Orange. That meant nervous. There was a bit of black lining the edges. That meant miserable.
Roxas fingered the mood ring that Sora had given him all those years ago as the two women in front of him tried to act like they weren't talking about him, even though it was obvious they were.
"Such a horrible thing to happen to a child," the brunette said.
"He's been through a lot." His aunt whispered audibly. "I just can't take care of him right now, with all that's going on, plus my apartment is so small, I just can't handle a kid right now." 'Stupid selfish bitch,' Roxas thought to him self, 'she just doesn't want to be stuck with me.' The two women continued to talk; Roxas touched his cheek, feeling the puffy soreness of his black eye.
"Well, I'll take good care of him, nothing to worry about." The other lady looked at him and smiled, he didn't return it. "Unfortunately," she continued as the walked up the stairs, "we can't give Roxas his own room. But he's roommate shouldn't be any trouble." Roxas walked into the room and stared.
Two beds, one on each side. The far wall was slanted down, made entirely of windows, with a balcony attached. The side of the room that seemed to be inhabited had posters all over the walls some of movies, some bands, some just people. The other side, that Roxas assumed was his, was completely bare; only a bed, sheets and pillows piled on the foot of the mattress.
Aeris smiled down at Roxas and hugged him, telling him that she'd come back to visit and that she loved him, and not to worry. Roxas nodded and pretended to pay attention, the other lady ('Tifa was it?') said something about dinner, that Roxas didn't bother listening to, then left.
When Roxas was finally alone he climbed onto the bare mattress and pulled the sheets over his head.
Roxas woke up to someone shaking his shoulder; he winced at the pain but tried his best to hide it.
"Hey kid." A voice called, pulling down the sheets, he was met with a pair of aqua blue eyes; aqua blue, Roxas touched his mood ring, happiness.
"I'm your new roomie, Demyx's the name…" the boy paused for a moment, "Monopoly's a game." He smiled brightly and held out his hand, which Roxas looked at apprehensively. 'Something a little strange about this one,' Roxas thought. "You gonna give me a name, or can I call you blondie?" Demyx finally said, pulling back his hand when he realized that the younger boy wouldn't be shaking it any time soon.
"Roxas." He finally said his voice hoarse from lack of use.
"Well Roxas," he drawled, "what the hell happened to yer face?" Roxas stuttered a moment, trying to think of something to say but the other beat him to it, "If you tell me that ya fell down the stairs, I'll freeze yer underwear while yhall sleep." Roxas gulped loudly and his eyes widened.
"Well…umm…" he started slowly, "My step-dad, he was an ass."
"Oh." Demyx said staying quiet for a few rare moments, then the same almost contagious smiled stretched over his face. "Well Roxas, supper's normally in an hour, need help mak'n your bed?" Roxas shifted underneath the sheets and nodded, getting out of them slowly.
Demyx pulled the sheets tight on one side while Roxas tried sloppily to pull on his with one arm. When Demyx noticed Roxas' struggle he walked to the other side and helped him. The injured boy smiled and thanked the older boy, Demyx merely nodded and wandered back to his side of the room. Blasting some music and playing air guitar on his bed.
At dinner Roxas met Hayner, who though was a little strange seemed nice all the same. Naminé was cute but quiet, and Seifer was just an ass.
Xigbar, apparently was a previous resident at Twilight Homes, but visited often. And, to Demyx's discomfort it would seem, brought his on-again-off-again beau (currently on) Luxord.
After dinner Roxas decided to skip the festivities in the common room, go straight to bed. He stripped down into his boxers and slipped under the covers; laying his head down on the pillow, he heard a knock on the door. Sure if there had been any noise to distract him, he would not have heard the light rap at the door. "Come in." he said, not willing to get out of the bed. Naminé the girl from earlier slipped into the doorway and smiled. "Hey." Roxas said, sitting up slightly.
"Hi," she whispered in return. Naminé walked over toward the bed, and sat down not meeting his eyes. They sat in silence for a moment, Roxas stared at the girl in front of him, she fidgeted slightly with her dress, and then spoke. "Does it hurt?" she said in a soft tone. Roxas looked at her confused for a moment; she looked up for the first time, at last meeting his eyes. "Your arm, does it hurt?" she asked again, brushing her fingers lightly over the plaster cast.
"Not much." Roxas said plainly. She smiled as if in approval and stood up, almost curtsying in the doorway.
"Good night, I hope you feel better." Then she left no questions about what happened, just wondering if he was ok, and then leaving.
Roxas fell back on his pillow and smiled, turning off his bed side light.
After the first day awkwardness, Roxas began to settle into his temporary home. He mainly talked to Demyx; Naminé started a habit of coming into his room before she went to sleep and they'd talk for a few minutes. Occasionally Hayner would invite him to play with him, and the other kids in the neighborhood but Roxas always turned him down. Most of the time they'd just have struggle matches anyway, with a broken wrist what use could he be.
After the first week Aeris stopped by to check on him, and give him some more clothes, and some of his other belongings, take him to the doctor and remove his cast, replacing it with a brace.
That night Roxas met Axel...sort of.
It was still dark when Roxas woke up, he was slightly disoriented. Normally once he fell asleep he was gone until Demyx shook him awake for breakfast; so when he opened his eyes to find neither the sun's morning glow nor Demyx he was slightly confused. A tapping noise came from the window and Roxas found the reason for his awakening. A bird, trying to get out of the cold, Roxas thought and rolled over ignoring it. Another moment later and the noise continued, although it was accompanied by another noise.
"Demyx!" it was muffled by the glass, but it was distinctly a voice. A loud squeak and a slight cracking, and the window was open. A blast of cold enveloped the room, and Roxas pulled his blanket tighter around himself. "Hey Dem"— the voice spoke again but was cut off by a large noise that was similar to someone falling.
Roxas turned over in his bed again, trying to be as unnoticeable as possible; all he could make out was some blurry black silhouettes.
"Fuck, that hurt." The voice spoke again, followed by a wheezing laugh.
"Uh." Roxas recognized Demyx's slurred half-asleep tone, "what the fu—Axel?"
Demyx rolled over and stared at the red head in near hysterics sitting on his floor. "Hey Demyx." The red head managed, half laughing as he spoke, "your window doesn't like me." He said breaking into another fit of laughter.
"Axel, do you know what time it is?" Demyx asked sitting up in his bed, trying to orient himself.
"Nope." Axel said simply, smacking his lips together loudly. "You s-shoulda been there tonight Dem." Axel said climbing on the bed sloppily, "fuck'n crazy shit."
"Axel, keep your voice down." Demyx said, in a whisper.
"Why?" the red head said loudly.
"'Cause people will hear ya, that's why." Axel seemed to be ignoring Demyx's words and instead started staring around the room like a curious child. "Jesus!" Demyx exclaimed, seeing the small gash on the side of Axel's forehead. "Axel, what happened? You're bleeding." Axel merely shrugged and continued smiling, his eyes half lidded; Demyx got off the bed and pulled a bandage out of his desk drawer sitting back on the bed across from Axel. He grabbed an old t-shirt and pressed it against Axel's forehead wiping away the excess blood; it wasn't nearly as bad as it looked.
"Wow Demyx," Axel said staring at the blonde as he cleaned his wound, "you're really pretty." Axel said, reaching out to touch Demyx's cheek, missing and hitting his nose instead. Demyx merely titled his head away, almost nuzzling Axel's palm, but not intentionally.
"Thanks Ax." He put the adhesive bandage against the other's forehead then sat back. "Axel," Demyx said in a sigh, "where have you been?" Axel seemed to think about the question for a moment but just smiled.
"Places. Hey Demyx, wanna make out?" He leaned close to the blonde and smiled, sloppily missing Demyx's lips and kissing his chin instead. Demyx shrugged it off and lied down in his bed. Axel climbed on top of him; straddling his waist and fingering the drawstring on his pajama bottoms, "how 'bout a blow job?"
"Axel get offa-me. Lie down and sleep off whatever ya took." Demyx said, Roxas (who was still listening to the conversation between the two, it was pointless to watch when you can't see anything) tried to keep from making any noise, he had really started to like Demyx but what was wrong with the people he hung out with? "Axel lie down!" He heard Demyx say again a little more angrily.
"You're grumpy." The other stated, "what's wrong bo?" his voice sounded sincere-ish, if it didn't have a slur in it.
"Please just go to sleep." Demyx said quietly, rolling over to look at Axel, his eyes pleaded staring into the redheads clouded ones. He brushed back Axel's hair and kissed his cheek, pulling him close like a small child, Axel nodded and curled into Demyx's form.
The second time that Roxas woke up it was Demyx. The blonde woke him up as usual, telling him to get up for breakfast, he didn't feel that it was necessary to mention the still sleeping red head on the other side of the room. Roxas ignored it, thinking that if Demyx wanted to tell him something, he would eventually and pretended that he'd slept the whole night, no interruptions.
No one really talked in the morning, they were all to tired, Demyx, who would normally keep the conversations going, was still recovering from the previous night. He tried his best to think out on his own, what he was going to do with Axel.
Ever since the night that they'd met Tifa had never liked him, she blamed everything wrong about Demyx on Axel's influences, the fact that he smoked, and stayed out late, and 'that god forsaken hole through his eyebrow' she refused to let him in the house, but of course she couldn't stop Demyx from meeting him other places.
Roxas didn't know any of this, so when the red head stumbled down the stairs, sat behind Demyx and stole his coffee, Roxas nearly fell out of his chair when he heard Tifa scream.
"You freeloading bum, get out of my house!" Axel stood up defensively, still a little groggy from the night before, he stumbled backwards.
"Hey Tif, long time no see." He said innocently.
"I said get out!" she screamed again, all the kids watched in awe, too confused to talk and too scared to move. Demyx stood up and put himself in between the two, Axel hid behind him like a dog, with his tail between his legs.
"Tifa calm down." He said coolly.
"Demyx honey," she said sweetly, the undertone of her voice still harsh and her eyes still glaring at Axel. "Could you please move."
"Mom," Demyx said defiantly. Tifa stopped and starred at Demyx, he rarely if ever called her mom. She glanced at him, his face was pleading her to stop, she exhaled loudly and closed her eyes for a moment, then staring back at Demyx she waited. "He'll be gone by this afternoon, I swear, just let him have some breakfast, and then he's gone." Tifa nodded and walked back into the kitchen, Demyx sat down again, pulling Axel timidly behind him.
Roxas opted to stay downstairs for a while, to give Axel and Demyx some time to themselves, he stayed on the couch in the common room and talked to Naminé. After what he considered enough, he made his way back up the stairs, still catching the end of the conversation.
"I told you stay upstairs." Demyx's muffled voice stated angrily.
"I was hungry." Axel whined.
"You knew she was going to flip. You couldn't wait ten minutes?" there was a slight pause, Axel murmured something Roxas couldn't make out, "Stop that." Demyx screeched. And then more silence.
Roxas opted this the time to enter the room. He knocked just out of courtesy, but opened the door anyway. He nodded to Demyx and walked to his side of the room, he could feel the tenseness of the room, and tried to find a change of clothes and a towel as quickly as possible.
"Who's the kid?" Axel said, walking over toward Roxas and staring down at him, the young blonde stared back at him and tried to study his Axel's face as much as he was being studied. He had piercing green eyes, envy, Roxas thought twisting the mood ring on his middle finger, black tattoos underneath his eyes, misery, and flaming red hair, passion. "You were holding out on me Demy, he's kinda cute."
Roxas ignored the comment and made his way for the door, "I'm gonna go shower," he said to Demyx quietly, and then left the room without another word.