On the first date, he kissed me on the cheek.
"I don't know what the hype's all about," the blond stated. "I didn't think the movie was all that great." Roxas lightly punched his date in the arm. "Great going, jerk. You took me to a crappy movie. Now I'm going to cry to my friends and tell them how horrible you are."
"You have no idea how often that happens," Axel muttered. "When I used to go out with girls, they'd think I was a monster if I didn't buy them some food; my fault that the movie was horrible; my fault that the movie-goers are rude and loud. Fickle, these girls are today."
"Is that why you turned to guys?" Roxas inquired, bumping his arm against the redhead's.
"Nah, I'd always had a thing for dudes," he peered over at the blue-eyed male. "Girly dudes."
"'Girly'!?" Roxas squawked. "I am not girly!" he stated, placing a manly hand on his manly hip.
Yes, Roxas was definitely not girly.
Green eyes sparkled in amusement. The redhead shrugged. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Roxas." He looked around the neighborhood.
"Where do you live again?"
"You're going to walk me home? How... altruistic," Roxas snickered.
"Hey, I'm not a brute. Besides," he placed a big hand on the blond's shoulder, "wouldn't want creepers to kidnap and have their way with you, would we?"
Roxas huffed in annoyance, but said nothing further. He placed his hand on his chin, trying to figure out his companion. This "Axel" certainly was different from the rest, Roxas could tell you that. He wasn't traditional, not plastic and phony either, he was just... Axel.
"Ah, here it is--my house."
The older man observed the tiny apartment. "Hm. Cozy."
As the two walked up to the yellow-haired male's door, the two stopped and faced each other. Before Roxas could say anything, Axel spoke.
"If you don't want another date, I'd like it if we would remain friends." And a small peck on the cheek was all that was given before the redhead walked away.
On the second date, he kissed me on the hand.
"So, how'd you think of visiting the museum? It's not really a typical second date," Roxas uttered as he and the redhead strolled along the walkway. The blond had wanted to go to the museum for several weeks now, but never got the opportunity. How did Axel know...?
"I'm a great eavesdropper," Axel explained. Well, that explains it. Nevertheless, the man was rewarded with a limp grab of the hand.
"Ah, I see," Roxas murmured, idly running a hand on the railing.
"Oh, hey, Axel, look! The sunset..."
The view of the sunset was absolutely sublime. They were overlooking the city and as the sun went down and twilight set in, the sky dimmed. The lights of all the buildings gleamed and twinkled and the stars began, one by one, illuminating the gradually purpling sky.
"I've never been here at sunset; it's simply gorgeous, isn't it?" the sunny-haired male gasped, leaning over the railing.
Axel leaned on the siding, propping his head up with his hand. "Yeah," he remarked, gazing at the dazzled blond, "simply gorgeous."
Catching the man staring at him, the blue-eyed lad sneered, "Oh, don't be so cliché. You're not the first one to say those words."
"Oh? So if others have proclaimed it, then it must be true," the tactful man suggested.
"Yeah, and most of them don't make it past the second date," Roxas waggled his finger, "You be careful, mister."
Noticing their hands were still loosely connected, Axel raised his date's hand. "You know, I've never told anyone this, but," he placed a kiss to the hand he held, "I adore you."
"Pfft."
When we first became a couple, he kissed me on the chin.
"Okay, I think twelve dates are enough, Roxas," Axel confessed.
"Hm?" Roxas didn't face the older male as he took another lick of his ice cream. "What do you mean?"
The two were at an ice cream shop, lounging at one of the outside tables. Axel had overheard (again) that the fair-haired boy had a thing for sea salt ice cream and there was only one shop that sold such a flavor. And who was Roxas to say no to that?
"I mean," he laced his fingers through one of the blond's hands, "we should become a couple. You know, 'go steady'?"
"Why?" the flaxen male questioned, noticing his treat was melting down his hand, "I like being spoiled; it's nice."
"And here I was thinking you weren't a gold-digger," Axel disclosed. He smiled. "Silly me."
"Yess, you ah vewy foowist," Roxas mumbled, licking up the ice cream from his hand. He detached his mouth from his appendage and pointed his Popsicle at the man. "But you have to take me here every Wednesday."
"I hope you mean because I have a car," the redhead countered. "If we're going to be a couple, we need to," he took a lick of the treat that was pointed his way, "share things."
"Oh, I know," Roxas pulled away his ice cream, and smiled, "I just wanted to see if you'd go for it." After a moment of silence, he asked, "So, uh, are we gonna introduce each other to our folks now that we're 'official'?"
"Ah, maybe," he gazed over to his now-boyfriend, "My 'rents wouldn't mind. I mean, you do look like a girl--ow!" He received a punch to the arm.
"I do not!" Roxas declared, taking a big bite out of his ice cream.
"Yeah, yeah..." Seeing the blond's irritated expression, he felt himself smile. He then bestowed a kiss upon his boyfriend's chin. "You know, you're really cute when you're angry."
When I moved in, he kissed me on the shoulder.
"Ugh--help me, please!" The cry for help was too late because just a second later, the blond dropped the boxes of clothes he had stacked in his arms. He sighed. "Never mind; just kidding."
"You're welcome," Axel snickered, grinning from ear to ear as he rested his head on his hands. "It was the least I could do for you, love."
Roxas threw him an exasperated glare before picking up the boxes again. "You know, I heard that a lot of cohabitating couples divorce at a rate fifty percent higher than couples that haven't (for some reason)--whoa." As his packages began to wobble again, the redhead caught it before it hit the ground. "Thanks. And why does it have to be me that moves in?"
"Because my apartment has more space," Axel explained. "And yours is really cramped; no room at all. I can tell you got it when you were in college."
"Sh-shut up!" Roxas barked. "The tuition was costly and the housing was more expensive than the apartment! I thought it was a good deal." He looked around the house. "Where do I put this?"
"Uh, over there," the older man pointed. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but you're not in college anymore. You should at least have a steady income, I mean, we do work together." He flopped the box full of clothes onto the floor of Roxas' new bedroom.
"Hey!" the flaxen boy squawked. "Yes, and after a year's worth of hiding our little relationship, I'm beginning to doubt whether or not you were worth the trouble."
"Clothes aren't fragile; don't worry." Axel went for another box. "And you don't mean that, Roxas."
"I don't care; they're my clothes!" After his boyfriend had returned, he looked him square in the eyes. "And how would you know? Can you read minds?"
"No," Axel admitted, setting the box down unnecessarily carefully. "We've been together for a year. I have to know a little about what makes you tick. Besides," Roxas went for another package and he continued, "you don't surprise me, anymore, Blondie. You're actually very predictable after a few weeks."
Carton in his grasp, Roxas responded, "Would I surprise you if I said that I wanted to break up with you right now?"
A smirk appeared on Axel's thin lips. "No. Half of your stuff's in the moving truck and the other half's in here. Some of it's even unpacked!" He set his hands at his sides. "I must say, that proposal doesn't sound pretty realistic."
"So, then, I'm boring?" Roxas bit his bottom lip, eyes full of hurt. The older male was pretty sure that was an act. "Do you tire of me?" A skinny sleeve of his tank top slid down his shoulder, most likely another ploy.
Axel laughed at his boyfriend. "No," he leaned down to meet his love at eye level, "I like your jaunty attitude, the blushes that cross your face when you get frustrated and embarrassed. And you're interesting; you'd only be boring if you acted just like your looks implied: dainty, frail, and helpless."
The smaller male dropped any emotion from his face. "I look like I'm dainty, frail, and helpless?"
"Only look," the redhead emphasized. "And that's why I can't get rid of you; you're so intriguing."
"Good," Roxas put on a tiny smile, starting to get another parcel, "because I wasn't planning to leave for quite some time."
"Moocher." Before the blond man could get away, Axel grabbed him and pressed him to his body. He pressed a kiss to the boy's petite shoulder.
"You're the best."
When we first decided to make love, he kissed me on the neck.
'A year and a half and still no action,' the young redhead deducted. 'Man, I'm tired of playing solo.' The two had been together long enough, Axel decided, but Roxas wouldn't go farther than sleeping in the same bed.
The door to their room cracked open. "Axel," the youth called, "I don't have any clean shirts; can I borrow one of yours?"
"Yeah, sure, sweets," Axel called back, flipping a page of the magazine he was reading.
Roxas made a small utter of thanks, closing the door back. It wasn't unusual, the blue-eyed lad borrowing his boyfriend's clothing. Axel assumed that it was because Roxas forgot to wash clothes until he realized he had nothing to wear, or he was just lazy (most likely the case). He didn't mind, though, he actually enjoyed seeing him wear his clothing. The shirts would show a lot more shoulder and the pants would show a lot more hips and a peek of his tiny, tiny underwear. (When you're as deprived as Axel, you get as much as you can take.)
The door opened, and Axel couldn't believe his eyes.
Roxas had picked one of his biggest shirts to adorn on his figure. The boy was fidgeting with the collar; it was constantly dropping and revealing a lot of fair skin. ('Nothing wrong with that,' Axel thought.) The shirt was white and this one was a little snug on him (because Axel was a skinny guy), so it showed that he wore nothing underneath the shirt. As for the bottoms, well, the older man couldn't tell. He could just see a little ways above Roxas' knees. Then, his boyfriend sat down next to him on the couch.
"Honey, are you wearing any underwear?"
Cerulean eyes widened and Roxas gripped at the shirt, looking to the side. "Y-yes!"
Axel knew when Roxas lied. He wouldn't look at him when he lied. Roxas was lying.
"Sweetheart," the man pulled his swain to him by the hand, "you're lying." He leaned in close and murmured into the fair-haired male's ear, "Roxas, it's been almost a year and a half." He kissed his boyfriend's exposed neck. "I want you."
"Play my game; it'll be fun,
Be there at six thirty-one,
Remember the place we had our first date,
Now hurry up or you'll be late."
Roxas stared blankly at the piece of paper. A scavenger hunt? He was going to walk all over town for some "romantic" prize? Why would he, Roxas, of all people, actually want to partake in such a silly task?
Well, because Axel had locked him out of the apartment.
'If this is what will unlock this door,' Roxas drummed his fingers on the front door of his home, 'then I guess I'll have to do it.'
"Let's see, the first place we had our first date," the blond mused, walking along the sidewalk. He didn't have a car. He couldn't afford one because of college and then he got a boyfriend who had one, so he didn't bother to buy one. Besides, walking was good exercise. "That was a movie theater, right? But, which one? That was a real long time ago." He tapped his chin. "It's been about three years; how am I to remember?" As Roxas stopped to think, he saw a sign taped to a light post:
"LUMIÈRE CINÉMA
Now hiring."
Roxas didn't believe in coincidences. They didn't exist in his world. There were no miracles, acts of God, or flukes--everything happened for a reason. Roxas stared hard at the tiny sign that looked like it was put up just today.
No. There were no such things as coincidences.
As the blond trekked to the remembered theater, he stopped in surprise. Where was the cinéma? All he saw was an empty building. As he walked up to the old, abandoned building, he saw a note.
"This building may have fallen, but we have not,
Now be there next at seven o'clock.
Our second date--you remember that, right?
Go, while you still have light."
"I don't believe him," Roxas muttered. "This better be worth it, Axel!"
'Second date... it was at the museum, right?' So, the blond was at the building's steps, ready to go in. Then he saw that the museum was closed. 'What? Then where is the next clue? We did go to the museum, didn't we?' Roxas began banging on the door. 'I want to go home, dammit!'
Roxas saw a flyer on the door. It read:
"Come enjoy the art exhibit!
The theme is 'City Landscapes'!
Saturday, the 24th 10 am - 3 pm"
The blond knew the date and time didn't matter--the 24th was yesterday. It was the picture on the flyer, though, that caught his attention. It looked familiar.
"I've never been here at sunset; it's simply gorgeous, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Simply gorgeous."
Roxas whipped his head around to the walkway they had taken that evening.
He picked up the note that had been taped to the railing. Roxas still didn't believe in coincidences.
"I remember that scene, don't you?
Be at the next place at seven twenty-two.
Do you remember your old place?
I can't wait for this to end and see your pretty little face."
"Yeah, and this 'pretty little face' is all you'll be seeing for the next week," the young man grumbled. "Now, where did I used to live...?"
"I remember the address number: 17," Roxas had spent the last fifteen minutes just trying to remember the number of his old address, "But the street..."
Roxas stopped when he saw one of those mascots that advertised some business or another. This time it was a dog (maybe?) and it had two signs on either side of it as it waved to passing cars on the street.
The poor guy.
But Roxas didn't feel empathetic for long. He was hungry, tired, and he wanted to kick (Axel's) ass and take names! Then, he caught sight of the sign on the mascot's back.
Feu Apartments For Rent
Pets Allowed!
He didn't like how many "coincidences" were happening. Spooked, Roxas looked around frantically before jogging off to his next destination, all the while looking over his shoulder.
"All right, all right, fine, fine
Be back home at seven fifty-nine.
There'll be the end of all your stress,
Where I'll be waiting for you to say "yes."
'He never was very good at rhyming,' Roxas thought. 'But I'm gonna punch him for setting me up with this wild goose chase.'
'So I was going in a big, tiring circle this whole time?' Roxas pondered as he walked back to his apartment. 'I don't see what was the point of all this. I mean, sure I visited our 'firsts,' but was it worth the trouble?' Roxas tapped his chin in cogitation. 'Is it our anniversary?'
As the blond trotted up the steps to his home, he reached for the door knob, hoping that it was unlocked so he could run straight to the bathroom to have a nice, relaxing...
It was locked. Locked; sealed; shut tight; inaccessible; unable to get in from the outside. In utter exhausted frustration, Roxas lamely banged on the door, yelling tired curses to his lover who was most likely on the other side. Then, he saw it.
A key on the welcome mat.
Sweet salvation! Roxas grabbed the metal piece of heaven and stuck it in the lock, elated to find it accepted. He slowly turned the lock and once the tumblers unlocked the ungodly seal, he threw open the door, ready to bolt to his awaited bath only to be stopped mid-air, mid-thought, mid-action.
What was Axel doing? And what was he holding?
"Roxas," Axel spoke, on one knee and holding that one box every woman has wanted since they were a little girl, "will you give me the honor of marrying me?"
Roxas nodded wearily. "Yeah... Y-yeah." The blond then literally threw himself on top of Axel, kissing him hard on the lips. After a few quiet moments. Roxas spoke.
"I love you, you gigantic idiot."
And when he proposed, I kissed him on the lips.
A/N: I had this done WAY before "J." I... don't know why.
Uh, you're probably wondering: Why the hell were the kisses on such random places?
Well, I remember seeing these little :"Meaning of Kisses!" things.
& I thought: Hey, that's easy.
Oh, in the last chapter, I whined about how crappy that chapter was, la la la. I just now realized how pathetic that sounded. "Oh, this sucks, wah."
I'm so silly.