Axel's Fables

by FreeKiwi

"You know what, Axel? If you can write a book and get it published, I'll marry you." It's too bad he didn't think the deal through. It's too bad he never thought Axel would rework Aesop's fables. It's too bad Axel is a fable-writing god. -AxelxRoxas-

13. He says, I Love You and Means It

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story. At all.

Warning: Shounen-ai, homosexual relationships, etc, etc.

Author's Note: Well… At 9,000 words, I've decided to break this into two pieces.

Edit: This is now at 12,500 words. I wrote "at 9,000 words" about two hours ago.

Second Edit: It's late, derp. But if you took a gander at my profile, you'll know it was because I lost my flash drive. I was putting on a pair of shoes I never wear last night and BAM – cat toys and flash drive crammed in the toe part. Go figure.

I'm actually really impressed about everyone's massive support for the bullshit in my life. I posted that because I felt like you guys needed an explanation. I didn't expect a bunch of you to be like, "I'M HERE FOR YOU SO FEEL BETTER AND WE CAN TALK IF YOU WANT." It's nice. Makes me feel like we're more friends and not just faceless author with faceless readers. Right on.

Um… I also added a tiny bit of Leon/Cloud lime in this chapter. A gift because I added them so late into the story.

Summary: Axel thinks Aesop taught decent lessons in his fables, but the redhead is willing to bet he could do better. What good are fables that teach things like "attempt not impossibilities" or "little friends may prove great friends" anyway? Times are different from when Aesop lived and Axel thinks it's time for a new set of fables. All of which will be authored by himself, of course, because he's an expert on love, life, and what truly matters.
That, and Roxas Badcock promised to marry him if he gets his book published.

---

Axel's Fables
•••

•••

By: Freekiwi

XIII – He says, "I Love You" and Means It

Hey dipshit. We have your notebook.

Axel'x phone slipped from between his fingertips and crashed to the floor of the coffee shop. The battery popped out from the back and he immediately got down on the floor, scrambling to grab all the pieces. He shoved the battery back into his phone, placed the case back over it, and then quickly turned it on, finding himself mildly aggravated when it didn't immediately spring to life.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck," he swore under his breath as he got up from the floor. He had been writing, but not for a book. He had been writing about the various ways he could handle this situation. He was writing down the possible outcomes. Most of them involved him losing his manhood and having to search for it at the bottom of a river. One involved him being set on fire (but in that scenario, he had set himself on fire to avoid having to deal with this). The other scenarios involved emotional bullshit, honesty, and apologizing. That was obviously a no-go.

His phone finally loaded the home screen and he fumbled to get to his text messages. He reread the message Demyx had sent him and licked his dry lips.

His phone vibrated in his hands and he swore much louder than he meant when he read the message.

Oh, and we're going to destroy it.

"FUCK!"

Several patrons of the coffee shop whipped around in their seats and gave Axel mixed looks of shock and surprise. A few were giving him cold, disapproving looks, and before a manager could walk over and tell him that that kind of language wasn't tolerated, he grabbed up his napkins, his pen, and his coffee and ran out of the coffee shop as fast as he could.

He should go to Demyx and Zexion's house. He should get his notebook and then apologize for everything and, for once, just be truthful. God, he was no better than anyone else and it was only now in the middle of this shitstorm that he realized it.

Axel stopped abruptly and riffled through his pockets for the napkins and pen. He really needed to write that down. He really needed to –

Oh wait. He already did.

"Obviously it was so brilliant my mind forgot I already wrote it down," he mused to himself. His mild amusement was quickly extinguished, however, when his phone buzzed loudly from his pocket. Axel quickly stowed the napkins away in the back pocket of his jeans and then grabbed his phone, glaring at the text message Demyx had sent him.

Meet us at the park. The good park, not the ghetto one where all the crime happens. Actually, meet us at the park where the lake is. The good lake.

Axel's brow furrowed. The good lake? What in the world was Demyx talking about? There was only one nice, non-crime ridden park, and it had a lake. He groaned and realized that maybe the blond had no fucking clue where he was going and now the chances of his notebook getting destroyed were a lot higher. He swore and started to text back, but another message came in.

I forgot the park with the lake is the only park with a lake. So… Meet us in twenty minutes. Or we destroy the notebook.

Forgetting about his coffee (and maybe his dignity), Axel raced down the sidewalk. The park was at least a mile and a half away and sunset was already setting in. This was definitely karma. Axel knew it was karma. What else could it be? A crazy random happenstance? He highly doubted it. He had lied and cheated on Demyx. He had abandoned him on Thanksgiving to be with Roxas. He had dated Demyx just to make Roxas jealous. He had never been serious about him.

Oh God. He was worse than Riku. He was worse than Roxas.

… Maybe worse was pushing it, but Jesus. He certainly wasn't any better.

••••••••••••••

Roxas had been napping. And now that he was done, he had decided to leave his room looking like he had just crawled out from the bottom of a hamper. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and he ran a hand through his mess of hair, trying to tame it to something less Don King-esque. He'd never be able to sleep tonight, but he figured that wasn't such a bad thing. He liked being awake at night. It gave him time to think and –

"Um…"

Roxas paused. He was standing at the doorway of his bedroom, facing the living room and staring at his siblings. Naminé and Kairi sat on the couch and had turned to face him and Sora was sitting in the armchair, looking at his feet. The blond raised his brows and cleared his throat. He ran through a mental list of reasons for why they'd all be there, sitting like they wanted to talk. His first thought was their father had died, but he quickly brushed that away. They wouldn't have gotten together to tell him like this. Sora would've just like… texted him or something.

"Well… I don't do drugs and I don't abuse alcohol, so this isn't an episode of Intervention," he attempted to joke. "What's uh… What's going on?"

No one said anything and Roxas awkwardly cleared his throat. His put his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and rocked on his feet.

"We need to talk," Kairi finally said. "And apparently these two are too afraid of you to say anything," she scolded.

Naminé admitted her guilt by looking away and Sora opened his mouth to protest, but then decided that this was true. Unfortunately, Kairi had become somewhat like their mother in that she wasn't afraid to say anything. She was confident and she was kind, but she certainly had no problem calling people out on their crap. Roxas had had a long time to run amok with his emotions, but it had to end and Kairi didn't mind if she had to be the one to say it.

"Wow, okay. I'm definitely not in the mood for this. So… I'm gonna go –"

"Sit," Kairi demanded.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He began to walk away, but Naminé stood and approached him. She grabbed his wrist, ignored the annoyed look that crossed his face, and braced himself for the stupid, "we just care about you and love you" speech to come before he could take off.

"Either you sit and we talk or we're going to disown you."

Roxas gave her a shocked and worried look.

Kairi and Sora exchanged shocked looks and then looked at Naminé as if she'd lost her mind. Sora stood and walked over to them. He patted his sister on the back and then placed a hand on Roxas' shoulder. The blond was still staring at his sister as if she'd just sprouted another head.

"Um, I think what Naminé means is… she's unhappy with your behavior and she wants you to sit and talk."

Naminé raised her brows. "No, I mean he needs to sit and talk or I'm going to disown him, at the very least. You're ruining your life, Roxas, and I'm not going to continue to stand by and watch."

He didn't know whether to be hurt or angry or shocked or what. His sister had never even so much as raised her voice and now she was threatening to never speak to him again if he didn't sit down and talk. He looked at Sora for some help, but the brunet just shrugged. They hadn't talked about disowning Roxas. They had all expected him to run, but they would never disown him. Naminé was taking things into her own hands now, though, and Sora figured maybe it was better to let it happen.

"Um…" Kairi cleared her throat from the couch. "Nami is right. You are ruining your life, Rox. And we do just want to help you."

Roxas breathed out a sigh and then rolled his eyes. "Okay. Fine. Let's talk. Let's talk about all the fucked up bullshit that I'm trying to lock deep away in my mind. Let's relive every disastrous moment of our childhood. Hey, I have an idea. How about we reenact what happened? That sounds like fun!" he offered sarcastically. "Kairi, you look the most like Mom, so you can be her, okay? And we'll go get Riku and he –"

"Shut up," Sora ordered. "This isn't a joke, Roxas."

"Yea, no shit. Jokes are funny. This is just… bullshit."

Kairi gave him a look. "Oh yea. Your siblings trying to help you come to terms with all the drama in your life is serious bullshit." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. She knew this wouldn't be a good idea. Springing things on Roxas was never a good idea.

"You're damn straight!" the blond yelled. "Family doesn't jump on you like this!"

Sora raised his brows. "Um… Yes. They do. Your friends don't jump on you because that's family's job."

Roxas grunted and rolled his eyes. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to talk about anything at all with any of his siblings. Obviously, they had all smoked crack before they came over. Obviously, they all had some problem. Roxas was a perfectly happy, well-adjusted man. He didn't curl up at night and cry sometimes. He didn't lust over someone who he could easily have, but refused to take it. He wasn't hung up on what happened with Riku. He didn't have major mother-issues. That was his siblings projecting.

"You're just a bunch of projectors," he grumbled moodily.

Naminé made a face and looked at Sora, and then Kairi, for some translation in what he had said.

"Um… Yea, we're gonna talk." Sora forcefully led Roxas to the couch and made him sit (with a bit of a struggle) next to Kairi. Naminé took a seat next to him and he crossed his arms moodily and glared at them all hatefully.

"So… About Mom…"

"Shut up!" Roxas roared. "Mom is dead and there's nothing to talk about!"

Silence engulfed the room. Sora nervously cleared his throat after a moment and then he mumbled something like, "Yea. That's what well-adjusted men do when their mother is mentioned."

••••••••••••••

Riku had his hands stuffed in the pockets of his light jacket. The bakery was closed and he was waiting for his father to show up before he unlocked the door. There was so much he wanted to ask. There was so much he wanted to know. He knew he should have met his father in a public place or brought someone along with him, but something about their meeting begged for privacy. He didn't want to walk through a crowded mall with his deadbeat dad asking questions like, "So… did you really kill Mom?"

He was antsy. He had left the duplex nearly a half-hour ago and arrived way early. Riku was nervous and he normally didn't get nervous. Though he supposed he was meeting up with a maybe-murderer and a definite emotionally abusive prick. That was reason enough to be nervous.

"I wish Sora was here…" he mumbled to no one but himself. He hadn't had the balls to ask his boyfriend to come along especially because the brunet had already made plans to talk to Roxas. And, to Riku, that seemed like a much more worthy endeavor of Sora's time.

"Riku?"

He looked up and was mildly shocked to see his father standing before him. Part of him thought maybe his father wouldn't show up. Riku didn't even really recognize the older man because he looked… Thinner. He looked more muscular. He looked lean and handsome like prison had been some kind of cakewalk. His hair was long and cascaded down in a beautiful, straight sheet of pure silver. His eyes were menacing and that strange orange-amber color that Riku had come to loathe.

"Prison's been good to you, Ansem," he stated much more coldly than he meant.

He grinned. "Is that any way to address your father? A tip for you, Riku, prison is only bad for those who fear the other prisoners."

Riku refused to be afraid of him. He watched his father closely as he dug around in his pocket for the key to the bakery and once he found it he unlocked the door and let them both inside.

"This is where you work?" he asked.

"Yes," Riku answered as he turned on the lights. "I'm in school, too."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Riku hesitated. "Um… Something like that, yea."

Maybe he'd come out of the closet another time.

Ansem pulled a chair out at a table and sat. Hesitantly, Riku did the same and took a seat across from his father. They stared at each other for what felt like a long time, the silence of the bakery being broken only by cawing birds somewhere outside in the distance.

"So," Riku mumbled.

"You have your mother's eyes."

He glared. "What do you want?" He didn't mean to sound so angry, but he was. He was pissed as hell and he hadn't even really realized it until this moment. "You show up from nowhere, call me all the time like you need to talk to me, and then when I show up, you're calm and acting like you don't have anything to say."

Ansem watched him carefully. "What is there to say?"

"You kept fucking calling me so I was guessing something!" Riku yelled. He felt exasperated and he felt like a game was being played. He licked his dry lips and shook his head, annoyed that he was wasting his time. What had he expected? His father was a psychopath. This wasn't closure. This was just more of the same kind of bullshit from before.

"What is it you want to hear? A heartfelt apology? Some kind of declaration that I'm aware I messed up your childhood? I had faith in you. I knew you would succeed."

"Oh, yea, awesome." Riku made jazz hands and sarcastically muttered, "Woo-hoo, my dad is proud of me for being my own parent."

"I can't change what I did," Ansem stated apathetically.

"You could apologize," he pointed out.

His eyebrow twitched. "I could, but would it change anything?"

Riku's jaw went slack and he stared at his father. "Are you… Are you shitting me?"

"Where did you learn to swear like that?" Ansem asked, somewhat teasingly, as if they were friends.

"Cut the bullshit!" Riku stood suddenly and glared hotly. "If you aren't here to apologize, what the fuck are you here for? Do you need money? Are you running from the cops?"

He seemed highly amused which only added to Riku's rage. "I just wanted to see how you turned out," Ansem answered honestly.

Riku stared. It took his mind a moment to process what his father had said. He just wanted to see how he had turned out? He wasn't there to apologize or offer some explanation of what the hell had happened? He wanted to pretend like he was just the run-of-the-mill absent father and not some serious drunken asshole?

Ansem stood.

"So… So all that urgency? All that fucking calling? That was just so you could see how I turned out?" Riku spit. "Could you be anymore fucked up?"

"Well, Riku," he began, "I wanted to see if I had fucked up your life. And if I had, I would rightfully correct it. But I see I didn't. I see it wouldn't have mattered whether or not you had a father because you turned out fine without one."

Riku was shocked. Again, his mind took a moment to process what was being said. "I… Uh…" he sputtered. "You think there's nothing to fix here?" he asked.

Ansem looked Riku up and down and shrugged. "You seem well-adjusted to me."

"You left me by myself and told me you killed my mother!"

"And it obviously built great character for you."

This had to be a joke. Maybe this was Axel's way of getting revenge on him or something, right? This guy wasn't his dad. This guy was just some fucking look alike Axel sent to… to totally mentally fuck with Riku's mind, right? There was no way a father could be so heartless and cruel and fail to recognize it. Riku had turned out okay, that was true, but it wasn't like things hadn't sucked for him because he lived without parents. It hadn't exactly always been fun.

He had hardly been reared. His behavior went unpunished, mostly, which was why it wasn't so strange for him to take what he wanted and be really selfish at times.

"This is a joke, right?" Riku asked quietly.

Ansem laughed and his laughter echoed throughout the bakery. "No, son. I think you're of great character."

Riku gave him the coldest, meanest look he could possibly muster.

••••••••••••••

"Balls, balls, balls…" he repeated to himself as hopped over a small, white-picket garden fence and trampled over someone's vegetables. It was sunset. The sky was turning that reddish, orangeish, blueish, sun-setting-ish color and Axel was running as fast as he could. He wasn't a runner though. He actually wasn't really athletic at all. He just had amazing genetics.

He was almost at the park. Whether or not his phone had gone off again, he wasn't sure, but he didn't want to stop and check because he had to get to the park. He saw it in the distance and as he ran closer, he could see Demyx and Zexion standing next to a tree, their arms crossed, looking like they were expecting someone. Demyx looked worried and Zexion looked…

Well, just as cool and collected and kind of pissed-off as ever.

Axel slid to a stop in front of them and then bent over, his hands on his knees, and panted. "I'm… I'm… here…" He breathed. He had a stitch in his side and he made a note to start jogging or doing some physical activity. Otherwise he was going to be a huge disappointment when he finally slept with Roxas. He breathed through his mouth, ignored the quizzical looks Zexion and Demyx were giving him, and tried to ease the fire in his lungs.

"Jesus Christ." Demyx checked his phone and the time of the text messages. "You ran here in under fifteen minutes."

Zexion shook his head. "This isn't time to be impressed! We have your note –" He stopped and glared and realized Axel wasn't listening. "Will you finish panting and stand up?"

The redhead stood straight, his hands on his hips, and let his chest rise and fall quickly. "Notebook?" he asked. Demyx waved it at him and then crossed his arms over his chest.

"You care more about the safety of this than you do about me."

Axel blushed. "No, Dem, I…" He groaned. "Demy, look, I'm sorry. I didn't love Roxas when I started dating you. I was writing the fables, but I didn't really think I would actually finish them or Roxas would hold his end of the deal. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to hurt you and I know I was wrong."

Demyx frowned and looked away. He drew a little line in the dirt with his foot and mumbled, "Really?"

"Really, Demy. I'm so sorry I lied to you and cheated on you. You didn't deserve that. You didn't deserve to be tangled up in all my bullshit and I am so sorry for involving you like this. I know I should've been honest to begin with. I know now that since I was writing the fables, I shouldn't have ever gone after you to begin with. My hindsight is 20/20, but my foresight isn't, you know? I'm so sorry I hurt you," Axel offered sincerely. "You have no idea how sorry I am."

A little smile crossed the blonde's lips and he looked at Axel. "Yea…" he shrugged. "Yea, I know… I'm still really mad, but it just makes me feel better to know you're not a huge jackas –"

Zexion suddenly snatched the notebook from Demyx's hand and took off running, ignoring the shouted, "Hey!" that came from Demyx's lips. No way was the schemer going to let their plan fail now. Axel deserved this. He deserved to be treated badly. He deserved to suffer. He hurt Demyx and though the blond was easily won over by apologies, Zexion was not. He was doing this for his best friend. He was doing this to ensure Axel would never fuck with Demyx ever again.

Both the blond and the redhead took off running after the shorter boy. They had to get the notebook back. They had to rescue the fables. The intention had never been to destroy it, but Demyx didn't want to go through with their plan at all anymore. Axel had run to the park and apologized. He told Demyx he was wrong. For once, the redhead had been honest with him and it was just… Nice.

Besides, he gave forgiveness like God gave oxygen. He wasn't a grudge-holder or a hateful person.

"Zexion!" Demyx yelled as his best friend ran onto the bridge over the lake. "Zexion, stop!"

"No!" he yelled and he held the notebook over the edge of the bridge, above the lake water below. "Axel fucked with you! He doesn't deserve to be happy!"

Demyx's blue eyes went wide. "Zexion, I fucked with you, but you sure as hell aren't trying to ruin my life!"

"That's different!" he yelled. Axel and Demyx stood at the end of the bridge, afraid to move closer for fear the smaller boy would drop the notebook. "Axel is a dick! You're kind and sweet and good-hearted and you don't deserve to be treated like dirt!"

The blond shook his head and his features softened. "But that doesn't mean I can go around treating others like dirt! I treated you badly, Zexy, and if you're going to make Axel suffer, then you need to make me suffer too."

He gripped the notebook and thought this over. Surely there was some fallacy in Demyx's logic, but the schemer knew he was overlooking this flaw because he was in the middle of a confrontation. He didn't normally fight. He was actually quite passive aggressive. And being chased by his best friend and his best friend's asshole ex was definitely clouding his train of thought. He licked his dry lips and looked at Demyx.

"I'm trying to do this for you!" Zexion yelled.

Demyx smiled gently. "I know, Zexy. But I don't want you to do this. Destroying Axel's notebook won't make me happy and it won't make you happy either."

Wanna bet? the bookworm thought bitterly.

"Axel smashed my heart, but that can be mended. If you destroy that notebook, all of his hard work will be gone forever and the bet with Roxas will be off. Axel will never get married, he'll never be happy, and Roxas will hate him forever for not trying hard enough to win his heart."

Axel's jaw dropped and he gave Demyx a horrified look. "Oh my God! I didn't even think about that! What the hell, Demyx? My whole fucking life is in that notebook!" He immediately began to advance on Zexion and the blond followed, trying unsuccessfully to stop the redhead.

"If you come any closer…" Zexion backed away, but still held the notebook over the edge. "I swear I'll drop it!"

"And risk being hated by Demyx?" Axel was inches from Zexion now. "Give me the notebook. Now."

They locked eyes and glared hatefully at one another. They couldn't stand each other. They hated each other. Every moment of the last couple months had been terrible for the both of them and they were determined to end things here and now.

Demyx stepped forward. "Axel, I don't think –" His foot caught slightly underneath one of boards of the bridge and he stumbled, mistakenly shoving Axel.

The redhead stumbled, flailed and fell forward. He head-butted Zexion (by mistake, but he wasn't exactly sorry about it) and what happened next happened so fast, Axel didn't have time to react. No one did.

The notebook slipped from Zexion's hand, flew into the air, and Axel, who was on top of Zexion, could only watch as every precious story, every declaration of love, and every moral came flying back down. All three of them watched and Zexion felt his heart sink into his stomach when the notebook landed precariously on the railing of the bridge. The railing had split it down the middle and the notebook sat, one side of it on each side of the bridge.

"Holy shit," Axel mumbled.

I'll get it!" Demyx stated happily.

"Dem, no –"

The blond hopped over Axel and Zexion and his movement on the bridge caused the notebook to slip off the edge and fall right into the lake below.

••••••••••••••

"Roxas, listen… Mom –"

"I can't hear you," Roxas yelled as he put his hands over his ears. "Blah, blah, blah, la, la, la. Lies, lies, lies, I can't hear you!"

Kairi looked murderous. Naminé tried her best to look unamused.

"Roxas!" Kairi barked, grabbing his wrists and yanking them down forcefully away from his ears. "Cut it out! This is serious!"

The blond pulled his hands away from Kairi and crossed them defiantly over his chest. He glared hotly at his sibling and silence fell over the room. Naminé shifted uncomfortably next to him and Sora and Kairi exchanged a look.

"Well?" the blond snapped irritably. "What atrocious lies are we spreading about Mom today?"

Sora relaxed slightly. "Okay, so you want to talk. That's progress."

Kairi rolled her eyes, but didn't bother to insert her opinion.

"Listen, Roxas. –"

"No!" the blond stood and shouted. "You listen! All any of you want to do is be all pissed off at Mom because I was the favorite! There were four of us! Of course one of us was going to be the favorite! I'm so sorry it was me! And yea, I took her death really hard because I – Roxas Badcock – ME – I was the favorite! We had a special bond! We –"

"You took her death hard because you told her you hated her and then she died," Sora stated unceremoniously.

Roxas' cheeks became a thousand shades of red and the hair on the back of his neck rose. He closed his mouth and sort of half-sat, half-fell onto the couch. How did everyone know his business? How did Sora know about that? How did Kairi and Naminé? He had only told Axel about that. Or… Or maybe he had told Riku, but… But probably not considering they hadn't talked much at all after she died. He swallowed thickly and felt Naminé's hand on his own.

"It's okay, Roxas," she said softly.

"No, it's not." His face was set in a hard stare and all his siblings could see how tense he was. "I can't talk about this. I can't."

"Do you love Axel?" Kairi asked abruptly.

Sora and Naminé exchanged a look and Sora mumbled something like, "You know, why bother making a plan if we aren't going to follow it?" under his breath.

Roxas shifted uncomfortably and passed her a look that said something like, "Fuck you, why do you wanna know?" but then quickly dropped it and just shrugged. Naminé, nothing but sweet, still held his hand tightly, gripping it like she was afraid he would fade away.

"Roxas," Kairi started. "Do you love Axel?"

"Why does it matter? God, can we deal with one huge emotional trauma at a time?" He looked to Sora for support, but the way his twin's face lit up didn't seem promising for Roxas.

"So you DO love Axel!"

The blond gave the brunet a look. "I didn't say that."

"You said you only want to deal with one huge emotional trauma at a time! Nothing could be more emotionally traumatic than loving someone as self-involved and annoying as Axel."

Roxas blushed and put his free hand over his face. He shook his head and sighed and tried to tell himself this was a dream or something. Maybe a really weird, really realistic nightmare or maybe even a daydream. He tried to change the color of his skin so he'd match the fabric of the couch, but he wasn't having much luck.

Judging by the way everyone was staring, he must still be visible.

"Look, I need to –" Roxas stood up to leave, but Naminé and Kairi both latched onto him and forced him back down onto the couch. "Stop. I want to go. I don't love Axel. I don't want to talk about Mom. I want to go."

"No, Roxas. You need to talk," Naminé stated firmly, but gently. "You can't leave. Not yet."

Roxas shook his head. He looked panicked. He was like an animal caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Except… Except he wanted to get out of the way of the headlights, but his stupid deer siblings were holding him down so he could be struck by the metaphorical Hummer.

Or something.

"Look, Roxas…" Kairi said softly. "Do you love Axel?"

He opened his mouth and then closed it, shaking his head and looking down at his feet. The question, "Why does it matter?" failed to leave his lips and instead he just offered a soft of helpless shrug. "I guess."

A pause passed between them.

"Okay. Yea, whatever. Maybe I love Axel a tiny bit, but that has nothing to do with –"

"Okay, well, if you want it to work with Axel, you need to deal with all this stuff with Mom. Axel loves you and you love him and you two aren't together. Do you see something wrong with that?" Kairi asked.

Roxas pouted. "No," he lied.

"Really?" Sora questioned.

Roxas glared. "Really."

Naminé gingerly touched her brother's arm and gripped his hand tightly. "Why won't you be with Axel?"

"We're incompatible," the blond said quickly, as if he had been practicing this. "We would never work. He's…"

"A moody, self-indulgent coward?" Sora asked dryly. "And you're…?"

Roxas gave his twin a dirty look. "Being a smart ass doesn't equate to being helpful."

The brunet shrugged somewhat apologetically and looked away. He was just trying to break some of the tension in the room. Tension was like gas and all they needed was a little spark to start a huge, uncontrollable fire.

"Are you afraid of getting hurt?" Naminé asked gently. "We all know what happened with Mom and with Riku, but… But you can't let either of those things ruin what you could have with Axel."

"Look, it wouldn't work," Roxas growled. "Mom left, Riku left, and now Axel left. They're all the same. And… And aren't we supposed to be talking about Mom?" He licked at his dry lips. "Why do we have to bring up Axel all the damn time?"

"Because we wouldn't even be having this conversation if you'd man-up and go tell Axel you love him. But you won't," Kairi said.

Roxas leaned back into the couch, stewing in his own tepid pool of embarrassment and stupidity. His cheeks were flushed pink, slightly from shame and slightly from anger, and he shifted uncomfortably. So what if he loved Axel and didn't want to tell him? That was his business. It really wasn't his siblings' place to butt in and tell him who to proclaim his love for.

"Years ago," Roxas began suddenly, "when mom was still alive… She told me that… that the person who called me 'Roxy' unprovoked would be my soul mate." He shifted uncomfortably and crossed his arms. "Axel called me 'Roxy' the first time we met."

And that was the first time Roxas had been honest with his siblings in years.

••••••••••••••

"I think we're done here. I won't be contacting you again."

Riku stared and watched Ansem walk toward the door of the bakery. He didn't move. He was rooted to the spot. He was so angry and all the old feelings of hate and resentment raged in his chest. He swallowed thickly and shook his head.

"Did you kill Mom?"

If he knew, maybe if he just knew, he could work on accepting it and getting over it. He hated wondering about it. He hated thinking about it, lamenting over it, and wondering if she really did die by the hand of his father. His fists were clenched so tightly that they were white, and part of Riku felt that if he knew the answer to at least that, he could maybe just forget all the other bullshit his father was spewing at him.

Absent for all these years and all he wanted to know was if Riku had done a decent job raising himself. Ansem really felt there was nothing else wrong with this situation at all. Riku turned out "okay" and there was nothing to correct? Obviously, he needed to spend a day in the duplex to see what kind of shenanigans went on.

"Did you kill Mom?" Riku repeated, this time with more urgency.

There was a glint in Ansem's amber colored eyes and a smirk slowly curled his lips upward. "Now, Ri, what kind of man would I be to let my wife die by my own hand?" He grabbed the doorknob on the bakery's front door.

"That isn't an answer!" he yelled. "You told me you did!" There was panic in his voice and he wasn't sure why. Ansem was leaving, but there was still so much Riku wanted to say. There was still so much he felt needed to be said and Ansem didn't even care.

"I was also drunk, if you've forgotten." He opened the door and walked out of the bakery, mild annoyance crossing his features when he noticed Riku was following him. Ansem stopped walking and sighed, glancing over his shoulder and mumbling, "What do you want from me?"

"You abandoned me!" Riku raged. "You... You left me to fend for myself, you dick! You told me you killed my mother!" Without thinking, he shoved Ansem, causing him to stumble forward slightly. He turned on Riku, his features dark, and the hair on the back of Riku's neck stood up.

His father had never hit him. Physical abuse was obvious and the scars from it were nowhere as deep as the ones emotional abuse created.

Riku didn't know what he was doing anymore. He had wanted an apology, maybe for his father to cry or something, but this coldness, this nastiness he displayed… It tore at Riku's inner being and he couldn't take it. His father had royally fucked up his childhood and now he was pretending it wasn't a big deal. Now he was acting like Riku was in college and he had a job and a significant other, so he must be a well-adjusted person.

Well, he wasn't. And Ansem owed him something.

"Perhaps you aren't as smart as I pegged you to be. I would advise against childish antics such as shoving, my boy."

Riku responded by taking a swing at his father, landing a successful punch somewhere on his cheek, near his nose.

Ansem gave his son a cold, unforgiving look, and then turned on his heel, refusing to be a part of some kind of foolish fight. He had spent enough time in prison and he didn't fancy spending any more. He also wasn't going to give Riku the satisfaction. Because he was done dealing with children and he was ready to move on. If Riku wasn't, then…

Well, that was his own problem.

"You're not gonna fight?" Riku yelled after him, his voice hoarse. "What? Now that I'm an adult, it just isn't fun to pick on me anymore?"

Ansem had no trouble ignoring him and Riku didn't bother chasing him. Instead, he just watched his father walk off into the sunset and he had a sinking feeling that would probably be the last time he ever saw him.

What a bastard.

••••••••••••••

"Cloud…" Leon's tongue darted out to wet his lips and he gripped a fistful of the blonde's hair. "Jesus," he groaned and allowed his eyes to close, enjoying the sensation of his boyfriend's mouth on his erection. They really shouldn't be doing this at the police station, but Leon was the only cop on duty at the moment and there were no delinquents in the holding cells. Had Cloud just worked on his motorcycle and not dropped by the station, Leon wouldn't even be having this problem right now.

"Fuck," he breathed, his eyes half-lidded with lust. Why did Cloud have to be so good at it? Not that that was a real complaint. It was just his boyfriend knew how good he was at it and would do things like show up at Leon's work, get him all riled up, and then drop to his knees and work Leon free from his uniform pants.

And what was Leon supposed to do? Say no? Pft. Yea, right.

"Mm, Cloud…" He moaned softly, enjoying the way the blond bobbed up and down on his throbbing erection. He loved the way his lips felt, the way his tongue felt, and the way he could work Leon over so easily. He loved that this kind of thing took place at work and he enjoyed the irony of a man of the law receiving a somewhat public blowjob.

Leon was close. Cloud had been working him for a while now and he was getting so close to that high point. He breathed in deeply and let out a soft groan, his fingers gripping the other's blond hair tightly in a show of dominance. He'd probably pay for this later, but at the moment he didn't care. It was just him, Cloud, and his ever nearing moment of –

"Goddamnit," Leon swore when he heard the police station phone ring. Cloud didn't stop blowing him and because he was sitting on his desk, he was torn between answering the phone or just hoping to reach his release fast enough. The phone rang twice more before Leon groaned, picked it up, and grunted, "Hello?" into the receiver.

Cloud continued to blow him, his blue eyes filled with amusement. He dug his fingernails into the brunet's thigh and he removed his mouth from the other's erection. He lapped teasingly at the head, his hand working the base of Leon's shaft as the brunet struggled to keep an even voice on the phone.

Cloud knew he'd pay for this later, but at the moment he didn't care.

"Y-yes." He blushed and cleared his throat. He wanted to throttle Cloud. He wanted to throttle him or grab a fistful of his hair and force him back down, but he couldn't successfully do either while on the phone. His toes curled in his shoes when he felt Cloud lap at his erection from bottom to top and Leon found himself despising the other person on the line for not kindly shutting the fuck up so he could get back to business.

"Yes, yes, I'll be there right away," he growled through gritted teeth.

Cloud looked mildly deterred, but that didn't stop him from placing his lips over the head of Leon's cock and sucking gently. His hand still worked the other's shaft up and down and when Leon hung up the phone, Cloud looked up at him for an explanation.

"Oh my God… I'm going to kick Axel's ass if this assault has anything to do with him." He pushed Cloud away and slipped off his desk, ignoring the semi-offended look the blond was giving him. Leon attempted to fix himself comfortably in his work pants, but it just… wasn't happening. He was fully erect, nearly at the peak of his arousal, and now he was seriously annoyed about this whole assault thing near the local bakery.

Cloud came toward Leon and wrapped his arms around the brunet's waist. "Break Axel's neck if it has anything to do with him," he purred into the other's ear.

Leon allowed the tiniest of smiles to grace his features. "Permission to kill your cousin. You really know how to excite a man, Strife."

Cloud graced the shell of Leon's ear with his tongue. "I don't know how to excite men. I know how to excite killers."

Leon was really okay with this.

••••••••••••••

"Run," Demyx said as soon as Zexion stood. The schemer was nursing a bloody nose – courtesy of Axel's headbutt – and he was slightly dazed by what had happened. Demyx was clutching his arm and saying "run" over and over again, but Zexion didn't know what they needed to be running from. The fables had fallen…

"I'm going to kill you," Axel said very calmly as he took a step toward Zexion. Demyx grasped the other and backed-up on the bridge, his throat dry and his eyes wide. "And then I'm going to throw your lifeless body over the railing and into the fucking river!"

"W-wait Axel!" Demyx tried, "Zexion didn't mean to! It was an accident!"

The slightly dazed boy blinked hard a few times and tried to right everything in his brain. "Wait…" he mumbled. "The fables are gone? The fables are gone? We destroyed them?" His ecstatic and triumphant appearance didn't do anything for Demyx's claim that it was all a simple accident. Axel was seething with rage and only another second passed before Demyx gripped Zexion tightly and was running off the bridge and away from Axel.

"It was an accident," Zexion admitted to Demyx, "but a damn good one!"

"Zex!" the blond growled. "Axel is pissed. I'm worried for your safety, I –" He tripped in the dirt (his shoe laces had come untied) and fell flat. Zexion paused to help him up, but before he could even bend down, Axel grabbed the front of Zexion's shirt and shoved him forcefully against a tree.

"I'm not fucking kidding. You are a dead man," the redhead said through gritted teeth. He raised his fist and Zexion flinched, but the blow never came. Instead, he was suddenly released and he slid down the length of the tree, his bottom hitting the ground roughly.

He had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing correctly. He was beginning to think maybe he had a concussion, but it looked to him that Demyx had jumped on Axel's back and was pulling the redhead's hair. The blond was yelling something that sounded like, "I don't want to hurt you, but you can't hurt Zexion," but this all felt like a really surreal dream.

He had a concussion. Axel's head butt must've knocked him senseless. He was confused and dazed and –

"Fuck!"

Axel and Demyx fell into him, knocking his head roughly against the tree and if he hadn't had a concussion before, he definitely had one now.

"I'll fucking kill both of you then!" Axel raged, quickly regaining his composure and grabbing Demyx up by the front of his shirt. "Those fables were everything!" he yelled. He raised his fist at the blond, but Zexion swiftly knocked him off his feet. Axel fell into Demyx, but then was suddenly yanked backward by the schemer himself.

Zexion stood over him, dripping blood onto the redhead's face. "Haven't you caused enough trouble?" he attempted to say. He was really dazed. He had hit his head hard.

Axel responded by grabbing Zexion's ankles and yanking him to the ground. He quickly got on his feet and crawled on top of the shorter boy, landing one successful punch across his already bleeding face.

And that was all that he had to do to set Demyx off.

Axel felt the back of his shirt being grasped and then he was yanked off Zexion. The redhead fell onto the ground and was met with the extremely unfriendly (and slightly terrifying) sight of Demyx, whose eyes seemed to glow red with wrath.

"Get up," he said fiercely. Axel immediately stood.

And Demyx struck him. Hard. He grabbed the front of Axel's shirt, shoved him against the very tree Zexion had been against only moments earlier, and began to beat the living shit out of Axel. It didn't matter that there was blood. It didn't matter that, at some point, he had really liked Axel. It didn't matter that he could seriously hurt the other. He was so angry.

"You're an aggressive fuck!" Demyx yelled as Axel attempted to block some of the blows. "And you should pick on someone your own fucking size!" He threw Axel to the ground and continued to savagely beat him, anger flooding all his senses. "Don't you ever touch Zexion ever again!" he raged.

And Axel, who finally saw an opening, attempted to take a shot back, but Demyx was being pulled away and the fight was over.

He sat up, his head pounded, blood leaked from his face, and he saw Officer Leonhart shoving Demyx against that poor, abused tree, and cuffing him. Zexion, who seemed incredibly out of it, had stood and was attempting to say something to Leon.

"Do I need to cuff you too?" Officer Leonhart growled hotly at Axel.

Axel shook his head and immediately regretted it. His head was throbbing with pain.

"All of you are coming with me."

Axel got into the back of the police car without a word. Demyx was shoved in next to him and Zexion took a seat up front. And before Axel could protest, he saw why Zexion took the front. There were already three people in the back.

Him, Demyx, and…

"Riku?"

Riku tried not to be offended by the blood Axel had flung on his face by saying his name. "Could you… wipe your blood off my face? I'm kind of cuffed."

••••••••••••••

By the time Leon had put Zexion and Demyx into one holding cell and Riku and Axel in the other, his erection was completely gone and so was Cloud. The blond had left as soon as he saw all four of them getting out of the police car with Leon because he knew it would be paperwork city for the next few hours. And while Cloud adored his boyfriend and would have loved to stay and distract him, he didn't figure anyone else would really want to watch.

Though it would be good punishment for them all.

From the sink in the holding cell, Riku had wet a few paper towels and had begun to clean the blood off Axel's face. The redhead didn't protest much because he wasn't really in a position to and he was kind of curious as to why his former best friend was in the slammer. Riku had been in jail with him once and ever since then he had been clean.

"What happened?" they both asked at once.

"Sorry," Riku mumbled. "Go ahead."

"Um…" Axel licked his lips and tasted the tang of blood. "Zexion destroyed my fables."

"ON ACCIDENT," Demyx screamed from the next cell over. He was tending to Zexion's minor wounds and still feeling incredibly angry.

"Yea, whatever…" Axel rolled his eyes.

"Are you serious?" Riku looked completely floored. "Oh my God. Did you have them on your computer? Typed up or something? Copied down anywhere else?"

The redhead sadly shook his head and tried to ignore the horrible feeling in his chest. "They were for Roxy, Cheeseburger. They were everything to me because I knew they would be everything to him. I worked so hard on them, I –"

"I know," Riku mumbled. And then he did something completely out of character for himself. He hugged Axel. "I'm so sorry, Ax."

And the redhead, surprisingly, hugged him back.

"And… And then I told Zexion I was going to kill him," Axel continued. "And when I got Zexion down, Demyx jumped on me. Then we fell and I jumped on Demyx, but then Zexion pulled me off him, so I knocked Zexion down. And then I got on top of Zexion and barely fucking touched him WHEN PSYCHO DICKWAD IN THE NEXT STALL OVER WENT APESHIT ON MY FACE," he screamed.

Demyx ran to the bars of the cell and gripped them tightly. "You HIT him! You fucking threatened to kill him! You're damn right I went apeshit on your face!" the blond yelled back.

"Shut up!" Leon barked from his desk.

They didn't need to be told twice. Demyx settled down next to Zexion and stroked his hair, worried about him and the two injuries he had received. One from the accidental head butt and the one from smashing the back of his head into the tree. Zexion was definitely dazed, but not totally confused which Demyx took as a good sign.

Riku continued sopping up the blood on Axel's face and tried not to look too alarmed when he had cleared most of the blood away. "About your fables, Ax, I'm… so sorry. I read a lot of them, maybe I can help rewrite –"

Axel shook his head. "It's not the same," he mumbled. "I put everything I felt for Roxas into those words in those fables."

Riku wadded up the bloodied towels and threw them on the floor. "I'm really sorry. I wish I could do something."

Axel snorted. "Go scuba dive in the river for my notebook."

"Anything if it means you'll forgive me."

The redhead smiled slightly. "I hugged you, didn't I? I think that means we're cool."

Riku shifted uncomfortably and then suddenly blurted, "I'm really sorry! I shouldn't have told you like that! Roxas should've… It was his business! I'm so sorry, Axel. And, you know, I didn't use Roxas! I swear to you, I didn't. I cared about him a lot. It wasn't just stupid, meaningless sex. I really did care."

Axel put a hand on Riku's shoulder and nodded. "I know, Cheeseburger. And I'm over it. I feel like my heart is going to burst if I don't see Roxy soon. And it sucks not having a best friend anymore. Even if it is one that lies and keeps things from me."

"No more," Riku stated honestly. "You're right. We are best friends. Before you moved to Carmine, we promised we'd always be friends and I'm sorry I haven't trusted you enough to… share my feelings or whatever bullshit. But I'll tell you everything. I just want this cold war to end."

The redhead raised a brow. "Don't… tell me everything. Tell me most of it. I want this to end too though, because talking about 13 inch cocks with Kairi and Naminé just isn't the same as talking about it with you."

Riku smirked and then fell silent. After a moment, he tentatively asked, "Do you… wanna hit me or something?"

Axel looked at him. "What?"

"Do you wanna hit me? For all this bullshit?"

The redhead thought this over, weighed the pros and cons, and then nodded eagerly. "Yea. I wanna hit you."

Riku nodded. "Okay." He braced himself. "Hit me."

Axel raised his fist and as he brought it close to Riku's face, he lightly tapped his cheek.

The silver haired boy relaxed, looked at Axel, and smiled. "Thanks."

"Just kidding!" And Axel struck him for real.

Riku held his cheek and swore. He should've known better. He should've known Axel wasn't that much of a saint (or even saint-like at all). He swore again and ignored the goofy grin that was plastered over his best friend's face and he only stopped holding his cheek when Axel suddenly asked him why he was in jail.

"Oh…" Riku rubbed his face. "Well… You know how my dad and I are estranged? He's been calling me for a while now and he's wanted to meet up and talk to me. And I met up with him today and we talked, except he…" He paused and tried to find the right words. "Was a major douchebag. My mom died when I was twelve and my dad was arrested later. I raised myself when I was in high school. And my dad came by to see if I became a 'well-adjusted adult.' He didn't care about apologizing or making things right."

Axel frowned. "And he hit you?"

"Oh, no, I hit him. He wouldn't respond." Riku paused. "Well, I guess calling the police was his response, but it wasn't the response I wanted."

The redhead chuckled. "So… How do you feel?"

"As shitty as your face looks."

Axel sighed. "Great. So much for looking my best when facing Roxy."

Riku shrugged his shoulders and smirked. Something told him Roxas wasn't going to care what Axel looked like provided he was coming home for good.

"I think you should go to a hospital," Demyx said softly. He cupped Zexion's cheek and stared into his eyes. "I think you have a concussion."

"Me too," Zexion agreed in an unusually cheerful manner. "You defended me. You beat Axel's ass."

Demyx looked troubled. "Yea, but maybe you should tell Leon you have a concussion and that you need to go to the hospital."

"You love me," Zexion insisted. "You love me as much as I love you."

The blond blushed. "Zexion, I really think the hospital –"

"Demy, I couldn't feel any better. You love me and I –" Without warning, he vomited all over Demyx's shirt. "All right, now I couldn't feel any better."

"Leon!" the blond called from his holding cell. "Zexion just threw up on me and he's being abnormally cheerful! He needs a hospital!" He paused. "And I need a new shirt!" He placed his hands on the schemer's shoulders because he was swaying. Demyx didn't want him to pass out and smash his head on something else.

And even though he was in a concussion-induced haze, he knew he was right.

Demyx loved him.

And Demyx knew it too.

••••••••••••••

"Mom did love you," Sora said from his seat on the armchair. "She was jealous of Axel."

Roxas' brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You were taken with him," Naminé explained. "You were always taken with Mom and then all of a sudden, you had someone else."

Guilt welled up in his chest when he remembered how he had compared her and Axel to her face. He swallowed thickly and looked away, embarrassed by his actions and feeling that maybe he had handled how he felt for Axel all wrong.

"But… But I was taken with Riku!" Roxas defended.

Sora frowned and shifted uncomfortably. "Riku wasn't like Mom. At all. And she had met him and knew that. And you weren't taken with Riku the way you were taken with Axel. Mom knew Axel."

Roxas' brow furrowed. "No she didn't," he said quickly. "No. No, how could she have?"

"Axel's adoptive dad worked in the same building as she did. She saw Axel around. Maybe you haven't noticed, but he's hard to miss. She had small conversations with him, tried to get to know him, but he didn't know who she was."

Roxas gripped Naminé's hand tightly and tried to hide his embarrassment. How come he didn't know any of this? How come no one had ever told him? How come his mother had never been honest with him? He looked down at the floor and tried to absorb what they were saying.

"Mom sent you after Riku because she was afraid Axel would take you away," Kairi explained gently. "She saw what happened to Sora. Once he was involved with Riku, he was either never around or Riku was always around. And as much as it torments us all, you were her favorite, Roxas."

His blush deepened and he shook his head. He had never actually believed he was the favorite. That was just something he said to kind of help himself get through the whole entire thing. Some kind of proof that his mother actually did love him. But he never believed it. Not even for a second.

"Not at first," Naminé chimed in. "At first, you annoyed her. You always skipped school which meant she had to skip work. You wanted time with her, but she didn't want time with you. So she told you that you were her favorite because it got you to do what she wanted. She dangled the 'you're my favorite' thing in front of your face so she could manipulate you."

He had always suspected it, but he had never actually really entertained the thought. He never figured someone could be so cruel to their own flesh and blood. A mother's instinct was to protect, not to harm.

"But somewhere along the line, she fell in love with you," Sora mumbled. "Not… in a creepy romantic way. She didn't want to sleep with you or anything, but she fell in love with you. And then Axel came into the picture and she got jealous. So she told you to go after Riku. And you did."

Roxas tried to ignore the guilt and the hurt that had built up in his chest. "Then… Then why did she pretend she had never said anything? Why did she hit me and tell me she didn't know what I was talking about?" The urgency in his voice frightened he and his siblings and he felt Naminé gently squeeze his hand to tell him it was okay.

Kairi leaned forward and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Sora sat farthest away, unsure of how much he could actually take of this. Roxas had the reassurance that their mother loved him. Sora didn't. And he never would.

"I don't…" Sora tried to find the right words. "I don't think Mom thought Riku would dump you. I think she honestly thought Riku and you would eventually be found out, but Riku would keep dating you. She had been wrong." He sighed. "I think she was afraid you would be disappointed in her. I think she was scared that you would stop listening to her advice."

Roxas had never meant to give his mother that impression. Just because she was wrong hadn't meant… He shook the thoughts from his head and covered his face with his free hand. He was embarrassed. He felt stupid and he was completely embarrassed.

"All this time, I thought…" He hesitated. "I thought she hated me."

Sora laughed a bit mirthlessly. "She didn't hate you. She hated me."

Kairi and Naminé didn't jump to his defense. They didn't bother to counter that because they knew that it was probably true. The information they had they had found out through their father who, after some really thorough and aggressive interrogating, finally spilled the beans about everything. Their mother, though seemingly not very close to their father, had told him everything. And he had never bothered to warn any of his kids.

Because he was under the same spell Roxas had been under. The Curse of Mama Badcock, as Kairi had once affectionately termed it.

"She… She didn't hate you…" Roxas offered weakly, though he was unsure.

Sora swallowed thickly. "She told Dad she didn't like me. Back before you actually became the favorite, Kairi and I were the golden children. I always got better grades than you and I was on sports teams." He hesitated. "I'm sorry, Roxas, I'm not trying to say I was better. Neither of us were or are better. But to her, I was. But then she fell in love with you and… I got Riku. You wanted him. And she wanted you to have him.

"But it didn't work out like that," Sora continued. "So she pretended she had never said anything to you. The consequences were so bad that she… thought it was better to pretend. In the end, it made you end up hating her."

Roxas blushed and passed Sora an apologetic look. He felt guilty. After all this time – all this moping about his mother – and it was really Sora who was hated. It was Sora who suffered under her abuse. Roxas was used like a pawn, but he was used that way because she loved him. Mrs. Badcock did what she did to Sora because she just didn't like him and he knew how crushing that must be for his twin.

"I'm sorry," Roxas choked out. "I didn't…" He shook his head. "I didn't know it was like that. I –"

Sora waved his hand. "Water under the bridge," he mumbled. "And it isn't your fault, Roxas. It's not my fault or Riku's fault or Kairi's or Naminé's... It was Mom's fault."

Roxas caught his lower lip between his teeth and he looked at nothing. He hated this. He felt so guilty and so horrible for acting the way he had. He felt so terrible for Sora. After all this time, he was sure he had been the one who was hated and yet…

Roxas' phone began to vibrate in his pocket and for the first time in an hour, he let go of Naminé's hand to retrieve it. His stomach did a flip-flop when he saw it was Axel and he answered it immediately.

"Hello?"

"Roxy, I'm in jail."

Roxas stood up suddenly. "You're what?"

"Jail. You know, the slammer? I now know why the caged bird sings."

The blond rolled his eyes. "Why are you in jail?"

"Oh, I was visiting Riku," he stated sarcastically. "No, but seriously… Tell Sora Riku's in jail too."

From somewhere in the background, Roxas heard Riku yell, "Hey."

"Come bail me out," Axel commanded. "Please," he added.

And because it was the first time Axel had requested Roxas for anything in months, he snapped his phone closed, quickly told Sora Riku was in jail, and ran into his bedroom to find some shoes to put on.

Closure later, prison now.

••••••••••••••

By the time they arrived at the police station, Zexion and Demyx had gone off in an ambulance to the nearby hospital and Leon had just finished filing away their paperwork. Kairi and Naminé had stayed behind at the duplex, but Sora had insisted he come because he was worried something bad had happened between Riku and his father.

"Don't run," Leon scolded when Roxas and Sora came flying through the door. "They aren't going anywhere."

Sora blushed and Roxas just stared at Axel because he looked like a fucking mess. One of his beautiful jade eyes had a dark, deep bruise forming all around it. He had a little bit of dried blood matted in his hair, his nose was swollen at the bridge, and he had a lovely bruise forming on his right cheek and lower jaw. His top lip was also split down the middle and when he smiled at Roxas, he also winced.

"What happened?" Roxas ran up to the holding cell and wrapped his fingers around the bars. Axel responded by wrapping his hands over Roxas'.

"Demyx beat me up," the redhead responded simply. Next to them, Sora and Riku were having their own reunion. Somehow, it just seemed unimportant to Roxas.

"Why?" the blond questioned.

"I threatened to kill Zexion," Axel responded simply.

Roxas looked at him, his brow furrowed. "Again… Why?"

Leon walked over with the key to the cell and released both Axel and Riku. At some point, Sora had paid Leon the bail fine and now both the redhead and his best friend were free men. As soon as the cage opened, Axel had his arms around Roxas and he was crushing the small blond to his body. The smell of honeysuckle overwhelmed his senses and he had never been so happy to smell the scent of flowers in his life.

"We need to take a walk," Axel said coolly once he had released Roxas from his death-grip of a hug. "We need to talk."

Riku, who had been happily filling Sora in on everything that had occurred, gave a brief nod to Axel. "See you at home?"

Axel nodded.

And Roxas beamed.

••••••••••••••

They walked hand-in-hand even though they weren't dating. It just felt natural and right and now that Axel wasn't with Demyx anymore, their hand-holding felt loving instead of devious. He liked how their fingers fit together. He liked how, despite their size difference, they were clearly like two pieces of the same puzzle. He also liked the sunshine, the grass, the warm air of summer twilight, and he really liked everything and anything so long as Roxas was by his side.

"Why were you going to kill Zexion?" Roxas asked for the third or fourth time since they had left the station. He was antsy. He wanted to know what had happened.

"Patience is a virtue, Zombie."

The blond attempted to pull his hand away, but Axel clutched it tightly.

"This is my hand now," he stated authoritatively. "You had your many chances to reject me and you didn't. This hand is mine."

"I want to know what happened, Firecrotch," Roxas groaned.

"Ugh, fine." He sat down on a nearby bench, yanking Roxas along with him. Though they sat next to each other, they could have easily also been sitting on top of each other. Axel was taking full advantage of being able to actually be near Roxas and he was soaking up every moment they were spending together.

Axel dropped the blonde's hand and snaked his around his waist. He pressed a warm kiss to his cheek and mumbled something like, "God, I missed you."

Roxas felt goose bumps erupt all over his skin and colored flooded his cheeks. "You could've come back," he muttered shyly.

"No," Axel corrected. "If I came back too early, I would've ended up crushing your skull in. Isn't this much nicer?"

Roxas felt he couldn't disagree so he just nodded and laid his head against the redhead's chest.

"Tell me what happened," he commanded.

"Well…" the redhead began. "I was writing something."

The blond pulled away and looked up at Axel with wide, bright eyes. "You were?" He tried to keep his shock to a minimum, but found he really couldn't.

"Yea," the redhead nodded. "We had a bet."

"Had." Roxas frowned. "We had a bet?"

Axel thought this over for a moment, but then merely shrugged. "Yea. I was writing something and it got destroyed. And it was Zexion who destroyed it. It was an accident, but… That's why I threatened to kill him."

Roxas ignored the anger that sat in the pit of his stomach. Axel had actually written something for him, for their bet, and now it was gone. For fear that Axel would actually pulverize Zexion into nothing but atoms, he didn't mention his extreme annoyance at the schemer.

"What was it?" Roxas prodded gently.

"It was… It was Axel's Fables," he said after a moment of silence. "I know how much Aesop's Fables meant to you and I –" He was cut off by Roxas' lips suddenly on his own and the thought of pushing the other off came to mind because they were in a public place, but then he felt Roxas' tongue in his mouth and his mind switched to autopilot.

It felt so good to be doing this with Roxas. Goddamn, it felt so good to finally be kissing him and having him kiss back. It felt so amazing to have Roxas practically in his lap, kissing his mouth urgently, and clearly asking for more.

"Mm." Axel broke their kiss (quite reluctantly) and tangled a hand in the other's mess of blond hair. "What…?"

"You wrote those fables for me," Roxas mumbled shyly. "And… And it's sweet. And I guess I always figured you were too self-centered to care about the bet. I didn't…" He smiled – a genuine smile – and Axel grinned at him in response.

"I've thought about you every single day since I moved into that stupid duplex," Axel admitted. "Roxy, you're the only person I think about. Every time I drink coffee or see a pick-up truck or see the color blue, I think about you. My mind barely ever stops to think about anyone or anything else."

Roxas cupped Axel's cheek and stroked it affectionately. Their eyes met and they were both somewhat overwhelmed by the intensity of the other person's gaze. They were one huge smattering of emerald into sky-blue and Axel's whole entire world was sent into a tailspin. All from one look, Roxas could make or break his entire world.

"I love you."

The words spilled out so fast, Axel wasn't sure who said them. But the slight blush on Roxas' cheeks, the embarrassment etched on his features, and the way he withdrew slightly… He had admitted it first. And that was a big deal considering all the bullshit they had been through. Axel gripped the other tightly and yanked him close, crushing their bodies together again in a death-grip of a hug.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear that," Axel whispered quietly, the confession only for Roxas' ears alone.

Roxas had his arms wrapped tightly around Axel's neck and he clutched the other as if he was afraid he would disappear. He grabbed at Axel like a child grabs at their mother. He held Axel so closely and so tightly, he was afraid he was going to suffocate the other or cut off circulation. But Axel had no complaints because he was just so damn happy to be in Roxas' embrace.

"Can you keep a secret?" Axel asked playfully.

Roxas withdraw from their embrace slightly and nodded.

The redhead leaned in and the hair on the blonde's neck rose when he felt Axel's lips brush against his ear. His cheeks flushed slightly and all the desire he had for Axel – the desire he had been denying the both of them – had built up. He was liable to crack if this went on. He gripped the redhead tightly and goose bumps erupted all over his skin when the other whispered softly,

"I love you, too."

He withdraw from Roxas' slightly and then pressed their forehead's together. Axel flinched from the bump on his nose, but he ignored the minor pain.

"It'll be our little secret," Axel joked. "And maybe four years from now we can spring it on Riku and Sora."

Roxas smiled. "Good idea," he played along. "They'll never know what hit them."

Their lips met in the tenderest of kisses imaginable and Axel practically felt his body melt. He was going to have Roxas, both physically and emotionally, and this thrilled him to no end. It was like being told he won the lottery forty times. It was like finding out he won a lifetime supply of free trips to Disney World. It was like tripping over something in the grass, but finding out what he tripped over was actually a solid gold egg.

Their tongues met, this time a little more shyly than before, and Axel felt that same electric shock jolt through his body. Every time Roxas kissed him, he felt like he had just been jolted awake. Every kiss felt like tiny fireworks. Every touch, no matter how minor, made him feel hot and alive. He felt like he swallowed thirty tablets of E and he was really appreciating this natural high Roxas was giving him.

"I love you," Axel breathed when their kiss broke. "Jesus Christ, I love you…" He gave the blonde's hair a little yank and nibbled his bottom lip. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to say that."

Roxas felt his own body heat with desire and need and he tangled his hands in Axel's red hair. He was practically in the other's lap now and their lips kept pressing against each other's in small, but needy kisses. It had been so long since they had last been together or touched or even seen each other.

Now Axel could sleep with Roxas and everything would be okay. Now Roxas wouldn't just be another notch in his bedpost, another name on the list. Now Roxas would be something special and even if Axel wasn't his first, he would be happy to be his last.

"The bet," Roxas mumbled through their kisses.

Axel's eyes were half-lidded with lust and he raised his brows. "What about it?"

The blond shifted on the other's lap and then pressed a kiss to his chin affectionately. "Is it… Off?"

Axel mulled this over and didn't answer for a few moments. He ran his fingers soothingly through Roxas' hair and then he breathed out a small sigh. Was it over? He had written a book, but it had gotten destroyed. And would marriage even matter now? They were a bit young to be thinking about marriage and all, but…

Axel smiled brightly as an idea suddenly hit him. He pressed a little kiss to Roxas' lips and mumbled, "No. This isn't the end."

Roxas didn't question him.

---

A/N: THIS IS NOT THE END.

Please don't leave me angry reviews that say things like, "THAT'S THE END?" because it's not. This is at 12,500 words and I really don't want to stretch it out anymore. So the next chapter will be the end. We'll see the letter, where the bet goes, and I'll probably have a nice thing with Zexion and Demyx. I really would make this longer except in order to do everything I want to do, it's going to end up being around 20,000 words. And that's a LOT of fucking words for ONE chapter.

So hooray! One more chapter to go. I don't know if that's good or bad, but this chapter was really super-duper easy to write. I imagine the next one will be too.

As always, thank you to my fabulous beta, Aindel S. Druida. She is a master of the English language, a master of comedy, and a lovely friend. Give her profile a gander, have her edit your stuff, and enjoy the hilarious comments she'll leave on your writing.

I meant to get a one-shot out for 8/13 but I lost my flash drive which had the half-written one-shot on it. I'm sure that'll come out soon, so look for it.

Again, just in case you decided to skip the A/N – THIS IS NOT THE END. The next chapter will definitely be the final chapter. It may or may not have a lemon in it between Axel / Roxas. I'm still on the fence about it (not because I mind writing sex, but because this whole thing has been pretty lime-ish at best), but we'll see.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for favoriting, reviewing, alerting, and, most recently, for actually giving a shit for what happens to me in my life. You guys are seriously the sweetest.

Thank You for Reviewing:

Dearlybelovedangel: I'm really not a fan of the Riku/Roxas or Sora/Axel coupling. I'm also pretty uncomfortable with the Sora/Roxas pairing because they're almost the same person and it seems really narcissistic. The Riku/Sora part is in there because I really like that coupling and making my readers hate Riku wasn't my intention. It just sort of happened that way.

Reku14: Ooh, you're probably not going to like this chapter then, haha. The notebook is gone, but I promise it all ties up nicely in the end.

CrazyPretz: Noooo. No I did not. Because Harry Potter seems like a lone-wolf kind of guy. And I would've much preferred another book about him being a badass wizard than that crappy epilogue about him marrying that ugly chick. They'll all get their happy endings, I promise.

IchiakiI: Aww, thanks. I have two Axel/Roxas stories in the works right now, but they're less like this and more… serious, maybe? They still have humor, but the focus isn't on the relationships and family/friend drama. I'm sure I'll post a new story right away, to be honest.
My initials are FK and my favorite fruit is kiwi. It's also my e-mail address name. I wanted it to say "freekiwi at yahoo," but it was taken, so I had to slap a 103 on 'freekiwi.' Super gay.

Minaj: Thanks. It's a review like this that makes me feel less like an asshole when I'm tragically late on an update. I didn't mean to be late on this one. I had this typed up for almost a month, but my flash drive was lost. I've learned now to keep a back-up on my PC, even though it's really annoying having to copy and paste all the files. Oh well.
Though this story is finishing, I am putting out another Axel/Roxas one soon, if you're interested in reading it. Who knows? Maybe you'll like it more than this one.

Revolutionary Venom: Haha, thanks. I think losing my flash drive is definitely a blockage, unfortunately. On the upside, I've had very little drama otherwise. So, that's been nice.

Miggery: Aww, aren't you a sweetheart? I try to convey emotions as powerfully as I possibly can (I know that sounds really gay). I just think it takes away from the story when you aren't really feeling what the character is feeling too. And, thanks. I appreciate you saying how much you like this story. It's a bit rough around the edges and really could use some cleaning up, but I'm really glad to see that some of the novice mistakes with the plot don't take away from the whole thing too badly.

Maple-Leaf01: I have made it a policy to never, ever start a story I can't finish. I try really, really hard not to wait too long between updates, too, but I don't abandon stories. That's just so… shitty. And it happens far too often. You don't have to worry about an author note like that. I usually post them on my profile and it's usually just to say, "Hey, the story is late because…" or whatever. But the only time I won't finish a story is if I've died. I can pretty much guarantee that.
On the upside of this story ending, I am going to be posting another Axel/Roxas story soon. Woo woo!

Verovex: Thanks, sweetheart. I'm glad I could inspire you to review. ;) Though, I know what you mean. The only chapter story I follow is sporadically updated and as a result, I forget to review. I do follow the story and I do really like it, I just… don't want to leave a review that says the same exact thing the last one did, you know? Also, I see you EVERYWHERE on ffnet. You review a lot and some of your reviews are unintentionally hilarious.
Well, I actually feel like Demyx a lot of the time. It's like with my ex – people say I shouldn't speak with him anymore, but I'm like, "Why?" The fact is this: if I want to get over it, I need to treat him like anyone else. Ignoring him is just a constant reminder of what went wrong. I've stopped following advice so much. Demyx probably should too. Maybe carve his own path or… whatever.
I toyed with the idea of Riku and Roxas messing around again, but I decided not to go that route because Riku was already seriously disliked by readers for his past transgressions. So I decided it would keep the story together better if I just kept this lingering feeling. That special spot in Roxas' heart for Riku though is no joke, you know? That kind of shit happens in real life and every time I date someone new, I'm terrified I'm not going to be good enough to make my own special spot in their heart.
Hah, what can I say? I like my Zexion with a personality. He's smart and well-read, but he isn't a robot. And Cloud dolls aren't a bad idea because it means he can do the dirty work of telling someone how it actually is. Being blunt is hard, but Jesus Christ – someone needs to do it.
It's all right now. Writing is a good outlet. Though I think my ex stalks my fanfiction profile a little bit, so I'm really hesitant to post things that mirror aspects of our relationship. I'm afraid I'll get shit for it.

Alstarryn: Yea, me too. I feel like life after high school shouldn't contain this much drama, but I guess it does. So I'm learning to put a lid on things before they get too out of control.
Yea, Axel's a pretty good fable writer. And yea, he was pretty distressed over the fables. I'm waiting for angry reviews that are like, "WHY WERE THEY DESTROYED?" and just kind of hoping for the best.
Clearing the air needed to happen. And I hope everyone was satisfied with how it was all done. And yea, I did have to chop this chapter in two. It was going to be much too long otherwise and I don't want to rush the end. That's a good way to ruin a story.

Sana-chan9: It's okay. Once this story is done, another Axel/Roxas story will come about. I love the pairing and I can't stay away from it too long. And I'm not going to lie – I do like Degrassi. I don't know why because it's not a believable show AT ALL and it repeats the same exact scenarios over and over again, but I just can't get enough of it.
Just so you know – when you do get into a relationship, rely on advice. If your friends tell you the guy is a shithead or there are blatant warning signs, don't overlook them. Chances are the guy is a total prick and you're too starry-eyed to notice it. I speak from experience… and television.
Haha, a lot of shows do! But that's because they have to be solved in twenty-two minutes and they always have to have a pretty happy ending tied to the end (unless it's a drama). And you're right – a LOT of misunderstandings arise because no one will be honest. Honesty and being direct are difficult and so no one wants to do either. But when the air is cleared, everyone is a lot more relaxed.

FemShep Loves Tali: Sorry about giving you cardiac problems (and making your eyes bleed). On the upside, it's a good way to pass the time while you're ill. And it's all good. I'll be okay without therapy, but here's a chapter anyway. ;D
For the record, not a sadist – not intentionally, anyway.

ShinigamiWanabe: Well shit. I feel like I owe you money for the bleeding eyes and for the therapy you'll need in order to get over this. There is a LOT of emotional baggage in this story though and I won't lie – sometimes this shit is hard to write because of it.

Sunriseonmymind: Aww, that's sweet. I never read the same stories my sister was reading because it was just… awkward. And I'm actually quite cynical in real life. Hardened by all the stupid bullshit that gets thrown my way, you know? But I'm cynical against myself, I guess. I don't really let it branch out to other people (like maybe true love exists for Susie, but maybe it doesn't exist for me, you know what I mean?).
Haaaah. I know the wait was a bad one. It was a LONG fucking time before I updated. This wait wasn't as long, but I really need to be more on top of things. Also, it wasn't so much the boyfriend that took up my time as it was the relationship. It required a lot of effort and so my stories suffered (as did my school work. I need my priorities in order).
I've never been cheated on (at least I don't think) and if I have, it's one of those things I never want to know about. I was dumped after three years so my ex could go date someone else and THAT really sucked. I can never tell what's worse – being cheated on or the person leaving you for someone else for good. Roxas and Riku never did act on their lingering chemistry, but I think part of what's hard for Roxas is that Riku left him for Sora and that stings. On the other side of that, RIku cheated on Sora with Roxas and that bites, too. I guess it depends on how you look at things. A terrible lapse in judgment vs. your significant meeting someone they'd rather be with than you.
They are all flawed, aren't they? And for some of them, the bad outweighs the good completely. But that's life, you know? And you can't stay angry forever and your personality issues just don't go away overnight. As for Nam, yea, I hate it when she's portrayed as weak. Shy is fine, but I just don't see weak.
Thanks – I've been speaking it since seven or eight, I think. It's really not too hard to learn when you're trapped in a country where English is king. :)

t.y.u.i.t.y.u.i.: Still a fan? I can dig it.

The Moon's Berserk: I think it might surprise you because I'm always changing how I want the story to work out. GC is pretty set in stone for the most part, but AF wasn't. So I do a little bit of cleaning up of the plot line as I go along (hence why it's riddled with holes and flaws). I'm glad you're a fan of GC and I promise a new A/R story will be out soon enough.

Vithian: Is it? I won't lie, I don't really play many video games aside from Zelda, Mario, and Kingdom Hearts. It's not that I don't want to, I just lack systems that work because I don't live at home. And you're right about the folks on ffnet. Never seen such support from a group of people I barely know. And it's nice to be wished well and all, you know? It's good to know no one is pissed about the lack of update and that people are actually sympathetic.
This chapter was 12500 words. That sort of makes up for the last chapter. Ish.

AlcesRedivivus: I thought about changing my name, but only because my ex creeps on my ff profile which makes it hard to write anything that even remotely reflects our relationship. I'm glad the Cloud/Demyx scene made you laugh. In my head the two of them were getting along okay, but Demyx would annoy Cloud so badly I just don't really see them being friends. Or even really being nice to each other. And you're totally right. It's been fucking HOT. I'm on the East Coast too and this summer has been one of sweat. It's mid-September and it's still hot as fuck around here. I live right near the coast (like fifteen minutes from the beach) and it's so effing humid.
Oh! I'm posting another Axel/Roxas story once this one finishes. I hope everyone likes it as much as they've liked this one.

Mochiusagi: You're totally right. Everyone loves to blame everyone else because no one likes to admit that maybe they were just a little bit wrong. Blaming and accusing is all well and good for a while, but eventually it has to stop. And a huge group therapy session where they can hug it out in the end isn't such a bad idea.

Superkawaiifreak: Noooo apologies. I don't expect anyone to consistently review, review, review because I know it's hard to change up what was said last time.
I think one of the best things about fanficiton and the ability to review and give your opinion is just that: you can give your opinion. I like Naminé as the voice of reason because she seems innocent enough to be that. I can also see how that's cliché because I think she gets painted as "that innocent young thing" a lot. Also, I like that you feel Axel shouldn't apologize for his behavior. Honestly, I'm the kind of person who stays mad for like an hour and then either forgets or just lets it go because I hate fighting. Sometimes I'll just apologize for the sake of apologizing because I'm hoping the whole situation will dissolve if I just say "I'm sorry" enough.
However, I think in this situation, Axel should apologize for being a coward. He didn't really do anything wrong except love Roxas. However, he's handling it in a very bad way. And, yea, he is getting to be whiny about it. He's being a bit like Roxas in that he's dragging this out instead of just getting over it or talking with Roxas about it. It's dramatic and it doesn't have to be, but no one will sit down and just be honest for a few minutes. That's the problem in this story and the problem with people today.
You know what? I ALWAYS imagine Riku as a self-entitled asshole who believes he rightfully deserves something from the world. I don't know why, but I always imagine him that way. Which is why in my earlier one-shots, he's cynical and off-putting because something is being taken from him and he doesn't believe he deserves it (usually).
Ergh – good point. I think you don't ever see what leads to the product is because I KNOW what's leading him to do it so I don't write it down. Is that weird to say? And a lot of what Axel writes, I'm drawing from my own experiences (mostly) so I'm being blind and acting like everyone knows everything. There are quite a few things I would change about this story if I could. Unfortunately, that's the way this works: you post the story, post the subsequent chapters, and then try to ignore the errors or things that could've been different.
You're totally right. This story does need about 20k worth of words to wrap it all up. As for that epilogue… That was just awful. Rowling is good at writing an awesome fantasy story, but what he fuck was that?

Sunny side of cookies: Tidus actually annoys me too. I liked FFX, but damn – he did a shitload of whining in it. But you know what Riku and Tidus have in common? They both have daddy issues!
The next chapter is the last! This chapter was part one. Originally, this was going to be the finale, but it got too long and I had to split it up. And no worries about reviewing. Review once and you're good in my book.

Krow Y: I hate summer classes. And OH MY GOD, THAT HAPPENED TO ME! I used to only write one-shots periodically because I used to play KH, want to see some Axel/Roxas or Sora/Riku or whatever action, travel to ffnet, and be upset about what was there so then I'd write a one-shot. But there are months and years between my one-shots because I kept going back and forth between hating ffnet and liking it. I joined livejournal, but I sucked at following the rules for communities and they are sticklers for rules over there. Here, not so much. This is like the ghetto of the internet and I love it.
I'm glad you like this so much. I'm putting out another story once this finish. It'll be Axel/Roxas because, well… I really can't live without them.

PumpkinLenses: That is sooooo true. Zexion is totally blinded by love and would stomp some serious ass for Demyx. And thanks. I'm glad I've made a name for myself somewhat. And I'm glad I could entertain a few of you readers with my stories.

EpicSonic: Thanks. The scene between Cloud/Demyx was a lot of fun to write. I just… don't see them ever being friends. Or nice to each other. And I do like how blunt and mean Cloud was (even if it upset Demyx).

Bbb136: Hahah, that's what everyone says about the summary and the story. But you're totally right. Ffnet gives you two freaking lines to entice people and it's really not enough. It takes me literally hours to think up a good two-line summary that I think will catch people. But it never shows the complexity of the story at all. That's why I always put longer summaries up top. Because then you can actually decided if it's worth your time or not.
Yea, it's time Roxas grow up. And I think I like writing Cloud and Demyx together. Stoic Coud vs. spastic Demyx? I can dig it.

AmitraDay: Hah, thanks! AkumaStrife, an author on ffnet, writes Cloud/Leon VERY well. She's one of the very, very, very few authors that writes them how they SHOULD be written. And the bed is kind of cool! It took us like… a month to build though. And I'll probably never do something like that ever again.

My friend: Oh… Well… Are you destroyed? It had to happen for plot purposes, but this isn't the end! And a LOT has to be said in the last chapter so I'm sure it'll be dialogue-galore.

QuinntheEskimo: I tried to make them as real as possible. The happy-go-lucky nonsense just doesn't happen because we ALL have sadness in our lives and darkness in our hearts. And, you're right – the Axel/Demyx coupling is awkward, BUT it fits for how real I want the story to be. People don't normally sit around waiting for other people. Axel is dating (banging) someone else. These things happen, you know? And they are usually quite awkward.
I'm glad this could make you range through all those emotions. It means I was able to convey what I wanted to convey. And I think Kyle the Klepto was one of my favorite fables too. So cute.
Hooooraaay advertisement! And hooray for non-bleedy eyes. Though… This chapter may have done you in. Almost 13000 words!

BooIsBaffled: Aww, thanks. I am an asshole, hah, but that's all right. Internet-me isn't as much as a dick as real-life-me. And you're right. Axel/Demyx is odd, but now that horror is over and we're back to the Axel/Roxas goodness. No bed stealing! I won't have anywhere to sleep. D;

ILIKETHEWORDPIE: Dude! I hate it when you have relationship problems with someone you're NOT dating. It's such bullshit! It's mainly why I stay away from casual sex. And thanks! I try to implement experiences from my own life in my stories or I try and impart some kind of cynical wisdom on others. I don't know. I sit around and do nothing a lot and I hear people talk and I just… have these realizations about life that are generally depressing. But they're really good story fodder so, you know… hooray for that! Also, I love cookies.

Writeoutloud90: Dang, this story isn't funny? I know I need to up the maturity rating (or maybe I already did, I don't remember), but I thought this story was sort of funny… But, well, okay, yea, there IS a shitload of heartache. And I guess the majority of the story is a bit of a downer. Maybe that is misleading…
Well, I'm glad you like it! And right – no filler chapters here! Too lazy and too focused to do any of that.

Aznwhitekid: I'm glad you have the story a chance. I will say the first bit of this story is tragically boring. If I was a reader, I'd skip that bullshit at the top and scroll right to Axel talking to Roxas/Sora about moving in.

Iced Perfection: That's good. Sitting in front of your PC (like I do) is really bad for your eyes. And hooray! Cross-advertising in my stories works! And thanks. I know updates don't have to come quickly, but I used to read a lot of fanfiction and I hated it when I got to the end of a story and an author wouldn't update. And then an author's note would come out and it would be all, "Sorry, this is discontinued" which are the most god-awful words when it comes to fanfiction. Also, and this makes me sound delightfully selfish, I'm afraid to put long periods of time between updates because I'm afraid I'll lose readers. Is that bad? I don't know.
But thanks. I appreciate that. And I think the drama is allowed to be this over-the-top because it's shit that actually happens in real life. Maybe not all at once like this, but hey – I have a creative license.

Fredrikness: Yea, I could see that. I was almost dead. And yea! I'm all right, thanks. Break-ups are break-ups are break-ups, you know? They happen, you cry, you get up and get over. Sometimes you stumble and then have to cry some more, but eventually you work up the courage to stand on your own two legs again. Or whatever.
And aaaah! Another long wait, I'm sorry! This time it wasn't drama – my flash drive went missing when I moved houses. Derp.

Misunderstoodmysteriousone: Yep, they most definitely do. Most of my stories are drawn from personal experience or shit that other people have told me about. I try and get out more, but the more out I get, the more cynical I become.

I ok2: Oh God, I'm corrupting children. Or… since you're already on ffnet, you were probably corrupted to begin with. Thank God your eyes aren't bleeding. I don't want your parents to call my parents (I'm serious).

Hahanowyougetit: Dude, I will TOTALLY take that.