This was crazy. It was crazy enough for Roxas to be attempting to make some grandiose romantic gesture—it was so not Roxas—but it was even crazier for him to be doing it because of the augury of some girl's dream. If someone showed up a year ago and tried to tell Roxas that he'd be doing this—for a guy, no less—he would ask them what pot they're smoking, what it's laced with, and can he have some?
In the middle of Roxas's ruminating, Sora walked in. Roxas stopped, mustering a small smile at Sora and a brief wave. Roxas was making a concerted effort to be friendlier now. You know, turning over a new leaf or whatever. Sora shuffled forward in clipped steps—a strange, pinched look plastered on his face. Evidently something was up. "What?" Roxas asked.
"Hey, Roxas, how's it goin'?" He asked in a strained, overly chipper voice. Think Ronald McDonald. Yeah, creepy.
"Ew, cut it out."
"Cut what out? I just…y'know…wanted to stop and say hi. And that I love you." Sora rambled sappily. He smiled a big Ronald McDonald smile, pulling Roxas into a smothering hug.
"Sora—and I mean this in the nicest, most brotherly way possible—if you don't stop right now, I'm going to punch you in the face."
Sora reeled back, raising his hands up in defense. "Okay, okay. Sheesh. Grumpy."
"Thank you," Roxas breathed. He dusted his clothes off, as though it would clean his aura of the loveydoviness. "So what the hell was that all about?"
"Can't a brother just show his fellow brother that he loves him very much?" Sora whined defensively.
Roxas frowned. "No."
Sora sighed, his shoulders drooping. "Fine. Promise not to freak out when I tell you this?"
"Is it really that bad?"
Sora stared back awkwardly. He smiled that just-baring-your-teeth kind of smile.
"It is that bad. Ooookay. Give me a second." Roxas paused, breathing deeply, trying to prepare himself. He pondered the possibilities for a moment. "You didn't…sleep with Axel, did you?"
"No! Nonono, nothing like that."
"…Tidus?"
"No! No. God, Roxas. Of course not." Sora regrouped himself. "Okay, maybe…maybe this isn't as bad of news as I thought? Yeah. Yeah, it's probably fine. I think you'll take it pretty well, actually. After all, you've been doing a lot better lately, y'know? With your…mood…and all…"
"Sora, you're rambling."
Sora sucked in a breath. "Ourparentsarecominghome," Sora sputtered all at once.
"What?"
Sora sighed, repeating it more slowly. "Our…our parents our coming home."
Roxas stared blankly back at him.
Sora rushed to fill in the silence. "Just—just for a visit! Like, just a few days. It's probably nothing. I can distract them, maybe? Tell them you're really busy with a project and then sleep at Tidus's or Hayner's or something. And—and I can do all the hanging out with them! I promise you don't have to see them if you don't want to—"
"It's fine," Roxas grated out with practiced calmness.
"It's not fine, Roxas. You know it's not fine," Sora implored gently. He had a pitying look on his face. Roxas tried not to scowl at its reemergence.
"No, really, it's fine," Roxas repeated carefully.
"It…it is?"
"Yeah, totally," Roxas breathed out as casually as he could.
"Oh, okay. Great! Because, um…they'll be here tomorrow." Cue a second just-baring-the-teeth grin.
"Tomorrow," Roxas echoed hollowly. "Tomorrow! That's… great!" Roxas forced out.
"Well, um, in that case. Do you think you could come to church with us? They really…want to meet…uh…whoever it is you're dating? Um. Who is it that you're dating now, exactly? Tidus? Axel? I, uh, I've seen both of them around here lately so I don't really know what's going on," Sora confessed. "You're not doing the whole polyamory thing, are you? I…don't know if mom and dad could handle that."
"Uh. No. Yeah, no. Um, church—yeah. I'll be there. Tomorrow. With—with my boyfriend! Yeah. Speaking of—I gotta go call him. Um. My boyfriend. Yeah. See you later!" Roxas sputtered. He gathered his stuff clumsily in his hands and all but sprinted to his room.
He pressed his back against his door, sliding down until he met the floor. "Oh god," he muttered to himself. He forced the bile rising in his chest back down as best he could. He tried to take deep, calming breaths. He sighed. He didn't want to face his parents. Deep down, he'd always felt that the reason they'd moved halfway across the world was that they'd known what he'd become—even before Roxas knew. He used to think that they just thought of him as a failure. A shadow cast from their perfect firstborn son. But it turns out it was more than that.
Their son was a faggot. He grimaced, pulling hard at the ends of his hair until it hurt. Maybe he deserved it, anyway.
His mom had torn up the note back when the word gay didn't even mean anything to him. They'd encouraged him endlessly to date Naminé. His parents wouldn't even let him be friends with their neighbor Yuffie when they'd found out she had two moms.
He really didn't want to face his parents. But he couldn't do it alone. He couldn't face them alone. He picked up his phone and dialed the number of the person he needed to speak to most. He listened to the dial tone, his anticipation building with each ring until finally there was an audible click.
"Tidus."