Finally cranked this bitch out. It did NOT want to be written. According to xcassedega, it was NINETEEN PAGES LONG. In this said font. Anyway, I'll save my rant for the end and let you get on with this...
Slight warning: soriku limeade. Beware the sexy. ...And the typos. And keep an eye out for the stuff that seems out of place.
- - - - -- ----- - - --
sweet talk 101
14 : give me what i want - kids in glass houses
Following the day after Roxas spent the night at Axel's, the two became absolutely inseparable. Everything after that night became a blur, from Halloween (from what Axel could remember, Sora had reluctantly dressed up as a playboy kitten, courtesy of a hysterical Riku) to Thanksgiving (Simba nearly ran off with the turkey, the crazy little bitch) to Christmas Eve when Axel actually managed to steal a tiny kiss from Roxas under a mistletoe. It was meant to be a joke, but strangely, the confused redhead could think of nothing else afterwards. But there was no way he was actually starting to like like the boy... Right?
Nevertheless, New Year's went by a lot slowly considering Roxas did everything humanly possible to keep Axel away from alcohol and now everyone was stuck in the awkward phase before Valentine's Day. Not much seemed to happen until then and the air hung quiet and lifeless and everyone just moved through it as though they were deep underwater.
"It's almost vacation time," Axel noted at lunch in early February.
"It's almost Vaaaalentine's Day," Demyx sang playfully, nudging his boyfriend in the side while Larxene pretended to gag. Zexion crinkled his nose in annoyance, swatting at the blonde's elbow. Honestly, the only thing he ever cared about on Valentine's Day was the candy. Demyx was determined to change that.
Sora grinned and grabbed Roxas by the shoulders, pulling him away from his redheaded cushion. "And it's almost our birthday!"
"How old are you going to be? Seven?" Riku asked, a slow smirk spreading across his face.
"Seventeen!"
Roxas rolled his eyes and ducked out from under Sora's arm, flopping back against Axel's side. The redhead grinned and snuck a sip of the boy's soda.
Kairi sighed, watching her brother and twirling her hair around her fingers. She was trying to keep a straight face. "Axel, Reno called yesterday and said he's coming to visit."
"Ah? When?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. Ever since their older brother went off to college, his visits had diminished and he had become a rare sight around the house.
"Tomorrow."
"Wh-WHAT?!" Axel yelped, inevitably choking on the soda and sending himself into a coughing fit. His sister exploded into peals of laughter while Roxas patted Axel's back.
"Wh-why didn't you tell me that last night?! I would've had more time to..." Axel paused and then grimaced once he found his choice of words. "...emotionally prepare myself."
"Because your reaction was worth it."
Now that Axel thought about it, and about his brother, the only thing he'd need to worry about would be... Roxas. If Reno saw the two of them together (which they always were) he'd undoubtedly try to steal his little blonde right from his grasp.
"Ohmygod, Kairi, we need to hide Roxas!" Axel exclaimed, quickly grabbing the confused boy and squishing him to his chest.
Air..! AIR! Roxas flailed and pushed and shoved, finally opting to bite Axel.
"Shit, Roxas!"
What the fuck?! The blonde glared at Axel in accusation, trying to fix his hair.
"Oh, come on," Kairi drawled, rolling her eyes. "He probably already has a boyfriend. Or girlfriend. Or both."
"How do you know?!"
Roxas exchanged an incredulous look with Sora and smacked Axel's shoulder. Hello? Still here!
"Ow, Roxas, stop!" Axel snapped, grabbing the boy's hands. "I am trying to rescue you from a future rape attack."
"Oh, with Reno it always becomes consensual," Kairi said, waving her hand dismissively.
Well that caught Roxas's interests. He smirked, waggling his eyebrows.
...Is he hot?
"What the fuck is that look supposed to mean?!" Axel demanded, a frown passing over his lips. And what was this strange, overwhelming emotion forming deep inside his chest that made him want to keep Roxas all to himself? "You can't possibly be implying that you're interested."
Roxas was suddenly grateful that he couldn't speak because god forbid he actually voiced himself in front of Axel. He glared at him and crossed his arms. Like you've been trying to make a move ever since that half-assed kiss on Christmas Eve. He had actually been extremely disappointed when Axel had pulled away from him so quickly. He had just started to enjoy it too. Now, he wasn't even sure how he felt about his friend.
Kairi wondered of she was the only one who could see a sudden tension between the two. Could Axel be... jealous?
"So what if Roxas is interested? You gonna stop him?"
"...I will try with all my power," Axel grumbled, sniffing indignantly. No way in hell was Reno going to steal Roxas away from him.
"Aw, c'mon, Ax," Demyx piped up, "Reno isn't that-..." The withering glare that Axel sent his way made Demyx swallow his words and move closer to Zexion out of fear. The violet-eyed teen snorted behind his bangs, finding his boyfriend's sissy reaction downright hilarious.
"If Roxas doesn't get Reno, I'll take him," Larxene said, grinning at the possibility of it.
"You're only saying that because he flirted with you. He flirts with anyone."
"Yeah, at least..."
Roxas sighed and drowned out the conversation. He wasn't trying to stir up a controversy, he just wanted to know what the fuck Reno looked like. Was that so much to ask for?
Kairi left Axel and Larxene to bicker and scooted over so that she was sitting in front of Roxas. "Okay, so basically, if you didn't know that Axel and I were twins and you put Axel next to Reno, you'd think they were twins."
Roxas blinked and gave the redhead next to him a once-over, eyebrows raised.
Kairi laughed and shook her head. "Oh, they still have their differences, don't worry about that. He's really not as bad as we're making him out to be, he just has a habit on hitting on anything with two legs."
Of course, she couldn't really blame Roxas for being more curious than everyone else. Last time she was aware the he had been in a relationship was back at the Academy (from what Sora had told her) and it wasn't his fault for looking for a potential relationship. It was actually Axel's fault from not making a damn move.
x.x.x
By the end of the day Axel had relented, claiming that he couldn't give a fuck as to what Roxas did and with whom and walked home alone in the freezing cold. On the other hand, he was really missing Roxas's heated Camaro.
Axel angrily yanked the collar of his coat up to his chin and went to cross the street, nearly getting run over by a familiar yellow and black car halfway across.
"Motherfuck!" he gasped, jumping back right before the car skidded to a halt. "What the shit, Roxas?" Axel lashed out, punching the hood of Roxas's Camaro, momentarily taken over by a temper tantrum.
Inside, the blonde flinched from the impact, his lips skinning over his teeth in a snarl. He climbed out, forcefully slamming the door behind him and stormed after the redhead.
Why don't you tell me what the shit, Roxas thought bitterly, grabbing the taller boy by the front of his coat and dragging him to the passenger door. Axel stumbled slightly and grabbed at Roxas's wrist, yanking him away. "What? What the fuck do you want?"
Roxas grit his teeth, practically growling (if he could growl), and shoved Axel against the door. He knew this was only feuling both of their anger but he was already frustrated and Axel's stubborn attitude wasn't helping.
"You little shit, I told you I can kick your ass faster than you can blink," Axel growled, fingers curling into fists.
The blonde narrowed his eyes and stepped back, snapping his hands away from Axel's coat. He lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes in challenge. Bring it, bitch.
When Axel tackled tackled him, knocking them both into someone's snowy front lawn, Roxas was hardly worried. A little cold, but not worried. Axel barely made a punch in before Roxas shoved at his chest and kneed him in the stomach, successfully managing to roll them both over. The two boys glared at each other, panting for breath from the sudden rush of adrenaline, until slowly, Axel's expression began to soften. He let out a heavy breath and let his head fall back into the snow, feeling Roxas roll off him.
"Sorry..." Axel mumbled guiltily, reaching out to ruffle the other boy's spikes. Roxas waved his hand dismissively and sat up, giving Axel an impatient look, to which the redhead could make a very educated guess to. He'd been around Roxas long enough to figure out what many of Roxas's looks and gestures meant.
"It's just that..." The words seemed to take a while to come together, like Axel had suddenly forgotten all of his reasons. The real truth was kind of... embarrassing and very ungaurded, but Axel tried anyway. "...I don't know, I love my brother and all, but I don't exactly... uh... trust him. And I don't want him to hurt you, y'know? And you don't even know him yet so I guess I shouldn't be spitting stuff about him before you even meet him..."
Roxas stared at him, at bit lost in thought, before forcing a careful grin and raising an eyebrow. His expression said one thing but his thoughts were elsewhere.
You're worried about me? That is so fucking cute. Damn.
"Yes, yes, I know you can take care of your own ass. Can we go inside your car now? My ass is freezing."
x.x.x
"Thank Jenova above today's Friday. I don't think I'd be able to handle Reno during the weekday."
Roxas chuckled silently and flicked some water at Axel's face.
"Yeah, it's a wonder I can handle you during the weekday."
It was the last period of the day and Axel and Roxas had swimming with Demyx and Naminé. At least... the siblings were the only ones Axel and Roxas were really familiar with in this class.
"Hey, Rox!" Demyx called, waving from the deep end. "Swim some laps with me!"
God forbid I don't.
Axel chuckled as he watched Roxas swim over to the taller blonde and hoisted himself up on the pool edge. God, how he hated water. Of course... the class gave him a perfect excuse to ogle at a half-naked Roxas. Yes, he admitted it, he enjoyed staring at the boy's chest. Fuck off.
"Keep staring like that and he's bound to notice," said a voice from below, making Axel jerk in surprise. Naminé blinked and giggled, pushing her wet hair out of her face.
"Well, I'm trying not to be so open about it, that's the point."
"Yeah, anymore 'openness' and Roxas might actually, y'know, notice." The petite blonde girl squealed and laughed when Axel kicked up water at her face. After he was satisfied, he sighed and looked away, staring at empty air.
"I just don't think that it'd be a good idea to get involved with him that way."
"Oh? And why not?"
"...It's complicated. I can't really explain."
Naminé cocked her head to the side, lips pursed together in thought. "Is that why you've been acting so weird ever since he showed up?"
"What-?!"
"I mean, well... I know we never talked much before but I watch people a lot. When you were fighting with Roxas? And even before that you were much more... confident. Cocky. Now you're just... all mellow, you know?"
Axel let out a long, impatient breath and raked his fingers through his wet hair. "I just... don't know how to explain."
Suddenly, the small blonde smiled knowingly, as though she knew something he didn't. "That's fine then," she said. She grabbed onto the ledge of the pool and pulled herself out of the cool water. Her back was turned to Axel and he took that chance to rake his eyes over Naminé's body. That two-piece, blue and white polka-dotted bathing suit left very little to the imagination, from her white thighs, to the arch of her back, to the curve of her neck, to her chest.
Naminé was damn attractive. But Axel just wasn't turned on.
Which felt odd.
Because Axel knew he should've felt something. But he didn't. Not that he wasn't into guys but... Roxas? Of all people? And not Naminé, the cutest little thing on two legs?
Pshh. Whatever.
Either way, the only thing he was worried about was Reno getting his hands on Roxas. As much as he told the boy he wasn't going to butt in, he couldn't bring himself to be honest. Like hell was going to let Roxas get eaten alive by his older brother. He just hoped he'd be able to remain conscious for long, considering he had to pick Reno up today, the twins' birthday was tomorrow, Valentine's day was right after than, and finally, vacation.
x.x.x
"No, Roxas, no. Go home. Go. Roxas! ...Sit!"
Roxas cocked an incredulous blonde eyebrow, expression hardening for a moment.
What am I? A fucking dog?
"No, no, don't take it that way," Axel gushed quickly, smiling nervously and placing his hands on Roxas's shoulders. "I mean that I can handle Reno, but I won't if he's all over you, y'know?"
Even as he said it, Axel felt a hot burning jealousy twist deep inside him that gave him the urge to punch something (preferably Reno's face).
Roxas frowned half-heartedly but allowed Axel to pull him into a hug and ruffle his hair.
"Now go on, shoo. I need to track Kairi down."
Roxas crinkled his nose cutely and hugged Axel back before stepping back and letting the redhead sprint off in search of his sister. He sighed and went off to the parking lot, easily spotting his Camaro in a sea of black and white. Honestly, were these people colourblind? He climbed into his car and sat in the silence for a while as other students around him drove off. He felt a little deflated since Axel wasn't sitting next to him, making dirty jokes or talking about anything else that was on his mind. Though... it didn't surprise him how used to he had become to Axel's presence. He'd known it'd happen from the moment he'd met the redhead. He'd never truly hated him, and it was only Axel's initial attitude that ticked him off. Sure, he claimed he had hated Axel with a passion of a thousand and one suns at first, but... but Axel wasn't what he had expected when he saw him.
Of course things changed. He knew they would change. Axel's schizophrenia was proof enough.
The blonde sighed and jammed his keys into the ignition, driving home in an unusually sullen mood. He didn't even kick Riku and Sora when he came inside and went through the living room, and merely passed through as though in a dreamlike state.
"You okay, Rox?"
Said blonde started and whirled around, blue eyes wide.
"Yes, I still know you exist." Sora grinned and nodded for Roxas to come sit next to him. For once, he and Riku weren't attempting to eat each other's faces off and were actually just sitting there, watching TV. Roxas approached his twin but didn't sit down, giving the couch a wary look.
"Don't worry," Riku chuckled, amused by the disturbed face Roxas made, "we haven't done anything."
Yet.
Roxas stood there, contemplating for a moment and finally took a seat on the edge of the coffee table. He crossed his arms, giving his brother a questioning look.
"Hey, don't give me that look, I'm supposed to give you that look!"
Riku rolled his eyes, clapping a hand over the brunette's mouth. "You didn't go with Axel? I thought he'd take you."
Fat chance. He's gotten so protective of me that he might as well start carrying me from place to place soon. Roxas cocked his head to the side and shrugged indifferently.
"Oh, right, right, Reno," the silverette recalled with a smirk.
I honestly don't get it. Roxas shrugged again, heaving a deep breath.
"I think this is what Kairi meant by Axel having a big brother complex."
"More like a jealous complex," Sora sang, waggling his eyebrows.
Roxas rolled his eyes skyward, flicked them off and heading to his room.
"Oh, hey!" Sora called after him, smacking away Riku's suddenly roaming hands. "Mom's working like crazy so she won't be home 'til tomorrow afternoon."
Roxas waved over his shoulder and climbed the stairs to his room. He hardly felt like doing anything. It felt... oddly boring without Axel around, and after staring aimlessly up at the ceiling for half an hour he decided to text Hayner, Olette and Rikku. Fifteen minutes later, he was meeting the three at the nearest McMoogle's, pulling the collar of his coat up over his face as he crossed the parking lot into the fast-food joint.
"Oh, heyyy, Roxas, what's up, how's it going, how's the weather-"
A seemingly disembodied arm had flung itself out of the closest booth, yanking the blonde into the red faux-leather bench. Roxas found himself practically sprawled across Hayner's lap.
"Hayner! You're going to suffocate him!" Olette's unmistakable voice went floating over his head.
"That's fine, as long as it keeps you two from opening your fat mouths!"
Roxas flailed desperately against Hayner's hold, nearly punching the boy in the eye. After disentangling their limbs he scooted to the far end of the booth, huffing angrily and finger-combing his hair back into place.
"Aw, c'mon, Hayn, he's going to end up finding out anyway," Rikku cooed, trying to swallow back her giggles. "Might as well tell him now, yanno?"
Hayner made such a face that he looked as though he'd been sucking down lemon juice for the past hour.
"Fine!" Olette said, throwing her hands up dramatically. Hayner looked hopeful for a momentary second until the brunette grinned. "So, Roxas, guess who asked him out."
Roxas's eyebrow's shot up in surprise and then furrowed in thought. He pointed at Olette.
"Oh, honestly." Olette chuckled, shaking her head. Roxas gave her a blank look, practically feeling the heat waves emanate from Hayner's body. He was the only one who knew of his best friend's secret little crush. "If Rikku and I are sitting here, what would be the chances that either of us asked him out?"
Roxas sighed impatiently and cocked his head to the side. He hated guessing games and no one else really came to mind... and he was too lazy to think about it too much anyway so he just shook his head and shrugged.
Olette and Rikku exchanged grins while Hayner groaned pathetically from his corner of the booth.
"Seifer."
Looking back on the moment, Roxas would never be able to understand how and on what he had choked on, but before he knew it Hayner was thumping him hard on the back and Olette and Rikku were roaring with laughter.
"It's-not-funny!"
When Roxas finally emerged, gasping for breath and clutching at his sides, the girls were in stitches and Hayner looked downright murderous.
"And the funniest... thing about it," Rikku managed through her tears, "is that he wasn't even joking!"
"He was serious!"
They dissolved into more peals of laughter, now attracting the attention of every McMoogle's patron.
"I swear, Roxas," Hayner hissed, pinning the blonde down with a fierce glare, "if you so much as chuckle... I will castrate you."
Roxas nodded and coughed, throat burning. After that, he wasn't really aiming for a laugh. That, and he was quite fond of all his... parts. He pulled out his Sidekick and wrote
Wait, then why are you so pissed? Didn't you say no?
The other blonde grimaced and shifted uncomfortably in his seat, pushing the phone away from him as though it was going to bite him.
Oh Shiva-
"He said yes," Rikku confirmed, instantly sobering up. Olette stopped giggling too, even though she was hiccuping now.
"S-sorry, Hayner," Olette muttered, grinning sheepishly.
"Yeah!" Rikku added, casually twirling a braid around her finger. "It's cute, but the fact that it's, yanno, Seifer, just makes it hilarious."
Hayner made that lemon-face again, raking his fingers through his dirty blonde curls with such force that Roxas though he was trying to tear his hair out. "Ha-fucking-ha."
Roxas elbowed him in the ribs, giving him a questioning look.Then why the fuck did you say yes?!
"I don't know! I mean, he was being so fucking serious for once that I was too shocked to say anything else..." Hayner trailed off and shrugged offhandedly. Roxas snrked and shook his head in disbelief.
"Hey, hey, Roxas," Hayner said, waving his hand for Roxas's attention. The blonde turned, eyebrows raised and Hayner stuck a ketchup-covered fry to his cheek. "Yeah. That's what I thought."
Rikku and Olette burst into fresh waves of giggles as Roxas tried to force ice cubes down the front of Hayner's pants.
x.x.x
By the time Roxas returned, the sky had turned a dusky purple and the temperature dropped to a stand-still chill. He had to huddle up in his coat despite the fact that he was only a few feet away from the door way. A gust of wind eddied around him, blowing his hair around, reminding him of dark nights and cold dark skies, and Roxas practically threw himself through the front door from the chill that ran up his spine. The front hall was flooded with light from the television. Roxas rolled his eyes, unable to understand how those two could sit in front of the tv for so long. He flicked on the lights and was almost immediately greeted with a girlish scream and pillow to the face.
"Dammit, Roxas! Don't scare us like that!"
Roxas dislodged the cushion gently from his teeth and slowly lifted his gaze to the couch, expecting the worst. Thankfully, it was only Yuffie and Selphie, clutching at their chests from fright. The moment Selphie saw who had barged in during their horror movie marathon she relaxed and smiled widely.
"Oh, Roxas," she cooed, batting her brown lashes. "Wanna come sit with us?"
The blonde arched a disturbed eyebrow and shook his head, stifling a fake yawn behind his hand. Selphie deflated slightly and pouted, going back to twirling her hair boredly around her fingers. Roxas chuckled silently with amusement, tossing the cushion back at the girls.
"Oh, keep it down," Yuffie warned, her eyes glued back to the television screen where a girl was screaming and trying to cling to the floor as an unseen beast dragged her into the darkness. "I think Riku and Sora went to sleep."
...Sleep, huh? At eight thirty? Roxas grinned to himself and pulled out his Sidekick as he trudged up to the stairs to his room.
Hey, I'm going to sleep early.
I'm so fucking exhausted. So
if I don't reply, y'know why.
-Roxas
Yea sure no prob. Ill see you
tmorrow early bday boy.
-Axel
Roxas shed his coat and shoes and dropped down on in his bed, holding his phone above his face.
Oh, hell, I totally forgot my
birthday's tomorrow.
-Roxas
Lmao you would. g'night.
-Axel
Roxas flipped his Sidekick shut and set it down on the nightstand. He stretched his arms out over his head before curling up comfortably against his pillow despite the fact that he probably still had ketchup somewhere in his hair. Outside, the cold wind whistled through the naked trees, making him wish for spring. He missed the bright green blanket that covered the town, infusing the air with the scent of summer.
...Like Axel. Axel reminded him of summer. He always had.
x.x.x
When he woke up next morning he was stiff from sleeping in his jeans and his shirt was twisted awkwardly around his torso. Or... no. That was Simba. Roxas groaned internally and shoved the sleeping cat to the other end of the bed, trying to ignore the steady pounding in his head.
...Wait, that was definitely not his head. Unless he was currently hitting his head against a wall and he was sure as hell that that was not what he was doing.
The banging slowly increased in volume and Roxas was forced to sit up and rub the morning gunk from his eyes. He glanced at the clock and wondered in his half-awake state at what the fuck could Sora possibly be doing that would produce such a sound at six in the fucking morning.
He swung his legs over the edge of his bed and Simba instantly woke up, jumping down from his nest in the blankets to briefly wrap himself around Roxas's ankles before padding away. Roxas smiled and reached out for his phone, shoving it into his pocket as he ambled out of his room and down the hall, concentrating on moving his feet towards his twin's door.
Now, when Roxas shoved the door open, finger raised in accusation, he had expected something out of the ordinary. But for him, out of the ordinary did not mean throwing the door open only to find Sora and Riku twisted in the sheets of the bed with his twin's legs draped over Riku's shoulders, throwing his head back with a keening moan as the silverette steadily drove into him.
It only took a few more moments for realization to set it because Roxas was still rooted to the spot in shock and when Sora finally snapped his hazy blues open, he let out a high-pitched shriek that nearly sent Riku flying off the bed.
"S-sora, wh-Holy shit!" With inhuman speed, Riku grabbed the sheets that were now half-hanging off of the bed and yanked them up, pooling them back around their bare bodies. Not liked it really helped though. Roxas had seen everything and the damage was done. The twins silently stared at each other, Sora's face becoming significantly paler as the moments dragged by while Roxas's left eye ticked up a storm.
Finally, Riku decided that he couldn't take much more of this. He'd been happily driving his cute little boyfriend into ecstasy, and awkward moment be damned, he was going to fucking finish. He huffed impatiently and threw his bangs out of his eyes with a flick of his head. "I don't know if you guys are having a moment, or what," he hissed out, voice straining slightly from the pressure still around his cock, "but I would love to continue. So, if you don't mind, Roxas?"
Said blonde swallowed thickly and then shook his head as if trying to get rid of the bothersome images that were currently implanted in his head. He did an about-face and slowly closed the door behind him, drawing a shaky sigh of relief from his twin.
"...That went better than I expected, to be honest," Sora mumbled, dropping his head back against the pillows he'd been propped up on and let his eyes slip shut.
Riku snorted in a mockery of amusement and dipped his head, brushing his lips along Sora's bitten collarbone and drawing a shiver from the boy.
"H-hey, Ri... c'mon, the mood's ruined," the brunette grumbled, throwing an arm over his eyes. The silverette only smirked in response, his tongue working almost languidly against Sora's skin as his hands skimmed down to wrap around the boy's slim hips. Sora snapped open a curious blue eye at Riku just as the older teen drew his own hips back and slammed forward in one fluid motion.
"O-oh, god...! Fuck...!"
"The mood's not ruined until I say it's ruined, So-ra."
x.x.x
Think I can make an appointment
to see your therapist?
-Roxas
Y whats wrong?
-Axel
Nothing, I'm sure, that a few years
of therapy can't cure.
-Roxas
what happened?
-Axel
...Nothing. I just walked in on Riku
and Sora fucking.
-Roxas
...LMFAO jesus i thought it was going
to be sumthin worse than that. abt
time really, i mean even demyx and
zex did it already.
-Axel
I don't really care that they were doing
it, it was just more of a 'Surprise, your
brother's getting laid, happy birthday!'
-Roxas
Oh well i can help with that.
-Axel
...You sick bastard. I'll be over in fifteen
minutes.
-Roxas
The blonde snapped his phone shut and brushed a hand through his sagging spikes, grimacing when he felt remnants from last night's food fight still in his hair. That... needed to be taken care of sometime soon. He didn't want to walk around, looking like a buffet, after all. Roxas sighed and pushed himself to his feet, stretching out at the top of the stairs and then making his way down to the kitchen. Yuffie and Selphie were already there by the time Roxas stepped in, the former trying to dislodge a piece of toast from the toaster with a fork (because that was a brilliant idea) and the latter dozing off at the kitchen table.
"They woke you up too?" Yuffie asked, giggling when Roxas pulled a disturbed face in response. She gave up on trying to pry her breakfast out of the stubborn device and left it on the counter, going over to hug Roxas instead. "Happy birthday-why do you smell like ketchup?" Roxas only grinned and wrapped his arms around his younger sister, chest trembling with chuckles.
"...I guess I won't ask. I'm not really sure I want to know either."
Roxas snorted softly, lifting a hand to ruffle Yuffie's short hair. He nudged her away, motioning towards the toaster and made his way to the bathroom to get cleaned up. In all fairness... it wasn't fair. It was six, six in the fucking morning. Sora and Riku had the worst possible timing in the world.
Speaking of time, what the hell is Axel doing up so early anyway? Roxas thought, narrowly avoiding getting toothpaste in his eye. The guy sleeps like a rock. He didn't bother on dwelling on it much longer, instead focusing on washing his face with cold water in an attempt to jumpstart his brain. By the time he left the bathroom, the sun was almost up, casting its weak winter beams of light through the open windows. Roxas ran back into his room to change shirts and grabbed a wool-lined sweatshirt on his way out. His car was cool inside, lit gently by the sun and Roxas suddenly wished that Axel was already in the passenger's seat so that they could go for a drive. He sighed softly to himself, passing a hand over his face. There were so many things he wanted to tell Axel, wanted him to know... but it wasn't the right time. It might never be the right time. But he would wait for it.
He was pleasantly surprised when he pulled into Axel's driveway, only to find the redhead already waiting for him, leaning against the doorjamb with his arms folded tightly over his bare chest and boxers hanging low over his hipbones.
"Yo! Move your ass, blondie, it's freezing out here!"
Yeah, it'd help if you were a shirt. Roxas stuck his tongue out and clambered clumsily out of his car, nearly tripping up the front steps.
"What, the two horndogs wake you up way too early?" Axel asked, slipping an arm around Roxas's shoulders to help steady him. The blonde grimaced and shuddered, drawing a chuckle from Axel.
"Wanna go sleep some more before Kairi and Reno wake up?" Axel grinned, adding onto Roxas's questioning look, "I didn't sleep too well."
He shut the door behind them and led Roxas to the couch, dropping down first and reaching out for Roxas's wrist, pulling the boy down on top of him. The blonde didn't seem to mind at all and even shifted around a bit to get more comfortable, his legs tangling themselves with Axel's and his arms looping around the redhead's thin waist. Axel smirked in triumph and tilted his head back against the armrest of the couch. His arms when around Roxas's shoulders and his green eyes slid shut in content relaxation.
He still had Roxas to himself for a few hours before Reno woke up.
x.x.x
Roxas awoke a couple of hours later with a start, blue eyes snapping open and meeting a strangely familiar pair of teal orbs hovering only a few inches away from him, framed with red.
"Yo, Kai! The lovebirds are waking up!"
"Thank god, I thought they were going to sleep until noon."
Roxas leaned up, bracing one hand on Axel's chest and rubbing his eyes with the other, trying to maintain balance as the body beneath him squirmed and wriggled.
"Unf, Rox, you've got your elbow in my stomach..."
Oh, don't be a baby. The blonde huffed and carefully maneuvered himself around until he slid down to the floor.
"Ew... Reno, go put some clothes on."
"I could say the same for you, little bro. Still wearin' pants here."
Roxas blinked and lifted his gaze, his line of vision following a pair of green, plaid pajama pants hangling loosely off pale hips, a trail of red leading up the newcomer's navel and-
...Wow. Was that a six pack? Last time Roxas saw one of those was on Riku.
His attentive blue eyes traveled up, over every muscle, a smooth expanse of chest (lingering for a moment on two dusty pink nipples), a white throat, a smirking grin, and those cat-like eyes, framed with red tattoos and a mess of scarlet bangs.
"See something y'like, kid?" Reno practically purred out, his voice deep and downright dripping with seduction as he cocked a hand on his hip.
...I see something I like very much.
"Please, not in front of me," Axel groaned pleadingly, throwing an arm over his eyes.
Reno chuckled good naturedly and held out a hand, helping Roxas to his feet. "C'mon, Ax. Nothing wrong with a little flirting, right, yo?"
Axel had all sorts of retorts, some of which were probably not even legal. He sighed instead and stretched out on the couch, settling on the least extreme one. "Yeah... whatever." He didn't like the way his older brother was eyeing Roxas, with a predatory gleam in his eyes. He didn't like it one fucking bit. Thankfully, Kairi grabbed Roxas's hand and pulled him into the kitchen before Axel jumped Reno for staring. The moment the two disappeared through the doorway, Axel leapt to his feet and advanced on the other redhead, grabbing him by the hair. Reno winced and bit back a yelp, his own fingers shooting out to tangle themselves deep in Axel's spikes.
"Listen, Reno," Axel hissed out, his green eyes narrowing dangerously as he jerked his hand in his brother's hair. "You stay the fuck away from Roxas, he doesn't need-"
"Need what?" Reno asked, his voice infuriatingly calm and a cocky smirk curving his lips. "Did you happen to, yanno, miss the way he was checkin' me out, maybe?"
"Stay away from him, I'm warning you."
"Oh, and what will y'dou if he comes onto me first?"
"I can think of plen-"
"Reno! Axel!" Kairi chided from the kitchen doorway, her hands planted firmly on her hips. "What have I told you about incest?"
"Ewww, Kai," Axel groaned, snapping his hands away from his brother and wiping them off on his boxers with a look of disgust on his face. "I wouldn't touch Reno that way even if he was gilded with 24 carat gold."
"Bet you'd touch Ro-"
"SHUT UP!"
Axel socked Reno in the stomach and brushed past his doubled-over form to the kitchen, where he met a very... adorably unusual sight. Roxas was standing behind the kitchen island, adorned in a baby blue apron that Kairi must've forced on him with a mixing bowl clutched in one of his arms. His face and hair were dusted with flour and he lifted a hand to wipe at the bridge of his nose before going back to mixing.
Axel couldn't help but smile at the endearing scene he'd walked in on. "Roxas?"
The blonde lifted his head, a sheepish grin making its way across his face when he realized Axel had been watching him. Axel quirked an amused eyebrow and made his way over, reaching out to ruffle the younger boy's hair and bringing up a cloud of white dust.
"So you two are going to help us make the cake!" Kairi exclaimed cheerfully as she walked into the kitchen, dragging Reno behind her by his ponytail.
"What cake?" Axel asked dumbly, earning himself a light slap in the face, courtesy of Roxas.
"Roxy's birthday cake, duh."
"Oh, right, right..." Reno yanked himself away from Kairi and sauntered over to the island, slinging an arm over Roxas's shoulders and pulling the boy against his side. "Today's blondie's birthday."
Axel growled deeply in his throat, feeling a vein throb angrily in his temple. Only he could call Roxas that and get away with it, dammit.
"But I don't know if I could trust you to bake, Kai."
The petite redhead waved a dismissive hand and picked up a couple of white eggs, cracking them open in the mixing bowl. "Don't worry, I've been watching Giada. I know what I'm doing."
The three boys exchanged glances, Axel finally looking away to mutter "You just wanna bang her."
He had an immediate desired effect: Reno burst out laughing, bringing a hand up to his face and Roxas went into a coughing fit.
Kairi shot her twin a haughty look and stuck out her tongue. "Ha ha, you're so funny, Axel. One more crack like that and you'll be wondering how you ended up with a whisk up your ass."
"...Ouch, Kai, that hurts."
"Good. 'Cause the whisk will hurt even more." Kairi smiled innocently at her brother's blatantly disturbed expression and reached for a few more eggs.
Reno chuckled to himself and leaned his elbows against the granite counter top. A smirk tugged at his lips, the predatory gleam returning as he watched Roxas spoon at the cake mix. "Hey, blondie, after this, what say you and I head upstairs and I give you a real birthday gift?"
Roxas froze mid-stir, his blue eyes going wide from shock at the proposal.
"At ease!" Axel snapped, reaching over to yank at his older brother's hair. Reno yelped and smacked Axel's hand away, stalking to the other side of the kitchen to fix his hair back into place.
"...You both embarrass me," Kairi muttered, delicately crinkling her nose. Roxas resumed his stirring beside her, pretending that he wasn't even paying attention to his surroundings.
Despite the so recent and severe hair pulling, Reno was quite amused with his baby brother's stubborn defiance. And so he decided to milk the situation for all it was worth. Because Reno always got what he wanted.
...So he snuck up behind Axel and slipped his arms around his waist, resting his chin on the other redhead's shoulder. "Yanno what I wonder?" he asked, his voice dropping down a couple of octaves and making a shiver work its way up Axel's spine.
"What could it possibly be this time?"
Reno grinned, his eyes traveling over to the little blonde who was bending into the cupboard on the floor with Kairi to look for a cake pan, his jeans working low on his hips and his sweatshirt riding up and pulling his shirt with it. A creamy (and downright biteable) strip of skin was left in its wake.
"I wonder how long it would take me to convince Roxas to bend that cute little ass of his over the nearest counter and let me fuck... him... cross-eyed."
...In the end, Roxas and Kairi ended up making strawberry shortcake all by themselves while all Axel and Reno succeeded in making was a giant mess. Sure, Axel had a flowering purple bruise on his jawbone and Reno was missing an eyebrow and half his ponytail, but it had definitely been worth it.
"This is sorta funny," Kairi mused in Roxas's ear as they watched the redheaded pair try to wrestle each other to the floor. "I've never seen them get so violent."
Roxas glanced up from the whipped cream they had been making, giving her an And? look. So what? What did it matter? Why was he supposed to give a flying noodle? Because it so looked like Axel and Reno were fighting over him? Was that why? Fighting for his attention?
...Yeah, like there's much to fight for in the first place. Morons.
Kairi giggled and reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. It was interesting to see how Roxas reacted, pretending not to notice the two as they tusseled and upended furniture and kitchenware, but every now and then, she would catch him sneaking glances at the bickering redheads.
She sighed in exasperation and planted her hands on her hips, slowly surveying the kitchen. "There is way too much testosterone in this house..."
The two brothers sobered up soon enough, Axel sitting on the counter and rubbing his bruised chin while cursing under his breath while Reno slumped over in the kitchen chair, fingering his cut ponytail with somewhat of a pout. Kairi cast a sidelong glance at Roxas, whose blue flicked back and forth between the two before finally falling away shyly to the linoluem floor.
x.x.x
If there was one strange thing that Axel ever noticed about his brother, it was how when he talked about something serious, he still managed to have a one-track mind. Axel remembered how back when Reno was a senior, he had a really hot substitute, Miss Lockheart something-or-other. She was any guy's (mostly any straight guy's) ideal wetdream material. Dark-haired, fair-skinned, with long legs, a narrow waist, and a large bust. So one day, Reno stayed back to talk about the assignment which he hadn't understood and came home bragging about how awesome her boobs felt.
...Yeah. That was Reno for you.
And it took Axel a bare minimum of 2.4 seconds to realise that Reno was attempting to pull the same stunt on Roxas. Well... partially the same. Because Roxas obviously had no boobs, as far as Axel knew. And he knew, because he stared at that gorgeous chest every time they had swimming class.
After cake (which turned out better than anyone expected), Kairi insisted that they watch a movie, and Reno, the sneaky little bastard, plopped himself down on the loveseat and dragged a bypassing Roxas into his lap. Needless to say, Roxas didn't get to watch the movie, but was allowed the pleasure of being mentally undressed for 1.2 hours. Axel wasn't happy. But overlooking the being undressed part, Reno was actually trying to make conversation with the blonde even if his replies came back in the form of a small screen and arial font.
Axel lost the number of times he looked over and felt and overwhelming urge to punch Reno in the face when he saw his bloody brother murmuring quietly to Roxas and tracing circles around the scar on his neck. He lost the number of times he wanted to growl, the number of times he squirmed uncomfortably, the number of times he wished he hadn't quit smoking (for Roxas, Axel, for Roxas, for Roxas forRoxasforRoxasforroxas...).
Kairi arched a questioning eyebrow at him and nodded towards Reno and Roxas. Axel only shrugged nonchalantly and looked away, trying to drown himself in the hum coming from the television.
He couldn't bring himself to admit he was jealous. He had too much pride for that, especially after all the shit he'd been through with the kid. He couldn't bring himself to admit that he was noticing things about the blonde that he'd never noticed before.
Like the way his tongue ring poked out from between his pearl white teeth as he bit down on the barbell in concentration. Like the way his blonde lashes cast soft shadows on his cheeks every time he looked down. Like the way there were freckles sprayed across the bridge of his nose that would probably darken in the summer sun. Like the way Roxas's blue eyes lit up like lightbulbs when Kairi finally decided to drag out his present. Like the way a childish grin spread across his face and pulled the bright yellow tissue paper away from a new ZuneTouch (from all of us, Kairi had said) and an x-shaped silver charm that was hiding in the box (Axel's idea).
Something strange flickered over Roxas's face as he held the charm up to his face, watching it spin and shine right before his eyes. Axel didn't have time to register the expression but something nostalgic stirred inside of him, something that he couldn't place, something that nearly awakened the sleeping voice in the back of his head. He didn't have time to figure that one out either because Roxas's arms were suddenly around his waist and his stomach lurched and he thought he was going to be sick.
...Sweet Shiva above. He had fallen in love.
x.x.x
SO TAKE THAT, BITCHES. I better get some hefty reviews for this one. ((wheezes for breath and starts retyping the next chapter))
...Honestly, who's still even READING this?
I actually have this all written out... in a notebook, but the little bugger refuses to be written.
AXEL FINALLY HAS AN EPIPHANY. AREN'T YOU HAPPY? I'M HAPPY. If you squint really hard at this chapter, at the stuff that almost seems out of place, you will see hints of an upcoming plot twist, which, after reading this whole story all over again, realised that I would be able to fit in quite nicely.
I just really wanna ramble now and release all my excitement for finally finishing this chapter.
You're probably wondering HAHAWHYARETHEYSWIMMINGINTHEMIDDLEOFWINTER? Why? I'll tell you why. Because my school is STUPID and that's exactly what it did to me. Scheduled SWIMMING. In JANUARY. While it was SNOWING outside. Sure, the pool's indoor, but that didn't mean it was HEATED. Oh, they said it was, but they're all lying bastards.
I was reading an article on british slang while writing this... because I tend to use british spelling on occasion... y'know, color, colour, realize, realise, stuff like that. And I realised (!) how much british slang we actually use when we write. ...I also found out that foxtrot oscar is a euphemism for fuck off which I found HILARIOUS. .. A lot of funny fuck slang too.
And check out my dA, I'm getting ready for coooon!
Okay, so um... fuck. I don't know what to say now. You guys all still with me? Still know what's going on? I'll try answering reviews this time, but only for this current chapter. ..Otherwise I'll get confused..
So please review? :]