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ihasakeyblade: :'(
So It's been a little less than two years, and I honestly can't thank all you readers enough :') with you guy's's support and all your lovely reviews this has been so much fun to write! We've had some hiccups along the way (Me not posting for like a MONTH) but we got there in the end :)
We've made it: I hope you enjoy the last chapter of That Damn Leather Jacket
A MASSIVE THANK YOU to everyone that reviewed the last chapter: I'm SO sorry I didn't reply to all you guys but the paragraphs that rolled in made me so happy :') You guys are the bestist reviewers a writter could ask for!
(The awkward moment when you have to check other chapters to see which school you sent your main character to)
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xX~That Damn Leather Jacket TWO~Xx
Chapter 22: The Ending and Beginning
"Roxas? You still there? Can you hear me-"
"Heh, I can hear you fine Ax stop worrying."
"Just checking... It's been like, forever since I've heard your voice," Axel dragged his fingers through his unruly red hair and sighed, leaning heavily up against a tree on his new campus. The weather was a bit chilly, normal fall weather.
Our favorite red-head was wearing a scarf that made him look gayer than usual (As Riku had helpfully supplied that morning before classes (That helpful bastard.)), not that Axel could give a damn- Nor could he give a damn about anything else other than the voice on the other end of his mobile. It was ridiculous really, the amount you can miss someone. He couldn't help but think back to the start of the summer, laughing at Riku for seeing Sora pinecones.
...It wasn't easy for Riku to snap out of his Sora-less-coma, it had taken him a year and even then he only truly snapped out of it when he saw Sora in the flesh when they had gotten to camp. Axel knew full well what that meant:
He wasn't going to get over his Roxas-less-coma until he saw him again.
God knows when that was going to be.
"I know..." Roxas breathed. Axel could almost hear his eyes dipping low, his shoulders falling, his hair blowing peacefully in the wind. And before you ask, YES you can hear that much from two-syllables, just SHUT UP.
The line went quiet for a second, Axel yearning to hear his sweet Roxas's voice again. He pulled his scarf up a little higher on his neck and walked across the grassy main courtyard of Traverse Town University. Beneath his ripped up converse was unfamiliar grass, it didn't contain the warmth of the grass from Camp... Or maybe that was the 'I hate this Roxas-less World' side of him speaking.
"So..." Axel cleared his throat, having made it to the middle of the courtyard and sat down on the massive water fountain that resided there. It was a big circular one, one that he couldn't wait to fill up with bubble bath. "...How's things on your end, are you liking your campus? Your classes? Making new friends? Is your dorm clean-"
"Good, yes, yes, sort of and you know it's clean, I am King of the neat freaks after all." Hearing that smile return to his voice made Axel's heart race a million miles an hour. That's what he dreamed of... The sunshine that came with Roxas's smiles. "How about you? Where are you at the moment?"
"I'm in the courtyard... Soaking up the cold wind, being lazy before this afternoon because Sora's insisting we go out to dinner to celebrate 'moving in' to our new apartment." Eckhem, grungy as fuck apartment he corrected in his mind. Axel couldn't deny the place had character, it was a lot like camp on the count of the Chocobo being surrounded by a couples and having no one himself. Even though it was just one couple it was still bad. I mean, they're freaking engaged. Riku seems to come home with a bloody box of chocolates or flowers OR a teddy bear for Sora every day.
And Sora still squeals the same everyday.
And they still make out in the kitchen every. day.
And they still go at it really loud EVERY NIGHT.
Call it lack of sleep or lack of Roxas but Axel was iritable. Only hearing his Boyfriend on the phone could make him feel better at the moment. He thought going for a walk might clear his head, but his head ended up being like 'Fuck you, have some more Roxas' and all he could think about was the blonde. Which led to calling him, which lead to now.
Don't we just LOVE our brains? Aren't they AWESOME?
"That should be fun," Oh, right, keep focus on the conversation.
"Yeah, if they weren't so lovey-dovey..."
"I think you would be too if you were engaged," Yeah, but I'm not. I SHOULD BE, but I'm not. "You'd be in a romantic daze..."
"Our apartment is filled with flowers, Riku's going nuts. I mean seriously crazy." Axel laughed lightly, causing Roxas to laugh too. The red head shifted a bit on the hard concrete fountain seat he had adopted. Nothing like jeans and concrete for comfiness. "I surely hope I wouldn't go that bonkers if I was getting married-"
"You know, you should put an oath-binding ring on my finger before I'm stolen, there's quite a few hot guys on my campus you know," The first thing Axel did was panic, and panic hard. It was only until he registered the playful tone in his boyfriend's voice that he pointedly calmed the fuck down and focused on his own breathing.
His next bit of laughter was slightly tight. "Heh, I think I've got a firm grasp on you, they can't be that hot." Que another bit of awkward laughter from Axel. He was seriously struggling to ignore the little pang his chest was feeling.
"I don't know... I have a thing for red heads remember? There's some really hot ones here... Mmmm..." Axel could hear the grin and swoon coming out of the phone, but refused to believe it. Roxas was a good actor sometimes... Knew how to get Axel to have a panic attack.
There was no way HIS Roxas would ever leave him for another red head. It just wasn't possible. It was crazy. It was IMPOSSIBLE. No. No way...
He wouldn't... Would he?
"I v-vaguely remember you having a thing for red heads, yes," Axel found himself standing up from his fountain-seat just to get his blood to circulate easier, it seemed to be flowing right to his head making him dizzy and sweaty which wasn't a good look. "But- ah... I'm unique!" That was the best the Chocobo could come up with in the 'Win back Roxas' category. Brilliant.
"I guess so..." Roxas said, nonchalantly. Brushing it off as if Axel weren't in fact unique at all, and that he could get another Axel anywhere he wanted and- OH GOD I'M FREAKING OUT- "I'm looking at this one cute guy at the moment, thinking I might go ask him for a coffee or something-"
Axel choked on his own spit.
He's just playing. He's only playing. He's just messing around. Calm down- CALM THE FUCK DOWN.
He couldn't talk anymore... He felt dizzy and sick and just wanted to curl up into a ball and die.
Roxas just kept talking as Axel stood there like a gaping fish.
"-He's got this scarf on that makes him look quite gay, so I think I'll go for it, what do you think?"
The brave Chocobo's lungs seemed to fill with air at that very moment. Joke or not he didn't want to hear about Roxas going to ask out another guy. Just... Not cool.
"I think you should stay on the phone with your loving Boyfriend and tell him next time you see him you'll go get coffee with him and no one else. Ever."
Blank silence was heard on the other side of the phone. Axel feared that he's came across a bit more agro then he had intended to be. He was just... Scared... Of losing probably the only awesome thing he'd ever had in his life-
"Hahahaha!" Roxas was laughing hysterically on the other end of the line, something that Axel did not think was called for or appropriate. He was mildly offended. Here he was, attempting to keep his Boyfriend at his side and now he was laughing at hi-
"Look up Ax," The Leopard finished with a small chuckle.
"Wh-?" Axel managed to make a very intelligent noise before the call ended. His head looked up from the ground where it had been stuck for the last five minutes in an attempt to get some blood back up there.
His eyes took a second to adjust to number of people all moving around the courtyard, both pupils zeroing in on the most beautiful azure colored eyes.
His breath hitched in his throat.
His eyes began to water.
His heart escalated to 15,000 beats per minute.
"Roxas-" He whispered in disbelief, his legs managing to carry him forward through the haze.
Everything began clearer, and time slowed down. Here Axel was, in a crowded courtyard, in the middle of Traverse Town University, staring at the love of his life.
He stumbled forward faster.
"ROXAS!" Axel shouted in complete and utter euphoria, a grin opening up wide on his beaming face. Roxas, his Roxas, beamed back at him. There he was, Axel's sunshine, right in front of him to light up his life.
He broke into a run.
Axel almost tripped over his legs but by GOD he wasn't going to let that happen right now. When the two collided, Axel scooped Roxas up into his arms and spun him around. It seemed as though his shout earlier had gained a bit of attention, most eyes in the courtyard trained on them.
Axel didn't care. He would be happy to say later that after hugging Roxas as tightly as possible against him, he set him down on the ground, looked into those beautiful, bright blue eyes, caressed his cheek, placed a hand softly on his waist: Then kissed him.
Really KISSED him. Like his life depended on it. Like if he had to tell Roxas how much he loved him, how much he adored him, he only had this kiss to tell him.
The kiss was soft, passionate, albeit a little clumsy, but as tears prickled the corners of Axel's eyes then slowly cascaded down his cheeks, he knew it:
This was what love was.
Roxas was leaning up on his tippy-toes, pulling Axel's head down towards him fiercely. The Chocobo's fingers wove into gorgeous blonde locks, he let out a small sigh as their mouths moved against one another's. Nothing about this moment was less than perfect.
It wasn't until the clapping started that they realized the circumstances of their location.
"GET IN THERE MATE!"
"PHWOOAAARRR! HOT!"
"DID I SEE SOME TONGUE?"
"TEN POINTS TO GRYFINDOR!"
And you know what? None of these obnoxious sayings killed the moment. Roxas had Axel and Axel had Roxas. The World was set right.
The two pulled away from each other, their distance not changing even a millimeter, Axel was quite okay with having Roxas right up against his chest. He rested his forehead on his boyfriends and breathed- Something that he hadn't been able to do very well in the last few weeks. The blonde's hand came up to his face, Roxas's thumb wiping away some of the red head's tears. His own blue eyes began to water.
"Ax..." He whispered quietly. "Don't cry... I'll cry if you cry..."
"I j-just-Oh God I m-missed you so much!" Axel sobbed, clutching the boy tighter and burying his face in his neck. He soaked up Roxas's scent and energy, not wanting to think about how long he was going to be here for and when the pain was going to start again.
Roxas snuggled deeper into Axel's zipped up leather jacket. "I missed you too," His voice was muffled, but Axel hugged him tighter nonetheless.
"WOOOOO!" Breaking apart slightly again, our Chocobo and Leopard looked up to find Sora on a balcony with Riku, holding up his hands in the shape of a love heart cheering madly. Riku was laughing at him, but gave a thumbs-up to the couple below. Axel and Roxas waved awkwardly, it was only awkward because the two refused to let go of each other.
Axel turned back to his boy friend, a single word playing on his tongue. "How!?"Sheer surprise laced through his word.
The great thing about boyfriends is that they understand what you mean even after just one syllable.
Roxas pulled away Axel, but kept a firm grasp of his hand. The boy took a deep breath. "This might... Come as a shock to you Ax..." The blonde began, a little sheepishly. His boyfriend tried his gosh darned hardest not to panic like earlier. "I forgot to mention I have a twin brother..."
Axel's eyes widened. He imagined two Roxas's running around. Two perfect little blondes... Not that anyone could ever mean as much to him as Roxas does. Three way or not- Roxas was the love of his life.
He was still pretty god damn confused.
"Wow." He couldn't hide his astonishment. "So, what does that mean?" Axel breathed, nodding along to the explanation.
"Ven got into this university..." Good for him... I don't see what that has to do with anything... Axel made a mental note to remember the name 'Ven', he wanted to know everything about Roxas and that was a mighty big puzzle piece in his life.
"Yeah...?" The Chocobo was about to ask what university Ven had gotten into.
"So I kind of just... Switched places with him."
Switched... Places...
With Ventus.
Roxas's twin and Roxas switched schools.
And Roxas is here right now.
Axel's mind broke in around twenty different places. Ventus got into THIS school- Traverse Town, and he- and Roxas-
First thought: Could people just... DO that? If they had a replica of themselves- Wait better check.
"You two are identical?"
"Yep!" The way his boyfriend made it sound was like 'Taadaaaah!'
How could they just... Switch? Weren't there laws and rules and documents that kind of... PREVENTED that?
But you know what? THE HELL with rules! Roxas... Went to this university. That meant Roxas was living here. He could see Roxas everyday. He could spend the rest of his LIFE with him.
Axel very much planned to do that.
The red head stepped forward, wrapping his arm around the waist of his future fiancé (It is going to happen. We all know it's going to happen. Axel was going to make it happen.) "I love you so much," He whispered, straight into Roxas's ear, his tears having dissipated. "You have no idea how much I love you-"
"I love you too Ax," Roxas was up on his tippy toes again, hugging Axel back with the same warmth. Once they broke apart again, their hands still joined, Axel tipped his head towards the car park.
"Come on, I've got about a million questions for you and the night is still young!" The Chocobo started pulling Roxas across the grass, the smaller male was actual doing pretty well at keeping up.
"Wait Ax!" Roxas called, causing Axel to slow down. Axel look down at his boyfriend with a perfectly arched eye brow. "I... Ah..." The blonde shuffled his feet. "It's... Um, pretty cold out here-" The blush covering the boy's cheeks all but broke Axel's fanboying meter- He couldn't even suppress a squeal at the cuteness of Roxas, his heart just starting racing uncontrollably.
With a knowing smile, Axel quickly unzipped his jacket and slid it off his shoulders. Roxas's face lit up even more than it already was as the jacket was draped over his own shoulders, instantly warming him up all over. He put his arms through the arm holes as Axel zipped it up. It was still a little big on him... But that just made it even cuter.
Now with a sufficiently warm and satisfied boyfriend, Axel smiled, taking Roxas's hand once more. They walked out to the car park, then off down the street towards...
The future.
Axel could not believe his luck from the last two years. Sure life had kicked him hard in the groin when he was down, but from everything he'd came out a better person. He'd made some friends for life, a love for life, not to mention the countless memories from the crazy Camp Oak Blast and all it's cheerleading wonder.
He would never forget or trade any of it for anything in the world.
If you asked Axel what had caused his luck over the last two years, you might get an answer along the lines of this:
I managed to score the greatest, most beautiful person on the planet.
How did I get so lucky you might ask?
Cause That Damn Leather Jacket of mine is a total babe magnet.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
The End
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