Another chapter up! Sorry, it took a lot longer than I expected because I suddenly became sick... again. Yep, I'm sneezing my brains out once again, which isn't really surprising because I'm always sick all throughout winter, it usually doesn't get too bad. But then Drama Club grabbed up my time with "Festival" being tomorrow, so I won't have much to any time tomorrow to do anything. That weighing on my mind, I had decided to finish this chapter for you guys. I tried not to make this too long, it was about fourteen pages on Word, a couple pages smaller than the previous two chapters.
Anyways, I used the song "Over My Head (Cable Car)" by The Fray, I absolutely love that band, so don't be surprised if you hear another one of their songs used... or maybe two more. Like I said, I really love those guys! But I hope you love this chapter, or at least don't hate it. Honestly, I hadn't been planning the ending to go quite that way, but it fits into my plans well anyways. So, once again, enjoy, and please review! Thanks to "Rokurei" and "futile flutter" for their reviews!
3 :: Family
"I never knew,
I never knew that everything was falling through,"
Roxas blinked at the cable box's bright red letters, glaring back at him through the dim lighting of his bedroom. It told him it was nine at night, but he knew it had to be lying. It was impossible that he had spent the entire day with Axel, from eight in the morning to eight at night, shopping for his new school's uniform, that Axel insisted they grabbed some accessories to spice it up. Then they came back, ate dinner together, as he found out Sora had been doing… paperwork?
Axel had said something about the ridiculous amount of paperwork from the school that his parents had dumped onto Sora, they being too busy to take care of the kid they were taking in. The redhead hadn't missed a beat, snorting and rolling his eyes with every little smart-ass remark he made about his parents. Roxas just sat quietly, listening to him.
He had felt guilty, Sora doing all that work for him while the blonde went out with his brother and shopped, it wasn't fair that he had to stay in and do work. So there Roxas sat, wondering if Sora was still working on that stuff this late at night. It wouldn't be sane, to work on that sort of stuff all day long. Then again, Roxas didn't really know Sora, so he couldn't make any judgments just yet. Maybe the guy was a super genius?
Ignoring the mental groaning his sore legs caused him as he stood, he walked to his door, opening it and glancing at the brunette teen's door, or more specifically, the crack beneath it. A dim light was coming from beneath it, making Roxas sigh quietly.
Frowning, he quietly shut his door and lightly knocked on Sora's, hoping it was soft enough to not bother Riku and Reno, whose rooms were right next to and right across from his, but loud enough to catch the brunette's attention. He wouldn't know if he disturbed Riku and Reno any, but his knock did manage to catch Sora's attention.
As the teen opened the door, Roxas felt another stab of guilt at him as Sora stared at him with heavy eyes, "Roxas, how can I help you?"
The blonde shifted awkwardly for a moment, suddenly realizing that he maybe should have thought of what to say before randomly bothering the other teen, but then shrugged and decided to wing it, he pretty much just did that everyday of his life anyways, "Um, Axel said the school had sent a lot of paperwork about me and you had been doing it all day, and, uh, well, I guess I felt kinda bad or something, so I was wondering if I could help?"
Sora just blinked at him for a moment, expression blank as he tried to remember the paperwork Axel had told Roxas about. Sora had, actually, slept half the day, did homework, got a couple calls from some of his "friends" about "emergencies" (drama that didn't really concern him) and then slept some more. The only paperwork Sora could think about was the trivial sort that he got with the course expectations for the blonde's classes, the sort you get a small pile of every year.
The brunette had completed that yesterday, however, after dinner. So there really wasn't anything left except for him to bring those and Roxas to the office on Monday, and everything would be set.
"Ah, I finished that yesterday, I was doing homework today." Roxas's eyes widened at that, staring at the brunette in slight amazement.
"All day? Oh geez, I'm not gonna survive this school if they're giving out that much homework!"
The teen felt amusement bubble up in him from the blonde's misconception. Yes, Sora had done homework for about five hours today, but it was really mostly studying future material so he wouldn't have a chance to fall behind in anything. However, he wasn't about to mention this to Roxas, seeing the blonde get so worried over it was kind of… funny.
Sora let out a small chuckle, making Roxas frown at him, "Don't make fun of me, I'm not smart or anything. I just hope I got some easy classes."
The brunette made an appreciative hum, nodding, "Mostly art classes, I had looked at your schedule from your old school when setting your classes yesterday, and you had a lot of those, so I figured you would want them at our school, also. Although, your Science and English classes are required for you to pass this year."
Roxas scowled, restraining the groan of disappointment, he had nearly been over-joyed at the thought of all the art classes, but Science and English… "I'm doomed. I can't get past a Science class without getting a scar, mental or physical, and I can't make jack shit out of those books you read in English."
Sora chuckled again, leaning against his doorway, "Well, you have both of those with me, so I would not be so worried. I am sure you will be fine… In English, at least. I'm not quite so helpful in Science."
Roxas just had a bit of a frightful look on his face as he looked at the brunette, "What Science is it?"
Sora smiled apologetically, "Chemistry, it is required for Juniors at our school."
Roxas felt like he was going to die, "Of course, that's the most dangerous one, isn't it?"
Sora thought for a moment, his face frowning as he looked at the blonde teen, "How did you manage to scar yourself in Biology?"
Roxas raised an eyebrow, "Uh, hello? Reproductive system? And of course, I was my teacher's least favorite student, so he was sure to assign me a project on that for my final grade."
Sora blushed lightly, but chuckled a bit nonetheless, "Well, it could have been worse?"
Roxas frowned, "No, the pothead who slept through his class, his second least well liked student, was assigned the heterosexual part… I was assigned homosexual, which doesn't make much sense, because they can't reproduce, but… Are you okay?"
Sora's face had lit up like a Christmas tree the moment Roxas had said "homosexual," but the brunette just cleared his throat roughly, turning his gaze away quickly, "Y-yes, um, I should be getting to bed now, so, uh, excuse me. Goodnight!"
The door was quickly shut, before Roxas could even get another word in, making the blonde frown in concern as he turned to walk back to his room, never noticing the door across from him slowly shutting quietly.
Once back in his room, he took another glance at his cable box, sitting under the TV on the entertainment center, flashing the numbers nine-fifteen. Sighing, he wondered if Sora was uncomfortable about homosexuality, and that was why the brunette acted in such a way. Roxas sure hoped not, he already knew that he was gay, so that would make things between the two rough, because Roxas wasn't about to deny his sexuality.
He frowned distastefully, his situation here just looking worse and worse, and it was giving him a headache.
Sighing, he took another look at the clock and made a spur-of-the-moment decision to call back home. There was only a six hour time difference, meaning it should be three in the afternoon there, so Lulu and Wakka would be able to pick up. He stepped back out in the hallway, looking up and down it to see if anyone was in view, he definitely didn't want someone in this house over-hearing a private conversation.
Spotting the phone just down the hall, past all the guest rooms and near what Roxas believed was a closet, he quickly walked down to it, hoping he would be out of earshot of the others that shared his hallway, he wouldn't want to wake them up or anything. Sora had looked exhausted, and Riku and Reno… Had probably been busy, too.
Actually, now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen those two once all day. Not that it was a bad thing. As said before, he didn't particularly like either of them, Reno for obvious reasons and Riku because he was so stone-y… Is that really a word? Eh, probably not, but it's not like Roxas cared. He would speak whatever language he wanted to get his message across, and that's probably the reason why he does so bad in English.
Gently picking the phone off it's cradle, he blinked at the shiny white surface of it. It was expensive, that was for sure, so Roxas wasn't too worried about making a long-distance call to Hollow Bastion on it. If they could afford such expensive phones, then they could afford the bill for them, too…
And if they didn't want to pay the bill, then Roxas really hoped his uncle would pick it up because he wouldn't be able to pay for it, that's for sure.
Before he could change his mind, the consequences this call may bring him beginning to penetrate his conscious, he quickly dialed the number to Hollow Bastion, listening to the silence and then ringing. It must have rung fifteen times before someone finally picked up, making Roxas sigh in relief.
"Lulu's Bakery-"
"Lulu!" Roxas nearly yelled before remembering where he was, he slapped a hand over his mouth before quickly glancing up and down the hall. Seeing no one, he sighed in relief as he heard the woman over the phone recover from her surprise.
"Roxas? Is that you? How are you?"
Roxas smiled at her voice, feeling his heart calmed from some tension that he hadn't even been aware of, "I'm fine, everything here is fine. I'm with the Taylors, or actually, their sons, Sora and Axel. Oh, and those guys that picked me up at home, Riku and Reno. I haven't met Sora and Axel's parents yet, though, or my uncle."
"I'm sure you'll see them soon, don't worry about it, you'll be home in no time at all." Roxas had never thought of Lulu as a mother figure, but hearing her voice and having her just say some of the most simplest of comfort words made him relax in a way a mother surely would relax her child.
"So, how are things there? You guys a total wreck without me yet?" He chuckled softly at the teasing he made, knowing Lulu would be smirking from her end. He leaned against the wall, sliding down to wrap and arm around his knees and rest his head there.
"We haven't fallen to pieces just yet, but give it a couple more hours and I'm sure I'll find Wakka curled up in your bed and sobbing with his head in your pillow." Roxas couldn't help the laughter that came from him, hoping he was still keeping quiet enough to not wake anyone, "But Hayner and Seifer, I don't know how they will survive without you around. Olette stopped by around noon to tell me they're already becoming more and more testy around each other without you to mediate things."
Roxas frowned at that, concern washing over him before surprise got to him, "Me? I don't mediate anything, I just tell them to shut up and they do it. And if they don't hear you the first time, yell louder." He smirked as he said this, amusement coming from the memories of those two blonde bone-heads.
He could practically hear Lulu's sigh over the phone, "You're the only one they listen to, Rox, it's because of their crushes on you, I'm sure. Anyone else who would try that would-"
The blonde's mouth was dropped open in shock before he spluttered and interrupted her, "W-Wait! Go back! Rewind! What did you say?"
He could hear Lulu's chuckle from over the phone, "Don't tell me you were actually that dense, Rox," The silence was her answer, "Oh, I had just thought you were pretending. I'm sorry, Roxas, they've both had a crush on you since you entered high school, I believe. And since you left, without you around, they just argue about you more because you're not there to tell them to stop."
His gaze bored into the wall across from him, "That's impossible, Lu, don't joke around like that…"
"Roxas, you know I wouldn't-"
"That's a really bad joke, you should learn some better ones from Wakka." Roxas could hear her sigh after
"I never knew that everything was falling through,
That everyone I knew was waiting on a queue,"
The blonde stared up at the ceiling distraught, eyes still wide with shock from learning about his best-friend's and his other friend's crushes on him. Of course, now it seemed more obvious. How Seifer hated Hayner and completely ignored Pence and Olette, only coming around to see Roxas. How Hayner would always treat Roxas special, never yelled at him and always would say he'd protect him. How they would constantly fight for no real apparent reason, until now at least, around him, but Roxas had always just assumed that their personalities naturally clashed.
But no, they were fighting over him. They had always been fighting over him. That was just… disturbing. Honestly, Roxas wished he hadn't made that phone call home, he had made it to get his mind off of coming here, and it instead shoved drama in his face, not on purpose because Lulu would never do that, and gave him a whole different headache to deal with.
Groaning in his frustration, the boy glared at the blank TV screen, having never turned it on because he never liked TV that much, laying on the couch as his thoughts swarmed into a buzzing and stinging mass in his brain. Finally, when the buzzing became too loud, when his thoughts about what he could do about Hayner and Seifer became too loud, when he was sure his brain would burst. He did the only thing that was sure to get his mind off of anything.
Reaching into his bag, he pulled out his sketchbook, flipping it open and past the older drawings in search of a new, clean page. Finally finding one, he dug through the bag until he managed to find a pencil, it was one used for shading, not drawing, but it would do for now. He really just wanted to draw and lose himself for the moment, not make a masterpiece.
He thought for a second, shutting his eyes as he came up with an image to draw. A dark, neon-lit city. Concrete buildings and streets, rain coming down harsh and cold, a single sky-scraper with large screen TV's being held against the front of the building by some miracle structure. There was no signs of life, just darkness.
Without another thought to it, he opened his eyes to stare at the page fixatedly, blocking out the world as he began to draw the sky-scraper's outline. The pencil moving across the paper with practiced skill and grace.
"But that's how it's got to be,
It's coming down to nothing more than apathy,"
Sora sighed to himself, watching his older brother pace back and forth in the room in slight discomfort. Not because Axel was in his room, never because of that. But because of what Axel was talking about: Roxas.
"He's just-just-I don't know! Something else! Something totally and completely different! Something-Fuck it! Fuck the eloquence! He's smart, cute, with a hot ass, and an adorable personality! Plus, he listens to every word I say!"
Sora frowned worriedly, he knew what Axel was getting at. The redhead had already told him about how he had spent the day with the blonde, and honestly, Sora hadn't been happy about it. For several reasons, because Axel got this little crush on him and he knew it would scare Roxas half to death when the blonde finds out (and Axel would most definitely get the message across), and because he wasn't completely sure that Roxas would reject him. Which would not be good.
Why?
… Because their parents wouldn't like it! Don't question the hesitation Sora had before answering, pretend it didn't happen.
"And then I was walking over here and I think he was calling home or something, and he was all curled up against the wall on the floor, it was so cute, he was all smiley, too. Then whoever he was talking to said something that didn't go over well, I don't know what, but-"
Sora looked up immediately, "Did it upset him?"
Axel raised an eyebrow at the brunette, making Sora shift uneasily for a moment, turning his gaze away to not make eye contact. The redhead shrugged then, "Dunno, well, I guess so. He looked surprised and… scared? Maybe? He looked really embarrassed and worried, mostly."
"What do you think they had said to Roxas?" Sora asked quietly, staring at the wall blankly. From his first impressions of the blonde, he didn't think the teen to be someone who would get so upset so easily. Maybe irritated and a little worried or embarrassed, but not the way Axel was making it sound.
Axel just looked at his brother strangely, the boy still staring at the wall in his own thoughts, then he shrugged, "I have no clue. He was sorta quiet after that. He just started talking about bad jokes, asked how some people were doing, then hung up and went back to his room."
Sora nodded slightly, then nearly jumped out of his skin as his phone began to ring loudly next to him on the bed. He quickly snatched it up and saw it was his mother, sighing deeply, he gave Axel a look that made the redhead roll his eyes and fall back on the bed next to him. Sora braced himself for whatever would be said first and then answered, "Hello?"
Axel watched with narrowed eyes as Sora seemed to begin to have an argument with his parents, something about his grades or something. A test he didn't do so good on? Either way, Axel knew it was trivial, and it only fueled his anger towards his parents that they would call and get so angry at the brunette who was already trying so hard that it was unhealthy.
Of course, they didn't know how hard Sora was trying, really, they were never around. They just thought he was studying like a normal student and would slack off at times, and that would be why some test grades wouldn't be as impressive as others. But Sora never slacked off, he would study for hours every freaking day. It drove Axel insane, knowing his little brother wasn't enjoying his life like he should, instead wasting it because of the insane expectations and responsibilities their parents were shoving onto the teen.
Anger suddenly at a new peak, Axel jumped off the bed and snatched the phone from the brunette's hand. Leaving Sora to stare morosely as Axel took up the argument in his place, a very usual occurrence. It always had the same result as when Sora argued with them, though. Sora spending even more time locked in his room and studying extra in whatever class he wasn't doing well enough in.
Honestly, he hated it. He hated studying, he didn't know why he needed most of his courses later in life, and he was certainly never going to use them. But it just sounded good that he was taking them. Plus, it would look good for college. This one had been about the math test Axel had helped him study for on Friday. He had gotten an eighty-nine on it, not an A.
His sapphire gaze watched Axel pace around the room, ranting loudly as the brunette lowered himself into laying down on the bed. It would have the same results as always, there was no reason to stay up and listen to it when his eyelids were already weighing so much, and if he was asleep, he wouldn't have to listen to them.
Listen to Axel preach about how Sora should be enjoying his life, that he shouldn't be expected to carry such heavy responsibilities as a teenager, that he should be given more freedom. But Sora knew his mother was retaliating with how Axel had taken pleasure in the wrong things and went down the wrong path, how he was too weak and cracked under the pressure but Sora could most certainly handle it better, how Axel was given too much freedom and had gone so wrong.
He hated their arguments, they always ended the same. He hated listening to them fight and say the same things over and over again, neither budging in their determination to prove the other wrong.
And that is how Sora fell asleep that night, curled in bed with Axel's voice yelling at their mother over the phone as his lullaby.
"I'd rather run the other way than stay and see,
The smoke and who's still standing when it clears,"
The brunette yawned, eyes cracking open to take in the sight of his room lit in the dim light of dawn. He shifted slightly, a weight around his shoulders falling off and rest behind his back. Frowning, he turned slightly and saw Axel passed out in bed next to him.
He had fought with their parents for that long, had yelled and screamed and go the same treatment back. If Axel hadn't been around, things would have been more peaceful, his parents probably wouldn't pressure him so much because they were afraid the redhead would influence him in some way. He may even have less to live up to, if Axel weren't around.
But Sora would never wish Axel away. He was his older brother, he loved him unconditionally.
The redhead had probably argued for so long he tired himself out, and decided to crash in Sora's bed instead of going back to his own. Sora was fine with that, he liked waking up with someone nearby rather than alone. He hated being alone.
Smiling softly, he rolled over to face his older brother's sleeping face, gently shutting his eyes once again and hoped that sleep would take him once again.
A knock at his door would be what ruined those chances, though. Axel's eyelids began to flutter as the redhead was waking up, and Sora just sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he called out to the door, "Enter."
Leon stepped in quickly, a concerned frown on his face, "Young Master Sora, Master Axel, your parents have arrived."
The brunette was silent as Axel stilled in waking up beside him, the room gone quiet as the news washed over them, then Sora jumped out of bed and ran to his closet, throwing it open to find some appropriate clothing, "Thank you, Leon! Please wake Roxas, Riku and Reno, now!"
The butler watched the brunette with some concern for another moment before shaking his head and leaving, most likely to wake the others like Sora had ordered. Axel just watched his younger brother run around the room in a panic, trying to get ready before their parents became too impatient. He snorted as the teen tripped over his pant leg and sent himself crashing to the floor, "Graceful is your middle name, isn't it?"
Sora scowled at him, standing and tugging the pants up fully, "Should you not be preparing to greet them, too?"
Axel sneered at the ceiling, "Not. You know they prefer to not see me. I'll just go back to sleep after you leave."
Sora continued to scowl, pity in his eyes before pulling a shirt over his head and running to the bathroom, brushing his teeth and hair, he threw some cold water on his face and dried it, hoping it would be enough to look like he didn't just wake up. Jogging back into his room, he saw Axel still in bed, only now he was back asleep.
The brunette rolled his eyes and ran to the door, throwing it open just in time to see a very groggy Roxas tumble out of his room. He raised an eyebrow at the blonde, watching the boy groan and pull himself up from the floor, he looked exhausted. Blinking, Sora went up to him and took his arm, making the other jump, "Roxas, are you alright?"
The blonde stared at him for a moment, in surprise, before nodding quickly, "Y-yeah, just didn't get much sleep between last night and now… When's now?"
Sora smiled softly, "It's around seven in the morning, what time did you go to bed?"
Roxas thought for a moment, frown coming onto his features, "I think I fell asleep around… three?"
The brunette shook his head, about to ask why the guy was even up that late when Riku's door opened suddenly, the silver haired man leaving the room with a very deep grimace on his face, "What is the reason for this?"
Sora blinked at him, surprised, "For what, may I ask?"
Riku was glaring unconsciously, making Roxas shift to stand behind Sora more to stay out of that sight, the guy's deep voice expressed his anger visibly, "What is the reason for waking me up at the crack of fucking dawn?"
Roxas had no idea that Riku was such a nasty morning person, but didn't have any time to contemplate it when an arm was suddenly thrown around him, dragging him into a body, "Relax, yo, you're a freaking sleeping beauty, aren't ya?"
Roxas scowled and pushed himself off of Reno, he turned his back to the redhead and faced Sora, "Why did Leon wake us up?"
Sora looked slightly awkward for a moment, worrying his lip lightly before speaking, "My parents, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, have unexpectedly arrived, so we must go greet them."
Roxas just stared at him as Riku and Reno shrugged and began walking towards the foyer, "Wait-wait, why do we have to get up? Couldn't they wait until we wake up? I mean, it's not like they're gonna run away…"
Sora sighed apologetically, "My parents are not home often, they prefer for me and all guests to greet them when they do come home."
"Why not Axel?" Sora froze as Roxas gazed at him curiously, "Sora?"
The brunette frowned deeply, "No reason. Axel is different. He doesn't want to get up."
Without another word, the brunette brushed past him and began to quickly walk down the hall, not waiting for the blonde. Upon reaching the foyer, Sora glanced to the door to see his father and mother speaking to Riku and Reno politely, he heard Roxas approach from behind him quietly, and he began descending the stairs, catching his parent's attention.
"Ah, Sora," His father was the first to speak, a smile plastered to his face as he walked up to his son and lightly patted his shoulder, "How is everything here. Going accordingly?"
Sora just nodded, smiling back up at the man as his mother walked over quietly, nodding to her son before both of his parents turned their attention to Roxas, "Is this Roxas Casey?"
Sora nodded and stepped aside, allowing the blonde to step down and greet them. The blonde was frowning, though, "Uh, hi."
Riku punched Reno in the shoulder as the redhead began to laugh, making Sora sigh at them. Roxas just looked at them curiously, before turning his attention back to Sora's parents, who looked at him with amusement, Sora's mother spoke, "You say, 'Hello,' never 'Hi,' when speaking to the upper-class, Roxas. It is alright, though, seeing as how you grew up in Hollow Bastion."
The blonde blinked in surprise for a moment, unsure of what to say, wondering if he was just insulted in someway, because it sure felt like that. Before he had a chance to retort, however, Mr. Taylor decided to take the conversation, "How about we all take breakfast in the garden this morning? Cloud!" The blonde had just been caught leaving the dining room, standing up straight in his surprise at being called, "Bring breakfast to the garden for us, would you?"
The blonde paused and nodded, quickly turning and walking back into the dining room. Sora was sure the butler was angry that he would have to reset everything outside, but his pity was soon redirected to himself as his parents told Roxas, Riku and Reno to go ahead out to the garden ahead of them.
The brunette felt the nerves rise to his heart as his parents frowned at him, his father taking control of the conversation as usual, "Your mother tells me she had another fight about you with Axel last night. Now, Sora, you should not listen to Axel, he is obviously not a good example. We are expecting high achievements from you-"
Sora tuned the lecture out, nodding every once and awhile as he stared at their feet, wishing he could be anywhere but here at the moment.
"I wish you were a stranger I could disengage,
To say that we agree and then never change,"
The blonde teen looked around the garden, the table they were all sitting at had been placed right outside of the door leading outside. It looked like it was made out of white marble, much like the walkway and patio they were on, and on the expensive piece of furniture sat fine silverware, all of which was silver and shining brightly in the morning sun.
The shrubs around the patio were blooming with various flowers Roxas wouldn't be able to identify if his life counted on it, but they were beautiful and filling the air with a sweet scent. The walkway ran off the patio and into what seemed to be a maze of flowering bushes and trees, the foliage becoming so thick in parts that it appeared to be more like a very well controlled forest rather than a garden.
It was more than just impressive, Roxas had always thought that this kind of scenery would only be viewable to him on TV. But while it greatly affected him, he noticed how everyone else treated it with such nonchalance, disturbing him slightly how used to this beauty they must be… or at least, much more adapted to it than him.
Taking their seats, Mr. Taylor sat at the head of the table like Sora had the first time they ate in the dining room, when his parents hadn't been home. His wife sat on his right side while Sora sat on his left, Roxas being ushered to take a seat next to Sora while Riku took the seat next to him and Reno took the last one across from him. He glanced up to see Cloud stepping out and taking a position next to the door that lead back inside, making him feel slightly guilty that they would be eating right in front of the man.
Looking down at the food, he felt nervousness well into his gut as he looked over all the silverware.
"So, Roxas," The blonde flinched as the conversation was brought to him, the one who still had barely touched his food because he wasn't very certain what silverware was used for what. Was that a soup spoon?
The blonde quickly nodded, showing Mr. Taylor had his attention, the man continued, "I heard from Sora that you will be sharing two classes together, Chemistry and British Literature. May I ask what other classes you have chosen?"
He stared at them for a second, racking his mind to try and remember if Sora had told him of his other classes, or at least in a bit more detail than "art classes." Unfortunately, he came up with nothing, making him just sit there silently, nervously, like an idiot. Reno could barely contain his laughter when Sora cut in, coming to his rescue.
"We signed him up for many art classes. Such as Art History, Photography, Ceramics III, and some others like those." Mr. Taylor nodded thoughtfully as his son spoke, then turned his attention back to the blonde.
"So you enjoy art, Roxas? What are your plans for college?"
The blonde froze again, this time because he had never thought about college, he figured he would never go because he would have to work and support himself, "U-Um, well, I don't actually plan on going to college, I will have to work to pay for myself in Hollow Bastion so-"
Mr. Taylor began laughing, making the teen feel like he was just punched in the gut, "Now, I am sure Mr. Shinra will be more than happy to support you through college. He cares greatly for you, after all. You should be making plans for college, so go ahead, tell me what you would most likely study."
The blonde's eyebrows furrowed in frustration, he didn't want his uncle to support him, he could support himself just fine, scowling, he answered anyways, "Well… I guess I would probably study art. Like-"
This time it was Mrs. Taylor who interrupted, "Artists do not make much money, they are known to starve and live in the back of vans, are they not? You should be looking for a job that will make money, feed you, help you find a good wife, settle down and have a family-"
"I doubt that." Roxas had enough, scowling as he felt his anger rising in his chest along with a bit of hurt. What did this lady know? He was only concerned with his own happiness, he just wanted to make sure he was happy when he became older, he wasn't about to conform to them and suppress himself to make these people happy.
"I don't need anyone to take care of me, or for this uncle I've never heard of before to support me, and I don't need to hear what you think I should do. I know what I'm doing, I've been taking care of myself and living on my own since I was ten, and the only thing I care about is being happy with my life when I'm ding one day and looking back on my life. I don't want to regret anything."
His rapidly beating heart was the only thing he could hear in his ears, the only thing he could see was the door Cloud stood beside that lead back inside. He couldn't hear Reno's muffled laughter, or see Sora's worried gaze. Walking up to the door, he didn't give Cloud a chance to open it for him, he swung it open and nodded towards the man in recognition, before turning back to make one last statement, "And I won't be marrying some nice and proper lady anytime soon, I'm gay."
Roxas would feel proud of leaving all three of the present Taylor family speechless for now, or, at least, until he reached his room again and realize just what a scene he had made.
Like he said before, his situation here was just getting worse and worse.
Closing the door behind himself, he groaned and collapsed onto the couch, burying his head in his arms. He hated this place so much, he just wanted to leave, he couldn't stand it. No wonder his parents chose to travel around and leave everything behind.
His eyes opened and immediately caught on the photo album still resting on the coffee table, sighing to himself, he picked it up and went to climb on his bed. Moogle sat there staring at him for a moment as he rested his head next to the doll on the pillow, making a sweeter memory of Vidina flash through his mind once again. He wrapped the doll up in one arm and rested the book against the wall his bed was pushed against. Flipping through the first couple pages, he finally came to stop on the page he valued the most.
He was just a small little baby being cradled in his mother's arms, his father with one arm around her and the other arm resting it's hand on Roxas's small chest. It was one of those cheesy pictures, the one where they posed in front of the new home. Even if it were a cheesy photo though, it still brought him comfort when he really needed it, needed a reminder.
Because of the label beneath it, reading: Family.
"And everyone knows I'm in,
Over my head, over my head."