"Hello?" the blonds voice was surprisingly happy- I could hear Zack laughing in the background, and I was half tempted to hang the phone up and pretend that I had never called, instead I kept Axel's cell phone against my ear and sat on the closed toilet lid. The laughing slightly stopped, "Hello?" still I didn't say anything, Cloud and Zack were happy in their life- and I was calling them to tell them my problems, "Roxas, is that you?" "H… Hi, yeah… it's me…" I didn't know how he knew it was me but I didn't bother to ask- instead I let the moment go away to silence. "What's wrong Roxas?" my voice failed but my mouth was left gaping open like a fish out of water.
"Are you busy?" my voice finally caught on and I tried not to ruin their night any more than it seemed, "No, Zack and I were just sitting at home- why, is everything okay?" I looked at the ceiling to stop the burning in my eyes, I took a deep breath while my mind raced to find a right way to say it- a right way to tell them about Sora and not ruin anything more. "Ummm…. I guess… not really… no…" was my response, "What happened?" again I was silent after his question. A few seconds passed before I forced the words out of my mouth, "Sora got taken to a group home…" mighty fine ceiling.
There was no response for an even longer time- I wondered what Cloud was going to say, "Yeah, and why do you feel the need to tell me that, do I look like your babysitter?" he didn't say that- but I was terrified that he would, after all, he was taking such a long time to respond. "Roxas… where are you?" changing the subject it seemed, "Um, I'm at Demyx and Zexion's…" "Give me the address and Zack and I will be over soon," after my slight moment of surprise I raddled off the address and we spoke our goodbyes. Standing up I looked at myself in the mirror- I looked like crap, yet again.
I rubbed and washed my face, brushing my hair out and dousing it in water to help me style it the way I wanted, after I felt like it was good enough I fixed my shirt and pants to look better and walked out of the bathroom. Axel was walking around the kitchen, when I found him, I stayed silent as he was pacing with a rather serious expression on his face, "Roxas?" I must have zoned out because Axel wasn't pacing anymore and my eyes hurt because I had forgotten to blink, "Hmm?" my response was a bit delayed but that was only because I wasn't paying attention.
"So what'd you say?" his voice was rather panicked but I just shrugged my shoulders, "That Sora's in a group home… they said they were coming over after that…" walking into the living room Axel followed me and we sat on the couch, my knees pulled up to my chest and turned a bit to look at Axel while Axel sat normally. Axel may have tried to talk to me- but different scenarios were running through my head of what Cloud and Zack were coming over for and what they would say when they arrived, it felt like mere seconds- even though thousands of thoughts went through my head- and there was a knock on the door.
Axel answered the door as I stayed seated, before I knew it I had a face in my own, Cloud's, "Are you okay?" he stood up straight after he got my attention, I nodded my head slowly and let my feet slide to the ground so I didn't look so emotional about everything. But by unfolding my legs I provided Cloud with the chance to grab my arms and pull me to my feet and wrap me in a hug- his hugs were always very brief though. Zack's hand was on my shoulder in the meantime, "When did this happen?" "Yesterday…" Cloud took a deep breath while nodding his head, we ended up going into the kitchen where there was more places to sit.
Cloud and Zack and even Axel were prying for answers and for me to relay the event and eventually I did. I told them how I didn't think the cop people could get in the house, to how I tried to grab the knife, how I fought the cops, to being outside only to run back in and not be able to save Sora. The ceiling's intricate design was the only thing to really keep my mind occupied away from the words, I stared at that pretty much the whole time I was talking.
"Are you hurt?" was Zack's response, I looked down to meet his gaze, tipping my head to the side I bit I responded, "Um… I… don't really know… I don't think so," taking off my sweatshirt I had put on only a few hours before, I looked over my arms, "What's that?" Cloud was looking at the bandages on my arm from where Riku pushed me and I landed on that glass, "This?" I just wanted to make sure, he nodded his head so I quickly responded, "I fell outside," I rolled up the sleeves to my oversized shirt- it was oversized because it wasn't mine, it was Demyx's but it was big on him, and there was what everyone was looking for.
Dark but pale blue bruises planted on my upper arms like a poorly constructed Mosaic piece, I poked at them but they didn't hurt- and honestly I couldn't feel them, one was on the underside of my arm but the other arm had a similar bruise but on the top side and right above my elbow. Putting my sleeves down I was done investigating, looking up I saw that Cloud was looking at Axel- who was looking pretty much through me while Zack was looking at Cloud. Axel looked like he wanted to say something but he kept opening his mouth, basically licking his bottom lip, and then shutting his mouth again, while Cloud looked at Axel before closing his eyes then looking at me.
"Are you okay?" nodding my head Cloud let out a sigh before leaning back in his chair, "Do you want to stay with Zack and I?" freezing for a second I thought of how to phrase what I was going to say next, "Demyx and Zexion said I could stay here as long as I needed to…" I couldn't intrude on their lives- I already felt bad about doing that Demyx and Zexion, I couldn't thank them enough but I also couldn't just push them off and say "Yeah I found somewhere better," it just doesn't work like that.
"I know we haven't really talked to you in a while… but we want you to be able to come to us when you have problems," "I know- and I did…" this took a turn and for some reason this turn was making me irritated, "I meant before it gets this bad, if you needed to have somewhere to stay you could've called Zack or I," Zack started talking, "We just want you to know you can talk to us before it's too late, so we have time to help you…" "Yeah…" I mumbled, trying hard not to show my anger, "We needed guardians- I didn't want you guys to have to worry about that…" Sora had asked them before if they would adopt us- but they weren't able too, and I guess nothing changed when we moved back.
They stayed silent after that, neither of them had anything to say I guess, Cloud let out another sigh before breaking the silence, "Roxas… we'll figure out how to get Sora back, okay? We'll figure something out…" nodding my head I stared at the table, not wanting to look up anymore, "Meanwhile, be careful and try not to get taken either…" and that was pretty much all they said before I got a hand pat on my shoulder from both of them as they left.
Even after Axel showed them out I was still sitting there, thinking- though it was all random thoughts, Axel sat back down where he was before and was looking at me, so I looked up at him and met his stare, "You fell outside?" That's what he was caught up on, I tried not to roll my eyes, staring at the table I waited for Axel to continue like I knew he would, "Why'd you lie?" "What- did you expect me to say something about Sora's boyfriend?" looking up at Axel I could tell he was irritated now, "I'm sorry…" I mumbled, "I just don't see why it matter's if I say I fell or I got pushed or whatever," "Every time you came to my house, or when you came to school, when you fell outside, or tripped in the woods- was that all to cover someone too?"
"What does it matter now?" I didn't understand why he was so angry at me, sure I've done a lot for him to have a reason to be angry, I've done enough for him to hate me- but it shouldn't be about my wording. He sat forward and leaned his forehead against his hands that were propped up because his elbows rested on his knees, he sighed while sitting up, running a hand back through his red hair in the process. "You don't have to lie to protect people Rox," now I was even more confused- I didn't understand where all of it was coming from, I didn't see why it was affecting him so much, and I didn't understand why he was so content on me telling the complete and utter truth.
"What do you expect me to do then?" "Tell the truth," "And what if that ends up bad for them?" "Then they shouldn't have done it in the first place!" I was the one to rest my head in my hand this time, I closed my eyes and tried to get rid of all the annoying feelings building up inside me- since when did I have so much problems controlling how I felt?
Axel ended up leaving to go get pizza to eat, in that time I moved and went into the living room, turning the TV on to find nothing interesting on, I slid the remote across the floor because I was going to move over towards the couch- which is where the remote now was, but I got distracted by the hole in my sock. Needless to say- I didn't stand up to go to the couch, but the TV was annoying, so I laid on the floor in an attempt to stretch and get the remote but I was too far away, instead I rolled over and stared at the ceiling- trying to find the energy to get up and grab the piece of plastic.
Someone knocked twice and then opened the door, looking over I saw Axel walk in with a box in hand- the smell of pizza quickly filled the room. "What're you doing?" that was Axel's way of saying he wasn't mad, I shrugged my shoulders and ended up yawning- even though I wasn't really tired. Axel stepped over me and walked into the kitchen; I decided I might as well stand up and sit on the provided furniture. Walking instead into the kitchen my timing was perfect because as soon as I got in the room Axel was holding my plate out for me to take, "Thanks…" I whispered, grabbing my food and returning back to the living room, sitting on the couch, my knees to my chest again.
We ate in silence again- I don't know if Axel tried to talk to me again or not but basically I was too lost in thoughts. "How am I gonna get Sora out of this, how am I gonna keep my grades up in school- I'm not going to be able to get a job unless I graduate. How am I gonna support myself and him, will Riku talk to me again, what if he hurts Sora," the last thought was easy, "I'd beat the shit out of him… then probably apologize to Sora if he was upset about it." but in the end everything just felt too over whelming, not to mention the fact that I was being an ass to Axel for no reason, he'd put up with enough of my bullshit already.
Axel volunteered to take my empty and dirty plate, while I continued to sit on the couch and zone out, I was brought back when I felt a sudden warmth wrap around me, looking over I saw the red of Axel's hair. I went to ask him what he was doing but the question never came to life, Axel spoke anyway, his face was pressed against my arm and shoulder but he was facing the back of the couch so I couldn't see his face. "You know I care about you, right Rox?" his question came out of nowhere, I watched as he sat back and finally I could see his face, he looked really worried and it made me feel worse. He asked his question again and this time I nodded my head, never taking my eyes off his, he was being completely serious and I appreciated it but I wished he was the cocky bastard I first meant just to prevent me from thinking too much like I already was.
"Come on," he stood up, the cold hitting me hard, it wasn't cold before he hugged me, I looked up at him, "What?" "Come on, we're going to go out," I raised an eye brow at him; I didn't understand where all of this was coming from or where it was going but I was soon pulled to my feet and sliding my shoes on anyway. We were sitting in Axel's car when I finally voiced something else, "What're we doing?" "We're going to get ice cream," "Ice cream? Doesn't Demyx have ice cream in the freezer?" "Yes," he drew the word out, "But that's in the house- the purpose of this is to get out of the house," slowly I nodded my head- I didn't really understand but I went with it.
We stopped outside some retro store- when we walked inside the place was pretty much empty, which considering it was a school day and most kids were in school made sense. We stood by the coolers and freezers as Axel looked at the wall in front of us that had a list of all items in the freezers, "What do you want?" his tone was happy even though nothing good had happened, "I don't know… I don't have any money," "I'm buying," he continued to look at the board and soon he stopped- he'd obviously made his choice.
"What're you getting?" my voice was quiet but I don't know why- I didn't intend it to be, "Me? I'm getting a sea salt ice cream," "They have that?" my voice was loud that time, I was shocked- the last time I had sea salt ice cream was when I was five, I stopped seeing it so I figured they stopped making it. "Umm… Yeah, have you had it before?" nodding my head I saw the small smile grow on Axel's face, "Oh yeah? And you like it?" "I love it," there was a small smile on my face now. It was silently determined that I was getting a sea salt ice cream and in truth- I was a bit nervous.
I didn't want to have some weird flashback of me and my mom and Sora when we would eat it, especially not right now because it was the last thing I wanted to deal with, but I secretly wanted it to happen because then I could remember my mother's face and her voice. Axel grabbed the ice cream out of the freezer and walked to the register to buy it, we walked back outside and ended up sitting in his still warm car- the heat only semi blared as to not melt the ice cream.
Axel was quick to open the wrapper and begin eating it while I took my time- I tried to remember the taste before I could actually taste or smell it, and I honestly couldn't, I could only remember that I liked it. My first small half bite half nibble out of it and I was instantly reminded of my mother and being with her, so much so that I actually gave a small laugh at the memories. "Huh? What're you laughing about?" a small chuckle left his lips as he spoke, only pausing for a second from eating his own ice cream. "I used to eat this all the time, my mother would buy it for us and the three of us- her, Sora, and me- would always pretend we were the only persons in the world in that small amount of time."
When I looked back over at him he had a sad smile on his face, "You still miss her, don't you?" nodding my head I stared off for a minute before asking, "Don't you still miss your mom?" he slowly and a bit dramatically nodded his head, looking straight out the front windshield. Looking back down at the ice cream I wondered about Sora, was he okay, was he hurt or was he safe? Not only about Sora now but what would I have to do in order to get Sora out- how was I going to make everything right?
"What's on your mind," looking up I noticed he was no longer looking out the window but instead at me, "Umm… nothing much," I lied, he continued to look at me with the same look of something almost like derision, so I let out a sigh and decided to share my thoughts. "Well… I'm just worried I guess… they aren't going to just let Sora out- not till he turns 18, I could try to get us emancipated but the problem with that is I'd need a job- to get a job I'd need to go to school and show that I can finish school, by going to school I'm setting myself up to be thrown in with Sora- which will happen either way if I don't get a job or someone to take guardianship.
"I have to keep my grades up to graduate or I'm going to be stuck with some stupid job- if I can even get hired but I can't go to school… I can't keep mooching off people like I am now and sooner or later people are going to realize I'm staying with Demyx and Zexion and I don't want to be some kid that has to stay away from people like a fugitive… I just don't know what do to and how to do it…" my ice cream was starting to melt so I figured it was time for me to stop speaking and start eating it. "You want to hear what I have to say?" looking over at him with the Popsicle ice cream in my mouth I nodded my head, of course I wanted to hear what he had to say.
"I think you should stay at Demyx and Zexion's and not worry about paying them back right now, we may not know where Sora is but the governments keeping track of him so when we need to we can find him. You're right about the school though- you can't go because the teachers are required to call cps by now, but you still need to be able to graduate to get a good job- which you'll need…" my ice cream was halfway gone now but I was just focusing on listening to what he was saying- it was like he was giving me the right answer for everything.
"I still have to go to school- even though you're not there, I can ask Zell if you're still in the system and if he says yes, then- since we have all the same classes I can get a copy of the class work, homework, and extra credit so you can pass even though you aren't there- the only thing I can't help you with is gym but we can always figure that out." Nodding my head I waited for him to continue, I still wasn't completely sure about everything and a few things were still on my mind that he hadn't solved for me. "Well, since you'll be there alone most of the time- during school hours, you can always use the internet and figure out ways to get emancipated to see what you have to do. Find out what you can do to get Sora out and what has to be done, ya' know?"
I couldn't help but smile, "Damn Axel, you're pretty smart," he laughed at that and I laughed too because not only did I love his laugh but he had given me an answer for what I needed to do now so I could start fixing everything I had fucked up. We drove back to Demyx's- home for now, and Axel told Zexion and Demyx what the plan was, which meant he basically repeated everything he said in the car but for them to hear, since today was Thursday there was only tomorrow and then we went on Christmas Break for a week and a half- and Axel told me, "Since it's break, we aren't going to worry about school or money or getting a job- we can keep looking up ways to get Sora out, but we aren't going to worry about it all day, you aren't allowed to talk or even think about it till at least after dinner- okay?" he had a smile on his face so he didn't seem as controlling as his words alone stated.
But honestly I didn't find him being bossy really at all- he was trying to get me to enjoy the time we were going to be spending with our friends rather than worrying about a bunch of stuff. And with much guilt- I enjoyed the time I got to spend with my friends, Riku never showed up though, he texted Axel all the time now though- I didn't want to pry so I never asked Axel what they were talking about but Axel never looked happy when he read the messages.
Christmas came and I didn't have any money so instead I made cards by hand for everyone with something special for each and Axel took me out so 'we' (all his money though) could pick out a present for each of them, I picked it out and if Axel thought it was perfect we bought it. Demyx and Zexion's house had the tree- it was actually a stick we found outside that Axel and I decided to play swords with and the stick held through all the crap so it was our Christmas tree. It was actually a really good Christmas- even without considering the fact that I had never really had one, me and Sora normally just gave each other cards or something.
I was amazed, shocked, sad, and ecstatic that not only had all of our friends given me presents but they also all bought a present or made a present or whatever they did- for Sora, because they all said, "He'll be back soon, it's unfair he missed this, he's part of this group so of course we're going to get him something," I wanted to cry- I felt special for Sora, I was happy that Sora had people that cared his much about him.
After Christmas, we celebrated New Years, and after that- school started again and I was alone in the house till the afternoon, every day except weekends or days off, I used my time to search legal papers and definitions and it felt more like I was trying to become a lawyer- it shouldn't have been as hard as it was but I had to figure all these ways to get papers and add up the costs. My school notebook was being filled with definitions and costs and papers I needed and why I needed them- I started in the back of the notebook and worked my way to the front, more of the book was legal stuff rather than school.
In the afternoons when Axel got out of school he'd put all my work down on the couch in my room, where I sat and looked up stuff, and I'd put the legal stuff up for the rest of the day. Axel reminded me that I was still only 15 and that I still was hyper and liked to do things and that I wasn't much of a fan of staying inside all day long. Demyx loved having Axel over but feeding Axel's mouth as well as my own was a little cost worthy, so Axel always had to go home before we ate dinner- normally he left an hour before that because I always held Demyx make the food. After dinner- depending on the day, either Demyx or I would have to wash the dishes, unless Zexion had that day off- then he would wash the dishes and put them away.
After that I would sit and talk to them for a while- Demyx said he liked talking to me and spending time with me- after all, we were friends. When they got around for bed I would go up and do the school work I was given, which normally was homework sheets, note sheets from class I was supposed to copy, and extra credit, it always took me a while to figure everything out but once I was done I put it in a stack and set it on the floor next to my bed/couch, before going to bed. Sometimes Axel would accidently wake me up when he came upstairs, other times I hadn't been able to sleep, we would talk for a little while and I would either go back to sleep or go down stairs and help make breakfast or wash dishes or clean.
My life was based on these schedules, on the weekends my schedule was much like it was over Christmas break, sleep a whole lot, figure out new ways, and hang out with people- most of the time I was dragged to do the last one by a certain red head. Life continued on like this for a total of 4 months. 4 long, mostly sleepless months, and no matter how hard I tried I was hitting a dead end- though in school I was at least passing- I even had a higher grade than Axel.
Riku's birthday came about in February, and even though he wasn't talking to me I made him a card- I was a card master by this time. I made another card for Axel almost a month later when his birthday came about and he turned 18, it was weird to think Riku was only a month older than Axel.
When mine and Sora's birthday came around- that was the worst, it was the first birthday we hadn't spent together… so much for sweet sixteen. Sora got presents from everyone like he had for Christmas, and again I was happy for Sora, Sora had all these people that cared about him and it just fueled me to try and get him out of there faster.
Cloud and Zack checked in once a week to see how I was doing- mostly they just called, the conversations were always brief and not much was said other than they were trying and thinking of everything they could but they didn't have it yet. Axel started acting happier when he came over- like he knew something I didn't, at first he seemed the complete opposite, and he was quiet and tried to stay off certain topics- really anything that had to do with Sora. He was probably tired of hearing me talk all the time about Sora so I tried to stop talking about him as much- not talking about him, but talking about getting him out and about everything I was worrying about.
One day, near the end of April- when it was almost May, Axel asked me a strange question, "Do you like Zell? I mean as a person, not a teacher," it came out of nowhere but I decided to answer it truthfully, "Yeah- he's a good guy… why?" he shrugged his shoulders, "He told me he was friends with your brother…" I never really told Axel how my brother died, or how sister died, or how I knew my father killed my mother, so it worried me when he said that, "Did he say anything else?" "What? No, he just said he grew up with your brother, that he was sad when he died… that was pretty much it…"
The next day I was surprised but I couldn't say it didn't make sense, but Zell was at the door, asking for me, Demyx tried to say, "He's not here- hasn't been for a while," but Zell started talking over him, "Axel told me he was here, I know he is… I'm here to help him," Demyx let out a small breath and opened the door wider so I could be seen from the doorway sitting in the chair.
"I need to have a conversation with you Roxas… it's important," he looked at Demyx then back at me, "Well… you see… first off- do you remember me at all from when you were younger?" I thought for a moment- my memory was insignificant because I could only remember him before his tattoo and I only remembered him opened a car door, so I shook my head, "Are you sure? Nothing at all- even if it's the tiniest of memories, I want to hear." We moved into the kitchen, Demyx sat next to me- I bet it was weird having a teacher from a school he was known to get in trouble at- sitting at his kitchen table.
"Well… I think I remember you- but it might not have been you because you didn't have that tattoo… all I remember is you opening a car door though…" he gave a small smile, "Yeah, I didn't get this tattoo till after your brother passed…" he paused for a minute, "Would you rather talk in privacy?" he wasn't trying to sound rude, and even if he did Demyx was content on staying in the room, because all he did was cross his arms. It was strange how every time the moment was serious it was like a completely different Demyx- I almost seriously thought he had a split personality.
"No… Demyx already kind of found out a lot about me," I spoke quietly, "Because I freaked out in a car," I continued on in my head. Zell nodded his head and continued talking. "Do you remember why I was there? I came over a lot- not as much as Zack and Cloud though…" I shook my head; I didn't remember at all why he was there. "Well… it was when Genesis was getting pretty bad… Leon got Cloud, Zack, and I to come over while Genesis and Angeal were at work… we were trying to get you and Sora out of the house- permanently… Cloud's parents were going to try and get custody… but before we could get you in the car- as luck would have it, Genesis had forgotten something and returned…"
The memory came back. It was after my mother's death, and Yuna's, Genesis was drinking more and hanging out with Angeal more- all of those negative things added together didn't make staying home all that safe. Leon told us to get our stuff packed as quickly as possible, Cloud put some clothes in my bag, while I put my photos and stuff inside; Zack and Sora were doing the same thing. We were rushed outside, Zell was standing by the car, Zack and Cloud put our bags in the back while Leon came out behind us, he had two bags though, Zell turned and started to say something to Cloud, Zack and Leon, and that was the part where Zell was behind the car door.
Everything was unpack and messily put back, Sora and I sat on our bed, Sora was holding my hand tightly- though I was probably holding his just as tight, Zack shut the door on his way out and soon all we could hear was shouting. Genesis didn't catch on that we were leaving, he was just angry that we had skipped school and that we had Zack, Cloud, and Zell over. They never tried again.
"I remember now… yeah… but what does that have to do with anything?" looking up at him he was serious too and I wasn't really glad about that- I wanted him to be making jokes in the front of the room about him smelling like he was the first day Sora and I went. "I… we- were trying to save you… I was having my own problems though… I couldn't try to help like Cloud and Zack were and I've hated that I didn't for a while now… and I was wondering if you would let me help you now?" raising an eyebrow at him was the only thing I could do- I didn't want to jump to conclusions and be wrong, so I let him continue.
"I moved into this district, I'm renting to own a somewhat newish house- it has three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, all one floor… I took the liberty of getting it approved by the state- I'm allowed to take in children- to foster or to adopt if I chose to…" he took a deep breath and I wanted to smack him for the suspense he was making. "And I was wondering if you would allow me to adopt Sora and you?"
This is pretty much a first- a chapter that turned to end in a good place! Oh my- xD anyway, I ended that one poll… and I'm going to post a preview for the first chapter here- It's an Axel Roxas story, and it was the most voted for on that poll- Cigarette Burns. I'll start typing this story once I finish re-doing One Day- which I am working on… a little bit… but anyway, here's that preview.
Cigarette Burns:
I was singing quietly to myself, "No one knows what it's like to be the bad man… to be the sad man… behind blue eyes…," I rolled over on the heated floor so I was now lying flat on my back- staring at the yellowish white ceiling, "And no one knows what it's like to be hated… to be fated- to telling only lies," My voice stopped as I heard the door being unlocked, I tipped my head back slowly, my blond hair rubbing against the carpet in a way I was sure would cause friction and be a very useless weapon upon the imposing intruder. But as the door opened I saw a silver haired man poke his head in, "Damn…" I said quietly as he walked in and shut the door behind him.
"And here I thought I could use my newly discovered weapon of mass destruction in a fight for my life… way to ruin it Riku," he knew I was joking even though I wasn't smiling, I hadn't moved- I was a very lazy person and this was not news to him. He didn't humor me with a smile like he normally did, "What're you doing Roxas?" he didn't seem very happy at all, I stopped craning my head back and continued to stare at the ceiling, not gracing him with a response, I hated talking to him when he was grumpy and he knew it- and I wasn't his boyfriend so I didn't have to put up with it. He sighed and walked over to the long pale yellow couch that was beside me- it's comfy cushions and arm rests made up for its ugly color, "Roxas…" he was doing something but I still didn't bother to answer him- he was annoyed, not at me, but I still wanted nothing to do with it.
I have my own emotions to deal with, I don't like dealing with other's also- I'm selfish like that, "Did you know," I started, but he cut me off, "Roxas- no more facts," "that," "Let's get going, you're not staying up here by yourself any longer," He leaned down and grabbed hold of my upper arm and hauled me to my feet- all I did was act like dead weight and make it even harder for him to move me, "Me and the carpet are getting further acquainted though," "You and the carpet don't need to get any closer," I looked at the ugly couch, "What if I make friends with the couch?" Riku let go of my arm, but my feet were still dead so I fell back to the ground, folding my legs and crossing my arms- looking much like a child throwing a tantrum.
"Roxas… I have to get back downstairs," "Then go," "You're not staying up here- you think I haven't caught on to how you act- I leave you up here by yourself for a few hours and you turn into a depressed- 'kill me now' mess and I'm in no mood to have that on my mind," He made it sound like I stayed up here all the time by myself- I only did it maybe a few times a month, nothing serious- and hell, it was my house too, I kept my arms crossed- his little tone hadn't slipped by my ears, "Don't get snippy with me just because your grumpy…" he fell back onto the opposing couch and took a deep breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I know… I'm just worried about deadlines…" "That's what you get for thinking you can run a bar and strip club when you're only 21," of course I never said that because it would just make things worse but that doesn't stop me from thinking it. We sat in silence for a while, I laid down slowly hoping he wouldn't notice but of course he did, "You're going to bring me into a depression with you if I stay up here any longer," I could see him out of the corner of my eye looking around the flat. It was our shared apartment- one bedroom, one bath, the dining room and kitchen were one small room all together while the living room was a long rectangle, and there was hardly anything in the space to show that someone even lived here. All above the place- the bar, he decided to run.
"Come on…" he stood up again and offered me his hand but I didn't take it, "I'm comfy though… and it's too much work to sit up…" he took his hand back, "I don't see why you can't just sit on the couch like a normal person," I turned to glare at the couch, "I don't like it… it tried to eat me with its nasty yellow teeth," "Just because it's yellow it has yellow teeth?" Riku tried to argue but stopped himself, "Why the fuck does the couch have teeth?" he asked himself instead, feeling stupid for listening to what I was saying- we often went through this scenario. I was dragged to my feet and moved out the door to a set of dark red carpet covered stairs that went down from the side of the door only to turn almost 10 steps again so you couldn't see where the red tongue spit you out.
"Stay down here till we closed- start waiting and work off some of that money you owe," "What," I started, "You always owe someone money Roxas," he continued to walk down the stairs, I tried to open the door but he locked it and I was that one stupid kid who had a key but always left it inside because I never really cared. I just got off my shift- which is why I retreated back to the apartment, I was tired of dealing with people today- so I sat on the steps and thought. I could settle for the stairs sinking me into my depression- it didn't have to be on the living room floor, I wasn't that picky, resting my chin on my palm and my elbow on my knee I listened to the vibrations that spread up the house from the bar below. My hearing was still intact even though I grew up in bars like this- with the concert loud music, the half-naked women and- on special select nights- men, the shouting from drunken fools- it was a sickening and tiring way to spend the rest of my life, wasn't it?
Every chapter will have a POV of Roxas AND of Axel. It'll start out with one- but I'll make it clearer as to whom, and then the POV will change- the events wont replay, but instead just continue on- get it?
Since this is a preview of the preview- I'm not including Axel's POV- just Roxas'. Still happy you voted for it?