When the Card Game Ended on the Other Side of the Beach:

9.

Roxas was on his stomach, reading. The beach was a nice quiet, but not too quiet place to read. None of that echo-y feeling of a library; no teacher to scrutinize you in a classroom; and no dull silence that you can almost hear the particles in your brain jumping around in your room. Roxas found adequate light in the current position of the four o'clock sun. Everything was just fair.

Until Roxas sensed a mischievous will pulsating closer and closer to him. Five seconds later… "Hey there, blondie." Axel appeared beside him in all his too-cool-for-school glory.

Roxas tried to ignore him and focus on his reading. "Hi Axel."

"Have we met? I don't remember introducing myself."

"I'm not exactly staking my life on your recollection capacity." 'Just keep looking at the book…'

"So, what? You've heard of me?"

"Always better to know of which direction the tornado is originating."

Interest piquing, "And what kind of things have you heard?"

"Well, Axel. Who could not hear you laughing from all the way across the school? Who is the one, convoyed by his friends, who rearranged the skeletons in the science hallway in very lewd positions?" He saw Axel's smirk grew larger at that. "Who else hangs out every other first period day in the bathroom smoking? And who is known around the school as the city bus?" Roxas fixed the redhead with a withering stare.

Axel stayed silent for a moment, taking in a rather fascinating summary of his reputation at school. "You left out the part about being the hot captain of the basketball team." He rested his cheek upon his hand and stared back at the boy, an 'I'm proud of it' face on.

"How could I forget? Axel Fair is the commanding officer of a bunch of sweaty guys who run around for balls, trying to score, and who take showers in the same room. Yeah, the imagery will be forever implanted in my brain." He nodded in assurance.

"There's only one ball and I see someone's got a very cynical impression of their adolescence." Axel loved to tease. Even when the person he's teasing throws fallacious judgements at him, Axel thought it'd be a good idea to let a few of them slide. Must be a way for little Roxas to vent.

"My adolescence is probably just as shitty as any other persons is or has been." He fought desperately to focus on his reading material. He's read the first three sentences over and over without recollection of what it meant or what it was about!

"There are ways to relieve one's stress." The Axel-esque smirk came about. "I'm sure many guys with an adolescence came about a similar method."

What a pervert. He sat up, all intentions of reading lost, he leaned his neck backwards a few. "If this is going where I think this is going…"

"I'm talking about sports." He laughed. Roxas scowled. "Someone's got a dirty mind."

"Not a dirty mind, just an inkling as to what else you would be talking about."

"Well I was talking about sports. A little birdie told me you're the athletic one in the family."

"Not exactly. Just between me and my brother, I'm the one who plays the commonly known sports. Sora likes to play 'let's see who can climb that tree faster' or 'I'll race you to the top of the jungle gym.'" Roxas looked towards the water as he spoke.

"You know some of the guys and I play a little b-ball. Just for a couple of hours after school for fun. You could come along." Axel was inviting him out play? Axel Fair, largest snorer in the back of the auditorium. Axel Fair, hot shot known to make out with the cheerleaders during the breaks of any basketball game. Axel Fair, won't look at you twice unless you're blond, leggy and have an alarming skin-to-clothes ratio –was asking to see him again? There is something wrong with this picture.

Roxas' vision started to get a little hazy. It could be the sun or it could be the ravishing redhead in front of him. He tore his eyes away from the tempting face in front of him, in fear he would be cast under a spell that undeniably makes anyone submit to his wishes at the flash of a smile. Or he was just being friendly and wanted to check out his skills. He was the captain after all. But why him? Why the hell was this guy even talking to Roxas? What could he possibly want with him or with anyone except to get into their pa-… no. Was he…?

Everyone knew Roxas was gay. He'd been 'out' since the debacle with Namine, his 'girlfriend' as of nearly three months ago. (And by girlfriend, it means they held hands and ate lunch together). This was ridiculous. Roxas was clearly over-thinking this simple invitation to play basketball.

Besides, all of this could be analyzed at a later date. His head above his left eye began to throb, slightly. And that reminded him: Perhaps with all the physical impediments, he might not even see the light of day again, much less the faded chalk of the basket court behind the school.

"Umm. I guess that'd be…cool." He looked at those gemstones of green. So calm, so suave. He looked so comfortable. So much in fact that Roxas wanted to prolong this Zen feeling and accept. Something about them just made him want to. Or maybe the constant reoccurrence of pain finally made a swipe at his brain cells. "I'll see you there, then."

The second he finished the sentence, Roxas' head began to pierce. Pain. PAIN. He wove his fingers into blond hair and put pressure, to alleviate the tension, sadly without prevail. "Hey are you okay?" He saw a worried Axel through a clenched eyelid. He nodded quickly, though it was unconvincing.

The next thing he felt was a recognizably skinny arm wrapping around his shoulder. He unclenched an eyelid to confirm his suspicions. Sora was beside him holding his head with his left hand in the same manner.

"Goddamn it, Roxas. What do you do to make it stop?" Sora's voice was strained. Like he'd been biting down on his teeth for so long. It's like when you're walking in the cold and your ass is freezing that you naturally tighten your jaw muscles to resist the cold, even if it doesn't work. Then when you're finally out of the cold, you realize that your teeth and gums have been in the same position and stress, and it's really no fun.

"Umm…" The younger brother tried to get his train of thought to pump out the steam. What did he do to make it stop? "I sleep." Oh yeah. Roxas took the easy way out. He'd tire himself out or if he already wasn't and lay down until he finally fell asleep. Being in pain all the time is tiring! But even if the mornings were the worst, these odd headaches were completely unbearable.

"Jesus Christ, Roxas. How much of a masochist are you?" It was Riku's voice. His figure was roughly in front of him, and somewhere close to Sora.

"Here." He felt a large hand opening the palm that wasn't welded to his head.

He looked at Axel. "What's this?" In his hand was a fat, clear, oval-shaped pill with the numbers 400 written on it.

"Just take it." Axel was serious. If Roxas had known him longer, this act may have been perceived as concerned. How refreshing to have someone other than your family to be concerned for your well-being.

"But mommy told me not to take anything from strangers." Roxas added hesitantly rocking the pill in his hand.

Head tilted, Riku raised an elegant silver eyebrow. "You've never lived with your mother."

"Well can't contend with cold hard facts!" He threw the pill into his mouth, as Sora dug for a water bottle from their bags.

Sora looked up to Axel. "What about me?" Sora was just in much pain as Roxas was. Why wasn't he being handed a pill?

"Twins, right? So, you're just feeling what he's feeling."

Sora pouted. It still fricking hurt! "Hurry the hell up and get better, will ya?" He grumbled as he prodded the blond beside him. A ghost of a smile was etched on both their faces; they both understood the phenomenon of 'sympathy pains'. Sympathy did not go unnoticed when it came to Roxas' brother.


Tee-Hee~ 8D
Hurrah for angsty Roxas ~!
Next chapter... the wheels are turning ;]
Hope you like the story so far =3

YHS
xDelfin