The teen sat, impatiently, in the back seat. His vision zoned out as his mind raced, counting down to the seconds he'd be able to see his mother, and 'know' that his mother was before him.
He had so many things he wanted to ask her, for his own sake, let alone for her's. Before he left the police station, the officer pulled him aside to tell him that if his mother was willing to cooperate, then they wouldn't hold any changes against her. She was stubborn apparently, that proved where the blond got it from.
There was a police car in front of them, leading them to the hospital. Once they arrived, he knew he was safe. His father wasn't stupid enough to try to get into a place that had police officers at every entrance. Then again, his father was apparently 'desperate'.
Roxas paused his thinking, "Hey..." he knew the redhead wouldn't answer, "So... that's why there was an ambulance leaving the house when we pulled up?" Axel had been giving him the silent treatment since he asked to see his mother. He could accept that though.
"Yes," Leon replied, turning to follow the police car.
"So... what was the van there for?"
Axel reacted, even if he was trying not to.
"What van?" Leon replied, he was playing dumb, and between Axel's reaction, and Leon's voice, he could tell it was not something good.
"The one that left when we got there."
He didn't care if they didn't want to tell him, he wanted to know, and he was going to find out one way or another. If Leon had brushed it off, if Axel hadn't reacted, the blond wouldn't have cared, but they were trying not to tell him.
"It was the coroner's." Leon was going to finish telling him the whole thing, but the seconds he made the teen wait were enough to kill him. "The police officer that was posted outside, he was killed."
"Way to go Roxas!" Vexen's voice was giddy, "You managed to get yet another person killed! Congratulations."
Of course, the teen's mind went on a rampage.
'I got someone else killed, someone's life 'ended' because I wanted to live my life. Why?' He faced the window, not paying attention to any of the things that passed by, his mind continuing to assault him, making him feel guilty for the air he was breathing. That man probably had a family, probably had a little child, and he was the reason that the man wouldn't walk through his household door, and pick his child up again, like he did everyday. Roxas destroyed the lives of people he never even met, and that was the only thing he was ever good at. He managed to mess up his mother's life too, she was in the hospital because of him.
Axel reached his hand toward the teen, attempting to help the teen out of the car, forcing the teen out of his thoughts. Roxas took it without pause, but only to hold it. He didn't let go of the pale hand, letting it guide him as his mind began again to destroy him.
Thinking about how he was destroying the redhead's life, all the same.
They stepped into the elevator, but the hand was taken away from Roxas. Looking over, hurt washed over his face, he was quickly soothed though. Axel wrapped his arms around the teen, resting his limbs on the teen's tiny shoulders. He took a deep breath of Roxas' hair, "Stop..." he begged. "Stop thinking."
The teen wanted to act innocent, wanted to act surprised, but he couldn't, the man knew him too well. Axel didn't let go till they stepped off of the elevator, and even then, he did it hesitantly. Blue eyes widened, having turned around so fast his mind took a second to register the chest he was in.
Zack laughed softly as he took a step back, looking at Leon and Axel first, before finally looking down at the teen. "Hello Roxas." The only response he received was a nod, the teen stepping around him and approaching his mother's room. "She has a hand cuffed to the bed," the man informed the teen, "We," he gestured to himself, Leon, and Axel, "Would feel more comfortable, if one of us joined you in there."
Of course Roxas wanted to enjoy his mother by himself, but, he also knew he was lucky that Leon even agreed to it. Leon was someone he was still getting closed to, and if Leon witnessed anything in there, the man would never forget it. His eyes traveled to Axel, instantly crossing the man off the list. If there was nothing wrong between him and his mother, he couldn't make Axel witness it, when the man had his own problems with his parent. Through process of elimination, the only person left was Zack, and the man was quick to agree.
Slowly Roxas stepped into the room, finding his mother sitting up, looking out the window.
He opened his mouth, attempting to start the conversation, but he quickly closed it, he didn't know what to say. The longer he stared, the more he saw wrong with his mother. Her eye was swollen, almost shut, covered in a big black and blue bruise. His eyes traveled down, past the sleeve of the hospital gown, eyeing the white cast on her arm. The cast stretched from around her hand to almost her elbow. Her fingers sporting medical tape and splints, all but the thumb had been broken.
The teen didn't know who did it, either Vexen or his father, but he knew both men liked to hit in more covered places. She probably had bruises covering her whole body, Roxas had been there, done that, but he still didn't wish it on anybody else.
His mouth opened again, and this time words managed to come out. "What happened?"
Larxene scoffed, she rolled her eyes to look at him, "What do you think happened?" She started, her tone laced with attitude. "I got my ass beat, because you weren't there, and then you made it worse because you decided to leave your phone there, so I couldn't get a hold of you."
Zack took a deep breath, wanting to add his own two cents, but remained a quiet bystander.
Roxas understood her anger, he practically lived there for most of his life. "The police officer said, if you cooperate with them, they can put you in protective custody, and they won't send you to prison," he wasn't allowed to continue talking.
"Oh my god," the woman threw her head back in irritation. "Yeah, I know that dip shit," she looked at Roxas, "Do you really think I want to do that?" There was no time for the teen to respond. "I'm fucked if I do that, there's no way in Hell I'm having Sephiroth trying to kill me," her glare was harsh at the teen. "I'm not stupid, and he's got enough people to worry about on his plate. Since, you know, our 'dear ol' son' had to be a whiny little bitch and run to the cops."
Grinding his teeth, the teen stayed quiet. He never wanted to go to the police, but it was almost impossible since he was missing for so long, and Riku was the first one to say anything. The teen thought about it, a few times, about how simple his life would be if he just told police he ran away, his father wouldn't be hunting him, he'd be in a youth facility, and he could go back to Cloud's. It wasn't till he saw the smirk on her face that he realized he had said his thoughts aloud.
"See?" She yelled, "He's got you wrapped around his finger! You're fucking ridiculous!" Roxas didn't need to question her, she could see it written all over his face. "He's a fucking asshole, he's a dirt bag, he's a piece of shit," she was using her hands to help prove her point. "Yet, you still love him," she rolled her eyes, sitting back with a huff.
"Because he actually took care of me," he bit back, wanting to add more, but also not wanting to completely damn their relationship.
There was a long silence that filled the room, Roxas hoped the quiet would defuse the situation he found himself in, but luck was never on his side.
"You know," she started picking at the blanket, "How the Hell are you our son?" Her voice was quiet, "Sephiroth used to be a hundred times worse than he says I am, but yet, you're this little blob of exposed emotions. You even had to bring Zack in with you." Her voice rose as she gestured to the man standing behind the teen. "What, can't handle a conversation with your 'dear ol' mommy' by yourself?"
The teen licked his lips, even more questions filled his mind. Like, how she knew who Zack was?
She was shaking her head again, "I'm too much of a rebel," she mumbled to herself. A smirk graced her lips for a second, "I was all gung-ho on getting an abortion, then your father thought it was a good idea, so I had to prove him wrong." again, her head was shaking. Her voice slowly became louder again, "I talked to you for what, twenty minutes? And I already know you're fucking pathetic... every lie that poured out of my mouth, you believed."
The teen smirked, trying to uphold a certain facade while she continued to belittle him. He knew better than to act hurt, and with how she was acting, it would just make the whole experience worse. Shattered were the hopes and expectations for who his mother was, but the teen wasn't too quick to completely shut her out, at least not so soon.
"God, why are you even here? Didn't you get the hint, everything I said was a lie, just so I could hand you off to Sephiroth."
The teen was trying to remain objective. She was spilling everything like it was a heavy weight on her shoulders, but he couldn't tell if that's just how she was as a person, or if she was lying to his face, trying to push him away. Roxas really didn't want to give up so soon.
"Did you ever love me?" He watched her face, trying to watch every little movement, but all the woman did was laugh.
"Oh my god," she repeated, annoyance clear in her voice. "I really should have just killed you..." Her words faded out, and the teen decided he couldn't take anymore of it. He turned to leave the room, but stopped, she got his attention. "Do you know what really tops it off, and just makes this all the more funnier?" He didn't look at her, staring at the door in front of him instead, she didn't need an answer to begin talking. "I'll tell you the truth, you're pathetic," She shrugged, "You surround yourself with people, and all these people have been lying right to your face... right, Zack?"
"Let's leave," the man tried to walk past Roxas to open the door, but he wasn't quick enough.
"What're you talking about?" Roxas turned to face her again. He had known her for not even an hour, and already she had managed to kill almost every dream he ever had, and now she had more? But, if she was telling the truth, and everyone had been lying to his face, then the teen wanted to know. He needed to know. All the lies and secrets were what he was afraid of, and apparently she had the key to tell him the whole truth. Even if they left the room right then and there, he didn't know if he could ever meet Zack again, the man knew more than he let on and what his mother said next, was enough to push the teen over the edge.
"All these people who swear they're telling you the truth, they all know. Zack, why don't you tell him, I mean, you're practically family too," she was laughing again. "Then again, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out on your own," she knew the anticipation was killing the teen.
"Just fucking tell me," Roxas snapped at her.
There was a long pause, and for a moment, Roxas was afraid he'd caused his mother to clam up, but then that smile spread across her face. She was enjoying it, she closed her blue eyes, her face looking peaceful for a moment, and the reality truly hit the teen.
He had met his mother, and not only did she not live up to his expectation, she was also just as crazy as the people he grew up around. His mother- or as he would now refer to her, Larxene, was worse than his father. At least his father cared for him. Sephiroth met with his teachers in school, paid attention to his grades, made sure he had food, even when he lived with Cloud. Who was always quick to apologize when he hurt the teen, and who was there for Roxas' birthdays? Who was always just a phone call away?
And who was he going to spend the rest of his life hiding from?
His stomach churned, he felt uneasy as his mind reeled. He'd fucked up everything. His father was the only one who cared about him, and in the end, he managed to piss off the man so much he wanted his own son dead. His father would spend the rest of his life hiding, avoiding prison, and it was a sealed deal. There was no chance his father was ever going to go back to how he used to be, he was never going to go back to the man that Roxas remembered in his dreams at night. Instead, his father only had the chance of being the demon that haunted his nightmares in the cold dark.
Finally she spoke.
"Cloud's your uncle."
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This story is nearing the end, one more short roller coaster away already.
And then on to Cigarette Burns -insert smiley face-
Again, I repeat, the things I wanted to focus on in this story, have become a blur in the background... it makes me very unhappy.
Oh, yeah, I also let it slip that Cloud was Sephiroth's brother, in an earlier chapter... it was before I realized what I was actually doing, but, if you didn't catch the mistake... Surprise!
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What the Hell am I doing with my life?...
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Uploaded: March 2nd , 2017
