big kids, but this chapter is naughty up until about the halfway point so keep that in mind. This is dedicated to everyone spending the holidays with a family in deep denial. No thanks Grandma, I don't want to date the guy who mows your lawn. No grandma, I won't be bringing a boy to dinner; now or ever.
By the time they reached Roxas' apartment, their pizza plans were entirely forgotten. This was most definitely in part due to Roxas' very distracting hand resting on Axel's thigh the whole ride there.
Roxas fumbled with his keys while the redhead's exploring hands crept up his shirt, his hot mouth latched to his neck.
The minute they were inside and the door was locked, the blonde's hand met Axel's collarbone, shoving him hard against the wall of the entryway.
There was no telling who moved first after that, Roxas pulling Axel down by the back of his neck and Axel pulling Roxas closer with a hand to the small of his back.
In what felt like mere seconds their bodies were pressed together and their hands were moving. This time around there seemed to be a lot more groping, the hands on Roxas' ass the answer to the hands that were ghosting over Axel's stomach.
On the way to the bedroom they left a trail of clothing in their wake.
They practically tumbled onto the bed, too busy to actually watch where they were going and unwilling to stop touching each other long enough to catch themselves. Axel's hands were warm and his kisses were to die for. In fact, Roxas didn't know how he ever managed without them.
Much to his displeasure, the redhead pulled back, face pink and panting for air.
"If you're going to ask if I'm sure, the answer is yes so if you don't start kissing me again right now so help me god." He sent Axel the most fearsome glare he could manage. That was fine the first time… Hell, it was more than fine. In terms of first-times it was perfectly appropriate.
But they were both hard and stripped down to their boxers now, and this wasn't his first time doing this with Axel.
It was his second.
The redhead cracked a smile, both alluring and adorable.
"Ah… Guess it's a little late for that huh?" He laughed, and Roxas had to kiss the smile off his face.
"Mhm. A little." He traced the redhead's clavicle with his pointer finger, trailing it down his chest. He couldn't help but wonder if he would have been so confused about his feelings if they'd done this earlier.
Probably even more confused, now that he thought of it, but this view was still a very nice one.
"You're not nervous?" Axel was kind enough to multitask while he spoke, trailing warm wet kisses down his neck and along the curve of his shoulder. Roxas tangled his fingers in his lover's hair, feeling his breath hitch.
"W-we've done this before." He answered, his voice coming out a lot weaker than he would have liked. "I don't have to worry about being rusty or bad…" He could hear Axel laugh. He pulled back, crawling back up to meet Roxas' lips.
"Of course you don't, you didn't have to the first time either." He rolled green, green eyes.
"It had been a while." The blonde replied defensively, running his fingers through strands of bright red. "I was self conscious."
He had never really been that confident in himself when it came to sex in the first place. Axel sighed.
"Fair enough." He relented. "You do know I'm sleeping with you because I like you, right?" Roxas struggled to gulp down the lump in his throat, and could only nod in reply. "Good. Because while I'm a very big fan of sex, I'm also a pretty big fan of you."
It was only when his lungs ached that Roxas realized he'd been holding his breath.
"I know." He breathed, struggling to categorize his thoughts. "And I told you last time I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't you so-"
His lips were occupied before he could finish his thought. He felt himself sigh into the kiss, enjoying the feeling of Axel's tongue exploring his mouth with full knowledge that by the end of this he'd be covered in kiss marks.
"Shit…" The redhead mumbled, pulling back only a millimeter or two. "I didn't bring any condoms or anything." He smiled sheepishly. "I didn't really think we'd… You know." Roxas frowned.
"What, did you think I'd just never want to sleep with you again?" He was exaggerating, but Axel merely shrugged. Now it was Roxas who was rolling his eyes.
"Was I not making it clear that I was enjoying myself?" He brushed against the redhead's clothed arousal with his knee. He found this incredibly silly, because as he remembered it he had been very vocal.
"Well… No… I mean yes, but…" Axel was fumbling with his words which was extremely cute, though Roxas did feel a little bad that he'd thought last time would be the only time. They really needed to put a label on what they had so this sort of thing stopped happening.
"Because I seem to remember saying your name over and over…" Axel groaned, burying his face in the crook of Roxas' neck. He sighed, winding his arms around the redhead's shoulders. "I have condoms and lube, geez."
He couldn't tell which of them was more insecure. He supposed they probably tied, they were just unsure about different things.
"And before you say anything, they're not expired or old. I bought them on the way home from work today." The redhead pulled back, looking just the slightest bit confused. "The last time I dated someone was forever ago and I thought I should be prepared in case we were here instead of at your place." He explained, feeling his face begin to burn. "I mean we're… Going out. I sort of expected this to be a fairly common occurrence.
Axel nodded silently, apparently at a loss for words. Roxas cupped his cheek.
"They're in the drawer, in the bedside table." He kissed his lover's jaw… Because that's what they were, after all. Maybe not officially boyfriends yet, but probably lovers. Then he kissed the corner of his mouth. "I wish you'd stop staring and kiss me."
Axel's mouth was immediately on his again, kissing him ravenously with a lot of tongue and even a little teeth. It was perfect.
The kissing didn't stop after that, not even when long fingers gripped the waistband of his boxers and tugged. He arched his back so the article of clothing could be removed a little easier.
Roxas definitely didn't want to be the only one without clothes on, and so his primary objective became relieving the redhead of his boxers without putting an end to the kissing.
A feat to be sure, but with enough determination it was managed easily enough. He could feel warm hands caressing his inner thigh, and felt his heart try jumping out of his chest.
Axel pulled away from the kiss, watching him with venomously green eyes, looking at him as if he was something really special. Roxas took the exploring hand in his and brought it to his lips.
"Drawer." He reminded him, still keeping hold of the redhead's hand.
"Right." Axel stretched his arm to fumble around in the drawer of the bedside table. Eventually he returned triumphant, pulled in for one more long kiss. Roxas sighed.
"As much as I'd love to keep kissing you, you're kind of driving me crazy right now." This made Axel crack a wide smile. He ran his hand down Roxas' thigh again, causing him to whimper in spite of himself.
"Good crazy?" The look on his face said he already knew.
"Axel." Roxas' words came out in a whine. The taller man was kind enough not to keep him waiting, latching his mouth to the blonde's neck and allowing his hand to keep traveling downward.
Gentle fingers prodded his entrance, and Roxas tried to focus on the feeling of Axel's mouth on his skin. The redhead was trailing kisses down his chest and along his abdomen, causing him to bite his lip with bruising force to keep from making noise.
That didn't do a damn bit of good when that hot mouth enveloped his cock. His brain was mush, he couldn't focus on anything, not keeping quiet, not the feeling of Axel's fingers, not how hard he was tugging the man's hair.
Because god did Axel know what he was doing. That sinful tongue of his along with the heat and suction of his mouth… Roxas had to physically pull him away to keep from coming, because he wanted to wait, god damn it.
He couldn't form the correct words to explain, but the redhead seemed to understand, instead placing soft kisses to his hip bones.
"It's fine." Roxas gasped when he finally found his voice. "I'm fine, really just…" He stretched his arms out, beckoning Axel to come closer.
"You sure?" He had a skeptical look on his face.
"We did this, what, two days ago?" Axel nodded. "Then I'm fine, now come here."
It was almost comical how fast the man was able to get the condom on, but Roxas had no complaints. He was getting impatient anyway.
Soon they were kissing again, and he was finally able to wrap his arms around the redhead.
He thought they fit together quite nicely.
This time it was a lot easier to get used to the feeling of having Axel inside him, though the hand wrapped loosely around his cock did help. Really, Axel was probably one of, if not the most considerate lover he'd ever had.
He wasn't sure if that said more about Axel or more of his past boyfriends.
"Sh-shit Axel…" He hooked his legs around the man's waist, gripping him with trembling hands. "I'm good… I'm good j-just move already."
Axel met his eyes and nodded wordlessly. Roxas felt his entire body sizzle, rocking with his lover's gentle thrusts.
"Yes… Fuck yes Axel." He clung to the redhead as if his life depended on it. "Mm… Harder, shit… H-harder."
He was starting to think this was going to be the best sex he'd ever had, and though the judgment was a bit premature as it was still happening, he thought it was pretty accurate.
Every so often a perfectly angled thrust would nail the bundle of nerves that made him see stars, and soon he wasn't able to think coherently at all anymore.
"K-kiss me…" He managed between moans. "Oh god- kiss me, Axel." And when Axel obeyed he was certain of it. This was definitely the best sex he'd ever had.
When he came, his voice was muffled by the redhead's mouth. Frantic hands explored the man's chest and shoulders until he too tensed, his groan swallowed by the still trembling blonde.
For the first time it occurred to Roxas…
'I am in so much trouble.'
It took probably a good ten minutes before either of them could speak.
"So… You planned this, even before our date?" Axel was grinning goofily, fingers tenderly brushing away the sweaty bangs plastered to Roxas' forehead. He sighed contentedly, head pillowed against the redhead's shoulder.
"Yeah, I guess." He answered honestly. "I mean I wasn't specifically planning to do this today but I thought I should probably be prepared." He pressed his palm to Axel's chest. It almost made him giddy, that the redhead's heart was beating this fast because of him.
This feeling… He didn't want to jinx it. He refused to let himself even think it. It shouldn't be that hard to ignore.
"I thought we might be, y'know, making love in the near future so…" Well shit. He immediately fell silent, fighting the urge to cover his mouth.
As if somehow he could stuff the words back in.
Sure, the context kept it from being as heavy as it could have been, but he didn't want everything to fall apart all due to semantics.
He wasn't supposed to say it, he wasn't supposed to let himself even consider it, because if he acknowledged it it would all fall apart. It always did. His luck always changed for the worse once he let himself get really truly serious.
"I mean since we're kind of going out and all, I just thought it was a possibility that we'd have sex again." He hoped that if he kept talking Axel wouldn't notice that he'd accidentally invoked the 'L' word already.
"I'm not teasing you. You just seem so…" He pursed his lips, searching for the least offensive way to put it. "Uh… Chaste I guess?" He frowned. "Maybe that's not it. Sounds too old timey."
"I like sex just as much as the next person." Roxas retorted. "It'd just been a while, I was nervous. You seemed like you knew what you were doing and I didn't want you to think I was bad." It made sense to him at least. "And when you didn't think I was terrible at it, I figured it'd be fine if we… Kept doing it." Axel snorted.
"It's more than fine." He pressed his lips to Roxas' temple.
He didn't think he could possibly feel any happier. In fact, he was very close to falling asleep like this.
"I have to go to work later tonight." The redhead quietly informed him, his chin resting on a nest of messy blonde hair. "I wanted you to know so you won't think I bailed or anything."
Roxas didn't much like the idea of waking up after this alone.
"Fine." He sighed. "I can't hog you. There are probably other closeted kids who need you to rescue them from bathrooms." Axel laughed.
"That's a pretty specific situation. I think that's only happened to you, Rox." He leaned down give the blonde a peck on the lips.
It made his chest hurt.
"Just promise not to start dating any other closeted basket cases, I just might get jealous." Roxas wasn't sure if he was even joking at this point.
"I've already got my heart set on one closeted basket case already." Axel simply replied. That was all he needed to hear.
It was enough to making waking up without Axel seem less lonely.
The next few days went by far too quickly and soon Roxas found himself staring daggers at the miniature calendar pinned to the wall of his cubicle. Today was Hayner's wedding rehearsal which… He was really not looking forward to. It was bad enough that his friend had invited everyone in town, but that everyone included his parents. He didn't know how long he'd be able to avoid the inevitable.
Not with how this week had been going.
As straight as his parents foolishly thought he was, he had been doing some particularly not-straight things this week.
His lunches with Axel had all ended with the two of them heavily making out, usually in or on route to Roxas' car. Then he would go back work flushed and covered in new hickeys. He self consciously adjusted his collar at the thought.
The redhead had been particularly attentive in that department when they had lunch together today.
They didn't do much eating.
Roxas had had half a mind to fake sick so he could drag Axel back to his apartment.
They had gotten in the habit of meeting up, having a bite to eat, and spending the night together. This all started… Wednesday? Then they'd slept together again last night… Looking back, Roxas thought he probably shouldn't have given into his urges, very frequent urges at that, when he had a very imminent meeting with his parents.
He by no means felt any regret at all, but it was getting too warm outside for him to wear turtlenecks and scarves anymore. The hickies… They were a problem. He probably wouldn't make them stop any time soon, but they were still going to be a problem.
Regardless of that bump in the road, he was perfectly content with how things had been going this week… Well, almost perfectly content.
He had a theory that he aimed to either prove or disprove. There was something… Or perhaps somethings, plural, that the redhead wasn't telling him. though what those feelings might be he wasn't at liberty to guess, he felt it was only right that he took the time to figure out just exactly what he felt..
Perhaps that was why he was getting so much better at noticing the little things. Like how he could always feel Axel smile when they kissed, or how warm his hands were, cupping his cheek or resting on the small of his back.
More alarming still were the feelings he'd started noticing crop up every now and again.
He looked at the clock and felt a tick of irritation. Time seemed to be moving slower lately, that was until. Today had passed by far too fast, mostly in part of Hayner's wedding rehearsal.
And after this wedding he'd have to address the elephant in the room. He was pretty sure of Axel's feelings, and he was starting to understand his own. It was probably about time they had a talk about the nature of their relationship.
Frankly, they were pretty much already dating, and they seemed to be exclusively dating and having sex with each other. Roxas thought so, at least. But then that was why they should probably still talk about it, just because it was exclusive on his side didn't necessarily mean it was on Axel's.
It was unlikely that it wasn't with the way he acted, but still…
He watched the second hand slowly tick its way around the clock face. Freedom was so close he could taste it.
The minute the hour hand hit 12 he was shouldering his work bag and speed walking to the door. It was 5:00 PM and he was finally free to clock out.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his text messages. It was the usual, Namine and Xion texting when they'd meet him, his mother telling him how to dress… Everything he expected really. For some reason he felt compelled to give Axel a call as he glared at a light that had been red for far longer than it ought to.
"They let you loose already?" Axel sounded groggy, but he was in good spirits.
"They ran out of things to make me sort." He felt invisible strings tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Did I wake you?"
"Only from a cat nap. They landed me with the worst shift tonight, six to six." He yawned. "Is tonight that wedding… Thing?" Roxas snorted.
"Rehearsal, yeah. I don't know enough about weddings to know why there needs to be rehearsal, but I'm required to go." He rolled his eyes. The whole thing seemed like a waste of money to him. On TV weddings looked pretty straightforward. "On the bright side, my sister and Xion will be there. That sort of balances out my parents." Axel made a noise of what sounded like disgust in the back of his throat.
"Yikes." He said, which made Roxas laugh. That summed it up pretty well.
"Very. Now that my friends are getting married they're really going to be trying to hook me up with their coworkers kids." He was glad he could laugh about it now, because it would be really awkward later when it was actually happening.
"Don't worry, if you really wanted to you could keep me as your mistress." It was a joke, but it was an option if he wanted to never, ever, ever tell anyone the truth.
"It's an option, but to be honest the closet's starting to feel a little cramped." He could hear Axel chuckle. "Too bad you have to work. Bringing you with me would be way easier than actually explaining myself."
He was only half-kidding.
"I don't know. My absence is probably for the best. Last time I saw your parents, your mom had a few choice words for me." At least Axel didn't seem to have any hard feelings. He still sounded pretty chipper. "I'll keep my phone on though in case they drive you so crazy you take a cocktail fork to your eye."
"Don't give me any ideas." He warned, flicking on his blinker and waiting for a big enough gap in traffic to merge.
"In all seriousness though, if you call me I'll pick up. Unless I'm doing something crazy like intubating-" He must have realized Roxas had no idea what any of his medical mumbo jumbo meant, because he revised his statement. "Like putting a tube in someone's throat."
"I'll forgive you for not answering, just please wait until I'm out of law school before you get a malpractice suit on your hands." For some reason there was something overwhelmingly funny about the thought of having to represent Axel in court. "If it's really bad I'll just loiter in the ER. You're popular there." Axel scoffed.
"Right. In all seriousness, call me. I'll at least call you back."
"I know you will." Axel was something else altogether, but he was nothing if not reliable. "I'll talk to you later. Don't let anyone bite you this time."
The redhead was still laughing when he hung up.
When he returned home he was surprised to find that Namine had apparently used the spare key, as she was sitting daintily on his couch when he walked in the door. Xion was hovering near the armchair.
"You look worse than I thought." She commented.
"Thanks, Namine, you too." He replied blandly, shrugging off his coat.
"I went to the liberty of digging out what looked like your nicest suit. Hurry and get dressed." The petite blonde stood, her heels clicking on his hardwood floor.
The suit was easy enough to manage. The tie, however...
"Would you hold still for just a minute?" Namine snapped, struggling to help her brother with his bowtie and successfully choking him in the process. "If you keep squirming it's going to end up all crooked." With a sigh, Roxas complied, standing stiff as a board so his little sister's dextrous fingers could successfully tie his bowtie.
"You should be thankful this is a suit and tie." His sister commented. "It looks like you got mugged and the only part they beat the shit out of was your neck."
"Shut up!" The blonde cried, pulling away only to be tugged right back.
"If you don't stop moving we'll be here all night." She sang.
If he ever got married he was using a regular tie.
"It looks good on you." Xion commented, an apologetic smile gracing her features.
"Thanks. It's really making me feel grateful I don't have to dress like this all the time." His collar received a sharp yank from Namine, which he ignored. "What do you think about a luau style wedding? The dress code could be hawaiian shirts, no suits or ties involved."
Xion giggled, while Namine rolled her eyes in response.
"If you do that, Roxas, I'm hijacking your wedding." She warned him. "No one should have to look back on their wedding day and see hawaiian shirts."
"What if my husband has his heart set on hawaiian shirts?" He received another yank.
"Then he and I are going to have to compromise on something less hideous." She replied simply. "I'd rather you join a nudist colony and get married in the buff."
"I wouldn't." Xion piped in. "I'd wear anything for your wedding, Roxas, but no way in hell would I wear nothing."
"I'm not even the one who brought up getting married naked!" He cried, feeling rather exasperated.
"There." Namine stepped back, admiring her hard work. "You look very handsome."
That at least he could be fairly sure of. Namine wouldn't let him out in public if she didn't think he was dressed properly.
Tonight was one Roxas had been dreading. Tonight he would have to power through not only a wedding rehearsal, but the rehearsal dinner that followed. Hayner and Olette had pretty much invited the whole town, and Roxas was terrible with crowds. Worse yet, he'd be seeing his parents for the first time since the Emergency Room ordeal. On the bright side, at least his sister and best friend would be there to ground him.
Namine was dressed in a pale blue off the shoulder party dress, the color making her kohl rimmed eyes pop. Xion was dressed in shimmery purple, and had elected to skip the makeup. Both, in his opinion, looked very pretty. They were made up and dressed to perfection.
Roxas, on the other hand, couldn't get his unruly hair in line for the life of him. Eventually he gave up and let it do what it wanted.
"What do people even do at these things, anyway?" He groused, following his sister and Xion out to Namine's car.
"They practice sitting where they're supposed to and walking how they're supposed to and then they eat." She answered matter of factly, leaving his apartment and carefully making her way down the staircase in her shiny matching blue heels. Roxas would never know how she could walk so effortlessly in those.
"I guess…" He relented. "I haven't been to church since like… Middle school." Namine snorted.
"Oh hush, you'll be fine. You're not going to burst into flame or anything." This was meant to be reassuring, but at this point Roxas wasn't convinced. Not after the week he'd had.
It certainly didn't help his case that he'd spent nearly every day the week prior canoodling with Axel.
"You don't know that." He objected, following his twin out to where her car was parked along the curb. They had decided they might as well ride together, to save the planet and all. Definitely not because Roxas was terrified of going alone. Certainly not. Namine unlocked the door and climbed in the driver's seat, turning to give her brother a look.
"Just call it a hunch."
"I don't know, maybe if you act like you're allergic they won't make you stay." Xion suggested, getting a sharp nudge from Namine.
"Don't even. He might just do it."
Roxas had thought they had left fairly early, but by the time they'd arrived it seemed like everyone was already there. He was immediately trapped in a rib crushing hug by Olette, who was getting in the wedding spirit dressed in white.
He always wondered how no one realized he was gay when all of his friends were attractive young women. Maybe they just mistakenly thought he was a ladies man.
"Thank you so much for all your help Roxas." She was smiling the biggest, most elated smile. "When you get married you can count on me to return the favor."
He believed her.
Amazingly enough, the only people who didn't come to greet him were his parents. Instead they were arguing quietly in the pews. As everyone took their places, Roxas noticed that the priest looked like he was old enough to have seen the black plague.
He stood awkwardly next to Hayner, Pence, and the officiant as old as time itself, and there he stood until the mock ceremony was over.
He walked out with Olette's friend Selphie, who was nice enough. He supposed he could have been stuck with someone worse. When the real wedding happened, however, there was no way he'd be doing any dancing.
The rehearsal dinner was at a chic, fairly pricey restaurant. Hayner's family had always been pretty well off. Olette, being the angel that she was, wasn't enforcing a seating chart, and he was free to sit next to Xion, who looked like she felt just as out of place.
Unfortunately his mother was able to snag the seat on his other side before Namine could.
She was off being social no doubt.
"You look like you're feeling better." She commented, her tone spiteful in an almost venomous sort of way.
"Yeah I really rested up this week so…" He wished he had asked Axel how long it usually took to recover from appendicitis. He could put together a wonderful argument, but he knew nothing about medicine.
It didn't look like she believed him for one second. His father just had his head in his hands, which usually meant he was expecting an argument.
"I'm your mother, Roxas. Why would you lie to me?" She sounded more angry than hurt.
"I didn't think you'd be as nice about the whole emergency room thing if-"
"Not about that." She snapped, interrupting him altogether. Now he was completely lost, his only clue was Namine's eyes, wide as saucers.
"Mom." She interjected, her voice so stern it cut through the chatter like a hot knife through butter. "Not here."
"Don't you start, young lady, you knew and you didn't make a single attempt to stop his dangerous behavior." Her gaze was so intense Roxas was surprised it hadn't caught anything ablaze.
"Of course I knew!" Namine hissed. "Anyone with a brain probably knows, but don't do this here."
Roxas had the sudden urge to flee immediately.
"Mom, I don't know what this is about but maybe we can talk about this later." He suggested, trying to keep his voice low.
"When else am I supposed to talk to you, Roxas?" She slammed her hand palm down on the table, causing her wine glass to wobble. "You're too busy making a fool of me in broad daylight. In public!"
"Mom!" Namine shouted, honest to god shouted, and that startled Roxas more than anything else. "Not. Here." She ground out, tiny hands balled into fists.
"How long?" His mother demanded. "How long have you been… Acting out like this?" An incredulous laugh escaped his throat.
"Acting out how?" It was stupid, he knew he would just make whatever this was worse, but he was getting frustrated. "My whole life is centered around what you wanted for me, what could I possibly have done to warrant an ambush?"
Namine was now shaking her head vigorously and motioning with her hands. Xion placed a gentle hand on his knee. Only then did he realize the only thing she could possibly mean, and felt his heart freeze over. Cold as ice and hazy like frost on a window.
"Oh my god no." The words tumbled out of his mouth of their own volition. "No way… No way are you doing this now." He could feel every set of eyes in the room on him. "This is supposed to be for Hayner and Olette." He spat, unsure if he was more angry or terrified.
"You're better than this, Roxas, you know not to spend time with that type of crowd." She paused, delicate brows drawn together. "If you aren't careful you'll end up-" She lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "Catching something."
He felt his face flame with embarrassment.
"For the love of- you sound like a bad afterschool special." The feeling of paralyzing fear had been replaced by burning frustration. "I'm with the same 'crowd' I've always been. And health class was mandatory, mom. I know how to keep from 'catching things'." He was a little offended she seemed to think he was so dense. He was also offended that she was assuming Axel was infected with something.
It was par for the course, though. He knew what his parents thought about gay people, and part of what they thought was that they were promiscuous and disease ridden.
"Who was that man?" She asked, icy blue eyes boring into him. "He's obviously no medical professional, so who is he?"
Roxas laughed in spite of himself.
"You don't believe I have friends in emergency medicine?" His cheeky answer didn't go over well.
"It wasn't Namine visiting that night in the hospital, was it?" She glared at him accusingly. "Tell me, what were you doing Wednesday evening?" She continued before he could even answer.
But of course she already knew. She had to have already known. Worst case scenario, she got an eyeful of Roxas kissing someone who was of the same gender which was always a no-no. Best case scenario, she'd only witnessed what was obviously a romantic outing.
He doubted this would be an issue at all if it was a woman he'd been smooching.
"Does it even matter how I answer?" He tried to match his mother's glare. "You seemed to have made up your mind already, so what's the point?"
"You know I didn't raise you like this." She seethed. "I knew you were impressionable, but this is too much."
"Impressionable?" He felt like ripping out every hair on his head. "What, you think I was coerced?" He turned his attention to his sister.
"What did she say." He demanded. "What did she tell you."
Namine looked at her feet.
"Roxas we really shouldn't do this here… You don't need everyone in town to see this." It almost sounded as if she were pleading with him.
"Alright. Let me try to remember what I did on Wednesday…" The look on Namine's face was the look of someone witnessing a terrible fiery car accident. "I went to work, I had lunch with Xion, I went back to work and stayed nearly a half an hour late… But that can't be what you're so upset about that you're ruining a wedding rehearsal."
"Roxas." His mother began, her voice low and dangerous. "You know how your father and I feel about-"
"You know maybe we can talk about what happened on Sunday." Roxas interjected. "How you verbally abused the waiter because of something you suspected." It seemed like his father was about to say something, but he continued. "And thank god I'm dating a fucking paramedic because the staff found me going anaphylactic on the bathroom floor, all because you couldn't keep your rude thoughts to yourself."
"Roxas stop." Xion whispered, tightening her grip on his leg. "If you keep going like this you'll only regret it…"
"Let me take a wild guess." He was on a roll, and if he didn't say something his mother would. "You want me to fess up to having the gall to be seen in public with my boyfriend, who I've been seeing for half a year by the way."
It didn't occur to him right away that this was the first time he'd honestly referred to Axel as his boyfriend. He was just feeling too angry and defensive.
"You want me to tell you that I gave into peer pressure, because god forbid I hold hands with someone I'm dating in the light of day. There has to be an explanation, right?" His voice was thick with sarcasm. "Better wait until I'm married to do something that shameful."
If he had been paying attention to the now silent crowd, he would have noticed that out of all of his friends only Hayner really looked all that surprised. The rest just silently watched their dumpster fire of a conversation with looks of discomfort on their faces.
"You're under the assumption that everything I do is either a phase, or to spite you." He continued, pinching the bridge of his nose, feeling the familiar start of a tension headache. "Did you ever once stop to think that maybe I'm capable of making my own choices? That I might actually be happy?"
"How could you do this to us?" She looked hurt, but by the sound of her voice it was just a ruse. "There are other ways to rebel-"
"How could I do this to you?"
If he hadn't been angry before, he was livid now.
"I'm tired, mom. I'm tired of feigning interest when you try to set me up with the daughter of some book club friend. I'm tired of listening to you talk about people like they're not even human because if I speak up what if you turn on me?" He felt hot with anger.
"I'm just tired. I tried to keep quiet about it because I knew you'd pull something like this... Because you're so absorbed in how you and dad look you're willing to out me at my best friends' wedding rehearsal."
His jaw hurt from the way he'd been gritting his teeth.
He didn't wait to hear what else she had to say. He calmly stood and walked out of the restaurant.
"Don't bother busting into my apartment, because I won't be there. Sorry they decided to do this now, Olette." Once his rage cooled he would probably shrivel up and die of embarrassment, but now he could barely muster enough emotion for a decent apology.
He felt an enormous weight lifted from his chest as he swung open heavy doors and stepped into the night air. After a good deal of walking he eventually realized that he'd gotten a ride to the rehearsal and needed to call a cab if he wanted to get anywhere.
All he could do at this point was do what he did best, mooch off of Axel's kindness and hide at his place.
He was in the back of a cab that smelled faintly like vomit when he started dialing. He listened to it ring, and for a brief second thought maybe the redhead wasn't able to answer, until finally after what seemed like forever, he picked up.
"Do you have a spare key?" He asked, staring out the window at the neon signs whizzing past.
"Yeah, why?" He could hear Axel fiddling with something on the other line, his voice muffled, and it sounded like there was someone else talking in the background. "Up the narcan to 4 mil, there's enough heroin in that guy to take down an elephant."
He could barely hear the response of whoever Axel was talking to, but it earned whoever it was a long sigh.
"I won't get fired if you don't report me." His tone was artificially sweet. "Obviously there's an emergency, I wouldn't have answered if there wasn't another pair of capable hands to pick up the slack, now could you do me a favor and give this guy the fuckin' narcan?"
It sounded like the redhead was having trouble juggling his phone and whatever medical device he was obviously trying to carry at the same time..
"The longer you bitch at me the more likely he is to go into a coma." The redhead sang, and Roxas could hear a clanging noise on the other line. Obviously he was on the job, which made him feel guilty for calling at all.
"You sound busy so just… Can you tell me where it is?" Roxas massaged his temple with his free hand.
"Hold on just a minute." The background noise diminished considerably. "It's just one of our frequent flyers. He's pretty resilient and I'm not the only one here to take care of him." He raised his voice at the last part. "Did something happen?" The redhead had stopped shuffling whatever he'd been shuffling around.
"It'd… Probably be easier to explain in person." He took a deep breath. "I… Would like to hide out at your place though, if it's okay."
"That doesn't bode well." Axel commented, his voice tinged with concern. "I mean sure, you can definitely bunk at my place, but I can get someone to cover for me if it's that bad."
"Don't you even think about it." Roxas heard someone shout in the background.
It was definitely tempting, and the gesture was sweet, but in a way Roxas felt like he'd brought at least some of this down upon himself.
"It's fine, I'll tell you later." He insisted. "Just… Be safe and all that crap." He could hear Axel sigh.
"Okay, fill me in later then. The key's just under the doormat. I don't have anything worth stealing so I never picked a better hiding place."
Roxas probably could have guessed as much, but it was nice talking to Axel all the same.
"Thanks." He felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Bye, I l- I'll see you when you get home."
He stared at the device in his hand long after the line went dead. Obviously the events prior had fried his brain.
Axel's spare key was exactly where he said it would be, and Roxas made a mental note to find a better place for it later.
Axel might not mind being robbed, but Roxas sure did.
He quickly collapsed onto Axel's sofa, not willing to put forth the effort required to remove his stupid suit..
Now that the excitement was over it finally occurred to him that everyone in his life knew he was gay. He had always had a feeling at least a few of his friends had guessed, but there would be no guessing anymore.
He felt a little sick.
Maybe it was the stress, maybe it was the fact that apartment smelled comfortingly familiar, but regardless of what finally did the trick, Roxas was eventually able to fall asleep.
He wasn't exactly sure what time it was when Axel got home, all he knew was that it was still dark out. He silently watched the redhead creep around in the dark, changing out of work clothes and gingerly sitting on the sliver of sofa still available now that Roxas was sprawled out on it.
Roxas could just barely see the sheepish smile on his face in the dim light streaming through the window.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up." He apologized, but to be honest Roxas was just glad he was there. He clumsily yanked the redhead down for a kiss, which was harder to do in the dark than he anticipated. He could feel Axel smile, and it made him melt inside.
"Glad to see you too." The redhead laughed, and it was all Roxas could do not to kiss him again.
"Did your overdose guy pull through?" He clung to the redhead like an octopus, hungry for his warmth.
"Yeah, we brought him back around." Axel grinned triumphantly, visible even in the dark. "You're dressed pretty fancy to just be conked out on my couch." Roxas blushed.
"Tonight was… Exhausting." He was suddenly keenly aware of how uncomfortable he was.
"I figured." He could feel the redhead gently tugging him by the arm. "Come on. Your back will hurt if you crash on my shitty old couch." Roxas allowed himself to be led to Axel's room, feeling too drowsy to be embarrassed. "Close your eyes, I'm turning on the light for a sec and I don't want you to go blind."
The blonde did as he was told, squinting his eyes shut.
"I think it'd take a little more than that to blind me." He said, blinking in an effort to adjust to the change in light. Axel was rummaging through his dresser drawer. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for something you can wear to bed instead of a tux." He replied as if it didn't sound absolutely crazy out loud. He pulled out a baggy black shirt with a triumphant cry before tossing it Roxas' way. "Put that on. It'll be way too big, but it'll be more comfortable than what you have on now."
He watched the redhead disappear into the bathroom before finally stripping off the tuxedo in favor of the soft baggy shirt.
Burrowing under Axel's sheets, Roxas he tried to tell himself that this wasn't at all weird, because they were dating damn it and dating people stayed at each other's apartments.
At least he thought they probably did.
The lights went out, and the weight of the bed shifted as the redhead climbed in.
"So what happened?" He asked, fingers already finding their way into Roxas' hair. Any feelings of strangeness quickly vanished.
"My mother thinks you've corrupted me." He murmured, the events prior suddenly seeming much more distant.
"Is that what happened?" The taller man slung an arm around Roxas' waist, pressing his lips to the top of his head.
The calming embrace was exactly what he needed.
"There was a little more to it than that. She seems to think we're taking party drugs and having reckless unprotected sex or something." He sighed, focusing all of his energy on the feeling of Axel's lips in his hair. "She also doesn't believe you're a medical professional."
"I can't remember having any reckless unprotected sex, can you?" Axel paused, before adding. "Maybe we don't remember because of all that molly we've been taking." Roxas snorted.
"All things considered we've been model citizens… I couldn't tell her that though. Not in front of all those people." She'd just have to keep making baseless assumptions, because what he did with his boyfriend was his business.
Boyfriend… It was still weird to think about. Not weird in a bad way, really… Just weird.
"As nice as it is to be the subject of such hot gossip, what got her on the topic of… Well, me. Weren't you supposed to be giving toasts or something?" Roxas wondered if Axel had come home early… It seemed too dark to be six.
"From what I gather she saw us together. My dad probably did too, but he hates making a scene." He rolled his eyes.
"Shit… I'm sorry, Rox." Axel mumbled into his hair, sounding genuinely apologetic. Roxas shrugged.
"They were bound to find out eventually. I mean sure, I didn't want them to find out, especially like that, but I don't want to have to sneak around." He wasn't in high school anymore, he was done going to great lengths to keep an impossible secret. "She outed me to… Well, everyone."
Axel was rubbing his back in comforting circles.
"That was a pretty shitty thing to do." He commented quietly.
"I didn't do myself any favors." Roxas admitted. "She started it, but I was the one who finished it." He pressed his nose into the dip of Axel's collarbone. It was probably pretty cold, but Axel didn't complain. "Everyone knows you're my boyfriend now, though. I was so mad I didn't really take a minute to think about whether or not you would mind."
"Boyfriend, huh?" Axel gave a contemplative hum.
"If you want to be, I mean." The blonde amended. "I didn't give them your name or anything… Though I'm sure they can probably guess." Axel scoffed.
"Duh, I want to be. You don't see me doing this with anyone else, do you?" Roxas didn't have to see his face to know he was probably rolling his eyes.
"Good." He felt a little giddy. "Good… You're my boyfriend." Axel chuckled.
"Kinda' have been for a while now." He said. Roxas felt himself smile, big and stupid.
"I know." He wrapped an arm around the redhead. "But it's nice to be able to say it."
This might have run a wee bit long, but I figured since my update schedule is, well, non existent, you folks wouldn't mind getting more bang for your buck. As always, thank you for letting me know what you think and please keep it coming. If not for you this fic might have fallen into hiatus hell.