59.

Sunday

"Hey, it's me."

"Who died?"

Roxas scoffed. "No one?" That looked like a question but it was really: 'No one, should I have killed someone for you?'

"I just called to tell you that I don't need you to come pick me up tomorrow morning." Roxas was to be discharged at 7AM the next day. "There's another boy here who goes to my school and it just makes sense for me to get a ride back with him since his dad is going to drop him off straight."

Cloud was silent.

"You did want me to go to school, right?" Roxas recalled the two of them agreeing to have him picked up at noon, completely discounting the option of school when factoring the one-way four-hour drive. "Come on, I know you'd rather sleep in and save the gas."

His father hesitated, but when he did respond, his voice was stern with an air of warning. "You be overly gracious, and wake up on time. I don't want you making them wait. And say 'thank you' when you get in the car and when you get out. People are going to start seeing I raised a heathen."

"Yeah yeah yeah. I have manners, you know." Roxas deadpanned. "They just come out more frequently around strangers. You'd rather that, wouldn't you?"

"Hn."

"Cool, okay, but could you just call the school and tell them I'll prolly miss first and second period? Maybe third if traffic's bad or something. Thanks! See you tomorrow!" And he quickly hung up.

"Che, you're funny, dude."

"What?" Roxas smirked, and climbed under the covers. "I didn't do anything."

Tidus smirked back, straddled him, and pulled the covers over both their heads. "Oh no, you are the very essence of innocence right now." His fingers slipped under Roxas' boxers. "Ugh, see? Just look at you, all simple and clean. I must defile you right away."

Roxas snorted with laughter, half at Tidus' choice of words, half at Tidus' mouth and its' frenzied motions at his stomach. He ran his fingers through his hair. "You're so weird..."


Xion looked at the man sitting in front of her, dressed in what was just short of a dominatrix (.. wait, what was the male counterpart for the word dominatrix?) outfit. It was all black and leathery and so form-fitting, she couldn't help but tune out of whatever it was he was talking about and follow each curve of his arm, shoulder and chest muscles. He looked so intimidating especially in the pink and yellow Lolita-themed café-bistro he had chosen to take her. It would be the first time Xion would take a good, close, and sober look at the man who'd asked to sleep with her within the first minute of their meeting; the man who she had spent an entire night drinking and dancing alongside; the man who had fallen asleep on her boobs; and had walked in on her in the shower.

He kind of reminded her of an albino cat.

"And so I said to Loz, 'What are you complaining about? I just saved us money and bought us time!'"

She chose to smile in response since all she heard was Reow! Reowww! REOW! *hiss*

End of Sunday


Monday

Tidus' dad was… cool. A little scary-looking at first, but pretty cool once he started talking to you. He was a big muscly man, with facial hair all over. It was trimmed short enough so that you could still see the outlines of his face, but seriously. Hair. All over. It almost covered the scars on his face.

After introductions were made, Roxas discovered that Jecht Amada was a frequent guest at the Sofitel; the hotel that Sora did co-op in. Jecht, a retired athlete, spends his time visiting different communities and giving their after-school sports programs the boost they need. At the same time, he owns a small antique weapons store, an arcade, a few restaurants, an inn, several gyms, and a small brewery. Wherever his hobbies go, he says.

Roxas found it fairly easy to converse with the man, not feeling overly awkward that only a couple hours ago, he was writhing underneath this man's son… no, must banish all dirty thoughts when in proximity to people paying attention to you!

Honestly, sometimes it astounded Roxas how much sex was on his mind. Because wow, was it on his mind, constantly –especially now, with the excitement of a new partner. Roxas gave in, feigned staring out the window, and imagined all the different things he wanted Tidus and him to try.

Thank god he was smart enough to keep one of his sweaters with him in his seat. It covered his lap just adequately.

It was halfway through third period when Roxas and Tidus arrived at the school. After stuffing their belongings in their respective lockers, and a brief and clandestine moment in a darkened corner, they went their separate ways. But not without the promise of Tidus coming over later that night.

Roxas could not believe how differently he thought of this boy now. Not two days ago, he thought Tidus the most odious, most irritating, most pig-headed kid alive. Now, he found him laid-back, funny (if not a bit eccentric), and not to mention, rather charismatic. Behind all those blunt remarks and standpoints, his words carried over as confident and not arrogant. And confidence was something that turned Roxas on very much.

After school, Tidus went to his own home first to drop off all his stuff. This left time for Roxas to tell Sora about it all.


"…Are you joking?"

"No," Roxas laughed. "I know; it's crazy. I can barely believe it myself, but he's cool now. I kinda like him."

"Well, I should hope so." Sora looked at Roxas for the first time in a way that could betray the fact that they were familiar to each other. "Man, seriously? Tidus? I thought we made fun of him. I thought you said he was a creep!"

"Well, what did I know then?" Roxas shrugged, guiltily. "Now, I've spent time with him. I don't think he thinks too hard about what he says. He's not a bad or spiteful person. He just… isn't as articulate as others. That doesn't make him scum," he reasoned.

Sora just stared, unblinkingly. Utter disbelief. Shock. And a little disgust. He didn't want to say it out loud, but he felt sort of disgusted that Roxas would even touch that guy.

"So, you guys are just… fucking."

"I think people call it 'friends with benefits'."

"Kind of what you are with Axel, right?"

"…Sort of," Roxas started, suddenly taken off-guard at the reminder of the redhead. He hadn't thought of Axel in almost three days. That had to be the all-time record! "Yeah, I guess so." If he really thought about it, they were different kinds of friends, of course, but they did both reap the benefits…

"So, according to you, Tidus and Axel are both for the same things. You hang out, have sex with them, have a smoke with them, and that's it." Sora's hands were out, like he was mapping out the scenarios. "Is that right?" It was time for Roxas to furrow his brow, for Sora's tone had gradually hardened through the course of that last description.

"Dude… Do you have a problem with something?"

Yes. "No, I just don't completely approve. In fact, I really would like it if you could just keep me out of that part of your life."

"What part would that be, exactly?" Confusion. Really.

"The part where you stop being my intelligent baby brother, and start stooping so low as to being sexually available to anyone who wants you, who just isn't the worst kind of scum."

What.


Zexion's keys clattered against the end table. The seventeen-year-old slipped off his DCs with a sigh. Tutoring puny niners was just too exhausting sometimes.

"Fuu, I'm home," he called out on his way to the living room where his sister was most probably reading.

"Mail call."

He shrugged off his messenger bag. "Oh, is it the Prime Minister again?"

"Queen," Fuu corrected.

"She just won't leave me alone these days."

"So needy!"

Zexion plopped down on the couch next to Fuu, who robotically handed over the small stack of envelopes, her nose not once leaving the novel in her other hand.

Zexion began to sort. "Hm, a subscription to Maxim."

"Hot stuff."

"My monthly statement."

"Exciting."

"Yup, last week's dinner: they charged me for that second root beer. Did I ever get it?"

"Bastards!"

He remained unamused and threw it back into the pile on the coffee table. "And something with a grey shield."

The long, quite peculiar silence followed. It eventually unnerved the fifteen-year old and she shut her book to look at her brother. "Zexion?"

"I did it."

Fuu grabbed the letter from his flaccid fingers while Zexion just continued to stare.

"Wow," she breathed.

"I know." The smallest curve of a smile appeared on his lips. "I can barely believe it."

"But then..." the girl started, "This means..."

All traces of emotion melted away from Zexion's face and he understood what she was meaning to say. "Yes," he admitted. "It means."

Fuu reached over and held her older brother's hand.


Roxas slipped down the steps and edged towards the kitchen past Sora and Riku on the living room couch, currently in the middle of a round of necking. It wasn't sick-inducing as in inviting the floor to be decorated with a layer of Roxas' half-processed lunch, but it was enough to keep his toes silent on the cherry hardwood all the way to the kitchen.

...

Almost.

"And just what do you think you are doing?"

Roxas' shoulders relaxed and he straightened out his spine. So much for channeling my inner James Bond. "I was getting some things from the fridge."

"You're supposed to stay upstairs. That was the arrangement. When he is over, you guys stay in your room to do your dirtiness until he leaves."

Earlier, Roxas must have stood in the spot of the foyer, where Sora had left him, for at least a good ten minutes before his mind started working again. His brother had never disagreed with him so strongly, it turned cruel. For this reason, Roxas had to practice his patience. Of course there were things he would sacrifice for the sake of his brother. He just wasn't quite sure where that line was quite yet.

"Kay, dude," he started, softly. "I'm the one down here, not him."

And like a bad comedy skit: "Sweet-cheeks ~ where're those drinks? I'm parched." Tidus crooned, ridiculously, and appeared... in nothing but his boxers. They were white with green baseballs. "Oh hey, Sora!" he said, looking towards the couch. "Didn't know anyone else was in the house."

"So it is possible to make oneself scarce.." Sora said cheekily to Roxas, who looked to the ceiling and sighed. Patience…

"What's up, Crescent?" Tidus grinned.

"'Sup..." Riku said slowly, not really knowing what to say, since he'd made the point that he wouldn't get in the middle of his boyfriend's dislike for his brother's chosen sexual partners. It just didn't concern him. Though it did bother him that Sora was so actively unhappy with the situation.

"You're in violation of the terms." Sora pointed out, callously ignoring the rest of the room.

"—Terms that you laid out."

"He is present, you are both in the living room area where Riku and I can both see you, and those balls look dirty!" He gestured towards Tidus' boxers. Because seriously, who walks around another person's house for the first time in their underwear?

The teen in question raised both his eyebrows in amazement and hands in defence. "Woah, man. I'm just happy they aren't blue balls." he said in that high and mighty, post-puberty voice of his. "Right sweetie-pie?"

Keeping himself from rolling his eyes at how fucking... he didn't even know. And why the fuck did he pick now of all times to call him that. Roxas cleared his throat. "Hey, Tidus, why don't you go upstairs. I'll be there in a sec."

"Okay ~"

The door upstairs was heard as it shut and Roxas turned back to his annoying older brother. "There, he's gone. Happy? You may now lower your blood pressure."

"1kg/m."

"What?"

"You're still here."

Now was the time when Roxas lost it. "I can't walk into my own damn kitchen?" Roxas yelled. "You're fucked, man! I fuckin' live here."

Sora turned dismissive, answering one thing at a time, patient and cold. "Not like that you can't."

"Like WHAT?"

Sora stood up and looked at Roxas like he'd never done before. "I don't want to see you when you're with him, after you see him or before you see him."

Roxas marginally calmed himself, as in he didn't shout, but the anger and frustration at his fucking twin brother, who was someone he'd always seen things eye to eye with was boiling over. "Gee, can I talk on the phone with him?"

"Put that on the list too."

"Kayso, should I have you committed? Or would you like to check yourself in instead?"

Sora crossed his arms at the biting sarcasm thrown at him. "When you are with him, talking to him, thinking about him, or fucking smelling like him, you are not my brother; you are a stranger. And I don't want to see strangers traipsing around my house." He sat back down, next to Riku with finality. He turned his head away from him like he really would a stranger, only worse.

The silveret watched, silently. After a second or two, marking the end of all that, Roxas sighed, suddenly very tired and went into the kitchen. Taking two bottles of water from the fridge and a bag of Doritos from the pantry, he stalked down the hall with practiced speed. "Good-luck with that, Riku!"

"Thank you…" Riku called back, passively. Because wow, Sora was wow… He could see why Sora was upset, but still wow. Sometimes he forgot how cold and spiteful Sora could be.

Sora took his gaze off the wall in front of him and looked at his boyfriend. "A stranger just took off with my Doritos."