S!CK

By Candied

Author's notes: DestinyEntwinements- I agree, hooray for mushy gushy! HellCat18- Hehe, of course Riku would be Axel's inner voice! Gotta keep the Riku/Sora thing goin'. AJ Can't Hackit- Yeah, a subtle Riku/Sora was what I was going for, because they're a fav. pairing of mine as well. After this story is over, the actually get one of their own! echi- I'm glad you thought Sora and Riku cuddling was cute, I seem to be getting that reaction from most of the reviewers. And as for Roxas still being Roxas, I'm trying to keep it as real-world-compatible as possible. bluemoonalchemist- No, I haven't read that story, but I will definitely check it out. Makes me sad though, I thought this was original in idea. :'( One moment- Glad to hear it! I try to update as often as possible, so please enjoy the rest of the story. :3 animebuddy- I'm happy that my story makes you so happy, it's a wonderful thing to hear! Ladyameena22- Well, then this is the chapter you've been waiting for. XD LadyTori- ::gives a phoenix down::Loves on Demyx as well:: I'm surprised that only a few guessed that Riku was Axel's inner voice actually. But yet, give loves to Demyx!!! kairiyumi- They're all smexy if you ask me! XD The hug amused me as well, I'm so happy you're enjoying the story! FoxDemonKirara- Exactly! I very much wanted to switch things up, so that Roxas really existed but Sora didn't, because I felt really bad for him in the game about that. I decided it was Roxas' turn. OtakuLady- Special for you, I wrote an Axel/Riku conversation for this chappie. Enjoy! PapouGirl- Well then, that sounds like I've made quite an accomplishment. I may just have to brag about that. XD

Thank you to all for your reviews, you always seem to inspire me!

Chapter eight: Bed of Roses

I was standing in a white room, my hand brushing the soft cloth of a white curtain as I gazed out the window. I looked around me, and there were chairs, a desk, a door, and a fireplace- all of which were white. It was as if someone had taken a paintbrush to the entire room.

My eyes gazed back to the desk, and I saw a silver-haired boy with sea-green eyes smiling at me. He moved his hand, beckoning me forward.

"Riku..." I whispered, moving to sit in the opposite chair.

He held his hand up, silencing me. and leaned forward to gaze upon my face.

"Hello, Roxas." he said.

I nodded at him slightly, in greeting, before asking, "Where are we?"

He laughed and shook his head.

"We aren't anywhere, Roxas." he replied.

"But-"

Again he rose his hand, and I fell silent.

"Neither this place nor I truly exist." he explained.

I didn't understand, but Riku did not wait for me to question him.

"Are you happy now that you are no longer alone?"

"What do you mean?"

"Capture the heart before you, and you could lace it with diamonds. Let it slip from your fingers, and you could find yourself covered in thorns."

"What are you talking about?"

He put his hand to my forehead.

"It's time to wake up, Roxas."

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I felt an arm that was across me fumble for something, and I opened my eyes.

I saw a gun!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The gun dropped, and I felt the bed move, though I stayed frozen in fear.

I stared at the pieces of an alarm clock until I heard a groan and felt a hand go through my hair.

"Hey, you awake?"

I turned over, peering into the deep green eyes of the man who had murdered the clock.

"I am now," I replied.

Axel laughed, and pulled a hand through his messy red locks. He then pulled the sheets off himself and stood up.

I gazed upon his -very- thin but muscular frame before I sat up.

He brought his face down to mine, and placed his hands beside my legs.

"Well then, good morning." he said, his warm breath teasing my lips.

Without waiting for a reply, he pressed his lips ever so gently to mine, taunting me. I moved my head forward, and our lips collided, caressing one another.

One of my hands moved to his cheek, and the other to his neck. His tongue darted out to lick and tease my lips. I could tell they were requesting entry.

I happily obliged, and a small moan escaped me as he started massaging my tongue with his own. He raised one hand to place it behind my head, as he continued the passionate kiss.

When it ended, he grinned at me before turning to take another alarm clock from his bedside drawer.

"You can go ahead and go to Demyx's," he told me, "I'm going to get ready for work."

I nodded, and went in search of breakfast, followed by Sora.

As usual, I was greeted pleasantly by Demyx and Zexion, but I was surprised when I saw a certain red-haired man walk from the bathroom.

"Mornin', Roxas."

"Uhh... hi, Reno."

The four of us took seats at the table, and I turned to Axel's father.

"What brings you here?" I asked.

"Well," he started, "I have a date tonight, so I took the day off. Thought I'd see my oldest off to work."

I nodded, thankful that he hadn't brought Seifer, and took hold of the cup of coffee Demyx had given me.

"Seems he still doesn't wake up well," Reno added.

We all chuckled.

"No, he scared the hell out of me when he reached over me to-" I stopped, and realized what I had just admitted to. My cheeks reddened and my eyes dropped.

Reno smirked. I could feel it.

"Oh," he was chuckling as he spoke," so that's the situation."

I sank into my chair.

"Wow Roxas, I really didn't think that you swing that way."

I laughed nervously, and stirred my coffee with my finger.

"Well then, how about we double tonight?" Reno asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Double date," he explained, "I wanted Axel to meet this woman, and that would be perfect."

"O-okay." I answered without thinking.

Then, my boyfriend came through the door.

"Morning," Axel began before he noticed his father, "Oh, hi dad."

"Your boyfriend just agreed that you, he, my girlfriend, and I would go on a double date tonight."

I thought Axel was trying to shank me with his eyes.

"What time and where?" he asked bitterly.

"Seven, at The Gathering," Reno responded, "So dress nice."

Axel grunted.

"You can borrow something from me," Demyx offered me.

I thanked him, and Axel sat down, taking a white stick from his pack and lighting it.

Reno crossed his arms and looked at his son. "You don't seem very excited."

"When did you get a girlfriend?" Axel asked, without acknowledging his father's statement.

"A few days ago."

Axel nodded, and released a breath of smoke.

"Well, now that I've done what I came to do, I'll be on my way." Reno stated, patting Axel's shoulder before he left.

When the door closed, Axel turned to me.

"Why did you agree to that?"

Demyx brought us out breakfast, and I poked at my food.

"I don't know, I was nervous." I replied.

Axel sighed, and that ended the conversation. We ate our breakfast, and Axel put on his boots to go to work.

"I'll be back at 6-"

"Got it memorized." I interrupted.

He smiled at me, and gave me a quick kiss before he was out the door.

-------------------

I sighed as I descended the stairs, making my way out of the building.

I guessed now that when my father had left me with that dim-witted brother of mine, he had gone to see his new 'girlfriend'.

I shook my head as I walked down the street. I was angry that Reno had pressured Roxas into agreeing to the double date.

I didn't want to meet his stupid girlfriend, either.

I kicked a piece of trash as I walked along.

I didn't care what he did or whom he saw, it wasn't my business anyway, and I didn't want it to be.

The day dragged on, but thankfully building the house we were contracted to do took my mind off things.

I hammered a nail into one of the beams in the rood, until I heard the foreman calling my name from below.

I lifted my hardhat, and wiped some sweat off my forehead.

"Yeah?" I called down to him.

"Go on break, you've been working like a dog!"

I complied, and made my way down the ladders. I skipped the last four steps, and jumped to the ground. I slowly made my way to the side walk, pulling out my pack and lighting one up.

I inhaled the smoke and grinned, enjoying the slight nicotine buzz it gave because I'd forgotten to take any smoke breaks.

"It's not Reno's fault."

The voice was not my own, but I knew it just as well.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked sarcastically.

"It's no one's fault but her own." Riku continued.

"I know that."

"Then why don't you forgive him?" he asked. He was facing me, but I did not turn to him.

"Dunno."

"Why don't you forgive yourself?"

I paused before replying, "I should have done something."

"You were four, you couldn't have done anything."

"I could have tried."

I turned now to look at his frowning face.

"She was a great mother, up until then." Riku stated.

I nodded and took a drag of my cigarette. "And then she did the most selfish thing she could."

Riku agreed, and we both looked away from each other.

"That was so long ago," Riku remarked, "You should really let it go."

I flicked my cigarette into the newly paved road. "Yeah."

------------------------------

I put Demyx's suit on, and it was a little big on me, but it served its purpose.

It was a black coat and pants, with a cream-colored shirt and black tie.

I looked in the full-length mirror in the bedroom, and Demyx nodded in approval.

"You look good in it," he praised.

I grinned, and looked over myself.

"Thanks again, Demyx, you're a life-saver."

He laughed and shook his head. "It's no problem. What do you think, Sora?"

The spikey-haired boy grinned widely and gave a thumbs up, "We look good."

I laughed. Sora was always so goofy and cheerful.

I undressed, and Demyx started lunch. When I was changed I went into the kitchen.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Well, little late for that, but shoot." Demyx replied.

I lifted myself to sit on the counter, and watched him cook.

"What would be a good way to repay you and Axel for your hospitality?"

The sandy-blonde laughed. "The company is good enough for me, man."

"But I feel like I should do something."

"Well, if you must, you do the dishes." he responded.

"Count me in!"

"And as for Axel..." he paused, "Maybe you could clean the apartment."

"Man, why didn't I think of that?"

Demyx grinned, "Because you're not a genius, like I am."

We laughed, and I set the table for lunch. We sat down, and started to devour the delicious pasta he had prepared for us.

"So, when are you going to start going back to school?"

"Soon, I hope." I answered.

Demyx sighed, "You've missed a lot already, you should really look into it."

"I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

When Axel got home, I was already dressed and ready to go, waiting for him with Demyx while he changed.

When he finally entered the apartment, he was wearing a black pinstripe suit with a black shirt, and a tie as red as his fiery locks.

I stared at him in awe, my eyes swallowing him whole. He was... gorgeous.

"Hey, Roxas."

My eyes quickly moved to his, and I grinned. "Hey."

He walked over to me and leaned down, pressing his lips to mine. I welcomed them, and suckled on his lower lips for just a moment, before his tongue darted out, and I greeted it with my own. He put a hand to the back of my head as out tongues mingled, and I tugged at the back of his coat.

"Ahem."

We broke our kiss, and I looked nervously to Demyx, who chuckled at us.

"You two are like rabbits," he commented.

I grinned weakly at him, and he pointed to the door.

"Go, you'll be late."

"Dammit, Demyx. I was hoping to make forget by getting involved in other things." Axel responded.

I coughed. Stuttered. Coughed again.

Axel took my hand, and led me to the door.

"See ya later, Demyx."

"See ya!"

When we arrived at the restaurant Axel paused outside the door, tapping his foot.

"Are we going in?" I asked after some time had passed.

He nodded, and started towards the entrance.

"Be nice, for your father's sake," I pleaded.

He shook his head, "No, I'll do it because you asked me to."

It wasn't what I had hoped for, but I'd take what I got. I doubted that Axel had ever 'played nice' for any reason.

We entered, and I was quickly overcome by tranquil atmosphere of the place.

Everything around us looked expensive, as if I were surrounded by perfectly preserved antiques. There was live music, and a dance floor; behind which was a man-made waterfall. The beauty of it brought a smile to my face.

"This is it, no turning back." Axel warned.

I held his hand a little tighter and grinned at him. I wanted him to know that I wouldn't leave his side.

He bent down and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Axel!"

Axel brought himself back up, but from the angle they were coming from, I couldn't see Reno or his girlfriend.

"Honey, I want you to meet my oldest son, Axel."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the woman said, shaking his hand.

Wow, her voice sounded familiar.

"The pleasure is all mine, I'm sure. My I introduce my boyfriend, Roxas?" He moved so that she and I could see each other.

We stood there, looking at each other in shock for a moment until she spoke.

"Roxas?"

"MOM!?"

Author's note: And that is the first cliffhanger I've left you guys with. XD Love me? Hate me? Let me know in your review, but there's far more to that part of the story than you know yet. You'll see in the next chapter, and you might be surprised, or you might not, but my boyfriend smacked the back of my head when I told him that was the end of the chapter. XD ((I read it to him)) So review, and the story will continue!