Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.

Warnings: Yaoi

Author's Note: Okay, maybe the 2-3 chapters thing was a little bit off. This is the last chapter. There will be a small epilogue, however.

Pretending

Chapter 9: Conversations

Christmas time...it is a time of good cheer, and for the children, lots and lots of presents on Christmas day. During the holiday season, people begin to be more considerate and kind, lending a hand to those in need. It is during the holiday season that the true nature of humankind is revealed. However, once the holiday season ends, people revert to their bitter states and refuse to lend a hand to anyone but themselves. It's disgusting.

Cloud and Roxas seem to be the same person, sometimes. They are always willing to help the needy, despite their own dilemmas. Whether it's the holiday season or not, anyone can rely on Cloud or Roxas to help. Whereas most people would only give you the shirt off their backs, Cloud and Roxas would give you their entire clothing collection, their house, and food. They are generous individuals, a rare type in today's world.

Around Christmas time, most schools will give their students a holiday break until the new year. The sudden lack of things to do left Roxas bored, until he and Axel started hanging out on the weekdays as well as the weekends. They were becoming near unseparable. However, their relationship is still secret to their families.

It was Christmas Eve. Snow covered the ground in a thick blanket of pure white. The wind had ceased to howl; all was quiet.

Shivering, Roxas left his now cold bed and placed his bare feet on the floor, inwardly wincing at the cold nipping at them. He looked around curiously; the computer monitor light was off, as was his alarm clock. He checked to see if both devices were plugged in. Much to his surprise, they were.

After one wakes from sleep, the drowsiness that remains clouds the brain, preventing the use of logic. Roxas' logic had yet to awaken from its slumber. Roxas coughed. His eyes widened slightly when he saw his own breath hanging in the air before him. Simply put, it was cold.

He walked into the hallway, leaving his door open. It was only slightly warmer by a few degrees in the hallway, but Roxas could've sworn it was many more than just a few. Goosebumps started to raise on his skin as he shivered. He found himself in Sora's room.

His twin was curled into a ball, every blanket on top of his body. Frowning, Roxas walked over to him, placing his hand on Sora's shoulder. He shook it roughly, saying, "Sora! Wake up! The power's out."

Sora groggily swiped at that hand, but Roxas persisted to annoy Sora. Sora, angered, opened his eyes and glared at Roxas.

"Roxas, come on. It's vacation time...you don't have to wake me up early," Sora said groggily.

"Sora, can you wake up Cloud, and both of you grab every blanket you can find? The power's out, and so is the heat. It doesn't look like it's going to be back on for a while."

"Alright..." Sora admitted defeat, getting out of his warm bed, wrapping his blankets around him. He walked into the hallway towards Cloud's room. Roxas went the opposite way, towards Kayla and Michael's room.

"Mom? Dad?" Roxas asked, shaking the shoulders of his parents. His mother awoke first, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

"What is it, Roxas?" Kayla asked sweetly, rubbing her eyes.

"The power's out, mom. Doesn't look like it's going to be on for a while. Can you help me and Sora grab some blankets?"

"Alright, dear," Kayla smiled, before turning to her still-sleeping husband. "Micheal, honey, wake up."

Roxas left the married couple alone, walking back to his room. He grabbed his cell phone and checked the time: ten in the morning. Michael had missed work by quite a few hours.

Before he realized what he was doing, he had dialed Axel's cell phone number. It rung and rung, and just when Roxas was about to hang up, Axel's voice entered his ears.

"Hello?" Axel asked. "Roxas, what are you doing up so early?"

"Is the power out at your house, too?"

"Yeah, everything's out, except the fire. Wait a second...your family doesn't have a fireplace, do they?"

"No, we don't," Roxas confirmed.

"Well, get them over to my house. The fire isn't big, but it's warm. The roads are slick though; be careful, Roxy."

"Alright, Axe, I will. Love you."

"Love you, too. Alright, Roxy, bye."

"I'll see you soon," Roxas said, closing the phone.

Roxas headed down the stairs. His family was huddled together in the living room, thick blankets draped across every body. Roxas shivered; no blankets covered his body.

"Hey, everyone," Roxas said, getting his family's attention. "My friend, Axel, has a fireplace at his house. He has a fire going, and he said that we should come down."

"That sounds nice," Kayla remarked. "Where does this boy live?"

"Other side of town," Roxas replied. "You or dad can drive; I'll tell you how to get there."

Cloud sneezed. "Can you give me the address?" he asked. "I want to go check up on Leon. Is it alright if I bring him too?"

"I don't see why not," Roxas replied, observing the odd stare that Kayla was giving Cloud.

"Alrighty, then," announced Michael, "everyone in the car! 'Cept for Sora; he has to walk."

"Hey!" Sora protested, chuckling.

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"So, your mother was giving you an odd stare?" Leon asked. He was sitting in the passenger's side of Cloud's car.

"Yeah. I think she's starting to suspect that we're dating," Cloud said, slowing down as his car approached a stop sign.

"So, do you want to tell her? Or are you going to let her find out on her own?"

"Well..." Cloud said, pulling into Axel's house's driveway. His father's car was already there. "I guess whatever happens, happens."

"That's my line," Leon protested.

"Whatever," Cloud replied.

"Same with that one."

Roxas heard a knock on the door, and watched Axel as the redhead casually strode over to the door and opened it. Roxas saw Cloud and Leon enter the warm house, Leon nodding in thanks as Cloud whispered a barely audible, "Thank you".

Everyone was huddled together. Axel's parents sat on the very couch that Roxas and Axel had cuddled on. Kayla and Michael sat on the other couch, wrapped up in blankets. Sora sat by the fireplace, warming his hands. Axel sat by Roxas on the other side of Sora. Leon sat on an old rocking chair as Cloud sat next to Axel's parents on the couch.

People have always seemed to come together and join forces when needed. Axel's family had offered warmth to Roxas' family. Both families were happy, if only for the moment.

Roxas took a deep breath, getting Axel's attention. Roxas jerked his head in the direction of Kayla and Michael. Axel, understanding the message, nodded. He was prepared for the worst.

Roxas cleared his throat before talking. His voice was shaking slightly. "Everyone...I have something to tell you."

"And so do I," added Axel, getting up. Roxas followed suit. Cloud and Leon looked on, ready to step in if necessary. Cloud knew what was going to happen. The muscles in his body tensed, ready to spring into action if need be.

"This will be shocking," Axel began. "But Roxas thinks everyone should know."

"Mom...Dad..." Roxas said, licking his lips nervously. His eyes connected with those of Kayla and Michael's. "I know...you're fairly religious. I don't know if you will consider this a sin, but..."

"Let me start, Roxas," Axel interrupted. "Alright, here's the skinny. Last summer, me and Roxas met at the mall. He gave me his phone number -"

"- You asked for it," Roxas said.

"Yeah, so? And we met again at school. Roxy here is in every one of my classes. Roxas' mom, what's the odd look for?"

"Roxy?" Kayla asked, her eyes showing confusion.

"Hang on, I'll get there," Axel responded.

"I met with Axel's friends, Demyx and Zexion," said Roxas. "Later in the year, me and Hayner had a fight. Hayner was upset because I was hanging out with -"

"- Me," Axel interrupted. "Roxy and Hayner eventually made up, though. Me and Hayner met up after school, and I gave him a black eye. Roxy -"

"- I got mad at Axel for hurting Hayner," Roxas finished. "Later, I found Axel on a bridge. He was going to jump."

"I was. Then, Roxy and I made up, but our friendship grew to be something more."

"I wanted to tell my mom and dad about it, and I was nervous about it. I didn't know how you'd react, but..." Roxas stopped mid-sentence, thinking about his next words. "I don't know how you will react. I...understand if you hate me for this, but...I love Axel."

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the room. Roxas began to sweat nervously. Axel, sensing something was about to happen, wrapped his arms around Roxas' waist protectively. Axel saw his parents' expression - horrified, confused. Roxas' parents shared the same expression on their faces.

"What!?" Kayla shrieked, standing up suddenly. She began to walk over to Roxas and Axel, but Cloud intervened. He stood in front of Kayla, doing his best to look intimidating.

"Mom...if you lay a finger on Roxas or his boyfriend..." he growled threatningly. "..."

Leon pulled Cloud away from his mother, dragging him over to where Roxas and Axel stood.

"So, I guess you're not tolerant of people like us," Leon remarked coldly.

"Us?" Michael echoed. His voice sounded angry.

"Mom, I don't care if you'll tolerate me anymore. For the last few years, behind your back, I've been dating Leon. I'm glad I am. He's the best guy in the world, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Suddenly, Roxas felt courage in his heart. He swallowed nervously, but speaked regardless, "I'll always love Axel. There's nothing you can do to change that."

Kayla lowered her head, causing sudden sadness to enter Roxas' heart. Regardless, he stood with Axel, Leon and Cloud.

"Honey?" Michael asked, leading Kayla back to her seat. Kayla was silent.

She lifted her head, staring intently at the four boys, two of them her own. They stood so proudly, as if they were proud to be who they were. Much to Roxas' surprise, Kayla smiled softly. She got off of the couch, walking over to Roxas.

Axel released his grip on Roxas' waist, allowing Roxas to walk towards his mother. Cloud took a few steps towards Kayla, but stopped.

Kayla raised her soft hand and placed it gently on Roxas' cheek, stroking it gently.

"Mom?" Roxas asked, looking at her in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kayla chirped.

"You're...not mad?" Cloud asked, stepping beside Roxas.

"No. I was never mad. Just surprised," Kayla explained.

"So...you're alright...with me and Axel? And Cloud and Leon?" Roxas asked.

Kayla nodded, smiling softly. Axel stumbled towards his own parents, expecting to be at least slapped across the face by his mother.

"Father?" Axel asked, stopping in front of his father.

"We knew the entire time," Axel's mother explained. "Me and your father discussed this...but as long as you're happy, I'm alright with it."

"How...did you know?" Axel asked, confused.

"Mother's intuition," Axel's mother said simply.

"Spoken like a true mother," Kayla said, causing the room to erupt into chuckles and giggles.

The clouds overhead parted, allowing the moon to cover the land in pale moonlight. Every light in the town flickered before staying on.

"The lights are back!" Sora exclaimed, running out of the house and into the street to catch a few of the falling flakes of snow.

Everyone else headed outside, marveling at the landscape's beauty. As the old clock in the center of the town rung 12 times, Roxas' and Axel's lips connected.

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Author's Note: Aw...I hope I didn't give anyone cavaties from the ending! Stay tuned for the epilogue.