Axel couldn't believe it. He was in the car with the two blondes, one of them scowling and driving, the other grinning and ranting about something. Somehow, the little blonde had managed to convince the judge that Axel would be better off going home with him than in a prison. Now Axel wasn't so sure which seemed scarier. Two years with this confident little ball of energy, or five behind bars. At the moment, he was kind of craving the cell.
"Hey, are you listening to me?" Axel was pulled out of his thoughts as his attention was demanded by the blonde.
"Does it look like I'm fucking listening to you?" The blonde smiled.
"Considering that you just responded, it looks like you are now." Axel groaned. He would definitely prefer the cell. "Anyway, how old are you?"
"Why the hell do you care, Blondie?" The blonde in question scowled.
"Not Blondie! My name is Roxas!" Axel rolled his eyes.
"That's great, kid. Fuck off." Roxas seemed to get angrier.
"It's not 'Kid', either! ROXAS! Say it with me. Ro-xas!" Axel turned away, not wanting to continue the conversation with 'Ro-xas'. "Besides, if I guessed right, and you're sixteen, I'm only a year younger!" Axel's eyes widened at that, and he turned to face Roxas again.
"You can't be serious! I'll give you ten, but no higher!" Roxas grinned.
"Dead serious. I'm fifteen. So, was I right? Are you sixteen?" Axel just couldn't grasp the concept that this kid was fifteen, but nodded. "I thought so. Do you have your licence?"
"Was I charged with attempted vehicular escape?" Roxas shook his head. "Then do you think I have a fucking license?"
"I suppose not. But, you know, you don't have to cuss to make a point. Your tone tells me you're annoyed." Axel turned again, trying to ignore the most annoying kid he had ever met.
"Go to hell." Roxas sighed, but didn't give up.
"Okay, so you did Angel Dust right?"
"Do. Present tense. I ain't quitting." At this point, Cloud couldn't help but cut in.
"I'm afraid that you are. Judge's orders."
"Fuck you." Cloud pinched the bridge if his nose in frustration.
"Alright, listen. I'm about as happy about this as you are, but you're going to have to accept the fact that your going to have to change. You got an incredibly lucky break. If it weren't for Roxas, you'd be locked up in an empty room right about now. And I know for a fact that you don't want that. So why don't you swallow your stupid pride, thank Roxas, and get used to our way of life, cause you're going to be living it for the next two years." Axel scowled, but kept his mouth shut to brood over it silently.
-.-.-.-.-.~+~.-.-.-.-.-
"Okay, this is gonna be your room. Hold on a sec and I'll get you some bed clothes." Roxas ran out of the small room, leaving Axel alone to asses the damage. The first thing he noticed was the size. It was relatively small, but that really didn't bother Axel too much, considering that he didn't need too much space. Just enough for all of his stuff and he was good. What bothered him was the decor. Everything was blue. The walls, the furniture, the curtains, the carpet, everything. While Axel was considering the blueness of the room, Roxas reentered, his arms overflowing with bedding.
"Alright. I got you a sheet, a comforter, a fuzzy blanket, and a bunch of pillows!" Axel turned to look at the blonde, a sense of dread lacing his mind. Sure enough, everything in the Roxas' arms was blue. Axel visibly shuddered. "Huh? Is something wrong?" Axel shook his head.
"Well, no... Everything is just so..."
"Blue?" Roxas finished, then smiled. Axel nodded. "Yeah, this used to my room. See, one of Cloud's friends used to live with us, but he moved out two years ago, so I got his room."Axel nodded.
"You like blue this much?" Roxas smiled.
"Yep. My new room is all blue too. It's my favorite color."
"I can tell." Roxas' smile slowly faded into a worried frown.
"Um... Do you not like blue?" Axel chuckled at the childish worry.
"I don't have anything against it... But it isn't really my favorite color." Roxas looked relieved.
"Okay. If you want, we can paint it a different color. But you're going to have to deal for a little while." Roxas then set to work on making Axel's bed. Axel, as much as it surprised him, started to feel bad for making Roxas wait on him like that, so he went to the opposite side of the bed, and started tugging the sheets down over the corners.
"Oh, thank you. I always have trouble with getting the sheets to come down on the other side. They like to slide off of the opposite corner, and then it turns into a game of cat and mouse... You know, this is nice." Axel looked at him funny.
"Huh?" Roxas smiled at him.
"We had a whole conversation, and you didn't cuss once. It was a nice change." Axel thought about it and realized that he was right. He hadn't cussed. That was a pretty big feat for Axel. Ever since he could remember, he had been forced to use a nasty word in every sentence to get himself heard. The people he hung out with didn't pay any mind to the kid with a clean mouth. But now... He was getting listened to, and he didn't really have to try. That was definitely new to him.
"Um, yeah. So..." Axel was feeling at a loss for words, and it was awkward. However, Roxas didn't seem uncomfortable at all. He smiled happily at Axel, then came around to his side of the bed.
"So, you want a tour?" Axel thought that over, and nodded his head, deciding it would be best to know where everything was, instead of having to fumble around the house to find everything. It was actually a pretty big house, considering that Cloud was a police officer. Roxas grinned, and grabbed Axel's hand, not paying any mind to the little start Axel got. Axel was prepared to protest, but figured that Roxas would win out in the end, so he simply kept his mouth shut and allowed the blonde to lead him out of the room. He was led into a hallway, which his room was at the end of, and pulled to the room next to it. Roxas opened the door and pulled him inside. Axel could tell immediately whose room it was. "This is my room."
"Obviously. I think it's even blue-er than mine... If that's even possible..." Axel took it in, remarking at the overwhelming amount of blue. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the color, and he started to pick out details. There were anime and game posters all over the walls, which Axel barely kept from scoffing at. Sure, he liked anime and games as much as the next guy, but this was overboard. There were posters from almost every game he had ever played, and more anime posters than should have been allowed. Axel was honestly surprised the little blonde had managed to cram that much on his walls. There was a medium sized TV on the dresser, with a PlayStation Two hooked up to it. In the corner was a couch, littered with all kinds of things, but mostly clothes and... Plushies... There were wooden shelves built into one of the walls, and they were filled to the point of bursting. Some of the shelves held actual books, some had Manga, some anime, others held notebooks, and nicknacks. Axel had a hard time taking them all in. Roxas had a queen sized bed, the same as Axel, and it was covered in blue. The last thing Axel noticed was a small desk overflowing with loose papers. He tried to look at them, but Roxas still had his hand, and was keeping him from moving. Axel took notice that, despite its' eclectic variety of decor and furnishings, Roxas had somehow found nearly everything he owned in blue. Even the posters, TV, and PlayStation were blue.
"Okay. Next!" Roxas pulled him out without another word, leading him to the next door. Before entering, he knocked, which signified to Axel that this room probably belonged to Cloud. Sure enough, it was Cloud's voice that responded to the knock.
"What?"
"Cloud, I'm giving him a tour. Can he see your room?" Axel rolled his eyes. He didn't really care if he saw the cop's room or not.
"... I guess so... Hold on." Roxas tapped his foot impatiently. A few seconds later the door was opened to reveal Cloud in more casual clothes. This made Axel realize that he was still in his pathetic excuse for nice clothes. He didn't have any clothes to change into, so he assumed he would be stuck like this for a while. He looked down and saw that Roxas had changed as well. He was now wearing a graphic t-shirt, and a pair of jeans that cut off right below his knee. Axel began to feel awkward once again, wishing he could change into something less formal.
"Thanks Cloud. Don't worry, we won't touch anything." Cloud stood to the side to allow them in, and Axel followed behind Roxas as he took in the room.
It was honestly pretty boring compared to the hype of Roxas' room, but Axel kind of appreciated that. It was mostly in monotone shades; Grays, Browns, Blacks. There was a bit of color in some places, but not enough to call the room bright. It was a simple, neutral room. After Axel had taken in everything, Roxas pulled him back out, giving Cloud a quick thanks. Axel couldn't help but notice that Cloud watched as they left, almost scrutinizing them. Axel got a nasty feeling that it was due to the fact that Roxas had is fingers twined with Axel's. He wondered if the man happened to be a homophobe. Axel decided that it didn't matter at that point; He was straight, so it wasn't going to be a problem. Well, mostly straight, anyway...
Roxas showed Axel the bathroom upstairs, fully equipped with a shower/Bath. He also showed him the bathroom/hall closet, that contained all of the bath-time necessities. This included, but was not limited to towels, extra bottles of shampoo and conditioner, body wash, extra rolls of toilet paper, etc. From this closet Roxas took out a brand new red tooth brush, and handed it to Axel.
"Figured you might like to brush your teeth on occasion. There's toothpaste and mouthwash by the sink. Just stick your toothbrush with the rest of them." Axel nodded, ripping into the packaging. He went back into the bathroom and found the cup containing the other two toothbrushes. He placed his in as well, mentally laughing at how well the common items matched their owners. Roxas' was blue, and Cloud's was black. Axel's red one seemed to fit the trend. He left his toothbrush to it's own devices as he exited the large bathroom. He was still marveling the fact that a cop's salary could pay for such a nice house. Roxas seemed satisfied as Axel walked out, and grabbed his hand once again.
Axel allowed himself to be led down the stairs that ended right at the front entrance. This area he was familiar with. He had had to walk through it to get to his room upstairs. Roxas had already instructed him that he was to take his shoes off every time he entered the house, and that they were to be put in the closet underneath the staircase. Roxas opted to skip a second run of the lecture, and led Axel into the living room instead. Axel immediately took a liking to the room. It was open, and comfortably furnished. However, the thing that made him happy was the red paint on the walls. He loved the shade that had been picked, and he stared at it intently for a few seconds. Eventually his eyes wandered to the ample furniture. There was a huge brown couch against one wall, and it looked absolutely comfortable. Axel was tempted to go flop onto it, but held himself back, not wanting to ruin what little pride he had left in tact. There was also a large recliner in the corner, and a been bag on the floor, both the same shade of brown as the couch. The recliner took to Axel's fancy, but he got the feeling that it was Cloud's territory. He resigned himself to that fact, and decided to claim the couch later. His attention was quickly stolen away by the HUGE tv against the far wall. Axel felt a pang of jealousy at the obviously expensive flat-screen, until he realised that he would be watching tv on that same flat-screen for the remainder of his time in the house. This made him grin a little; Enough for Roxas to notice.
"Are you smiling about the tv, or the Wii?" The blonde asked him innocently. Axel's brows furrowed, until his eyes discovered the Wii connected to the television. That wasn't all though. There was also a PS2 and a DVD player. Seriously, how the hell was a cop affording all of this?
"All of it, I suppose. Quite the setup, I must admit. Why the PS2?" Roxas blushed a bit.
"Well, the Wii is great and all, but it is totally lacking in the RPG genre. Those are my favorites. The best ones always come out for Playstation 2. I have one in my room too." Axel nodded.
"I noticed. Is that all you have?" As he had said, Axel liked video games as much as the next guy... The next guy who was wearing a gamer's shirt...
"No, I have a DS too. They have okay RPGs." Axel nodded, now missing his DS which was still at his old place.
"Okay, well, that's the living room. Now, onto the kitchen!" Axel actually chuckled as Roxas pumped his fist in the air with fake enthusiasm. Roxas stopped dead in his tracks and looked back at Axel, surprise evident on his face. "D...Did you just laugh?" Axel gave Roxas a funny look. He was making it sound as though he had never expected the sound to come out of Axel's mouth.
"Yeah... Is that a bad thing?" Roxas stared for a moment, then shook his head, smiling.
"No! It's a wonderful thing!" He turned around and practically skipped to the kitchen.
After pushing open a knob-less door, which Axel noticed was made to open both ways, Roxas pulled Axel into the neat kitchen. It was a decent size, and had the standard kitchen necessities. Everything was clean and organized. There were no dishes in the sink, and the counters were all spotless. Axel was starting to realise that everything in the house, besides Roxas' room, was kept meticulously clean. He didn't mind, he just hoped that he wouldn't be expected to help with the upkeep. Axel did NOT clean. Not unless he was physically hindered by the mess. Roxas started to open cabinets, and point out where various foods could be found, as well as showing him the contents of the fridge. Axel noticed with glee that there were three cartons of orange juice in the fridge. He adored orange juice, and it was apparent that someone else in the house did as well.
"Whose orange juice?" Roxas grinned.
"Mine." Axel met the challenge with a smirk of his own.
"Not for long." Roxas giggled.
"Is that so? Well, perhaps I don't want to share. It is my house after all."
"Oh? Well, if you want any chance of me getting clean you'd better learn to share. My two addictions: Angel Dust and orange juice. Better pick the lesser of two evils." Axel was kidding, of course. He had no plans of quitting Dust. Getting wet just felt too good. He loved the wonderful embrace of the numbness, enveloping his body in pain-free comfort. So what if he hallucinated occasionally? It was never anything too terrible. Still, if it got him a portion of his favorite beverage, of course Axel would let the little lie slip.
"Is that right? Well, I'll give you that one. I really don't mind sharing with a fellow addict!" Axel let his grin grow at that, happy to have convinced Roxas to share.
"You sure? I drink a lot." Roxas chuckled and nodded. Axel felt his heart skip a beat at the gentle tinkling of the sound, before mentally ripping his heart out for even giving it a second thought.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Here, the laundry room is through this door." Axel followed and found himself in a small room, equipped with a new looking washer and dryer. There was also a small metal bar suspended from the ceiling, which he assumed was to be used for the clothes that couldn't be dried.
"...Damn..." Roxas glared at him before his expression softened.
"Commenting on the washer and drier?" Axel shook his head.
"No, I'm commenting on everything in this house! You guys have so much stuff! How..."
"How does Cloud afford it all?" Axel nodded, glad that it wasn't a touchy subject that he was treading on. "We have a rich grandmother, and she sends us money all the time. We've told her not too, but she always says 'Nonsense! Everyone could use a little extra cash! Besides, an old biddy like me doesn't need it anyway! Who better to waste it on than my two favorite grandsons?' Cloud and I stopped trying to reason with her, and we just accept it with grace. It does help a lot, actually. We own the house, and we have nice things. Still, I can't help but feel bad for taking it all. I mean, it's true that she doesn't need it, but she worked her whole life to get it..." Roxas sighed and shook his head as though to clear it of the thought. "All of my friends are insanely jealous."
"I'm pretty jealous myself," Axel asserted. Roxas laughed quietly, leading him back into the kitchen.
"Don't be. It's your stuff too, now." Axel was a bit touched by this.
To be frank, Roxas had annoyed Axel at the beginning. However, Axel had to admit that the blonde was starting to grow on him. True, he never shut up, but that was turning out to be a good thing. Axel needed to be distracted, otherwise his withdrawals would drive him insane. Roxas gave him something else to focus on. And... The blonde was just so... Welcoming. He immediately accepted Axel. Not even knowing him, Roxas had offered to help Axel, and convinced others to take his side. And yet, Axel could find no pity in Roxas. He felt as though Roxas... Understood. He knew that Roxas would never even think to touch drugs, but he got the feeling that Roxas didn't need to do drugs to understand what Axel was experiencing. He just seemed to have receptors that sensed the miserableness emmiting from Axel. And the funny thing; He didn't give a shit! He didn't find Axel repulsive, nor did he think him stupid. He thought of Axel as an equal human being who was simply down on his luck. And not until now did Axel realise that this was what he needed all along.
He had always been seen as a pathetic, worthless piece of shit. His parents thought so, his peers and teachers thought so, everyone thought so. That was probably what got Axel hooked on Dust. The way it worked, it made him feel separate from his body, which made Axel's mind feel weightless. He didn't have to worry or care what others thought of him. When you go numb, those things don't matter anymore. But, when he tried to sober up, he realised that the sensation came at a price. Addiction was one hell of a sick bitch. Or rather, it made Axel one sick bitch. His life had begun to run entirely around the substance, and he couldn't function properly without it. The past two weeks had been literal hell for him. He would honestly prefer flame and demons to this awful feeling. He wanted, more than anything else at the moment, to go completely numb, and just forget that the whole disaster had ever happened.
But Roxas... He gave Axel a little hope. Maybe his overly trusting and accepting attitude would do Axel some good. He made Axel feel like a person again, which was something he had been craving for years now. To find it now... Well, better late than never. Axel had already decided that he couldn't quit, but maybe he could cut back...? That wouldn't be too horrible...
"Well, what do you want to do now?" Axel snapped back to reality and found that he was standing in the living room, Roxas' hand still in his.
"Oh, um... I... I guess I'd like to change..." He gestured at his clothes, disgust obvious in his tone.
"Right, sorry. The judge is arranging for us to go pick up your stuff. But there isn't much I can do before then. You're stuck for a little while." Roxas said it almost apologetically. Axel sighed, and detached himself from the blonde. He took the vest he had been forced to wear off, throwing it on the couch. He then proceeded to remove his belt, letting it fall on top of his vest.
"I can deal," he offered before looking back at the mess he had made. "Sorry, habit." He picked the articles back up.
"It's alright. I don't really care. Just don't let cloud see you. He'll throw a hissy fit. He spends all of his free time cleaning." Axel laughed.
"I had thought so! Everything is so clean! Does he make you clean too?" Roxas gave him a puzzled look.
"Did you see my room?" Axel chuckled.
"Well that's good. I am so not a tidy person." Roxas nodded in understanding.
"I know what you mean. I clean my room about once a month, if that. Anyway, you wanna watch a movie?" Axel thought it over, and nodded, deciding that he wanted to test out the flat-screen.
"Sure. What movie?" He sat down on the couch, and nearly purred as he sunk into the squishy plush. It had looked comfy, but he had never expected it to be this wonderful.
"Um... What kind of movies do you like?" Roxas took out a CD case and started flipping through it.
"Pretty much everything but chick flicks." Roxas nodded.
"How about horror?" Axel raised an eyebrow at that. He couldn't believe that this little bundle of joy and rainbows was into horror films.
"Sure. That's fine." Roxas gave a slight smile before choosing one of the movies and putting it in the player. The previews started playing and Roxas came to sit next to Axel. Axel felt the couch beside him sink a little with the presence of the blonde. He noticed that he wasn't the only one who loved the squishy upholstery, as Roxas sighed as the plush embraced him gently.
"God, I love this couch!" Roxas looked over at Axel, tilting his head as if asking what he thought.
"Yeah, I can see why. Totally surrounds you in a squishy hug of comfortable doom!" There was an awkward silence, before Roxas burst into fits of laughter. Axel however, did not see what was so funny.
"Um..." Roxas continued to laugh uncontrollably, obviously getting a kick out of something Axel had said. Axel started to get agitated. "What?" After calming a bit, Roxas attempted an answer.
"A squishy hug of doom? Where on earth did that come from?" Axel thought about the words he had said, and after hearing them spoken by another, he realised the humor behind them. This ended up sending Axel into his very own fit of laughter, which was quickly joined by Roxas. They couldn't stop the peals of laughter coming out, and went on for nearly five minutes. Eventually though, Cloud heard the noise, and came to investigate. What he found was two teenagers, literally rolling on the floor laughing their asses off. To be honest, seeing Axel laugh shocked him, and he had to take a few moments to gather his senses, do a double-take, then repeat.
"Oh? And just what's so funny that it has Axel laughing?" Both looked up and quieted a bit, surprised by the sudden intrusion. They both stopped their hysterical laughter, but couldn't contain the little giggles that escaped. Roxas waited a moment, and gathered all of his perseverance. He then looked Cloud straight in the eye, with the straightest face possible, and replied:
"Squishy hugs of doom." There was the awkward pause, and then Axel and Roxas both broke back off into fits of laughter. They were on the floor again, apparently finding this phrase to be the funniest thing they had ever heard. Cloud just looked on, not understanding why the words were so humorous. Perhaps it was a teenager thing?
"...Epic... Um... I'm going to go get some pizza. Is it safe to leave you two alone, or are you going to suffocate yourselves?" Although Axel was still relishing the feeling of laughing, which he hadn't done in quite a while, the mention of pizza, a real food, brought him back to his senses, about as quickly as he had abandoned them.
"What kind of pizza?" He hated to sound egar, but compared to stale Cheetos, pizza sounded like a gourmet meal. Cloud smirked, pleased with how easy it was to grab Axel's attention.
"Pizza Hut." Axel shook his head, signaling that this was not the information he had been seeking.
"Well that's a given. I mean what toppings." Cloud rolled his eyes. Axel was a smart-ass. That was pretty apparent.
"I'm getting a supreme. What do you want on yours? I'll get a pizza for you and Roxas to share. Half and half on the toppings." Axel turned to look at Roxas, who had managed to calm down.
"What do you like?"
"Peperoni and Canadian bacon." He said this quickly, without any hesitation. Axel grinned, nodding his approval.
"Now you're speaking my language. Same for me. Just get the whole pizza like that." Cloud nodded, surprised to find anyone with tastes that matched Roxas'. In his mind, the two meats simply could not go together, but each one to their own. He stole one more glance at the teens, and decided that Roxas would be capable of holding down the fort. Axel was obviously going to be a handful, but, as it seemed to be with everyone who met him, Axel had grown a soft-spot for the little blonde. Never in a million years had Cloud expected to see Axel hand in hand with someone, nor to see him on the floor laughing. And yet, here he was, not even with Roxas for a half-hour, and he was already acting like a normal teen. Shaking his head in pure amazement, Cloud finally exited his home. This was going to be an interesting few years.
A/N: Hmm... Well, I had actually planned on this chapter being longer. I mean, I had written it in my little jot book what would happen, and a lot more did in the original plan. However, stuff happened, and I felt bad for how long it was looking. I know most people love long chapters, but there is a difference between long, and too long. But don't fret! You'll still get the rest of what I had planned, I'm just splitting it into two chapters! So be prepared! Man, I really am liking the whole "Plan it out before you start" thing. It has made this a lot easier to work on. I usually just get an idea and start writing... But I actually tried planning ahead this time, and I'm liking it. If anyone writes like I usually do, I totally suggest trying this! I actually know what to write next! I know it seems like it might take some of the fun out of it, but you can always change your plans! I ended up doing that! So, enough ranting! How are you guys liking it so far? I personally love this story! It's my pet project. I hate to say it, but I look forward to working on this one the most out of all of my stories! Axel's already getting soft on Roxas! Is this a good or bad thing? Only the readers can tell! So please, drop me a review! Please? I'm a total review whore! Thanks for reading, and Hallelujah for snow days!