A/N: How are you this is a new chapter just for you. I wrapped it up all nice and pretty and errythang. But before you open it up and read what lies within, I wanna thank all reviwers and alerters and favorers (what even?) because y'all make me smile. Like, I'll be sittin in class and then my phone vibrates with a new e-mail (which is weird cuz I never have 3G turned on and Hotmail is the only provider I get the e-mails from on my phone right when I receive them without 3G so that's how I know it's from FF.) and I just find myself grinning like an idiot at my phone in the middle of class. Seriously, you are perfect. Never change.
And in response to all the guesses, they were all such good guesses! It turns out there were more than two events I foreshadowed in the last chapter. Some are correct, some are partially correct, and some are incorrect. I will say, though, that Sora will not get addicted to his medication. That'd be way too much against his character for this story.
Bright and early the next morning, Riku showed up at the hospital to visit Sora and then ended up at the Strifes' household when the twins checked out of the hospital with wishes of health from the doctors. The Strife parents wondered how they were going to get to work and get the twins to school. Of course, Riku offered his services as the twins' chauffer until they felt better. He admitted to already driving the brunet to school mostly every morning, and Cloud and Tifa were okay with it.
Everything financial about the crash happened behind closed doors that made Roxas wonder if they were losing a bunch of money. From the events that followed in the next couple of weeks, though, he observed that, no, they received a bunch of money from their settlement in court. The first sign: they received a nice rental car in the form of aBMW 7 series 2010. The second example manifested itself in the fact that neither Tifa nor Cloud seemed at all stressed or worried about it. The third and final sign didn't come until much later.
During the two weeks that followed, Roxas found himself spending more time with Axel and Zexion, but at separate times. Axel always seemed to steal Roxas away from around 3 to 4:30 and then Zexion had him from 4:30 to 7 or 8 depending on whether he ate dinner with the boy or not. Roxas didn't quite know what had spurred this change, but he definitely enjoyed spending time with his two friends, especially because during school, Roxas felt the need to push Sora everywhere the brunet wanted to go.
Sora had assured the blond many times that he didn't need to go around with Sora all day, but Roxas' guilt over the crash got the better of him and he just couldn't leave his twin alone. As Roxas spent his time with Sora, he grew distant from his group of friends and even though the blond felt lonely sitting in mostly silence with Sora and his friends, he preferred that over the guilt that festered in his stomach when he spent time away from his twin. He tried to make do of the situation by becoming friends with Sora's friends, but only two seemed to not be completely fake, vapid creatures and one of them was Riku. Roxas had met the other friend the first day of school and she and Sora seemed close. She was a nice girl named Kairi, and something about her strongly reminded Roxas of Naminé. He didn't dwell on this.
Roxas never realized it, but Sora always gave him anxious looks when the blond chose to sit quietly with this bunch of people who didn't like him very much, but he didn't say anything about it. After school, though, Sora always stayed to watch the swim team do their fitness exercises since training for water polo had started. Roxas chose not to stick around to see this because it broke his heart to see his twin longing so badly for something the blond had taken away. So he went with Axel and they would hang out together until the redhead had to go to work.
They usually went to one of their houses and just enjoyed each other's company. Being that Roxas' neck and back were still fragile, Axel avoided physical contact like the plague. He even disliked it when Roxas looked up to meet his eyes. The redhead's intense fear bothered the crap out of the blond and he failed repeatedly to convince Axel that he was perfectly fine. At first, he'd been lying just because Axel's contact did wonders for his nerves. His neck had really hurt within the first week, but he hadn't wanted Axel to know that.
By the end of the second week, though, Roxas was absolutely sick of his boyfriend's paranoia. His neck still ached a bit, but it wasn't anything unmanageable. Plus, now he missed the redhead's warmth like crazy. The most Axel would do was hold his hand or, if Roxas was really lucky, kiss his cheek. Really, Roxas just wanted to curl himself against Axel and cling to his chest like a leech. Unfortunately, the redhead absolutely wouldn't have it, and Roxas wasn't about to beg and complain. Now that some time had passed, he was pissed at Axel for being all touchy feely with Riku at the hospital, and he didn't want to appear more vulnerable than he already did.
When Axel and Roxas hung out, they would just watch TV and talk or do homework and it pissed the blond off. He couldn't count the amount of times he'd tried to kiss Axel, only for the redhead to shy away and lecture him about being more careful. He had stormed away from the redhead while they were hanging out three times within the past two weeks, and really, Axel became his least favorite person very quickly.
After the anger died down, though, Roxas feared that maybe Axel had just lost interest in him. This was the perfect time to distance himself from the blond, after all. Through all the rejection Roxas had faced recently, he was terrified to think that Axel might break up with him at any moment. The redhead's forehead certainly didn't help. Roxas hated himself for it, but he wished he'd never told his boyfriend about his ability to read truths. It made him feel selfish to think that, but Axel had adapted to this news very easily. He kept his true thoughts hidden away behind stupid, meaningless ones. Maybe that was what convinced Roxas more than anything else. Why else would Axel be hiding his thoughts? It made perfect sense.
"Hey, Zexion," Roxas had called to his blue-haired friend once while they'd been doing their homework together at Zexion's house, "what exactly is Axel's relationship with Riku?" It was the second week of Axel's irritating behavior on Wednesday and Roxas was getting desperate. He wasn't even sure if Zexion would know anything about it, seeing as he and Riku didn't seem well-acquainted. He also didn't want Zexion to know about Axel. This wasn't because Roxas thought Zexion would tell anyone, but he'd already made Axel promise not to tell anyone about their relationship, and he didn't want to be a hypocrite.
"Huh? Riku and Axel?" Zexion had looked up from his book confusedly. "Oh, you like Axel, then?" he surmised easily.
Before even opening his mouth, Roxas apologized mentally to Sora for the words about to flow from his mouth. "I'm not asking for me," he informed the bookworm. Before he could continue, Zexion began talking.
"Oh, for Sora, then? I suppose that would make more sense. He has been giving my poor cousin googly eyes since you guys arrived." Since Zexion had said it first, Roxas decided to tell Sora (if he ever found out other people knew, which, come on, everyone knew) that Zexion had guessed it for himself.
"Wait, wait, wait, cousin?" the blond wondered incredulously. It took him a moment to remember that Sora had already told him that they were cousins. "Oh yeah, you guys are cousins! Sorry, I forgot about that. Anyway, yeah, for Sora. I guess it's pretty obvious he has the hots for Riku and I kinda get protective of him."
Zexion grinned at this. "Aww, Roxy becoming all protective of his brother, how endearing! If only Marluxia was here to witness this."
Roxas flushed. "Well, whatever, answer the question, Sexy Zexy," he demanded.
The bookworm took another moment to grin before responding. "Well, nobody really knows what Axel and Riku's relationship is. It's a grey area amongst the group. No one even talks about it because it always upsets Demyx as Axel never explained it to even him. They're really good friends, I know that at least. I'd even go so far as to assume they were best friends. That bothers Demyx, too, though he swears it's not jealousy. I believe him, but, then, no one really understands the situation," he spoke up after some thought.
This did nothing to quell Roxas' fears and he tried not to seem worried. Luckily, Zexion misinterpreted his own selfish worry with a more selfless one.
"Oh, but I doubt you have to worry about Sora. Even though they're still pretty close, Riku's heart beats only for Sora. You really don't have to worry about him not returning Sora's sentiments," the bookworm explained.
About a million things went through Roxas' mind, but not just about his own situation anymore. "Wait, so then why is Riku dating that girl? And how do you even know, anyway? He's never even thought about it, so please elaborate?" the blond requested, making Zexion smirk at him.
"Well, I couldn't tell you why Riku's dating someone else. We're very close, but I don't know what he's thinking. That's more your department, don't you think? And I know he likes Sora because he invited Sora over for Thanksgiving. He never invites anyone to have Thanksgiving with us. Regardless of whether your family was going to come anyway, the point being is that he still asked. Also, ever since you two moved here, Riku's changed. He was always so private and brooding. Demyx used to say he was a 'Debby Downer.' It appears he's gained more confidence in himself and he's much happier than he was before," the shorter boy enlightened his blond best friend.
And that had put Roxas' mind at ease about Riku liking Axel. Roxas even felt a little silly for questioning his relationship with Axel. The redhead was probably just comforting Riku who was very distressed about Sora, and the blond could understand that. Roxas' fears were put to rest even more the very next day.
Roxas, Sora, and Riku were at the twins' locker when Riku whispered into the blond's ear and requested that they talk in private without Sora around and then told him to meet the silver-haired teen in the library next period. Curious, Roxas naturally followed his instructions and told the teacher in his next period that he really had to go to the bathroom, making sure to imply that it could take a while. His teacher, disgusted, allowed him to leave. The blond found Riku sitting at one of the tables in the back of the library.
"Hey, what did you want to talk to me about?" the blond wondered as he sat down across from the senior.
Riku sat there for a second, clearly mulling over how he wanted to say whatever it was he wanted to say. "Um, well, I guess I'm kind of in love with your brother?" he eventually murmured, sounding sheepish. His cheeks turned pink and he rubbed at the back of his neck uncomfortably and never before this moment did Roxas see the resemblance between Zexion and Riku.
The first thing out of Roxas' mouth in response was very polite. "Then why the fuck aren't you dating him?" Oh, yes, Roxas really knew how to be eloquent and graceful with his words. Not to mention his tact. "And why the hell are you dating that other chick?"
If Riku seemed sheepish before, he now seemed like a fifth grader trying to confess his love for his crush. Who knew cool, collected Riku could be so bashful? "Well, see, I guess," he trailed off as he thought of a way to reword his intended meaning. "Look, let me just tell you a little story, and bear with me, okay? I know it sounds bad, but there's really nothing I can do to change it."
"Alright, I'm listening," the blond replied, wondering what on earth Riku could be hiding.
"Alright, so that girl, Melanie, that I'm dating. I'm not dating her because I want to. I'm only dating her because she's blackmailing me. A few months ago, at a party during summer break, I had sex with her. I guess she really liked me and she thought that when we had sex, we would start dating afterward? But I didn't really even like her, and I only slept with her to begin with because I was drunk. Honestly, I don't remember it at all, but I woke up beside her the next morning and we were both naked and she had pictures, so, you know, apt evidence that I did sleep with her."
As Roxas listened, he had a hard time picturing Riku sleeping with anyone. He seemed too straight-laced and proper to do something like that. And from the way he talked about it, it didn't sound like it was his first time, either. Hearing these things worried the blond. If Riku and Sora ever had a relationship, would the older teen be pushing him to have sex? Roxas didn't really know Riku all that well, he was starting to realize.
"Anyway, we were just friends for a while. And then you and Sora moved in near the beginning of the school year and when I met Sora and began to hang out with him at practice and stuff, I guess I just fell for him. How could I not, you know? But it didn't sit well with Melanie at all. When she realized I was starting to have feelings for Sora, she immediately started hanging out with him to learn more about him. She found that he would probably actually disapprove of a lot of the things that I've done and things that I used to do. The most convenient for her, though, was the fact that Sora doesn't like it when people sleep around or drink illegally. So, of course, she pretty much had me beat. She threatened to tell and show Sora everything if I didn't start dating her."
"So what are you gonna do about it?" Roxas wondered.
Riku shrugged. "Well, there's not really much I can do, but she's the kind of girl to lose interest easily, so I wasn't really worried about it from the start. She's already starting to like this other guy, so now she's putting me through these 'good boyfriend trials' to see if I'm worth keeping around. Of course, I'm absolutely failing at it. She'll probably end up letting me off the hook in a week or two. She's already pretty sick of me," he explained.
The taller boy continued on. "Anyway, that's not the only problem; not anymore. A while ago, I was getting out of the shower and I noticed this mole that I've never had before on my shoulder. I didn't really care about it at the time, but then after a couple of weeks, I noticed that it grew and it had changed color. I got kind of freaked out, so I looked into it, and, well, I think I might have skin cancer? Especially, you know, since the swim team kind of spends a lot of time outside."
That sent a jolt of fear through Roxas. "Cancer? Like, cancer, cancer?" he wondered. Cancer at such a young age? His heart raced. How could Riku have cancer? He couldn't be joking, could he? Did people just joke about that sort of thing? But the look of absolute fear and hysteria in Riku's eyes told Roxas that, no, Riku wasn't joking. "Wh-Why are you telling me this? And have you told your parents or, like, a doctor or something?"
Riku closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. "No, I haven't. And I'm telling you this because once I do tell my parents, I know they're going to make a big deal about it, and then my brothers will hear about it, and so will Fuu and Zexion, and that'll be bad."
"Why is it bad if Fuu and Zexion hear about it? Fuu's your sister, right? And Zexion's just your cousin, so why does it matter?"
For just a moment, Riku looked at Roxas like he was crazy. "Fuu's not my sister. She's mine and Zexion's cousin. Anyway, it's bad if they hear about it because it'll be even worse if Demyx finds out. You know, Fuu's one of Seifer's closest friend, and Seifer is Demyx's brother and just so happens to tell Demyx absolutely everything. And then Zexion's dating Demyx, so they obviously talk a lot. And the problem if Demyx finds out is that he can't keep his mouth shut about anything, especially not with the swim team. He'll blab about it and make a big deal of it and then Sora will find out. And Sora can't find out, Roxas. He just can't. You know what'd happen if he did find out, right?"
Roxas nodded his head in understanding. "Yeah, he'd go absolutely crazy. But still, why are you telling me this? I just don't understand what you want me to do."
"Well, I need you to keep Sora from finding out. I'm gonna ask Zexion and Fuu to keep the news to themselves and hopefully they'll feel bad enough for me that they'll actually listen, but I know Zexion's step-mom won't. And on top of that, I'll probably miss some school as I deal with this thing, so I need you to cover for me and just keep Sora out of the loop. I looked up skin cancer and it turns out that it's usually pretty easy to cure in the early stages, well, you know, in comparison to other cancers. I'm hoping that'll be my case, but you never know, you know? I mean, I might not even have it. It's just really up in the air and really scary. So yeah, I just thought I should tell you. Sora just can't find out, okay? He's too fragile, especially now… But I'm sure you of all people know that."
Sullenly, Roxas just nodded. He didn't really know how he felt at that point. Mostly, he just felt sad. "Okay," the blond mumbled, trying not to sniffle. A lump had formed in his throat and he didn't really know why he felt like crying. He didn't even realize he was looking down at the table sadly until he felt Riku ruffle his hair.
"It'll be okay, Roxas, I promise. And I'm sorry about Axel," the older teen murmured.
"Huh? Axel?" Roxas immediately looked up. "Why do you bring him up?" He asked, trying not to sound too curious.
In response, Riku gave Roxas a shit-eating grin. It seemed the change in topics made him feel much more at ease, and Roxas didn't blame him. Relationship drama was so much easier to deal with than the idea of having cancer. "Look, I know you like him. You refused to let go of his hand at the hospital and after you asked him to stay back to 'tell him something' his entire face was red. I mean, it was pretty obvious before that, too, but I'm sorry that I was all over him at the hospital. He's just really warm and comforting and I was freaking out."
Roxas blushed unintentionally and tried not to think too much about what had transpired behind the closed door at the hospital. "I don't like him, okay?" he murmured very unconvincingly.
"I'm glad you like him," Riku admitted with a charming smile. He seemed relatively calm now. "He needs someone like you. Anyway, you should get back to class. I'll see you around. I'll keep you posted about this little problem, though, alright?"
"Okay, whatever," the blond tried to sound uninterested, and he bolted from the library as quickly as possible. As embarrassed as he was, Roxas simply couldn't stop smiling (or blushing). He wanted very much to make out with Axel at that moment. He couldn't help but give Riku props for being so perceptive, though.
The next day, Roxas was looking forward to hanging out with Axel a little more than usual because the redhead didn't have work that evening, which meant that they would be able to hang out for longer, and the idea pleased Roxas. He had made up his mind sometime after his conversation with Riku that today, he would not take no for an answer. He would make out with Axel if it was the last thing he did.
During the day, Sora had managed to convince Roxas to eat lunch with his actual friends, though a large portion of the convincing came from Riku. He didn't know why, but now that the senior had shared something so important and personal with him, he felt like he had a special connection with the older boy. In any case, it didn't take much convincing for Roxas to follow through with their wishes. He missed seeing everyone's faces and interacting with them in general. The guilt didn't feel so bad this time around and to some degree, he felt that he'd served out most of his sentence.
When he arrived at the vending machines, his friends all welcomed him with open arms. Roxas hadn't realized it, but he'd really missed their abrasive, overly affectionate ways. Marluxia gave the blond a good, strong hug that popped any knots out of his back, Larxene kissed his cheek so hard that it nearly left a bruise, and Demyx and Naminé practically tackled him with hugs. He appreciated their affection more than he realized and actually had a nice day.
After school, Roxas tried to kiss Axel when they stopped at a red light on the way to the redhead's house. Unfortunately, Axel pulled away and told Roxas to stop straining his neck. With his first attempt shot down, Roxas realized he had to come up with a battle plan. He couldn't just charge in without a strategy. Since they were going to Axel's house, the blond thought of ways he could strategically kiss Axel without fear of retribution. Roxas realized that his height was what hindered him in this situation. It was too obvious when he went in for a kiss because he had to get up on his tippy toes. He decided that he needed to bring Axel down to his level quickly without room for the redhead to refuse.
As Roxas thought it over, he devised a plan in his head and tried to act normally for the rest of the ride to his boyfriend's house. It seemed like the success rate would be pretty high provided that Roxas could actually perform the required task to put the circumstances more in his favor. He had no doubts that once Axel saw that there was no danger in kissing, things would return to how they normally were. When they pulled into the parking lot, Roxas was very ready to succeed.
Axel laughed and joked with Roxas as they neared his suite, but the blond mentally prepared himself. He had to be fast, efficient, and accurate for this to work and his fingers itched a little in anticipation. When Axel unlocked and held the door open for Roxas before he himself went in, Roxas knew it was go-time. The redhead closed the door behind the two of them, and let out a surprised yelp when the blond quickly grabbed Axel by his shirt and threw him down onto the couch that was next to the door. Hastily, he straddled the redhead and firmly pressed their lips together.
Immediately, Axel struggled and pushed Roxas' face away. "Mph—Roxas! You're going to hurt your neck!" he admonished with a stern look on his face. His green eyes chided Roxas' playful blues and he seemed very upset.
Roxas' face fell in an instant and rage consumed him. "Axel, how many times do I have to tell you I'm okay before you'll actually believe me? My neck is fine, okay? Seriously, it's been two weeks, Ax, and I wasn't even badly hurt. The muscle relaxers have been helping a lot and it doesn't hurt at all anymore! Stop treating me like a fucking snowflake that'll melt away if you touch it!" he demanded.
"Rox, you know I'm just thinking of your health. Now, come on, get off," the redhead refused. His unyielding expression made the younger boy want to flip tables.
Instead of responded verbally, Roxas buried his fingers in Axel's hair and kissed him again, more passionately this time. The blond grinned around the redhead's lips in triumph when Axel defended himself by batting weakly at Roxas' sides. Nothing came of it, however, and soon, Axel was kissing back with the addition of tongue. Happiness shot though the younger boy as he made out with his significant other for the first time in two weeks. The moment was ruined, however, when they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.
Almost immediately, Roxas and Axel broke apart and whipped their heads to look over at the source of the noise, which happened to be Reno, who had been watching them from the kitchen. Embarrassed, Roxas instantly ceased straddling Axel and sat normally on the couch, as did the redhead.
"Um." Roxas' face burned bright red.
Reno just stared back, looking a little uncomfortable still. Then, seeming to make up his mind, he grinned and began walking over towards the front door. "Well, I have plans, so yeah, I'm leaving," he explained.
Axel snorted. "What, you, a date?" he asked.
The older redhead rolled his eyes and opened the door. "Just drinks with the guys. Don't get into too much trouble, alright?" And with that, he was gone, leaving Axel and Roxas alone together.
The couple glanced at each other sheepishly for a moment before Roxas was already on his feet pulling Axel up with him, not needing any more of an invitation than that to continue with his operation. He guided Axel to the redhead's room and shoved the taller boy towards the bed as he closed the door behind them. Then, he straddled him again the same way he had earlier and reattached their mouths, Axel gladly reciprocating the actions this time.
"Mm, Rox, you're so pushy today," Axel observed as he pulled away from the kiss to breathe. He gazed into the blond's eyes playfully and smiled his genuine smile. 'God, Rox, stop seducing me, you little incubus.' "I like it," he murmured before pressing his nose to the younger boy's, eyes locked with his.
Roxas blushed a little bit, but smiled back, truthfully a bit overwhelmed at Axel's spicy, ashy scent. He could feel Axel's warm breath on his face and it made it hard for him to focus. "I just missed you touching me. It was really annoying, especially since my neck really doesn't hurt." The blond tried to continue meeting Axel's gaze, but his acidic green eyes gave him the chills and he couldn't help but look down. If he hadn't done that, he would've noticed Axel's features morph into a mischievous grin. He was thoroughly surprised when the redhead flipped Roxas onto his back and switched their positions, straddling the blond like a horse.
"Sorry, Rox, you're just too cute for me to not want to mess you up," he apologized before attacking the blond's mouth like a lion. His tongue plunged into Roxas' mouth and his lips moved with a degree of expertise that made Roxas blush. One of his large hands rested on Roxas' neck while the other cupped his cheek.
Much too gladly, Roxas returned the gestures, his hands resting on Axel's shoulders. His heart raged against his ribs and the heat from the redhead's face and body made Roxas' body warm up at a rapid pace. Having Axel's crotch pressed against his own did nothing to inhibit the excitement budding in his pants.
"God, Rox," the redhead breathed as he pulled away, "you're fucking gorgeous, you know that?" And he latched onto the blond's mouth once more before he could even respond. His hands moved from Roxas' neck to his chest and sides, sensually rubbing them alternately.
In response, Roxas let out a little moan of appreciation and ran his hands over Axel's back and face simultaneously, hoping to make the redhead feel at least half as good as he did. Their hands roved over each other as they continued their passionate kissing and the sensations put Roxas at a loss. All he could register was the pleasure he felt. When Axel's hand experimentally dropped down to the blond's thighs, however, Roxas' alertness burst back to life.
The blond pulled away from Axel so that he could breathe, and the redhead looked down at him with a worried expression on his face. Realizing he felt perfectly comfortable with the situation, Roxas took Axel's hand—the one on his thigh—and guided it slowly towards his crotch with a smile on his face. He flushed red and continued kissing his boyfriend once Axel understood that the blond had accepted his advances.
Even though Roxas knew it was coming, he couldn't help but moan and redden further when Axel's hand brushed over his goodies. He felt Axel grin against his lips and moaned again as the redhead grabbed at his package and began massaging it as well as his thighs. He honestly couldn't remember anything feeling so good in his life. Sure, he'd done this with Zexion and even with his ex-girlfriend before, but this was nothing like it. Immediately, he realized that the impact sexual experiences had on him increased exponentially when feelings and emotional investment were involved.
"So cute," Axel murmured between heated kisses.
Roxas had to pull away and gasp when he felt the redhead's hand carefully make its way under the blond's pants and underwear. He whimpered wantonly as the redhead caressed his private skin and buried his head into the crook of his boyfriend's neck. His own hands rested on Axel's chest, but as the redhead felt him up, the desire to make Axel feel good as well blossomed. His hands skirted down Axel's body and stopped at his crotch where he gave a nice squeeze, causing the redhead to groan desperately into the blond's ear.
"Fuck, Rox," he whimpered at the touch. His face rivaled his hair in color and he seemed absolutely aroused both in the delicious distortion of his features as well as the hardness of his member. He whined some more when Roxas squeezed again and shivered against the blond. He then combatted this by wrapping his hand around Roxas' arousal and making the blond squirm.
"Ah, Ax! Oh, god," he murmured in a hushed tone. He pressed his face into Axel's hot neck in an attempt to dull the pleasing sensation, as if that was possible. He mewled quietly as his boyfriend began stroking his hard dick.
"Oh, Roxas," the redhead whispered to the blond, "you're so perfect. You make the most delicious noises."
Roxas' face hurt with the intense blush on it. Axel's words mixed with his painful arousal put him over the moon with pleasure and bashfulness. "N-no, Axel, don't-don't do that…" he requested. He was painfully close to bursting already and Axel's words were not helping.
Axel paused and made sure Roxas saw his grin before he continued stroking the blond off. In his aroused, husky voice, he whispered to Roxas, "I can't believe that someone like you is even dating me. You're the cutest, sexiest motherfucker I've ever met in my entire life. Whenever you smile at me, I just want to fuck you against a wall until you scream my name."
"No, Axel!" Roxas demanded, but he knew he was defeated as drool pooled in the corner of his mouth. His racing heart suddenly burst into overdrive and pleasure filled his vision with absolute whiteness. He didn't even realize it but he moaned out "Axel!" as he came hard into the said boy's hand. When he opened his eyes again, he was still breathing hard and he realized Axel was looking down at him lovingly. It made Roxas blush and instantly bury his face into the redhead's shoulder. He wasn't sure if he could handle the things he felt for Axel at the moment and he briefly wondered if he was even ready for what he'd just let Axel do to him. He'd enjoyed it, but he was just so happy he didn't know how to handle it or what to do with himself.
"Mm, Rox, you're fucking adorable," the redhead murmured as he kissed the blond's temple.
Realizing that Axel's member was still under Roxas' hand, the blond decided he owed it to the taller boy to return the favor as well as the pleasure. The redhead grunted with desire when his boyfriend unbuttoned his tight jeans in order to obtain better access to his nether regions. From there, the blond took Axel into his hands and began pumping his significant other's manhood while said boy moaned helplessly against Roxas' ear.
It didn't take long for Axel to reach climax, and Roxas suspected it had something to do with the fact that the redhead had missed the other's physical contact just as much as Roxas himself had. Whatever the case, Axel rested his head atop Roxas' tiredly and they just lounged there like that for a few minutes, cuddling and enjoying each other's company.
"I missed you," the blond admitted after a few minutes of silence.
Axel chuckled in response, making Roxas feel butterflies in his stomach. "Why would you miss me? We hung out every day for at least an hour."
Roxas smiled and looked up so that he could lock eyes with his favorite person. "You refused to touch me for two weeks. I got more action from Sora than from you, even without the fact that I've had to give him baths ever since, you know. I just wanted to cuddle with you, you know, but you had to get all protective and reject me about a hundred times," he accused.
Unabashedly, Axel shrugged. "Sorry, babe, but I just didn't want to risk hurting you. I don't know what I'd do with myself if I did," he apologized. "Anyway, we should get cleaned up soon. Cum can be a bitch to wash off clothes if left too long and if it gets onto my sheets then you get to wash them, alright?"
"What, me?" Roxas demanded with an angry snort.
"Yes, you, because you seduced me, you little harlot. Now here," Axel paused for a moment to retrieve a box of tissues from one of the drawers of his bedside table and then handed a couple tissues to Roxas, "clean up."
Roxas took the tissues with a grin. "Tissues right next to your bed, Ax? Do you have lotion, too?" he wondered slyly. Still, he wiped his hand off as well as some of the jizz that had made it onto his stomach. Luckily for him, it appeared that none of it had gotten on his clothes or on Axel's bed.
The redhead snickered in reply. "Pfft, no way. The lotion is next to my other box of tissues next to the computer. Everyone knows porn's where it's at, Roxy-baby," the taller boy informed him very matter-of-factly. He kissed the top of Roxas' head before cleaning up his own little mess.
After they cleaned everything up, the couple decided to return to the living room and watch TV. Both of them felt particularly lazy as they cuddled together on the couch, occasionally kissing the other when they saw fit. Axel left the couch to make them some popcorn, and during that time, Roxas found himself practically freezing. The weather in Radiant Garden was growing colder with each day and the Strifes didn't have apt winter wear. The closest thing the blond had to something warm were either cardigans or thin sweaters that didn't do much for him in this cold. So while his heater was away, he began shivering on the couch.
When Axel returned, he grinned down at the blond before handing him the popcorn and leaving the room again. He reappeared a few short moments later with one of his sweaters in hand. It was a bulky, faded jade green sweater with a red circle in the middle that looked suspiciously like the Fire Nation insignia. With a grin, he tossed the sweater to Roxas before flopping himself back down on the couch.
"Huh? What's this for?" the blond boy wondered, examining the sweater for a moment before looking curiously up at Axel.
"You always look cold, and, sadly, I can't hold you all the time. So you can have one of my jackets to keep you warm when I can't. Tu comprends? (Do you understand?)" the redhead explained with a grin.
The very thought of doing something as cliché as wearing Axel's jacket made Roxas flush. Normally, he wasn't one to crave storybook romances, but the fact that his lovely boyfriend gave him one of his sweaters made him feel all melty on the inside. He grabbed the redhead by the collar of his shirt and gave him a good kiss as a thank-you. "Axel, tu es parfait. Vraiment, (Axel, you're perfect. Really.)" the blond murmured as he snuggled against the taller boy once more.
Axel simply chuckled in response.
"Oh! Au fait, j'ai parlé avec Riku hier. (By the way, I talked to Riku yesterday.) He approves of us," Roxas informed his significant other.
"Ah bien? De quoi est-ce que vous avez parlez ? (Oh really ? What did you guys talk about?)" He asked carefully, obviously unsure if Riku had talked to the blond about the more sensitive subject of his cancer.
Not wanting to have such a serious conversation in his bad French, Roxas decided to just continue on in English. "Yeah, he told me about his… possible condition," the blond said, not wanting to drop the 'c' word. "And apparently, he thinks I'm good for you. And apparently he also loves Sora."
Axel snorted. "I could've told you that. He's been going on about Sora ever since their first day of practice together. For the past few months he's been asking me if I think Sora likes him back. He kept asking even after I told him it was blatantly obvious that yes, Sora liked him back," the redhead complained. As he said this, though, he seemed elsewhere. Somewhere unhappy.
"Um, yeah," Roxas trailed off awkwardly. He didn't know whether he should say something to Axel or try to cheer him up, but the redhead continued speaking before he could say anything.
"But yeah, you should hear him talk about Sora. It gets really icky and disgusting. He's always talking about Sora's gorgeous blue eyes or his petite frame and about how Sora is a flawless being and, really, it irks me because only one Strife twin pulls all those things off well and it just so happens that he is mine," Axel murmured in a sudden change of tone. He grinned at the blond expectantly.
"Fuck you, okay? Goddamn Axel!" Roxas huffed before grinning himself and kissing the redhead. He honestly couldn't remember ever being so happy or flattered. "I was actually a little surprised that he knew I liked you because I apparently hide it well enough to fool even Zexion."
Axel shrugged and began rubbing his boyfriend's side soothingly. "Riku's always been really perceptive. Sometimes it's kinda scary, but it's just how he is. But I doubt Zexion's a good judge right now. He's been in complete honeymoon phase with Demyx since Halloween. They're even more disgusting than Riku and Sora." The redhead shuddered at the thought.
"It's not as bad as when they first started going out, though. Remember when we went to get ice cream with them and they ended up feeding each other with their mouths? That was pretty bad."
"Oh, sweet Celestia, don't remind me." And he shuddered again. "But if Riku starts dating Sora after he deals with the whole cancer thing, it'll make my life harder, which is infinitely more disgusting than Dem and Zexy swapping germs."
"Oh yeah? And how's that?" the blond wondered. He could only think of the positive effects of Riku dating Sora.
"I just get this feeling that if they start dating, Sora's just gonna constantly bug him about us and about me and about what we're up to and where we are and if we're having sex. Riku's normally pretty good about keeping secrets and stuff, but I know that one little crocodile tear from Sora, and Riku will sing like a bird. It's especially bad because I actually talk to Riku a lot and I tell him almost everything. I haven't told him we're dating, but he's probably guessed that by this point. He'll probably be the first person I tell if we ever decide to make our relationship known. Anyway, the point being is that he'll tell Sora everything and complicate our lives."
"It'll be okay, Axel. I'll just tell Sora that Riku doesn't know what he's just messing with him or something. It'll be no big deal."
Axel grinned at him, utterly unconvinced. He didn't say anything, though, just kissed the blond and began tickling him.
When Roxas got home that evening, Sora questioned his sweater immediately and the blond reluctantly told him the truth that it was actually Axel's. He didn't like lying to Sora so much but when he had to go into detail explaining that he was definitely not dating Axel and that he didn't like the redhead at all, he wished that he had simply lied.
As they ate dinner together with their parents, Sora mentioned the imminence of Christmas and the fact that he wanted to buy presents for his friends. At first, Roxas grew angry at his twin for subtly asking their parents for money, but then he realized that holy crap Christmas was right around the corner and then he sympathized with the brunet. He wanted more than anything to get a present for Axel and maybe Zexion.
And this was when the third sign that their family was financially stable occurred. Instead of apologizing for not having the money to give the twins for Christmas, Cloud and Tifa smiled at each other before promising the twins each $100 to spend on presents. This shocked both twins, but they were ecstatic, especially when they told the both of them to not worry about getting their parents a gift. Apparently the money they received from the insurance settlements had been enough of a Christmas present for them.
With $100 in his pocket, Roxas now faced the problem of what to get Axel for Christmas. He supposed he would just ask Demyx or Riku to take him to get the redhead a present. The choice rested between them two because Demyx was too oblivious to read too deeply into why Roxas only wanted to get a gift for the redhead and because Riku already knew something was going on. The blond didn't want to go shopping for his other friends just yet because he wanted to focus on Axel first. He decided the redhead should get a gift worth as much money as needed to make him happy.
Thus began Roxas' search for the perfect gift.
A/N: Finally an end to ridiculous cliff hangers! Just a minor one this time, so yeah. Woo! Finally some akuroku action, too, which is always good. Never enough or too much akuroku.
Anyway, I've been thinking about reformatting the story a bit since I think it looks intimidating to ppl who are looking for new stories to read. But also, I want to go back and edit mistakes I've made and such, so I'm going to start combining chapters that I've already written as well as fixing spelling and grammar errors. So yeah, if you get an alert or something like that, it's cuz I'm fixing things up. Also, if you're super anal (lol) about spelling and grammar and such, please help a friend out and lemme know, aight? Aight, cool.
Leave reviews if you like akuroku because there's never enough akuroku love. Oh but also if you liked the chapter. And also alert fave, do what you do, I can't make you.
I hope you have a super fantastic day and wish me luck on finals week and luck to you also if you are taking finals this week! Byeee~