I'm trying for a chapter a day. I don't know how long this'll last, but... oh well. Just so you know, Roxas does not lose his viginity here. Relax. It's only right that everyone starts out as 'just friends.' I don't like unrealistic 'love-at-first-sight's.
Demmy: ame does not own this and that the other thing, blah blah blah...
Ame: Hey, can I borrow your sitar? -sparkle-
Demmy: ... no.
When the light, gentle filtering through curtains, harsh burning through eyelids, reached his face he woke, groggy. His arms were wrapped around the corner of the pillow and his eyes overlooked the overhang hidden deep in snow. He swung his legs out and fumbled over to close the curtains, the light off the snow blinding.
"Up already... it's a snow day, go back to sleep... you're keeping me up." The man whined as the boy jumped at his voice.
"Gez, Axel, when did YOU get to bed?" Roxas crossed his arms.
"A couple hours after you did. What does it matter... if you couldn't get home last night, then we're not going to school today. Now be quiet so that I can sleep."
"Fine." Roxas quickly adjusted his collar before walking into the kitchen and hounding for food in a careful, quiet way. "As if his MTV didn't bother my sleep." He scoffed. Sitting down with his small bowl of Cheerios, he sighed. "I bet Hayner and the others are worried sick."
"Well, then, we'll just have to tell them that they have nothing to worry about. You're still alive and healthy." Axel stumbled in, sitting down heavily in another metal frame chair. "You're not getting out of here until passed noon, when the snow is melted, but not icey yet."
"Right." Roxas nodded.
"When the shops are opened again, we'll see about having a key made for you. It's nice to have casual company instead of so-called lovers. Stupid girls."
Roxas shook his head and laughed, cleaning his bowl before setting it back into the pile. The two joked around and played cards, talked, and watched TV until Axel walked, almost solemnly to the window and announced that Roxas should leave while he could. The boy nodded and gathered his shoes onto his feet before heading to the door. Two false smiles of farewell were exchanged before the door closed. Roxas didn't hear the lock click until he opened the door at the end of the hall.
Back at the usual place, Hayner was whipping Pence at darts. Not that he was doing too good himself, he was distracted. Olette was fidgeting while keeping score. Everyone was keeping silent.
Then the door open.
"Roxas!" Hayner was the first to the door, completely bowling the boy over. "Where were you!"
"Hey, Roxas!" Pence waved, Olette standing attentively behind him, eyes sparkling.
"You had us so worried!" Hayner shouted after they had stood up, shaking Roxas by his thin little shoulders. "What were you thinking!"
"Sorry... I had an... appointment." He averted his eyes, not really wanting to tell them about Axel. Last time they caught him talking to Seifer alone, under innocent circumstances I assure you, they had a fit of jealousy.
"We were so worried..." Olette touched Hayner's shoulder to tell him to calm down. "We're just glad to see you're alright." Her smile was kind as ever and helped Roxas to relax.
"They just said that I need to go for tutoring..." Roxas made up, "so I might need to go more often. Sorry guys."
"Hey, no problem, we could tutor you just fine!" Pence pointed out.
"N-no, sorry, they want to pick the tutor out themselves... the school, that it."
Hayner raised an eyebrow, noticing many little plot holes in the lie along with many little marks on Roxas' face that indicated his nervousness in telling it, but didn't say anything about it. "Come on, let's play a round of darts. Pence was getting to be a boring opponent anyway."
"Hey!" The squat boy protested and they all laughed, sitting back in the icey cold to enjoy the rest of the day before going home.
Soon enough, Roxas was in his own bed, shivering for a while before his sheets warmed up. With the window right by him, he could stare up at the sky with ease. "We should have school tomorrow." He told himself, "and everything will go just fine." With that warm smile on his face, he closed his eyes and slept.
The next day he was quick with his chat in the hallway before first period begun. He told Hayner and the others that he had homework to do yet before hurrying off with his biology book to meet with Axel for a short amount of time.
It a was brief, inconspicuous, no-words exchange. An offered hand and a dropped key. Roxas hid the smile until he reached his class, when it burst out of him with glee. He held the tiny metal object in his palm, reflecting the light off of it until the last bell rang before class. Seifer looked at the situation oddly, but decided to ignore it.
The day passed in a merry light, Roxas humming every Blue October song he could think of just to feel closer to his new friend. As much as he enjoyed his little group, it was nice to have something new in his life. Something exciting.
"Once so hard to speak, now so easy to play around. Catching your eye you know-"
"Hey, Roxas, what are you mumbling?" Olette leaned over towards him during Language Arts.
"Oh, it's a song I heard." He grinned.
The two met again a few times before the weather got too harsh to leave the house. When it let up, Roxas stayed away for a while. He felt that he owed his own loyal friends some more time, especially after lying to them.
Axel, however, remained recluse. He didn't get along with that many people. He didn't really want to try. Most people were just idiots of some sort or another. Come to think of it, even Roxas was an idiot- that smiling, bumbling idiot- but he was different.
The thought made Axel smile fondly. Smiling, laughing, in that child-like manner. He was just so different, like a little ray of light. But the light was blocked out. And though he had lived without it for most of his life, having had it even for that short while and losing it for even a little hurt.
It was almost divine when the locked door clicked open, arousing the man from his depressed slump on the sofa. "Roxas!" His mint green eyes smiled.
"What, didn't think I'd come back?" The boy grinned back.
Axel hardly lost time in falling over the back of the sofa and scampering up to greet his guest. "But you were gone for so long!"
"Sorry, I'm ok, really... for now." He gave a nervous chuckle before walking to the sofa with his friend. His eyes surveyed the mess of the room. "What have you been DOING without me?"
Axel smiled almost wickedly. "Looking for something."
"Let me guess, you found it?"
"Not yet, but I think I will soon enough."
"Huh?" Roxas jumped as Axel's face came closer.
"Could you be the one that's not afraid to look me in the eyes?"
"What are you talking about?" Laughed Roxas nervously.
Axel shook his head. "Nothing, just gibberish." And with that he backed off.
Roxas came back a few days after, smiling broadly while carrying some grocery bags.
"What are you, my wife now?" Axel smiled.
"Well, you're out of everything and you're growing bone thin. You need to eat." The boy poked a finger into the man's chest and smiled.
'Gah... that smile...' Axel rolled his eyes. 'That silly child-like smile...'
"And we have some new bread, yours was growing more than mold... Axel? Are you alright! Hey!" Roxas dived to catch the man as he fainted. "How long have you been out of food, you idiot!" He did his best to drag the weight through the mess and onto the bed. The sheets were pulled around Axel's shoulders.
"Kid?" Axel sat up slightly after a while. "Hey, why are you crying?" His strong arms came around the boy as he tried to brush the tears away foolishly. "It's ok." Dragging him down onto the bed with him, Axel sighed half-happily. Roxas remained silent out of embarrassment. "See?"
Two soft hands pawed at the front of his chest until they found a suitable grip to hide their face in. "I should have come sooner. I should have checked your food last time."
"Hey, hey, it's ok. Shhh..." He stroked the blond hair affectionately. "I'm here. I'm here with you now, see? It's not your fault."
"Axel..."
The boys continued to hang out, their friendship strengthening. Axel's need for that childish smile, Roxas' need for that watchful eye, they grew. But always in secret, Roxas making sure he met up with his friends whenever he could, making sure he kept up with his school work.
As Spring drew closer, however, Axel grew quieter and the TV louder. Roxas would sometimes, rather timidly, ask what was wrong, but Axel would just smile with a soft chuckle, shake his head and respond: "I found it."
Roxas held his 17th birthday in April.
There was a party held at the usual place with a cheap cake and a few gifts of small bits of money. They laughed and played a few games, heading around town. They jumped on the tram car and waved to people. They crafted Roxas a crown made out of anything they could find; flowers, wire, paper.
Hayner held him on his shoulder and paraded the boy through the sandlot, which made even Seifer chuckle and shake his head.
"Here, let me take him." He stretched out two strong hands and lifted Roxas up onto his own shoulder to sit. Hayner tried to make a protest, but couldn't. "Hail the birthday king!" Seifer laughed, holding up a triumphant fist.
Fuu glared at Seifer in his stupidity while Rai laughed along. Vivi was dancing around, cheering. Olette and Pence were picking fun at Hayner who was still scowling.
Roxas' blue eyes were smiling on everyone until movement caught the corner of his eye. His startled face looked up to see Axel shaking his head with a smile down at him. He waved up to him and grinned, adjusting his crown before looking back down at his friends and rivals.
"Well, now, isn't this romantic." Seifer teased, hefting the birthday boy up and spinning him in the air before setting him down. Roxas stumbled a bit until the dizziness faded. Now Seifer had his arm around the boy, giving a speech about the great king, giving at least one embarrassing story from each year of his life.
Roxas blushed, partially from anger, but kept his 'royal' smile as his 'subjects' watched him on stage from below.
"And, now, who would like to challenge the king as proof of his rights to this day?" Seifer looked around, ignoring Vivi and Rai's hands. "Nobody? Well then, I'll just have to fight him myself." He grinned, snatching up his 'blade' of blue foam, tossing one to Roxas. "Let's go."
Roxas made a face, but was quick on defense. Dodging and jumping as Seifer came at him, the king made a few swift hits to his opponent's side. Once Seifer was off balance, he beat him to keep him like that until the timer sounded.
"And the king wins!" Hayner declared, jumping up and lifting Roxas onto his shoulder, grinning to have him back.
"Hail the king!" Olette squeaked, jumping up as well, followed by Pence.
Seifer chuckled from where his panting could be heard in unison with Roxas'. "Hail... the king."
Roxas glanced back up at Axel's window where he received a pleased smile and a silent applause. Tanned lips mouthed 'hail the king' with a grin.
The first beach outing of the year was held in May.
The group took the train and arrived, stripping their clothes down to their suits. "Feels nice to be here again..." Came the feminine sigh. Everyone agreed.
The wind, the water, the sand, everything was still freezing, but when did that stop crazy teenagers? They shivered and eventually stopped coming out of the water where the wind could hit them. Roxas was skiddish whenever his foot hit something hard, shouting 'crab!' in alarm, which made the others laugh.
When they dried off and changed into less sandy clothes, their sandals hit the boardwalk in excitement. They gathered up shells, rings, and plenty of junk food. Roxas made sure to get an extra ring for his older closed-up friend.
They left as the winds got colder, with high hopes for the coming summer.
This chapter was originally 2 pages... then I went into detail on the birthday and beach trips at the beginning of the next chapter and... well... you'll see. They didn't fit the mood of the next chapter. You might want to look up these song: "calling you" and "Hate me" on YouTube. Shaexblades made an amazing AkuRoku video for "Calling You."