17.
Axel looked at his reflection in the rear-view mirror of his black Volvo. Still looking good. He glanced at the time before turning the key back from ACC. 12:07. Not bad. He left the car at the curb and walked up the driveway. He was surprised when he heard shouting. "HAVE YOU SEEN HOW HOT HE'S GOTTEN SINCE NINTH GRADE?" Sora? Who's he talking about?
He paused in his trek up the brick-lined path to listen some more, when Riku stepped out of the next houses' front door. The junior looked annoyed, as he jammed his key into the brass lock. Scowling as he walked down the steps, Axel heard him grumbling to himself. "Fucking animals…"
"Who?"
Riku was startled as he looked up to a curious Axel. Frick, um… "My pet dogs." They were going AT it like dogs…
"You got dogs? Cool! What are their names?"
"Uh," Shit. "Buster and Masamune." Where did THAT come from?
"Masamune as in the warrior?"
"Yeah, he's a tough little bastard." Riku grinned and ran a few fingers through his hair.
"Can I see them?" Axel stepped forward, towards the silveret's house.
"NO!" Huh, Déjà-vu. "They're not really mine. I'm watching them for a friend and their already getting antsy with just me and my dad being new people." He amended.
Axel shrugged and replied simply, "Alright." He took note of Riku's fresh appearance. "You look nice. Going somewhere?"
"Yeah, I'm spending the day with Sora."
Axel just smiled. "Heh, that explains the yelling."
"COME ON, ROXAS! YOU GOTTA LEAVE!"
"I CAN'T! I'M BROKE AND I ALREADY HINTED THAT WE'D STAY IN TODAY!"
Riku shook his head in ridiculousness and walked up the porch steps to ring the doorbell.
-DING DONG-
Axel warked like a chocobo. "That's my move!"
-DING DONG-
Not long after they heard a 'SHIT!' did they hear more incoherent bickering. Axel and Riku stood on the cement porch for a good five minutes before two sets of thunder could be heard getting closer and closer to ground level.
The door snapped open. "Riku." Sora smiled excitedly and a little out of breath.
"Sora," the silveret greeted, a tad flirtatiously.
Sora's excitement wavered slightly, when his eyes fell on the senior standing beside his date. "Axel."
"Sora," the redhead greeted back just as politely and a little bemused. He and Riku flinched in surprise when Sora's form met the adjacent half wall with a comical 'splat.' The front door opened wider and Roxas retracted the offending hip.
"Axel," They both smirked friendlily.
"Blondie."
"Riku…" Roxas said hesitantly. Seriously, what's his beef? The silveret didn't return the greeting, but kept his eyes fixed on Sora, who was more or less glaring at his brother from the corner of his eye.
"Why don't you come in?" The older twin motioned for Riku, in an abrupt change of spirit.
Roxas matched Sora's momentary scowl. "Yes, Axel. Why don't you come in?" The older two on the porch looked at each other in uncertainty. As if the identical plastic grins on the twins' faces was a foreshadowing of a house filled with horror. Nonetheless, Riku and Axel walked in, shed their shoes and were directed into the living room.
Looking behind his shoulder, Axel swore he saw an exchange of death glares and mouthed warnings of dismemberment. He'd never seen two seemingly sweet boys turn so poisonous on each other when they thought nobody was looking. He held his tongue and joined Riku on the other side of the couch. The silveret too, was at a loss of words, so when all four boys were together, a stale silence floated around them.
No one knew what to do. Both pairs knew of the original plan be alone, and both pairs were technically having their first date. Roxas and Riku turned their attention to various objects around the room, while Axel and Sora stared awkwardly at the popcorn, ceiling and floor. Riku focused on chewing his cherry Trident. Axel played with the loose threads on the knees of his jeans. Sora rocked back and forth on his socked feet. And Roxas twirled golden locks of damp hair.
Oh. My. God. They all thought.
Each passing tick of the wall-mounted clock egged them to say something; do something; anything! Axel inhaled… then exhaled with a small shake of his head. Sora looked at Riku's slouching form, swallowed, and looked away. Roxas opened his mouth but then his throat went completely dry.
Oh. DEAR. God. They all groaned.
All four boys recoiled when the cheery tune of the phone played. Sora, closest to the kitchen, sighed and went to answer it. Roxas chose this moment to clear his throat and take action, "I'm gonna get a drink. Axel, what do you drink?"
"Diet Coke?" He said, relieved. Silence and Axel do not go well together. Roxas simply nodded, spared one last uncertain glance at his neighbour and then joined his brother in the kitchen. Axel exhaled. "Well this is going great." He gave a thumbs-up to Riku.
"Best date of my life." The junior responded with just as much sarcasm. "By the way, how'd yours happen? You and Roxas met like, once. Am I right?"
Axel thought back. "Twice, actually; at the beach and after school that day."
"And you guys planned a date already? I didn't even know you were interested."
"Neither did I at first, but," The redhead looked in the direction of the kitchen. "Blondie's rather cute." He smiled. "And smart." I'm thinkin' about whether or not you'd like to see such wit again. On another occasion, perhaps. Axel softly chuckled at the memory. The way Roxas had looked so nervous and confident. How Roxas had been when they were left alone. It was like he was flustered and pulling all kinds of emotions out at the same time. Like he didn't know how to act.
But most of all, Axel grinned as he recalled the sight he had seen when leaving the lot: Roxas hugging his knees to his chest; smiling like an idiot. It was unbearably cute and Axel thought of nothing else the whole ride home.
Riku closely studied his friend's face. "Watch it, Axel. Dealing with Roxas is a big deal." The redhead looked up at this. "He thinks a lot. Maybe too much. But you can't screw with him."
"What are you-?" Axel started but Sora and Roxas re-appeared in the living room, Roxas handing him a silver can. "Thanks." They both smiled at each other, then Roxas threw another silver can to Riku.
He caught it with his left then looked at it. "Raspberry?" He looked surprised at Roxas. "You remembered?" The blond just shrugged and grinned. "Thanks." Axel looked at this exchange but said nothing.
Sora shot fire at his brother and growled from the depths of his throat, but it was drowned out by the breaking of tabs from the two older boys. "So!" All heads shot towards his fake smile. "Uh… I'll go get snacks. Roxas," He fixed his twin with white fire. "Turn on the TV or something."
"Don't tell me what to do." He grumbled, watching his brother disappear into the kitchen. Roxas was fishing the remote out of the cushions when Sora came back.
"Can someone help me with the top shelf?" The brunet said sheepishly.
"Can't you do anything?"
"I could if someone hadn't broken the footstool!"
"Who's the idiot who knocked me over?" His blue eyes widened as he craned his neck towards his brother. "HM? My butt still hurts!" He pointed to his rear.
"I'll help you." The twins looked at Axel who had gotten up from the couch. He was clearly the tallest choice.
"Thank you, Axel." Roxas smiled. It soon faded when the two left him with Riku. What do I do? The blond sat on the floor, near Riku, his back resting on the couch. "So.. Riku. How are things?"
"Fine," came the clipped answer.
"How is your family?"
"They're fine."
"Greeaaat." He drawled off. Silence. Not this again.
Sora walked back into the living room, a tray of snacks in his hand. He stopped at the divide, Axel coming up beside him. They looked at Roxas on the ground, ankles crossed and knees pulled up to his chest. Riku had his eyes secured on the can of Lipton in both hands.
Axel leaned down to Sora, "Is it me, or did the penguins just march through here?"
Sora just nodded and continued into the room. "So, what are we watching?" He placed the tray on the coffee table off to the side of the couch.
Roxas, who just noticed the PVR had 'warmed up' asked aloud, "I dunno, what do you guys wanna watch?"
"Advent Children."
"Mimi wo Sumaseba."
Roxas started to pick up the control, but Sora had the other end. They exchanged glares.
"Axel said he wanted to watch Advent Children." Roxas hissed.
Sora clenched his teeth. "Riku said he wanted Mimi wo Sumaseba."
"Well too bad, we're watching Final Fantasy!"
"No, we're not. We're watching Whisper of the Heart!" The two were bickering 'animatedly,' so only Riku heard Axel say, "It doesn't really matter…" but the silveret just shrugged, obviously used to the bantering of the twins.
"I'm older; I get to decide what we're watching!" Sora tugged on the remote.
"By thirteen minutes! That doesn't mean anything!" Roxas practically shrieked and pulled on the remote harder.
"Of course it does! It means you can watch what you want thirteen minutes after I'm done!"
"That makes no sense!"
"Your face makes no sense!"
Roxas readjusted his iron grip on the black apparatus and accidentally hit the OK button. Everybody looked as the TV flashed pink. "POWERPUFF GIRLS!" The Strife twins exclaimed happily. They sat side by side in front of the screen, Roxas on the left and Sora on the right and sang alternating lines.
Roxas, "Blossom, commander and the leader…"
Sora, "…Bubbles, she is the joy and the laughter…"
"…Buttercup, she's the toughest fighter…"
"…Powerpuffs save the day..."
Axel and Riku watched in amazement as they sang each line perfectly, if not freakishly like the feminine artists. The brothers sang the next part together.
"Fighting crime, trying to save the world
Here they come just in time, the Powerpuff Girls
Fighting crime, trying to save the world
Here they come just in time, the Powerpuff Girls
Powerpuff!"
"Aww, it's over!" Sora whined and they both deflated.
Then the TV flashed blue, 'Sugar…' and green. 'Spice…'
"Back-to-back episodes!" Roxas squealed and they high fived each other.
Tom Kenny's voice was too much like a wrestling announcer. Axel and Riku knew this as Sora and Roxas imitated the opening narration.
"Chemical X. –explosion–."
Axel couldn't help but smile when the girls flew on screen and Sora copied each girl's tune... then the villains'. Riku's shoulders were shaking with laughter when Roxas joined in with the fast beat when the two sides were running towards each other.
And by the time the girls were atop a pile of beat up villains and "The Powerpuff Girls" were written in squished block letters across the screen, Axel and Riku sat beside the two boys on the floor, passing around snacks.
THUS CHAPTER SEVENTEEN WAS BORN!
USING HER AWESOME SUPER WRITING SKILLS
XDELFIN HAS DEDICATED HER LIFE TO WRITING AKUROKU
AND A SIDE PAIRING OF SORIKU~!
LOL! oh geez xD
WHEE-HEE: Buster and Masamune ! 8D
Who knows what Riku's drinking? xD
[It's like raspberry vodka in a can ~!]
xDelfin
