Chapter Twenty-Five
Cats Are Always Late

It's strange how emotions sneak up on you. It's like one minute you're catatonic, and the next they're flooding through you and keeping you up at night. Am I speaking from personal experience? I guess so. I don't know what it is, but something clicked in my head tonight and I haven't been able to keep my eyes shut since. Something has changed in the way I feel about Axel, like the plates shifting under the earth's surface. I definitely felt it when I looked at him as he smiled at me, just such a soft look on his face. It was something different. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm guessing it's come from all the time we've spent together these past few days. I can just see something there and I can't explain it.

Something cutesy, I've noticed is that it seems Axel has this hidden mother goose quality to him and just thinking about it makes me want to burst into spontaneous giggles right here, while I lay in the dark at 3 am. He's been so nurturing since my mom got into the accident, but the funny thing is, is that it all seems like a second nature to him. Waking up, making breakfast and just being there for shits and giggles. I guess it all comes from when he had to take care of Kairi, and even now when I think about it, I feel like a huge ass. I don't know why I ever doubted him, or even disliked him. It's probably his weird accent and facial tattoos; they just make him seem like such a brute or something. There's still some getting used to I have to do, but I find that they seem nicer and nicer every day. When I first met him, I had briefly thought he was the Toronto Strangler.

Anyway, all that's changed obviously or else I wouldn't be laying here in bed with him, listening to him mumble in his sleep about something. I wonder if he feels any different about me, or if it's just my crazy brain and emotions that always seem to be so damn hard to figure out. I mean, normal people must have it a little easier. I'm pretty sure it should just be one of two options, you either like someone or you don't. It definitely seems that way for Sora whenever he's had crushes in the past.

Now, back to my shifting feelings and what I originally was pondering. I can't seem to put my finger on the change, all I know is that when I look at Axel, I can feel it right in the middle of my torso. It's corny as hell, but it sorta feels like I was empty before but now I'm not. Of course I'd never tell anyone this, hell I'm probably not even going to want to remember thinking such sappy things, but I gotta put all this shit out on the table. And what better time than at 3 in the morning?

There isn't much more to say about the way I feel about him, so I guess it's pretty clear. I really, really like him and at this point, I don't know what the hell I would ever do without him. It's so hard to picture my life the way it used to be, every day just a repeat of the last and always so damn lonely. My mom might hate it, and she probably regrets ever bringing Axel home but I'm really glad she did. To think, I wanted to send him right back. What a mistake that would have been!

I turn onto my back and stare up at the ceiling, just for the heck of it. Axel must sense that I'm in a position for cuddling and squirms his way over, wrapping his arm around my waist and resting his head on my chest. Well, it's good to know that I wear the pants in this relationship. I mean, you can always tell who the sissy one is because they're the ones who like to cuddle. I hate cuddling when I'm too hot, I absolutely hate it. It makes me extra sweaty, plus I feel like I'm going to suffocate. Cuddling is for when it's like -20 degrees outside and if you don't cuddle for warmth you'll die. When it's too hot, I like to curl up on my side and be left like that, but Axel likes to cling to me in any position I'm in, all while he expels more heat than a furnace from Satan's bed chambers. I can already feel the sweat collecting along my hairline and I kick the sheets off my legs, trying to cool off in some way. Axel, of course, does not like this and starts to shiver. It's not even cold, I swear he's a big freaking pansy. The heat is on full blast, and I'm definitely going to fix that tomorrow morning. I have no idea when he went and touched the bloody thermostat.

"The…sheets…s'cold," He mumbles, still asleep and releases me to reach down and cover us again. I feel like groaning. It's just too damn hot in this bed, I feel like I might even have a nose bleed or something. Whatever, if I get my brain blood all over Axel and his bed, it's his problem, not mine. Right now, my problem is actually getting to sleep.

I wake up with a heavy pressure on my stomach, and I try to take a breath but I can't. I start to panic but before I throw myself off the bed in a wild frenzy, I open my eyes. "HOLY SHIT AND THE FUCKING SON OF GOD! WHAT THE HELL?" I push my something off me violently, because not only does it look like something from hell but it was staring at me when I opened my eyes. I hear the familiar loud laugh of my cousin and I get so angry. I see my cousin on the floor as he rolls onto the side of the bed where Axel should be, removing the horrible, horrible rubber mask and tossing it on the floor. He grins at me, before I sit up, trying to gauge the time and steady my heart rate that's rocketed to like 300 beats a second. Also, where the hell is Axel? I turn, about to ask my cousin, but he appears to guess what I want to know.

"He left with Riku, they went to buy party shit. I really scared yah, huh?" He's just giddy with excitement and I roll my eyes, getting up and making my way towards Axel's bathroom. I actually have never used this bathroom, but since he's not here I figure it's as good a time as any. I walk in, and it's not much different than mine. Only my bathroom is all blue, while his is just plain white. Luckily, Sora doesn't follow me and instead sits just outside the door to speak while I shower.

"Shut up Sora. That was a dirty trick," I growl, stepping under the hot water and relishing in the feel of it on my skin. I love the feeling of getting clean, it's just so amazing, nothing else could ever compare to it. I look around and spot Axel's shampoo, only to stop and stare at it. He uses something called Mane and Tail, with a fucking picture of a horse on it. I lean over to get a better look, because maybe I'm seeing things but I'm definitely not. I grab the bottle, which is fucking huge might I add, and turn it over in my hands. I'm pretty sure this is for fucking horses. "Sora…Axel uses horse shampoo…"

It takes my cousin a while to reply, and when he does, he sounds like he's just on the other side of the shower curtain. I jump, almost dropping the huge bottle on my toes. My heart is hammering in my chest again and I wonder just why I'm so easy to spook. I need to get some bravery injections or something. "Well…you know, horses do have-"

"Sora, don't you even dare finish that thought," It's too disgusting to even briefly think about, but sadly I already did. I push all those thoughts out of my head at once and just squeeze a small portion into my hand. Well, at least it smells really good, so if anything I won't stink like an actual horse.

"I was gonna say nice, thick manes Roxas," I can hear the laughter and shit eating grin in Sora's voice; I don't even need to see his face to picture the look on it. I put the heavy bottle down, freeing my hands and lathering up my hair. So far, so good which means it's safe to continue with this shower. The bottle disappears and I realize Sora probably grabbed it to read the label himself. I rinse the suds out and reach for the second bottle, which is the conditioner. It still smells good, so again I squeeze a small portion out. It feels like silk going through my hair and I can just stay here forever, massaging this into my scalp! Ugh, it just feels so good. "Can you hurry up princess? I swear you take ages! Plus, this bottle says it's safe for humans doofus."

"Shut up, I actually wash myself. Unlike you and your 2 second showers," I swear I've never seen someone shower as quickly as Sora. It's like he just steps under the spray, flattens his anti-gravity hair, then steps out. I know there is no way he can properly clean his body, that fast. He begs to differ however. I ignore his grumbling as he leaves the bathroom and look for the soap and a clean wash cloth.

I step out of the shower after rinsing off my body and wrapping myself in a fluffy towel, only to find Sora going through all of Axel's drawers. I stand in the middle of the room watching him, waiting for the moment he'll realize I've caught him snooping. He looks up, but instead of stopping and looking ashamed like I expected him to, he giggles and lifts a pair of Axel's underwear out of the drawer. "Sora, stop it!" I shout, making my way over and stuffing the garment back in the drawer. My cousin just laughs and hurries to a different section of the room. I realize that if I don't get him out of the house soon, he's going to go through everything in Axel's room. I rush across the hall, skidding and almost flying out the open window. Sora and Riku never close it when they break in, which is funny because it's always closed. It's like when my mom comes into my room and leaves the door open. It wasn't like that when you came in, so why do you leave it like that? With a groan I shut the window, fighting off a vicious shiver. The cold air sticks to my wet body like white on rice and I have to hurry, throwing on anything I see just so I don't catch a freaking pneumonia.

When I'm finally ready, I walk out only to find Sora staring at something in the middle of Axel's room. He's just sitting there cross legged, with a tiny little piece of paper in his hands and a tiny frown on his face. I walk in, about to snatch the thing from his hands and put it away, when I notice it's a photograph. I stand beside him and look down at it, my heart clenching at the couple on the glossy picture. It's Axel, only he's definitely younger here, his hair much shorter and the tattoo's on his face are replaced by two black eyes and a swollen nose. The other person in the picture is someone I've never seen before yet I still know who she is. It's Kairi, probably the only person on earth who could have ever gotten Axel to smile the way he is in the picture. "Do you think that's his sister?" Sora asks softly, his thumb running over the image of the girl gently, as if it's a fond memory of his.

"Well, I don't know who else it could be," I mumble, plucking the photograph from my cousin's hands and asking him where he got it. All he does is point towards a tiny box sticking out from under the bed and I kneel beside it. There are two more photos in the box, and it's an inner war with myself on whether or not I should look at them. I'm just about to shove the box out of view when Sora snatches it up and places it on his lap. The next picture he takes out is of a woman with red dreadlocks tied back away from her face, a cigarette in her mouth, a baby on her hip and a tiny little boy holding onto her hand. The boy, I notice when Sora raises the photo closer to his face, is Axel. I grab the photo and stare at it, while Sora pulls the other one out. I don't know why, but I feel my eyes get sort of misty. Axel looks so lost in the picture, and so afraid. I hear Sora giggle and I look over at him, just in time for him to turn the picture he has in his hand, in my direction. The smile breaks out across my face and I grab it from my cousin to look at it closer. If I'm any good at guessing ages, I'd say Axel was around fourteen. That's not the funny part though, the thing that's funny is that it seems Kairi and him had switched clothes. The girl is just standing there in a huge leather jacket that hangs almost past her knees and Axel is squeezed into a tiny pink dress. It's disturbingly hilarious.

I wipe the smile off my face and place the pictures back in the box, then I return the box to its original spot. Sora stands up and dusts off his pants, smirking. "I guess we have to keep this between us?"

"Well, we aren't going to tell him you went snooping through his things now, are we?" I start making my way out of the room with Sora behind me, and I hear my cousin laugh as we start walking down the stairs. "What?"

"You didn't stop me. You came and snooped right along side me, cousin." I look back at Sora with wide eyes and a look of shock. I can't say anything though, because he's right. My tongue lays useless and I shut my mouth, making sure my car keys are in my jean pocket before setting the house alarm and waiting for Sora to rush out of the house before the thing starts beeping. Luckily I'm pretty good at ignoring his stupid smug looks.

"Fine, it's just between us," I glare at my cousin and he sticks his hand out for me to shake. Reluctantly I grasp his palm and give it a firm shake before moving towards the garage. Sora waits as I get the car, and goes to close the garage door for me once I get my baby out onto the driveway. My cousin is like a crack squirrel, in the sense that his movements are always so quick and squirrelly. I sit there laughing to myself as Sora pulls the door open and just stares at me curiously. "Alright so, first we're going to get me a costume," I ignore the way Sora snickers as he buckles his seat belt.

"What do you wanna be?" I shrug, and turn onto the road. I'm not really sure what I want to be for Halloween, my mom is usually the one who gets me the costume every year. If it was up to me, I wouldn't buy anything. I turn to look at Sora, and ask him instead what he plans on being.

"Riku and I are going as Batman and Robin," His grin is almost too happy to seem innocent, and I just can't picture my cousin and Riku in spandex. Well, maybe I can picture Sora in spandex, but definitely not Riku. The laugh that escapes me, makes Sora start to laugh too.

"Leave it to you guys to corrupt one of my favorite superheroes," I roll my eyes when Sora just laughs harder.

"Okay, you should be…a cat," My cousin wiggles his eyebrows when I shoot him a quick, petrified glance. He starts laughing when I shake my head furiously, my frown adding the finishing touches to my look of complete disapproval. I'm glad there isn't much traffic, though we aren't anywhere near downtown. I stop at a red light and consider just where I can go and get a costume. It has to be somewhere that has other stores close by so that I can go buy Axel's gift. I drum out a beat on my steering wheel as I think, and Sora seems to be doing the same thing. "A bundle of grapes?" Sora can't even keep a straight face while saying this, so I don't even bother to dignify it with a response. "Okay, okay…an angel? Oh my god, be an angle, please Roxas!" Sora grips onto my arm and starts shaking me, begging me to be an angel. I raise an eyebrow, trying to pay attention to the road while Sora whines in my ear.

"Sora, you're terrible at this. Just think of a good gift for Axel instead," We get to the mall a lot sooner than expected and I even find parking within the first five minutes of searching. Sora's stayed quiet, and doesn't even talk while I park the car and let him out. It's finally while we walk to the mall, and are in the middle of the lot that he speaks.

"Your virginity." I stop dead in my tracks, Sora just walking ahead and I stare at the back of his head until he stops and turns to look at me questioningly. I can't seem to stop blinking rapidly; Sora's words floating around in my head. My stomach gets queasy and I feel like I might pass out the longer I keep thinking about what he just said. I ignore the part of my brain that thinks it's actually a good idea. That part isn't even attached to the right thinking head.

"What?" It's hard to finally find the right thing to say, and after I talk I'm still not satisfied with my choice of words. Sora seems pleased however, and smiles, walking over to me like I'm looking for a car and he's a sleazy sales man that has quite the deal.

"Don't be so hasty in saying no, dearest cousin," Sora looks at me, dead serious. Whatever small hope I had inside that this was all just a sick joke of my brunette cousin, vanishes as he holds my stare. My knees feel like they've been replaced with jelly cups as soon as my brain sneaks in a tiny visual of Axel, spread out on the bed sheets…just for me. I have to rein myself in then, my brain having gotten way too much control for a second. "It'd be the perfect way to show him how much you appreciate all he's done for you! I mean, it speaks volumes more than a crappy sweater and card combo."

"I actually was considering a sweater and card combo…" I mumble and look down at my feet, until I realize I have nothing to be ashamed of and I snap my head up. I glare at Sora and straighten myself, fixing my jacket before I stomp away from him. "Your idea is stupid and just…No." I hear him huffing to catch up with me, and when he finally does he takes a deep breath before speaking.

"Say what you will, I still think it's the perfect gift."

"And I still say you're a psycho," with that being said, I walk into the mall and enjoy the artificial heat that seeps into your clothes as soon as you walk in. Sora grumbles something behind me, but I know he's too busy warming up to keep arguing with me over this. After we defrost, I lead us in the direction of a clothing store I think would have something for Axel. There's a lot of black and leather at the store window.

"Weren't we looking for your costume first?" Sora crosses his arms as I quickly scan a rack of t-shirts. They all have stupid, lame phrases on the front and I for one would never be caught dead in a shirt like that. Especially one that says 'Beer Olympics', I mean…come on. "Oh hey, that ones kinda funny!" I look over at Sora, and to my complete horror he's referring to the Olympics one. I give him a tiny look of disapproval before leaving the rack and moving to a different one.

"Yeah but I figured since we're not near the costume store, I might as well check some places for Axel's gift until we get there," Sora rolls his eyes and moves to go look for something. I turn and skim through the sweaters, some are nice but they just aren't something I'd see Axel wearing. I bite my bottom lip, contemplating whether this black sweater would suit him more than that white one when Sora calls me over. He's easy to find, that bird's nest he calls hair is visible from 10 miles away.

When I get to where he is, he lifts up a leather jacket, with a sweater stitched into the inside part. I smile and grab the jacket, turning it over in my hands and looking at it. It is absolutely perfect, the tiny details making it just that much better. It's adorned with a few zippers and buckles, and the shoulders have tiny little spikes which I know Axel will like. Sora has this smug grin when I look away from the jacket and I give him a soft shove. "Stop it, lucky find."

We leave the store after I pay for the jacket and have the girl wrap it up nicely. I smile contently and Sora just walks alongside me, picking up his pace a little. He's probably anxious to get to the costume store. Every year around Halloween this store opens up, and then disappears on November first. In the beginning Sora thought it was an alien cover up, but four years later he's starting to think it's just a seasonal store. I tried telling him that four years ago, but well, you know how Sora is.

Turning the corner, I can see the store. It's the only one with zombies and spider webs all over the place and blood blocking most of the window view. Sora smiles and claps his hands excited, turning to look at me with a huge, all teeth bearing grin. "We're getting you wings and a halo, and even maybe a little white tunic," His eyes are freaking sparkling.

"Uh, I haven't even agreed to the stupid angel thing. I'm not even going to agree," I huff and pass my cousin, walking right into the store and I'm greeted by Naminé in a bloody nurse costume. A little skimpy nurse costume, might I add.

"Hey Roxas, Sora!" She smiles brightly and tugs a little on the bottom of her skirt, Sora whistling like that stupid cartoon wolf. Naminé turns a bright red, before asking me what I'm thinking of getting for a costume, if that's why I've come to the store. I'm going to respond, but my cousin interjects.

"An angel costume please, Naminé!" Sora smiles when Naminé seems to realize the same thing Sora did when he pictured me in an angel costume. She claps her hands excitedly and I feel horrible for letting her celebrate this long when I know there is no way in hell that it's happening. When she finally starts to walk away, I clear my throat.

"I actually just want a mask Nami," She turns when she hears my voice and the curls in her hair seem to sag along with her expression. I feel the vicious glare Sora is giving me but I ignore it and make my way to the front register, where they have the huge wall of rubber masks and the like. My blonde friend makes her way over and slides in behind the desk and sighing deeply.

"You'd be such a cute angel. Axel would like it, I'm sure," She looks up at me through her eyelashes with a stupid grin and I ignore it, looking at the variety of masks instead. Sora definitely hears her, and he laughs loudly, slapping a hand on the counter as he agrees full heartedly with the girl.

"Tell me Naminé, wouldn't Roxas giving away his virginity be a perfect 18th gift for Axel?" Sora leans on the counter just sizing me up with his eyes and Naminé turns to stare at me, leaning against the register lazily. I'm having trouble choosing between the Yoda mask and the skeleton one. Being a skeleton would definitely be cool. I grin and turn to look at Naminé, completely aware that Sora is staring at her awaiting a response and she is still looking at me.

"I think Roxas should wait till he's ready, if that happens to be on Saturday night, so be it, now…what would you like to be Roxas?" She smiles at me and I point at the skull mask, getting even more excited when she mentions that it comes with an actual costume. I watch Sora brood by the first register while Naminé looks for my size in the wall compartments and finally she pulls out a little package. "You have pants, long sleeve shirt and gloves in here. That'll be $45.50, Rox." I walk over and take out my debit card, paying before Naminé gives me the costume in a black plastic bag. Sora pulls away from the desk and waves good-bye to our blonde friend.

It's as we're leaving that he speaks again. "Roxas, I'm not saying your virginity isn't important. I'm just saying that I think Axel would be the right one to give it to. I can just see it with you guys," I look at me cousin, but I don't really feel the need to yell at him. I actually sort of understand what he means. I smile instead, shrugging with a wink.

"Eh, you never know. Maybe if I have enough beer at the party!" We both laugh as we climb into the car and I start it up. I won't tell my cousin that I'll probably seriously consider his gift idea. I'm too horrified to even admit it to myself.

I'm finding myself lying awake more and more often. I sigh and turn over in bed, still not being able to find comfort. I guess I can't sleep because of all the thoughts racing through my head, the thoughts that have been there since I went shopping with Sora. I wonder if my virginity really would show Axel how much I appreciate him, but then virginities aren't for showing appreciation. They're for showing love, and trust and all that other jazz. But I do trust Axel, I trust him a lot more than I'd probably ever tell him. As for loving him and stuff, I'm not so sure. What does being in love even feel like?

When I turn onto my back, I almost scream when I see Axel sitting up, his head outlined in the darkness. As I blink, the features slowly appear on his face and he smiles at me. "Having trouble sleeping?" His voice sounds like he's been awake the entire time as well and I groan, before nodding my head.

"Yeah, I can't seem to fall asleep," Axel plops back down and tugs me over to him, my body curling against his side. I can sort of understand Axel's pleasure in cuddling, but that's probably because I'm really cold and Axel is really comfortable. I breathe in deeply, my fingers softly touching the skin on Axel's arms. "Tell me a story or something…"

"About what?" Axel laughs softly, his own fingers brushing through my hair. I'm surprised it's not a tangled mess right now, with all the tossing and turning I've been doing. I shift so I can stare at Axel's face, and shrug. I've been wondering for a while now, what his brother was like. All he ever does is talk about Kairi, his mother and his aunt. His brother has only come up briefly, so I wonder just what he was like.

"Tell me about your brother. You never talk about him," I feel the way Axel's body tenses for a few seconds before he sighs through his nose and looks up at the ceiling.

"I fucked up my relationship with my brother. I was tryin' to be the man of the house, goin' 'bout it the wrong way and we always butt heads 'cause of it. There was a time I thought I hated him…I was always jealous at how well he got along with Kairi," The steady rumble of Axel's voice is soothing, and I hope I'm not becoming used to having him talk me to sleep. I force my eyes to stay open because after all, I do want to hear this story. "He hated how I always got into trouble, he'd try to ground me but it wouldn't work. Finally, after Kairi's death he snapped and sent me off to the camp. He was supposed to come pick me up eventually, but I kicked him away and said I never wanted to see him again. He tried comin' back, but I told the staff I was gonna have a mental breakdown if I saw him one more time. Eventually he stopped tryin', moved away and changed his number. Thanks to that, I was put in the House-A-teen program or whatever the shits called. His name was Reno, by the way…"

A small, very selfish part of me is glad Reno moved away, otherwise Axel would have never been brought into my life. The rest of me however, feels horrible that Axel had to lose another member of his family. I frown before hugging his chest, and pecking him on the cheek. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure he'd be surprised at how you've changed," I smile at Axel even though he can't see it and he laughs.

"Yeah, I wish I could see him again…just to say I'm sorry."

I'm about to say something, when Axel just shushes me and says it's time to sleep. Quickly he wraps me up in his arms, and shuts his eyes, ignoring anything else I have to say. I stare at him for a few minutes, feeling a certain heaviness in my chest. If I could, I would bring Axel his brother back. I think it'd be nice if they reunited.

Saturday is probably the only day when you feel no pressure or anxiety. I mean, when it's Friday you can't wait for the weekend, when it's Sunday you're cringing and on Monday you just want to jump off a bridge. However on Saturday, there is no pressure and you can just loaf your life away. Well that's usually how Saturday's are; this one however is completely different. I'm currently seated on the edge of my bed, Sora applying a thick layer of eyeliner to my eyes in order to fully cover my skin. I slip the mask on and my cousin gives me double thumbs up. He's surprisingly casual in his bright green spandex, as is Riku in his own grey ones. They actually look pretty good in their costumes, and I look pretty snazzy in mine. The person I haven't seen yet is Axel. He's been in his room since early this evening. I'm sure he's almost finished, since there's only 5 minutes left until we're officially half an hour late to Hayner's party. I've been hearing the music and loud laughter for half an hour, I just want to get there already and get this over with. If you look hard enough and into Hayner's backyard, you can make out quite a few people there too. No way in hell I'm standing outside though, not in this cold weather.

The phone starts ringing, making everyone in the room jump. Sora stares at the cordless phone like it said something appalling and Riku just lifts the mask off his face to rub at his eyes. I grab the phone on the third ring, answering while keeping an ear to the hallway, just incase Axel comes out while I'm on the phone. "Hey Roxas, how're you? I'm just calling to see if Axel's there?" I smile when I hear my dad on the phone, before telling him Axel is locked in his room. Curiously, he asks why but I can't even tell him the answer. Sora grins a little weirdly and I raise an eyebrow at him. "Anyway, I was just calling to say happy birthday. Also, your mom is doing great. She's responding much more to the doctor's treatments," I can already see the relief on my dad's face and I can feel it in my own chest.

"That's amazing news dad. I'll tell Axel," He reminds me again to tell the redhead his birthday greetings before we hang up. Sora still has the weird look on his face when I put the phone down, so I bite and ask what his problem is.

"He's probably jerkin' his yerkin'," Riku bursts out laughing, collapsing against my dresser and Sora falls back onto the carpet, laughing just as loudly as his stupid partner in crime. I step over my cousin and roll my eyes; Sora can sometimes be quite the porker. When I step out into the hallway, Sora and Riku in tow, Axel's room door opens and he emerges. All of us erupt in loud, roaring laughter and Axel crosses his arms over his chest and glares at us. I can't help but look up and start laughing again.

"What are you?" Sora manages to gasp just before Axel turns on his heel and walks away from us and towards the stairs. I follow him, laughing and lifting my mask off my face to be able to actually see where I'm going. Axel walks out, already marching towards Hayner's and I grab my house keys, setting the alarm as Riku and Sora walk out into the cold night, still giggling softly. I watch Axel's form slink over to Hayner's, and now that the initial funniness wore off, I must say he looks really good in that skin tight body suit. All I can tell you, is that he's some sort of wild cat or something.

Riku's rushed to catch up with Axel and Sora turns to wait for me because he knows I struggle slightly every time I have to cross into Hayner's yard. I'd rather climb the fence than walk all the way around, so I guess I deserve it. Sora likes to watch me struggle, since it makes him feel better about his own pathetic attempts. Clearly Riku and Axel had no problem with the wooden fence, seeing as they are already walking into the house. I snicker, watching Axel from the side, with his huge furry collar and long tail.

"Did you think about what you're giving Axel?" Sora asks as I grab the fence and try to haul myself up. "And I mean something better than a leather jacket," I stop and look at my cousin, his eyes glowing behind his tiny Robin mask. I look away, my fingers tightening on the smooth wood. Truth is, I did think about it. I thought about it a lot more than I probably should have and I definitely played too many scenarios in my head to make me normal.

"I don't know Sora…I mean, I like him, I really, really do but…it's a big step," I lick my dry lips and Sora rolls his eyes before leaning against the fence. I don't like that stance; it means he plans on standing here for a while and actually talk about this. I groan and release the fence, crossing my arms over my chest. I just notice that the bones on my costume glow in the dark.

"Yeah, but I can feel that this is going to work out for the long run Roxas, can't you feel it? I mean, you guys have pretty much seen the best and the worst of each other. Not much more left," Sora has this way of knowing how to persuade me that drives me insane sometimes. I bite my bottom lip and look up at the dark sky, wondering just why Hayner likes to have his parties so late.

"Yeah but…I'm scared," I can hear the panicky undertone in my voice and Sora pulls away from the fence, grabbing onto my shoulder in the way people usually do before they comfort you about something.

"Don't be. It's amazing Roxas, I swear that shit is addicting," Sora grins deliriously at me and I wonder briefly if he knows that there are people addicted to sex.

"Yeah it is. It's called satyriasis."

My cousin rolls his eyes before letting go of my shoulder and jumping up and over the fence easily. I glare in envy, and struggle to pull myself up, while having to listen to him talking the entire time. "I personally think it's the perfect gift. He's been your bitch for months; it's time you give a little." I jump down and land beside my cousin, going to argue with him but I can't. I stop, my mouth open and ready to spew out something at my defense but I can't. I really haven't given Axel anything since he arrived at my house; I haven't given him half as much as he's given me. Sora seems to know he's won the argument and slides his arm around my shoulders. "All I'm saying is that you should loosen up Roxas. I've been right about everything I've said lately," Sora looks devious under the porch light at Hayner's house but I know he's saying nothing but the truth. He did after all tell me Axel was a good person. The door opens even before we knock and my friend smiles at us from inside, welcoming both of us in. It seems as though we're the last to arrive, and Sora looks around for Riku when Hayner shuts the door.

We spot both Axel and Riku standing near Naminé and Olette, and Hayner smiles before leading us towards our other friends. I have no idea who half the people in the house are, but you can definitely tell the difference between people Hayner invited and people his brother Seifer invited. Olette seems to be fawning over Axel's costume, the redhead looking quite proud of himself. When we get close enough to hear their conversation, I finally figure out what Axel is supposed to be. "I love your Rum Tum Tugger costume Axel, you fit the part amazingly!" Olette is clinging to Axel's arm like a screechy fan girl and Pence stands there smiling awkwardly. Something tells me my little friend isn't too proud of the fact that he knows exactly who Olette is talking about. I personally have no clue who that is, but when I hear Hayner start laughing I turn to look at him for answers.

"Dude, that's from the musical 'Cats'!"

Riku and Sora both start to laugh hysterically, but I'm more reserved in my laughing. I've seen a few clips of the musical because Olette has this strange obsession with it, so now that I think back, I know exactly who Axel is supposed to be. It's a great costume, but it's just so funny to see him with a nose and whiskers painted on his face. That and I had originally thought he was a lion from The Lion King. I walk over to his side, snickering, but I pat his arm lovingly. He looks down at me with a tiny smirk. "You like my costume, don't cha Skull boy?" I've never noticed how cat-like he looks until now.

"Oh yes, Mr. Rum Tum Tugger," I smile teasingly at him, which only earns me an eye roll. I realize that Hayner has vanished off towards the stereo system and is now dimming the lights of the living room, everyone pairing up to dance with someone. This is probably the fourth or so, slow dance of the night. There are already a few people drunk and everything. I blame our tardiness on Axel, Sora and Riku.

Axel grins at me, and even in the dark I see his shinny white teeth. I grip his hand and he leads me away from our group of friends, which is slowly dispersing amongst the crowd. Olette with Pence, Naminé standing waiting for Hayner to decide what to play and Sora with Riku, making out against the wall.

Axel tugs me against his chest and wraps his arms around me, swaying gently to whatever Hayner is playing. You'd expect Halloween music, but no, of course not. I feel Axel's hot palms press against the small of my back and I have to fight back a shiver. It feels quite good there, which worries me because maybe I like it too much. I move my hands along his shoulders, realizing that this thin material doesn't really leave much to the imagination. It hugs every inch and curve of his body.

I can hear stupid Sora's voice in the back of my head, and I have to fight really hard not to listen to whatever his ghost voice has to say. I know I don't want to hear anything from his mouth, even if it's not physically him speaking. Axel seems to notice some sort of tenseness in me and he pulls away slightly to squint at me through the darkness. "You okay?" he asks just loud enough for me to hear over the music. I nod my head, letting the music finally fill my head and block Sora out fully.

It's not long before the lights are back on and everyone scatters like roaches. Axel and I separate, but still stand close as Sora and Riku realize the lights are on and it's no longer okay to devour each other's faces. My cousin makes his way over to us, tugging Riku along behind him. It's pretty much the same with Hayner and Pence. Olette and Naminé being the ones doing all the dragging. When we're all gathered together in the middle, I slip my hand into Axel's as Hayner wishes him a good birthday. "We'll have a toast later tonight!" My blonde friend says happily, looking really excited to get to talk loudly in front of everyone.

Axel just grins and says nothing, instead squeezing my hand gently. I squeeze back and this starts a squeezing war between us. Naminé seems to notice and smiles at me, raising a blonde eyebrow and I swallow when Sora looks over too. He wiggles his eyebrows before winking and I pray to God no one saw that look. A few minutes pass and no one mentions anything so it's safe to assume I'm safe, however they are both still looking at me. Axel is too busy talking to Hayner, Riku and Pence to pay attention. I briefly wonder what Olette is doing until I look and realize that she's smirking at me too. It's suddenly really hot in here, this costume much too thick and this mask is making me sweat profusely. My hand grows really clammy and I pull it out of Axel's hand. I hate when people stare at me, it really puts me on the spot. They all don't notice how uncomfortable I am, or maybe they do but that isn't important. I slip away, mumbling something about the bathroom and if anyone hears is a mystery to me.

It's when I'm walking out of the living room and into the hallway that I realize Sora followed me. I groan and stop, waiting for him to catch up. Surprisingly there isn't that many people piled in here, in fact there isn't anyone but us and I wonder where they all are. Judging by the noise outback, in the living room and kitchen, everyone has a spot to be. I'm done questioning it though, and instead I'll just appreciate the fact. "Are you okay Roxas?" Sora asks when he stops in front of me and I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know what I'm going to do…" I bite my thumb nail and my cousin looks slightly confused. "I'm really…uh…possibly considering it?" I talk around the finger in my mouth and Sora's eyes light up as a huge smile breaks across his face. I wonder just why he's so hell bent on me being deflowered.

"Well, no one will judge you. We all think it's as good a time as any."

"What do you mean, 'we all'?" Should have known Sora would consult as many people as possible about this.

"I told Naminé and Olette you were gonna lose your V-card tonight!"

"Oh my God, Sora! How do you even know I'll do it?" I cross my arms over my chest and stare at my cousin. He shrugs his shoulders, leaning with his back against the wall beside me, cool as a cucumber. I keep watching him from the corner of my eye and he laughs.

"I dunno, but I just figure you really want it," Even after the gasp I emit, my cousin still laughs like he said something mildly funny. I look away from him, my cheeks feeling just a little hot because deep down inside, I know I do. I just can't admit it to anyone; I had a hard enough time thinking about it all of Friday night and Saturday morning.

"Okay," It's all I say before turning and making my way back into the living room, where Axel is perched on the arm rest of a sofa, talking to a few people I've never even seen before. He looks up when I walk into the room and waves at me, again that soft smile on his face as he drops his arm back down into his lap. My heart feels all funny in my chest when I make my way over. My stomach fills with butterflies as I stand beside him and look up at him as he stares off towards a clock.

"It'll be my birthday in a few minutes. Did you get me a present?" Axel laughs softly turning to look down at me, probably not expecting the horrified look on my face. He looks slightly shocked and it takes a while to kick in, but I realize just why he looks like that. It's because I'm making a really scared face, kind of like I just saw Samara or something.

"Uh…yeah. It's at home though," My voice has a strange quiver to it, and I don't even know why. I mean, all I have for him is a leather jacket and a card. There is nothing to be nervous about, right? They are a great present and it's all I'm giving him…yeah.

"Oh, well, in that case…I can't wait to be legal," Axel grins devilishly at me, tugging me over to stand closer to him. He nudges my ear with his cold nose before licking it. I squeak, almost managing to jump away when Hayner appears at the front of the room, calling everyone's attention over to him.

"I just wanna take the time to say, Happy Birthday Axel Black, you've turned into quite the friend," Hayner smiles as everyone applauds and shouts their birthday wishes at the redhead. He grins happily; waving at everyone and thanking a few that surround him. It's all over soon and everyone goes back to partying, Hayner disappearing into the crowd before I even get to see which way he's going.

"I can't wait to go home and get your birthday present, huh Rox?" Axel doesn't take his eyes off me and I shift awkwardly, standing there twisting the hems of my skeleton costume. It's not just the cat costume that's making him look like some predator. It's the smirk on his face and the gleam in his eye. It's just those features that make me bite my lip and look away. I can't help but feel a slight excitement bubbling inside my belly, but all I'm giving him is a leather jacket, right?

A/N: Since I couldn't get this chapter out on Halloween, I figured I'd make it extra long!
W00t!
Hope you all enjoy this, and as cliché as birthday sex is...y'all know it's coming...or is it? DUN DUNNN DUNNNN
I promise I have a (maybe) non cliché twist though!

I hope you can all ignore how late and past Halloween this is...u_u
-disappears into the darkness but trips on a rotten pumpkin-

-Love, Sharmander