Good Question: I revised the way we met Axel's friend and changed some of the friends. Added a new scene with Marluxia and Roxas. I'm trying to round out some of the characters more like they were in my head.

:3 And thank you those of you who review, it's really the only reason I update.

Chapter 9: Stop Drinking

Roxas struggled to spend time together with Axel. The lack of contact was very concerning to him. In an effort to make himself feel a little better, he had even stopped hanging out as much with Namine. He was told that Kairi missed him but he kept telling them he was busy. It hurt a little bit. He was walking around the town in a sad stupor on one of the colder days, looking out of place and miserable. He wondered around near the coffee shop he liked but realized in dismay that he had left his wallet at home. He emptied his pockets outside of the café to see if he had any change. He lifted his head to the unforgiving winter sky and sighed.

He jumped about five feet when there was a tap at his shoulder. He turned around, pressing himself against the glass window that showed into the shop. He gulped.

"Hey there muffin-top," Marluxia said with a wicked grin, as he balanced a bag with something in it and a few books at his waist.

Roxas froze and set his eyes in a glare. If he looked hostile enough maybe his predator would leave. If he turned funny colors like some of the animals in the wild when threatened he thought he probably would've been able to escape. Marluxia leaned in close to him. "Have coffee with me."

Roxas shook his head and stammered, "No- I uh, I have places to go, I just got done."

Roxas attempted to turn away and leave but Marluxia tugged him back by the edge of his jacket. "Tut-tut, I just saw your fine behind cursing in front of the store because you have no money. My treat."

Marluxia whistled cheerfully as he gave no room for Roxas to protest. They sat down at a table and he instructed Roxas to order whatever he wanted to get. Roxas ordered and then almost shrank in his seat as he felt Marluxia's gaze bore into him. "You don't look quite as spry as you usually do," he remarked once they had their respective coffees.

Roxas looked up and stared at Marluxia with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"You seem a little… like you've lost some steam," Marluxia said, staring at him intently over his coffee, blowing on it so often.

'Oh,' Roxas thought. Only Marluxia would describe that as being spry, implying youth and fertility and by default sex. So basically Marluxia had told him that he didn't look as loud in bed as he usually did. Roxas snorted and stood up, ready to leave, but Marluxia halted him again.

"Sit down," he said pulling Roxas down by his scarf, "we're not done talking."

After a few more unsuccessful attempts by Roxas to flee he resigned himself to sit across from Marluxia, wondering what to say. Marluxia seemed to be waiting for something as he spun around the cream he had added into his coffee after finding it too bitter and without good taste. "If I tell you will you leave?" Roxas asked finally.

Marluxia grinned and almost batted his eye lashes at him, "I knew you'd confide in me. I think it goes to show just how meant to be we are."

Roxas rolled his eyes but talked to him anyway, "I just haven't been hanging around Axel as much recently. And other friends are a little bit busy so I've been just … bored." He hesitated before he said bored, almost admitting to loneliness.

There was a bit of silence that stretched between them before Marluxia spoke up again, having finished a good half of his coffee. "Be patient, he'll come around soon enough," Marluxia said, shocking Roxas.

Roxas looked up at Marluxia and saw the oddest smile on Marluxia's face. It was the type of smile an adult gives a young child when everything's going to be all right and they think you can make it. A mature look. It wasn't something he had expected from Marluxia. "Thanks," Roxas mumbled a little surprised.

Marluxia grinned, "Now can I touch your ass?"

Roxas couldn't even help but smile a bit at the comment, even if he did gather his things and only briefly thank Marluxia for the coffee. He was discovering that maybe they had some more common ground to walk on than he had at first expected.

Soon after the conversation with Marluxia, Roxas found himself seeing Axel more than he had been, not as much as usual, but still more. Practices had been made shorter with a promise of a rainy month with a lot of cold, leading to iced over roads. No one wanted to chance anyone dying in it. Roxas started riding home with Axel a bit more and fell back into a more comfortable zone, evening leaving the company of Demyx and Zexion more often now that Axel was available to hang out again.

The two were cooped up in Axel's room, playing a video game when Roxas decided to bring up something that he had been wondering about for quite some time. "It's not really any of my business, but I'm just wondering what all you've been up to during the time we didn't really see each other," Roxas said staring intently at the screen from Axel's bed, refusing to turn his head to see the reaction of the red head to his inquiry.

Axel didn't answer right away, instead concentrating on the game and the controller in his hand. He got to a good pausing point and thought about what he was going to say a little more. He turned his head back, his face illuminated in an almost surreal way by the light from the TV. "How would you like to meet some of my friends? They don't go to the school."

Roxas blinked, surprised, this was not the answer he had been expecting. He hadn't realized that Axel had friends outside of their school, although he probably should've assumed it to be true, after all, why would he not? "Where do they go then?" Roxas asked, seeing as there were only two high schools in Twilight Town, one a small public one for those who where kicked out of the academy. "The T- School?"

Axel shook his head, "No, they're a good time out of school. I mean, they're not all that old. But none of them go to high school anymore."

For some reason Roxas thought there was something maturely glamorous about Axel knowing people outside of high school, even more than knowing, being friends with. All of a sudden he felt really immature. Axel was so cool.

"I don't know, I'm not sure they'd like me," Roxas said with a laugh, meaning for it to be a joke. Axel face when he responded seemed a bit too serious for Roxas not to blush in the dark.

"They'll love you, after all, I like you, and my judgment can usually be trusted," Axel said in a matter of fact voice. "How's tomorrow sound?"

Roxas agreed and began to worry about a second set of introductions. He wasn't sure which one he felt more anxious about. When he had met Axel's family or now that he was to meet Axel's friends, ones that they did not share or Roxas hadn't even known of. It was important for him to make a good impression if he didn't want to forever ruin his chances at even getting a little bit of love and affection from Axel. He was so busy worrying, that he forgot Axel hadn't even answered his question.

Axel drove them the next day at about 6, when he assumed most of them would be at Marluxia's flat. Roxas felt relived to learn that at least two people he knew would probably be there, Marluxia and Larxene. He wasn't sure how he felt about those two people being his back up but he took what he could get. The two stood at the door and Axel rang the door bell. T hey stood for a minute as Axel went through his pockets.

"Shit! I'll be right back Roxas, I think I left the keys in the car," Axel said cursing, and taking off in a sprint down the 3 flights of stairs to the car.

Before Roxas could protest Axel was gone, and not long after the door in front of him opened.

"Huh!?!"

Roxas held his breath. Oh god. It reeked of beer. He took a wobbly step back trying to cover his nose when the man with the bear breath grinned and began to laugh, pulling him close and rubbing their faces against each other in some strange type of below, a bottle of beer still in one hand, sloshing dangerously from side to side. Roxas tried to escape from the grasp or even call for help, but the man had his throat in such a way that he couldn't get many sounds out. "You're the cutest boy-a I've ever seen. So young and shining with potential and light!"

"You been drinking before 5 again?" Axel asked with a laugh.

The man released Roxas suddenly, his entire being seeming to sober up. His expression was solemn only for a second before he broke out into a big grin, walking over to the smaller man to crush him in a hug.

"Not really, I'm a man of my word!" he said thumping his chest, taking about his person vow after the years never to start drinking before five unless special circumstances were involved. "I just never stopped drinking."

"Luxord, I can hear your liver screeching at me, crying for help. 'Stab him Axel, stab him!' it says," Axel said with a laugh as he walked over to the dazed Roxas. "I think you gave Roxas a bit too regular of a hello for your standards."

Luxord walked with them inside of the apartment, "Well, I figured if he was your boy he was used to it."

Axel had interesting thoughts rush through his head at the idea of Roxas being his boy but quickly banished them. "He's a friend and you're not setting a very good example."

Roxas finally recovered enough to sit down and attempt to listen to the conversation. Luxord was the man's name. He had the body and face of a man, a man that gambled and drank, but more than that, it showed a man of wit and someone who tried to live his life for the last drop of sweet poison at the end of its bottle.

"So who's place is this again?" Roxas asked, trying to make conversation.

Luxord seated himself on the couch across from Roxas while Axel fetched them drinks. "Marluxia's and Larxene's."

Roxas raised an eyebrow, he didn't think the two were related. "So they're roommates?"

Axel bit his lip. He knew the fun would have been blown if Roxas were to meet the rest of his friends, but he figure it was worth it. Luxord looked puzzled and went over to one of the cabinets and picked up a picture, he gave it to Roxas whose mouth dropped to gape wide open. "They're married ducky, have been for about 3 years."

Roxas made noises of protest and disbelief as Axel laughed and Luxord looked confused. Axel put their waters down on the table as Luxord finally put some pieces together even in his somewhat drunken stupor. "Oh! Roxas here, is one of Marluxia's pet projects."

Marluxia's pet projects is what they called cute boys that he liked to flirt with, even if he never seriously intended to do anything with them. He said he liked the chase, Larxene told him if he didn't quit some person might take his advances the wrong way and he'd end up in jail for rape or sexual harassment. Marluxia assured her he picked his subconsciously willing victims carefully. He made no mistakes. And most of the time, despite her concerns, she would go along with it. She figured as long as they were still good looking there was no stopping it. Roxas wasn't sure how he felt about that, and he felt a little deceived.

"I'm sorry," Axel said and handed Roxas a glass of water, "but, well, my loyalties lay elsewhere at the time."

Roxas huffed and fought a blush that was emerging from his embracement. Luxord swayed from side to side a little on the couch before stopping at staring at Roxas, "You know, it's all right. Marluxia's pretty convincing, he's good at it. H even convinced Ax-"

Roxas couldn't see it but Axel kicked Luxord under the small coffee table, giving him an intense glare. Luxord, although confused, knew that even in his drunken state or maybe even more so because of his drunken state, that he should shut up and just take all of his cues from Axel. So he sat patiently for the next one.

Roxas turned to look at Axel, completely weirder out by the focus Luxord was all of a sudden giving Roxas. Axel, having been around the man several times when he'd been drunk, sighed with frustration, "I'm not giving cues."

"Oh!" Luxord said straightening out and getting up. "I'm going to go drink water and sleep."

"Good idea big guy," Axel said as he watched Luxord walk into the bed room.

The door slammed and Roxas began conversation, "Interesting person."

"Yeah… he is, but he's great," Axel assured him. Roxas didn't feel much better about it, wondering if he really wanted to meet Axel's friends. But hey, whatever it took right? Before long the door opened and Marluxia stepped in with Larxene behind him. Marluxia gave Roxas a wink and a smile before launching into his usual drama and flirtation. Roxas stopped him with an outstretched hand, "I know about it."

Marluxia tried to look confused for a second but then gave in. He turned to glare at Axel, sure that he had been the one to ruin it. "Wasn't me! It was bound to come out," Axel protested.

"So you can stop that now," Roxas said drinking his water.

"Why in heaven's name would I stop? Who said anything about stopping?" Marluxia asked, holding a hand to his chest looking offended. "You're too easy to irritate to resists," Marluxia said and gave Roxas a sneaky kiss on the cheek.

Roxas wiped his cheek in disgust and pointed towards Marluxia. "You're okay with him doing this?!" he asked Larxene.

"Oh I think it's funny as fuck," Larxene said with a cold nature grin, she really did enjoy his misery.

"It'll get better," Axel tried to assure Roxas as he practically felt his hopes drain into the floor.

"Are all of your friends this messed up?" Roxas asked with a raised eyebrow, looking almost disapproving.

"Messed up!? Who the fuck! Are you calling, messed up?!"

Roxas yelped and crawled backwards in his seat, his heart leaping to his chest. A very threatening looking man had barged into the room and stuck his face in Roxas's yelling. He had a scar and an eyepatch and oh dear god he was terrifying.

"Huh!? Who?!"

Roxas shook his head, wondering if the man was going to mug him, even if the gray streak and the lines across his face suggested that he was too old to be mugging. Roxas tensed as the man stood up abruptly.

"I'm kidding, you're okay. Roxas right? Xigbar," he said with a crude laugh, taking Roxas's hand into his own and shaking it vigorously.

Axel laughed but worried at the same time, he was going to be in pain later today. Roxas did not appreciate these types of surprises and he hadn't exactly told his friends to ease him into it either.